Out with the old and in with the new...

It is that time of the year again.  Time to review last year and see if progress was made and set some plans for 2025.  It is usually about 50/50 if I am successful in my endeavors.  Still, you have to find something to work towards.  That doesn't mean it will always work out.  

2024 Goals:

More improvements on the flower gardening front.  This fall I added more color to the rose bed.  I planted more lilies and bulbs.  I pulled out many overgrown plants in front and hope this will encourage other plants to flourish.  I've been looking back at garden pictures over the years, and I need to bring back some old favorites.  Hopefully, I will be able to reseed my wildlife bed and keep the turkeys and deer out, so the butterflies and bees can enjoy.

I bought all sorts of bulbs and lilies.  The voles ate most of them.  I tried shooting and traps, but they got almost everything in the front bed and quite a bit in the rose bed.  What the voles didn't eat the deer did.  I didn't get to see my phlox or campfire rose bloom as the deer found them delicious. 

The edible garden still needs some tweaks.  I need to find the perfect eggplant.  Pea production needs to improve.  For some reason they haven't done as well in the new greenhouse.  I need to keep adding to the raspberry and strawberry beds.  The orchard also needs more apple and plum trees.  I am also going to try and graft better stock onto my flourishing yet fruitless pear trees.  I added a different elderberry last summer in hopes of cross pollinating with my wild elderberry.  With luck this will mean elderberries this year.

Gardening for food is always fickle.  I had tons of elderberries and then the birds ate them before they were even close to being ripe.  I had some good strawberries.  The raspberries were not so good, but did buy more plants.  The apples and asparagus were fruitful.  I didn't buy any trees.  My grapes, apples, currents, gooseberries, tomatoes, eggplant, pumpkins, carrots, peppers, okra, asparagus, beans, and squash all did fabulous. 

My husband and I added trails to our property and this year we are going to enhance them with seating areas and even a strategically placed picnic table.  For the wildlife, I want to work on my two frog ponds.  There are a few ideas for more efficient bee and bird waterers.  There are plans to add a few more wildlife shelters.  

We put a lot of work into our little trail system.  It has definitely been utilized by the deer, turkeys, our one skunk, and many mountain lions.  My husband got me a wonderful bird bath with a fountain.  I put my ground feeder next to the window so I can enjoy feeding the blue jays this winter.  We have lots of places you can sit and watch the world go buy.

I am hoping to improve the experience for visitors to our cabin.  Over the years we have compiled a pretty extensive list of things you can do when you visit.  I want to add more games for rainy days and places to go when the weather cooperates.  We enjoy having company and are excited to see who visits this year.  Last year we were truly blessed with all of the friends and relatives that spent time on our porch.  

We added some more seating on the porch. Sitting and visiting is the most important part of being at the cabin.  We were lucky to have family out several times.  Kelly's brother and sister. My cousin and his family.  Probably the most disappointing was that we weren't able to figure out the timing and for the first time in 10 years my nieces and nephew weren't able to come out for our traditional week at Aunt Bonnie's.  Hopefully, this year we can figure something out. 

My goals for 2025:  

To do some more trips with my husband.  We were able to go watch the cranes this spring and bear hunting this fall.  It was good to go somewhere and do something new.  I want to go fishing in Ely, MN or see the Bighorns in Wyoming.  

I need to devise ways to keep critters out of my gardens.  They are on every front from voles to deer to birds.  I am determined to harvest elderberries.  They even got my grapes this year.  I am always amazed how people survived when a garden was their main food source.  There are so many things that can decimate a garden:  hail, heat, bugs, animals, the list goes on. This has been a goal many times in the past.  It seems like I come up with one solution and 10 other ways to invade pop up. 

I have one last trail to finish to make a complete circle around our property.  It is pretty steep, but once done I can snowshoe without going across uncharted territory.  With all of the building around us it is harder to enjoy quiet time or snowshoeing where the road hasn't been plowed.  

Take time for myself.  I have a new job and new responsibilities.  It is very stressful.  I am working hard to get everyone on the same page, get processes in place, and most importantly my student's futures depend on my decisions.  It is difficult getting a rhythm going and there is a lot of pressure.  I really focused this winter break on not spreading myself thin.  I need to keep that up.  I have 4 years, 9 months and 24 days until retirement.  I need to get there and still be sane and still love what I am doing.   

Here is wishing you a fabulous, happy, and healthy 2025.  I have high hopes for the new year.  Let me know what you have in mind.