Summer List

Important Dates

• Grass Valley Bluegrass Festival ~ June 18 & 19
• Dawn's birthday ~ June 20
• Horsemen's FINAL SHOW ~ June 26

• High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy ~ June 30, July 1, 2 & 3
• Lisa's birthday ~ July 8
• Solar Cook-Off ~ July 9
• Karen's birthday ~ July 25
• Allison's birthday ~ August 2
• Cameron's birthday ~ August 14
• My birthday ~ August 17

Books to Read

• A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrich
• Love Walked In by Marisa de Los Santos
• A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
• The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Projects

• organize recipes
• food dehydrator
• little cakes and tarts

More Fun

• Ace's Baseball
• Blues Tuesdays at Squaw Valley
• Tahoe City Beach Music on Sundays
• Reno is Artown

Busy Bee

Spring is suddenly breaking out after hiding for all of March. The greenhouse is still non-existent, so no seed sowing for me yet. The garden survived the winter quite well, waiting patiently until we can plant. Last year a severe frost on Memorial Day wiped out almost every tomato plant in Reno, so choosing a planting date is critical.

Important Dates

• Bodega Bay camping -- March 31-April 8
• Olivia's birthday -- April 12
• Wayne's birthday -- April 15
• Yosemite -- April 19-22
• Camping for Mother's Day at Coloma -- May 9
• Jeremy's birthday -- May 10
• Amy's birthday -- May 28

Books to Read

• The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow
• The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
• Beautiful Maria of My Soul by Oscar Hijuelos
• The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggett by Glenn Taylor

Projects

• summer clothes
• new hammock

Autumn List

Important Dates:
Sept 30 ~ Dave Alvin at the Palms
Oct 1, 2, 3 ~ Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco
Oct 17 ~ Overnight at the Lookout Tower

Projects:
greenhouse
Sebastian's album
Thanksgiving at our house this year
plant 100 daffodil bulbs

Fun:
UNR Football and tailgate parties
beach camping


Read:
Tribes by Seth Godin
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

So Brave Young and Handsome by Lief Enger
Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin

Summer List

July 1-5 High Sierra Music Festival
July 8 Lisa's birthday
July 10 Gold Country Blues Festival--Walter Trout, Guy Davis
July 25 Karen's birthday
August 2 Allison's birthday
August 7 Northern Calif Blues Festival--Elvin Bishop
August 14 Cameron's birthday
August 17 My birthday

Projects:
Still working on Sebastian's album
still working on the flower island
planting the new trellis with vines


Fun:
Ace's Baseball
Tuesday night blues at Squaw Valley
Beach music on Sundays in Tahoe City

Read:
Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Vereghese
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Linchpin by Seth Godin

Spring List

Important Dates

• Bodega Bay camping -- April 1-15
• Olivia's birthday -- April 12
• San Jose Metro Fountain Blues Festival -- May 8
• Mother's Day at Coloma -- May 9
• Jeremy's birthday -- May 10
• Host Book Club -- May 20
• Amy's birthday -- May 28

Books to Read

• The Help--Kathryn Stockett
• The Girl With No Shadow--Joanne Harris
• Olive Ketteridge--Elizabeth Strout
• The Angel's Game--Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Projects

• more shade sails
• start Sebastian's scrapbook
• flower bed
• set up the deck
• more veggie garden boxes

Autumn List

Important Dates:
Oct 3, 4, 5 ~ Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco
Oct 9 & 10 ~ Jackie Greene ~ Crystal Bay
Nov 6~20 ~ Costa Rica

Projects:
greenhouse
dehydrate apple slices
strawberry butter
make a different soup every week

Fun:
UNR Football and tailgate parties
beach camping

Read:
Food Matters by Mark Bitman
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
The White Queen by Phillippa Gregory

Summer List

Important Dates:
June 26-29 McKenna Family Reunion
July 2-6 High Sierra Music Festival
July 11-12 Taylorsville Solar Cook-off
August 8 Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women
August 9 The Blasters
August 17 My 50th!

Projects:
bees!!
chickens?!
get raspberries and currant plants from Mom
tag photos in Picasa

Fun:
Ace's Baseball
Tuesday night blues at Squaw Valley
Beach music on Sundays in Tahoe City

Read:
In Defense of Food -- Michael Pollan
Food Not Lawns -- HC Flores
the not so big life -- Susan Susanka
The Friday Night Knitting Club -- Kate Jacobs
The Feast of Love -- Charles Baxter
The Memory Keeper's Daughter -- Kim Edwards
The Center of Everything -- Laura Moriarty
A Backward Glance -- Edith Wharton

Spring List

Ah, we made it to the time of longer days, warmer weather, flowers, and brightness! Now is a wonderful time to start making plans for these precious days. It really helps to focus on the good stuff you've got coming up.

Important Dates
Bodega Bay camping -- March 29-April 5
Olivia's birthday -- April 12
Horsemen's Show -- April 19
San Jose Metro Fountain Blues Festival -- May 9
Mother's Day at Coloma -- May 10
Jeremy's birthday -- May 10
Dave Alvin - Rio Theater - Santa Cruz -- May 18
Amy's birthday -- May 28

Books to Read
Monsters of Templton--Lauren Groff
Outlander --Gil Adamson
The Invisible Wall -- Harry Bernstein
A Backward Glance -- Edith Wharton (autobiography)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society -- Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows


Projects
flower bed
set up the deck
veggie garden boxes

Winter List

I actually worked this out a few weeks ago, so some of the items have already been done, but I'm finally get around to posting it. I want to have it because this blog is the record of my life and I want to keep track of my intentions.


Important Dates:
Dave Alvin--New Years Eve
Brad's birthday!--Ron Hacker--Jan 3
Jeremy & Dawn's Baby Shower--Jan 4
Eric Sardinas--Jan 8
Todd Snider--Feb 13


Projects:
clean out the files and the office
really plan the center island garden
really work on serious scrapbooking

Fun:
Arizona--Jan 7-Feb 12
Baby--Mid-March!?!
Wright's Beach--March 31-April 6

Read:
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Mary, Mrs. A. Lincoln by Janis Cooke Newman
Possession by AS Byatt
Empress Orchid by Anchee Min
Dreamer of Days by Mary Doria Russell

Autumn List

"Mountain Colors" by Andy Skaff

It's time to look ahead and think about the good things I have coming up in my life. I encourage you to make a list of your own.


Important Dates:
Mom's Birthday -- Sept 7
Ringling Bros Circus -- Sept 12
Delta Blues Festival -- Sept 13
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival -- Oct 3-5
Horsemans -- Oct 19
Thailand -- Oct 31-Nov 16

Projects:
Orange Wine
Thanksgiving and Christmas plans

Fun:
Calpine Look Out
campfires
new restaurants -- River Grille, La Famiglia
Blues program on Smithsonian Channel
Beach camping
UNR Football

Read:
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
Possession by AS Byatt
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Ready for Summer

The summer list always starts with a look towards what music festivals and shows are coming up. There are some can’t miss ones this summer.

Combine these with the Rollin’ on the River music series on Friday nights, farmer’s markets every Saturday morning and the new farmer’s market in Somersett on Wednesday evenings, and we have to squeeze everything else in around those.

Important Dates:
Jackie Greene – June 5
Coloma Blues Festival – June 7
Shemekia Copeland – June 13
Horseman’s Blues – June 15
Todd Snider – June 26
Solar Cook-Off – July 12
Tinsley Ellis – July 21 & 22
Mammoth Blues Festival – Aug 1 & 2
Dave Alvin – August 22
Bryan Lee – August 25

Projects:
buy new John Haitt CD
center planting bed finished
make a roasted red pepper dipping sauce
watch the Planet Earth series
make a Shutterfly scrapbook
get new adventure-type sandals

Read:
A Bad Woman Feeling Good by Buzzy Jackson
Summer by Edith Wharton

Birthdays:
Sarah -- June 10
Dawn -- June 20
Lisa – July 8
Karen – July 25
Allison – August 2
Cameron – August 14
Me! – August 17

Spring Enjoyment

This is definitely not a massive to-do list (I already have one of those); it’s more like looking ahead to things that will bring pleasure to my life. Your outlook on life changes if you direct your thoughts toward the joys coming up in your life. Find some time to do it.

Important Dates:
hosting Book Club – April 24th
San Jose Blues Festival—May 10th
Mother’s Day picnic—May 11th
Santa Cruz Blues Festival– May 22-26th
Coloma Blues Festival—June 7^th

Projects:
order awnings for back deck
plant container plants
re-do the center island with flowers
buy some new summer clothes
garage sale--June 14th

Read:
The Reef by Edith Wharton
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Peony in Love by Lisa See

Birthdays:
Jeremy—May 10th
Amy—May 28^th
Dawn – June 20^th

Winter List

The winter list tends to be the organizing, clean it up, look~to~the~future kind of list, but that makes me happy as well. I want my life to be simple and sweet. No big things hanging overhead, just pleasant day~to~day living. If I accomplish these jobs, I feel free to do the more creative fun things without guilt.

On my lists, I like to emphasize the positive things I have to look forward to. Like you, I have to do my tax return, but I don't put it on the list because it is a necessary item that will get done anyway. No, this list is for the things I WANT to do.

Here it is:

Brad's 50th Birthday party--Jan 12
Campbell Brothers--Jan 25
Todd Snider--Feb 1 & 2 (yes, both days)
Robben Ford--Feb 8
Tab Beniot--Feb 16
UNR Basketball games

New glasses
garden plans
scrapbook pages ( a lot!)
winter kits for both cars
organize my photos on the computer
idrive.com to backup my computer
new end table
condition leather furniture
sign up for paperbackswap.com

Lots of books~to~read and movies~to~see, but that's a separate list.

Autumn List

Sunflower backlight, originally uploaded by c8mills.

Well, almost the end of September, and I’m finally getting to this. But what does it matter? I still have two months to fill up. I do it because I want to, so these are somethings I am looking forward to:

Music:
Devil Makes Three – Sept 28
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men – Oct 5
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival –Oct 6&7
Horsemans—Oct 28, Nov 11

Day Trips:
A Day in San Francisco with my book club friends—Nov 3
Canoe trip
Oakland Raiders Game—Nov 4 ?

Vacations:
Bodega Bay & Sebastopol – Oct 8-12

Projects:
Postcard Swap
Work on Christmas presents
Finish England scrapbook
Plans for the new back deck
Make orange wine

Read:
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris

Other:
UNR Football Game – Sept 29, Oct 27
Thanksgiving

What's on your list?

Summer of Love

It has been a very rough spring and we are kind of glad it’s over now. I honestly didn’t have a chance to accomplish much. We can look forward to what Brad has dubbed, “Our Personal Summer of Love, 40 Years Later.” Since we are starting off next weekend with a real live hippie festival, it seems appropriate. We plan to make the most of our time together from now on. There are so many things we want to do, so this is the seasonal Summer List.

Kate Wolf Festival – June 29-July 1
Controlled Burn—July 1
Truckee Fourth of July Fireworks at Donner Lake
Hayward Blues Festival – July 7 & 8
Blackhawk Solar Cook-Off in Taylorsville – July 13-15
Mammoth Blues Festival – August 3&4
Burning Man – August 27-Sept 3

Farmers Markets!!
Shakespeare at Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe
Beach Concerts in Tahoe City
Buy a new couch
plant an herb patch
England scrapbook

Books to read:
Make Your Creative Dreams REAL – SARK
Gentlemen and Players – Joanne Harris
Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
Freedom Writers Diaries
others to be determined

Birthdays:
Lisa – July 8
Karen – July 25
Allison – August 2
Cameron – August 14
Me! – August 17

The Spring List

So it’s time for me to work on my Spring List. I know it’s a little late, but I’ve been rather busy lately. Looking at my calendar, I can see that I have some very special concerts and family get-togethers coming up. My big projects are getting some landscaping done around here, finishing Jeremy & Dawn’s wedding album (I know, I know) and the China album.

I love having this list to go by. It gives me so much to look forward to. It reminds me to keep focused on the good stuff in life. Please take a little time and start your own list. You’ll be so glad you did.

Bodega Bay camping - April 14-20
Santa Cruz Blues Festival – May 25-28
England – May 29^th-June 15^th
China album
J&D album
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Wild Girl by Jim Fergus
The Thirteen Tale by Diane Setterfield
China reunion party – April 14
Mother’s Day at Coloma
Robert Randolph/Ziggy Marley—May 12
Bryan Lee—May 18
Dave Alvin – June 29
Host book club – April 24
Get out summer clothes
Garden remodel

Birthdays:
Jeremy—May 10th
Amy—May 28^th
Dawn – June 20^th