Common Sense Home Good News Letter 12/31/22
“Maybe this year, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives not looking for flaws, but looking for potential.” ― Ellen Goodman
2022 was a year of delays and frustration, but also of abundance.
We didn’t get the new outbuilding tackled as planned, because the crew pouring the concrete slab couldn’t get to it until fall due to concrete shortages. (Their smaller jobs kept getting bumped by the concrete company for larger jobs.)
By the time the slab was cured, it was too late in the season for us to start building, but that’s first on the project list for spring of 2023.
We did get our remodeling project done in the bonus room above the garage – except for more delays that have us still waiting for the hydronic heat to get hooked up in January. Our sons ended up learning a lot of new skills working on the project, so there’s that.
Mother’s Day was extra special this year, with our semi-wild outdoor cat delivering a batch of five kittens right outside the patio door. Mom has since been caught and spayed, and all the kittens found good homes. We got a Christmas card from the lady that took the orange and white boys that was filled with photos. She’s thrilled with her new companions.
It was a dry year here in northeast Wisconsin, with pond water levels dropping several feet by the end of the season. Thankfully the garden was heavily mulched, and we got just enough rain to keep things growing with minimal watering.
The tomatoes thrived this year, and we processed several hundred pounds of tomatoes. I haven’t done a final tally, but we’ll be cutting back on plants a bit for next year.
We lost a very special member of the duck patrol this year. Miss Blue passed away in late summer, and we laid her to rest in shade of the yellow raspberries. We also said goodbye to our oldest cat, Miss Kitty, who is now at rest by the east orchard. She always did a fine job patrolling the orchards for mice and voles.
There were new laying hens, and a new beehive. The elderberry patch went crazy with berries.
We had an unexpected addition to the duck patrol the day before Thanksgiving, when I was contacted by a friend about an injured duck. It turned out the duck had a dislocated hip. After TLC and two chiropractor visits, she’s on the mend. She’s been christened Sarah Sweet Pea and is a happy member of the flock.
We dealt with a lot of illness this fall and winter, which is unusual for us, and frustrating, but it is what it is. It’s given me some fresh inspiration to do more research on home remedies and immune boosting, so there’s that.
I wish you a 2023 filled with love and abundance. Let’s find the good potential in the year ahead.
All our best to you and yours,
Laurie (and August IV, August V, and Duncan)
This week’s featured articles…
There’s been a surge in respiratory illness this winter, so I’m sharing these natural decongestant options.
We had some shrimp tonight for supper and made up homemade shrimp cocktail sauce. The recipe is here.
August put together an article comparing two of the newer high powered rechargeable batteries – the 18650 and 21700.
Popular in Instagram this week: our first “meet the duck patrol” post and canning oranges.
Have you tried Earthley’s Good Night Lotion? This all natural magnesium cream is great for nighttime leg cramps and more restful sleep. It’s hard for many of us to get enough magnesium orally, so topical magnesium is a great option.