Wild Hope Homestead

The two-pronged vision that I have for this year is: Get Ready and Grow Hope. I’m not sure of all that God meant when he said, “get ready”, but I know that one of the main focuses this year needs to be getting projects done around the property and catching up on tidying and maintenance. There’s a lot of weeding to be done, but that’s a bit broad to fit into a goal. It’s the elephant in the yard. Well, there might be a few elephants in the yard, but they can all be dealt with.

“Hope grows here” is our homestead tagline, so ‘grow hope’ popped up as part of the vision to focus on this year. I want to write more devotionals this year and I also want to inspire people to grow things, make things and lead a more natural life both now and in hoping and dreaming for the future. I want hope to flourish in my daily life and the lives of those around me.

Most of the goals have been carried over from those not completed last year, with a few new additions. And there’s another big step for the homestead at the end. Here’s to 2022.

Garden/Outdoors

Vegetable Garden & Fruit Trees

• Prune other half of big feijoa tree.
• Do first stage of major pruning of old pear tree.
• Build Planter Bed #2 at end of Veggie Garden.
• Build seat to go between two planter beds at end of Veggie Garden.
• Build final raised bed along paddock fence in Veggie Garden.
• Install posts and wire mesh along fence behind new beds.
• Build a tall stand for rain barrel in Processing Corner.
• Acquire and install plumbing fittings for outdoor sink to get gravity-fed water from the rain barrel.

Garage & Shed

• Install final section of plasterboard on garage wall.
• Build shelf above Big Cage to house smaller chicken cages.
• Build a timber storage shelf along back wall.
• Build shelves for chicken equipment storage along back wall.
• Organise chicken equipment storage area in the garage after shelves have been built.
• Build/install a tool storage system on ‘tool wall’.
• Get rid of junk in garage.
• Get rid of concrete chunks in carport.

Close to House

• Build wooden base for two rain barrels beside deck.
• Build/ install fence and big wooden gate across east side of house.
• Remove old black fence in patio area.
• Install posts for porch roof extension.
• Attach wire mesh to posts and plant climbing plant to grow on it.
• Pave patio area.

Other

• Finish framing and covering greenhouse.
• Remove old front fence and build a new one.

Food & Food Prep

• Preserve more produce than last year.
• Finish making chicken plucker.

Chickens

• Improve the quality of our Australorps.
• Build the chicken tractor.

House

• Remove old bathroom mirror and install new one.
• Get toilet installed.
• Get vanity installed.
• Install last 2 house light fittings that don’t require further work.
• Sell old stamp collection.
• Sort out window stays.
• Buy storage baskets to go above kitchen cupboards.
• Figure out where/how to store more preserving jars.
• Paint frame of mirror in hall.

Crafts

• Knit a Christmas stocking for Miss Scarlet.
• Finish knitting the log cabin rug.
• Sew a cover for a breakfast pillow for our bed.

General Homestead

• Start a homestead vlog.