2025 Calendar + New Year news
Happy New Year, friends! I am dropping back into the world of email, newsletters and other kinds of work after taking a delightful, and much-needed break over the holidays. This was the first holiday season in three years that I didn’t have a book deadline looming on the other side OR a parent in a hospital. Let me tell you, the holidays are much more joyful when I can be present with my family (and spend lots of time on the couch reading and eating chocolate). I hope that you too had a good break and are looking forward to 2025.
Now, on to the news …
2025 Calendar finally available!
My newest 2025 “Around the Green Wheel” is finally available for purchase on my website here. (Better late than never!)
I started making this calendar in 2014 because I wanted a calendar to fit a set of desires I wasn’t finding out in the world … I wanted something super simple and elegant (not too many random holidays or cluttered pages), focused on the natural world, and with plenty of space to actually write on. I’m one of those old-fashioned folks who actually like to use a paper calendar to organize. I like to visually see what my family is doing each month — it helps me understand our life and make sure we’re not over-doing things.
Each calendar month features a different plant that is seasonally relevant where I live in Oregon — many are yummy cultivated vegetables, but I also sometimes include a few ornamental or wild plants (and this year even a mushroom!).
My Around the Green Wheel calendar is available as a digital download — you can print the file at home or your local print shop on the paper of your preference. I prefer a matte, off-white paper — something smooth that allows me to write (and erase) pencil notes. As pictured above, I put my calendar on a clipboard, which hangs nicely on a nail in our dining room.
Also, thanks to everyone who checked in with me when I hadn’t released this on the normal fall schedule. It was nice to hear that the calendar has some fans! The end of 2024 was very busy for me: I launched Farm-Raised Kids, taught three writing courses at our local community college, and did all the usual work of taking care of family, home and farm. Again, I was grateful for the holiday break and the ability to catch up … and draw some plants!
Upcoming local Farm-Raised Kids events
I was happy to celebrate the launch of Farm-Raised Kids last October with an event at my local library, in coordination with our local bookstore Third Street Books. Thanks to Christine Anderson of Cast Iron Farm for joining me for that conversation (and to my friend Angela for taking the pic at the event - above right). Weren’t able to make it to that one? I am planning many more events for 2025! Here are three on the calendar already:
Friday, January 31: Books & Bites at Bierly Brewing, McMinnville (hosted by Third Street Books) — I’ll be chatting with fellow local author (and old friend) Bethany Lee about Farm-Raised Kids, publishing, and book stuff in general! More details to come … check out the events page on Third Street Books’s website for updated info.
Saturday, February 15: OSU Small Farms conference — I’ll be leading a panel discussion about how to balance family life with the work of farming. If you’re an Oregon farmer, definitely join us for this one! The whole conference day is going to be great, and I look forward to talk more about the themes in my book with farmers from three other farms. Learn more and register now here!
Saturday, February 22: Salem Book Bin — My old friend Elizabeth Miller of Minto Island Growers will join me to talk about Farm-Raised Kids, farming and parenting in general, publishing and book stuff at the Salem Book Bin. More details to come … check out the events page on the Book Bin’s website for updated info.
Favorite books from 2024 …
The start of a new year is also a good time to reflect and make lists from the last year. I am a writer because I love to read, and 2024 was another great year for reading … I think I read 79 books? I’m not always great at counting, to be honest, but I read a lot, and there were many stellar titles. I shared some of my favorites on Instagram, where I often share books I’ve just finished. I enjoy getting little messages from folks who have read them too and have opinions. It’s like my own little micro book club with random members.
Non-fiction books:
Farm-Raised Kids by … me! - I had to include this one, because it was definitely the most consequential non-fiction book for me in 2024!
Close to the Surface: A Family Journey at Sea by Bethany Lee - the same author-friend joining me at my January book event!
The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum - You might not think this topic will interest you, but you are wrong. Such an excellent book.
Holden Village: a Memoir, New Life, Endless Stories by Werner Janssen - memoir from the long-time early Business Manager at Holden Village, a Washington retreat center where my husband and I worked and still like to visit. Such an essential read for anyone connected to the village.
Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb - The author of Eager Beaver, which made my 2023 list! Goldfarb is an excellent writer, and this is an important, multi-faceted topic.
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko - My whole family adored this book.
Escape from the Nazis: The Incredible and Inspiring Saga of Two Young Jews on the Run in World War II Poland by Benjamin Mandelkern - Memoir written by a family friend who I knew when I was young. I knew he had written this account of his WWII experiences, but I only just now read the book. It’s beautifully written and an inspiring story.
A Year in Paradise by Floyd Schmoe - Oh my goodness, this was my favorite read from the holiday season. It’s a memoir about living on Mt Rainier in 1919-1920. Such a sweet, sweet, sweet book about a very different time in a familiar place.
Fiction:
The Postcard by Anne Berest
Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri
The Change by Kirsten Miller
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh
What were YOUR favorite reads in 2024? Please share!
And, finally, a writer’s gratitude and request …
Thank you again to everyone who supported me with Farm-Raised Kids and the launch last fall. I’m still glowing from all the love and enthusiasm about this project, and I’m so excited that this important book now exists in the world so that other farm families can learn from the many farmers who shared their stories! If you’ve read and enjoyed the book, can you help folks find it by rating and reviewing Farm-Raised Kids on Amazon and/or Goodreads? These ratings and reviews really help highlight the book for readers!
Wishing you all a wonderful 2025!
With gratitude,
Katie