A depressing headline isn’t it? Especially since summer officially arrived only 5 days ago!

As a kid, on any given day during the summer, I would often pack a peanut butter sandwich & some cookies for lunch and go to spend the day in the fields & forests. I would leave with my friends in the morning and be back by supper time. The day lasted forever! In fact it seemed like summer vacation lasted a lifetime!

Oh how things change as we age! Responsibilities increase and the amount of things we want to accomplish increase. The truth is when spring seems to have been non-existent (late snows, wet & cold) we are left with but a few months to jam in all the activities that we associate with good weather. Families take holidays, we invite more friends over for (or go to) more BBQ’s, outdoor activity opportunities abound and exterior home maintenance needs to be tended to. All this comes together to make summer seem to ‘fly by.’ Frankly, at my age, the time between getting up and going to bed seems to be but a blur!

We think there is such a thing as a successful summer. No matter how we perceive the speed of any given day or time of year, proper planning produces profitable performance. Make a list of what it is you want to accomplish during June through September. Put them under a variety of headings. For example work, personal, family, & home projects. Mark which one’s need good weather in order to be accomplished. That way you can keep an eye on the forecast and make time allotment adjustments. Rate each one within its own category in terms of urgency or priority. An sense of accomplishment in each of these areas will help to create the perception of longer days!

We would also suggest that you can enrich the enjoyment of summer, by once a week, rather than doing screen time before bed, drive out to a west facing field or lake at sunset. Take it all in and then stay a while for the stars. Do it with your spouse or family. It will spur on conversations, deepen relationships and keep you connected with the day!

We posted this idea in February as well… de-cluttering will increase your sense of summer accomplishment as you clean up your outdoor living spaces. It is also another opportunity to find items you don’t use or need anymore and donate them to those less fortunate. Don’t use donation distributors as a garbage dump! Make sure that the old lawnmower is working, in good shape with a sharp blade and a full crankcase. People less fortunate than you don’t need your garbage… they need a working lawnmower! J

Finally, a reminder… if you need to create a shaded space on your back deck, we have a large selection of both fixed and retractable patio covers! If one of your home project goals is to screen in your covered porch, we have a no maintenance extruded aluminum porch screening system to help you get ‘er done! If this is the year that you finally get those west facing windows covered, we have a large selection of aluminum and fabric window awnings perfect for that application.

If you are over 30, you are likely going to perceive your summer days flowing into one another racing toward that first snowfall. Don’t waste a moment of your summer. Plan (literally) to take advantage of all it has to offer. So come winter, there are no regrets. Well, maybe on that 100 degree 95 % humidity day I’ll choose to stay inside, but I’ll be planning what I’m doing next when it cools down…