A New Kind of Summer

Usually we are immersed in racing during this part of summer; gone on the weekends, late nights working on the cars, taking time off work.  This year is different though, after wishing we could take a summer off over the past few years, we aren't racing this summer.  Our home track underwent renovations over the late winter/Spring and they didn't go well.  The track won't be open until the first weekend of August, all going well which hasn't been the case all summer.

We could go down to Seattle or Bremerton but we just don't want to.  The drive is brutal, the trip requires hotel stays, and our friends aren't there.  We've opted to just stay home instead.

With that, we don't know what to do with ourselves.  We're never home during the summer. Like bored eight-year-olds, we're wandering around trying to figure out what to do.  We've worked in the yard, we've organized the shop to Sheldon-like standards, we've organized the car trailer, we've relaxed, and we're bored. Bored.

We keep looking at each other "We should be doing *something* but what...?" 

A few years ago we would also be in the middle of our busy time with fireworks.  This would be one of those brutal years with three back-to-back shows. Now we're just lowly spectators.  We've only watched one show this year, the one at my parents.  The fascination is gone now that we're not the ones doing it. But a gap still remains.  It feels odd to not be busy and exhausted.

So, here we sit.  I've watched every episode and the movie of Veronica Mars.  We've watched movies we've been meaning to watch, our DVR is at a low percentage that it hasn't seen in years.  I've read one book and am in the middle of another.   My magazine stack is no longer towering toward avalanche, nor is Kevin's.  We're both bored with the interwebs.

I daresay we're going to resort to painting soon.  The exterior trim is looking pretty sad and everything is due for a touch up.  So far though, we haven't been *that* bored yet.  I'm not sure there is a level of boredom that precipitates painting.  I guess we'll see.

This is, however, making me a little nervous about our retirement years.  Surely we won't be racing then (who knows, though) and what then?  We best develop some sort of a hobby soon.  In the meanwhile, we're experiencing a new kind of summer. The kind that everyone else does; spending time not doing much of anything.  How do y'all do it?