Wow! I can’t believe how fast this summer is going by. In just two weeks, I start college- eek!
At the beginning of the summer, my brother and I made up a list of things to do this summer. It wasn’t really a to-do list, but more of a things-we-can-do list. The intention was that if we were bored or getting lazy, we could simply pick something off the list and do it. There were 91 items on the list. The items varied a lot. Some were simple, such as “have a campfire” or “bake”; others were much more complex, such as “restore the pond at Ogden Place” (our great-grandmother’s house and property).
I was curious to see how many we’ve done so far, so I printed the list off the computer and crossed off those we have done. We completed 22 of the projects. In all honesty, I thought that number would be a lot lower. I think that having a paper copy (in a highly visible place, of course) may have encouraged us to do more, but I’m not unhappy with our number.
There are a few more that we hope to accomplish before we head back to school. Those that aren’t completed this summer will most likely end up on our list for next year.
For those that are interested, these are the items that have been completed: making jam, having a barbeque, making a poster, going to lawn sales, having a campfire, biking, hiking, cooking, baking, berry picking, going to the library, making breakfast with the family, painting planting pots, organizing our backroom shelf, painting kitchen stools, making invitations, going out for ice cream, sketching, painting, making homemade ice cream sandwiches, and camping.
Those that we are still hoping to complete by the end of summer: going antiquing, going to the Hobart Book Village, making bread, finishing the cornhole game we’ve been making, kayaking, spending an afternoon at our dad’s hunting camp, writing our “Christmas” letter, and having a Sunday picnic.
If you want to make a list of your own, here are 50 other ideas we came up with: 1. Paint rocks bright colors for decorative purposes, 2. Make salsa, 3. Harvest clay, 4. Make a film, 5. Make a collage, 6. Have a movie night, 7. Clean up a sore spot on your property, 8. Make a wooden flag, 9. Scan old photos, 10. Create a photo gallery for your hallway, 11. Make woodcuts, 12. Make a waterfall fountain, 13. Make homemade soda, 14. Photo expedition, 15. Make a pinhole camera, 16. Make a wooden box, 17. Make hanging mobiles, 18. Make a photo frame, 19. Create a terrarium, 20. Make homemade soap, 21. Build a trellis for your garden, 22. Refurbish old furniture, 23. Make pickles, 24. Organize your basement (or attic), 25. Do a photo project, 26. Volunteer in your community, 27. Chalk art, 28. Plant hanging baskets, 29. Sort your computer bookmarks, 30. Make cushion covers, 31. Make a couch from a door, 32. Do a photo shoot, 33. Make stuffed animals, 34. Make a blanket or quilt, 35. Make Christmas gifts, 36. Record the sounds of your town, 37. Go through your filing cabinets, 38. Organize your “junk” drawer, 39. Organize a closet, 40. Make lighting with mason jars, 41. Make a lamp, 42. Make bookmarks, 43. Create a floral arrangement, 44. Take cookies to people, 45. Make your own rubber stamps, 46. Plant herbs, 47. Split wood, 48. Have a water balloon fight, 49. Start a book exchange, 50. Go to a local museum.
The Oke Den 