Welcoming 2013 Along With Lots Of Snow

Lots of the white stuff!

Happy New Year to all my readers! One thing that makes me happy is that we are over the hump and on the way to spring. According to my spring counter on the side of my blog, we have 77 days to go till spring. We have been getting hit with many inches of snow since the first day of winter. Driving has been hazardous at best. Shoveling for my husband has been a nonstop job.

Water pump works well in the snow!

I am not telling any resolutions I am making this year. It always seems to jinx it! So for now, I am keeping quiet and working on some important resolutions. Just hoping I have a much better and productive year this year. Life was tough for me in 2012. Had horrible things to deal with. That is done with, I hope, for good.

Shoveling paths and driveways is tough!

Making plans to work hard on my food production and storage this year. That is not a resolution, it is just a fact. Last year, I didn't do anything that I wanted to do. And even failed miserably in my garden. Not because my garden didn't produce.............but due to my father's stroke and death, I was tied up and could not harvest my garden or can my vegetables. This year will be different!

Talking to each other!

My son, Jeffrey has become quite fond of our new cat, "Spots" and the feeling seems to be mutual. Everywhere he goes "Spots" follows him. We have not been able to get him to come inside the house at all. If we bring him in, he really freaks out and tries to get out. I will not make a prisoner of him. So for now, he can slowly learn to trust us. He seems to, since anytime someone drives by or stops here, he disappears until they leave. Yet as soon as he hears one of us outside, there he is! I hear, cats are a good judge of character!

Copyright © 2013 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2012  Kathleen G. Lupole

A New Year

Simplify our house!

This is the first day of 2012. My goodness, last year certainly went fast! Everybody is busy writing their resolutions for 2012  down last night or today. What about you? Do you have plans for the new year? Starting over, wiping the slate clean? Maybe looking at the resolutions you made for last year, and trying again this year? And if so, why? What caused you to not keep your resolutions last year? Can you change it this year? I can. So can you!

Picture Source

The most important item on my agenda is to simplify my home. To keep taking things to the thrift store if it is not being used anymore. What is the sense of holding onto things that are not used anymore? I got rid of a load of books this year, but have more to get rid of. The books I held onto were books that I use like guide books. Those I will keep, but other books are on the way out too. I have slowly been switching over to mostly digital items, such as music, books, even my photos. I love the digital world! No file cabinets or book cases needed!

Picture Source

The two things that I seem to accumulate are books and junk mail. Lots of paper. The more I get rid of it, the more I seem to have. My rule now is no more physical books. And junk mail is put in the box by the wood stove for fire starting. I still receive a lot of physical catalogs even though I do almost all my purchases online. I like the seed catalogs, but don't really care for the others. My son likes to read the Sportsman Guide though.

Working on house

We are always striving to improve our homestead. Our house needs work and it is constantly an ongoing project. Many improvements have been made over the years. Now I am working to increase my income so we can get these projects completed faster. Not that I haven't always been doing that. Then move on. Get our water in our house, our battery room completed and batteries in there and our wind turbine up. Those are the main projects that we badly need done.

Green Beans in beds 2011

The next most important item for me will be making my garden produce more food this year. Plan it better and do not grow anything that we don't regularly eat. Like trying new crops. If I try them, I will only plant a plant or two this year, and see what the outcome is. Do we love it and want more? Or was it something no one really liked that much? Also plant more of the vegetables that we eat a lot of. Make every speck of space in the beds count! Looking forward to putting my plans into action and focus on these resolutions for 2012. Hope you have an awesome year!

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

Happy New Year To All My Readers!

Now 2010 comes to a close. Thinking back I remember how it was in 1999 when everyone was fearing what was going to happen when the year changed to 2000. People were stocking up and learning what they thought they needed to know. Some people gave their supplies away after that. Surprised me that anyone would do that! After you have the supplies stocked up why did they want to give them to food pantries or dump them? It was a good start on having some security. Regardless of whether you are a homesteader or just a person living in a normal life.

I don't really make resolutions, I call them goals. I will be making a post about them tomorrow. Today I spent the day with my father, who at 91 is pretty agile and quick. He still works on his car, house, garden and has wonderful sense of humor. I love him dearly, and every year I fear will be his last. I am thankful to God to have had him this long. Him and I spent a lot of time together when I was growing up. He was that kind of father.

Today I also spent some time with my son and seeing the new place he lives at now. I admit, I was wary of him living with my niece, Lisa and her family. But I have mended those fences. I have decided it was time to have a "forgiving heart" and this is where I was tested constantly. This year I will do my best to live my faith as an example to others. And this was the first step.

So my last day of 2010 was satisfying and enjoyable. I hope your's was too, and hope you and your family have a great year to come in 2011. See you next year!

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole