an achievable summer checklist
okay, so it’s currently 49 degrees and rainy as i write to you from arlington, massachusetts. but! it was so hot on friday that i walked down to stop & shop to get creamsicles, a bag of sweet cherries, and a platter of cut fruit (because: lazy) that i ate in reverse order in front of my AC unit. i’ve seen some anti-summer memes in recent years that suggest that our younger years “brainwashed” us into thinking summer was amazing when it really wasn’t? and i’m sorry, i just don’t subscribe to that at all. sure, it’s absolutely less carefree as an adult when you have a full-time job and responsibilities and whatnot, but the magic is still there if you seek it out and prioritize it. always!
anyway, i particularly enjoy this pre-official-summer period, because there’s that anticipation of all the fun things that await, and the optimistic promise that it could be the “best summer everrrr” hangs in the air. so as always, i compiled a little, low-key list of things i hope to do in the few months ahead. what about you?
pickle the banana peppers i’m starting to grow on my deck
rewatch california dreams and beverly hills, 90210
take an outdoor shower (potentially related to #15, because ever since i saw this dope-ass, cabin airbnb that was out of my budget with an outdoor shower, i have become hyper-fixated on it as a requirement for whichever one i book, lollll)
go on a hike
drive to the sonic that’s a half hour away for one of their cherry limeades (or cherry limeade slushes, if i’m in the mood) and maybe some popcorn chicken or a burger for good measure. i’ve never been to a sonic and it’s like, probably not great, but i keep seeing the commercials and it’s something i just gotta do.
take a few hits and go on a long, phone-free house-peeping/photo walk
buy local fruit, cheese, and veggies from a farmers market
do outdoor yoga
read and drink coffee/wine on my deck as much as possible
go strawberry picking and make allison roman’s old-fashioned strawberry cake or smitten kitchen’s strawberry milk (or both)
drink on a rooftop
make BLTs with ranch on sourdough from la saison
go roller skating
see an outdoor movie (maybe at a drive-in, finally?)
work from a cool airbnb for a day or two
eat a banana split
attend an outdoor concert (already on the docket: dominic fike and billy strings)
wake up early enough one morning to see the sunrise
read 5 books
make S’MORES (always)