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| The New Year is a blank page, make it what you want. TRE |
A Very Brief History
We have made the start of a new year a big deal. New Year's has been a big deal for a fairly long time, but not as long as you would think. January and February were added to the calendar by the Romans. The first calendar only had 10 months. March through December. Before the Julian calendar, New Year's was celebrated on March 1st. New Year's was celebrated by the offering of sacrifices and raucous celebrations.
Prior to the addition of two additional months, the dates were based on the lunar calendar. As a result, even though an event occurred on the same date did not mean that it would occur in the same season. It was not a very accurate calendar. The Julian calendar is a solar based system, so it is much more accurate.
New Year's Day has been celebrated in March, on Easter, and even on Christmas Day. January 1st wasn't declared the official New Year's Day until the mid 1700's by Britain and its colonies. So the US started celebrating New Year's on January 1st at that time. Many Protestants refused to celebrate the new year due to its history.
New Year's Celebrations Today
Today New Years celebrations range from quiet reflection to wild New Year's Eve parties. In the past I have gone to New Year's parties where champagne was served and when midnight struck you looked around for someone to kiss in the year. Last year I honestly think we slept through the dawning of the new year. A lot less exciting, but a lot more fulfilling.
But a large part of the modern celebration is the making of resolutions. You know those promises that we make to our self that are normally broken by the first of February? The most common resolutions are weight-loss, getting in shape, making more money, quitting smoking and things like that. Normally self improvement based. Resolutions have almost become a joke, so much so that many people will not even make them at all.
Homestead Goals for the New Year
I am really excited about the new year. My wife has asked for us to add pigs to our homestead. We have measured off where the pen will go and I have even started designing a movable shelter for the animals. This will be a huge addition to our self sustainability. I think pigs will be a great addition. Right now I am thinking two different pastures, rotating each year and following up with a garden spot in that area. Let the pigs do the work for us.
I am eager for the growing season this year. 2014 was a pretty good gardening year, but was not as good as it should have been. I allowed the garden to grow up too much and as a result lost a lot of produce that we could have realized. I am hopeful that this year will be our biggest yet in terms of food production.
We are also working together, my wife and I to try and simplify our lives. We have the best relationship that I have ever been in. Having said that, we are not going to let it go to auto-pilot. A relationship is one of those things that if you do not continue to work on it, it starts to degrade. Keep working on it.
Blog Goals
2014 has been huge for the blog. We have honestly accomplished more than I ever thought possible. That is not meaning that I did not have goals. I did and we have surpassed all but 2 and both of them are so very close that I am giving credit for effort. My goal for writing this year is to bring you even better content than I ever have. My goal is to work harder and dig deeper. I really enjoy sharing everything with you. In 2014 we will have shared right at 100 different blog posts. Some did great, some not so much, but that is part of the deal.
I am very happy to announce our newest affiliate, White Harvest Seed Company. A family owned all heirloom seed company. Check them out.
Classes
2015 will see the addition of two classes taught by The Rural Economist. Shortly after the new year we will be teaching a basic preparedness course and once spring has set in we will be teaching a foraging class. We already have the syllabus prepared for the basic preparedness class. It will be a 4 week class and will cover several topics. We will see how much interest there is, here is hoping for the best. I already have some people who are interested.
The foraging class I am sure will be a hit. We have started assembling a waiting list. Just due to the topic, the content will be weather and season specific. This will be just a day course that will cover everything that we come in contact with. I think this class will be a hoot.
We are also considering offering wilderness survival courses. This one is still up in the air, but I do have someone who is jumping at the chance to be an assistant.
As you can see we have a busy year planned, but should be very satisfying. I would love to hear about your plans.
Working toward our and helping you achieve your
Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes
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