Autumn 2020 bucket list – update 1
We are now a month into autumn, though I have to admit, it doesn’t really feel like it. The weather has been more like summer, and typical Halloween festivities have been cancelled or altered, due to COVID. However, some autumn traditions remain: pumpkin everything and progress on my fall bucket list.
Health and fitness
- Try a new soup recipe. Mission accomplished! I tried this Easy Chicken Noodle Soup from Martha Stewart’s website and wasn’t disappointed. I’m sure I’ll try some other soup recipes before the season is over.
- Perform daily balance exercises, starting with these from WebMD. So far so good on this one!
Joy
- Hang family photos in our new home. Mission accomplished! We still have more walls to decorate, but we got these family favorites hung in the entryway and over the dining table.
- Donate books. This falls under joy, because decluttering makes me happy and thinking of someone else enjoying these books as much as I did makes me happy too. Mission accomplished! I cleared out the bookshelf. My daughter and granddaughter are sorting through the spoils, and then the rest will be dropped off in a donation bin. (I chose not to include the before picture to save myself the embarrassment.)
Learning and growth
- Start my 60 before 60 list. Since the goal is to start the list, I can say mission accomplished! It is started. I hope to be able to report that I have fulfilled each of the categories by the time I reach age 60.
- Take an online course. In progress. I enrolled in MasterClass and have been listening to David Sedaris’s storytelling class. Loving it!
Relationships
- Bake something and share it with a neighbor. This one was inspired by our new neighbors welcoming us with home-baked treats. I call this in progress. My first attempt was a fail. I did bake something, but decided it wasn’t share-worthy. (It was good enough for us to eat though, so it wasn’t a complete waste.) I will try again.
- Reschedule our Alaska trip to spread my mother’s ashes. Another one in progress. We have chosen the dates, but have not yet scheduled the flights or booked the hotel.
In summary
By my count, I have accomplished three of eight items, with five more in progress. Not bad for being one-third of the way through the season. Hopefully, by next month’s check-in, I can report at least three more accomplished.
Your turn
- What have you been doing this fall (or spring, depending on where you live)? If you have a bucket list, please link up with us below.
- What is the weather like where you are?
- What else is on your mind today? Anything at all. I just love to hear from you.
Hi Christie – I love the family photos on the wall, and that you’re ticking things off your list without overdoing it. I never create bucket lists – I’m choosing not to forward plan too much, and not to set myself too many to-do’s until I feel inspired to do so. I’m looking forward to reading about all you’re setting out to do before 60 – I’ve started making plans for my last year of my 50’s too.
Those photos bring back such fun memories, Leanne, and I’m pleased with how the canvases turned out. I can understand not wanting to over-plan or create a lot of to-do lists. I hope your plans for your final 50s year are fun ones!
Your family pictures wall display turned out nice. I got a picture from my daughter that I put in a frame to go along with my fall display. I’ve got a few things left to-do & My Fall Bucket list. I’m linking up with my update. We’ve had some snow, so on to winter weather here.
Yea Karen! I’m glad you are linking up your Fall Bucket List. I’ll go check it out. We haven’t had snow yet, but it’s supposed to get pretty cool this weekend. They are predicting light snow showers. We shall see.
You’ve inspired me to put soup making on my fall list as well. We head north this weekend (and hopefully have next step of move done in November)… it’s cooler up there already so soup, chili and stew will be on my meal plan next month!
I love soup, Pat. Enjoy! And good luck on the move.
Soups sounds good, not quite soup weather here yet. Love the family pics and good for you for being able to declutter your books. You ask about our weather. It’s still pretty much warm, leaves are still green although I know now is a good time to observe the fall foliage in lots of places.
It’s been pretty warm here too overall, but we’ve had a few days where the temps suddenly dip 20 degrees in 24 hours. I took advantage of one of those time periods to make my soup. We’re at the end of our fall foliage. It’s still nice, but past its peak.
Sounds like you’re well on your way!
I just made a homemade broccoli cheese soup with bread bowls this past week and it made it really feel like fall! I’ll have to try the chicken noodle soup recipe.
We decorated pumpkins this past weekend, and went to see the witches at gardner village today. It’s helping us enjoy this season, even though things are different this year.
Love you and these updates!
Ooh…that sounds delicious Liz! And the Halloween festivities sound perfect. I drove past Gardner Village the other day, and the cars were lined up down the street! Was it busy when you went?
We wanted to go last week, but there was apparently an event with extra festivities… And SO MANY cars and people. So we decided to reschedule and go yesterday instead. It was still busy, but not anything like when we drove by last Friday.
Almost everyone was wearing a mask, since it wasn’t terribly easy to social distance while wandering the area, so we generally felt safe and had a good time.
That makes sense. It was last Thursday when I drove by, so I am assuming there was a special activity of some sort drawing the crowd. I’m glad you were able to enjoy the fun. And thanks for sending the recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
You’re so welcome! I hope you love it!
Also, I’ll send you the soup recipe! It was really easy and delicious! The hardest part was chopping the broccoli.
A house becomes more of a home when favorite pictures (especially those of family) go up on the walls. I love David Sedaris! I bet his class is really interesting. Even just listening to his voice telling a story makes me smile.
So true Janis. I love David Sedaris too. I fell in love when I listened to the audio version of his book Me Talk Pretty One Day. Delightful.
Your St George house looks so good, I cant wait to see it live! I love fall too. I’ve baked pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin bars and sugar cookies that look like pumpkins. ?
Thank you Cindy. I can’t wait to have you here. Soon! Those sugar cookies were divine! I’m just sorry I missed the pumpkin bars. XO
Hi, Christie – Congratulations on your excellent progress. You’ve inspired me to add balancing exercises to my daily routine!
Thanks Donna. I have a desk job, so I set my alarm for every hour and get up and stretch and do a couple of balance exercises. I think it’s working. I hope it helps in the long run especially.
Hi Christie, the canvas photos look great. It’s the little things that make a house a home, isn’t it? Malcolm baked two loaves of pumpkin bread yesterday – gifts to greet our new neighbors. The house still smells like fall, which doesn’t happen in S Fla, but we pretend by making hearty soups and stews, and setting a festive fall table. Good luck with your 60 before 60 list. I’m sure it’s filled with great stuff!
Hello Suzanne. I love the smells of fall–especially baking. Good for you, not letting the weather get in the way of a festive fall! I hope you enjoy the rest of the season.
On your way!! Great work.
I am about to purge my books. Very impressed with your results. I have many children’s nonfiction books that I used as a librarian sub but I think that season has ended. Going to donate those. I, too, love the feeling that comes with reducing clutter. Although you would never know looking at my house.
Can relate to baking something for someone else and deeming it unworthy of sharing. Had a complete meltdown over a Christmas cookie swap once.
Love your family photos on the wall. Hanging them is like christening a ship with champagne. You are HOME.
Have wanted to take a MasterClass. Maybe I will jump in with you.
And balance exercises. Need those asap! Will look into that, too. Thanks for all the inspiration.
Thanks for your encouragement, Leslie. It does feel good to have a nice, orderly bookshelf. I did keep some children’s books. Even though our grandchildren have outgrown them, we may have great-grandchildren one day–or guests with children. You should give MasterClass a go. I finished the David Sedaris course. though I didn’t do all the assignments, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him. Now I’m listening to a wine appreciation class and finding it very interesting. I hope you are having a happy fall!