101 Things: The Big To-Do List Part 10

53. Get to work on adding photographs to our wedding album and make plans for a family heirloom book (aren't these Good Stock books so delightful?).




54. Grow my first rose bush. I simply love the descriptions--this one from David Austin's catalog: "The flowers are initially tea-scented but often develop a wonderful combination of sauterne wine and strawberry." Some day I would love to have the skills to grow a pergola tumbling with roses....




55. Write more letters--more inspired, thoughtful, sentimental letters. (One of my very favorite letter writers is Elizabeth Bishop (if you've never read her poem "One Art," you must). There's something profoundly passionate and inconclusive about her loving correspondence with Robert Lowell.)

Update: Starting a letter-writing project for our baby-to-be...more on this soon!

56. Hear a new poet read every year.

Elizabeth Alexander's beautiful poem at the Inauguration had me wishing to catch her in person in the most near-as-possible future...! She wrote, "What if the mightiest word is love?/Love beyond marital, filial, national,/love that casts a widening pool of light,/love with no need to pre-empt grievance./In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air,/any thing can be made, any sentence begun./On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp,/
praise song for walking forward in that light." Love indeed.

To find out about poetry near you, National Poetry Month and more, visit the Academy of American Poets.



57. Learn more about dance history (this book reviewed in the NYTimes last week looks wonderful) and read some biographies of Martha Graham, Anna Pavlova and Rudolf Nureyev. Is there anything more romantic, truly?




To be continued...!

101 Things: The Big To-Do List Part 9

58. Play in the rain more often and be sure to puddle-jump.



59. Create some new holiday traditions, learn more about ways to give thanks across cultures and break some more bread with friends!



60. Learn to paint Polish folk art eggs--I just love the designs!



61. Go cross-country skiing and drink a little cocoa at the lodge.



62. Learn more about herbal healing and make my own garden-fresh teas.



To be continued...!

101 Things: The Big To-Do List Part 8

62. Visit New Orleans for Jazz Fest. (If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it.)



63. Take a botany class and really learn about plants. Plus, do some drawing while I'm at it--botanical illustrations are one of my favorite things. (Aren't the blue leaves of this plant something else?)



64. Learn how to can--mason jars and all--so we can savor the garden goods all year round. (Speaking of, check out these amazing preserves from June Taylor--dancy tangerine, silver lime and ginger, fig, port & lemon thyme, rhubarb and blood orange....)

Update: Check out these super wonderful jars from Heath (thanks Simplesong!).



65. Volunteer at our local literacy center. Learning to read and write well is so critically important for everyone.



66. Buy a porch swing and while away the hours....



To be continued...!

101 Things: The Big To-Do List Part 7

67. Read and, in some cases, reread the books of friends, teachers, neighbors and community colleagues. This one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, among many others. As bell hooks says, "Life-transforming ideas have always come to me through books." For me, those ideas are almost always from books about people and writing.




68. Eat more greens. And oranges. And reds. (I moved to the Midwest and somehow I'm no longer a vegetarian....)



69. Refinish, upholster or build a piece of furniture. And take before and after photos, of course. I've got my eye on this little project and this one, each in the black finish:

Update: I've bought a rocker for our little boy's room--here we go!

70. Be just a little bit sassier and speak my mind more. Shouldn't we all do this a bit more, my dears?



71. Start drawing and painting again. (I double-majored in college, back in the day--poetry, of course, but also art, specifically illustration and book arts. A couple old sketches below--who knew!)



To be continued...!

101 Things: The Big To-Do List Part 6

72. Visit a new art museum every year. Bilbao, Rijksmuseum, Brooklyn Museum, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art--the list goes on. And, of course, I want always to frequent my local favorite.





73. Learn sign language.



74. Throw more warm and whimsical dinner parties (like this one, for instance) and maybe drink a good margarita or two more...!



75. Take my cruiser for more joy rides.  The seat has a little dust on it (!).



76. Buy a sewing machine and learn how to use it, dang it! And then make some curtains, baby quilts, embroidered pillow cases...



To be continued...!