Swatches of green painted the yard between the remaining mounds of snow and patchwork of faded brown vegetation. The breeze was deceptively light, only hinting at the tempest predicted to arrive that night, when the wind and snow would clash in the sky like gods of old. Blizzard warnings to the north and west, winter storm warnings locally, waves up to 30 feet on the Great Lakes - 2025 was ending with a grand display.

Slightly above average temps continued for a second week here on the homestead, much to the delight of all creatures great and small. The ducks are darting around the yard to every puddle, and the chickens young and old are also running around scratching and pecking every thawing thing they can reach. The cats have resumed their orchard patrol, and the young deer is working on cleaning up the remains of the cabbage patch.

Winter is due to return in full force tonight, with high winds and plenty of snow. The 10 day forecast has nothing above or even near freezing past today, so it'll be back to the greenhouse for the ducks and rooting through the deep bedding in the coop for the chickens.

The cycling temperatures have left plenty of icy patches around the yard, and I've been doing my best to avoid slipping and falling - only to misstep inside the house and sprain my ankle on the stairs. Thankfully Duncan has off from school right now and can cover for me on outside chores while it mends. His brother (August V) is helping to pick up the slack, too. I managed to do it after holiday celebrations were over, so as timing goes, it could be worse. Such is life - difficult times help you appreciate better times.

Thankfully I have a job where I can be off my feet, though perhaps it is yet another reminder to allow time for rest in the deep of winter. Now that the holidays are winding down, it's time to reassess goals for the coming year, keeping what works and releasing what doesn't. There are many things that I would like to do, but only so many hours in a day.

I will probably do another Life Audit, which was an activity I picked up last year from Mel Robbins. All you do is answer the following questions:

1. What were some highlights of the year?
2. What were some of the hardest parts of the year?
3. What did you learn about yourself this year?
4. What do I stop doing in 2026?
5. What are you going to start doing?
6. What are you going to continue doing?
7. What can you do today?

Looking through last year's answers, I did better on some thing than others. We'll see where 2026 takes us. It's always good to have some goals to work towards, as it's hard to give yourself directions if you don't know where you want to go.

All our best to you and yours,

Laurie, August IV, August V, and Duncan

This week's featured articles...

Never let an opportunity go to waste, even if the "opportunity" is not something welcome. Since I'm recuperating, I put together a list of home remedies for a sprained ankle.

Plus another favorite for this time of year - natural cold remedies. (Old photo, no he's not currently ill.)

Given that it's a popular time for horseradish sauce for meat and shrimp, I figured I'd share the recipe again. We share how to make the basic sauce from raw root, and how to turn basic sauce into creamy sauce or cocktail sauce.

I'm also planning to get some beans soaking tonight for a big pot of slow cooked baked beans tomorrow. We have a dab of leftover Christmas ham that I'm planning to throw in the mix, along with our own homegrown shell beans. It's so nice to have dinner simmering on the stove when the weather is wild and blustery outside.

If you spot a good sale on citrus, you may want to try out this orange marmalade recipe, or can up some oranges.

What I'm reading: Debunked by Nature.