Temperature Blanket...

The motivation for me to write depends on the color of the sky.   There is another blog waiting, but it’s about letting go in 2020, not the cheeriest topic.  So, I’m writing about a Temperature Blanket because it's very exciting!

My Google phone spies on me all of the time, listening and remembering everything I research online.  It was designed to do that, I guess.  Being a knitting/crocheting weather geek, I receive “news” on those topics daily.  For a few days in December, my phone combined the two subjects and began showing me articles on “temperature blankets.”  I scrolled past the titles guessing they were some sort of blanket that keeps you warm in cold and vice versa.  Silly me.  When I finally clicked on an article, I discovered that a temperature blanket is an afghan knitted or crocheted a row or square a day according to the temperature. What a find!  A project that combines needlework and weather observation was just what I needed to boost my winter mood.  While it’s a big, year-long project, I knew I could easily commit to crocheting one row a day.

Rather than follow a pattern (there are oodles on the web), I decided to plan my own afghan.  I think I did it backward, but I finally solidified a plan to suit me.  Because the yarn is the fun part, I started there.   The only thing I  knew at that point was that I wanted washable wool yarn, and I needed to find it in a bunch of colors.  I went to Yarn.com (WEBS) and, rather than wasting  hours looking on the site, I did an online chat with a representative.  After I told her what I was looking for,  she suggested several brands and styles that might work for me.   Talking with her saved me time and frustration.  I highly recommend the chat feature on their site.  Valley Yarns Superwash Wool Worsted was my choice.  With 32 shades to choose from I had no problem deciding on my color progression for the year. 

Because I love changing colors when I crochet, and because I wanted a lot of color variation in my blanket, I used small increments. I broke my plan into four-degree sections. For instance, 5 to 9 degrees is steel grey. My colors include blues for winter, greens in spring, then yellow and orange for summer. If it gets really hot, 95 or above, I’ve chosen pinks. Buying the yarn gets tricky. You don’t really know how much you need. I bought one skein of each color to cover from 20 to 54 degrees to get me through the colder days. When the temps start to rise, I’ll start buying my spring colors. I can’t wait!

The size was the most challenging aspect of my plan. I did SEVERAL test swatches before I settled on my pattern.  At first I thought I’d do corner to corner crochet, which looks like little squares.  My test swatch measured one inch per row. Oops!  At that rate my blanket would have been a whopping 365 inches or 30 feet long at the end!  Finally, I decided on half-double crochet with worsted weight yarn using a size F hook.  I’m following a pattern of one full row, one row of halves, and one row of thirds. I didn’t want to use a row for each day because I thought it would look boring, and the blanket would still be too big.  

Who knew that I could combine my interest in weather with daily crocheting? The weather geek in me has existed for a long time. Years ago, I worked in aviation education, and couldn’t get enough of the idea of flight and weather. I actually passed ground school with flying colors. That means if I want to start flight lessons, I’m set!  Joking.  Crocheting is my speed now.

  

Yesterday was the coldest day (24) so far this year and I was able to use Mulberry for the first time.  It’s fun for me to look at my blanket and see what the weather pattern is.  Right now, the prominent colors are navy blue and white which means that we are often at 30o to 39o...a warm winter so far.  My favorite color is periwinkle blue.  It’s for colder temps, 25o to 29o, so I keep hoping for cold to use it more often.

It’s not too late to start a blanket.  You can easily find the temperature history for January.  I also think you could adapt this idea for other projects, especially for kids.  You could color a line or shape each day to form a beautiful weather history for 2021!

A daily check of the temperature is good for everyone!

Rugo...

It’s been a while since I’ve written.  My motivation wanes sometimes.  Also, my computer occasionally acts up.  I’m using an ASUS laptop that we bought for Emma in high school. She carried it daily in her backpack, and really beat it up.  When ASUS acts up, the center keys don’t work.  Even if I hit them incessantly, as I do, the N, M, H, Y, and U won’t work.  But today, ASUS and I are both motivated!

We just had our first measurable snow here in Ohio, and I’m already missing the yard.  Of all the plants and trees, I miss Rugo the most.  Rugo is our rose bush.  Yes, we’ve named it.  Before you think I’ve leapt off of the deep end, please hear me out.  This is no ordinary rose bush.  Rugo has been with us for most of our 25 years of marriage.  In fact, the idea of Rugo has been with Sean and me since the beginning of our relationship.

Rugo has lived in a least three different places, in two different states.  His tale begins in Massachusetts…Cape Cod. Soon after our first “date,” Sean and I boarded an America West flight to Boston to spend time with my sister and her husband. 

While there, we spent a few days out on Cape Cod.  We had a great time, whale watching, beach combing, and biking.  Sean and I both noticed the beautiful rose bushes lining the edge of the beaches everywhere.  The roses were a vibrant pink with an intoxicating scent.

Soon after we were married, and in our first home together, we made another trip to Boston.  This time we drove in Sean’s little red Dodge Shadow.  I had done some research on the rose bush, and found it was a variety of Rosa Rugosa.  Because we both loved the plant so much and it reminded us of that special trip, we bought one at a  nursery outside Boston. 

Rugo made it to Ohio safely, and was planted in our yard in Gahanna.  He was small, but he thrived in that yard.  What a joy it was to have those beautiful roses with us all summer!  

A few years later, we purchased our current home.  Rugo was in the listing contract, because we knew he was going with us.  The gardening gods were looking down on us the day we moved!  It was December, but unseasonably warm.  We were able to dig up Rugo easily and plant him in his new home. That first spring would be the test.  Would Rugo survive the winter transplant?  Will he thrive like he did in his previous home?  The answer was a resounding, yes!  Rugo bloomed!  And, 25 years later, he’s still blooming. 

Each year, the scent of Rugo's blooms transports me back to Cape Cod and the happy memories we created there.  It’s not surprising, I guess.  A study by psychologist Silvia Álava called “Smells and Emotions,” showed that people remember 35% of what they smell and only 5% of what they see. Scent is registered in the brain, but it is also registered with an association to an emotion that we are feeling at the moment.

Rugo is huge-o now.  He’s taken over a large chunk of our yard.  He needs little care and grooming.  I never thought a trip souvenir could bring so many years of enjoyment.  If you’re thinking about adding a rose bush, check into a Rugosa Rose!

To read more about the senses, see: 

https://exploringyourmind.com/memories-evoked-five-senses/

No Phone!

Day One:  It’s about noon on my birthday, and my phone just stopped working.  I tried to push buttons, charge it, and troubleshoot it from my computer.  Nothing is working, and I’m in a bit of a panic.  When cell phones arrived on the scene, I NEVER imagined being dependent on one.  I thought a cell phone was bad for our daughter, especially in high school.  My mantra was, “How can you concentrate on your homework, if you stop to look at your phone every few seconds?”  Things have sure changed in just a few years. It turns out that she was able to concentrate just fine, and now I’m lost without my phone.

I’m in kind of a foggy place without it.  I didn’t count calories today because my app is on my phone.  I didn’t walk today because my pedometer is on my phone.  Even though I barely know how to use Instagram, I am experiencing FOMO!  What is Roscoe the bulldog doing?  What is the temperature?  I need my weather app.  I didn’t crochet without my stitch-counting app.

Day Two:  I woke this morning realizing how ridiculous I had been yesterday. I drank my coffee in front of The Weather Channel (TWC) and felt prepared for the day.  I ate my breakfast, and opened my calorie-counting application on my laptop.  It worked fine.  Instead of walking, I rode the stationery bike because it told me how far I had ridden, and how many calories I burned.  Emma also follows Roscoe.   If he does anything spectacular, she’ll let me know. 

I made some necessary adjustments, and it’s a darn good thing I did.  Because when I described the problem to the gentleman at the phone store, he said that there was probably no hope for my broken phone.  I knew I might need a new one, so I ordered a new model just in case.  Sean took my poor perpetually black-screened phone to the store where they confirmed its demise. The new one will take two days to get here.  Arrrrrgh.

Day Three:  Today, I woke up not missing my phone.  Seriously.  Again I got my forecast from TWC, and liked having the overview of the whole country’s weather including an update on the wildfires out West and snow in the upper Midwest.  I logged my food on my laptop again.  I like doing it on a computer rather than a phone.  It’s more user-friendly, and easier to read.  I walked without my pedometer or clock.  I had to tune into my body and my bad knee to guess how long and far I’d been walking.  Rather than playing games or reading my “news” feed, I started a new crochet project using the huge stash of vintage crochet thread I have.  Emma updated me on Roscoe the bulldog’s posts. 

I am surprised at how well I’m doing without my phone.  It feels pretty good to feel some independence from it.

Day Four:  I have my new phone.  It actually feels like a nuisance…setting it all up again, especially realizing that there was no backup data from my birthday until today.  If anyone texted me with wishes, I missed them.  While I’m glad to have a phone again, I’ve made some decisions about how I’ll use it going forward.  For me, being sans phone was eye-opening.  Here’s some of what I learned about myself:

What I missed most:

Texting is by far the most valuable and used feature of my phone.  Being able to be in touch with family and friends instantaneously is precious to me.

My camera has also gotten to be a priority for me.  I’ve gotten into the habit of taking pictures often and, my phone does a good job with photos. 

I’m learning to use and like Instagram.  I can do without it, but found that I can keep up with topics I choose.  I follow crafters, organizations and people that add value to my day.  Plus, I do indulge in cuteness, like “Roscoelovescoco,” Lewis Hamilton’s bulldog!

What I can now do without or use elsewhere:

Calorie counting.  At first, I thought it was great to be able to keep track of my meals on my phone.  But when I had a phone, I started recording my meal while I was still eating with my family!  When I began using my laptop for the recording, I realized it was easier, and I didn’t feel the need to record my meals immediately, making for a better family meal experience.

I like having a pedometer, but I can survive my walks without it.  Plus, keeping track of steps doesn’t seem valuable for me.  It’s not something I want to add to my list of things I need to accomplish daily.  Recording a daily walk or workout is more important to me than the number of steps I’ve taken.  So I did put a very simple pedometer on my phone to track workouts.

My phone is a Google Pixel, so it has a built-in news feed feature.  It’s always there with just a swipe.  Previously during spare moments throughout the day, I checked the news feed.  I spent way too much time looking through titles that just didn’t interest me.  From twenty headlines, I probably chose two articles to read daily.  In the paragraph above I put news in quotes because it’s not really all news.  Google says you can customize what you receive, but it still sends you useless articles.  I kept receiving Salisbury Steak stories, even after I told the phone that I wasn’t interested in Salisbury Steak!

Without my phone, I found better things to do with my spare time.  I whipped up a crochet bookmark made from granny squares.  These squares are generally crocheted with yarn and sewn together to make afghans or blankets.  I used crochet cotton thread and enjoyed it immensely.  The result is a cute little square.  The yellow and white one is only about an inch and a half!  I’m going to have to come up with a project using mini granny squares.  By the way, I don’t have the Stitch Counter on my phone anymore. 

Weather is fine on my phone for a quick temperature check, but I will still tune it to the broader picture on The Weather Channel

I haven’t opened a game on my phone for more than a week.  I’ve found much better things to do.

I’m not sure how I ended up with so many games and apps on my phone.  I think the novelty of it lured me in.  We think we’ve opened ourselves up to the world because we can access anything with our phones.  The truth is that I turned inward with my phone.  Most of my apps kept my nose down in the phone, rather than being present in the world around me.  Other applications actually made tasks more complicated for me and added a level of unwanted stress.  I’m not thrilled that I had to buy a new phone, but I am thankful for the opportunity to rethink my phone use, and make some welcome changes!

Snakey...

This is the story of Snakey, The Catnip Snake.  If you’ve read other posts, you know I crochet (and knit) and I garden.  My cats love catnip, so I grow it to make catnip toys for them.  Anyone who does crafts, bakes or makes things, will be able to relate to the journey I had to take to finally come up with Snakey. 

First, I tried an ornament for Christmas. I obviously didn’t have the right color yarn, but it was a flop regardless of the color.  Next I tried a bird.  My daughter says it’s a seal because it obviously doesn’t look like a bird.  While it’s filled with catnip, Ginny and Oliver almost never play with it. 

Then came the mice.  Felting yarn was all of the rage when I knitted these two mice.  They looked too bulky, and they were too complicated to make. 

Making prototypes always helps me focus in on a project.  The toy needed to be a simple crochet pattern in a shape the cats would like.  There was a stuffed snake in their overly-filled toy basket.  That seemed like the perfect shape for the cats.

I found a snake pattern by Jackie at Amidorable Crochet.  Check out her blog for really cute crochet patterns.  There were some modifications to Jackie’s pattern.  I used sock yarn, made the snake smaller, embroidered the eyes and stuffed it with lots of homegrown catnip.  The first “Snakey” (because we use baby talk and add “Ys” when conversing with our pets) was a huge hit with the cats.

After about four years, the original Snakey is still in the toy basket.  As you can see, the head is separated from the body, and there is no catnip left.  Oliver killed the poor thing.  It was the Snakey I made with an acrylic yarn.  The wool blend sock yarn I use now holds up much better.

Our cats have another beloved Snakey, and I’ve made several as gifts.  I’m writing about Snakey in celebration of his return to Etsy.  I stopped selling on Etsy about three years ago when I took a full-time retail job.  Check out his listing at CiasGarden.

Please Take a Seat…

There are 13 chairs in my garage. The space accommodates our two cars, but doubles as a rescue shelter for chairs. I take in unwanted, discarded chairs. I also buy chairs at garage sales.

It started several years ago when I brought a chair home from Ohio State. The building I worked in was being demolished, and when the area was cleared, a chair was left. It was a really cool fifties-looking wooden lab chair. I refinished it with some swimming-pool blue paint and sold it at a garage sale. I realized quickly that I can acquire chairs cheaply or for free, they provide an interesting moment in design time, and they aren’t a huge project to refinish. So, I have thirteen chairs in my garage waiting for attention. My husband supports my habit, but isn’t really thrilled when the stock builds up like this.

Covid 19 has changed almost everything. I used to work full time, now I don’t. Our family loved to eat out, now I cook a whole lot or we get take-out. We used to travel quite a bit, but now we stay home. My story is no different than so many people adjusting to different lives. However, for some, the adjustments come with hardship. I’m thinking about the restaurant industry workers. We used to eat out about twice a week, and when I hear how food service employees are without their normal income, it breaks my heart.

Recently I subscribed to Columbus Navigator. One of the first stories I read was how the Ohio Restaurant Association has created a fund to help workers. The Ohio Restaurant Employee Relief Fund was established by the Ohio Restaurant Association Education Foundation to help food service employees impacted by Covid 19. The goal is to reach $30,000 in donations by the end of September.

As I was reading the article, I was thinking about idle, empty chairs at restaurants and bars, and the light bulb went on!

I have a garage filled with empty, idle chairs.

What if I make them useful again?

And what if I could use the chairs to make some money to donate to the restaurant relief fund? It seems like a winning proposition all of the way around. I'm not working, so I need a project to feel useful. I can make a few dollars to help people I care about. Hopefully, I can make other people aware of the fund so they can donate. And last, but certainly, not least, I'll see a smile on my husband's face each time a chair leaves the garage!

So, Please Take a Seat…As I refinish chairs, I will be listing them on Etsy. If a chair sells, I will donate half of the purchase price to the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund. The light blue chair pictured is listed now. Shop CiasGarden at Etsy:

If you would like to donate to the Ohio Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, go to: ohiorestaurantsrelief.org.

The Great Pepper Taste Test...

Top Chef, Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games, Spring Baking Championship, Sugar Rush, The Great British Bake-Off…if it’s a food competition program, I’ve probably watched it.  And, chances are good that I’ve convinced my daughter or husband (or both) to watch with me.  I don’t have to twist Emma’s arm, she likes most of the cooking shows.  Sean, however, is much more discerning, and will only watch certain ones.

The program we all watch faithfully is Top Chef.  Thanks to quarantine and Hulu, we’ve seen all episodes of all seasons.  One our favorite challenges on Top Chef is when the contestants have to identify ingredients while blindfolded. Our Great Pepper Taste Test (GPTT) was loosely based on a Top Chef challenge. 

I believe it all started with a family conversation about bell peppers.  After that, Emma posted an Instagram poll to see what color bell pepper people prefer. Her unscientific results showed red as the clear winner, and green as the clear loser.  That poll and its results sparked yet another family conversation about bell peppers.  We wondered if you can really taste much difference among all colors of peppers.  The GPTT was born!

To satisfy our curiosity, we did a blindfolded taste test of four colors of bell peppers.  What we found was probably not news to any of us, but interesting.  We all identified green correctly.  We found the flavor was intense, and two of us described it as “grassy.”  The red, orange and yellow peppers proved to be more difficult for some of us to distinguish.  Of course, Emma’s young, but developed palate helped her identify all colors correctly. We found that the red, orange and yellow all tasted very similar, but had varying levels of flavor intensity. The yellow and orange tasted "fruitier" than the red pepper.  I could see using the orange and yellow interchangeably in dishes because to me the difference was negligible.  I think the real reason to use the yellow and orange peppers in recipes is their fantastic color.  They look great in salsas, stir fries and salads.  

Speaking of salsa, here is a delicious recipe from Weight Watchers.  Make it now while nectarines are still in season!

Nectarine – Bell Pepper Salsa

From: Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, 2011

Serves 6

3 small nectarines, pitted and diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon lime juice

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

Combine all ingredients in small bowl.

Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Use within one day.

The Great part about the GPTT was the fun.  We really enjoyed it, and will certainly do more family taste tests in the future.  The tastiest part of the GPTT was the dinner--fajitas we made with all four colors of bell peppers. 

Hope...

I planned on a 45 minute walk today, but when the British guy on my phone said “Foity fiiive minutes thuty seconds,” I wanted to keep going.  I wanted to continue to enjoy the 65-degree air.  I wanted to keep experiencing the feeling I had deep within me.  Hope. 

The overnight temperature started it all. With windows open, the din of the air conditioning unit was replaced with a chorus of crickets.   A sunny, brisk morning followed.  As soon as I stepped out of the door for my daily walk, I felt like I could breathe again, taking in a fresh, cool breeze, rather than being struck by a wall of heavy, hot air.     

The first thing I noticed today was the new drop-off for the church pre-school across the street.  Balloons marked the entrance to welcome children back to something that represents school for now.  Today is also the first day of virtual learning in our school district.  I loved the first days of the school year.  New Weejuns loafers, new uniforms, new books, new teachers, new fall TV shows like, The Monkees, and of course a new start. The first days of school brought hope.  Even though it’s not what we all want today, the semblance of school and the dedication of the teachers brings hope to me.  I wish that for the students too

There was a good showing of strollers this morning around the neighborhood.  Babies and little ones are the epitome of hope.  They are too young to have specific memories of this trying time, but their parents will tell them. They will pass on what they learned about love, dedication, and resiliency. 

My neighbors have a gigantic Biden sign on their fence.  When I look at it from my driveway, I see the sign, their fence, then gigantic sunflowers peeking over from their neighbor’s yard.  The blooms are enormous-the size of dinner plates.  Somehow seeing the political sign with the glorious flowers behind it made me think of better times ahead.   Republican John Kasich spoke at the Democratic National Convention.  Just that gave me hope that both sides will see the importance of working together to solve some of the most daunting issues of our lifetimes.  I know I’m a dreamer, but I’m allowed to hope.

At noon today, I will cheer on the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Yes, watching hockey has given me hope.  Sounds silly.  I’m not even a huge hockey fan.  But seeing successful Bubble Basketball, Bubble Hockey, and F1 Racing, allows me to look forward.  Seeing sports has added back a welcome touch of normalcy in our household. It’s also added hope.  It’s not just that I’m finally sitting in my living room watching the Blue Jackets rather than competition shows on Netflix, but that these organizations pulled something off that most people doubted could happen.  I think there must be lessons learned here.  Can we replicate any of these strategies in safely returning us to normal?

I hope I can attend a Jackets game next year.  I hope I can feel comfortable having coffee or dinner with friends.  I hope I can soon safely travel to see my family.  Those things still feel impossible for me right now, and it gets me down.  But on days like today when I feel full of hope, I’m thankful.

I wrote this about a week ago, but was reluctant to post it.  Somehow it felt too personal, maybe even too positive.  While I find hope in the first day of school, I’m aware of the hardships many Americans are facing.  I understand how difficult the new school year must be for countless students, families, and teachers.  I shared and posted my feelings so it might encourage someone else to look for hope.

In just a short week, much has changed for me. A family medical emergency (14 hours away by car) made me worry about when I’ll be able to safely travel.  The Jackets lost. It’s miserably hot again.  So while things aren’t so rosy, and my walk today was just awful, I know there will be another day just like last Wednesday soon!