The Year in Review and the Year to Come

Blogs are good for many things.  One of those things is remembering.  Remembering what we've said in the past, what we've thought, what our goals were a year ago - or several years ago.  We can see how far we have or haven't come.

Today, as i am sure you are aware, is New Year's Eve.  With less than 12 hours before the beginning of a new year, and a new decade, i will review last years goals and ambitions and see what i can glean for the new year, and the new year's goals and ambitions.

2010's Goals
What now?

~become a bee keeper
This one, we will forward to 2011.  It is in the works, however, more than it was a year ago.  By the end of 2011, i do expect to be harvesting honey.

~become a chicken farmer who gets to actually collect eggs (eta: February or March)
Successful!  We regularly collect close to a dozen eggs per day!

~get better at 'dispatching' chickens
Not only have we gotten better at it, we have a system and a new schedule for doing it regularly  in 2011.  Awesome!





~talk the hubby into a milk goat
Semi-successful.  I think i have talked the hubby into a milk goat.  However we don't yet have a milk goat.  Does that count?

~train Jelly to herd chickens only when they need to be herded somewhere, instead of whenever she sees them
Sweet, sweet, Jelly pie!  Jelly is not much of a herder, period.  But she is a wonderful dog who barks at intruders and chases away raccoons and the like.  She also loves baby chicks and watches out for them.  That's about all we can ask of our darling Jelly.

~plant and harvest a productive garden and learn to be a good gardener
This one needs some re-evaluation.  My husband, my darling Gun Slingin' Super Hero, did plant a small garden this year.  And that garden supplemented our meals for much of the summer.  We still have delicious pickles and homemade hot sauce in our refrigerator.  That was a very successful start.  And he has big plans for this year's garden.  I'm so glad!
I, however, am letting my darling take the reigns of the gardening industry at Rogers Country.  I do hope, one day, that i will learn to nurture plants and trees to give me fruit and vegetables.  But this seems a slower process than i had originally hoped.  I think i need to start with one small plant in the house and see if i can get it to grow and not die.  


~begin redesign of yard
Successful. This one is entirely GSSH dependent, and it has begun.  In 2011, i will endeavor to inspire the continuation of this transformation, specifically the placement of a fence that will keep me from calling my chickens back home from across the street 40 times per day.  I don't know what tastes so good in the neighbor's ditch, but whatever it is, i wish it would stop calling my chickens.

~vacation in Michigan to visit family
Sadly, this one did not take place this year, and we are not sure when it will.  We have hopes but no specific plans.

~get a lot better at listening to God and obeying His will
Hmm.  I think that i have definitely gotten to know God better this year.  And it's much easier to listen to and understand someone you know.  So in that way, i would say yes, i'm certainly ahead of where i was a year ago.  This one.  This is the most important goal of all.


More Goals for 2011

~Add rabbit meat to our homegrown food supply.


~Organize the chickens so they can start paying their way more than they are now.


~Use up all the canning jars i currently have, filling them with vegetables and meat to be put away for use in the thinner months.


~Butcher at least 100 of our own chickens this year, for food, and add at least a few rabbits to that number.


That's all for now.

*Disclaimer: These are not new year's resolutions. I don't do those. I try to remember and keep in mind that every day is the first day of the rest of my life.*


Happy 2011!  I pray that everyone who reads this blog will draw closer to God in the coming year, and get to know Him better, including me.