I’m about to go on summer holidays, which I know is not newsworthy in the least, but it should be noted that the last time I took a week off it rained every day, so if this much-anticipated stretch of sunny weather takes a turn for the worse on Monday at least you know who to blame.
However, let’s keep our fingers crossed that this is actually summer, and not just on the calendar.
We’re spoiled here in the Okanagan with weather but if we don’t get what we think we deserve – sunny, hot days from June through September – we can get a little ornery.
But if we get a nice stretch here through July and into August all is forgiven on Mother Nature’s account, in fact a couple days straight of 30+ Celsius and we’ll start whining about the heat. That’s how fickle we Okanagan types are.
Anyway, I’ve set a few goals for my time off, as I always do but never actually pull off, because sometimes the time can slip by, and whamo, you’re back to work and your list, is well, still your list. But I thought maybe if I published my list it might force me to actually pull at least some of it off, you know peer pressure or at least the possibility of public humiliation.
So here goes, with the usual apology to David Letterman: the top 10 things I hope to achieve during my summer holidays.
10. Write a book, or at least read one. My wife will laugh at the first half of that last sentence as I’ve been talking about writing my novel for decades now. She helpfully points out the first step would be to actually start one. Of course she has no idea how difficult even that is for us would-be writers, but I still have a lot of ideas circulating in my head or I could always self-publish a collection of columns for my mom and her friends, which I’ve also been talking about doing for years….but, alas, I’ll likely settle for actually reading a book over the holidays. That too sounds relatively easy but I’m easily distracted by newspapers and magazines and TV and……
9. Get in shape. Again, something I’ve vowed to do for, well, a few decades now. It would be a good time to get up early and jog in the cool, fresh air of an Okanagan summer. It may be the getting up early part that’s holding me back…..
8. Camp with the youngest kid. Again, my wife thinks this is funny (apparently she has a great sense of humour) because she’s wondering who’s going to plan the food, cook the food, prepare the camper, basically survive in the wild. She’s kind of the camper in the family but she’s working and the other kid graduated last week so he’s not coming with me any more (I was going to write about that but figured I’d wait for the next one in two years, besides it was surprisingly emotional and I’m still getting over it thank you very much), so we’ll see.
7. Install a low-flow toilet that’s been sitting around the house for awhile now. Somebody said just Google it but I may need help on this one as I’m not really that handy, again my wife would find that a funny statement. I hope she’s enjoying this.
6. Golf a round with the kids. Should be able to pull this one off. However I’ve golfed a total of once so far this year, and it wasn’t pretty, so I may have to hit the range first.
5. Hit the range. Consider it done, you always have to put easy things on the list so you don’t feel like a total loser when you fail to fulfill, well, most of them.
4. Get out in the boat. Again, a bit of a no-brainer but if truth be told I’m a bit of a fair weather sailor. Actually my wife’s the one with the boater’s license, again consider it done.
3. Clean out the basement. Not likely unless it rains the whole time. And even then I have my doubts but it’s a noble goal don’t you think?
2. Cook dinner every night. You know, I’m not working, my wife is and all that jazz. May need help from the kids on this one. Right, that’ll happen.
1. Relax and enjoy the luxury of time for a change in this fast-paced, crazy world we live in. Hey, I’m all over it. And maybe I’ll even read a book while I’m at it and kill off two things at once. Anyway, see you on the other side. Enjoy your summer now that it’s finally here.
—Glenn Mitchell is the managing editor for The Morning Star
