One of the few sunrises lately. Since it mostly hasn´t stopped raining since the beginning of December, time to review how 2017 actually went (goals here).
1. Barn renovation - Nope. Frankly, we didn´t have the money so it´s back on the list for 2018.
2. Garden - Expanded! Tractor guy will be coming back when the water isn´t ankle deep out there. Needless to say, it´s growing grass again.
3. Interior projects - Nope. To be fair, we tried. We´re still waiting for a quote for the hood installation from early December. When prompted, the appliance guy said he ¨forgot¨ and then didn´t get back to us, again. And when V tried to get additional trim pieces from the tile store in Madrid for the backsplash, turned out that no, contrary to what they told him over the phone, they didn´t have it in stock. This sort of thing happens a lot.
4. Experimenting - I did have a go at the dyeing, results were OK. But no progress at all on the cheesemaking. I should probably throw out all those enzymes and cultures in the freezer. We did finally get a batch of beer brewed, and I made soap for Christmas gifts.
5. Water - Renovating the well is moving up to the top of the list. Need to locate it again since it´s all overgrown and currently underwater.
6. Chickens - Nope, still no chooks.
7. Community - This is a good news / bad news one. Good news - my former student actually got a job! Thrilled for her. She dropped by to catch up over the holidays and is doing really well. Bad news, she moved to another town and we haven´t made any additional contacts.
Breo´s 2 surgeries put a real dent in the budget this year. It´s great to see him getting back some of his old mobility now, but it kind of threw a wrench into the discretionary fund budget. Also, it seemed like we were driving to the vet in Lugo every other day. That, and other circumstances impacted how much we could spend on infrastructure this year. Fingers crossed that gets straightened out early in 2018 so we can make some progress.
What we did get done:
Planted some trees. 2 oaks, 1 lemon, 1 lime, 2 hazels, 1 cherry, 1 almond have survived.
Side Patio - turned the weedy, wet side area into a pretty space. Need to re-arrange some plantings so they´re happier.
Veg - lots grew. Battled new pests. Improved yields.
Hosted the Inlaws for another successful stay in August.
Ate/preserved the veg. Had one jar of tomato sauce that didn´t seal, but the rest has been good. All the squashes have been delicious and are keeping surprisingly well. Onions and garlic that were stored also kept well through December. Made pickles, sauerkraut, ketchup and salsa.
Got Breo through his health issues. He´s happy and energetic and always on the look out for those nefarious felines.
Coming up - plans for 2018!
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