_{At Porter Valley Ranch, fall is a welcomed reward following non-stop summer projects and chores. It’s a time to renew and regroup. We renew by slowing down, enjoying the weather, and reflecting. We regroup by preparing for the next year. Summer’s relentless heat makes animal caretaking a constant concern and gardens a battle. Fall’s crisp air settles those tensions and everything thrives.} 

_{Renewing through Reflection}

_{Reflecting over the past year is a mentally soothing practice. Too often we homesteaders push through celebration and onto the next project or ambition. Projects are endless on homesteads. While that can be an exciting portrait of endless possibilities, it is also a sobering realization that we won’t just arrive at our goal one day and have tons of free time.} 

_{This is where we have to find joy in the process and celebrate the wins. Fall is the time to stop and reflect on the wins and the battles and adjust our game plan moving forward. Methodically reviewing your year will help you process and plan. Here is how we do it.}

_{Organizing a Year End Review}

_{Our homestead consists of three main categories: Flocks, Gardens, and Projects. Subcategories are endless, but each year when we review our wins and losses, we try to combine our year into these three “buckets.” Having generalized themes helps us direct our focus as we ask the same four questions: What went well? What did not? What is missing? What did we learn? Three buckets, four questions is our strategy, and this is what it looks like.}

_Flocks

_{At Porter Valley Ranch, we are developing a breed of sheep called Harlequin sheep. This breed is a great match for our homestead because they are triple purpose: meat, fiber, and breeding quality. All purposes have income potential on our farm, and making money from our animals is a top priority.} 

_{In 2023, we had our best lambing season to date. After tripling our herd, our lambs sold out on our website within three hours. The work we do all year through educating customers, taking care of our livestock, and being active in our Associated Registry paid off big when it was time to sell lambs. We added the skill of skirting fleeces this year through a local mill and checked off a goal we had to see shorn fleeces through the mill process. We were also able to define our lamb shipping process for healthier, quicker shipping.}

_{One of the best payoffs is sure to become a favorite memory from 2023. Early in the year, during a week the kids were snowed in from school, our 14 year-old son presented a slideshow he had been working on secretly with research, projected income quotes, and information on an Australian shepherd breeding business. We took the bait, made the initial investment, and he found two adult dogs ready to go within two months. This summer we welcomed his first AKC litter, and he’s been hustling to market, sell, vaccinate, dock tails, and provide quality service to buyers. These are all skills that will serve him well not just on a homestead, but anywhere in life.}

_{Our chicken flocks have not had their most successful year. As our oldest son moved his entrepreneurial efforts from chickens to dogs, we presented the opportunity to our younger two sons. Unfortunately, neither of them fully took the bait. Maybe that’s because they don’t value money quite yet, or maybe because something else on the farm will peak their interest.} 

_{Either way, we feel it’s important to learn the value of hard work through chores and helping around our homestead, but we don’t want to force them into something that’s not their passion. Since chickens are not currently anyone’s passion, our flock of silkies, Ayam Cemani, and a random assortment of laying hens have been placed in a holding pattern until further notice.}

_{We also raise Nubian ibex. In 2022, we sold a good percentage of our herd to a winery in Texas, leaving us with just a few nannies. We decided to keep those babies and build back our herd. It is always best to keep a closed flock/herd rather than take a chance on bringing in new animals. This was a year to rebuild and not sell, which happens once in a while.}

_{The most precious members of our flock, our children, spent a year in great health and growth. Our goals are always to help them become who they are supposed to be, increase their independence, and protect our home and homestead as a place of refuge for them as they navigate the real world. Sure there were bumps and bruises they each worked through, but such are growing pains. Carving out time to celebrate their victories will teach them not to speed through life going from project to project and never looking up.}

_{Regarding our flocks:}

     _{What went well? Sheep sales, fleece skirting, lambing, Aussie breeding, Sheep shipping}

     _{What did not? Chickens}

     _{What was missing? Ibex income, more fencing for sheep}

     _{What did we learn? Life is a balance. Putting more focus, time, and energy into sheep cost us lost income with the chickens and ibex. If diversity is key, accept the give and take. If maxing out every square inch of property for income potential is key, consider letting go of the roommates who aren’t paying for their rent.}

_Gardens

_{In 2023, we went from one potager garden to building two more garden areas.}

1. _{Blackberry Bramble – a nearby pick-your-own blackberry farm went out of business suddenly. Through conversations with the owner, we were able to buy and transfer 150 blackberry plants 2 miles from their original location and onto our property. We made use of an area of land we weren’t utilizing and began our new journey. This first year was rough. However, next year we hope to have huge growth in production with the goal to produce seasonal income.}
2. _{Front Yard Garden – after years of poor drainage and erosion issues, we reconstructed our front yard. With ten truck loads of dirt, hours of leveling, multiple loads of sod, and several feet of concrete, we redirected all water, parking, and pastures. After realizing just how much gravel, dust, and dirt had been tracked in daily from our old set up, the benefit is a much cleaner house as well as less future erosion and better drainage for our pastures. I enjoyed the front yard being a blank slate and created a big beautiful garden to give our homestead a welcoming presence instead of an old dusty gravel circle.}

_{Regarding our gardens:}

     _{What went well? The bramble has an opportunity to produce income. The front yard garden keeps so much dirt, silt, and gravel out of the house and porches that it lightens the load for cleaning.}

     _{What did not? The potager had more pests than ever. Our pest management strategy was not effective enough. Food production was not as high as we would like, with way less canning than planned.} 

     _{What was missing? Efficient watering systems for the new spaces. The bramble did not receive enough water, and the front yard took too long to complete. Succession planting got missed when the focus was on creating new gardens.} 

     _{What did we learn? We are grateful the building stage of these new spaces is over, but now is the time to focus on efficient strategies because the new gardens add a lot of time onto chores. Having these strategies figured out and in place by the next spring season will allow more time and focus on food production.}

_Projects

_{Constructing gardens and a new front yard were projects that will serve us well in the future. They came at the cost of food volume and time. However, they are two big projects that won’t have to be repeated. Time spent on construction will become time for maintenance and enhancements.} 

_{Being a part of The Homestead Documentary was a project we were thrilled to participate in. So many new resources and people in the homestead world sharing knowledge has become such a great resource for us as we navigate what parts of our land we can enhance and what areas of our lifestyle can be improved.} 

_{We began converting our garage into a living room space. This project will bleed into the next year, but it is something we have had intentions to do for eight years. This space will allow our family to organize and host better. Investing in our homestead fulfills our main purpose of creating a respite for our kids and a place they want to be.} 

_{Regarding our projects:}

     _{What went well? Gardens and Documentary}

     _{What did not? Production from these spaces}

     _{What was missing? Time to relax}

     _{What did we learn? Several skills for all family members were accumulated. Completing projects was a victory for everyone in the family because they all had a hand in the process. We continue to teach our kids “work hard, play hard,” and with these projects we certainly did.}

_{Regrouping Through Preparing}

_{Processing and writing down our accomplishments and completing a year end review is taxing, but it really does renew your heart and spirit to recognize all that was accomplished.} 

_{After we reflect and celebrate, it is time to regroup and prepare. Preparing for 2024 means recognizing we can’t physically or financially maintain back-to-back years of huge construction projects. We saved and spent with our strength, and our pocketbook and 2024 will look different.}

_{Glancing over the answers to what was missing and what we learned, efficiencies will become a big focus for this next year. Looking over our flocks, gardens, and projects that will be completed in 2024, we need to dedicate time strategizing what will make our lives easier. We don’t have the answers right now, but in this fall season we will turn our minds to each area. We will take advice given from other homesteaders, and we will find what works for our homestead.} 

_{The overall beauty and grace that comes each fall is time to reflect and prepare. This is how we do it. I hope whatever your strategy is, you take time to walk through the past year before moving into the next. All too often we just keep trudging forward without giving ourselves the space and time needed to process what we’ve been through and accomplished. Good luck to you in your renewing and regrouping.}