RicelandMeadows

December 30, 2024

2024, is all but over. It was a year filled with lots of celebrations and challenges. The memories are plenty and that is all we can hope to have. Stuff is just stuff, but memories last forever. Take stock in the memories that you have made, both good and bad. Let the bad ones fade and cherish the good ones forever.

Our woodshed is full and next years wood isn’t ready to split yet. Much of it has been identified and even marked. The trees that are dead or dying along with other cull trees will be used in our maple operation. Mother Nature will surely blow a few down over the winter. Those will be harvested for any use possible including firewood.

The job of gathering, cutting, splitting and stacking wood, goes on all year. I hope to be more proactive in 2025 than I have been these past 2 years. I need to shift priorities and make sugarwood stay near the top of my lists.

Our log splitter is a labor saver. I share it with just one of my buddies. He and I trade labor along with our friendship. He has a few sons who will come help me. I, in turn, send my splitter to take the place of my aging body. The wood piles up quickly for both of us.

As this year comes to a close, we can put the wrap on many jobs, but filling the woodshed is like shoveling manure. It is one of those jobs that just won’t stay done! It is a good thing for me that I enjoy doing both jobs.

Happy New Year dear readers. I encourage you to reflect upon the year that was in a good way. Make plans to push for delightful things in the coming year. Let the dull jobs and painful experiences fade, like water on a duck’s back, just let them roll off. Focus instead on God’s blessings for your life. Lastly, be a blessing to someone else. In this manner you will become a fond memory for them and a high point in their 2025 memories. So, when it closes, and it will, you will be the light in someone’s smile.