Happy New Year!!!

Well, another year has passed!  Just reflecting on what has been accomplished, what went right and what went wrong.  Gladly I think we made more right decisions than wrong ones this year.  However even a wrong decision is still a decision that had to be made!  Success comes from learning from your mistakes and others and changing before you have so you are ahead and not behind!!  Change is the hardest thing for humans to do, it has been studied for many years.  Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone to learn something new, make a new friend, change the process you use to do your daily routine.

As we head into a new year full of opportunity I challenge you to do something different this year.  Instead of making resolutions that most likely won't be fulfilled look back at the past year.  Write down a few things or decisions that were right or went very well and list a couple reasons why.  Then write down a few things or decisions that didn't go so well and why.  This will give you a chance to use hind site and learn from the good and the bad so you can make better decisions in the coming year.  Once you have done this don't dwell on what went wrong look forward to the fact that you don't have to make those mistakes again!!

Lastly sometime this weekend take a chance to set a few goals.  Goals are only good if they are achievable.  For instance, if a football teams simply plans on how to win a championship game and fails to plan how to first get to the game they may never be there to play!

Pick a high goal that you wanna achieve.  Then set some smaller easy to reach goals that will help you reach the big one.  This will set your path to making the right decision when the time comes because while everyone else will be trying to figure out which way to go you will already now and be on your way!!


Ok, now on another note some picks from our busy week here on the farm and some quick updates.  Been working on reorganizing the garage to make it a usable shop/garage instead of a 2.5 car storage bin!  Pickup of some plywood, insulation, and a small heater and invited the neighbor boys over for food, beer, and some guy time in the garage.  So far we have the ceiling in and insulated and the walls are 90% insulated.  Now all I need is some plywood for the walls and I will be ready to use it for what it was intended!!

 We have free natural gas from a well on the farm so this is the most efficient and cheapest way to supply heat for when we need it.  Notice the walls aren't done yet, I added a temporary piece of  plywood behind the heater till I am ready to finish it so we could have some heat to work. 

I went out to check the creek to make sure it was not frozen over so the cows could still get water to drink.  The girls all wanted to know what was going on so they came to see what I was doing.  The herd check went well also.  Six out of eight are pregnant.  Jo Jo headed back home and I picked up two more steers to raise for meat to get us through till we are producing enough steers of our own.  I am planning on getting pics of them soon.  They are both Shorthorn Hereford crosses.

 My wife cooked a fresh pork butt for the boys who were helping this week.

 She soaked it in a brine solution for a day or so and then slow cooked till perfectly done.  She then sliced it down thin for several different dishes.  She made sandwiches, mashed potatoes, green beans, and sweet potatoes.  The leftovers were served the next day.  She used the pan juice to make gravy, more mashed potatoes and beans. 

 

The last day she made a bunch of hamburgers.  We were all washing up to set down to eat when she placed the plate on the table.  My son, he is 14 months old, was already there and waiting.  Just like me he is a meat eater and thought he just won the lottery!!  He did manage to eat a entire burger with a side of chips all by himself!

Lastly, a fitting way to end the post.  My daughter made a snow angel the other day in the lawn between the house and the garage.  It was getting warm and the snow started to melt so I got a quick pic to save the memory!

Happy new year everyone!!  Here's to a successful and fulfilling new year!!

Kenny