It seems like I have been waiting for this day all year — the first day of summer vacation — a combination of exhilaration, adventure, and an expanse of long days where I get both nothing and everything done.

For me, this summer is packed like a suitcase so full it can’t be closed. There is Space Camp, Buchtafest, senior portraits, jury duty, a writing course, a long overdue trip to California to visit my oldest son, pre-band camp, band camp, and then the first of August.

By the time what is for me the official kick-off state fair season arrives, I will have done two or three summer’s worth of stuff, and I will probably have another two or three summer’s worth of stuff left to do.

But my more immediate concern at the moment is the 2014 World Cup, so after I had finished doing all of the things that needed doing, I counted the pieces I had made so far, and found that I had 19 of the 32 pieces I will need.

So I tracked down my yarn supply for this endeavor and sat down with my “to do” list and got to work.

As I was out of practice, it took much longer than it should have, but in about an hour, I had finished this pentagon that is inspired by the flat of Algeria:

My newest piece, along with several others, was in need of having the ends woven in and trimmed, so I spent the next half hour doing exactly that, and was able to capture this group photo before sunset:

There is, it would seem, a lot of work still to be done before Thursday, but with a equal amounts of determination and luck, I just might get it done.