Into every summer, a little (or a lot of) rain will fall. So far, the summer in Washington, DC has been a bit on the rainy side. That means I need to plan a bit.

If you live in thunderstorm country (like I do), make sure you have flashlights, extra batteries, and candles available. Either keep your freezer minimally full or pack it very full using plastic bottles filled with water. In the winter, if the power goes out, you can store frozen foods outdoors. In the summer, that’s not an option. The bottles of water will buy you some time, but they are not a long term solution. If your power is out for more than 12 hours, you’ll be firing up the grill and inviting friends over!

If you have kids, it’s a good idea to have a special craft or game or movie that only comes out on rainy days. The novelty can help to combat the annoyance of having to stay inside. There’s also the ever-popular blanket fort that’s sort of like camping — except not wet.

For adults, rainy days can be a good time to catch up on chores like mending or purging files (and shredding what you discard). Digging into the magazine pile is another option. (You can give the magazines you’ve finished to the kids to cut apart — a two-fer!) You can make homemade ice cream for when the sun comes back out or make a no-bake pie. Brew up some ice tea and write letters. Finally watch the DVD you got for Christmas or binge-watch something in your queue.  Join the kids in crafting.  Get ahead on basic chores so that, when the sun comes back out, you can spend more time enjoying it.

What do you do on rainy summer days?