Summer musings- part one

I am missing writing in this blog!  But of course I have been doing so many things that I have not have time, so that is good I guess.  But the irony is that the more stuff I do, the more I want to reflect on it!

Smith Lake

And then I keep doing things and taking pictures and want to write more and it really is a cycle, but such is this summer!

It has been a lot of fun, I will say.  And today I am going to continue what the DH calls my on going summer party... and I know he means to tease me.  But hey!  I have a lot to do during the school year and it is my summer and I will do what I want to!  :)

So since I have a few summer posts in me- summer wrap ups I guess you could say- what am I going to do with this one??  TOTALLY random things.  I have some more serious posts that I probably will write but I am still composing and deciding on my voice for those, so I'm going with what pops to mind.

First today I am going to spend the day with my friend Cat, who I have NOT hardly seen all summer.  We usually manage to get to something somewhere a few times- so today it is a trip up to the big lake and Little Girl's Point.  I am excited.  Lots of people from Park Falls go up there and I am anxious to see it! Picnicking, picture taking, beach combing and reading on the beach (someone pinch me- I haven't sat and read all summer) are on the agenda- oh and like I'm not taking my camera bag..... HA!

Secondly, as I go and pour a second cup of coffee, I have found a serious love of my life- a fantastic discovery in a little white bag!!!  It all started with that trip to Bayfield with my teacher friends the Mad-English teacher, Adam, and the Mad-Chemistry teacher, Laurie.  We stopped at that awesome cafe called Coco's in Washburn and I had a sublime fried egg sandwich with pesto (serious yum) and the most fantastic coffee!!!  Well come to find out that the coffee is roasted (single source coffee beans!) in Bayfield at Big Water Coffee Roasters.  AND THEY SELL IT TO MERE MORTALS!!!  The kind I am addicted to right now is the Sumatra Mandheling.  It is so so good.  sigh.  sip.

My house is being sided and beautified right now.  I do have a post about this coming- it is becoming the same gorgeous grey that the garden shed is.  (somehow that sentence sounds funny- and somehow I think that the word "is" is not supposed to end a sentence, but oh well)  

I also have 2 very awesome new trees in my yard- that was fun to go and choose them.... I have another River Birch, to which I am emotionally attached (I love the exfoliating bark) and a COOOOL as can be weeping Crab Apple.  I love the weeping forms of trees and now I know how to keep them weeping and not shooting for the sky!  Duh- cut the rogue branches off.  

One thing that concerns me, and for some reason I am not hysterical about it, is the fact that instead of dropping a little more weight during the summer I have in fact gained about 5 pounds.  Now I am not sure what the heck that is about, but for whatever reason again - I am now choosing to lose it!  I am so calm about it.  I have no real cravings as I cut back my calories a little, and I am not pleased with the fact that my cute jeans are  a little tight, but on the other hand I am already losing some of the weight.  I am so weird sometimes- I wish I was a lot more stable in my whims, wishes and moods, but we all know that won't be happening.  I have had some interesting conversations and read some things that have concerned me with all the crazy things that people get thinking when they are trying to either lose weight or maintain it and I am starting to think that the more you follow "rules" or a "diet" or cut carbs or go low fat or .......... fill in the blank.........  the crazier it is. Seriously, eat what you like only not much of it.  And get off your tookus and move.  I personally am a weight training advocate (surprise!!!!!) and think that by doing some amount of weight lifting you will up your calorie burn, energy level and ability to do your every day activities with ease, but ANY activity is better than nothing.  I read in a health blog recently (and I cant find that particular article right now) that people need to stop vilifying themselves because of the food they have put into their bodies.  I mean an online friend had a breakdown almost about a couple tablespoons of pasta salad!  That poor thing. No one should use their food intake as a measure of their self worth.  Good lord.  It is food- you control it not the other way around.  But I understand,  I have been in that place myself.

Anywho, I have a busy busy week next week.  Our staff is again changing at school- one young teacher has gone to be in the same city as their significant other and so a young person from town gets a crack at teaching at the High School.  I am going to be a mentor again this year, which is always an interesting thing.  There are a badillion new staff members due to moving, spousal job changes and retirements and of course there is the death of our dear friend the IT guy.  Ugh, we miss him so much on both a personal and professional level. He was an outstanding human being.  

And people, I seriously have no idea when I am going to get all my stuff set up in my room.  I will take volunteers from the audience!!!  HAHAHAHA  (no seriously, I have this really good Sumatran coffee I can share......  )  Hey I have time, I will pull it together at some point this week.  But I think there might be one last summer excursion over to Minocqua next Friday.....  :)

OH I have been making pickles, too!  It has been a lot of fun- so far I have 3 kinds going. THAT will be another post soon.

I better get going, I have to start gathering my things for my excursion to Lake Superior.  Not that I have to leave for a few hours, but I have to start putting things into a pile.

And I am sure you can only take so much of my aimlessness. 

Pictures and recipes and more musings are sure to be coming.

And perhaps a bit of Joy

One of my everyday joys!

Be someone's joy today!