How did it get to be August 23rd already?
I was not ready for August, and I’m certainly not ready for August to almost be over. (Though I AM ready for jeans and sweaters. I’m pretty much always ready for jeans and sweaters.)
Anywho, another month. More updates on my 43 before 44 list! I’ve completed items that are in bold. Italicized content shares some details about my progress.
• 43 BEFORE 44 •
- Take a hand-lettering course — I researched popular hand-letterers, purchased this book by The Pigeon Letters, a few pens she recommended, a Rhodia pad, and am considering taking one of her online classes.
- Eat outside on average two times a week — This came as a result of a story on outdoor living I wrote for Springs magazine. And so far, so good. I’ve also been lugging my computer outdoors and working in the fresh air some days.
- Do a Georgia O’Keeffe tour around New Mexico (Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, etc.) — Done (connected to No. 19). Blog about the trip yet to come.
- Install and use an outdoor clothesline — I’ve been researching what style we want. In the meantime, I’ve been drying some clothes outside on my drying rack.
- Watch every episode of MASH — OMG, this is three years running and still going. Maybe this year will be the final year? I swear there are just a FEW DVDs remaining.
- Read at least 100 books — I've read 31 books so far (five others in progress) — my favorites this month were this and this.
- Continue to refine Project 333 to my own version of a minimalist closet project, to include purchasing a few pieces of sustainable and ethical clothing — I keep culling clothes — I’m currently working with a capsule that started at 45 items, and sits now at 35. What's been most fun about this though has been helping friends with their process — did you see my recent post on this topic? And researching ethical clothing companies.
- Attend the Santa Fe Opera
- Visit Meow Wolf in Santa Fe — Done, as a part of a road trip with a good friend! (Photo above from one of the Meow Wolf rooms).
- Hike Hanging Lake
- Stay at the Beaumont Hotel in Ouray ... and hike Blue Lakes while there — On the calendar!
- Attend Judith Lasater’s Advanced Restorative Yoga teacher training — Not going to happen this year. In the meantime, I’m looking at taking another online program with Judith or maybe another teacher.
- Choreograph a country line dance
- Take a birding and/or bird banding class
- Take a surfing lesson
- Plan for and install "Garden 1.0" at new home — In progress.
- Begin planning "Garden 2.0" for 2018
- Get will and living will in order
- Go off-the-grid, no-tech for an extended period of time — Also done. Also will blog about this in the near future. I feel like I'm still processing the experience and am letting it steep for awhile.
- Learn to make pizza, Roman Villa-style
- Keep up my #newrecipeaweek commitment — Favorite new recipe? These banana pancakes were fantastic.
- Learn to play an entire song on my ukelele
- Plan my next international trip
- See the sandhill crane migration in March/April 2018
- Go storm chasing
- Go on a train trip
- Visit Best Friends Animal Society in Utah
- Plan and host at least four game nights with friends — One on the books.
- Revive Soup Night
- Learn to fix clothing (beyond sewing on buttons)
- Plan for a fun photo shoot
- Place freelance writing with at least five new publications (a mix of print and online) — One down — I’ve joined Lifehacker’s team of freelancers. This post has had more than 116,000 views so far, which is RIDICULOUS!
- Blog one to two times a week — In progress.
- Take a glass-blowing class
- Visit a new-to-me monastery
- Learn some fancy cake frosting skills
- Stay overnight on a houseboat
- Hike with Ollie and Stephen
- Take a basic embroidery class
- Train Finnegan to do a just-for-fun trick
- Memorize a favorite poem — This and No. 42 are also both the result of No. 19.
- Begin a 'favorite poetry' journal
- Wear a watch regularly to reduce my cell phone dependency — Pulled out my casual running watch and purchased a new dressy watch. I'm super into this right now.