2024

There is still a week left in the year 2024.
Is it too soon to make an assessment of the past year?  
Is it too late to make some changes?

Checking back to where we were, assessing where we are, and making adjustments to get where we want to be should probably be something we do more than once per year. Nevertheless, the end of one year or the beginning of the next is as good a time as any to do just that. 

I'm not certain if my self assessment is easy or difficult. There really isn't much to it. 
I don't really have any life goals other than to enjoy each moment as it comes and I seem to do that pretty well. 

Our flowers looked great this past summer and I am looking forward to the coming spring/summer for the beauty of the many flowers. I've been adding flower beds each year and it is beginning to be a lot of work. That's not really a bad thing. It's not like I have loads of pressing things to do other than tend to the gardens. I have some gardening books and there is an abundance of gardening information on the interwebs, plus I am slowly storing away some knowledge in my head. So far, I have sucked at vegetable gardening, but will probably give it a go again this year.

Our small neighborhood is built on what used to be a pasture so there are no trees anywhere near the house. On one hand, I am happy not having to rake leaves in the fall. On the other hand, there is no shade in the summer and there are fewer birds and squirrels around. I've planted a few seedling trees, but those will be for the next homeowner to enjoy.
I'm still hoping to convert some of the field into native meadow grasses and wildflowers, but that appears to be a much larger project than I thought it would be. I have a plan, or at least the concepts of a plan, on how I might do that. I need to do a bit more research on it.

Looking ahead to 2025 I only have a couple goals. The first is to get rid of this extra weight that I've put on and get off the high blood pressure meds. If I'm completely honest with myself, I'm not that concerned with being athletically fit; more just being kind of active fit and healthy.
The second thing is to become conversationally fluent in Spanish. That might be a little bit tougher. I'm going to need to find a fluent Spanish speaking friend that is willing to converse with me on a regular basis (or spend more time in Mexico). It's one thing to learn it online or through an app. It's very different to actually carry on a conversation in another language. 

As you can see,my life is not filled with great ambition. Other than those two things, I plan to read a few books (maybe 50 or so), smoke a few cigars, sip a little tequila and a little bourbon, and just enjoy life. 
Check out my coffee mug in the pic below.

How was your year?
Any plans for '25?

John