Different Kinds of Resolutions...

Don't you just want to roller skate down this aisle?

 *Warning. This post is peppered with photos that have no other home. Enjoy the random.*

Ah, the new year. Full of good intentions, packed gyms and personal reflections.

I, of course, am no different. Well, not on the gym thing. I hate gyms. I don't like to sweat, for one thing, and doing it in front of other people just adds insult to injury. So no gyms.

But good intentions and personal reflections? Hell, yes.

I love the new year - it's a good time to take stock and try to fix some very fixable things in my life that need a bit of fixing.

I have some projects to finish up - most notably the new rabbit hutch to replace the A-frame and the introduction of quail to the homestead. I will be welcoming a new doe and her 5 month old youngsters to the rabbitry on Friday morning and setting up my seed starting station in anticipation of the growing season.

I'm super excited to get going on two raised pallet shallow gardens for salad greens and I will have a post for that as soon as they are done.

Still Life: NW Backyard Pugga-doo in laundry basket.

 I got the idea for them while therapeutically driving through the forest the other day. I hope that anyone who reads this blog who is stuck (momentarily) in suburbia like I am finds drives through the forest and/or countryside as relaxing and rejuvenating as I do. Sometimes there is a destination - like a state park or a distant coffee stand - but sometimes I just pack up the tot and drive. We look for barns. Or cows. Sometimes we stop and look at horses or alpacas. I find it extremely therapeutic. I have come up with some of my best ideas and problem solved some of the most annoying issues while driving in the trees. Stephen King is known for taking very long walks to help him work out plots in his books. (Including the fabled walk in which he was struck and nearly killed by a guy in a van). I take my hints from the masters.

So here is what I have figured out while driving:

I've decided to pull the trigger (an analogy that I hate and love at the same time) on my soap business. I've kind of skirted around the edges of really getting in to it and I find that I get so much joy out of making, marketing and selling soap that I need to just dive into it. I'm never gonna quit my day job, but I think that I could do more for Bear Soap in the coming year that may make my day job not so desperately important. (However, I like what I do and went to school way to long to simply walk away from it - but paring down even further is on my mind...)

Resolution? Grow more of THESE in 2013!

One of the biggest challenges I'm going to work on is FINISHING one task before starting the other. FINISHING. Not having two things going on at once. (Or five.) But actually moving sequentially through tasks as much as possible. The end of 2012 saw big progress in this area, and I'm noticing that once I train my brain to see a task through to the end I am much less frazzled and erratic. I then feel accomplished. Which kick starts phase two of not taking on too much just because I'm feeling so damn accomplished from finishing one small task.

It's a learning curve.

I've also made some big decisions.

The H and I have finally decided not to have another kid. We always thought we wouldn't, and haven't actually tried. We believe in zero population growth, as well (not in a preachy way - just something we personally believe in. You wanna have 8 kids and feel up to the challenge, go for it.) There is always that nagging biological clock ticking ticking away....But we just decided not to. And that's that. We will just cherish our tot and our animals and what remains of our free time and just be one and done. Ye ken?

Besides. I'm getting OLD. My eggs must be needing hip replacements and walkers by now. So, you know, I'll leave the procreation to those that really want it!

She is my heart! Resolution? More time with the Tot at the beach!

I've decided that after the introduction of quail, I'm done for a while trying new animals. I think the trifecta of hens, quail and rabbits is a good mix, that is still legal in my neck of the woods and get's me close to my goal of a closed loop meat and egg system. I can't have a closed loop system with chickens because it's not legal to have roosters in my town. Well. I have to amend that. It is legal, it's just annoying to the neighbors and I don't want to do that to them. Treat others as you would like to be treated and all that good stuff.*

We gots to take care of one another and for me that means not having roosters so my neighbors won't kill me and hide the body.

So on to the next, right? How about you - what is on queue to change, work on, or continue making progress on? Small like organization or big like major life changes? Is anyone planning to move out of their country of origin?? I would be jazzed to hear about that. Adding some new animals, new tools (AKA toys) to the garden or making your space bigger?

Leave me a comment and let me know what you guys are up to - hope it's awesome!

Happy New Year!


 *It's not really a total closed loop b/c I lack the space to grow enough food to feed my animals year round, but it's as close as I can get!