Your Summer Bucket List

Don’t let these warm days fade into fall without taking time to savor simple summer moments.

• Buy lemonade from at least one kid’s lemonade stand — even if you don’t like lemonade. You’ll still be encouraging tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.
• Find a beach somewhere, take off your shoes, and enjoy the feeling of sand between your toes as you go for a walk or a swim.
• Pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and find a park. Take along a good book, too. Explore your natural word or simply spend some time getting lost in a great novel.
• Eat watermelon, and don’t worry about the mess as the juice runs down your arm. If there are kids around (or even if there aren’t), have a watermelon seed spitting contest.
• Go berry picking — whether it’s for strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, or some other kind. The sense of accomplishment as you weigh your bucket can be almost as sweet as the berries themselves.
• Run through at least one sprinkler. After working in the yard or finishing some healthy sweaty outdoor activity, there is no better way to cool down and embrace the child within.
• Throw a block party to get to know your neighbors better. It might just become an annual tradition. Mix in some healthy food options, and your neighbors will appreciate how you’re thinking about their well-being.
• Take a good walk through the woods. Trees have a remarkably calming effect, and it’ll leave you feeling refreshed and feeling good.
• Hop on your bike. Ride a country road or path, feel the wind in your face as you push on those pedals and cruise through our wonderful southwest Wisconsin countryside.
• Go on a photo expedition. Whether you have a fancy camera or just use your phone, August mornings, days, and evenings offer some rich, fertile, and leafy opportunities to look at things in new and interesting ways.