One week left of summer work, then it’s off on a vacation…and then it’s fall. I know it’s not TECHNICALLY fall, but school will have started for the kids, and that means it’s fall. This fall is going to be busy as usual, and I think September is going to be the hardest, so wish me luck.

Until then! I’m trying to get as many things in place as possible. The good news is we’ve settled on a concrete company for the front stairs. And I’ve finished with all my bank switches. There are a few more things that need to be done around the house, but I think I reached all my first tier goals for the summer. The stretch goals would involve getting a giant tree bush trimmed, but quick internet research tells me that this isn’t a good time of year to trim stuff and that that winter is better. I should also research to see what the difference between a tree and a bush is, because if I’m going to find somebody to come out to work on this monstrosity I should be able to describe it. It is a living creature that has taken over the entire space between my house and the driveway, and is probably 20 feet tall and as wide. I don’t even know. Louie used to be able to trim it but he got behind and now it’s becoming a monster. Home ownership is NO JOKE.

I got off track there, however.

It’s been an odd week. I have millions of thoughts involving an article from the Washington Post regarding my teacher from graduate school. The #metoo movement is powerful, strong, and shows no signs of stopping. I have nothing to report in regards to him, and when I think of things involving my own #metoo stories, he doesn’t really factor in…I also learned so much from him, and I loved studying with him, and I found him very charming and…oh it’s just all so complicated, sad, and awful all around.

One of the things that we are doing on this trip is towing a sailboat down to Georgia. Louie has a sailboat in his possession from a series of complicated events, and we are finally giving it to somebody who will use it more. (Zero is the amount I’ve used it, and he has used it I believe once since I’ve known him). This is exciting, because they say the two happiest days in a boat owner’s life is the day they get the boat and the day they get rid of the boat. Towing a sailboat is no small feat though—I don’t think I’ll be very comfortable driving the truck, but after we get rid of the sailboat then I may need to drive a pickup truck for some period of time. I’ve driven a Uhaul and a 15 passenger van at points in my life, but lately all I’ve been driving are compact cars! The other nice thing about getting rid of the boat is that we’ll have more yard room. We would technically like to start a garden but feel overwhelmed by how to do that (and while, we’d love to HAVE a garden and eat the vegetables and stuff from it, we aren’t sure if we really have the time to dedicate to it.) Do any of you garden? Mom, want to come help organize a garden for us?

My timehop app reminded me that today was the two year anniversary of the time the bear attacked the car in Colorado. If you are a new or occasional reader, you might say WHAT? Read here.

We’ve had some good summer adventures! We are already looking ahead to next summer, though more in a brainstorming way. I do love planning trips, and I like to think I’m getting better at it. I also like to think I’m getting better at organizing my life and being relaxed and calm, and I’m not sure those things are true, but…life is a work in progress.

I’ve got some fun and interesting stuff happening this week! Over the weekend I was playing Nabucco with Union Avenue Opera and we have two more performances next weekend. In between I’m playing for a mass at St Francis de Sales—it’s something I’ve done before once but is pretty unusual: it’s a mass where new priests are ordained. I’m not Catholic but it’s still a very interesting and unique thing to witness. Then I’m playing a little concert with some colleagues at a retirement home, which is always nice though I’m not always so popular at these places. In between all that I still have 22 students scheduled, so I won’t be lacking things to do.

Last note: who is enjoying this cooler weather in St Louis? I know I am! I wish it would hang around.