Design Your Dream Summer

NPR recently had an article about how to design your dream summer which included access to a printable worksheet by Gretchen Rubin (4 ways to design a dreamy summer). I filled it out to get my summer bucket list ideas down.

I liked the "five-senses portrait" of summer exercise and went with my instant first thoughts for each blank. I can some are from childhood (lilacs scented air) while others are lifelong or triggered by what I see and here now.

Then I filled out the "My summer bucket list" of activities I want to do or have been meaning to cross off my list. Again I brainstormed and didn't look at my To Do Lists. I wrote them down as they popped into my mind so it is a hodgepodge list with a mix of fun ideas plus To Do items that are obviously weighing on my mind. Aspirational for sure but many are readily doable.

* Photograph of draw flowers & butterflies

* Buy watermelons and cantaloupes

* Watch Enola Holmes 3

* Go to MOMA in San Francisco

* Jazz night at bookstore in Berkeley

* Find a trust lawyer and get started

* Walk to the city's World One 4th of July Festival (jazz after lunch)

* Shop for card table sized table & chairs for upstairs

* Shop for a shade for upstairs bath window

* July 31 days of stretching

* Draw first 6 dog pictures from calendar

* Get better at jumping (bone density & strength exercise)

* Go to Sonoma Botanical Garden for mosaic art exhibit plus lunch in Sonoma

* Go to the Ashby Village orientation (aging well resource & community) 

* Ask about book clubs at bookstore

What's on your list for summer?

Five things Friday #24 - A quiet but good week

1. I was very pleased with my Kaiser family practice Dr. when I went for my first full body skin check there. In the end she identified 4 areas of concern including one I hadn't noticed. They take closeup photos with a special camera & send them to Dermatology. I got a phone call to make an appointment with Dermatology for treatment.

2. After scrubbing our patio with a deck brush we already had from a previous house, I decided it sure would be a lot easier if I replaced its very worn brush. I was able to buy just the brush so didn't have to replace & discard the adjustable metal handle.

3. We had bought quite a bit more food than usual for the out of town family visit and were able to not waste any of it. Breakfast and lunches were make your own with attention to using things up if possible. Our son and DIL also brought perishables from their home as they drove and will be gone for 2 weeks what with pet sitting after visiting us. The frig was very full when they arrived and pretty depleted when they left which was perfect.

4. This week our local family are off on vacation or pet sitting so Father's Day was a trip to the farmer's market for pastries and live music. However, on Wednesday the pet sitting couple brought the dog they are caring for (other DIL's brother's family dog) to our house to visit and for the pups to play. It went well and was a nice follow up visit before they head home.

5. Dinners at home

    Saturday - ham & cheese omelet, green salad, toast

    Sunday - homemade minestrone, sliced fresh peaches (from the farmer's market)

    Monday - pork chop, broccoli, pasta

    Tuesday - leftover minestrone, green salad, garlic bread

    Wednesday - turkey burgers on buns with lettuce & tomato

    Thursday - spaghetti with sausage, green pepper & mushrooms; green salad

    Tonight -  leftover turkey burgers on buns with lettuce and tomatoes 

Five things Friday #23 - Family all week

We are tired but happy after having a family heavy week.

1. Picked up our granddaughter from day camp and delivered her to swim team. The drive to the camp location on the fringe of UC Berkeley campus was easier since school is out but still stressful for Hubby. A big smile awaited us though - worth it.

2. Our older son & DIL arrived Tuesday afternoon. All the housework and food prep we did was a workout but then we won't have to do it for a while. The local family arrived about 5 and everyone had a good time. It was a good idea to have a make your own chef salad bar set up. Chicken strips, hard cooked egg slices and/or cheese for protein with lots veggies and lettuce/arugula mix. Garlic bread on the side and Trader Joe's chocolate biscotti for dessert. It went well, we weren't having to cook while everyone visited and the final clean up was easy. 

3. My favorite moment of the evening was the 3 year old's question: "Papa, why do you and Daddy have hair on your faces and the rest of us don't?" She is an observant and thoughtful little one.

4. The pup got so worn out and discombobulated from the party that he kept getting up and down all night despite my efforts to get him to sleep. 

5. The rest of the week went well with a bit more family time, I got to go to the theater with a neighbor who was given free tickets, and Friday noon we will be back to just us as the visitors head to their pet sitting job nearby and the local crew goes off on vacation.

Five things Friday #22 - Busy week & fun ahead!

 

This cactus went all out for one flower!

I'm really enjoying looking closely at flowers that I pass on my walks.

I thought this one was really pretty and such a delicate contrast to the plant.

1. We walked to the closest donut shop last Friday and got our treats to celebrate National Donut Day. It was a really nice walk. Sunday we again walked on another beautiful day to check out the city’s Maker’s Fair. It. Was small with lots of activities for kids, live music,  a couple of food trucks and a nice variety of vendors.

2. I received an email saying it was time to renew my driver’s license. The process is streamlined. Fill out the renewal application online and make an appointment at the DMV to have an eye exam, get a photo taken and pay $46. I can easily walk to the DMV so just have to figure out if they need my car there too for any reason. 

3. We were given some freshly picked cherries and weren’t eating them quickly enough. I made cherry muffins this morning which used up most of them. If I made these muffins again I would use less sugar, a few more cherries and a bit more liquid. They are definitely edible though!

4. I was able to finish cleaning the patio. Now I just need to wash the outdoor furniture, get out the patio rug and set things up.

5. Next week has a full calendar. I was invited to join a neighbor in using free tickets to the Berkeley Rep to see a production. Our older son and DIL will be visiting us for 3 nights. Add in Dr. appointment, dog grooming and my haircut. We are also picking up a grandgirl from summer camp and delivering her to swim team practice one day. I want to come up with an activity to do with our visitor's too.

Five things Friday #21 -

1. Lots of flowers to see on my walks right now. This is a favorite display on the way to the library.

2. We went to our granddaughter's elementary school talent show last Friday at her invitation. She and her friends did a great job with their skit. There were lots of performances: knock, knock jokes - dancing and tumbling - other skits - a boy on a pogo stick to music - and more. It was actually lots of fun and had many minutes of intended laughter.

3. I am making myself watch YouTube videos about our new car's features including CarPlay. I had saved them once we found the manual to be unintelligible. Taking notes. I will finally get this done!  I might even learn something.

4. I sat down and did a pile of mending that had been put off way too long. I need to ask myself "How long will this really take?" when I am procrastinating. I also wiped down the stair railing and some doorways (handprints and dog nose prints), filed a stack of papers, etc. I mean, none of these tasks took more than 15 minutes and most took less that that.

5. I did our month end financial record keeping. I have $21.52 left in my "budget" for my clothing purchases. I don't really need anything although I can increase my budget without a problem. For now I'm going to sit tight and see if there are any gaps to fill later this year as I have little desire to manage more clothing. I'm a Less is More person in terms of clothes.

Hello June - Fun while adulting

It’s June 1st and since it is a new month it always feels like a new month. I’m looking forward to things and adulting my way through others. The weather will be full of June Gloom overcast days with 20 degree daytime temperature swings - that is the Bay Area’s version of the start of summer. There will be sunshine too!

FUN POSSIBILITIES

June 5th is National Donut Day - let’s celebrate. The 7th is the city Maker’s Fair also with music and food trucks. We can walk to it.

The new season of Enola Holmes starts the 14th and there is free jazz at the nearby bookstore on the 15th if I remember to sign up for it. I want to get tickets for us to the SF MOMA and head to SF one day. Not sure what if anything we will do for Father’s Day as family will be unlikely to be around.

The local family leaves on vacation on the 19th and back the 27th but the S Cal family will be pet sitting nearby and visiting before or after they start. I will take care of the local family garden and harvest (and eat) as needed. The 2 local farmer’s markets will be full of good stuff too.

ADULTING AS ALWAYS

At the beginning of the month I always balance the previous month’s finances and look at what occasional big bills are due in the new month. This month it is estimated taxes which is painful because of the things this administration has cut and is instead spending billions on. Law abiding person that I am I will pay them as always. 

We will make donations to the county food bank, Democracy Now, and the grandgirls college funds. I also need to buy a bunch of stuff at CVS but will wait for their monthly coupon mailer to arrive. We have received the Ace Hardware June coupons so I do need to see what they have that I can buy there instead of at CVS.

I need to head back to Kaiser to try once again to get my glasses adjusted right. Since I tripped and fell they just aren’t right despite repeated tries. I also need to make appointments for a full body skin check and with the periodontist for a consultation.. I already have a mammogram appointment, the dog and I get haircuts, the patio needs cleaning and to be set up, a tree and shrub replaced, and I should do touch up painting on the metal benches in the yard. There is more but I won’t bore you with my to do list.

I’m also trying a 90 day self care and goal achievement plan which I will share if I succeed. Whew😁

Five things Friday #20 - Home edition

1. Continuing my commitment to my Spring yard clean up and maintenance of 15-30 minutes work 1-2 days a week. I spend longer, but it seems less onerous this way and I can see the progress.

2. Doing the same with infrequent cleaning tasks inside the house. This week we joined forces to clean the stove hood and hood filters. 

3. Our water district published a very helpful monthly irrigation settings guide for our county with details for each type of irrigation system. We will change ours to match the appropriate recommendations for our system.

4. We continue to have no new home improvement/repair projects planned for the near term as part of our reducing stress plan for a few months. There are still things that we need to have done but they will wait while we enjoy life more.

5. We tried a new recipe and a new way of cooking potatoes.

• Made a delicious veggie heavy chicken soup using half the recommended chicken in this recipe and adding oregano and Italian seasoning. Had everything on hand. Chicken Vegetable soup
• Hubby suggested cooking some small red potatoes in the microwave so I looked up how to do it. The AI recommendation came out great and this will probably replace boiling them.  Directions: Microwave small red potatoes by washing them, piercing each with a fork and placing them in a microwave safe dish with 1-3 tablespoons of water. Cover the dish and microwave on high for 5-8 minutes, stirring halfway through, until a fork slides in easily.