January 2026 Wrap-Up
Quilting Through the Winter Cold
The temperatures really fluctuated during the day this month, from below freezing to almost seventy degrees Fahrenheit. But once the sun goes down the temperatures plummet below freezing. Small towns on the High Plains lack the concrete infrastructure to hold onto the heat. Perfect weather for working on quilts.
This month brought both piecing and hand quilting. Best of all, it gave me a chance to help my oldest grandchild sew her first doll quilt. She is tall enough to reach the foot peddle on the sewing machine. It did take some practice to regulate the speed.
The strip quilt was 9 x 11, perfect for a Barbie doll. She picked out a favorite scrap and then several additional scrap strips to blend with it. I helped her with the rotary cutting. She also made a pre-printed Barbie tablecloth to give to her younger sister who loves to have tea parties and picnics with her dolls.
The beginning of September 2025 was a return from a quick trip to Nashville. So short was our stay that we used the hotel at the airport for two nights. The Hilton Hotel attached to the airport is a beautiful property. Both a pool and restaurant on the rooftop.
As long time readers noted, September 2025 varied from most months. Very few posts and not much reading occurred. Furthermore, the baby quilt is still not finished and only one of the Christmas stockings is started.
The highlight of the garden mid-summer is the peach harvest. This year the crop was moderate in number but large in size. Fresh peaches with meals are the best. But low sugar peach jam and peach pies are also delicious. We were able to share with friends and neighbors.
I try to keep up and acknowledge the emails that come into the blog. Unfortunately, the majority want me to let them publish what they write thereby skipping the cost of a website. Others want me to write on their topic of choice. The vast majority are literary agents doing the job of promoting a client’s book.
March is a good time to start seeds. So, the cool-weather crops were started in early March 2025 while the tomatoes were planted toward the end of the month. Lettuce, kale, spinach and Swiss chard make up most of the plants. Six different tomato varieties were planted. The Genuine Heirloom Marriage Hybrid tomatoes took longer to emerge, and the germination rate was about half. But the seeds were from 2023. Viability decreases over time.
a few seeds were planted in the warmest, sunniest spot in the garden. In the past I have had luck planting before a light snow. So, the predicted cold front was not a concern.
Grandkids and great-nephews enjoyed decorating gingerbread houses. Since the five kids ranged in age from 9 months to 5 years in age, it helped to pre-build the houses. I last experienced the process decades ago. And the get-together was on the 23rd. So, I hope to have a timely post with tips and tricks early next December. Much has changed since my kids were the little ones.
Some months race through and others, like August 2024 linger, allowing one to savor the end of summer. So many hot days punctured by thunderstorms giving respite from the sizzle. County fairs, all day canning sessions, and refinishing furniture wound through the month. And the highlights, relatively cool days in Castle Rock, Colorado watching the BMW Championship professional golf tournament and attendance at a beautiful wedding just down the interstate at the beautiful Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs.
August 2024 outshines last year in the garden. While the tomatoes are not a banner crop, they are a good amount. Cantaloupe are sweet and prolific as are jalapeños. The last week of the month the serrano pepper bush finally flowered, so barring an early freeze, September will offer even more peppers. Green beans are flowering as well. Plus, the two slips of sweet potatoes are thriving.
Weekend trips to Wyoming and the mountains of Colorado provided relief from the heat. Wyoming is a sparsely populated state and has much to offer. It will be interesting to see if the fairly recent discovery of the rare earth minerals needed to make computer chips changes the demographics.
The High Plains is notorious for late freezes and April 2024 was ushered in with temperatures in the teens. But my Bur Oak has leafed out. In almost 30 years, this tree popping forth new leaves means spring is here. And frost is banished for the summer. Perhaps this changing climate will trick both me and the oak, however I am ready to gamble. And once before the oak did leaf out in April.
Children’s book reviews filled up much of the month. 
Sitting and waiting in doctors’ offices and hospitals yields much time for lap quilting. I finished the beautiful 
The wonky weather has also affected my home garden. One of the two-inch pieces of hail took out an entire potato plant and knocked off some green tomatoes. And many blossoms. The cold rains of the first three weeks of the month gave great moisture to the ground and we are no longer in a drought. However, crops are taking their time ripening.
