Summer Is For...

Summer is for oh-so-many wonderful things . . . things which, apparently, do not involve sitting in front of the computer updating this blog. Good grief, I'm terribly behind! Apologies, faithful readers.

The good news: Less screen time equals more green time. Here's an A-to-Z overview of what I've been up to since the arrival of summer, with its lovely long days of sunshine, sparkly blue water, ripe cherries, and the hordes of tourists who come to enjoy this most enjoyable of seasons.

• Attempting to achieve appropriate attire for the arbitrary weather, alternating between steamy hot (for one week, anyway) and atypically cold.
• Biking around town with a mini-bushel basket on the back of my bike to hold bags and bundles (see letters f and g).
• Constructing a carport (garage, actually – and I’m just coordinating the construction through a contractor, but it’s still a considerable and consequential undertaking).
• Demolishing and dispatching a dilapidated shed to make way for said garage.
• Enjoying an ever-evolving seasonal selection of delectable local edibles.
• Foraging for aforementioned foods at farmers markets, farm stands, and u-pick fruit fields (see letter s).
• Gallivanting from one garage sale to the next. It’s a gamble (garbage and gimmicks? or great gleaming bargains?) but I generally manage to glean good stuff.
• Hauling heaps of rocks and bricks to help hem in new flower and herb beds around the house.
• Investigating Isle Royale, the iconic island wilderness in icy Lake Superior.
• Jumping between Traverse City, Petoskey, and Burt Lake with jolting frequency.
• Kind of the same way I’m kangaroo-jumping all over in this un-chronological list. Can you keep up?
• Learning to like my new motorless lawnmower, a little difficult to launch in my lumpy lawn but lovely nonetheless: silent and clean.
• Needing to spend time with our nice newly-befriended neighbors because...
• Oh no! We’re so sorry that Maisie-Roo’s only local dog friend, her
• Pal Powell, and his parents Charyl and Michael, will be departing back to Portland.
• Questing for ways to quench my quadruped companion’s quirk that keeps her from making other dog friends, which is becoming quite a quagmire.
• Rendezvousing with first-rate friends in Minnesota at my 10-year Carleton reunion and the homes of comrades from Wolf Ridge and grad school along the way. A whirlwind week of reconnecting, reminiscing, and greeting the next generation.
  
• Selecting a sizeable sum of u-pick strawberries with cousin Sarah on a sunny Sunday.
• Trying to come to terms with the untimely passing of a truly wonderful coworker, tremendous naturalist, and terrific human being, Craig Tufts.
• Un-wallpapering an upstairs room in preparation for the next round of painting.
• Vigorously veggie-gardening. No vacancies here – every available space is filled! Also volunteering at a vibrant local farm for yet another serving of verdure.
• Well, working, of course. Also working out the details of a new role come September – still with National Wildlife Federation, still writing, just modified a bit. And – whew – grateful to be still employed!
• X-ing out more items on the eXcellent to-do list, thanks to some eXperts (garage-builders, underground power-line guys, electricians, floor-covering specialists, and fence consultants, for eXample).
• Yet more yard work – yes, there is still more planting, weeding, landscaping, grass-growing and such in my plan for the year.
• Zzzzzzz. Good night, time to zip off to bed so I can zestfully tackle tomorrow's projects!