Our Fabled Nest

And just like that, it’s 2025! We have 365 days to write a good one; so, let’s do it! There are a million inspirational post, blogs, events, and ideas floating around on how to make this next year even better… but what if we thought about it differently. A perspective change.

For us, January 1st, we brave the bitter cold winds and take ourselves on a hike… as nuts as it sounds, I crave this yearly tradition. We find a rock (most hikes, we are bringing home something!) and write the year and place on it. It started when Atticus was a pup and we’ve been doing it ever since. A new hike to start the year off right. After all of the planning we did yesterday, it’s fun to experience hike one of 2025! This year we decided on The Tunnel in Afton, VA- a short hour and half-hour car ride through the beautiful Virginia countryside …. I can’t wait to tell ya’ll about this amazing little piece of history! We haven’t been back since summer of 2023 BUT easy hike, incredible destination and definitely a “need” to go back kinda place!

So January 1st, if we are being honest, it’s hard to set anything into motion because A) it’s freezing out B) we just started winter and know that it’s going to be a few months before warmer days are here and C) some folks are still hung over from the holiday food, sugar and for some, booze. Setting resolutions isn’t exactly set up for success and most won’t make it the entire month before they fall of the wagon for whatever positive beginnings they had. So why not a perspective change… what about a single idea? What if, instead, of planning these huge ambitious goals and feeling like a failure within weeks, we did it differently?

One thing I do differently is I chose a word for the year. The year I chose “align” my world fell apart but came back together so beautifully. After the hell, the tower moments that year brought me, I actually ended up where I was meant to be, and I came out okay and much happier than I thought possible. The word doesn’t have to be extravagant or something fancy. It can be a theme or a motto for the year. Better yet, start with a month and see how it unfolds in your own life. This year I am choosing “joy”. Figuratively and literally. Joy in the mundane, joy in the work, joy in the sadness and joy with how I live. Joy in my thoughts, ideas and what sparks joy?? I also ponder how can I spark joy for other humans and creatures. This led down a long rabbit hole I wasn’t prepared to face but now after some musing, it feels like the right path.

This started a few months ago, I discovered we had (have) a mouse. I wasn’t freaked out by his presence but rather amused. The first odd thing about him was he didn’t eat the Halloween snacks. Oh no, dude was eyeing our pricey organic rice cakes. This made me question our food system and the deep dive that ensued was mind blowing. We bought a humane trap to catch and release him. Of course, we bought the cheap cheese and placed one of cameras on the floor of the pantry to see him in action. This dude made me laugh- he would scurry up to the camera with rice cake in his paws while avoiding the cheese. I couldn’t bring myself to kill him; after all, it’s getting cold out and he isn’t bothering anything other than that specific snack. Monty as we now call him, lives in peace here, we don’t know he’s here unless I forget to hide away the rice cakes. I’ve always heard mice are dirty and gross; happy to say Monty has proven ever stigma wrong. It sounds silly but this little creature made me think all creatures deserve dignity, respect and compassion. I, then realized my dairy intolerance was getting worse… I’ve literally been in denial since the summer, but my stomach issues, skin and joints say otherwise. I was fooled into the beliefs of raw milk benefits- while it might benefit some, it doesn’t for us. Magda’s ear infections seemed to never clear up and her eyes were constantly gunky (both of those issues are much better as of today!)

The rabbit hole I mentioned above kind of came to a point when we were discussing the two chicken houses. We both had a moment of are we really going to be slaughtering these animals for our benefit. How can we love on them (yes, I will happily snuggle the chickens!) and let them know humans aren’t monsters. But at the end of twelve weeks slaughter them- how does that make any sense? For once my heart and brain were on the same page and that’s a hard no. Ensued the rabbit hole, while I was vegan for two years at one point in my twenties, I don’t remember my why. Hence the deep dive and after one too many documentaries, books, articles and podcast, I couldn’t decide if I was pissed, or heartbroken. But the caveat is if I am out to dinner or invited over and hospitality makes sure the meal is gluten free but has meat, I will definitely be partaking… why? Because they put a lot of love and thought into preparing that dish and I want to enjoy it with them. Same with eating out, not a lot of places are both vegan and gluten free. Gluten free is a necessity and we don’t eat out often (maybe four to five times a year) so when we do, I am going to make sure my gluten free dish is swoon worthy. It’s about balance folks. Boxing in thoughts and ideologies doesn’t work for me. Our home is a sanctuary for us so why couldn’t it be for them too. Seriously, the amount of brain hurt and sleepless nights while struggling with feeling like a failure about the homestead not being at full fruition. Finally, we had the “talk”… how different will our sanctuary be, what are we wanting for our homestead sanctuary, where is our trajectory, what are our goals, and you know what? This new trajectory will be more aligned with my soul, and I think I am a little more relaxed, and tickled pink with all of the possibilities!

With joy being the operative word for 2025, I happily signed up for Veganuary… anyone else want to join me?! Hubs will be somewhat attempting… he dines out and travels frequently for work so that’s not the easiest feat to accomplish. But while he’s home, he seems to love most of the vegan dishes I’ve concocted thus far! 2025 is for joy in all aspects, I also started thinking back to my two-year stint as a vegan and why it didn’t work. Honestly, I feel better about my cooking and enjoy crafting dishes that are cruelty free. That makes my soul joyful. While I didn’t come up with answer why it seemed to fail, I figured I would give it another shot…. not holding myself to that insane level I’ve seen but definitely holding myself accountable. Accountability for my choices and how they impact not only my body but the environment, creatures and lives around me. A joyful, peaceful coexistence with mama nature and the world around me sounds delightful!

Other basic ideas are what if you started with a question a month. What’s one thing that makes me happy in the next 30 days? This could help you see the little things that curate a grateful outlook. If you are searching to be more minimalist, toss a thing a day into a donation bin for the next 30 days. If exercising is your big goal, start small and don’t fuss so much about the gym, unless that’s your thing. Maybe start with a few free YouTube tutorials… focus on one thing until you figure out what your actual goals are. Same for meditation, a small thing a day, start simple until you find your groove. Afterall, you have 364 more days to perfect!

While, I am not setting resolutions for this year, I do have big goals and dreams I want to manifest! First up is the garden. A bit ambitious but I am aiming for seven zones. Potato patch and sweet potato patch are the first two. Pumpkin patch and autumn gourds are also on the list for late summer planting, and I am counting those are just one even though they will technically be in two areas. Next is the herbs…. we have 2 hanging planters on the front porch. Hubs and I will be hanging two more plus under window boxes for all of the herbs! Lavender and chamomile are a must plus basil, oregano, dill and rosemary. I am still deciding on the medicinal herbs, but Mullein is at the top of my need list. Mullein is amazing for both ear infections and bronchial issues. I’ve made a mullein tincture with coconut oil last summer for Miss Magda’s terrible ear infection. I’m hoping to do a future post with all sorts of safe herbal remedies and tinctures! Crafting tinctures and salves is at the top of my learn/wish/need/accomplish list. A few summer veggies are another zone – think summer squashes, patty pans, zucchini and cucumbers! Then tomatoes and peppers are a must. We are aiming to have enough to sell so we can support the rescued animals plus give back to the community. I am pretty ambitious with these plans, but we are both hard workers and really driven to see our little homestead sanctuary succeed.

With joy, let’s spark something incredible this year. Let set something beautiful ablaze and intentionally craft the life we’ve always longed for. Joy in the journey, no matter where it leads… this is the year to take the leap faith and go after those dreams. Unleash your magic. Say yes to being unapologetically authentic. Burn down those barriers, know your worth and don’t let anyone dim your light. Cheers to 2025!

Cheers to our next adventure!