Lot of great posts out there on what peops are doing regarding the New Year.

Phelan has a great post on the seeds she planted already. *sigh*, I’m so envious. We don’t have the room to plant seeds in the house, nor do we get enough sunlight. Even if we got some trees down, there aren’t enough windows to let the light in. And, like I said, there’s no room anyways. Every corner in this house has stuff in it.

Christy has a great post on what she learned this year. I’ll follow her lead and list what I learned in 2007.

Learned in 2007

1. How to hot water can
2. How to pressure can
3. How to seed tomatoes

It’s a pretty short list, actually.

Learn in 2008

1. Sew
2. Knit/crochet
3. More seed saving techniques
4. Toilet Cloths (I’m not giving up dammit!)

Another short list. One reason is because I’m seeking full time employment. It’ll be the first full time job I’ve had in 5 years which will cut down on the free time I’ve had available to me so I want to keep my goals attainable and not overwhelm myself.

Changes I made in 2007

1. Got a freezer chest from a friend
2. Bought a 1/4 pig
3. Started eating meat
4. Farmer market shopping
5. Turned down heat to 65 during day and 58 at night. I might cut that back even more.
6. Rack dry clothes during winter. Line dry during summer.
7. Took my name off catalog mailing lists

Changes to make in 2008

1. Get Wolf to make bread again
2. Eliminate paper products*
3. Buy a bigger pig to freeze. Also buy chickens to freeze.
4. Get my own chickens**
5. Eat out less
6. Continue to take my name off catalog mailing lists
7. Set up rain barrels
8. Increase the size of the seed exchange

All in all, it’s not too bad. We still have a long way to go to live as frugally and sustainably as I want, but we’ve made significant progress. My big goal, just to reiterate more to myself than to anyone else is, is to learn to sew so I can make window quilts. I have the templates already but just need to learn to use my sewing machine. I also want to learn to knit so I can make a Harry Potter scarf for myself. Not a Griffindor scarf, but a Ravenclaw one. You see, I think I’m more Ravenclaw than Griffindor. What I *do* know, though, is I’m a Harry Potter geek =)

What are your goals for the new year?

Happy New Year everyone! Good cheer to you and yours.

*I did this for a short time in 2007. I made toilet cloths but I got a nasty-yeasty rash from using them (neither the flannel on one side and face cloths on the the other side were absorbent enough.) I also got Wolf over his paper towel addiction but when I stopped using the toilet cloths and he stated buying TP again the paper towels came back. I need to work on that again.

**Depends on the job.

Friday Feast challenged readers to write up a year long meal.

Appetizer
Name 2 things you would like to accomplish in 2008.

Soup
With which cartoon character do you share personality traits?

Salad
What time of day (or night) were you born?

Main Course
Tell us something special about your hometown.

Dessert
If you could receive a letter from anyone in the world, who would you want to get one from?

Appetizer
1. Write 10 pages of coherent fiction
2. Get a full time job

Soup
I have no idea. I don’t really watch cartoons. I guess Blossom.

Salad
3:15p. On a Sunday, half moon.

Main Course
Bedford has the oldest flag in the country.

Dessert
At this very moment, Kelly. Otherwise from my great aunt Ethelind to find out why she died in a mental institution after living there for 20 years.

For some reason I can’t get the HTML to work so you’ll have to click on this link and watch one of the best videos I’ve seen in a long time.

As I was reading my last couple posts I saw deer out in the yard. Definitely two, maybe three. The two were female–or at least one young male–and were trudging through the snow just inside the tree line. I couldn’t get a picture because they blend in too well with the tree.

This is the second time since I moved here I’ve seen deer in the yard. And it’s exactly why I like living here so much.

The humane society I applied to got back to me today asking for an interview on Friday 11th at 10a. Yea!

More on the job search.

High Mowing Seeds, Fedco and Baker Creek Heirloom: I have a bone to pick with you.

Taunting me with seed catalogs is just cruel and unusual punishment, and–if I’m not mistaken–I believe our constitution expressly prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. The luscious fruits and vegetables, the pictures of green, red, yellow, purple are just too much for me right now.

You see, I’m buried under 2 feet of snow and it’s still coming down like there’s no tomorrow. It seems like spring will never, ever come. That there will never be a time when white stuff doesn’t cover the ground.

It’s going to be a long assed winter, so I respectfully ask you hold your catalogs until March. Yes, I know that defeats the purpose, but, you see, seed catalogs in December is just salt in my wound.

I wrote about putting together three resumes and sending them out a couple weeks back. Then I wrote about one place calling me back but telling me the position was already filled. Well, yesterday *I* called the animal shelter I sent a resume too and Lauren said they never received the resume and asked that I email her one, which I did at 3:01p. At 3:03 she wrote back asking for an interview on January 4th. I can’t meet her that day because The Yellow Rose of Texas Peace Bus will be in the area in the days leading up to the Primary so I’ll be straight out with that. I asked Lauren if we can wait until after the 8th–the day of the Primary–to interview but she’s not gotten back to me. I’ll give her until noon today then I’ll call her back.

Also, I sent out another resume to a progressive organization yesterday for a Political Director job. I’ve called this place three times about this job and never once received a response so I’m not too hopeful. But I figured I should send a resume anyways. I didn’t do a spell on it though.