It's here, ya'll! It's happening right now- the gloriously warm days of MN. We cannot let them pass without enjoying the heck out of them, for road construction season will end soon and winter will be upon us again! It's only 196 days till Christmas, you know! In case you need a little inspiration to get out there, change things up, go somewhere new....here it is, a little list of 12 ways to get out there and love our weather.
Ways To Love Our Warm Weather:
- Play hooky from work. Just do it. The world will not stop spinning if you do not go to work for one day. Sometimes it's productive to play hooky and catch up on laundry and mowing and other home things, yes? But it's even more fun if you hit the pool or lake, Valleyfair, go get an ice cream cone or do something else unexpected but totally awesome.
- Pack up some food to grill, charcoal, paper plates and utensils, some cool sodas or bottles of water, some friends and/or family and go to one of the many lakes we have near by. Pick one and go! After eating, take a walk around the lake. Breathe in the warm air, say hi to the people you walk by. Nature is a SCIENTIFICALLY proven way to up our seratonin and dopamine as is feeling a part of a community. What a great way to spend a day or evening. It's light out until 9:00pm! The lake has stunning sunsets.
- Take a convertible for a test ride with the top down.
- Do you have a patio? It's easy to set up a space outside to sit and relax. In fact, a house I drive by on my way home doesn't even have a formal patio- they have two chairs set up in the front yard, and the neighbors all come over for informal afternoon gatherings. There are usually 4-6 people hanging out there, playing with their dogs etc. Easy! Ask me for easy tips on pulling a patio together if you need some ideas.
- Grill instead of cooking in. It smells like heaven, tastes like heaven.
- Visit your local farmer's market for the freshest vegetables of the year! The prices can't be beat and supporting our local farmers and neighbors counts in a major way.
- Wake up an extra 20 minutes early and take a walk. The morning air is cooler, the world is quieter and a walk is good for us.
- Got kids? Well, even if you don't, try something out of the norm like pitching a tent in the back yard and camping out. Something as small as this can help our brains switch into "vacation" mode. Kids love this little adventure for a good reason!
- Pretend you are a tourist and visit nearby places you have never visited because you live near them. We are such creatures of habit that we stop seeing the things that are right in front of us.
- Plan a really good day trip. Summer weekends book up fast with graduation parties, weddings, sports for the kids. But it's fun to also take one day, and plan. It might mean leaving at 6am to drive a couple hours away, spend the day and come home. We may have road construction but the driving conditions are far better for travel when it's not icy and slippery.
- Nature Centers are almost as plenitful as our lakes. Okay, maybe not quite *that* plenitful, but we are rich with our protected areas as well as lakes. The trails are stunning at this time of year with all the green of the trees and grass. Flowers are blooming, nature is doing it's magnificent thing- go smell the life and greenness at a nearby nature center.
- Speaking of lakes, another fun thing to do is rent a sailboat or paddleboat. Most lakes offer some really fun recreational things to do, let's take advantage of them!
- Get a hammock. Nap. It's an order.
Pick 1, 2 or all of them!
Do you have some ideas to share? Let's make the most of our beautiful weather!