The kids who live in the apartment upstairs are out of school for the summer, which means I am awakened in the morning by their stomps above my bedroom, awakened from my afternoon naps by their stomps above my couch, and annoyed at all other times by Egon’s warnings whenever they are outside in the yard or on the balcony. Itis amazing to me how two skinny little kids under the age of ten, who could not possibly weigh more than 50 lbs each, can make that much noise on the ceiling. You gotta love summer.
In other summertime news, I have one more full week of summer classes followed by a half week and a final exam. That’s all that stands between me and my little summer vacation! I will have all of the month of July to do Whatever I Damned Well Please before the prep for fall semester begins in August. It’s been such a long time since I’ve had any significant time off work that I’m afraid I don’t know what to do with myself.
So far, I have exactly one plan: I am going to see Furthur (Bob Weir and Phil Lesh’s band) in Atlanta in the middle of the month. CW, who loves the Grateful Dead, invited me to go and I am pretty effing excited. It’s been ages since I’ve been to a show like that — in college, there was a lot of Widespread Panic and the Allman Brothers (among others), but I have never actually seen these guys. I missed my chance to see The Dead when Jerry Garcia died my senior year of high school. This won’t be quite the same, of course, but it should be a really great time.
![[159/366] Eegs Takes a Rest](https://i0.wp.com/farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/7349693856_21346ac3e4_z.jpg)
As far as other plans, I’ve been thinking a bit about how I’ll spend my time. Although Egon’s vet care is now taken care of (because you people are seriously incredible) (also please see here for videos of him using his amazing new wheels!), I still need to be very frugal due to summer work being less than plentiful this year. That doesn’t mean I can’t make the most of life, though! I think I should follow the lead of Holly and a few other blogging friends and make myself a list of things to do this summer. I’m sure I’d be almost as happy to to while away the hours watching movies on my couch, reading books, sitting on the patio, and swimming in Becky’s pool, but if the summer goes by and that’s all I’ve done, well, I may feel I’ve missed out. Here is a bigger list of things I’d like to do:
- eat tons of my favorite summer foods (tomatoes, basil, cherries — in particular the tomatoes and basil currently surviving in my container garden)
- make more amazing drinks with the fresh mint that is currently thriving in my patio garden (dependent on my not killing it)
- resume a daily walking habit, bringing Eegs along when he’s ready to put more miles on his wheels
- make lemonade and iced tea
- read as much fun and literary fiction as I can (Jeffrey Eugenides, Jonathan Safran Foer, David Foster Wallace, more?)
- read some of the poetry I’ve been piling up for later (Edna St. Vincent Millay, Frank O’Hara, E.E. Cummings)
- hang out at the pool
- ride my bike a lot
- peruse Veganomicon and Clean Food for some summery recpies to get me out of my cooking rut
- re-watch some favorite old shows (including at least some of: Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Angel, Freaks and Geeks, Friday Night Lights, Lost, Alias, Dollhouse)
- do some trail running (or hiking, depending on my hip) at the forest ecology preserve
- carry my DSLR around more often for unexpected photo opportunities
- spend more time hanging out at people’s homes when we want to share a meal or drink or watch a movie
- relatedly: trick a friend with a grill into hosting a small cookout
- take Eegs to the park when he’s ready
Anything I need to add to the list? I feel like I’m forgetting something.
Raveling Out 
Actual conversation in my house the other day after getting the mail with your thank you note/photo in it:
Garrett: Oh hey what’s that?
Holly: Oh it’s a thank you note from someone I sent money to. You know, from the internet.
Garrett: HUH? Wait…what?
Holly: Her doggie was sick…and just look at him
:::::shows picture::::::
Garrett: Whatever you sent, you should have DOUBLED IT!
Anyway, so glad to hear Egon’s recovery is going well, and FUN list! I want to make iced tea too! Should have added that to the list. Maybe have to go back and edit. MMM…iced tea lemondade. With booze.
Yep, editing.!
Awww, you are so sweet for donating to Eegs, and Garrett too! He is kind of irresistibly adorable 🙂
Also, I like your iced-tea-lemonade-booze strategy! Since I’m cutting back alcohol spending, I think I will lure people over with this idea and make them bring the booze. Then all I will have to do is make the tea/lemonade. Genius plan. (Shh, don’t tell any of my local peeps…)
Uh, I mean Egon is irresistibly adorable, not Garrett. I mean, Garrett is cute too, but I ain’t creepin’ on your man! 🙂
I would like my list of summer things to do to include a visit to you during your free time. Don’t worry, I will bring booze.
I am in BIG support of this plan. Any time after June 24, (except for July 10th). Come on down!
it does suck when you don’t have the money to do all the things you want to do, but it is nice to stay in your own area and explore what’s there and enjoy the downtime. i’m finding the library is helping me when it comes to saving money and enjoying myself; books and movies and cds for free, and they can all be reserved online which is a super big bonus in my world. the money i save through the library seems to go to races this year.
it’s the simple pleasures that make life so good, and you have a great list of fun simple pleasures that i think can be easily overlooked in our hurry-up world that promotes spending money and going far and wide to enjoy yourself. it’s just not so. i’d add exploring to your list, but with walking and hiking and biking you’ll get in lots of that. and i’m sure taking egon with you on walks will be a fun adventure for you both.
Yes, exploring should definitely be on the list! I think it will go hand in hand with some of the other stuff, especially biking. That tends to take me to new parts of town/the county all the time. And you’re so right about the library! I have been making requests for new books a lot lately. Love it.
Your summer list is terrific! And might I add that I am a tiny bit jealous of your mint? I really want to add mint to my patio garden, but I haven’t yet. I need to visit the Home Depot again and see if there are any good candidates.
This summer is going to be plenty busy for me with work, but I may *ahem* have excess free time in September if I am unemployed. I might have to make a fall list like yours to keep my spirits up during that time 🙂
(But fingers crossed that I’m not unemployed, right? I’m all about positive thinking these days.)
I think I am going to go get some of that mint today, in fact! (I’m house sitting for a friend but I have to visit my place today to tend the plants and check mail.) Mint is supposed to be hard to kill (I will put that claim to the test), so good luck with yours, I bet it’s a success! Good luck with the job issues, too. I am keeping my fingers crossed for you!
random, I know, but those are some gorgeous plants you are growing!
Thanks — I tend to have bad luck with plants (or maybe I’m just not smart about them) so I just hope they keep growing!