A recap of the year so far

As I sit here at the laptop this afternoon, there are far too many tabs open in my browser at the moment.  Email, Facebook, this blog, articles to read, t-shirt designs, photo albums, homeschool planners... It's all over the place.  I have just as many lists of things to do and paperwork to go through and books to read scattered on the table next to the laptop.

It does not seem possible that we will ever complete the various tasks before us... There is not enough time.  There is not enough energy.  There is not enough determination or concentration or motivation.  Impossible.  Yeah. I'm a little overwhelmed today.

When things get overwhelming, I have to step back and look at what we HAVE accomplished rather than melting down over what still lies ahead.  For my sanity.

So what have we done this year so far?  Here's a list of major accomplishments for 2019 in no particular order. 

1. We got doors.
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We started out 2019 with new doors as the priority.  At the time, we thought this would be an easy and quick thing to check off the larger to-do list.  We were very wrong.  It took months to get the proper doors ordered... and that was after having to choose different doors more than once... and then even longer to get them installed.  The end result is well worth it and we have finally all adapted to not having to put hang the door handle back on the door after having opened it.  Bonus - our house is much more energy efficient without the daylight-leaking gaps around the doors. Imagine that.  Also, this was the first big step toward making the place really feel like ours for the first time in five years.

2. We sold over 30 African goslings this season.

Emily's gosling production this year turned out to be much better than we had anticipated.  For a while there we were knee-deep in adorable goslings.  Although I do not have the exact number before me at the moment, I know that we sold over 30 of the little fluffballs before we finally decided to keep those we had left for our own flock.  We currently have 28 geese and ganders of varying ages running free around the place and wreaking havoc.  Never a dull moment.

3.  We hatched a lot of pretty Buff Orpington chicks.

I could not be more pleased with the quality of chicks we hatched this year.  The hatches themselves went very smoothly with no late hatchers or struggling hatchers - which is always a great sign as far as vigor and vitality.  We sold all of the chicks out of our first several hatches and met some nice people along the way - which is always fun.  We finally hatched a nice sized group for ourselves so that we could add some to the flock when they grow-out.  They have all been growing like little weeds and are healthy, happy, curious, and too friendly.  We currently have a couple over forty feathered-out monsters in the grow-out pen.  

4.  We created a website and started a blog.

This one should be obvious to anyone actually reading this on the blog at the moment.  But I have to include it despite the fact that several items on the looming to-do lists involve updating the website and blog.  But there is a website.  And a blog. And that's an accomplishment.  Therefore, I claim it!

5. We registered Fatima with the American Council of Spotted Asses.

We had been planning to get our donkeys properly registered for quite some time, so it was a pretty awesome feeling to complete this step for Fatima, at least.  Registration is still pending with the ADMS for her -- and the others... but it is our understanding that they are a little behind on paperwork at the moment due to health issues.  And so we shall be patient.

6.  We sold our goat herd to make room to re-arrange our facilities (and we made some friends in the process).

It was a really tough decision to sell the goats, but we needed a hard reset while we were taking down fences and getting ready to spread browsing areas further out into the woods -- all while juggling arrangements for pregnant donkeys and nursing donkey foals.  There was a lot of anxiety involved as I really did not want to separate all of these guys - at least not at once... and I knew we did not have the time to slowly find homes for each individual goat while the ones staying behind had time to adjust.  I cannot begin to express what a relief it was to not only sell them as a group, but to sell them as a group to a family that we know, like, and trust.  Bonus - we also managed to train all of them to load onto the trailer by themselves so that when it came time for transport there was minimal chaos.

7.  We welcomed new donkey babies.

The birth of our first donkey foals here on the farm was long-awaited and much anticipated.  Both foalings went well and our girls have been excellent mothers.  There was a lot of work involved in getting ready for the big events and even more work involved in taking care of new mothers and babies during the first few weeks, but it was fantastic work.  And there is nothing cuter on earth than a newborn mini-donkey.  Full stop.

8. We rebuilt the barn stalls.

Part of the work in getting ready for impending donkey foaling was reconfiguring our barn.  Our original stalls had been designed to house goats.  Later, they were modified to act as grow-out pens for chickens.  Neither of those were really right for donkeys and so we set out to fix that.  Stall-building day ranks up there with one of my favorite memories of 2019 as we all worked together to finish in record time.. and it was fun!

9.  We repainted four interior rooms (and some furniture).

This one could take up several larger accomplishment titles if I let it.  Included in the actual painting was the kitchen (which included the removal of a wall-paper border, the installation of new under-cabinet lights, and the complete reorganization of the cabinets and countertops), the master bathroom and adjoining water closet, the master bedroom (which has funky shaped high ceilings and required the removal of all furniture to complete painting), and the girls' bedroom (which also has funky shaped high ceilings.. but had also been painted with a bold brown and white pattern under chair rail height making it difficult to cover in just a couple coats.)  The girls' room could not be finished until I also updated all of their bedroom furniture with some paint, installed a new ceiling fan and new window shades, and reorganized the closet and spare adjoining room.  Looking back, I am not sure how all of this was finished in the time it ultimately took.

10.  We installed a gate for our main entrance.

Like so many other things on this list, there was more to this than digging in some posts and hanging the gate.  We had to finish the perimeter fence we had been working on for weeks first - otherwise the gate would have been pretty useless.  We had a few design changes along the way as we had originally started with a single gate before realizing that we needed a much wider swing to be practical.  The next step was buying a 16 foot gate only to realize that only a steel-reinforced concrete post and wall could possibly support a sixteen foot long gate - and even then the gate itself would sag under its own weight.  Our solution was the two eight foot gates.  The major accomplishment here was finding a gate latch that would securely close the two gates at the middle without the need for a drop rod.  Oh, we also installed a wireless security camera at the gate so that visitors will not be left waiting out there in the sun while I carry on oblivious to their presence.  

This is still a temporary solution as the gate is located well inside our property at the bottom of the road to our house.  Someday when we finish the real perimeter fence for all seventeen acres, we will have to do it all again.  But that's on the long to-do list.

11. We survived a tornado.

Not that there was a lot of effort involved in this one other than sweating it out in the closet under the stairs for the 35 seconds it took for the tornado to scare us silly and tear down a lot of our trees.   Still qualifies as an accomplishment.  

12.  We survived the installation of two brand new heat pumps.

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We knew it would be incovenient, but when our upstairs a/c stopped working yet again we also knew it was time to totally replace both of our heat pumps and condensers.  Incovenient, but fairly straight foward.  Except.. it wasn't.  Despite the brand new installation, neither unit actually worked for a few weeks following the initial installation.  Did I mention it was really hot? Several service calls and another HVAC company later, the problem was fixed and Dave and I installed the new thermostats ourselves to avoid tempting fate.

13.  We finished the tile floor in the bedroom.

fter a bad start with the wrong mortar, several weekends with other engagements that kept us from working on the floor, and a long pause to finish the grow out pen before the chicks completely outgrew the brooder, we finally finished the bedroom section of our tile project.  Yesterday was spent moving furniture back into the room and trying to remember how to sleep on a bed in the house rather than a futon in the barn.  We are still adjusting, but I am in love with the room.

14. We restarted the goat herd.

When we sold off the goat herd and kept our one pet goat, Psyche, it was apparent from the start that we would not be able to provide the kind of goat company that a single goat would need - no matter how much time she spent in the kitchen with us.  We had considered bringing home a grown goat, but then we would be back in the same position we had been in before -- with no proper place for grown goats.  Dave found this little guy (his name is Cupid) and brought him home.  No one complained.  I mean, look at him.  He's been good company for Psyche.  Though she's a tiny goat herself, she's much bigger than this little guy and it makes her feel pretty important.  For now, they are both fine in the smaller pen and shelter that we have available with time out in the afternoon for browsing.  We still have a couple of months before Cupid's age becomes a factor and they will have to be moved to a larger area... but the space and materials are on hand and plans are in the works.

15.  We officially went into business.

We have finally moved out of the realm of a mere hobby into something more serious.  What this has meant is a lot of paperwork.  A lot.  Filings, fees, tax documents, permits... Trips to the bank and the CPA... Receipts and regular accounting.  Luckily, I can add all of this daily experience to the homeschool curriculum.

16.  We had a happy little peafowl family.

Not only did we find and retrieve Mr. Peacock... and not only did Mrs. Peacock manage to stealthily hatch three peachicks... But all three peachicks have survived and thrived and become friendly (if a bit strange) little birds.  Their friendliness has rubbed off on both parents who are now downright tame thanks to Yvonne's patient efforts to win them all over.  We never knew just how much we would like having a peafowl family around - but at this point we couldn't imagine life here without them.  They are wonderful and fun birds and we are proud to show them off to visitors.

17. We built an awesome grow-out pen for the chicks.

This was such a great accomplishment that I actually had a little photo booklet printed at Google to commemorate the building of the grow-out pen.  So much work in the hot sun... so much sweat.. so many splinters... but the end-product is perfect.  Our chicks have been safe and sound in their luxury grow out pen.  On the to-do list is to add some comfy seating inside for human visitors.

18. We opened an online store.

Actually getting the accounts and payment processing up and running was a lot more work than I thought it would be - but none of that includes actually creating products.  Thankfully, we had a lot of that already done before we even thought of creating an online store.

19. There were baby bunnies.

Seriously cute baby bunnies, at that.  Most of the credit for the hard work goes to Yvonne for this one.  Lionhead rabbits require a lot of grooming.. and a lot of attention during the summer months to keep everyone cool and well-fed.  I suppose my particular accomplishment in this area is cuddling baby bunnies.  Yes.  Mission accomplished.

20.  We made time for culture.

At various times over the last eight months and despite all that we have had on our collective plate, we have made the time to attend and enjoy various cultural events.  We believe that patronage of the arts should be a priority.  This year we have attended the symphony, the oratorio, a wonderful play at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, and a special concert in celebration of J.S. Bach's birthday offered by our superb cathedral choir and members of the Tulsa Symphony.  On the to-do list before the year is gone is a day visiting the best art museums in Tulsa.

21.  We rehabilitated a lame goose.

Earlier this year we answered a Facebook post from a local farm with a goose with an injured leg.  They were looking for someone to give her a home and a second chance... and, well, it isn't like we had anything else to do....  Ahem.  So we picked her up and brought her home.  She was pretty grim at the time - unable to put any weight on her leg at all.  She had a wound and scar tissue forming at the joint of her foot from dragging it when she tried to walk and there was a bit of infection happening in the wound.  I'm happy to report that today, thanks to the patience of Emily - goose-wrangler - this pretty goose is up and walking with the rest of them.

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So there it is!  The list is a lot longer than I had expected it to be when I started writing.  I feel much better about what we have left to do in the coming months.  

It's a great mental exercise to take a little time to see how far we have come.  And that's true whether we are stressing out about a particular task or a long list of tasks - or about relationships, virtue, life in general. 

​How about you?  What have you accomplished so far this year?  Grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and a notebook and make a list.  You may just impress yourself!

Posted by Anita

Keeper of the lists.  Checker of the marks.  Ready to lay some more floor tile.