Summer Home

I'm at my summer home in South Dakota now. Haven't been out traveling, like to the Badlands or anything like that. I'm trying to puzzle out in my mind what is it that I do here and why do I think it's worth the trouble to come out here?


I don't see many people or go out and do a lot of stuff. I only have a few friends here that I spend time with, unlike SLC. I can go for several days without talking to anyone except by e-mail or phone. I guess if I stayed here long term, I would be a real hermit which would not be good for my mental health.

But I don't stay here long term. I stay just enough time to refresh my mental batteries. I stay until I get to missing being around people a lot. Then I leave and go back to the other life.

So while I am here, I have been cooking and baking even. I made bread right away after I arrived.

I have made ice cream three times... vanilla, avocado and lemon flavors. I'm happy about the lemon flavor because Hagen Daz got me really liking their lemon flavor in their Just Five line, and then they got rid of the whole line. I'm talking ice cream here, not sorbet. Lemon sorbet is everywhere. Ice cream, not at all. But now I can make lemon ice cream myself. I'm good.

I've been doing a lot of reading. I think I have finished about 6 or 7 books since arriving. Most of them are e-books that I had started but not finished. E-books are so easy to buy now and so tempting. I want to polish off about 6 more before I buy any more. Good luck with that plan, but I can try.

I've been knitting. I have finished one sock from each of two pairs. It's complicated, but the pair I had started before coming here doesn't need to be finished until August. Meanwhile I need a pair to give as a going away gift to someone else. I think I can finish off that pair this weekend.

I made a scarf and next up is to finish another scarf that's also a gift for someone else who is leaving. Once those are done, my plan is to finish a sweater that needs to be done. I don't care that it's wool and I'll be working on it in July. I want it out of my knitting life.

I finished writing a wedding. This time next week I'll be on my way to the ceremony. I met the bride and we went to see the venue. This is certainly something that I will have accomplished over the summer.

I have had long phone calls with dear friends in different parts of the country....always good. I've been writing letters to old friends all over the world.

I have been watching TV. I've convinced myself once again that I do not need to pay Comcast for the use of their cable once I get back to SLC.

What am I doing here? Playing catch up I guess. Catching up with unfinished books and knitting and keeping in touch with people. Catching up with myself and refreshing my mind. That's enough.