I’m a week behind on the blog challenge, so here we are–last week’s prompt was to create a list of 30 things I would like to do before I am 60. That’s less than 5 years away, folks, so let’s get crackin’. But I have to keep this list to things I can do–not stuff I want other people to do. That’s not a cool thing to demand.

1. Meet, hold, and/or own a Maine Coon cat. –I came this close on a trip to Minnesota, but the neighbors returned home before their cat sitter could take me over there. We’ll get ’em next time.
2. Meet, hold, and/or own a Rag Doll cat.
3. Meet, hold, and/or own a Himalayan cat.
4. Meet, hold, and/or own a Norwegian Forest cat.
5. Get a stair lift installed so I can enjoy trips to our basement again.
6. Get whatever adaptive equipment is necessary to enjoy sitting and taking a bath instead of a shower.
7. Visit the Orphan Train Museum in Concordia, KS.
8. Crack the genealogical wall that is my husband’s great-great-grandfather John D. Smith. Don’t name your kids basic names, people.
9. Gather the documents necessary to have my daughter formally recognized as a descendant of Governor John Winthrop.
10. Visit Salem, Massachusetts.
11. Visit a warm ocean–sorry, NW Pacific. I love Oregon, but that was COLD.
12. Learn how to make a flat friendship bracelet, because so far all of mine twist.
13. Get a passport.
14. Visit Canada.
15. Visit England.
16. Successfully bake a loaf of bread without using a bread machine.
17. Publish several of my works in progress.
18. Take a trip on an Amtrak train.
19. Afford the Dupixent shot so I can breathe like a normal person. Marking this one off because it turns out my cough is cancer, not asthma–go figure. So now I am getting a lanreotide shot every month instead of the Dupixent one they thought I needed.
20. Go completely gray and then dye my hair purple.
21. Pipe a rose with frosting.
22. Finish the painting of Jon & Becky’s wedding kiss.
23. Visit the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, PA.
24. Visit the Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph, MO.
25. Relearn how to play “Home Sweet Home” on my synthesizer.
26. Finish this damn list.
27. Visit Sea World or some other big aquarium. Went to the aquarium in Cleveland–Meh, it was OK.
28. Re-pierce my ears.
29. Get a 1″ button maker, because sometimes 2.25″ is a little excessive.
30. Visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, OH.–Yeah, buddy, it was pretty cool. Got to see THE Rob Halford’s bedazzled coat and Joan Jett’s pink blazer and quite a few other artifacts that made my little rock-n-roll heart happy.

Well, looky there–already scratched one thing off of my list!

3/29/2025–Decided I should periodically revisit this post and mark off anything I have done to keep me motivated to do them. Ten percent complete, folks! 34 months left until I turn 60, so some of these will most likely not happen. I am nowhere near going completely gray, but we shall see.

12/20/2025–Crossed off 2 more! We’re gaining, crew!

4/19/2026–Got a couple more knocked off–23% complete. We’re getting there.