Goodbye, Summer; Hello, Fall!

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Today is one of only two days in the year when the sun is poised directly above the earth's equator. This astronomical observance marks the end of summer and the first day of fall. *sniff*

In honor of this change in season, I decided to bring out my summer bucket list and see how I did:

go swimming in a lake

Hmm. A lake? No. But I went swimming in a pool all alone, late on a warm night in Tucson, Arizona, under these palm trees. It was bliss.

read in the hammock

Yes. A few times. But mostly I read while relaxing on a sandy beach, or in my lounge chair in the back yard. You know, when Ranger wasn't standing on me.

mow the lawn

Nope. Not once. It's not my job.

water the rosebushes

Yes. A billion times. I love watering, especially after dinner, when the sun is low and gentle, and the flowers seem to glow.

paint the house 

Ha. Oh, yes I did. Still have the paint on my hands to prove it.

watch ants

No. Saw plenty of bugs, but did not watch ants. And don't even start with me about the spiders. Sheesh. They are crazy big this time of year.

buy an ice cream bar 

Yes. At Kalaloch. As always.

weed the garden

Yes. A trillion times. If you piled up all the weeds I pulled this summer into one big heap, it would be approximately the size of Mount Kilimanjaro.

blow soap bubbles

Yes, I think I did. I'm pretty sure I did. But you know, I definitely blew some paint-y soap bubbles just the other day.

buy lemonade from a lemonade stand

No. I only saw one lemonade stand all summer long. It was in Seattle, on a busy street, and by the time I had looped back to be in the right place to stop for a glass, the owners had closed up shop and moved on. 

wash the car in the driveway

No. I delegated that job to other members of the family.

eat corn on the cob

Yummy. Yes. Probably five or six times. Once, I cooked it on the grill and nearly set it on fire. Fun!

cook on the grill 

Yes. Mostly I delegate that job too, but a few times I did it myself.

go sailing

Yes. On a Washington State Ferry. That counts.

dry clothes on the line

Yes. Many times. I am a huge fan of sun-dried clothes.

play in a pool

Yes. I made my daughters play catch with a beach ball in a hot tub, and then we got overheated and had to dive into the regular pool to cool off. Love doing that.

camp out

Mmm yes. Five nights at Kalaloch, and loved every minute of it.

play baseball

No, I did not play baseball, but I went to several baseball games. Potato, po-tah-toe.

fix up the house

This is a fairly ambiguous item, but yes, I fixed up the house in countless ways, such as washing windows, sweeping the porch, and repainting the covers for the floodlights.

* * * * *

So according to my final tally, I accomplished 13 of the 19 items on my summer bucket list. And of the six fun things I did not do, I only regret two: I am sad that I didn't swim in a lake, and I am shocked that I wasn't able to find more than just one short-lived lemonade stand, all summer long. 

Thank you , Summer 2012; you were good to me, and I will cherish your sweet memories. 

And now that I am officially embracing the change of seasons - *sniffsniff* - next time I'll share my fall bucket list. Come at me, Autumn!