New Year's resolutions - such fleeting things!

I am loathe to even make them, but this year I resolve to make them more of a to-do list, instead.

Some are especially nagging, and need my attention sooner rather than later.  I fried the motherboard on my water-cooled 8 core Xeon IBM workstation during the heat of summer.  That left me doing everything on a dual-core Dell Inspiron laptop.  Luckily, the new $290.00 motherboard has arrived, and I've got the old one out.  Order of business #1!

Thankfully, no Lucas electrics inside.

During the long winters up here, projects left unfinished have a real chance of being completed.  Actually listing them out might give me a better success rate for getting them done this year.  Sometimes I do finish them - note the repurposed milk can. 

We have lots of these big metal things in Wisconsin!

The winery has about 60 gallons to be bottled from the 2013 season.  Then the season begins anew, right around Dandelion Wine time.  So I need to make the pilgramage to my source for about 300 bottles, and get everything cleaned, sanitized, and ready to go.  Strawberry season follows right behind Dandelion, so timing is everything.  I've been told by fans that I need to at least double my production, so that's another thing for The List of 2014.

More wine!

The reloading bench sat idle after the move to our new house out here in the countryside.  I remedied that with a batch of .30-06 for my nephew and his "new" M1903 Springfield.  The Dillon 550 is now set up for 7.62x39,  so some of my neglected friends will see range time this spring.  

 

Am I the only one who reloads 7.62x39?

Likewise, with the dislocation and fracture of my left shoulder a short time ago, I'm plodding along through physical therapy with every intention of regaining 100% function - another thing for The List. I sat down with an old friend the other day, because rehab isn't all about pulleys and rubber straps.  My fretwork seems rusty but mostly intact, so that's a good sign. My range of motion seems good, with little pain.  Woo-hoo!

Paul Bigsby - of Crocker Motorcycle fame, too...

For the calm days of spring and summer, I fully intend to get more stick and rudder time.  My small fleet sits dejected, waiting to be challenged by the resident starlings outside again.  I've got a surprise for those damned birds this year, with 12" rotors!

Part of the 65th Rotary Air Wing

This is but a fraction of the items that are going on The List of 2014.  Maybe if I don't call them "resolutions", they'll become reality!