Setting November’s Goals on the Croft
POTTERING AND PUTTERING ON THE CROFT
November 2020 GOALS
Pottering: As in pottering around | definition – to spend time in a relaxed way doing small jobs and other things that are not very important He spent his holidays pottering around the house/garden. (From Merriam Webster)
Puttering: As in puttering about | definition – to busy or occupy oneself in a leisurely, casual, or ineffective manner: to putter in the garden. (From Dictionary.com)
It feels like we are already well into November and that this post is well overdue. It’s partially because of “Covid time” where days either feel like a blink or like they should be measured in geologic eras. It’s November 6th in the U.S. and we still don’t know definitively who our next president will be. That’s my excuse for not having looked forward to the coming month before now. Too much worry and emotional energy directed at the world outside of Keeper’s Croft.
Also, the weather has been more like what we should have had in October, while October was more like November. That crazy weather. We’d all started to adjust and buckle down for the coming winter and then *surprise* here’s a week of sunny weather in the 70s. It’s been a blessing but, while I can’t believe I’m saying it, I hope the weather transitions back to colder and wetter soon.
Sooooooo, What’s this post about?
I’m a Planner. I love having to do lists with tasks that can be crossed off and both short and long term goals. It’s a bit of a sickness. And it’s led me to believe that a recurring post with my main monthly goals for the homestead is a great idea! It might not be, since many of the goals seem very particular to Keeper’s but I’m hoping they spark some ideas for others.
Point is, I love to potter around and putter about though in a slightly more effectual manner than their definitions suggest! Here are my homestead goals for the month of November 2020.
My To Do List
- Organize Seed Starting Area
- Winterize the House
- Fix Electrical
- No Spend.
- Fire
1. Organize Seed Starting Area
I am SUPER excited about this task! Last winter, I had just moved to Keeper’s Croft, so for the first time in many years I didn’t start many seeds. This winter, my goal is to become a seed starting master! I’d like to:
- Expand my current seed starting setup. A big thing I’d like to accomplish this month is to make a plan and then list all the things I need to buy, borrow or steal in December. (Forget I said steal.) Merry Christmas to me!
- Grow some greens throughout the winter for the rabbits and, if they’re feeling generous, maybe some for me too. Since I’ve yet to meet a generous rabbit, I’m guessing it will all be for them.
- Expand my veggie starts for next year’s garden.
- Start some native prairie plants. These will mostly be intended for Keeper’s Croft but I would eventually like to grow enough to sell/give people and there may be some of that on a limited basis depending on how well things go. Prairie plants can be tricky.
2. Winterize the House
This is another thing I just didn’t do last year and lately I’ve been noticing huge gaps between doors and frames etc…. Time to work on my energy efficiency!
3. Electrocute myself…I mean change out some switches
This is my learning project for this month. My house was built in the early seventies and it has all these weird single push button switches. I have googled my fingers to the bone and it is nigh impossible to find out anything useful about them and how to switch them out. They were obviously only popular for a very brief period.
The kitchen, garage and downstairs rabbit room all have wonky lights that will go a day or 5 of not turning on at all or maybe just partially and then they will start functioning normally again. I’ve got it into my head that the switch might be to blame so before I call in an electrician, I want to try and swap out the switch to a different kind and see if that fixes the issue. I’ve found some good general video tutorials about installing new switches and it’s a matter of how similar the wiring behind the push button is.
4. No Spend
I have really cut my spending budget down to the bare minimum and want to stay within it for the next 4 months. August-October were expensive months – some necessity, some…not. I’ve been thinking about the myriad of projects that need to be tackled sooner rather than later, and I really need to start squirreling away some money. The only spending exceptions across the next 4 months will be: seed and plant buying, a chimney sweep if he can ever come and perhaps the electrician. Fingers crossed, no emergencies pop up!
Notice that this spans the holidays. I’m going to try to get crafty and homemade with my gifts, which is a challenge since I am crafty deficient!
5. Lots of Fire!
I had this goal for October and then it was too windy outside for the fire pit. I also want to use my fireplace for the first time and am wondering if I should really and truly wait for the chimney sweep before I try to have one….
This is three fewer goals than last month but I think it’s appropriate as the oncoming winter encourages a slower pace. Some of these are also more involved. Before it gets REALLY cold I also want to organize the garage, and I still have a few rooms that need adjustment in the house and…. I can always be busy!
So that’s my monthly homestead goals! What are you hoping to get done this month?
Book Recommendation
I love books and reading, so I can’t resist including a book recommendation with each post. The book will, in some way, correspond to the post.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Buying the book below from amazon will earn me a commission.
I really want to recommend something that feels very November and the book that eventually came to mind was The Blackhouse by Peter May. This is a mystery, the first in a trilogy of books that takes place on the Outer Hebrides islands in Scotland. The atmosphere of this and the other books in the series is palpable – beautiful, wild, gray and stoic. The islands are almost a character in the stories unfolding which are engaging and driven by the relationships and people. The main character Fin, is a Lewis Island native serving as a police detective in Edinburgh. He is sent home to investigate a crime which ends up dredging up old secrets in the community. I loved this series which were the first books I had read by Peter May. If you like British mysteries with a strong atmosphere, you must pick these up!
If you want to know more about me and Keeper’s Croft, check out the ABOUT page.
P.S. It’s now November 7th and we know who our President is! Hurrah!