For some reason, once July 4th has come and gone, it feels like summer is drawing to a close. (The arrival of back to school displays in big box stores certainly doesn't help!)

If, like me, you observe calendar summer (as opposed to meteorological summer) from Memorial Day to Labor Day, you still have more than 8 weeks of summer left! So, what do you want to do with that time?

It's easy to front load our summers. As the weather finally starts to warm up, we want to do everything we couldn't do all winter. But those things are still fun later in the summer. Here are some things you might want to try:

• Hang out on the beach or near the pool or in your yard, reading a good book or just resting. Or you could attack that stack of magazines you've been meaning to read.
• Use a rainy day to tackle one indoor chore (maybe cleaning a closet or emptying the mending basket).
• Play tourist for a day.
• Go to an outdoor movie or concert.
• Go out for ice cream after dinner and sit outside to eat your cone.
• Have dinner outside.
• Take advantage of the harvest to eat fresh fruits and vegetables purchased right from the farm.

Eight weeks is enough time to renew your spirit if you take advantage of the opportunities at hand.