Getting Olivia to a 7 AM softball camp was the official start of the day, but I was going before then. Beth and William had appointments including William’s camp physical and sports physical for next year. I have to get one too, and it is on my list. It rained early and rained off and on all day. In the evening, the sun came out briefly, and then disappeared. The day, like the weather, was prefect for odd jobs and procrastination.
Right now, I am sitting in the truck outside the softball field writing and watching Olivia out of the corner of my eyes. I have a few things on my list and Beth has several as well. The trouble with summer vacation is we all have ideas about what we should be doing and they are all very different. Summer is the time to reset and repurpose, and renew for the coming year and it will be here sooner than I want. I have a few goals this summer and have already started working on them.
I want to swim the mile at summer camp. When I was at camp in August 1974, I swam the mile. Last summer, William swam the mile and plans to swim it again. The trouble is I am not in the shape I should be in to swim the mile. I started going to the pool and swimming laps and started with 300 yards and this week, I will be at 600 yards –almost a third of the way. Olivia wants to hit the pool today and I am with her. This also fits nicely with another goal – to lose weight and get in shape. I have already started and am feeling better, it helps getting enough rest.
There are home projects and this is where the procrastination sets in! I am a ‘piler’ by nature and disorganized to make it worse. Yesterday, William and his friend finished pulling down the basement drop ceiling and it really opens the basement. There is more to do and that will happen today, grudgingly. Then there is my desk and all of my books – piled high and covering workspace! Beth has ‘rescued’ me from my desk and my clutter, before and I am one my own. To make it worse I save just about everything and have a hard time clearing, recycling, and throwing things away.
Until two years ago, I was a geography teacher. As a geography teacher, I read books like Salt, The History of the World in Six Glasses, and other books to enhance my knowledge base. Those books were great to read and I still remember what I learned, however, I am now a Language Arts teacher and I need to read books my kids are reading. I spent time this school year reading books for adolescents and there are many good books and authors out there. So far, I have finished two books this summer. I have a lengthy list and includes finishing the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz (I have three to read and they are easy reads) and reading books from the Caudill list (an Illinois Librarian Association list of books for adolescents). I started reading the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan last night and it looks to be an interesting read – all about a kid who gets mixed up with Greek and Roman gods in modern New York City. I remember my friend Steve recommending it to me after he read it with his son. Maybe William would enjoy it, hmmmmm.
Speaking of William, he gets braces today, so he’ll be in pain and in a miserable mood this evening. I remember braces and not fondly. Braces are a suburban rite of passage and he has wanted them, I did, too since sixth grade. He finally gets them today. I’ll keep you posted on how much he likes them!
In addition to the fun books, I have a few teacher books to read and digest; books about teaching reading, writing, and philosophies on grading. Next week there is a teacher training session and I hope to make it, Kelly Gallagher, a teacher and an author of two of the books I am reading will be here for the training.
And that is it for summer goals, except for writing. I am going to keep this going. It was fun last summer and it is still fun. I enjoy writing and it keeps me thinking. I have a dozen or so ideas enter the brain daily – when I am driving, working, or just hanging out (which is rare, lately). MtDC has been up and running for over a year and there are many memories tucked away. Last night, as I was cooking dinner I remembered that last year I was in Paris with Julie and my brothers to take dad’s ashes to Chateau-Thierry. I ended up calling Julie to check-in to see if she was okay and what she was up to, I am glad I called. While I was on the phone in
the living room, Olivia walked in with a box full of Mr. Potatohead stuff she had ‘re-discovered’ and proceeded to put together two whacky Mr. Potatoheads! Old toys are better than new toys, which reminds me I need to ‘re-discover’ my train layout.
And that does it for today…. I need to get working on my goals for the day. It is 10.45 – where does it all go? As for the mystery of where I am – here I am, #53 I played center on offense and tackle on defense. We lost every game that year, but it was fun. Today is gonna be a great day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time.