1. Remodel pantry Done!!

2. Plant garden Done!

3. Install additional bathroom in pantry area

4. Put in pellet stove Almost Done

5. Goat shed made into a greenhouse

6. Repair yard hydrant with new handle

7. Install additional pasture fence Done.

8. Install area carpeting in great room

9. Install hitching post

10. Prune fruit trees Done!

11. Replace kitchen windows

12. Install wood burning stove in shop

13. List Rimrock property,sell

14. Get underground electrical hooked up

15. Put canvas up on bedroom walls Done

16. Put up outside shades on west side of house Done and then lost in big wind. I won't replace them this season.

17. Finish exterior trim on bathroom window

18. Put up outdoor shower Done!

19. Clean up metal from new south pasture area Done

20. Put down carpet in bedroom and pantry

21. Remove more dead trees

22. Have septic tank pumped out Done!

23. Support floating beams in barn

24. GPS property lines Done.

25. Install front porch light

26. Finish off basement

27. Insulate and finish walls in shop

28. Install arch over driveway entrance

29. Insulate attic

30. Put up shooting gallery Done

31. New washer and dryer Done!

32. Have a spa day

33. Finish bathroom ceiling with foam board Done!

34. Play and ride more this summer!!

35. Replace timing belt on Ford

36. I know there's something I'm missing...there always is.

I have a lot of un-distracted time on my hands to use for list making. The problem is I can't do anything on the list at this time. It's frustrating. As the temperatures drop, drafts pick up speed and the price of oil continues to go up, I have come up with all sorts of ideas to keep the heat in where I can appreciate it. There are projects that can be done to help with that:

1. Re-cover the front windows with heavy plastic that will withstand the claws of a small dog. She has shredded the tight plastic weather proofing I'd installed earlier in the season.

2. Hang heavy plastic between the kitchen and the great room like a shower curtain. The kitchen is cold and the drafts from the back of the house are like mini tornados.

3. Put up plywood and insulation over an unused back door in the kitchen. It needs to be removed and a window placed there instead. Next year. This door has a single pane window and leaks air around it. It's silly having two back doors side by side. This one can be boarded up for now to stop the heat from escaping.

4. Put insulation into the can light above the sink. I can actually feel cold air blasting down from that fixture. Brrr.

5.Install door sweeps on both exterior doors and the basement door. I read that a 1/8 gap can translate to a two inch square hole in the wall. Really?

Help is on the way. I think I hear horse hooves beating a path to the ranch now....

I have found that if I make a list then things happen and get accomplished. As is talked about in The Secret, it has to do with intention. I've finished most of the items on the list I made on January 1st, 2007 so it's time to make another one. This isn't in any particular order of importance. Time and money are a factor in which items get down first. The weather plays a role too. Enough of this winter weather! I want to paint. I'm probably leaving off something but those things always show up and sometimes get done in the process of doing others.

1. Have my Fluke meter fixed.

2. Install an in line filter to the refrigerator ice maker. Done.

3. Paint trim on windows in pantry and bedroom. Bedroom done.

4. Paint exterior doors. Front door done. Backdoor done!

5. Paint back door foyer. Done!

6. Paint pantry.

7. Repair pantry ceiling.

8. Put up more shelving in pantry. Done!

9. Paint porch railings. Done.

10. Install two new windows in the kitchen.

11. Buy new furnace.

12. Have roof replaced.

13. Install missing quarter round in all the rooms.

14. Remodel bathroom. Done!

15. Empty and clean cistern. I don't think so.

16. Plant starts in the garden. Done!

17. Set up new workbench in the basement. Done!

18. Organize tools and materials in basement workshop. Done!

19. Repair lawn mower. Done!

20. Get estimates on new electrical panel.

21. Build pergola.

22. Move tasseling table and supplies out of pantry.

23. Install railing down basement stairs.

24. Paint basement walls.

25. Finish off a room in the basement for a living room.

26. Make goat shed or chicken coop into a greenhouse.

27. List big barn for sale. Done!

28. Set up round pen. Done.

29. Partially enclose back porch.

30. Spray weeds in drive. Done.

31. Cut down dead trees and trim large ones. Done!

32. Find three million dollars.

33. Take a mini vacation. Dream: Wind in the Willow Hotel. Glossop England

I'm not a big party, funny hat, noise maker sort of New Year's reveler. My optimum choice is to gather with a few friends, cook and eat good food with some tasty wines. That's exactly what I was blessed to do with the Wahl family and friends Kenny and Kathy. We talked movies, wine and news of the world...particularly cool new technology.

As it started to darken outside I knew that animals needed feeding so I headed home. I was in bed by 10:00 pm and only knew we had entered the new year from an announcement of the time on the radio. Hawaii and Alaska were still waiting to experience this transition into 2007.

I formed a 2007 list of to do's in my head.

1. Rewire the non working outlet in the great room. Done!

2. Clean and organize the basement. Done!

3. Install new lighting in the pantry and bedroom. Pantry Done!

4. Install new trim in the pantry and spare bedroom. Done!

5. Fix the roof on the goat shed. Done.

6. Rototill areas in the yard and plant daikon radish seed for ground cover.

7. Repair ceiling in the pantry and paint.

8. Paint back foyer. Done

9. Install light above sink in the kitchen. Done!

10. Return quarter round to all the rooms at the floor.

11. Paint trim and porch railing. Done

12. Wire the switch in the kitchen to the overhead light. Done!

13. Cut down dead trees and half a spruce out front. Done!!

14. Return trim around doors in foyer and pantry. Done!

15. Have a burn and clear out tumbleweeds. Done!!

16. Clean and paint both exterior doors. Done.

17. Empty and scrub out cistern. Changed my mind.

18. Replace five single pane windows to new double pane ones.

19. Completely remodel bathroom.

I'm beginning to think this list could go on and on. That'll do for now.

There are places and systems on the ranch I know nothing about. The new year is rapidly approaching and I’ve decided to make a list for this coming year. This is a list of investigations I must make and possible future projects.

1.Learn all about the well pump.  - Done!
What the heck is that wire disappearing into the ground at the well pump? Where does it go and does it do anything? What are the pipes and valves all about? This will wait until the ground thaws.

2. Look into the septic system.
Is that a lid covering a septic tank? Is it full yet? Do I need to call someone to pump it out? This is a hole of mysteries I’m not looking forward to unveiling.

3.Look into all the corners of the milking barn.
What is that thing back in the shadows? I found several good sheets of plywood in there but I didn’t go very far. There are dark and crowded corners out of which I need to haul stuff and see what I’ve got. It could all be trash. Big heavy trash.

4. What are those strategically placed wires coming out of the ground around the property?
Someone said it was the start of an underground wiring system. That would be nice. I could get rid of all those old overhead wires with the missing insulation. This will need the advice of a professional.

5.What will it cost to have my electrical service and panel updated.
It’s got to be looked at by a professional electrician. I was told by the furnace man Dave that it’s a necessity if I’m going to have the oil furnace removed and an electric furnace installed. Again, a call to a professional.

6.Have the well water in the cistern tested.  - Done!
Are we drinking poisons from years of bad farming practices? Could we be ingesting mouse carcass?

7. Give myself a liver flush, change my diet to mostly vegetarian and get more exercise. I have to add this so I’ll be alive and healthy to tackle this list in the coming year. Feeling a bit sluggish. Could be the water.