Hello 2019

Happy New Year.  We are, here at the farm, in the middle of a cold snap.  Today it is -12 with wind chills of -25 to -35.  The high is expected to stay below zero today but warm overnight.  Tomorrow should be better.  It sounds like a good day to stay in and catch up on some blogging.

The beginning of a new year is often associated with new starts and resolutions.  I have never been successful with resolutions but I am going to use today for some reflection and goal setting. 

2018 was a very challenging and discouraging year.  A lot of the challenges were out of my control but finding a better way to manage them is something that I need to learn to keep them from overwhelming me.  Last year I found myself running like a chicken with it's head cut off (is that a regional saying?) from one unfinished project to the next and one near disaster (okay that might be a little dramatic)  to the next.  Though I felt busy I sure didn't get stuff crossed of my list.

So here are a few thoughts on 2019.  I started following a blog a few years ago.  I found them by accident.  I saw a pin on Pinterest that was about dismantling a pallet.  I followed the link and found this garden/lifestyle blog.  The couple lived in town, but had a small acreage in the country and they were building, from scratch, a hobby farm.  I started using some of their garden ideas.  One of the things they have done every year since I started following them is to make a list of goals for the year. I think every year that is their first post of the new year. I tried one year to do the same and it was halfhearted at best--way too comprehensive and not realistic at all.   It was more like a brainstorming session where you list every single thing that comes to mind.  Here is a link to their blog

In the time that I have been following them they have built a house and moved to the farm, written two books, quit their day jobs and are about to embark on a year-long trip to visit each of the United States in a camper.   Well, maybe not Hawaii or Alaska in the camper.  I am going to create a list of goals for the year.

I tend to be a list maker but I don't always make good use of my lists.  Often it is a way to organize my thoughts, but once finished, never to be referred to again.  I recently read again about bullet journals.  I am going to give it a try.  All my stuff (goals and to-do lists) together in one place! The idea of a portable collection of all my lists is enticing but not very practical for me, who sees small print poorly.  I am starting my journal on the computer.  I can print individual pages if I should need portability.  I am going to take a week to gather my ideas and needs and then prioritize those into a hopefully achievable list of 12 goals.  One for each month.  Maybe the blog needs a bullet journal of its own. 

Thanks for visiting,

Lorri