I would recommend you guys check her out.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQG_fzADCunBTV1KwjkfAQQ

Yes, it’s like the beautiful distillation of a process much more arduous and lengthy.

My wife Mary knits a full queen size afghan blanket for each of our grandchildren in colors and patterns for each personality as they graduate from high school and this week she started her third for out granddaughter who is entering her junior year in high school. (Each gift takes about two years.) Hand made beautiful art takes a lot of time even when you don’t have to card, spin and dye your yarn, along with a few hundred dollars to purchase enough of one dye lot for the whole project.

And if you take a little lamb from his mother you either need to feed it or have lamb chops but this is a beautiful piece of happiness……

It takes me back to life on my grandparents farm. Though not done as beautifully, my grandmother knew exactly how to make butter, knit sweaters, catch/prepare chickens for the pan, use pork renderings to make soap, stuff feather mattresses, cook hearty meals for threshing crews, plant a vegetable garden, preserve any number of foods, and much, much more. Those who know all the skills necessary to live close to the earth are a throwback to the days when most of our population were farmers.

I can well imagine Li Ziqi’s videos make many wish they had the knowledge and skills necessary to live on a farm. It appears so idyllic. It is a good life, but you have to love the work involved.

You thought of Martha Stewart, I thought more of the genre of American YouTubers who harken back to pioneer and colonial living. It struck me that she carefully curates her image as a simple, traditional Chinese girl. From her About page:

“Li Ziqi’s works convey a positive attitude toward life. Ziqi’s videos can help people fulfill the ‘dreams of the countryside.’

These are the dreams of many people at home and abroad, especially Chinese people. Many people show great interest in Li Ziqi clothing. In front of the camera, she always appears in a set of Chinese Han clothing which is made in rough fabric.

Also, her videos help more people learn and understand Chinese traditions and culture. The spirit of struggling for independence and self-reliance conveyed by her life experience has attracted great attention at home and abroad.”

My post (if linking works and you don’t mind): Homemade wheat beer and crayfish