2015 Goals

I've long since stopped making New Years resolutions because they never stick. They're always some wild lofty pie-in-the-sky goal that are bound for failure. But I do make a list of short term goals or projects that can be accomplished within a year. Nothing life changing, because those goals often don't work, causing me to spiral down into depression. Failing has a nasty tendency to do that to a person, especially me. So I'm sitting down and giving some focus to 2015.  

First, how did 2014 turn out? My five goals :

... Finish the kitchen --- check

... Finish the livingroom --- check. Plus the hallway is completed too. Ta-da! 

... Establish sustainable meat source --- check. I've incorporated rabbits and pigs into the homestead scheme and expanded the sheep flock. And of course, the farm already had chickens. No, I don't eat roadkill. 

... Expand vegetable & fruit gardens --- check. 

... Add bees to the homestead --- check. 

There were a lot more projects/goals on my list, some of which were achieved, some in progress, so not yet started. But these were my top five. I get carried away when I make job lists, so I've found that if I list just my top five and focus on those, I'm more likely to have success and thus feel happy and satisfied. 

Now for 2015. These keep creeping to the top of the list......

... Finish the bedroom and storage/walk in closet. The bedroom itself won't be a big deal. I could finish it by myself without David's help, but I don't intend to exclude him. I'll do the grunt/assistant labor and let him do the more skilled tasks. The closet will be more of a job because what the project really consists of is enclosing the wraparound lanai and making it into a giant storage room off the bedroom. It has to be framed in, enclosed, and completely finished off inside and out. 

... Finish the bathroom. It's going to be a big task with some big hurdles. The current bathroom will completely go. The area will be re-organized and expanded, meaning a big change in the roof. Plumbing and wiring to be redone. New expanded foundation and floor. Added door. New window. The "works". I really hope that it gets finished in 2015, but I won't be disappointed if the job extends a bit into the next year. The bathroom will be our most complicated house building project to date. And it is the final phase of the house. What will we do with ourselves once the house is officially finished? Will it feel strange no longer working on building the house? We'll see. 

... Incorporate grain production on the farm. I've dabbled a little bit into growing some. Now I'd like to get serious about it. I'd like to be able to stop buying feed for the livestock on a regular basis. 

... Get the seed farm into better production. This past year it's been hit and miss. And with all the rain, the grass got out of hand. So I'd like to develop a workable schedule that will keep the seed farm producing all the bean and pea seed this upcoming year. 

... Re-organize the barn. Create a better storage system. Install a solar electric system. Install plumbing. Install a small work kitchen. 

Oh, there must be a hundred tasks on my list for 2015, but I plan to put most of my effort into these five. Getting these five accomplished would make 2015 a very successful year.