The Ravelled Sleave

It would seem this week is ending better than it began, which is never unwelcome. I've been knitting up the ravelled sleave, literally. Others too. Incidentally, lexicographers know that a "sleave" is a skein, usually fine and silk (from the Old English slæfan) and not a variant spelling of "sleeve" (from the Old English slefe).

Roundabout Exit 151, the sun is finally shining and the rivers have crested after a rare spring nor'easter last weekend. The Passaic River overtopped its bridges in Paterson, but I only got a little water in the basement. How there can be major flooding in communities upstream and only a little water in basements downstream hints at some of the many vagaries of topography, development, and politics in the great, soggy state of New Jersey. I support protected wetlands and greenbelts for recreational use and flood management. In this park along River Road, the receding floodwater is leaving behind contour lines made of size-sorted debris (bigger stuff higher, smaller stuff lower).



Although it would seem the ducks will have exclusive use of the picnic tables for a while yet (can you see the pair lounging on the seat?).



In Blacksburg, it's Hokie Hope Day at Virginia Tech, a day to wear school colors orange and maroon and to come together to reflect on the horrors and heroism of the week. I wish them peace and wholeness. Not to mention ya just gotta love a bunch of geeks whose school mascot is a turkey hokiebird. I know it's not easy to adjust – it's been 12 years since the post office shootings here. (Because of that tragedy, New Jersey is one of only a handful of U.S. states where the troubled killer would not have been able to purchase firearms legally. ETA: Even with the now-revealed flaws in the NRA-sponsored "instant notification" system.) But healing is possible, and does happen.

Meanwhile, radio and cable television personality Don Imus is off the air after racist and sexist remarks about the women's basketball team from the New Jersey state university, Rutgers. His so-called fans have been sending the young women hate mail and even death threats [eyeroll]. NJ governor Jon Corzine is in the hospital with serious injuries after a car crash while he was en route to mediating a meeting between Imus and the basketball team. His vehicle was traveling 25 mph (40 kph) over the speed limit and the governor was not wearing a seat belt. His driver and an aide were belted; both are out of the hospital. I wish the governor a speedy and full recovery. My state senator, Dick Codey, is serving as acting governor for the third time.

All the fin d'hiver grayness had me craving spring in the worst way. Can you tell?



There's more pinkyness ahead – Sunday is Earth Day and the culmination of the Cherry Blossom Festival. If you go, I'll be the person with bicycle, camera, and (if I ever stop frogging) sock in progress.