Goals for My Least Favorite Time of Year

Sigh.  I just realized that the post I scheduled for Memorial Day (yesterday), I actually scheduled for today.  We were out of town and I didn't have any access to e-mail or anything else, so I didn't even realize it until today.  Fortunately, it did not cause the world to explode or anything ...  and I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend here in the U.S.  We visited my sister at home in WV, and most of the family was there, so it was lots of fun, as it always is.

Even if it was too hot.   Which brings me to:

 This week's topic:  10 Goals for This Summer

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I am not a fan of summer.  I don't like hot weather, and I absolutely abhor humidity.  So I thought I would try to come up with ten things that I could concentrate on accomplishing, thereby (in theory) keeping me from complaining so much.  A tall order, but worth a try.

1.  Lose 6 pounds.  Why six?  Because I think it is completely realistic to think that I could lose two pounds in June, two in July, and two in August.  I'm hoping that will get me back on track with healthier eating without seeming like punishment.

2.  Finish my Narrangansett sweater.  Ideally, it would have been nice to have it a month or so ago, and have worn it.  But it isn't finished, so I'm gonna aim for the end of the summer at the latest.  If I don't wear it this year, I'll have plenty of opportunities in the years to come.

3.  Take better care of my nails.  One of the first thing I notice about people is their hands.  I was doing pretty well with  mine, but tried one of those shellac manicures, and though it did last two weeks, and looked nice, it made my nails all peely and icky-looking.  So I'm making an effort to bring them back to health and looking nice.

4.   Try to be more creative with my CSA items.  I joined a CSA at work, and we've had one delivery so far that was pretty great.  I want to give at least one new recipe/food item a try with each delivery.  The same old things are yummy and reliable, but I don't want to get tired of the tried and true.  And who knows, I may just find the next amazing thing!

5.  Get rid of stuff.  Clothes/shoes I don't wear, or that are worn out.  Same with household linens.  And just the other *stuff* that has accumulated over the years.  Stay tuned - a stash clear out is part of this goal!

6.  Try to be nicer.  I'm doing pretty well overall with my efforts to be more kind this year.  But summer challenges me in a whole different way, 'cause when I am way too hot and uncomfortable, I really don't want to be nice to anyone.  At all.  Ever.  So I want to change that, even if it's just in a baby steps kind of way.

7.  Clean up/fix up the garden.  The Tim already has his "crops" planted on the deck, but I want to clean up our street-level garden and plant some things, so we can start actually using it again.  When it's not terribly hot, it's a great place to sit in the evenings to relax, and a wonderful spot for weekend breakfast.

8.  Visit The Barnes Foundation.  I never visited it in its suburban location, but really have no excuse, now that it is a) within walking distance of my house, and b) literally across the street from where I work.  I even know the woman who is the Librarian there through knitting workshops, so I should take advantage of it.

9.  More trips to the shore.  Last summer, mainly due to laziness, we only made it two or three times, which is just wrong.  

10. Try to have realistic expectations regarding all of the above.  None of them absolutely have to be done this summer, so I don't want to get caught up in whether or not I'm sticking to them.  I want to try, but not obsess, if you know what I mean.

Now to find something cold to drink ...