Christmas Eve morning has always been special to me.
While it is the morning before the celebration of the birth of Jesus, it's also my birthday.
After my divorce in 2003, I started spending my birthday morning sitting back with some coffee and reflecting on my life in general and making plans for the year to come.
I find it more satisfying than opening up presents :)
The past year hasn't been too eventful. Things have gone about the way that I thought they would. Progress on the farm has been slower than expected, but a bout of pneumonia will tend to slow a man down and set things back a bit.
That being said, it has still been a successful year. My garden beds were pretty productive, considering the weather and my lower lung (and body) function.
Now is time to consider my goals for the upcoming year.
Adjacent to the Eden Plot, I have acquired a half of a city lot with a concrete slab, water, sewage and electric hook-ups for an RV. I am hoping to have a renter or helper living on that slab before the end of 2018. Rent will be cheap, as it is a very small place, but it should suffice for someone who wants a more simple life. I had been considering turning the Eden plot operations over to a local church group to run as a community garden, but none seem to be interested in such a project.
The Liberty Field has been lost for the time being. A divorce of the land owners makes farming that land untenable. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it will allow me more time to concentrate on other endeavors.
I ran across a few old canopy tents which should be suitable for running a farm stand out of, which will definitely be appreciated come summer.
My irrigation pumps are at a local repair shop for annual maintainance to ensure they're ready for summer.
A new small crop seeder has been ordered and should be here by the end of February. That should boost production levels (and hence profitability) to a more economically sustainable level.
I'm still considering getting back into the laying hen and rabbit business, but there is still a lot of time to make preparations if I decide to go that route.
Composting has slowed down for the season, as the temperature has been dropping and the days have been getting shorter. With winter solstice behind us now, composting rates will start picking up soon.
I'm planning to accept both Steem and SBD as payment for farm produce this upcoming season. I'm not expecting much from this aspect, but every trip begins with a single step and it will be extremely easy to implement.
Anyway, time for me to get after doing something productive!
Happy holidays!