My 2014 in review

It happens every year. You see it on almost every news station and in many magazines. It’s time for the end of the year review. 2013 was a real stinker for me. How did 2014 compare? Let’s first look at my thoughts on 2014 when I wrote my review of 2013:

I’m hoping 2014 is much better. I don’t seem to do too bad in years that end in “4”, but in a couple of those years, 1994 and 2004, big changes came to my life. I left home and moved to this area in 1994 and I bought my home here in Wadena in 2004. I really could use a good 2014 after the shitty 2013 I had.

Was 2014 better? Why yes. Yes it was. However, it wasn’t without some bad stuff too.

First off, let me comment on the winter of 2013-2014. It was brutal. I don’t want to go through another. Spring never wanted to arrive.

On March 22^nd, we had a get together here at the house to remember Grandpa Kane’s passing exactly one year earlier. Uncle Bill, Aunt Kate, and my mother came up and we had a very nice visit. We all had a drink to toast Grandpa’s life.

Brandi was having troubles in her life which stretched back into 2013 and spilled over and came to a head in 2014. On March 25^th,  Brandi came to live with us here, but not without a lot of fighting and stress. This stress took a big toll on me. I’m pleased to say that legally, Brandi lives here with me now. It took all year to get this done.

Just weeks before Brandi decided to come live here, KinDee and I felt compelled to replace our old 1982 Chevy full sized van for a minivan. We found an ’03 for a decent price and we took on another auto loan despite my saying that I wanted to get out of debt in 2014. It was lucky that we did buy it as Brandi needed a lot of running around for a lot of doctor appointments. I can’t imagine being able to do that in the old Chevy. It just got terrible gas mileage. I do miss the old van though. It’s in Oelwein now and it’s still being driven around. The guy who now owns it is fixing it up. I’m thankful for that.

We noticed chunks of our shingle in the yard this spring. That caused a lot of stress, but thankfully, we were able to finance a new steel roof through the Fayette County Housing Trust Fund. That finally got put on here a few weeks ago. We pray it out-lasts us!

We had a nice surprise this past spring when my old friend, Sean Monaghan, showed up here in Wadena for a visit. He brought his beautiful family and we got to meet his wife Christina, daughter Cecilia, and son Nathaniel. Little could have anyone known that Nathaniel would be diagnosed with Leukemia just a few short months later. We have spent the rest of 2014 praying for him and his family.

Our garden didn’t do well at all. It’s too shaded where it’s at. As the trees have grown, the shadows now cover the garden in the middle of the day. Our neighbor parks his boat on the property line and that too casts shade in the afternoon. Truthfully, it was never a really good spot for a garden. I’m not sure if we’re going to go through all the effort of moving the garden. KinDee doesn’t enjoy gardening and I can’t get out to take care of one anymore.

We didn’t get much wood cut this year. I found it too difficult to get out into the pickup to go into the woods this year. In fact, I don’t think I even went to the woods this year. KinDee and Tyler cut less than 6 loads. We need 20 per year. We are currently burning up our wood reserve. We’ll have to cut wood this upcoming year or else we’ll be in serious trouble. While cutting wood this year, KinDee had an accident and slid our pickup into a tree. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but that pickup which I love, is banged up pretty good. It broke my heart. I guess that’s what happens when you cut wood. Things get banged up.

My health has gotten far worse this year. Even though the year was cooler than past years, the lymphedema in my legs has gotten to a point where it’s really hard to get around. I have a major fear of falling. In fact, as I write this on the 31^st of December, I actually fell in the bathroom this morning. I’m banged up pretty good. Thankfully it wasn’t worse. However, it is very difficult for me to not be able to get outside and enjoy the outdoors. I feel like I’m 90 years old and I’m watching my life slip away. I’m losing the ability to do many things and I can relate to my Grandpa Kane’s final years when the same happened to him. It’s very frustrating. Who knows what 2015 will bring. I’m hoping for a miracle.

I’m still homeschooling the kids, but it’s not as easy to do as it was last year. My failing health is one of the reasons. I am tired all the time anymore and it’s getting harder for me to concentrate. I find that my patience with people has grown very thin. I’m getting ornery and not very pleasant. I don’t even try much anymore.

Christmas was stressful, but not as much as last year, but stressful nonetheless. I don’t even enjoy the holiday anymore. I feel bad that I don’t and I think often about my kids. I try to make it special for them like my grandparents and parents made it for me. I feel like I fail every year. I remember my mother once mentioning that Christmas became less enjoyable for her as she got older as well.

I’m surprised that I’ve lived another year. I’ll be surprised if I live one more. I thank God for every day that he gives me. I enjoy watching my kids grow older. The last two years have done much to turn me very pessimistic.