Around this time of year, the weather brings with it the promise of all my favorite activities. Just need a few more degrees of warmth, and I can get going on some of them. C'mon, baby.
One thing that is certainly on that list is gardening. After last year's incredibly successful jalapeno harvest, I'm going full bore on them this year. That was also my first attempt at gardening in general, and let me tell you, I really bungled my way through it. I made so many belligerent mistakes and quickie fixes that, if anything, the entire experience was a testament that Nature can stand up to my complete stupidity without blinking an eye. I find that reassuring. Of course, I learned a ton. My ethos centers around mistakes being the greatest tools in my box, so applying all those lessons from last year should lead me to spicy victory.
I'll be checking over my bicycle sometime this week to make sure various torques and lubes are a-ok, and heading out on the road soon, as well. Last year I went full nerd and mounted one of my old ham radios on it, so if you see some guy who wears way too much blue riding a bike with a big silly antenna whipping him in the back once in awhile, it is probably me. The goal is to attempt to do APRS using a disposable HT, thus setting up my own ride tracking service build into the bike as opposed to having to take my cell phone with me. Why? No reason.
Of course, it wouldn't be a summer without some woodworking, and I've already got a project lined up. Doing measurements and a materials list for a great friend who just moved to a new home. She needs a desk, which I happen to excel at when it comes to designing them around the space provided rather than having to rearrange the room just to make things fit. Buying a desk from a store is often like fitting a square peg in a round hole, if you're as horribly picky as I am about maximizing a given space.
There is more, but I'll save that for another day. My hand is healing nicely, and I should be returning to work in a week, which I desperately need to do. Sitting at home all the time is just not my thing. I must be productive, and thus valuable. It is central to how I manage my mental health.