Going Carefully Forward

I have to admit, I think this is the first year that I didn't feel like the new year brought a fresh start.  Instead it feels like more of the same.  Such a difference from last year!  I don't know what we're in for this year, but I'm not entirely sure it's anything good.  With the economy in a shambles, the climate doing odd things, and nations getting angrier at one another, I feel like things are coming to a head.  I don't know what will breach first, if anything, but I'm trying to keep my eyes open.

With that in mind, I thought about this year and I think I'm going to make only a few resolutions. "Proceed with caution" may be this year's motto.  My goals for this year are:

• Fixing the goat girls' house a little bit.  They are HARD on the doors, and it needs a little "porch" added to it for the smaller girls for when it rains.  The bigger girls will not let them in!
• Fencing off more "pasture" for the goats.  It's not really pasture, per se, as it's wooded, but that's right up a goat's alley.  This year we're going to buy some lengths of fence and close off some big pieces for them to eat through. 
• Building chicken sleds for the broilers, which there will be more of this year.  I've read that some of the chicken sold here will be processed in China starting this spring.  Ew.  I'm not buying into that, so I think it's time to go from producing most of our chicken at home to producing all of our chicken at home. 
• Trying turkeys again, in the sleds this time.  I'm thinking Midget Whites. 
• We will have to "turn over" our laying population a bit.  Some of my girls are past retirement age.
• More seed saving.
• Prepping for pigs.  I don't know that we'll actually get to the pig itself this year, but it's going to come about soon.  Time to get ready.
• Working on getting a good system for the newly expanded garden.  I'm up to 4000 square feet.  I need to get a handle on how many plants that'll take, and a better idea of how many numbers of different kinds of plants.  This one is a work in progress type of thing.  I refine every year, now I just need to go a little further with it.
• Adding some more berries, like cranberries and Elderberries to the yard. I'm also thinking of nut trees, but they are SO big, and cleared space is at a premium here.

• Having a little tree work done.  My husband has gotten pretty good at chainsawing, but there are a few trees that are too close to structures for my (and his) comfort.  We may need to have someone come on in and take care of some of them for us.
• In the house?  I'd like to get the kids' bathroom done and the pantry sheet rocked, but I've been saying that for years.  :)

And I think that's going to be it for us this year, though many other things will happen that are not planned for, you can be sure.  The big thing for this year?  Building community.  It seems to me (and many others) that in this rat race we all seem to be caught up in for more money or more things, we are not paying attention to those around us, unless they are in our way.  Honestly, I've had it with this.  I've seen enough people standing on top of other people to get what they want.  No one cares about anyone else anymore, and the "I've got mine" mentality is getting very, very old.

So for me, I'm going to be working on changing that where I can.  I'm a big fan of community work, and obviously I grow a useful commodity--food.  I think that I'm going to start by giving whatever extra I may have to friends and neighbors.  I will try to work with the food pantry in the school and see if I can't donate extra produce to them.  I've tried this before with other pantries, but it never works out.  Maybe this time.  I will try to share my knowledge.  In short, I don't know how this will come about, but I feel that it's more important than ever to lend a hand to others, or just to reach out to others to make friends.  It seems to me that we all may need all the friends we can find in the days to come.

Until next time, my friends.  Take care!