Duke's Mixture 01.2026: A Little of This-n-That

 

Happy Fri-YAY, friends.  When you are retired, it seems Friday loses some of its magic.  Or maybe it's just that other days gain the same allure Friday had all my working life?  Anyway, I am always happy to see a Friday, love me some Mondays, and these days just glad to wake up for another day no matter which it is!!

Just occurred to me that in one month from today we will be stepping into my favorite and the very best season of all!!  🍁FALL!!🍁 At least here in the northern hemisphere.  With exactly one month left to complete my summer goals and bucket list activities, I thought I better share a quick update.  Which will serve to remind me what's left yet to do!!

Summer 2026 Bucket List

You can find my original summer 2026 goals and bucket list post, here.   It will give some explanation of the 'why' behind the things on my lists.  

For my bucket lists and seasonal goals, I always use the key below to rate my progress on the activities.

Completed  

✅

In progress 

⌛

Not started or not completed 

🛑

Taking the fail 

❌

Bumping to fall  

🍂

And here's how things look 2 months into the season.

• 4th of July BBQ:  might not happen ON the 4th but it will be a birthday party for our country.  We did have a 4th of July BBQ after a 3rd of July ballgame with Lauren, Francisco, Lucia and Camila.  Somehow I didn't manage to get many photos of the BBQ except this photo of Cami enjoying a barbecued rib. ✅

• attend 1 public library event (carry-over from winter's list❄️):  our public library has a plant swap several times a month on Saturdays and crochet class on Friday afternoons - would like to attend one or the other.  Or try to attend something at Crafts-n-Moor or Margin Notes Book Bar.  I did this.  Kinda.  I attended a class at Crafts-n-Moor and made a little angel.  It was a quick project - less than an hour - as the instructor had all of the supplies prepared and pieces of the angel cut out and ready to go.  While we were in Pensacola, she taught a class on making an angel within a book.  Hoping she will repeat that one so I can do it.  ✅

• brainstorm an activity for my online book club (another carry-over from winter❄️): Want to do something fun for the most active members of "Come Read with Me."  Really struggling with this one. 🛑

• Chihuahuas baseball game:  we always try to take in at least one of our Triple A baseball team's games each summer.  This year, the Chihuahuas offered fireworks on 3 different nights.  We enjoyed a game and the fireworks after on 07.03.2026. ✅

• create at least one collage with Jennifer Chamberlin (carry-over from spring list🌼):  I purchased this collage experience in the spring but haven't made any of the collages yet.  A week ago, I applied the background layer of paint and Gesso to my canvas.  That's as far as I have gotten.  But, it's a start!!  ⌛

• family game night:  we last had game night in Durango, Colorado over the Christmas holiday.  It is time to do it again.  I packed all of our game stuff and we had a big night in Pensacola during our family beach vacation.  Blowing marshmallows off of Solo cups with a party blower, picking up marshmallows with Solo cups, picking up bows with a pancake turner and putting them in a bowl, and loteria. I think everyone had a lot of fun. ✅

• ice cream downtown at Gozo's:  Gozo’s Ice Cream is run by hardworking employees who have an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD), giving them an opportunity to shine and practice life skills [source].  Have wanted to visit for several years.  This will happen.  We are just never in the vacinity of downtown when the mood for ice cream strikes.🛑

• Lake Bonito, NM Father's Day fishing trip:  PC and I usually don't celebrate Mother's and Father's Day because he is not my daughters' dad and I am not his children's mom.  But this year, I treated him to an overnight fishing trip in Nogal, New Mexico.  It was a delightful 24 hours.  Fishing, dinner at a mom-n-pop restaurant, a walk around the grounds of El Mistico Ranch, sweet dreams in an authentic (but with AC) teepee.  ✅

 

• Pensacola Beach family vacay and birthday celebration:  we try to celebrate the summer birthdays of Mustafa, Cadence, Brennyn, Lauren and Francisco together most years.  Our last celebration together was at South Padre Island in 2024.  This year we went to the Emerald Isle in Pensacola, Florida and all 3 families stayed in the same condo.  Which was almost foiled when Brennyn learned the toilet in the condo they were renting had flooded and they wouldn't be able to stay there.  Thank goodness, she was able to find another unit in the same building at the last minute.  It was a delightful five days of family fun in the sun.  ✅

• Try a new restaurant for date night:  we are slipping back into a rut of patronizing the same 2-3 restaurants so it is time to try something new.  Maybe Oak & Antler, Lamezze, or Margie's Central Canteen.  We tried new-to-us restaurants in Pensacola, of course, but need to try some in our own backyard.  I did meet with my writing accountability partner Denise for brunch at Toastique this past week.  We split a delicious piece of peanut butter/strawberry/blueberry/banana toast.  That counts, right?  But want to try some place new with PC.  Giving this an 'in progress.'  ⌛

Summer Goals

• bake bread:  had one successful loaf of bread using my bread machine during the spring.  Now to do it more often and perfect the recipe.  My daughters both bake bread and my blogging friend Carrie at Curly, Crafty Mom has been baking some beautiful loaves of sourdough.  Surely, I can do this!!  🛑

• clean rock garden beds (a spring list🌼carry-over):  bought this Armor All wet/dry vac to make the job easier but still haven't gotten this done.  Will happen this season.  I started this and quickly realized my outdoor vac doesn't have the power I need for this job.  My BFF Sharon uses a blower to clean out her beds.  So I am going to carefully give that a try.  Although, I can foresee a whole bunch of mesquite tree debris (that rhymes) being blown into the pool.  Here's a picture of a very small area I cleaned a month ago.  ⌛

• complete 100% of my memoir course on DailyOm (sound familiar?? Yup, bumped from winter❄️):  Will get this finished during summer and start on my next course.  Proud to report this is completed. Finished the first memoir course and I am 6% into the new course, "A Year of Writing to Reveal Who You Really Are." ✅

• donate blood (didn't happen winter❄️ or spring🌼):  so easy and yet so hard to get done. Yes, I have finally gotten this done and should donate again this fall.  Vitalant Blood Services certainly made it worth my while to donate.  With donation points I have earned, I received a $25 gift certificate to Olive Garden and this cute graphic tee that reads "My Blood Type is S'mores."  ✅

• paint pull-outs on the pillars around our house:  bought the paint, now to get painting. Have been trying to get this done for several years.  Yay!!  It is done.  Looks really good.  ✅

• payoff the remaining balance on my Amazon card (I know, I know):  July is an expensive month for me but I will have a zero balance by the first day of fall.  Have been making extra little payments with my Rover.com money.  First day of fall is just a month away. ⌛

• purchase screens for the pergola and behind the grill:  We want to get a replacement for the pergola and another one for behind our barbecue grill to keep the afternoon summer sun from being so strong on the patio. Purchased and installed.  We haven't had occasion to use the screen behind the grill but I will take a picture when we do.  The screen on the pergola came in very handy last weekend when the EP grands were playing in the hot tub.  It provided great shade for Lucia, Cami and their Barbies. The kids are coming this weekend so will take photos then. ✅ 

• scan the remainder of our family photos into Photomyne (bumped from spring🌼):  just when I think I have surely scanned the last photo, I find another stack of pictures.  Surely, surely about to get them all scanned.  This feels so overwhelming.  I work and work on scanning the photos and then discover yet another stack of photos.  Feels like I am going in circles.  But need to get it done.🛑

• tidy the backyard area, pool and patio:  we need to clean the pool deck, furniture, tend the plants, shape up the bushes and scrub the pool tiles.  El Paso has incredibly hard water and calcium really reeks havoc on our tiles.  Well, heck, it is now summer's end and this hasn't happened.  At least not completely.  We did clean the furniture, the deck and tend the plants but it is all to do over again now.  And the pool tiles look terribly calcium stained. 🛑

• videorecord myself reading all of my 'books' or 'stories':  I am working hard to finalize 2 of my 3 manuscripts.  Want to record myself reading those 2 and maybe the third one.  Also working with Dianne Ochiltree, children's author, to fine tune my book/story "Crinkles and Dots."  Have not done this.  Going to try to read my first complete story, "Cuddles Lil Bitsy" this week.  No promises, though.  But have an October goal for this story so need to get the ball rolling. 🛑

Your Turn

How are you coming on your summer plans?  What fun activities have you enjoyed already?  Do you still have some seasonal chores left to tackle? 

Thank you for the visit.  Let me know how your summer plans are shaping up in a comment below. Make it a good weekend!!

 Hugs and kisses,