So, I figured that if I was going to write a post titled “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” I had better write it before October. So, here I am.

I don’t actually get a summer vacation anymore of course. I have three weeks of vacation a year that I very carefully plan out. But the weather in summertime lends itself to so much more activity than other months. It somehow feels more laid back, even though I am still working like a mad woman on my computer 8 hours a day. This is the season of picnics, taking a nap on a beach blanket under a tree in the backyard on a Sunday afternoon, and going for a walk at 6 in the morning and having it be light already. Summertime and the living is easy. Ish.

I thought I would recap my life over the last few months (since the beginning of May, actually) with a few lists of things I’ve done, read, and watched. So here goes:

Things I’ve Done:

  1. Several trips to Cincinnati to move Sam out of his apartment
  2. Going on weekly hikes with an old teaching buddy of mine.
  3. Morning walks with Sam and Pokey
  4. Lunchtime and after-work walks with Chris
  5. Teaching Sam how to drive on the highway (terrifying – actually I shouldn’t say that; he’s a good driver; but, yeah, terrifying)
  6. Spending an unexpected afternoon in downtown Cleveland – treating myself to a doughnut and coffee, browsing some interesting shops, taking photos
  7. Road trip to Connecticut – picnics with my mother, quality time with my sisters, the excitement of a hurricane warning, dinner in Fairfield with my college friend Lori, “glamping” with more college friends and laughing so much, a picnic lunch with Mom and my oldest friend, Beth (49 years of friendship and counting)
  8. A fabulous 58th birthday with cards galore from friends, an incredible dinner prepared by Chris, and the best gift of all – a gift card to a spa which I will use for much needed massages
  9. The continuation of our Covid-era version of Saturday date nights (making our own decadent food and watching something fun on TV)

Books I’ve Read:

  1. Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
  2. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
  3. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
  4. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
  5. Rachel to the Rescue by Elinor Lipman
  6. The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
  7. My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman
  8. The Age of Misadventure by Judy Leigh
  9. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
  10. Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything by Kristin Bair
  11. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O by Neal Stephenson
  12. Master of the Revels by Nicole Galland
  13. The entire “Rivers of London” series by Ben Aaronovitch

Shows We’ve Enjoyed

  1. Ted Lasso
  2. What We Do in the Shadows
  3. Killing Eve (we’ve just started this one)
  4. Death in Paradise (we love a nice, gentle murder mystery)
  5. Ghosts
  6. The Cafe
  7. Trying
  8. Vera (new season!)
  9. Only Murders in the Building

As I’ve said in past posts, Autumn is my favorite season, but Summer is a close second. Even though I’ve had my struggles with feeling “meh” this summer, it’s really been a wonderful time and I’m so grateful for everything I am able to experience and accomplish. Yesterday being September 11th was enough to put me in a reflective mood, but Chris and I also attended a memorial service yesterday afternoon for an amazing woman who left this earth way too soon, and who battled ALS courageously for years. The clock is ticking, friends. Let’s get busy.

Love,

Michelle xoxo