Happy 2020, everyone. I hope you all had a great holiday season and that you were able to relax during an otherwise hectic time of the year.
I truly enjoyed spending a few days away from my desk, getting lots of fresh air, and eating far too much decadent food. We had family come to visit, spent Christmas with friends, and cozied up for New Year’s Eve (I was asleep by 10:30 p.m.).
Our Christmas dinner consisted of farm-raised chicken and lamb, and a smorgasbord of delicious sides. All of it made by my brother-in-law who is a fantastic chef. The chicken was stuffed with the most moist stuffing I’ve ever had, that included pork sausage (also farm raised). We also had ratatouille and polenta, made with tomatoes we grew and flash froze this past summer. Yum.
Does anyone else feel a little sense let-down after the holidays? It’s such a busy and cozy time, and then all of a sudden the Christmas tree is down and we’re back to work. I sometimes wish I could just pause time in those perfect moments of the holidays. Wether it’s laughing with friends while watching Elf at the Fort Steele theatre, or quietly reading a new book I got for Christmas, those moments are precious and I want to tuck them away in a little box so I can remember them forever.
The nice thing about the holidays being over and life going back to normal is I’m back to a routine. I am not a fan of the ‘what day is it’ feeling between Christmas and New Year’s.
With a new year and decade upon us, it’s fairly common for one to set some goals and intentions for themselves for the year ahead. I am a goal-setter and a list-maker, but I will say, the new year’s resolution train is not one that I often hop on.
New Year’s day, and NYE for that matter, are just another day. Yes, it’s a fresh start to a new year and there’s lots to look forward to, but I am a believer that one must be careful when it comes to setting ‘new year’s resolutions’. I believe that I should always be setting goals and intentions for myself, no matter the time of year. If I don’t like something, I change it, there’s no sense in waiting until January 1st.
That being said, I am looking forward to farm life in 2020. There are lots of things already happening on the farm and there are bound to be more over the next 12 months. I am also looking forward to many an adventure this year, including two of my best friend’s weddings (one in Pentiction and one in Ontario), and a potential week-long fishing trip.
I hope to have another abundant garden (which I’ve already started planning for) and to up my compost game even more than I already am.
I also hope to continue to explore the area with the help Janet Strong’s latest edition of her Mountain Footsteps book. If you haven’t picked up a copy for yourself, I reccomend you stop what you’re doing this very minute and go get one.
I want to hike and fish and camp as much as my weekends will allow.
I may also try skiing over the next few weeks, for the first time since I was wee. I have been snowboarding for the past 10 years but I’ve been wanting to try skiing. I’ll let you know how that goes.
All in all I am feeling grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and will continue to have. I’m grateful to live on a beautiful farm. A place to call home. A place to learn and to grow. I’m grateful for adventures. For friends and family, new and old. Happy New Year, but also, happy to be where I am, no matter the day.
