Tuesday, September 24, 2024

This and That

Potatoes, chicken legs and pork are canned, jars washed, labeled and on the shelf.  I am amazed at the amount of peace this gives me while living in a world of chaos.

And because the era of the "spring chicken" has long since passed for me, yesterday was spent on genealogy research that is mostly done by sitting at the computer.  And quietly regaining strength.

I know that many find pouring over census, birth and death records as dry as dust, but for me it is sort of like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.  And it has the added benefit of showing the younger generations that they spring from God fearing, hardworking, salt of the earth good people, with a few rogues and reprobates thrown in for good measure!  And that is worth every minute of time spent on this endeavor.

Fall has arrived, but here in Minnesota, Mother Nature seems to have not received the memo.  Still hot.  Still humid.  I realize that "hot" in Minnesota isn't nearly like "hot" in other parts of the country.  But we are weather wimps.  We tend to melt at anything more than 80 degrees!

In between the food preservation and wading in my gene pool, I find I have several partially finished quilt tops that need my attention.  And because eventually I will see lots of snow outside my windows, I had better get busy and finish them.  Nothing better on a cold winter day than to snuggle under a warm, handmade quilt.  Each of my Grands and Great-Grands have a quilt I made.  And since finding out that there is another Great-Grand due to arrive in early Spring, I need to work on that as well.

Someone once told me that I would be bored upon retirement.  They were dead wrong.  

Keep stacking.  Keep praying.  The world around us is looking sketchy at best.  

4 comments:

  1. Congratulations to you and your family on the new Great-Grandbaby! God bless you all, Vicki. ❤️🙏

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    1. Thanks, LindaG...We sure are excited!! Who knew I would live long enough for a great-grand, much less three!! I am blessed. As are you, my friend.

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  2. Ha! Bored isn't a word used much around here. This summer was a battle with drought and heat that I figure must be record setting. We got a garden, but not without a lot of watering. Weeds had little problem. LOL
    I find genealogy to be quite interesting. Too bad I didn't take the opportunity to question all the family of elders when I had them. Alas, too late. I found Ancestry to be a great resource. It sparked an unexpected interest in our country's history too, as I had great-gr-grandfathers who served in the Civil War. Not to mention the gals they left to tend the home fires. I think of how much easier tasks are today versus how they managed.
    Don't the jars of food look nice lined up on the shelf? we are nearly done with garden produce, some pears and apples still to go. Take the time to enjoy some down time too.
    Lucky

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    1. Lucky...I suppose if I were one of those people who enjoys sitting on the couch, remote in hand, I might become bored. My problem is trying to figure out how to live long enough to complete all of the projects I want to do. :)

      I wish I had thought to ask my aunts and uncles about our ancestors, especially finding out their stories. I know a couple of family stories, but not near what I wish I knew. I had told my son a story from my Dad's family - Dad and his brothers pranked a self-important man in their town by hoisting his new car onto his garage roof. Right after that he asked me to write down whatever family stories I could remember, and I am enjoying doing that.

      I think the sight of shelves filled with food in jars give me joy. But mostly, I have peace - at least as much as is possible these days. I really miss having a garden, but sometimes we just need to find 'work-arounds.' Lately, one of my favorite things to can are meals in jars. About 1/3 of the jar filled with meat and the rest is a variety of fresh and frozen veggies topped with water and a bouillon cube for flavor. Lovely when I am too lazy to cook.!!

      Take good care and keep on stacking.

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