Clara's Window

I seem to have very little blogworthy commentary these days. On Friday I was bending over to admire the teensy weensy beginnings of new life in my garden when my back suddenly and completely went out on me. So I spent the weekend in a horizontal state and am slowly getting back on my feet. Nary a stitch or weft shot was made, although my couch position afforded me a prime view of my empty loom. Most frustrating indeed.

During my forced rest period I was reminded of the curative powers of murder mysteries. The ice packs, heating pad, aspirin and Advil did very little to ease the pain, and I soon discovered I was far too restless for knitting or even a movie. But I was able to lose myself completely in the adventures of Maigret (Georges Simenon) and Lord Peter Wimsey (Dorothy Sayers) for hours and hours and hours. Thank goodness for books.

Spring is slowly trying to make its way up the coast, although its progress is slower than I wish. The pond has almost completely thawed, which changes my view from a still grey and white to a contstantly flickering sea of blue. And a huge group of goldfinches have taken up residence in the trees by the kitchen windows, much to Casey's delight. That guy really has the best life.

On the "Why I love my neighbors" front, this was a four-star weekend. On Saturday, one of my neighbors brought me a mason jar full of beautiful maple syrup that she'd made from the sap in her very own trees. Of course this made it absolutely necessary to have pancakes for dinner, which I did, and they were exquisite. Then on Sunday, there was another knock on the door. "Do you like scallops?" asked my other neighbor, with a big bag of fresh scallops in her hand. (Grilled scallops ended up on Sunday's dinner menu.)

And last Wednesday the Country View Drive-In (affectionately called Garbage View, even though the actual view is lovely) opened for the season. Now that my back is getting better, it's only a matter of time before I have my inaugural fish burger and onion rings there. (I can hear my liver ache at the thought of it.)

Such is life on the coast of Maine!