Well! A belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from us to you! Life whisked us off to the strawbale house before I could prepare any sort of holiday posts for you, then Christmas had us galloping to California and back again, then a pair of colds we picked up from our darling but virus ridden nieces and nephews had us on our knees for the better part of a week (bless their squeaky little souls).
Lastly, I started skiing and the rest is history, as they say!
We hope you spent the holidays with your beloved friends and family, that you were aware of the magic of the season and that you felt the full and glorious peace of God in your hearts despite the chaos reported in the news both in the wide world and here at home in the USA. It’s a funny thing to feel troubled and outraged by world events while sitting tucked away safe in a little house on a beautiful river in a quiet desert with nothing but a man, dogs and books to keep company with. Life always seems to be a clash of the senses, a cacophony of emotions, discordantly melodic in the best of times.
I thought of you much, over Christmas, and held you uplifted in my heart (and continue to). I hope you felt it, over the distance between us.
I haven’t really had a moment to dream up any resolutions for the year however, I do plan on printing off Susannah Conway’s end of year/start of year paper thingy again. I filled out most of this workbook last year and found it an enriching experience. It helped me to roughly plan out my year and make a handful of goals (some of which I met, some of which are CONTINUING goals). I’ll be doing the 2015 workbook a little late this year but better late than never! I encourage you to do the same if you haven’t already done something like it.
And finally, to loosely tally 2014 for you:
Mason jars home canned and put up in the pantry (jams, pickles, marina sauce, whole plums, relishes, etc.): 172
Flat tires on trucks: 2
Antelope harvested: 1
Tea roses planted: 4
Pellet stoves installed in the studio: 1
Pairs of spring green clogs purchased: 1
Rafting trips: 8
19 inch cutthroat caught on the fly on the south fork of the Snake River: 1
Companies employed by as a freelance photographer: 11
Escargot consumed: 0
Trips to California: 2
Trips to Saskatchewan: 2
Magpie chicks in the nest in the Austrian pine: 3
Peaches produced by the peach tree: 4
Pairs of cross country skis brought home from ski swap: 2
Desert bighorn sheep spotted: 5
Badger hole investigated: 1
Cavities filled: 1 (tiny little bugger)
Gyms joined: 0
Come on, come on 2015. Bring the light. Bring the dark. We’ll weather your storms and bask in your sunshine.
Hahaha! Gyms joined: 0
Now that’s a victory in my book. Oh yeah!
2015: it’s gonna be a doozy!!!
xx
Doozy it up!
X
HAHha – escargot consumed – 0.
that’s a hoot.
and i don’t believe you would EVER join a gym!
just like me, step out the door, strap on the exercise equipment, and GO!!!!
i am ready for this new year. i am SO ready.
i welcome the light, and i welcome the dark.
for therein, i find my way back out into the light again.
love to you, little elfin.
Rob signed me up for a gym membership a few years ago and I think I maybe went 7 times. I simply did not like it. The air felt stale.
XX
I found your lovely place here from you IG feed. Happy 2015. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your exploration of earths beauty.
Welcome here, Teresa! I’m glad to have you. X
You are a bright, beautiful thing.
I imagine you are breathing in beautiful snowy air as we speak.
Sending you love across the Rockies!
HA!!! I WAS!!!
I just got off the mountain after a long skijor with Tater. It was sheer bliss.
Thanks for the love, babe.
X
Welcome back! I’ve missed you!
I’ve missed you too. X
Gosh, whoever would need a gym with those wild hills out your back door!? Wishing you a year full of just as much wonder and adventure as this last one!
Not I! Not I!!!
Dittos, baby.
X
And a happy and merry to you! I hope you are having a wondrous winter. I think for 2015 I shall root for that peach tree! 😉
GUFFAW!
The peach tree had an off year. I’ve noticed my fruit trees do that — boom a couple of years in a row and then have a production slump. It was a beast of fruit bearing burden in 2013.
Happy New Year to you and yours, may it be filled with joy and endless possibilities!
Thanks Deb!
I am so happy to have discovered your blog this year. (We were both featured in Bella Grace issue 1). Happy New Year and only good things ahead!
Ahh…Bella Grace buddies. 🙂 Thanks for being here, toots!
Oh how I love to read your beautiful, warm, funny and well worded blog.
You are a delight!
May your New Year be filled with love and joy, and of course kisses from your man and dogs.
We are off today to Panama for 3 months then back to BC.
Xo
Dagmar
Wowee! Have a gorgeous time in Panama!
Love having you here.
X
And a Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you too, looking forward to reading your beautiful words and following your beautiful life in 2015 🙂
Thanks Lyns. X
I love your tally list! I haven’t been inspired to write a new year’s post as I don’t usually do resolutions or best-of lists, but I love this idea, I think I might do a tally post too.
You don’t need a gym when you live by a mountain 🙂
I don’t usually do best of lists or resolutions but I really DO like doing these workbooks. They’re just such a great way to consciously set a handful of goals for my private life and my business life.
I don’t think ANYONE needs a gym…but I’m kind of a snob about fresh air and connecting with the natural world on a daily basis. 🙂
X
makes me happy to see you happy! you’ve had a whirlwind of a year!
i also enjoyed your list. i beat you in one category (trips to California: 4), tied you in one (cavities filled: 1, also a tiny little bugger), and fell behind you in one (companies employed by as a freelance photographer) but only by 11.
you unwittingly gave me my word of the year for 2015 in the form of a tea bag– my word is THRIVE. this year is shaping up to be a good one and i am approaching it differently from all the ones that came before. i think that i have begun to discover the richness of age…
btw, i brought home a sprouted pine cone from california that i found on the ground on one of my walks and plan to rig up a loamy terrarium to help it thrive. i am going to grow a forest!
also, this morning we saw a great horned owl take flight from one of the trees by the barn! we have heard them at night for over a year, but this is the first sighting! it was glorious!
Thrive is a GREAT word!!!
And thrive you will!
I cannot wait to see your little forest in action. What a great idea.
X
Jillian!
How lovely to see you back in the interwebs. And thank you so much for the link to the workbook. What a stunning idea. I do hope you, Rob and the pups are well.
xoxo
Cathy
We’re having a fabulous winter! Love having you here. X
Four peaches! Awesome! I got three. Gotta start somewhere…..
Happy new year, woman! xx
It’s going to be a bumper crop this year!!! I can feel it.
Best Wishes for 2015. Looking forward to seeing what unfolds.
XX
SOOOOO nice to see you back again! Sounds like you and Robert are having a fabulous winter. When’s the first race? It’s going to be an interesting year for you – especially if the house sells. Any idea where you’re heading next? Can’t wait to see what this next year brings.
OH MY GOSH! Our first race in in a little more than a week!!! Tater Tot is RIPPED. 🙂
I know…IF…the house sells. We’re excited to see how it all shakes out. You’ll all be the first to know the where, how and why of things!
XX
Happy, Happy New Year to you!! May this year be blessed with health, prosperity and beauty. We are so blessed with all you create!
Oh, Lauran, you too. Have a beautiful year. X
Skiing! I can’t wait to get enough snow on the east coast to get out. I hit the slopes instead of the open ground, but it’s still crisp fresh air no matter which kind you do!
Enjoy!
I know! It’s the air, for sure. I like it clean and cold.
X
All my best to you and your inspiring and full-of-heart experiences…stay prosperous and prolific…
Thank you Helen!
X
You said it so well!
Life always seems to be a clash of the senses, a cacophony of emotions, discordantly melodic in the best of times.
When you live the life you dream of- it CAN be a struggle to remember that we’re so fortunate to do so. Which queues up that cacophony of emotions.
You speak the truth.
Hope your January has been wonderful.
X