That’s a Wrap

My adorable sniffly-nose niece and nephews gifted me the flu for Christmas. Admittedly, not my favorite gift. But I’d be even less happy about it if those kiddos weren’t so cute and fun to hang out with. At this point, we can just assume that whenever AC and I visit children on either side of the family, I will be returning to the farm with a cold or a virus. That’s just the way it is.

Anywho, we’re wrapping up 2025, which was a very good year for us! There are way too many wins to list them all, so here are a few recent highlights:

• Our rental income exceeded – nay, CRUSHED – our expectations.
• AC got a nice 8-point buck this season and our in-laws gave us 3 elk quarters for Christmas. Between venison and rabbit, our freezer is full.
• We got about 16 quarts of milk from Meriwether and made about 8 logs of goat cheese from it.
• We built a greenhouse that is currently sustaining a bed of lettuce and kale, even in our 20° temps.
• We successfully took a 4-night trip to Louisiana for Christmas and everyone survived. (This is a big deal! We promised ourselves we would not become prisoners of our own farm so this was a big step toward that freedom.)
• We got to share our little slice of paradise with lots of friends and family. Thank you to everyone who visited us! Let us know your 2026 dates before all our space gets booked on Airbnb.

2026 is the year of the horse in the Chinese zodiac calendar and I keep seeing this graphic on social media:

While some of that doesn’t quite align with our lives this past year – I would say our growth was quite visible and definitely the opposite of quiet – I hope the year of the horse rings true for us. I’m especially excited by the prospects of movement, courage, and forward momentum. We have big plans for the year, like possibly adding pigs to the mix, situating the farm to pay for itself, and adjusting our finances so we can put a noticeable dent in our mortgage.  

While we have some excitement to look forward to, the milestones won’t roll in quite as quickly as they have this past year. That’s a good thing – it means we’ve already accomplished the big, hard things and we’re starting to really settle in and iterate. It also means that I won’t be blogging as much. I have a new respect for bloggers who keep up with weekly or monthly posts because it’s challenging! And while it has brought me great pleasure to share our adventure with all of you (and I am incredibly grateful to those of you who have followed along), it’s officially time for me to divert that energy to the farm instead of the computer. Don’t worry, I’ll still write about big moments. If we get pigs, if we have baby goats, if the garden takes off, if I ever get over this flu…y’all will be among the first to know. And, of course, you can still follow us on Instagram (@tillingourstory) where AC posts much more often.

The shedding is done, now we run. Here’s to a wonderful 2026.

Until next time,

Charli