small things...

Month 9 Wrap-up

As we enter the last quarter of the year I’m noticing a slow down.  While the list may appear to still have a whole lot of items left to be completed (17 by today’s count) the push to cross items off has slowed.  There are a few that won’t be completed as I’d originally intended, but I’m still working on completing them in other ways.  With three months left I’m still looking forward to all of it.  But a slow down feels good right about now.

To the wrap up.  In September I was able to cross the following items off my list:

• #12 – I swam in the Lake at Sunrise
• #37 – I made homemade ice cream
• #27 – I submitted a story to a literary journal

I also completed # 38 – Sew myself something and wear it in public.  I’d come across some directions for an infinity scarf, but when I brought my fabric home and began sewing – it kind of became something else.  Still a scarf…

I had about 2 yards of this super soft, stretchy fabric. I cut it to fit the length the directions called for and then I sewed up the long side so that it made a long tube.  And then I put that tube over my head.  It made this awesome-scarf-like-cozy-shoulder-shrug-like-kinda thing-that-is-maybe-like-a-snuggie-for-the-scarf-set.  I lurve it.  I pull it on in the morning over my pj’s and am good to hang around my apartment all morning while keeping my windows cracked for the that nice autumn coolness.  success!

I also finished a few more books this month

#20 – Read 40 Books (30 out of 40 read! 10 to go)

A couple meets online from across the world and marry quickly.  A modern day mail order bride?

A boy with a facial deformity tries to navigate the 5th grade.  My favorite book of the month

A girl who falls and survives tries to understand what happened.  A wonderful book

And two audio books:

The magicians have become kings and then get lost from their kingdom.  Much more strife and sadness in this one.  Heroes are rarely happy

Apparently this book was not the first in a series, but the author does a good job of rendering that unnecessary to jump right into this one.  I was missing some of the back story,but not enough to be lost.  About a cop and the serial killer who loves him.

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coming up in October:

• OY, a budget.
• I’ll complete my 40 days of meditating (about 20 days in now!)
• I might camp and fish…?
• I might finish my 10 new foods/drinks!
• I might finish my bedroom redo!  (been working on it for months bit by bit)

#27–Submit a story to a literary journal

This item on the list is a late addition.  I mentioned in my last month wrap-up post that there were a few items on the list that were looking less and less likely to be finished and I was considering swapping a few out.  Around the same time I received an email from Univ. of Madison sent to all workshop participants requesting submissions for  the Midwest Prairie Review’s second issue.  It’s a journal focused on Midwestern writers, poets, visual artists or folks just wanting to celebrate topics related to the Midwest.  Here was my chance to send something in!

I combed through stories or bits of stories that I’d already written and tried to rework a few to be ready to send in.  I had an idea about another story having to do with coming home when you’ve already chosen another place to be ‘home’, but I just couldn’t quite make any of it work.

About 5 days before the submission deadline I remembered a conversation I had with a friend about Lake Michigan on his first visit.  It wasn’t the first time I’d heard someone compare the Lake to an ocean, but he’d been the hardest to convince that you could not see across.  He was adamant that ‘that line there…that’s is land.”  to convince him all he was seeing was the horizon line was a challenge.  So I wrote a story that grew from that conversation.  And I sent it in.

And now I wait til maybe February to see if they’d like to include it.  I don’t know if it was polished enough or well developed enough for publication.  But really, I kind of can’t believe I even did it.

I tend to be one of those people who think A LOT about the things I’d like to do in life and act on them far less.  That was one of the purposes of this list in the first place -  to convince me ‘to act’. 

Now on to #8….finishing that novel.  We all have one in us, you know.

sunrises and ice cream

Today should be (fingers crossed) the last day of our most recent heat wave.  I thought I would mark the (hopefully) last day of hot summer with a sunrise dip in the lake.  I pulled my swimsuit on, grabbed a towel and my camera and walked across the street to the beach about about 6am this morning.  It was peaceful and lovely.  The water was cool, but the air was already a bit thick and close to 75 degrees at that time in the morning so a quick dip felt great.  I stayed long enough to see the sun rise to a bright orange orb, but it was that image above that will stick with me. 

#12 – Swim in lake Michigan at sunrise – COMPLETE

If you’re placing close attention to the list (are you??)  you’ll remember that this used to be “kayak or paddleboard…at sunrise”  Since I own neither of these items it was becoming pretty clear this was going to be a challenge.  Thank goodness this is MY list and I can change it anytime I want!

I am ready for fall, but one last muggy morning that begins this way was well worth it.

#37 – Make Homemade Ice Cream – COMPLETE!

I have spent all summer researching and trying recipes for homemade ice cream with out an ice cream maker – because I didn’t have one.  The results were tasty, but mostly like iced milk and not creamy – if that makes any sense.  I went up to Michigan for a quick overnight trip Labor Day wknd and brought home with me some fine Michigan peaches.  And with it being Labor day weekend, and the aforementioned heat wave was on it’s way, all I kept thinking about was how those fresh and juicy peaches sure would make a fine ice cream.

So I bought an ice cream maker!  The most reasonable one I could find with a 20% off coupon and that baby was mine.  And so was this peach ice cream.  I don’t know if I’ll end up getting my money’s worth using the maker this year, but I foresee homemade ice cream for  summers and summers to come.

Month 8–the wrap-up

Ah, August.  August was a good month for fun.  I had started to get worried there, back in July, that some of the items on my list were just not going to happen.  Then a fun trip with friends who were game to helping me live from my list changed all that.  Not just cross items off, but really enjoy the things I’d hoped to do this year. 

So August came along and here’s what happened:

• #14 – I took a Cooking Class
• # 7 – I added dinner party #3 to my goal of having 4 seasonal dinner parties
• #31  - I learned to swim with my face in the water.  And am still practicing
• #1 – I tried paddleboarding
• #40 – I helped someone else reach a goal (see paddleboarding)
• #11 – I watched the sunset while on a boogie board floating in Lake Michigan
• #35 – I went swimming at night
• #34 – I learned how to roast a chicken, and I didn’t freak out. but I still don’t like it

I also read a few books

#20 – Read 40 books. I’ve completed 25.  With 15 to go, that means about 4 books a month. Doable!

 

This really was extraordinary.  I agree, New York Times

meh. this was kind of not worth reading.  luckily it was easy enough to read in one day.

I lovely story about art and family told against the backdrop of the aids epidemic of the late 80s

this dude was cyberstalked!  the internet contains stalkers you can never get away from.

The author’s tale of losing her identical twin sister to a drug overdose.  lovely and sad

Hogwarts for the college set!  Magic and drugs and love and betrayal and also dorm food.

#3  - Eat or Drink 10 things I’ve never tried before (8 of 10 complete!)

Ketchup chips, dude.  Go to Canada. Try them.

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Three days into September.  Looking at my list I’m realizing that there are a few of things that are either just not going to happen, or I no longer think I want to do that much.  The two least likely to be completed at this point are #22 – Go camping or glamping (I mean I don’t even have a tent); and #28 – Go fishing (I MEAN, I don’t have a fishing pole or worms).  So I’m likely to swap these out in the next coupe of days for other goals I might like to try to complete before the end of the year.  Some contenders:

• Submit a short story to a literary magazine
• Swim from my beach to the next closest one…

That’s all I’ve got so far!  Taking recommendations…especially if you’d like to join me!

xo

erin