Recipe For a Perfect Summer

By Ellery Adams
I love summer and have been looking forward to it since…well, since February. I am not a winter person and though I love to watch the snow fall and to cozy up to a book near a toasty fire, I'd rather sit in my garden and watch fireflies dance.

Thinking about my love of summer a little more, I realize that I feel younger at heart when the sun is shining. Summer reminds me of a carefree childhood, the feel of sand between my toes, and the sight of sailboats heading out to the open water.

How can an adult recapture that feeling of a childhood summer? I think we should come up with a recipe. Here are a few items I think we need to add:

1. Chew a piece of gum and blow a big, loud bubble

2. Paint your toenails a crazy color (not pink or red – orange or silver or blue!)

3. Buy a pinwheel

4. Eat a Popsicle bought from the ice cream truck

5. Light a sparkler

6. Bite into a juicy piece of watermelon and then spit the seed as far as you can

7. Wear flip-flops.

8. Decorate your car for 4th of July

9. Fly a kite

10. Hunt for seashells (and if you're no wear near the shore, ask someone to mail you one)

11. Read a book in a hammock, chaise lounge, or Adirondack chair

12. Drink through a silly straw

13. Run through a sprinkler

14. Make a daisy chain

15. Add to your freckle collection

That's what I've got so far! What else do we need to have a perfect summer?