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We have just sent the kids off to school, the shoppes are lined with October 31st Decor, the fashion houses brimming with sweaters and boots and Fall is still 5 weeks away! Are your Summer Days Slipping Away?
I remember when the Last Day of School was the Friday before Memorial Day. We ended the year with a parade of cars decorated and rode to a swimming pool and had picnics and games and swam even though it was often a little too cool. Then for 12 long weeks we played hard. Red Rover, Red Rover send Suzie right over. Tag..Your It! Bikes, Hopscotch, Swinging and so much more. I would get called in at night and fall fast asleep on my bed sometimes without even getting out of my clothes I played so hard. Then one last Holiday…Labor Day…which was also the day I was born (it changes every year, but I was born on the holiday). The next day Tuesday was the First Day of School. I guess that was because we did not have air-conditioning in buses or schools at the time and there was no way we could have concentrated in the heat. Summer has gotten shorter and shorter both in days off of school and the retail schedule pushing us on to the very next thing.
It does seem difficult to embrace the last weeks of summer when the restaurants are serving Pumpkin Spice Lattes and muffins and the retail shoppes are urging us on to the next season.
Some of us are eager for Fall because we live in areas that are so hot and humid the relief of the weather change is welcome. Some moms are eager for Fall because kids are back in school and the routines become a little bit more set in place.
Me, I love all of the seasons. I just want to live them to their fullest! So if you are wanting to hang on to Summer to enjoy it to the very last minute…here are My Favorite Summer Tips to Live Summer to the very last day!
Go Jump in a Lake!
One of the best days I had this summer, HANDS DOWN, was a couple of weeks ago when we discovered the joy of taking our inflatable kayak down the path in our back yard to the lake with a small cooler and books. We shoved off and paddled a little further out in our cove but remained in a private and protected area of the lake.
We have owned our vacation home on the lake for 3 years this September. Our lake is surrounded by Corp of Engineer land to keep the lake beautiful and clean. We are permitted to care for that land but there are many restrictions. We can’t even put a bench on the land. We are able to make a meandering path to the water and we have. Our lake property is at the end of a cove and it can be a little mucky at that spot of the lake. I have never thought about getting into the lake there before.
However, a few weeks back the neighbors a few lots away were floating on noodles and water mattresses right in our cove and a little further out they were on paddle boards. I was suddenly intrigued. I mean we load up our gear and head to the official corp land with a beach and boat ramp and camping less than a mile away. To think we could walk out our back door and just get in? WoW!
So I considered it and the next weekend my husband and I took out our inflatable kayak with its see-through bottom and launched from our very own back yard. NO phone, TV, laptop, music…just nature!
For 3 hours we were gently rocked. Enjoyed the fresh air, muffled sounds of people enjoying the lake. Watching the wild life…two super tiny deer lunching on the shore. I delve into a novel and my sweet husband dosed off!
If you ever told me that would be my favorite day of summer, I would have thought yeah right. I mean boating, entertaining with friends, amusement parks and dining out, there are so many things that bring us joy. But the peace and relaxation of simply floating, it was beyond description. Our little secret hideaway in our own backyard.
So whether a pool, a lake, the ocean…find a body of water and go float~you will definitely feel like it is Summer is still here.
A Novel Idea!
It is definitely hard to slow down and just read for fun. My husband almost has an allergic reaction to reading fiction. One time I got him to grab a book at a vacation rental in Turks & Caicos. All we did there for the most part was lay on the beach or at the pool during the day and read. Every evening we walked the beach to our restaurant for the night. Relaxing on the beach, at the pool or yes floating on a raft are all great moments of Summer.
I rarely have time for reading fiction but I try to make the time especially in the Summer. Escaping in the world of make-believe is like taking a mini vacation one or twice a day for me.
Typically I go for the beach reads that are so popular every year. I love a paperback so I can take it to the beach, float in the pool or lake and not worry about it getting wet. In fact I love looking at a book I’ve read over the summer and it holds a few grains of sand and is all fluffed out from moisture. I am immediately brought back to the place where I was reading that book.
This summer I tried something different. Oh and let me interject here that if I enjoy an author, I am true to them and so I love a prolific writer! I guess I had this book for years and never read it, so this summer I began Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series.
I saw the movie Shopaholic several years ago and thought it was cute, that is probably why I never read that book since I saw the movie, but there were many more!
…currently ready. Started the day my grandson arrived :). That will be a great trigger for a wonderful memory.
If you enjoy shopping a little bit too much, you will get a real kick out of this series of books. They are charming. Unfortunately I love Sophie’s writing so much I read them a little too fast. How sad to imagine how long it takes a writer to come up with a story line and plot and then the process of editing.
Sweet Corn & Sliced Tomatoes!
Whether it’s from your garden or the Farmer’s Market, fresh sweet corn and vine ripened tomatoes are bursting with the flavor of Summer.
Yummy Summer Tomatoes!
- Slice small Roma Tomatoes
- Add Salt & Pepper to taste
- Mix Oregano White Balsamic Vinegar with Tuscan Herb Olive Oil and pour over
- Chill and Serve
Grilled Summer Sweet Corn!
- Prepare Herbed Butter and Chill
- Brush husked sweet corn with Cilantro and Roasted Onion Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Place on hot grill for 15 -20 minutes turning to brown and cook evenly
- Serve with Herbed Butter
Herbed Butter Recipe
- Mix 1 tbsp lime juice
- Zest of lime 1/2 tbsp
- Minced Garlic 1 tbsp
- Chopped (seeded) Jalapeno 1 Tbsp
- 3/4 Cup Softened Butter
Combine all ingredients and chill. Serve with Sweet Corn off the Grill!
Throw a Party!
You have one more Holiday coming up that people love to enjoy with friends. So throw that farewell to Summer party over the Labor Day Holiday.
Hold it outside. Maybe you could reserve a Pavilion at a local park! We used to do that growing up. Families would drive for up to 3 hours to spend a day with the relatives. Everyone brought food to share and lawn chairs. There wasn’t even any cooking going on…just cold fried chicken, pastas, potato salad, cole slaw, deviled eggs and more. This was before the days of chips and salsa which would also be a great addition.
The kids played tag, gathered at the playground. The men played horse shoes or washers and the ladies just enjoyed having lots of conversation. We stayed until you could see the lightning bugs because I remember running around and catching them! Then as it got just a little darker, the grown ups passed out the sparklers to us kids and we drew in the dark with the sparkling light leaving a stream behind.
You can also have a backyard BBQ which is a popular farewell to Summer event. Pop up a splash slide for the kids, bring out the snow cone maker and sidewalk chalk, bubbles and jumprope. For the grown-ups, corn hole, ladder ball, jarts, horseshoes and so many more games now available.
Have a neighborhood parade and let the kids decorate wagons and bikes with flags and other patriotic decorations. End with a block party similar to the Pavilion idea but in the yards or street if you have a permit to block it off.
Sit & Sip Summer Drinks!
Fast-forward 4 months from now and imagine snow and frosty, blustery air outdoors. Now, remember that these are beautiful days for being outside. Eating Alfresco or simply enjoying a cocktail on the veranda or deck or patio.
Make it a routine for the rest of the season. Get home from work and mix up a batch of some tasty drinks with or without alcohol. Have a little tray of fruit and cheese or chips and dip and just break away from everything. No need to turn on the news, read the paper, or get right into some project. Simply take the time to sit and sip.
As the days remain long, eating outdoors is pleasant in the evenings. You may even be able to have an outdoor fire for ambiance. Make it a point to at the very least eat alfresco one breakfast, one luncheon and one supper each week. You will not only feel like Summer is still with you, you may begin to relax more and find that eating outdoors feels a little bit like a mini vacation!
Go ahead if you must and sip on a Pumpkin Latte, burn a autumn candle, but enjoy the outdoors and the long days for as long as you can and make Summer last until the very end…September 21~
I’m also joining one of our featured bloggers from TaDa! at her party…Celebrate your Story
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Lisa says
I hope you enjoy these last few weeks of summer. I know the stores are telling us fall is here but according to the calendar…you still have 4 more weeks to savor.
Debbie says
I think you are ready for Fall with the temps in your area, but ours are pretty mild at the moment and yes I am savoring the remainder of them.
Sam @ Raggedy Bits says
Ohhh Debbie! I just love all of your suggestions to go get out there and enjoy summer. I will be implementing all of them when summer arrives here in Australia in a few short months! And I will be sure to keep an eye out for those books! They sound like a fun read! Great post!! 🙂
Debbie says
I forget that you live down under! How wonderful that Summer is coming soon for you. Yes, when I went on Sophie’s site yesterday I found more books that I did not know about. She is such a hoot to read.
Christy says
such a fun post Debbie! I was chuckling about your hubby being allergic to reading fiction – my hubby is the same! I LOVE to read and burn through about 2-3 books a month (mostly historical fiction – think Downton Abbey type stuff) so the fact that he hardly ever reads kinda irks me. But to each his own, right?! And thank you for that wonderful story of your lake. Sounds like you really enjoyed that peaceful, unplugged time. I grew up on a farm and my parents have a nice pond & creek out their back door. So I spent many a summer tubing down the creek and swimming in the pond. Such fun memories! I need to do more of that soon. Have a great day 🙂
Debbie says
Christy, I love reading your comments! They are always so full of you and it makes me feel I know you a little more each time. Thank you for stopping by and sharing!