New Year’s Resolutions: A Holiday Tradition
As 2025 winds down, I thought it would be fun to have the “children” write up their New Year’s Resolutions, just like many “adults”, and share them with you, my readers.
And just like most adults (c’mon, admit it, I am!), these Resolutions don’t often last very long. I wonder how many of these will make it to January 1st, never mind the end of the week, month, or year…
With that in mind, let’s take a look and see what they came up with!
Cooper
“I will stop chewing on plastic bags, containers, etc. so Mom stops saying “No plastic!” to me all the time.
I really wish he would, I don’t like correcting him, and I don’t want to have to take him to the vet if he swallows that stuff.
“I will not nag Mom that it’s Snacky Time at 5PM when it really comes at 6:30PM.”
Well actually that’s kind of cute…
“I will stop rearranging Dad’s paper piles, he doesn’t need my help with ‘filing’.”
That’s cute when he and Bonnie play attack the papers LOL.
Bonnie
“I will stop making Mom carry me to the kitchen for Snacky Time, I really can walk there!”
Hahaha, never, she loves having me carry her everywhere!
“I will not disappear under the cabinet and ignore Mom when she calls so she panics and thinks I somehow got outside (I’d never go there, doesn’t she know that?).”
I hate when she hides because I always count noses before going out or going to bed, but she loves finding new hidey holes.
“I will stop helping the printer print by sitting on the paper tray or pulling on the paper.”
Silly girl!
Cisco
“I will not wash my feet in the water trough, especially after Mom just washed and refilled it.”
That’ll be the day, Cisco loves to wash his feet when it’s warm…
”I will stop banging on the barn door when Mom takes too long making our meal.”
In this instance, patience is not Cisco’s virtue LOL.
“I will stop trying to figure out the latches on the feed room door so I can get more hay.”
He’s too smart for his own good!
Dusty
“I will not drop a full flake of hay in the water trough.”
What a naughty boy…
“I will not get mouthy and try to bite Mom’s hand when she feeds me treats too slowly.”
Another one with no patience!
“I will stop thinking it’s a joke to try to fall down, lean on, or act up on the farrier when she works on my feet.”
Just testing the farrier… every time…
Hanky
“I will stop pulling hay out of the feeder and throwing it on the floor and acting like it’s poison on the floor.”
Nah, that’s too much fun!
“I will not be annoying when Fawn is in heat.”
If only he could finish the job, gotta give him an A for effort and a D for execution LOL.
“I will not rear and buck when the farrier tries to work on my hind legs.”
Goats are worse than horses for the farrier!
Fawn
“I will not try to run away when the farrier tries to work on my feet.”
See above for Hanky, they’ll never carry this resolution out!
“I will stand still when Mom tries to take my picture for her newsletter. ”
Camera-shy…
“I will let Mom pet me more, and maybe even hug me once in a while.”
She’s not a touchy-feely type of goat, but we’re working on it!
The Chickens
“We will behave and go in our assigned coops at night and not make Mom chase us back and forth in the yard.”
Chickens. Don’t. Behave.
“We will not poop in the nests and dirty up our eggs.”
Let’s talk about bathroom habits girls…
“We will stop making Mom play hide and seek with our eggs and lay them in the next boxes where they belong.”
They love playing the game “I like this coop, nope I like the other one, nah I really like the first one…”.
The Ducks
“We won’t dabble in the waterer and make the water messy or drain it all.”
Sigh, it’s in their genes…
“We’ll stop using our natural camouflage to hide from Mom when she puts us all in for the night.”
They love this game too much…
“We won’t try to sleep in the other coop.”
They belong in one. But they try to sneak in the other. Just because.
Let me know what you think of their Resolutions!
And what New Year’s Resolutions might your animals come up with? Send me those, and I’ll publish the best of them!
My End-of-Year Gratitude List
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As the year runs down, I like to look back at the blessings and good things that have happened, to kind of wrap up the year. In that spirit, and in no particular order, here’s my 2025 Gratitude List:
- My husband, friends, and neighbors, who support and love me for the quirky person I am, and enjoy listening to my endless stories (only some of which have made it here so far).
- This 300+ year old farmhouse, full of history and heart. If only it could talk, the stories it could tell! It’s not just a building, but truly a home.
- My animals, my loves, my heart. They fill me with unconditional love and fun moments. Oh there are sometimes scary and sad moments too, but that’s the price we pay for loving them and including them in our family. They are beautiful souls, each and every one of them, and I have absolutely no regrets (well maybe when I’m chipping horse poopies out of the ice…).
- We are neither poor nor rich, we have enough (though we could always use more LOL!). We have a little extra to donate to various charities, which makes me happy. Giving is an essential part of living.
- No deaths this year except for the unfortunately expected occasional chicken. We’ve had years where we’ve lost several pets, including one year where we lost 101 chickens to a weasel. So to have a “quiet” year like this I am very thankful.
- Our customers, who have stuck with us through sunshine, storms, and egg scarcity as we rebuilt our flock after some setbacks.
- And last but definitely not least, you, my readers, for encouraging me in this endeavor. I hope I have brought laughter, guidance, fun, and a bit of whimsy into your inbox to lighten your days!
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