Fantasy vs. Reality

Looking back at my Earth Day post from last year, I'm reflecting on what I accomplished in 2009 and what my plans are for this year. This really is the best time of year - everything holds the promise of success, with none of the reality yet attached. In my mind, everything I set out to do in the new year will be bigger and better than I can imagine. My garden will fill in and bloom beautifully, we will complete multiple home improvement projects around the house and our team at work will exceed every goal we have set. I'm going to stick with that theory for as long as possible, and who knows, maybe it will all be true! In the meanwhile, here's wrap up of how I did against last year's plans....

1. Fantasy - Grow veggies and herbs in three raised beds. Reality - Too much shade! I knew one of my beds was overly shaded by an apple tree, but didn't realize the other two get too much shade from the adjacent fence. I got a few green beans, but otherwise, nothing - and I do mean nothing, grew past seedling status. I admitted my defeat a few months in. My other idea, to plant my herbs in a half wine barrel in the only sunny spot in my yard (which is a patio area) worked well - I will do that again this year. I also kept a small Meyer Lemon alive and it's blooming like crazy right now so I hope for lots of lemons next winter!

2. Fantasy - Preserve the bounty of veggies that I planned to grow. Reality - See #1. I could have done some canning with my CSA fruits and veggies, but never managed to plan and get my act together.

3. Fantasy - Get rain barrels. Reality - Haven't yet convinced my husband. They will be in a very visible spot in the backyard that he doesn't approve of. My argument is that they will only be there in the winter and if we put them on a platform with wheels, they can be moved around in the summer time when there is no rain. This is a work in progress...

4. Fantasy - Ride my bike all over town for recreation and errands alike. Reality - I ride my bike all over town for recreation and errands alike!! Success! My lack of bicycle riding skills led me to purchase a new, cruiser style bike with only one set of gears and a basket on front. This turned out to be the perfect idea - I'm now up to riding 10 miles 2-3 times per week. Yay me!

Okay - One out of four is not the best track record. However, there are always things that happen during the year that you don't plan on but turn out to be successful endeavors. The two major ones for us turned out to be our rock water feature/pond project and, the one I'm even more proud of, kicking the fast food habit! Its been long enough now, I think I can officially say I've quit eating fast food - I haven't hit a drive through since last July which is a real accomplishment for me.

So what do I have planned this year? I'll save that for another post as I'm still working on the priority list. Plus, I'm going to the San Francisco Plant & Garden Show in March and will probably come home with more ideas than time or money will allow for....I'm saving up already!