The first month of the new year is now behind us. Hard to believe, isn't it? Oddly enough, for some reason I began writing 2025 in December. Usually, it takes me a month or so to get used to writing the new year correctly. Somehow, I was ahead this year!
January, around here, means relaxing. We have the opportunity to work at a relaxed pace and check things off our "to-do" list that we just don't have time for the rest of the year. It's nice. Our year-round farmers market was much slower this month than January's normally are, but we've kept our production rolling along so that we can add to our backstock, hoping for a busy spring.
While we received snow this month, it totaled about 7 inches, so not much but beautiful, nonetheless. We forgot to get our bushes covered before the most recent sticky & heavy snow. Such a bummer! Fingers crossed they are fine.
A couple of email newsletters ago, I wrote about a journaling book that I've been using since 2020. Some call it "one line a day" and others call it a 3-year or a 5-year journal (affiliate links). Regardless of its name, it allows for just a few sentences each day which makes it feel doable for daily journaling. I record that day's high and low temps, bits about the weather if there's anything to report, as well as things such as any major world events, quarterly pricing updates of items like gas, milk, and eggs, and then bits about our life that day. Some days I have a lot to write and continue it into the next day's notes, and others I don't have much, so the list of possible topics gives me things to record.
Shown in the photo above, for each day of the month, you get a 3–5-year record allowing you to read notes from the previous years. Some things I remember and some I'd forgotten about so I'm happy to have a record. It also comes in handy to log dates of any medical treatments and such. Recently, a handful of people have asked us if this is the year we'll bring a new dog/dogs into our life. I understand the questions because we love dogs and it's evident to those who have asked. The reality is, that most of those asking don't actually understand what the last 3 years of Olivers life was like, and why we are taking our time. So, the short answer is no. Here's the longer answer.
Part of my daily journaling included specifics on Olivers last 3 years of life (our French Bulldog that passed in 2023). I really wish I'd started these journals before 2020 but am happy that I finally started them. I purposely documented the good, the bad, and the very difficult because it was incredibly rewarding and challenging to care for an aging dog with multiple medical issues, but also very TOUGH. I wanted a reminder of this so that when we did feel like we wanted another dog, we could read the journal to help make sure that we are truly ready for the commitment.
I have all of his medical diagnosis which continued to evolve as he got older, complications of his conditions, his medication schedule, how many (if any) hours we got of sleep each night, emergency vet visits (of which there were many and they were scary as he got older) but all of the good stuff too. How excited he would get about seeing me if I left him for even 10 minutes, his absolute obsession with apples and sweet potatoes, how much he adored being held and babied, his affection for texture, especially rugs and blankets, along with the little wins that we learned to celebrate and notes on just how much that little boy was loved. We miss him and his brother Emerson (who passed in 2019 from a brain tumor) every single day. Although our next experience may not be nearly as tough as the last, it could be even more so, you never know, and we need to be ready. We are not.
So, that was a long-winded way to say that I'm grateful that I discovered this little journal and that I've regularly written in it. Think about all of the changes we've had in the past 5 years! It's a wonderful way to quickly document what's going on. If you've ever wanted to journal daily but haven't yet made the commitment, I highly encourage you to start with one of these (affiliate link).
In The Kitchen
Soups and stews remain the superstars in our kitchen. Despite little snow or, thankfully, ice, it is winter which means chilly weather, and this is the comfort food we turn to.
We have reduced our consumption of all sugars (exception being whole fruit) so the oven hasn't been used much for treat making. The few times I have baked, however, I've been baking with Einkorn whole wheat flour, and we've really enjoyed it! Have you tried it yet? I think it can have a slight graham cracker-type taste to it that I love. My husband doesn't taste that, but I do, and we both agree that it's a great tasting flour. I find it's easier to replace it for all-purpose flour in baked goods over breads, since it doesn't have as much gluten.
In The Coop
Oh, those girls. A couple of years ago our number of coop girls was 34 with over half of them age 5 or older. It was that year that we decided to reduce our flock size to under 12. Because we don't cull our girls, instead allowing them to die naturally regardless of whether or not they lay any eggs, we tried to not add any new girls until the flock was reduced by half. We ended up adding 7 pullets that year when we weren't getting hardly any eggs even in summer (because of the age of our girls). We've resisted adding any since then. Many of our oldest girls have passed over the last 2 years and we are now down to a flock of 13. We are trying to resist adding any more girls until a few more have passed but their egg production is very low (right now averaging 3 eggs a week), so I'm not sure what this year will bring. New chicks? New pullets? It's up in the air.
A quick coop girl story. Chickens are a funny animal. They are quite literally "chicken" about many things. One evening this past month I went out to check that they'd all made curfew (put themselves to bed before their automatic door closed). Lo and behold I counted 12 sets of eyes watching me walk across the property to their coop. Only 1 had made curfew. I went inside the coop to see the 1 girl sound asleep on the roost and noticed that a plastic jug that we have placed on their waterer to prevent them from sitting (and pooping) on it, was on the ground. Someone must have gotten a bee in their bonnet and flew into it. So, this scared all but the 1 coop girl into running outside. They were now fearful of entering their coop with that very scary jug on the ground.
I put the jug back on the waterer, went outside and opened up their door. They would take turns walking up the ramp, peering in, and then turning and running away. They were still scared. I caught one and pushed her through the doorway. She hurriedly hopped up onto the roost. The others were intrigued, but still not convinced that things were safe. That very scary jug might still be on the ground! I had to do this with 7 girls before the remaining 5 understood that all was ok, crisis averted. Once inside they went to bed, and all was fine in the morning.
They are a funny bunch.
In The Garden
I am in no way ready to actually work in the garden (it's actually covered in snow we received the last 2 days) but am adding this partly because I'm excited about this year's growing season, but also because the planning is happening now! I've gone through my seeds and determined that I don't need to add any this year. I only need to order seed potatoes and sweet potato slips.
I have a dozen or so spring garlic cloves planted that I'll be able to harvest in May or June as well as some carrots that I planted in fall for early harvesting. Greens and peas won't be planted for a while yet, but I'm excited that I can begin thinking about it. In the meantime, I continue to grow sprouts for fresh greens.
It was very chilly on and off in January and the pellet stove runs constantly. Jackson has a box and a bed on the bench next to the pellet stove, which he lays in often, but he LOVES laying on the radiator covers, waiting patiently for them to turn on. While the heat from the pellet stove heats our entire home fairly well, the living room doesn't get as much of the heat, so the radiators run occasionally. This makes the boy very excited. It's the little things, isn't it?
Hoping you had a wonderful January and that you are staying warm and cozy in your part of the world.
That was a great chicken story. They are funny animals! That snow is so pretty. I've never been much for journaling, but you've intrigued me. I might be able yo handle this one, and will check it out. Thanks! I can see where it would be handy to have notes from previous years. I have tried Einkorn and Red Fife flours, both of which I thought were tastier than regular ww flour. When I'm a bit further down the road of healing, I may give these heirloom wheats a try again.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the flours. I enjoy the heirlooms too - the two you mentioned and spelt are SO MUCH better (in my opinion) than traditional whole wheat. I hope you are able to have flour again at some point. I know I would miss it tremendously. Happy you are thinking of these journaling books. I love them and they've been a wonderful thing to use!
DeleteI enjoy your blog and stories very much and missed you when you were too busy to write much. :) But very understandable. Thanks, Jo
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Jo!
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