As we head into the final stretch of 2024, it's an annual tradition for me to share the things I'm most grateful for in the year we are leaving behind.
This isn't to brag or show off "how great my life is," as seems to be the case on many social media platforms, but rather #1 - to remind myself of the many blessings in my life, even when things might feel difficult or challenging, and #2 - to inspire others to do the same.
Some years, it's harder to think of things to be grateful for than others. This year, I started off feeling a bit blocked, but once I started to think about it more deeply, plenty of blessings came to mind. Even simply the fall weather was something to appreciate (we had one of the longest and most beautiful falls I can remember)!
I encourage you, dear reader, to do the same. Spend some time thinking about all the things you're thankful for over the past year - experiences you've had, people you've met, or even things you've been able to afford that you had been looking forward to buying - whatever comes to mind. And consider how much better your life is because of all of these things.
Check out my list below for some inspiration, and I wish you many more blessings in the year ahead! :-)
This isn't to brag or show off "how great my life is," as seems to be the case on many social media platforms, but rather #1 - to remind myself of the many blessings in my life, even when things might feel difficult or challenging, and #2 - to inspire others to do the same.
Some years, it's harder to think of things to be grateful for than others. This year, I started off feeling a bit blocked, but once I started to think about it more deeply, plenty of blessings came to mind. Even simply the fall weather was something to appreciate (we had one of the longest and most beautiful falls I can remember)!
I encourage you, dear reader, to do the same. Spend some time thinking about all the things you're thankful for over the past year - experiences you've had, people you've met, or even things you've been able to afford that you had been looking forward to buying - whatever comes to mind. And consider how much better your life is because of all of these things.
Check out my list below for some inspiration, and I wish you many more blessings in the year ahead! :-)
My 2024 Gratitude List
1. Our Fabulous Garden!
The summer of 2024 was the driest summer since we've lived here (by far), and I spent much of the summer watering, rather than focusing on other tasks. Nonetheless, despite the lack of rainfall, we had one of the best gardens we've ever grown! I'm not sure if it was due to the hot weather, or the mysterious lack of some of the worst pests (squash bugs, vine borers, etc.) but we had an incredible harvest of most crops. There were a few that didn't do so well (okra was slow, summer cabbages were aphid-ridden, and peppers were a bit spindly until late in the summer), but most things performed well above average.
We had a bounty of tomatoes of all kinds, with very little splitting or rot, and cherry tomatoes producing well into October (until the first freeze). The zucchini was by far the best I've ever grown, as my 3 plants seemed to multiply over the summer, and we enjoyed numerous large, tender, and delicious zucchini from July all the way up until the first frost - for the first time ever! Melons, beans, peas, potatoes, and basil were bountiful, and the onions and garlic were large and healthy with hardly any rot.
The fall garden has been equally lovely, with all sorts of beautiful, lush, leafy greens, as well as cilantro, dill, giant winter radishes, huge, sweet carrots, and much more gracing our table. Peppers continued ripening until I grew tired of covering them during frosts, and simply went ahead and picked them all in early November. And we enjoyed gorgeous nasturtiums on all of our salads from June until November!
Our Thanksgiving dinner featured potatoes, kale, and collards from our garden, butternut squash (a volunteer that grew beside our deck), deviled eggs from our flock, and cornbread stuffing with our homegrown poblanos.
While the garden always leaves me ready for a break at the end of the growing season, this year, I rarely felt overwhelmed by the work, and I seemed to enjoy it more than usual.
I was also especially grateful this year for our 3,000-gallon rainwater tank! While it did get somewhat low a few times, we never ran out of water and were able to keep the garden alive through the hot, dry summer.
1. Our Fabulous Garden!
The summer of 2024 was the driest summer since we've lived here (by far), and I spent much of the summer watering, rather than focusing on other tasks. Nonetheless, despite the lack of rainfall, we had one of the best gardens we've ever grown! I'm not sure if it was due to the hot weather, or the mysterious lack of some of the worst pests (squash bugs, vine borers, etc.) but we had an incredible harvest of most crops. There were a few that didn't do so well (okra was slow, summer cabbages were aphid-ridden, and peppers were a bit spindly until late in the summer), but most things performed well above average.
We had a bounty of tomatoes of all kinds, with very little splitting or rot, and cherry tomatoes producing well into October (until the first freeze). The zucchini was by far the best I've ever grown, as my 3 plants seemed to multiply over the summer, and we enjoyed numerous large, tender, and delicious zucchini from July all the way up until the first frost - for the first time ever! Melons, beans, peas, potatoes, and basil were bountiful, and the onions and garlic were large and healthy with hardly any rot.
The fall garden has been equally lovely, with all sorts of beautiful, lush, leafy greens, as well as cilantro, dill, giant winter radishes, huge, sweet carrots, and much more gracing our table. Peppers continued ripening until I grew tired of covering them during frosts, and simply went ahead and picked them all in early November. And we enjoyed gorgeous nasturtiums on all of our salads from June until November!
Our Thanksgiving dinner featured potatoes, kale, and collards from our garden, butternut squash (a volunteer that grew beside our deck), deviled eggs from our flock, and cornbread stuffing with our homegrown poblanos.
While the garden always leaves me ready for a break at the end of the growing season, this year, I rarely felt overwhelmed by the work, and I seemed to enjoy it more than usual.
I was also especially grateful this year for our 3,000-gallon rainwater tank! While it did get somewhat low a few times, we never ran out of water and were able to keep the garden alive through the hot, dry summer.
2. Insurance
I'm always grateful for our life insurance policies, which help to finance so many of our home projects, among other things. But this year, I was especially grateful for good health insurance. With my husband and I both taking trips to the ER early in the year, we met our deductible early, and I was able to take advantage of the opportunity to have some expensive testing done for my acid reflux, which I had been putting off for several years. The results were both relieving and frustrating, as they showed no abnormalities (thankfully), yet provided no answers as to what is causing the problem and how to fix it... I hope to visit a Functional Medicine doctor in the new year and hopefully find some solutions.
Being able to access good medical care is sadly not something that's available to everyone in this country, and I realize I am very blessed to have good health insurance - and to live in an area with easy access to many top medical facilities, as well as alternative therapies and specialists.
We also learned the value of pet insurance the hard way this fall (more on this below), and our kitties are now protected from future accidents and illnesses for a very reasonable cost thanks to Costco's pet insurance program!
3. Our 2 Sweet New Kitties
Sebastian and Seymour joined us this September, after we spent 9 months missing our dear Kitty Dave, who disappeared last December. The vole population multiplied in his absence, until our garden produce was regularly being munched on throughout the late summer, and we knew it was time.
The new boys are brothers (from the same farmer friend who gave us Dave), and after a month or so of settling in and getting all their initial vet visits out of the way, they discovered the feast of vermin hiding in the garden and got to work! The first weekend of full-on hunting yielded 5 voles (that I witnessed), which were speedily dispatched (and thoroughly played with).
They have very distinct and different personalities (Seymour is playful but easy-going, while Sebastian is more nervous and obsessive, as well as a superior hunter), but they are both extremely sweet and loving! Seymour loves to be cuddled (except when he's ready to play), and Sebastian insists on nearly constant petting unless he's in hunting mode.
Sadly, disaster struck in early November, when I discovered Sebastian in the garage one morning with blood all over his stomach, and barely able to walk. After a (very expensive) trip to the vet clinic, we found out that he had a broken hind leg. (We will never know what happened, though we speculated it may have been a coyote attack.)
I spent many hours in vet clinics and pet hospitals that week, trying to decide the best course of action. Surgical repair was astronomically expensive, and all the veterinary professionals insisted that it would not heal well on its own. While I was a bit skeptical of this claim (having heard the same thing about our rooster, Josh, who lived a healthy and happy life for 2 more years after his broken leg), I realized that our holiday travel would make it difficult to keep him confined for the several months it would take for him to heal naturally - not to mention the pain and discomfort he would experience during this time. We opted for the (slightly less expensive) amputation option, and we now have a three-legged cat, who will likely need to live indoors at least part of the time.
He seems to be healing well (just 2 weeks of recovery time), and will soon be able to run and play with his brother once again! Given his personality, I have no doubt that he will eventually be hunting again, once he figures out his balance and agility with his missing appendage.
Given that we had been discussing the idea of pet insurance just a week or two prior, we took this as a sign that this would be a smart investment! While it could have saved us a lot of money had we purchased it earlier, at least now they are covered in case of future incidents.
I'm always grateful for our life insurance policies, which help to finance so many of our home projects, among other things. But this year, I was especially grateful for good health insurance. With my husband and I both taking trips to the ER early in the year, we met our deductible early, and I was able to take advantage of the opportunity to have some expensive testing done for my acid reflux, which I had been putting off for several years. The results were both relieving and frustrating, as they showed no abnormalities (thankfully), yet provided no answers as to what is causing the problem and how to fix it... I hope to visit a Functional Medicine doctor in the new year and hopefully find some solutions.
Being able to access good medical care is sadly not something that's available to everyone in this country, and I realize I am very blessed to have good health insurance - and to live in an area with easy access to many top medical facilities, as well as alternative therapies and specialists.
We also learned the value of pet insurance the hard way this fall (more on this below), and our kitties are now protected from future accidents and illnesses for a very reasonable cost thanks to Costco's pet insurance program!
3. Our 2 Sweet New Kitties
Sebastian and Seymour joined us this September, after we spent 9 months missing our dear Kitty Dave, who disappeared last December. The vole population multiplied in his absence, until our garden produce was regularly being munched on throughout the late summer, and we knew it was time.
The new boys are brothers (from the same farmer friend who gave us Dave), and after a month or so of settling in and getting all their initial vet visits out of the way, they discovered the feast of vermin hiding in the garden and got to work! The first weekend of full-on hunting yielded 5 voles (that I witnessed), which were speedily dispatched (and thoroughly played with).
They have very distinct and different personalities (Seymour is playful but easy-going, while Sebastian is more nervous and obsessive, as well as a superior hunter), but they are both extremely sweet and loving! Seymour loves to be cuddled (except when he's ready to play), and Sebastian insists on nearly constant petting unless he's in hunting mode.
Sadly, disaster struck in early November, when I discovered Sebastian in the garage one morning with blood all over his stomach, and barely able to walk. After a (very expensive) trip to the vet clinic, we found out that he had a broken hind leg. (We will never know what happened, though we speculated it may have been a coyote attack.)
I spent many hours in vet clinics and pet hospitals that week, trying to decide the best course of action. Surgical repair was astronomically expensive, and all the veterinary professionals insisted that it would not heal well on its own. While I was a bit skeptical of this claim (having heard the same thing about our rooster, Josh, who lived a healthy and happy life for 2 more years after his broken leg), I realized that our holiday travel would make it difficult to keep him confined for the several months it would take for him to heal naturally - not to mention the pain and discomfort he would experience during this time. We opted for the (slightly less expensive) amputation option, and we now have a three-legged cat, who will likely need to live indoors at least part of the time.
He seems to be healing well (just 2 weeks of recovery time), and will soon be able to run and play with his brother once again! Given his personality, I have no doubt that he will eventually be hunting again, once he figures out his balance and agility with his missing appendage.
Given that we had been discussing the idea of pet insurance just a week or two prior, we took this as a sign that this would be a smart investment! While it could have saved us a lot of money had we purchased it earlier, at least now they are covered in case of future incidents.
4. The Homestead Life
Life with a huge garden and livestock isn't always fun or easy (I was reminded of this just this week when tending to the chickens in sub-freezing temperatures for several days in a row), but overall, it's very fulfilling.
The feeling of having your own homegrown food on the table for Thanksgiving, of hearing the rooster crow in the morning (or anytime he hears my car pull into the driveway), or collecting 2 pockets full of eggs in the evening, of snuggling a warm, soft, purring cat, or lifting up the cover over the bed of winter greens to a visual feast of vibrant green - it's not something you find every day, and I wouldn't trade it for anything! :-)
Happy Thanksgiving - and many blessings to you and yours!
Rose.
Life with a huge garden and livestock isn't always fun or easy (I was reminded of this just this week when tending to the chickens in sub-freezing temperatures for several days in a row), but overall, it's very fulfilling.
The feeling of having your own homegrown food on the table for Thanksgiving, of hearing the rooster crow in the morning (or anytime he hears my car pull into the driveway), or collecting 2 pockets full of eggs in the evening, of snuggling a warm, soft, purring cat, or lifting up the cover over the bed of winter greens to a visual feast of vibrant green - it's not something you find every day, and I wouldn't trade it for anything! :-)
Happy Thanksgiving - and many blessings to you and yours!
Rose.
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