When I was a child I would often visit my grandparents while my parents worked. My grandmother kept a small pad of paper and pencil on top of her 1930’s floor model radio. Everyday she would write down the date and the high and low temperatures for the day.
It seemed logical to me at the time, but now I wonder why she collected all that information…a neat stack of paper that I’m sure was thrown out when she died. It would be interesting to have the information now, some 60 years later, to see how the weather is trending. But, I wonder what she intended to do with that long list of daily temps.
Here is a picture of my Dad with my brother, sitting in front of Grandma Tilly’s radio. This picture was taken the night that Dad came home from WWII. My brother had never seen him before.
I believe that this was taken at the Tarkiln Hill funeral home in New Bedford, where my grandfather worked as an undertaker. The year would have been 1945.
So anyway, here I am a grandmother myself and following in her footsteps, recording the daily highs and lows. But at least I can tell my grandkids that I have a reason. Our Florida weather is definitely warming and crop rotation planning will depend upon my list of temps. The grandkids may even appreciate the effort when they take over the homestead. Wish I had a floor model radio to leave them as well…but I guess my 1930s jazz records collection is pretty close. I keep my pad and pencil right there next to the turntable.
Happy Homesteading,
T.