Summer Bucket List Top Ten

Summer, summer, glorious summer! Mine started yesterday and I am so looking forward to it. Thanks to Deanna Jump at Mrs. Jump's Class for this great Top Ten Things I Want to Do This Summer linky. Although these are my top ten, they are not in any particular order.

1. Our summer break starts a little late in Michigan so I am already behind with yardwork. Another cleaning of the pond and planting of a few more flowers are in order. We put up a pergola on the deck last year just before the snow flew and I need to plant some viney things to grow up on it, hang some outdoor curtains to keep the setting sun out of our eyes, and string lights, lights, lights. And I'm giving vertical gardening another go this summer. More on that later.

Some started as plants, some as seeds

2. Storytelling gets some quality time this summer. I'm slated to tell for a non-profit preschool in town. Looking forward to telling for the even-shorter-than-usual short people. I'm hosting a book club for the storytelling guild and am excited about the book we're reading... more to come. And I'm hosting Campfire Tales. There's nothing like telling 'round the fire and there's nobody who can do it like my storytelling friends. I'm really looking forward to that... and it's incentive to get the afore mentioned yardwork done, and the following book read :)

That'll be us!

3. Read, read, read. The stack is tall, but this has to be a first one so I'm ready for the book club.

Storyteller Donna Washington is a featured author, and I've heard her speak, so I know it'll be good.

4. I've vowed to really keep up with blogging. This is not work, as I really enjoy it. It's just hard to find time. I'm also looking into how to give away a present for subscribing. You might want to subscribe now to get in on it

One for subscribers coming!

5. I'm going to Colorado to visit my brothers and families, especially my three year old niece who is one cute and funny kid. And I'm looping through Seattle to see the sights again, though the sight I want to see more than any is that of my sweet almost grown daughter, Samuelina. She's doing an internship at Boeing. Thank goodness she has one more year of school to go here in Michigan before she's off for parts unknown next year.

Here I come

6. There are a couple fun things on the agenda with Jonathan and Delaney who are right here at home. Dinners on the deck and campfires in the yard to begin with. Ah, summer.

Maybe try some new recipes

7. Working with Jonathan on some TPT resources. I have a long list to work on. Keep watching.

Adding more soon...

8. Walking, walking, walking. Summer is exercise time. Should be all year, but you know how the school year goes. I'll cling to the notion that some is better than none.

Put one foot in front of the other

9. Long term planning for school next year. Michigan's participation in common core kicks in and with it come lots of changes. I'm working with my district to bring about those changes, and then thinking about how I want to do things differently in my classroom.

Here it comes, ready or not

10. And last but not least, I'm slated to do some fun writing. I have a twenty two chapter middle grade novel in manuscript form. I have an agent who is interested, too. I sort of went into stall mode with it until recently– a new internet magazine is starting up and they want to feature a series of short stories based on my characters! It's time to go back to the keyboard again. I am thrilled and scared to death at the same time.

Rough sketches for the series

Notice that cleaning is not on the list. It's just not a top ten thing to do, even as I must attack my office, my closet, the garage... It is necessary, but I'm not highlighting it on a list– nope!

It's sort of good to see this in list form. Thanks, Deanna. Be sure to click to see what others are up to.

p.s.  As I sit here writing this at five a.m., the deck door is open. I hear my Screech Owl friends trilling back and forth to each other. YIPPEE. This is the first time I've heard them this season. They are fantastic to see, very small and cute and usually in a family cluster of four to six. Dawn is approaching and that is one of the best times to spot them. They are rather friendly... well, for owls... they are raptors, after all. So happy they live in the neighborhood.

This shot was from last summer– my friend at dawn.

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