Ah, the good ol’ days… My second year of teaching in which all that was needed was a walkie talkie, a cup of coffee, lots of pens, and a skip in each step.

What deadline could I possibly have?  The summer is rapidly coming to a close, and I am about to re-enter the classroom again this fall for my 16th year of teaching.  Each summer I have a to do list that I try to complete before I am inundated with lesson planning, orchestrating projects, grading papers, and after school meetings.  My list is nearly complete, but I am waiting on Amazon for parts I need.  Here is my list so far of what I can remember…

• Fight obsessing over firewood, all the while collecting just shy of 10 cords of wood
• Fix broken electric log splitter
• Give lifesaving maintenance to chainsaw. Whose life mine or the chainsaw?
• Replace refrigerator with a converted freezer
• New road. “Yeah! no more mud, dust, and mud.”
  

  The relaxation of a vacation… However, it’s the getting to the vacation that brings a whole new level of crazy.

• Recover and and place sailboat back into storage without sailing it this summer. Bummer.
• Take micro mini vacations or go crazy.  But, getting ready for a vacation became a new kind of crazy
• Water, set up water system, fight with battery operated timers
• Set up security system
• Fix headlights on car. Okay this was easy ,until I drove off without closing the access doors.  So blessed my wife found them on our new driveway.
• Fix the snow plow.  My battle with the snow plow has been constant since its purchase.  I will win if it kills me and it might.  I am still waiting for the parts to fix the plow, so the blade can stay suspended without dropping.
• Be a Dad daily, wow that is an incredible amount of work.  Hoping, I am
  
  

  Shooting for the stars… Here I am encouraging our son to become an astronaut. However, he wants to be a barista at Starbucks.  We’re still shooting for the Star[s]bucks.

  making a difference.  But, it feels like three steps forward and 2 and 3/4 steps backwards.
• Have company over to our off grid home.  This is always stressful; we always wonder if people will accept our lifestyle
• Chimney sweep and clean the wood cook stove one last time before it needs to be used this fall.
• Reorganize the utility room, pump house and old cabin
• Taking materials to the recycling center to clean up the property.
• Find time to take a nap in the hammock, staring up at the stars with my wife was awesome.
• Build a fire wood holder for our wood cook stove this coming season
• Hook up new cheap bike racks to the roof of the car and realize I have to be smarter than the weak instructions they came with
• 

  The Trap is set while the audience awaits… Our cat Copernicus accompanies our son to watch the yellow jackets take the bait.

  Defend family from plague of yellow jackets

• Berry picking
• Replace broken down washing machine with a luxury energy efficient front loader.
• Replace broken cistern pump; it couldn’t take the pressure. Hah.
• Get ready for the next year at school in which I will be teaching Advisory, Economics, Journalism, History of Psychology, and American Government first trimester.

This is just the things I could remember.  It has been a great summer.   One day I will retire from teaching, so that I can work full-time on the property.

What were some of your to do lists this summer?  Please share in the comment section below.