I suppose it's natural for us homo sapiens to see the end of the calendar year as a time for reflection on what was and what is to come. 2011 was an interesting year as J. and I started our journey toward building this little mini-farm in the city and long-term planning for our move to our larger farm. That seems a long way off, since we probably won't make it there permanently until retirement. But, you know, time seems to speed past me even faster as I get older. We have been blessed in 2011, though, in that we haven't been impacted by job loss, or serious health issues, or anything major. And, yes, I am knockin on wood that it stays that way. It is definitely not something that I take for granted.
If anything, 2011 has been one long learning experience. And perhaps the most important lesson I learned is what I don't know. There is definitely so much more. But we did make great strides this year:
- Built a beautiful chicken coop
- Raised 9 chicks from the time they were 2 days old and they're happily supplying us with eggs and entertainment on a daily basis
- Cleaned out the fence lines and re-fenced the entire back lot\farm
- Planted an organic raised bed garden full of several varieties of tomatoes, jalapenos, pumpkins and watermelons
- Started a small orchard of dwarf apple trees and planted blackberries and strawberries
- I attended an 8-week long canning\preserving class and, not only did I put away some tasty salsa, but I also roasted my own pumpkins and used them to make pumpkin bread.
- Got our water issues taken care of with the purchase of a Big Berkey from Ebay
- Continued to add to our food stockpile and cleaned the basement out so that we could better organize everything
- Procured a 1988 Terry Taurus travel trailer that we'll be taking up to the real farm next year after we finish renovating it. That will give us a place to sleep if we want to spend the weekend up there, as well as a much-anticipated bathroom!
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| Here's our coop and two of our raised beds - new in 2011! |
There were some sad moments this year as well. My boss lost his wife of 40+ years right before the holidays. And J. and I said goodbye to the first puppy that we raised together. Chase, a beautiful black lab mix with soulful golden eyes, left us early in the year. The ground was frozen solid but it didn't matter to either of us - we both shed more than a couple of tears as we labored to bury him in the backyard. He was a rescue puppy and not much past weaned when we got him. J. always described him as "sober as a judge" because the odd thing about Chase is that he never wanted to play. But he loved being near people and was smart as a tack. Even now, it's bringing tears to my eyes to think of him, and I hope he is somewhere chasing rabbits in the warm sunshine.
Well, the new year begins in just one short hour. I can't wait to see what 2012 will bring us here at Cranky Puppy Farm and to you as well, my dear readers.
Wishing all of you a good night and nothing but happiness in 2012,
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