I loved this blog post at bebeloo (found thanks to Design Mom, Gabrielle Blair) about what she’d like to do with her 94 days of summer. I counted (my math skills are very poor, by-the-by) and I think I’ve got about 63 days left so here’s my list of 63*. I have no idea whether I’ll get many done and I have no expectation of checking off a certain number in order to feel accomplished (although I may just copy bebeloo and go back to change the color of the list items completed; if I do, I’ll write another post mentioning this at summer’s end). Just call this my week to be moved by other people in the blogosphere (for my previous post I responded to the Open Adoption Roundtable Question #17).
Here’s my list.
1. Ride my bike to the Farmer’s Market in Florence on a Wednesday afternoon.
2.Explore the newer bike paths near town.
3.Get completely soaked all the way to squeegee shoes in a rainstorm.
4.Have people over for a tiny little cookie tasting party to try every kind of cookie made at the Hungry Ghost Bakery and the Woodstar Café.
5. Throw birthday parties for two or three of my kids (the May one, the two September ones).
6. Do something I want to do on my birthday, like get a massage and dance to some really fun music.
7. Swim in a lake.
8. Swim in a swimming pool.
9. Swim again.
10. Send a postcard to my eldest son’s good friend (whom I’ve known since he was born) at summer camp (or even two).
11. Send many postcards to my third son when he’s at overnight camp (for two weeks).
12. Pick blueberries (at friends’ house).
13. Pick peaches.
14. Take my kids to see Wrapped, aka the Mummy exhibition, at the Berkshire Museum.
15. Go to the Lisbeth Zwerger show at the Eric Carle Museum on either the next stinking hot day or rainy one.
16. Send a pile of outgrown toddler clothes to a faraway friend who could use them.
17. Clear out outgrown toddler clothing in order to accomplish #16.
18. See a movie in a theater.
19. Grow my blog’s audience.
20. Revise an essay and send it to the Modern Love column of the New York Times, with the intention of having another essay the correct length revised so that sending the second one in is easier.
21. Once the oven’s fixed, make granola.
22. Once the oven’s fixed bake a birthday something for Zoe.
23. Get sundried tomatoes in order to make the delicious spinach sauté. Get spinach, too in order to make that dish. Obviously, then make the dish, as part of a birthday offering for Zoe.
24. Ride my bike with Ellen (and her bike trailer) to the Whole Foods.
25. Generally enjoy using my bike for short errands and rides.
26. Write the dangling-over-me thank you notes.
27. Take care of my nephew overnight at his house in Jamaica Plain.
28. Get some beautiful photographs of all four of my kids together on my film camera.
29. Have some of my favorite photographs taken on my digital camera printed. Call that a happy birthday to me present.
30. Make it so I can see my counters in the kitchen and much more of the floor in my room.
31. Try to figure out how to solve the four kids with three kids’ bedrooms problem better.
32. The solution may involve clearing out my study, so make my study again habitable.
33. While I’m dreaming about getting organized, get the playroom into better shape.
34. If successful at all this de-cluttering then have a tag sale or something.
35. Roll on the floor and stretch (almost) every night.
36. Go to GoBerry (almost) every day.
37. Hang a few pictures up in our house.
38. Read my friend Rick’s novel.
39. Take a restorative yoga class.
40. Grill.
41. Eat supper on our screened-in porch.
42. Get loads of people to see the Tales of Peter Rabbit, Billy Goats Gruff and Three Musketeers at Paintbox Theatre.
43. See those shows myself.
44. See remaining adult plays at New Century Theatre.
45. Play music in the house more often (on the stereo, no I did not secretly take up an instrument).
46. Have two gatherings here before Labor Day.
47. Be timely organizing our annual Not Labor Not Exactly Block Party (which may or may not fall on Labor Day).
48. Spend a day without kids or spouse.
49. Go on an actual date with my dear husband (maybe that’s a twofer, with #18).
50. Not only get kids to their annual check-ups, but also copy the reports for school and camps that very day and put the copies in a well-marked folder and then in a very safe place.
51. Take a friend and visit at least two studios on Hilltown6 Pottery Tour.
52. Go on a hike.
53. Photograph my kids’ feet and hands.
54. Mail a gift to an old friend.
55. Brattelboro Farmers’ Market. Go. Preferably drive up with a friend.
56. Take a walk at night, not to go to a specific destination, just around.
57. Make a little photo book for someone.
58. Do something—revise, share with some children’s book authors, something—with my kids’ story (and a favorite story of my kids) The Bad Babysitters.
59. Get elderflower presse and make the most delicious drink of that with seltzer for a most refreshing experience, one that will transport me to a friend’s London flat where I first drank this.
60. See my mother, just because.
61. Plant something, even in a big pot outside.
62. Make a playground time for my toddler with a pal of hers and a mama pal of mine.
63. Get in bed one evening before suppertime—and stay there. Let others “do” all the stuff. Receive the kids for stories, hanging out, and snuggling (and the dear husband). Do this when in good health, not out of illness-based necessity. Cap off evening by falling asleep early.
*Originally, I’d meant to finish this for a couple of days ago, so I’ve ended up with more days on my list than days of summer remaining, but as I said, my math skills are rather pathetic.
