Author: Carolyn Kay Hanson

Carolyn was born and raised in Idaho. She has worked with animals for most of her life (prepare yourself, the list is long): cats, dogs, horses, cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, turkeys, ducks, chickens, guineas, and geese. She was married to a cowboy for twenty-five years and during that time lived on seven different cattle ranches. She learned how to give shots to cattle, brand cattle, castrate bull calves and close the head catch in time to capture the beast that was flying through the working chute like a streak of lightning. She also learned to back the truck up to the trailer hitch and get it right the first time. When a teen, she attended horsemanship clinics and schools, and competed in horse shows that included dressage and jumping. She owned and trained seven of her own horses. After having two children, both of whom she homeschooled until they passed the SAT with flying colors (which is absolutely no credit to her as they both reside in the genius category and continually leave her wondering what the heck is going on) she dove into homesteading, learning how to make her own bread, make soup stock from scratch, butcher chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep, and cows, and one year had so much fun canning everything in sight that when she counted the full glass jars in the pantry, she was shocked to discover there were over a thousand. Her knowledge of settings used as the basis of her stories is diverse due to the fact that she has lived in many different states including Idaho, Montana, California, Texas, Missouri, Virginia, Indiana, New Jersey, Washington, and Arizona. She now resides near Seattle. Her hobbies include knitting, crocheting, soap making, and, of course, writing. Oh, and her favorite author? P. G. Wodehouse.

What Is It About Crayons?

There’s just something about a crayon that goes straight to my heart. I love the many colors, the size, shape, and appearance of the artistic tool, and even the delightful waxy smell. When I was young, I tried to eat them. I’d walk around with colorful crayon marks on my teeth and my mother would say, “Carolyn, have you been eating crayons again?” 

My love of crayons hasn’t lessened over the years. I think most kids like crayons when they are toddlers or preschool age, and maybe for a few years afterward. Then they probably move on to other interests or artistic implements, like paint brushes. I never left my admiration for crayons behind. I still feel as strongly about them today as I ever did.

Sometimes I wonder if this says something about me, like, I’m still a kid at heart. Most people who know me would say that yes, I am still a child in many ways; and many people might think that was not much of a compliment, but I don’t feel that way. Children have a unique perspective of the world that adults miss, or forget. I’d rather look at the world through the eyes of a child.

The Snapping of Beaks

So here’s another one of my favorite things. I’ve enjoyed owning chickens for many years, and while there are several things to enjoy about them, one of my favorites is the sound of their beaks as they crop grass. Just that slight click-clicking sound, or snap-snapping sound as a flock of birds eagerly grasp at the juicy green blade of grass and snap it off. Now, it has to be fairly quiet for you to hear this, but I enjoy it when I do manage to pick it up.

Speaking of hearing beaks click, a few years ago I had a hummingbird that got quite brave and friendly while I was out and about. He’d buzz past me then hover close, giving me a once over before zooming off. One time, there were quite a few tiny gnats hovering around in a cloud near my head, and this hummer came up and ate one. I heard, and saw, his tiny beak open and snap shut. It was a very tiny snap indeed; and I thought to myself: “My goodness, a person has to be in the right place at the right time to hear the minuscule snap of a hummingbird’s beak!”

A Nosy Loaf of Bread . . .

Recently, I followed an ordinary recipe in a bread machine cookbook and when I opened the cover of the bread machine several hours later, this is what I found looking up at me. Not only does it have a nose, but nostrils, too! Just had to share with you all . . . I hope it gave you a good giggle, like it did for me. ~

What’s On Your Needles?

What’s on your needles today?

Here’s what’s on my needles for the weekend . . .

I love making these blankets. I have about a dozen of them, I need to figure out what to do with them! I’ve given one to a friend and I’ve kept one for myself, as they are the perfect size to grab when curling up for a nap.

Knitting is my favorite pastime. It’s so soothing and comforting, and it’s a great way to keep your hands busy doing something useful while your mind wanders wherever it wants.

Original Series Star Trek

My absolute favorite TV show of all time is the Original Series Star Trek. I don’t know why. I’m not crazy about any other space shows, and I don’t really care for the extensions of the Star Trek story idea that came along in later years. There was just something about the original series that captured my attention.

I’ve probably watched every episode they made at least a dozen times, maybe more, and I have whole sections memorized. My favorite one is about the Tribbles. It was so silly, but just plain fun. Maybe that’s why these shows appeal to me; they are simple and down-to-Earth (pardon me, but I couldn’t resist that one).

I think the people involved with producing The Original Series demonstrated substantially more creativity than what is seen today, but that’s just my humble opinion. 

Do you love Star Trek, too?

How do You Come Up with a Title for Your Book?

How do you come up with a title for your book?

If you’ve glanced at the titles of my books, you’ll notice they are very similar. I did that because they’re a cohesive series and I wanted them to all fit together nicely. The first and last chapter of each book is a continuing story in itself, related to the stand-alone story in each volume. I’ve never seen this technique used before, but as I haven’t read every book out there in the world, perhaps another author has done this and I am simply unaware.

I suppose I could have spent more time thinking of nifty titles, like most popular novels, but the ones I decided upon were the best I could do at the time. I sometimes think I’m not very good at this part of being an author. (Maybe I should get some help!) They aren’t exactly creative or inventive even if each one is descriptive of its own unique story. When I started this series, I had every intention of writing a whole bunch of these, and I still have that hope, but certain life happenings in the past few months have hampered my ability to write, so we will have to wait and see how it goes. 

Thank you for stopping by. I sincerely hope my little blog occasionally brings a spot of color to your day. ~

I Have a Thing for Frogs

For the love of frogs.

I just love them. I don’t know why. I’ve always loved frogs. In fact, (don’t tell anyone) when I catch a frog–after I’ve admired his beautiful skin, his cute little toes, his lovely golden eyes–I have to touch his tiny nose to my cheek and pretend he’s giving me a kiss. Yes, I really do this (just ask my children, whom I’ve probably embarrassed this way for years). 

I don’t see a lot of frogs, mainly because I’ve lived in arid portions of the country for years, but when I do find myself in a damp area of the world, where there are tall trees, ferns, babbling brooks and abundant natural moisture, I occasionally come across a frog. Sometimes a tiny one, fresh from its egg, less than an inch in size. What a delight! Nature’s gift to this frog lover. 

Now I love the trees and ferns and babbling brook, too. Actually, I’m in awe of all of the things God made. Such beauty, such diversity, the colors He used . . . amazing! I often tell Him so; and all those beautifully-colored songbirds He made? Wow! 

But instead of getting into the subject of birds now, I’ll leave it for another time.~

Socks for Chairs? Yes!

How to crochet chair socks.

My daughter has a lovely tile floor in her dining room but when you slide the chairs over it, you hear a rather loud scraping sound. The chairs have those plastic feet on the bottom, which are supposed to eliminate sound, but . . . they don’t. 

I decided to crochet “socks” for the chairs. They work so well, I wanted to share the pattern with everyone in case anyone else might want to make these.

Directions:

I used a size “I” crochet hook, and some ordinary 4-ply acrylic yarn.

Round 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in the first ch from hook. Join with slip stitch into first ch. (6 sc)

Round 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in same st, 2 sc in each of next 6 sc, join with slip stitch into first ch. (12 sc)

Round 3: Ch 1, 1 sc in same st, 1 sc in each of next 12 sts. (12 sc)

Rounds 4 – 12: same as Round 3. End off and hide tails inside of sock.

I suggest making a “cap” for extra protection of the foot part of the sock, to make it last longer. For this, all you do is follow Rounds 1 and 2, then end off there, leaving a long tail, about 18”, which you will thread into a yarn needle and sew the cap onto the end of the sock.

The yarn is slightly stretchy, so these socks fit snuggly. If you need socks slightly larger or smaller, I think the easiest way to achieve that would be to use a larger or smaller crochet hook. You could make the socks longer, if you wish. I made them this size because I didn’t want them to fall off too easily, and I think if they were much shorter, they might.

Is Honesty Really the Best Policy?

Most of us have heard the axiom that honesty is the best policy. I’m confident many people abide by it. 

However, as I look back on my life, now that I’m in my sixties, I notice that every time I was completely honest in my opinions and feelings, it brought about horrific consequences. Life-altering mushroom clouds . . . ka-BOOM! . . . leaving me dazed, confused, and contemplating the scattered ashes of my life.

Unfortunately, this has happened to me more than once—actually several times. So, I’ve (finally) decided to change my thinking about this well-known advice to: 

1- Never be honest. 

2- Never say what you are thinking. 

3- Tell people exactly what they want to hear. If you don’t, you will pay the consequences.

Does this sort of thing happen to anyone else, or just me?

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