Upcoming projects

Spring has sprung and my body and mind are gearing up again for the good weather. I'm bubbling over with projects I hope to accomplish before hibernation sets in again next winter. Here are a few of them:

1. Kitchen drawers. Our kitchen cabinets and drawers were custom built - out of particle board! A terrible way to cheap out on cabinetry, and now it means the front panels of my drawers are about to be yanked right off. Because of the custom design, I can't go and buy something at Home Depot or Ikea - I've got to get to work building my own. I'm excited about this endeavor, and also about buying my very own table saw.

2. Backyard landscaping. We have a nice big yard, but the ground is really bumpy, which makes it impossible for the boys to ride their cars or bikes around. I want to put down a dirt path around the perimeter of the yard for this purpose.

3. Gardening. My very first garden! I've already missed the early indoor planting, but a friend over planted her containers and has offered to pass some along to me. I'm planning a basic vegetable garden, and am really looking forward to salads and foods grown right in our backyard.

4. Constellations. I am fascinated by the night sky, and am getting a book on constellations to be able to identify some of the stars and their stories.

5. Children's Book. I'm a good way through writing a children's book on local foods. I hope to finish up the rough layout for it.

6. Children's Group. This is a maybe project, but I was hoping to have a reading/music group for kids in our backyard this summer. The local programs held at our library only enroll about 8-10 kids at a time, and are held in a tiny, stuffy room. I want to run something where the kids can run if they need to (sometimes three year olds just can't sit still!), or come and join in some stories and songs.

7. Local Farm. I want to find myself a local farm to buy my summer produce from. The purpose of this project is threefold: to support local farms, to enjoy the freshest food, and to preserve my own food for the winter. I hope to preserve pears, tomato sauce, jam, salsa, and a few select vegetables (like beans).

8. Music History. I've studied performance and theory music for more than 20 years, but never had the opportunity to learn much about this history of it. I want to read up on some of the major musicians, who they were, when they lived, what they composed, and what influence they had on music history.

9. Spanish. In university I took one semester of beginning Spanish. With my fluency in French it was actually fairly easy to pick up. I've lost most of my speaking ability, although I can still muddle my way through reading it. I've still got my CDs and books and I want to try and brush up on enough to be classed as "travelers Spanish".