"A stiff wind blew through the tree line, carrying the bright scents of fir and spruce. The winter sun was hidden in the grey skies, but the temporary warmth was a call to enjoy before the next cold front moved in."

We had picture perfect white Christmas (though I fell on my backside on the ice), followed by highs in the 40s, which led to a muddy mess and happy ducks. It almost smelled like spring outside for a few days, and it was nice to be out and about without being concerned about ice.

We have two more warmer days in the forecast, and then reality returns. I want to sort through my seed storage and order a few things, then I need to settle down and knock out some writing before we get into the growing season and things get crazier again.

Wishing you all the best for 2025,

Laurie (and August IV. August V, and Duncan)

This week's featured articles...

We're inching our way towards spring with a little more daylight each day, but winter is not over yet. Our white Christmas was followed by March-like weather for a few days, but the forecast has us back to highs in the teens for this week.

As such, I'm sharing our updated list of tips to deal with cold feet in bed.

I'm also sharing how I got rid of my dry, cracked heels. If you've been around for a while, you know I love going barefoot, but this has gotten tougher on my feet as I've gotten older.

Thankfully I found something that works for me, and doesn't involve grinding away at my feet with a pumice stone. (Tried that, didn't like it.)

This carrot cake recipe from my grandmother is a family favorite. We used to make it for special wedding cakes back when we had the family catering business, too.

For those who are curious, our annual family holiday letter...

Here we are at the end of another year – wow! The new workshop is almost done, and is a really nice space. At this point, there’s just a little finish work, sorting out the tool storage and such, and installing the wood stove. It’s so snug and peaceful out there now that it’s finished and insulated that I half expect Duncan to move in.

The guys built nice gates to the blueberry area and main chicken run, which is handy, and replaced a worn section of the decking on the house. There was lots of fencing expansion and mulching in the orchards, as the trees have grown quite a bit. This year was a smaller apple crop, but the blackberries went bonkers. If you are local and want some blackberry canes, let us know, as we are reducing the patch size by about half to make picking more manageable. The grapes and blueberries also had a beautiful harvest. We had our first blueberry pie from our own blueberries.

The garden was quite productive, and though we had a dry stretch in fall, and spring weather was somewhat erratic. I love how we regularly get “bonus food” that plants itself, like herbs and self-seeded veggies, the wild mulberry tree we found on the fenceline, and the mounds of edible mushrooms that showed up along the treeline. It’s a far cry from the endless grass that filled the space when we bought it nearly 20 years ago.

We lost my friend Julie Seliger this year, which was tough. She passed in late February from an aggressive cancer. We will miss her seasonal visits, her sense of humor, her imagination, trying new recipes together, and so much more. Julie was one of the first people I met at college, and our friendship lasted over 30 years. Our sons called her “Auntie Ulie”.

We also said goodbye to August’s uncle Jimmy this year. He was a good man. He and August always got along, though they didn’t see each other frequently.

August set up his new business, Neverman Consulting, and has been helping organizations and business around Wisconsin with broadband, AI, and economic development.

August V took a trip in April to Washington DC so he could watch the solar eclipse in the air, and enjoyed exploring the capitol for a couple of days.

Duncan’s been getting good use out of his LS tractor, expanding the ponds, putting in culverts, plowing snow, and doing lots of moving heavy things around the yard. Duncan and I also got our Reiki 1 and 2 certifications this year.

The duck patrol went a little crazy this summer, hiding nests around the yard. The flock got so big that we had to find new homes for some of the quackers. Dunc and I wrote our first children’s book about the duckies, 5 Lucky Duckies, and are working on the photos and layout. I also signed a non-fiction book agreement with a publisher, and will be working on writing in 2025 to publish in early 2027.