While I was busy making my best of/worst of 2015 list, dad was making a list of his own. He greeted 2016 with a "to do" list of 53 items. Some tasks may be less than an hour. Other jobs may occupy space in the shop for days or weeks, depending on how in-depth they go and how long it takes to get parts.

By no means was his list comprehensive. It was just a reference to get started and something to look at when needing direction.

Here are some highlights from our to-do list for 2016 (Thinkstock/moodboard)

While Dad and Corky have been working on "the list," I have continued my vendetta on costs while completing the storage building. It seems as though that project has drug on forever, but the end is near. A crew came in and finished insulating this week. I have been doing odds and ends that weren't included in the building package. We pulled most of the electric in December and only have some lights and outlets to finish wiring.

Lately I have focused on getting the boiler plumbed and radiant floor heat turned on. Hopefully by this time next week we will no longer be relying on the salamander to take the chill out of the air. There is also a little bit of plumbing to do, but that shouldn't take too long.

When I met with a landlord this week, he told me of his experience trying to find a plumber. While calling around he found one place that was $50 for the trip and $25 per 15 minutes. The landlord replied, "That sounds an awful lot like $100 an hour!" and declined the plumber's services. I told the landlord maybe I need to look at a career change.

We have also decided to take on the drywall in the loft conference room and garage. The main storage area will be a combination of OSB and steel siding. I am hoping to find a construction crew who wants to get out of the cold next week to complete that portion of the project.

My memory must be pretty short. I often forget how involved some of these projects get and always think it should be wrapped up long before we actually complete the job. I guess it's always been about saving money, but right now every penny and dime seems to be worth a little more than a few years ago. What else is a farmer to do in the winter?