Holy wow! It’s been a while, hasn’t it, since we’ve sat together, sharing space, time, and a good, hot beverage?!
How wonderful it is to see you!
I’m enjoying black tea with milk and honey (per usual), but we have coffee and a variety of herbal teas I can happily brew for you, if you’d prefer. What would you like?
How you’ve been? Your family? Work?
Let’s dive straight in to Catch Up Mode because, gosh it’s been too long! But how can we possibly catch up on all.the.things over a single beverage?
The truth is, we can’t. But this moment right here is a start, and we’ll have to be better about getting together more often, won’t we?
Goodness I hope so!
If we were having coffee I’d ask how your week has gone?
The weather’s been wild here (typical for March) and we’ve been busy with visitors and activities in addition to typical farm chores.
We’re starting seeds in our new grow room and spending copious amounts of time playing with the seven chicks that hatched on the first day of Spring while trying to finish up pruning the orchard in between rain storms and crazy winds.
Speaking of the winds… We had a bit of a scare last Sunday when a fire broke out on a neighbor’s property fueled by the March winds (it’s been a very dry winter here) while the acequia was off for annual maintenance. Luckily the fire department and many community members worked to get it out before it got too far. Then, first thing on Monday morning, the acequia was turned back on again, bringing water (and peace of mind) back to our little corner of the valley.
If we were having coffee I’d ask if you’re reading any good books?
I began the Outlander series last December and am absolutely loving them all! I’m currently reading An Echo in the Bone, the seventh in the series.
There were many years during which I read very few actual books, but a few years ago I began making reading a priority again and have really enjoyed the space and time I can carve out for myself in the pages of a book, even if it’s just a few pages each night before bed.
Last fall, however, I entered the world of audio books and it has been a game changer! As a mama, wife, farmer, and homeschooler, I am on my feet all day long and truly wiped at the end of the day. This leaves very little time or energy for reading. However, listening to a book while I do the dishes or laundry, make dinner, or putter around the farm is super easy and engages my brain in a very different way.
That being said, I’ve loved the Outlander series so much I’m both listening to it in audio form during the day and reading the physical books in bed at night. A little over the top? Maybe, but sometimes we have to just roll with the joy where we find it, no?
If we were having coffee I’d ask if you’re creating anything fun?
2022 is the year of the Temperature Blanket here and I’m loving the process! While I did something similar in 2015 with the Sky Blanket I crocheted, this blanket is much simpler and I’m thoroughly enjoying tracking the high temperature of each day (courtesy of a weather station at one of our neighbor’s houses down the road).
I established my temperature and color parameters in December based on yarn in my stash and 10* increments for frugality and ease, only purchasing a few new colors to add a bit of excitement on the higher end of the scale.
The pattern is a simple moss stitch, 350 stitches across and, by December 31st it will be 365 rows long.
Each row takes me ~15 minutes to crochet and offers a nice meditation as I reflect on the day.
The March block, with it’s wild weather, offered up high temps ranging from 38* to 78*F and allowed me to add in two new colors to the blanket, which was rather exciting.
I’m tracking the blanket progress on my personal Insta page if you’re interested in following along. The Daily Crochet highlight on my profile is updated regularly via Story posts 🙂
If we were having coffee I’d ask if you’re as excited as I am for the the release of the 1950 US Census?
You may have raised an eyebrow at this question, but I have to tell you that, as the family historian, this release is very exciting and will add a whole new layer to the many trees I’m working on. While it’ll take a while to index it all and make it available online, the April 1st release date is an exciting one to mark as we count the days until all the info is actually available.
When my maternal Grandma passed away in 1997 I was gifted a good chunk of our family history both in writing and in photos. It was an amazing gift and rather overwhelming in it’s disorganization and sheer volume and while I looked through it briefly a few times in my 20s and 30s, it wasn’t until about three years ago that I really dove in to the notes, journals, obituaries, and memoir drafts.
My grandma’s pieces, coupled with what I inherited when my mom passed away plus a few items shared when an aunt passed in 2020 and by my uncle when my brother and I visited him last summer have really helped round out my maternal line (though there are always those darn brick walls).
As I’ve expanded my research online, I’ve found so many amazing kin who have been more than happy to share photos and information, much of it new to me, some of it confirming hypothesis’ and answering questions on many of the branches to my family tree.
One of the reasons I’m enjoying the Outlander series so much is largely due to my Scottish, Irish, English, and French ancestry and how the story has allowed me to imagine the lives of my ancestors as they made their way through unimaginable challenges so I could be here today, sitting in the comfort of my living room in modern times.
Our histories are not all full of happy stories, but goodness they’re rich once you begin to fold time and get a glimpse at those who’ve come before.
Do tell… Are you the keeper of your family history or interested in your family’s history at all?
If we were having coffee it would be time to say goodbye… for now.
Thank you so much for sharing space and time with me here today! I hope you have a lovely rest of your day, weekend, and week ahead!
Let’s do this again soon, OK? Say, week after next? Same place, same time?
Until then, please pop over to Natalie the Explorer’s space, where she hosts this lovely virtual get-together and you can find many other, similar sharings.
Until next time, take good care of yourself and enjoy every moment you can.
xoxo,
M
Thank you for the tea & catchup …
I am glad you are all safe from the fire – it is rather frightening, particularly when it happens so close.
Love the colours of your blanket – they are warm & inviting.
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Yes, feeling great gratitude for the swift work of neighbors 🙂
I’m loving the colors of the blanket so far, it feels exactly as I’d hoped!
Wishing you a lovely week ahead!
Outlander–yes! I’m a total Outlander fangirl. Once you’re caught up with the main series, there are the novellas, the Lord John books, and even a wonderful ebook from Diana on how she writes sex scenes (with quite a few juicy scenes from her books).
Lovely crochet work!
Oh yes, I’ve heard of the novellas! I’ll have to check them out as I’m sure I’ll need filler until the next book comes out (once I’m done with the nine written so far). i”m just so invested 🙂 Hope you’re enjoying a lovely week!
Hi Melissa, lovely to meet you. You seem to be living the dream. I would love to live on a farm and have an orchard, but at my age, I’m lucky to tend a small garden. I recently found audio books as well when the tinnitus started. I am unable to read for any length of time, but I can be transported away and distracted from the screeching when I am listening to my books. I am on the 5th book of the Wheel of Time series.
I look forward to meeting up again next week.
We are truly living an extraordinary life and I’m so grateful for it! And, on my most tired days I sometimes wish we were simply tending a small garden 😉 I’m glad you’ve found audio books to be helpful with your tinnitus! I’ve heard good things about the Wheel of Time series! Thank you for popping by! Hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
I did a temperature blanket through my pregnancy with my kid so it was only 40 weeks worth of crocheting. I would love to do it again for a full year’s worth.
What a wonderful way to make the days of your pregnancy! How big did the blanket wind up being?
This is a very interesting coffee share. My uncle is the historian of the family, and he happily shares with the rest of us. He has tracked down the family tree on my moms and dads side back several hundred years, everyone comes from Dalarna Sweden for at least the past 400 years, before that it’s not crystal clear, but likely it’s much longer. I took a DNA test three years ago and it confirmed his research. Family history is very interesting indeed. I lost my mom when I was 12, but enjoyed the company of my grandma a lot longer, and her stories are very important to me, and I am passing them down to my daughter.
I’ve heard of the temperature blanket before, but I have never tried to make my own. Did you start in January? Making one row every day? Maybe one could also make a blanket choosing a feeling that describes the day? That would be cool. I have a crochet blanket project that my daughter insisted on us doing together it was two years ago we started the project. We purchased different yarns, and her interstate’s in doing it faded quickly after a few weeks. I honestly strongly disliked the colours and type of yarn she choose, but went along with it to show my approval of the project. LOL. The project isn’t that fun anymore, but I’ve put so many hours into it, and to please her I take it our every now and then. I like crocheting a lot when I get to be the designer and artist. These yarn she choose itches, and doesn’t feel good to work with. I prefer natural material. This is some type of synthetic fiber. Well, well…
Thank you so much for the coffee and the most interesting coffee share!
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Hi Maria! Thanks for popping over!
I’m so glad to hear that you have a family historian who shares their findings with you and your family! What a gift to know your ancestors have been in Dalarna for centuries! I recently attended a talk (via ZOOM) with a local Indigenous leader who spoke about how it takes 20 generations (~400 years) for our DNA to adapt to new diets and environments. In looking at my own ancestry there are *very few of my lines that have been in North America (Canada and the USA) for that long. In addition to that, I am the first generation born in the hot, dry climate of the high desert (altitude here is 6,000 to 7000 ft) so my DNA is way out of it’s element 😉
I’m sorry to hear that you lost your mom so young but am glad to know that you had your grandma. There’s no substitution for the loss of one’s mom (I lost mine when I was 29) but the relationship between a grandma and granddaughter can be something very special indeed.
I love the idea of making a mood blanket! You could set your parameters however you liked using colors and textures that you really enjoy working with (which is *so important). I appreciate the project you started with your daughter in full understanding that sometimes we support things for our children that aren’t ideal for us. I hope you’ll find a way to wrap up your project in a way that feels good for her and that releases you from the responsibility of it soon.
To your questions: Yes, I began on 1Jan2022, though you could start anytime you like! And yes, I try to stay on top of it and crochet a row each night, though each row only takes about 15 minutes so if I get behind by a day or two it’s not a big deal to catch up.
Wishing you a lovely week ahead!
Love the idea of a temperature blanket. That’s awesome!
It’s truly a joy to work on!
Listening to audiobooks while doing mindless chores seems like a brilliant way to get a little more reading into our lives. I’m fascinated by your temperature blanket and had to pop over to Instagram to check it out. I always love discussing the weather–it’s not very extreme where I live now, in Detroit, but it certainly can’t make up its mind lately as to whether it’s winter or spring.
Ah…the ebb and flow of shoulder seasons is a trip, isn’t it? 😉 We’ve been on this property for four years now and it’s so interesting to watch this little microclimate in relation to those around us! Mountains and valleys create such interesting weather patterns! Hope you get some consistently warm weather soon! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Melis,
Good to find you here this weekend. If were were sitting down to chat over a hot drink (which would be wonderful) I’d ask if I ever mentioned to you that we home schooled our 3 kids from birth up to college. They all went to the same JC and that was their first taste of traditional school. We have never regretted this and our kids have thanked us for it many times for different reasons.
I’d mention that I tried the Outlander series but gave up. I liked most of it but could not take all the graphic and violent sex scenes. For me it ruined an otherwise good show. Oh well, I still like to read historical fiction and I tried audio books for a while, but found I got much less from them as I do from actual reading. They weren’t bad, just not as good.
New chicks at your farm – very cool.
As to family history, I’m not that guy. Some of my aunts maintain some large binders that I keep telling myself I should sit down and work my way through, but I should also learn a new spoken language – sigh. Both are unlikely to happen.
Glad you came by for a visit. Hope all is well.
Hi Gary! Thanks for stopping by!
I love hearing success stories about homeschooling! Thank you so much! We are largely enjoying the process and can’t imagine it any other way for our daughter!
It seems as though people either love the Outlander series or simply don’t, most for the reasons you mentioned. I’m not sure I’d do well with watching some of the more violent scenes as I’ve found my imagination can edit out gory details quite well on it’s own 😉
Family history is not for everyone, but most families have at least one, which is the important part. I’m glad your aunts have taken the charge and you know where to find it all if you ever get truly curious. As for the language…it’s never too late!
Hope you have a lovely weekend and week ahead!
Nice to meet you. I have heard of temperature blankets but didn’t understand what they were until you shared. A lady who came into where I worked was talking making one to give to her new grandbaby I think on their first birthday. I don’t remember. So fascinating.
Yikes on the fire scare. I need to go read your About page to learn more of where you live and what you do. 🙂 Thanks for the visit.
I love the idea of making a temperature blanket for a new grandbaby’s first year of life! The process has been really enjoyable. Definitely yikes on the fire scare, but we’re so grateful for our little community and their quick action! Thank for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
Outlander is one of my favourite series. The first time a read it I fell in love with Jamie and Claire. The second time I read Murtagh stood out as a favourite character. The books are so rich and wonderful to read. I haven’t yet read the newest book in the servies yet, “Go tell the bees I’m gone.” Make no mistake, though, I will read it. Right now I am reading Terry Brooks.
Thanks for the virtual coffee.
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It amazes me that Diana Gabaldon has written these lives for 30 years! They’re such rich characters and it’s such a joy to imagine their lives unfolding. I’m excited to finish the series, and am psyched that the 9th book just came out, though I’ve heard the story is still not finished! I haven’t yet read any of the Terry Brooks books, do you have a favorite you can recommend?
She is an amazing writer.
As for Terry Brooks, I would start at the beginning of the Shannara Chronicles with “The First King of Shannara.” It’s an epic fantasy series.
Wonderful! Thank you so much!
Your temperature blanket it such a neat idea! I am an avid reader and a homeschooling mom (though I only have one left at home with me and he’s entering the high school years so needs very little input from me). I have always listened to audiobooks with my boys but it was a revelation to me in January when I realized I am in the car alone so much now that I could pick out books just for me to listen to! It has been fun adding even more titles into my month; though I tend to stick to memoirs for audiobooks since I have a harder time following storylines when I’m not actively reading.
Oh, I love that you’re listening to audio books in the car now! It’s like lost time, reclaimed, isn’t it?!
Hi Melissa! Sounds busy on your little farm. Glad you can find some time to read and listen – interesting doing the same book both ways. I can’t do audio book, I get too distracted.
The idea of the temperature blanket is interesting. 15 minutes a day of Zen and Weather…
My dad is the keeper of the family history from his side (he just turned 89!). He is the youngest and inherited all of the material. He says he wished he’d started 50 years sooner when more people were still alive. On my mom’s side it is a cousin.
Anyway, I’m glad you were able to join in this week! Hope to see more of your posts coming up 🙂 Have a great weekend and a wonderful week.
Hi Trent! Yes, always busy on the farm 🙂 I’ve definitely found that listening to audio books takes a very specific part of my awareness and so I can’t do it all the time, but during mundane tasks like laundry or dishes, seed starting or feeding/watering the animals is perfect…and those tasks alone can buy me a couple of hours of listening each day! I’m glad to hear you have some family historians in your family and completely understand your dad’s take. There is so much to learn and keep track of and yes, the histories we hold within ourselves are simply lost we we go if they’ve not been put down somewhere. Everyone on my mom’s side (grandparents, aunts and uncle) are all gone now and I do wish I’d had more conversations but am grateful for what I have. Anyway, have a lovely weekend and week ahead!
It sounds like you had a great week. This chick is so cute and adorable. I enjoyed my week with different activities. Although I love reading, these days I read some business books as I do some studies. Glad to hear about your reading experience. Yes, audiobooks are a good choice nowadays…
Have a great weekend!
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Ah yes, those chicks are just the sweetest. Our daughter is in Heaven with them this spring 🙂 Your comment about reading books for learning reminds me of the years and years I didn’t read for pleasure, only for school. Though challenging, I’m grateful for those years…and grateful to be past them. I hope you’re enjoying your learning immensely! Have a happy weekend!
Hi Melissa – I’ve been a huge fan of the Outlander series of books. I was so excited when the TV series started and the lead characters were exactly as I imagined them, but I found that I didn’t like watching the sex and the graphic violence – it’s easier for me to read (or skip bits) than to watch it happen. I love your Temperature Blanket – such a fun idea. I knitted a blanket a few years ago with a different type of yarn every row or two and it was a fun winter project – but nowhere near as awesome as your endeavour. Lovely to meet you through Natalie’s link party 🙂
Hi Leanne! Lovely to meet you, too! I completely understand about watching the more graphic scenes vs reading them… I’m not sure that I’ll want to even start the TV series until I’m completely done with the books, but we’ll see 😉 Your knitted blanket sounds like so much fun! Did you post about it on your blog? If so, I’d love to see if you’ll send me a link! Hope you’re enjoying a lovely weekend!
Melissa, The chick is so cute. Last spring when I went cycling, I saw ducklings and baby Canada geese by the lake shore. I’m glad to hear the fire on your neighbour’s property was put out quickly. Your crochet blanket looks beautiful. I hope the 1950 US Census is going to be a big help to you. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.
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