House bound

I've been house bound now since late November. It is just too hard to do much walking around when you feel as if all your innards will fall out your bottom. On Jan 2,  I will be having my surgery so I will be very busy resting and recuperating in the new year. At least for the first few months of it.

Have you made your New Year resolutions yet? I have so many plans in my head and have been writing them all down. To begin with I hope to find a better way of being self sufficient. I first hope to get the greenhouse that we began this Summer, finished. Get all the many galvanized containers up into the corral area where I plan to have all my gardening next to the greenhouse.  Hoping I can grow lots more veggies and even plant more fruit trees. I wish to learn how to use a steam canner. That way I can store more for emergencies, eat healthier, and spend less in the grocery store. I would like to learn how to cook meals with fresh produce rather than store bought out of a can or box. I would like to learn how to crochet other than a single or double stitch. I hope to learn how to use herbs for healing and in cooking. I wish to keep using natural and organic products. 

So as far as New Year wishes go, mine are not the regular 'hope to lose 20 pounds' , although I may keep that one, but to improve on how we spend our money and what is really more important to our survival in case of any kind of emergency.

Yeah, the world did'nt end on Dec 21, but we all know that times are tough for so many and the future does look somewhat bleak. We so need to start looking out more for each other and pray that our future will still be there for the younger generation and that we find peace in our hearts in the troubled times ahead.

So I intend to do my part by doing what I know best by planting a garden and canning veggies and sharing with our neighbors and friends. I have coop issues to fix, will need to replace some laying hens so I keep the eggs coming in, I hope to build more shelves for the surplus supplies I hope we will be able to put up. I am thinking of raising a couple small milk goats and maybe some rabbits, but still trying to get hubby on board with that, plus I would need to learn how to raise them.  I would love to go solar but cost wise I don't think we can do much. I plan to put out a couple more rain barrels but with spigots so it will be easier to transfer the water about.

As you can see, I have had lots of time on my hands while waiting for surgery and will have plenty more time to think of all the things I wish to do next year. I am usually pretty busy shoveling snow and hauling in firewood for the stove, but that has been taken over by my newly retired husband. Hope he doesn't burn out too soon on keeping what chores need done through this Winter. Maybe I'll suprise him with a new smaller figure some time in the Summer of 2013. One can only wish, right? Besides, I don't expect I'll see many gourmet dishes coming my way for the next few weeks. He'll probably try to get me to eat bologna sandwiches. LOL

So here's to hoping all your wishes and resolutions come true for the new year. But mostly I wish everyone good health, happiness and love.

Merry Christmas