Practice

I have two practice sessions before the actual "start" of summer vacation. With the end of school being delayed this year due to storm cancellations, I will have a great deal of time between my practice sessions and the genuine article, but I'm not thinking about that right now. It could lead to fits of depression and massive carb consumption.

The carb consumption is already happening. We don't need to add to the problem...

The first of my practice sessions occurs during the April break. The weather has warmed up a bit so it is kind of easy to see how the whole thing could work out should I be done with school for reals. Then there is Memorial Day Weekend. It is not as long as Spring Break, but the whole summer experience seems much closer and the weather is usually dead-on.

I had myself a truly wonderful three day weekend this year. After Friday's heat wave, I was ready for some cooler temps and Mother Nature obliged. With the exception of the aforementioned carb consumption, I really did get into the spirit of summer vacation.

I puttered. I tidied. I visited with family. I napped. I knit.

You are just going to have to trust me on this one. The Thing That Is Not A Sleeve has gotten longer. The fact that it doesn't look any longer is something upon which I shall not dwell. It would ruin my Practice Summer...

I even made a Dollar Store run. I don't necessarily do that every day during my summer vacation, but it is a handy place to stop for all those little gee-gaws and doo-dads that you need to be productive during the summer. I scored big with storage containers, cat toys, washcloths and band-aids for the first aid kit. I also happened to notice that they'd just gotten a huge lot of books and those of us willing to rummage through cardboard boxes could find some real gems.

Not the first knitting book I've found at the dollar store, mind you. But it is the biggest if that counts for anything.

I actually already own a longer version of this same book and many of the patterns are repeats in the Sheepish Library Of Things She Will Never Knit. However, there were a couple of new ones included in this edition and I figured that was worth the buck. Plus, I have absolutely no idea where the other one is and this is a sure-fire way to ensure that I will trip over it within the next 48 hours. That is just how these things work.

Summer, be it the practice version or the real one, also involves the yearly battle with the ants. Over the last few years the cute little ants that used to wander in have given way to gi-normous beasts who probably spend the day raiding the fridge and making lots of long distance calls while I am out. I spent part of today attempting to dissuade them from making this their summer vacation home with the liberal spraying of a vinegar, lemon and water mixture. (ants hate that stuff)

No ants have been seen since, but I anticipate the hate mail arriving sometime within the next week or so. I wouldn't be surprised to find that they've keyed my car either. I don't care. It will be worth it to not have gigantic, mutant ants crawling on my feet while I am enjoying summer vacation television viewing.

Yup. I think I've got it all down pat. This summer vacation thing is in the bag. The fans are set up, the schedule is working and I may have fooled the ants into moving on for a while. I am a master of summer vacationage!

Now I just need the actual vacation. And if anyone dares to mention that this is four weeks away, there will be heck to pay. I'm in a precariously balanced zone. It is a fragile state.

And it is not going to be pleasant seeing it shattered tomorrow morning when I have to get up and go back to school...

SA