Every year I end with a review of last year's goals and if they were accomplished. I then try to set some goals for the new year. So here is a look back at 2025 and my goals for 2026.
2025 Goals and if they were achieved:
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. That goal did not happen and this is why. Meet Dollor the new addition to our home. Not only has he kept us busy, but also the chipmunks, deer, and mountain lions. We were able to see my brother's graduation in Sioux Falls, visit my parents, and take Christina around, but all traveling ceased in August when we picked up Dollor. I can say I have made many trips (several them late at night) around our property walking the dog. 
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. Despite the hail I had a good harvest. My flowers were great until the hail. Then the deer ate what the hail missed. I got some live traps to cut down on the plethora chipmunks, but when I got a few of them eating out of our hand, we stopped trapping. I was afraid we would deport the brave ones. Visitors enjoyed getting close to nature. That was probably the last time as Dollor has them all on the run now. I do have to add that it has been a lifelong goal this year of getting chipmunks to eat out of my hand.
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. We actually finished this project on January 2, 2026. The weather was so good we took advantage and cut a trail through the western side of our property. My husband also cut a trail down to a spring at the back of land. Now if I just had some snow, Dollor and I could go snowshoeing. 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. I did take quite a bit of time off this year. It was great celebrating my brother's graduation, spending time with our family from Minnesota, the niece's week with Aunt Bonnie, giving Christina's niece the whirlwind tour of South Dakota, acclimation time with Dollor, hunting with Tom, and finally some quiet time at Christmas.
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. This was a 2024 goal, but I thought I would revisit it. We were lucky enough to host a number of family and friends this year. I am always thankful for those who stop by so we can share some fun time together. I am also grateful that we were able to share some time with my parents several times this year celebrating my brother's graduation, Christina and Lily's visit, and some time at Christmas.
Wow. What a year. I am looking forward to what 2026 has to offer. Here are a few of my goals:
Gardening goals are to focus on fertilization and protection. I am great at planting things, but I get distracted with the follow through. It always seems to boil down to protecting from animals and elements. I want to fence my flowers. I never thought I would, but even with Dollor the deer decimate. I didn't realize how much destruction the deer and hail do until my husband fenced off his giant pumpkin and put hail netting over. One of my chokecherries was in the pumpkin fortress and it was so happy and healthy.
Training Dollor is high on our list. While Ella was the perfect lady, Dollor is a wild little tramp. His heart is in the right place, but he is naughty. Still, he is a blessing as he keeps us active. He beats a treadmill, because those don't look at you with big sad eyes when you need a walk.
Keeping active is high on the list. It is easy to just sit and scroll. This year I want to make an effort to do one project that I saw online a month. It doesn't matter if it is gardening, sewing, woodworking, home improvement, or a recipe. Now that we have all these resources at our fingertips it is easy to get lost in the enormity of it. I need to focus and do something with all of this information.
With family and friends, it is hard to make a new goal so I will just stick with the yearly goal of doing my best to make them feel welcome. My job is helping young people achieve his/her goals and to do this you have to build self-confidence and help them realize what makes them special. The same goes for the relationships in your life. Nobody is perfect, but everybody has something that makes them great. Celebrating the people in your life is important to me.
Well, that's a wrap. Do you have any goals for the year? How did 2025 treat you?
