My Summer Sand Bucket List

I can't believe summer is almost over! Why is it that the rest of the year seems to last as long as a winter cold, but summer evaporates faster than water in a kiddie pool?
Here's my Summer Sand Bucket List -- all the things I still want to do before August ends.

1) Host Grandma Camp for the Grandchildren. I tried this last year but the kids were too young for the crafts. The 6-year-old painted the birdhouse in less than 60 seconds and the 1-year-old stuffed it so full of Chex Mix that there was no room for a bird. As soon as I find a craft that's more age-appropriate -- and takes longer than five minutes to complete -- I'll reopen Grandma Camp.

2) Lose Weight. It's not easy to lose a few pounds when the smell of barbecue hits your nostrils every night. I gave up trying on bathing suits several years (and childbirths) ago. Now I just grab my old stretched out suit, wrap a towel around myself until I hit the water, and enjoy the false feeling of weightlessness in the pool.

3) Go someplace. We've done the local RV thing and stayed in every park from West Sacramento to Gilroy. But I'd like to go someplace where we don't have to hook up a sewer line, search for Internet service and listen to other RVers talk about their generators.

4) Write some books. I'd planned to write a blockbuster like "Fifty Shades of Tan" (a beach read), a nonfiction bestseller like "Shopping is Real (and so is Chocolate)" and a kids' book like "The Hungry Games" (an activity/cookbook for kids). But summer's nearly over, I'm only halfway through my next Code Busters Club book and so far none of the characters has picked up a bow and arrow.

5) Learn something new. Every summer I try to learn a new skill, such as housecleaning or cooking or bill-paying, but I usually lose interest around day two and go back to what I know best -- house-cluttering, eating and spending. I think learning how to perform Lasik surgery might be easier.

6) Try a new fashion style. I wear the same outfits all year -- denim jeans, "Life is Good" T-shirts and Toms shoes. I need to branch out and change my look. For the rest of summer, I plan to go rogue, style-wise, and wear only denim shorts, "Hello Kitty" T-shirts and tropical print Toms. Maybe even an Angry Birds shirt.

7) Have more fun. I haven't been to a single free concert this summer and the Valley offers plenty of them. Last weekend I could have gone to hear a Justin Bieber cover band or an aging heavy metal group sing "Call Me, Maybe," but I just stayed home and listened to my two granddaughters belt out the chorus of "Somebody That I Used to Know."

8) Enjoy my own backyard. We've worked hard to make our backyard a place to relax, have barbecues and enjoy the weather. I'm going to spend these last few weeks soaking up the sunshine (with SPF 500), sipping a cool coffee drink (low-fat, no sugar, no whip, decaf, small) and reading the newspaper (What? Gary Bogue is retiring? No!!!).

That's my summer sand bucket list. What's yours?