I hope you have had a nice week. The week between Christmas and New Year is always my week for reflection. To look back on the old year, to see what I was able to achieve, what I didn't accomplish. What was good and what caught me off balance. We began 2016 with the wedding. I would say that 2016 was the year that I felt that I never got caught up, I never got my feet under me. I have always thought of my life as pretty calm. Last year wasn't. I spent most of the year responding rather than giving myself margin, I seemed to always be responding to the tyranny of the urgent. This week as I have wrote. (With a pen and paper.) Walked, and thought and prayed. I know that I don't want a year like last year.
This is a gardening blog. In 2016 I didn't garden. This year for Christmas Ron gave me what I most wanted.
A giant mulch pile. Isn't it lovely? I think it is and it smells so nice. I will keep adding my chicken manure and Ron will keep working it with his tractor. By the time spring comes, we will have a big garden again. That makes me feel settled again. To anticipate being out here, to think of all of the wonderful things I love about being out here in this field of dreams.
He bought me a brand new tarp. I was so happy and I think its the best present ever. So this year as I was naming 2017 for myself. This year for me is going to be called Back to Basics. I want to return to those things I love. Gardening, canning, loving my family, taking care of all of those gifts the Lord brings in to my life daily. To keep my focus and not become distracted. I think distraction is one of my biggest faults. I have never thought of myself as a depression person, but distraction can bring depression in like a flood. I will then loose my footing and I can loose whole weeks at a time. I look back and wonder where have I been.
Christmas Eve was spent at Emilie's house. It was so nice to go there and not have to cook or plan. In fact, I think this was our nicest Christmas. Ben and Megan and the kids were sick so that was a bummer. But everything else was good.
The kids draw names among each other so it isn't so hard on them to buy for everyone. This year, Ben got Makenzie's name. Earlier in the summer she had a bunch of wood she gave to Ben. It was birch and really nice wood. Ben made Makenzie shelves for her kitchen. I managed to get this picture of her opening them.
It was such a fun thing to get to be apart of.
He made five of them for her. It was such a surprise for her too. So it was all good. I feel very contented and thankful to have made it another year.
I wish you a wonderful 2017.
Blessings from me to you,
~Kim~
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| “A dog’s New Year’s Resolution: I will not chase that stick unless I actually see it leave his hand!” – Anonymous |
12 comments:
I can't help but admiring you big pile of mulch. A true gardener's gold. I hope that you will have the best gardening adventures in 2017 and that Mother Nature gives you sufficient rain.
I too have a lot of catching up to. I was doing well until I got the news of our daughter passing and everything came to a halt and then the snow came but hope reigns eternal.
I wish you a good 2017.
Hugs,
Julia
I wish you a wonderful 2017, too.
Hugs :)
Lauren
I can't help laughing at your excitement over a mulch pile. I'm afraid if my husband gave me that there would be a big fight. Lol. (Might explain why I don't have a husband.....)
I know what you mean about losing your footing. I want next year to be better than this year, too, but I haven't spent the time in reflection that I need to. I think I'll blog about it, too.
That's a fine tarp! You are a farmer girl and you will garden up a storm, I'm sure. This is the time to dream garden dreams. I made a list of flowers I want to plant. No cucs, though. They were exhausting.
I love the shelves! How sweet. A wooden homemade gift is lovely. How kind.
It IS good to reflect. I have been reading my granny's diaries again. He vigilant recording of paying bills, washing tubfuls of laundry, listening to Billy Graham, taking baths and such soothes my soul. My journals are not quite as factual - more feely really, but it's still such a good endeavor.
I think I might make a list of things I like doing and write them on the wall calendar at the beginning of every month.
I hope your 2017 is full of fruits!
I received some similar gifts, though not as formal gifts - just because people were around to help. I'm trying to get up enough strength to write about it all. I am too tired to reflect on the year - I am musing over just the last blessed week.
A mulch pile is a great gift, that will go on giving!! And a new tarp, I well know the value of, having invested in a couple of them lately for my non-farm enterprise.
May 2017 be full of the joys that you love best. God bless you, Kim!
You always leave me with thoughts to ponder- and I thank you for that. My year has also been a bad one, but mostly because of my mom's illness and how much I have let it affect my mood- I've become very snarlky and mean I am told. I hate that. So my new year's thoughts now are on continuing to spend as much time as I can with my mom, but also not to forget the rest of the family. And of course to find my soul again.
My wish for you in 2017 is calm and happiness and a great big garden filled with all the fruits, vegetables and flowers you love!!
And lots of hooking too!!
I think your plan to go back to basics is perfect. I need to do that, too. I'm getting adjusted to taking care of a baby after all these years. I didn't realize it was going to be an adjustment, but I should have. I'm doing a study now called, Hope Prevails and it's all about the spiritual side of depression. It's quite helpful so I hope I will spend 2017 in a better place mentally and spiritually. I can't wait to see pictures of your garden next year! I would try it again but I just do not have a green thumb. Happy New Year, my wonderful friend who lives too far away. :)
Such a good post, Kim. I can relate to the "responding" to all the things around me and literally losing weeks of my time. I'm not one to set resolutions, but I find myself also looking back over this year and pondering.
Happy New Year to you and your lovely family.
Rose
Happy New Year.
What a beautiful pile of compost!! That is going to be so wonderful for your garden next year. I'm so done with 2016 too. It's been a rough year for everyone. Good riddance!
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