It’s the first day of summer. The Summer Solstice. Here in Western NC the sun rose at 6:15 a.m. and will set at 8:49 p.m. That’s 14 hours and 34 minutes of daylight. Compare that to the shortest day of the year when we have 9 hours and 45 minutes of sun. If it’s out.
So do all those hours of daylight make you feel like you have extra time on your hands? And if so, what in the world will you do with them? Here are just  a few of my suggestions:

1. Make homemade popsicles, ice cream, or some other chilly treat and eat it on the front porch.
2. Wade in a creek. Build dams with rocks. Catch some crawdads.
3. Garden–vegetables or flowers, pick your pleasure.
4. Go for a walk and kick a tin can down the road. Take the dog with you.
5. Read something frivolous and fun–either to yourself or aloud to the kids.
6. Write. If not a novel, then a short story. If not a short story, then a letter. If not a letter, then an e-mail. If not an e-mail, then a post-it note you can stick to the bathroom mirror of someone you love.
7. Play games in the yard. Croquet, badminton, stick ball, tag–if you’re alone grab a hula hoop, jump rope, or ball. Just play.
8. Soak up the sun. There’s more of it today than any other and while we live in a world that hollers about the dangers of too much sun, remember, you need some Vitamin D.
9. Visit your neighbors. Take them some flowers or a plate of brownies or simply the pleasure of your company.
10. Nothing. When’s the last time you did nothing? Even ten minutes of doing nothing can be utterly delicious.

So how about you? What’s your advice for enjoying the first day of summer?