After an hour of tossing ice chunks into a bucket and mopping up water draining into a cake pan, the freezer is once again defrosted and organized. And I did (finally!) find the ham hocks. The compost pile will grow some this weekend if it warms enough to go out and do a little work around the yard. I have two 5-gallon lidded buckets next to the side door for kitchen waste, and this latest project uncovered some very elderly garden produce. The dog who was the worst about getting into the compost is the one that we lost last week, so I can start putting more stuff directly into the pile, not having to leave it in the intermediate bucket to break down until she'd leave it alone in the pile.

Calendars for the new year are in place. I forsee a lot of exciting changes coming in this next year. I hope everyone has a lot to report as January rolls around.