We are definitely seeing the light...I've eaten inside in a restaurant and my DH's gym is now unmasked. Best of all, my friends and I are back to hugging!

We were able to enjoy last summer in a pretty normal manner with a lot of trips to the lake cabin.

I am in the market for a new fishing boat but I think I waited too long and there are very few fishing boats in stock at the marine dealers I have looked at. The ones still available are out of my price range. I don't need a 250 hp motor with no need to go 70 mph to get from one spot to the next. I may have to pre-order a boat and wait until who knows when to actually get it.

We are leaving next week on a trip to northern Minnesota for my niece's wedding. Looking forward to that. I haven't seen my oldest brother and his family in a few years.

Yes ,we are starting to make plans. We are taking a short trip soon. Then we will move to our mountain home for two to three months. Not sure what to expect when we get there, didn’t go last summer and neighbors kept check on our home for us. We are way back in the hills and hollows so somedays our internet is iffy. If I disappear off forum for a bit, you will know I am in the hills with no internet. We keep a landline there for emergencies.

LoneJack - have fun at the wedding and seeing all your family again. I think this it what people have missed the most, the family gatherings.

We are having to rebuild our house after a fire and opening up the district planning offices and seeing the architect in person and being able to go to showrooms without appts is going to make it so much easier. I am quite happy to continue wearing my mask for these meetings, I just want to see people in person.

We intend to enjoy ourselves but all our regular trips are still not happening because they involve going abroad.

In Canada, wish Ford would re-open schools, the steps are very conservative and slow, things won’t be back to normal till sept. Would love it if the border Would open too!

Thanks blfenton! This will be the first time all of my siblings, their children, and their children will be together in one place in about 10 years. One of my nephews wasn't going to make it because his wife is 7 months along with their first baby but they changed their minds a few weeks ago. It even looks like it's going to be warm up there with highs in the low 80s.

I enjoyed my summer last year. Being outside was the best way to "wait out" *19. Life is what you make it and we made sure we had lots of outside fun with neighbors and family!!

My trip to England and parts of Europe is still on but I have started looking at replacement trips for 2022 and 2023. This whole trip thing has taken me back to my childhood where things were planned then when the time came for it to happen my mother had no idea what we were talking about. I believe any future trips will be a last minute thing rather than booking in advance.

Summer is that time of year when everyone wants to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather...

Not everyone! Summers are very hot in our area, so we stay inside and enjoy the air conditioner, and long for autumn/winter/spring.

I had a great summer last year. Yes, my plans were redirected but I was able to do things I never dreamed I would be doing. It was a summer of rediscovery and making new friendships. This summer is going to be another adventure. I will be learning to work with and ride mules. Also the beaches are open along with amusement parks, zoos, aquariums etc. I have eaten indoors a few times and in a couple of weeks I will be taking my first trip where I will stay overnight in a hotel for a couple days.

I felt the same as kadefol when I was growing up in Texas - I preferred to stay inside during the summer, as it was too hot, and my allergies were much worse than other times of the year. Winter was my favorite season in Texas, but I was never much of an outdoor person when I lived there.

Where I live now, I do not notice much difference from one season to the other, except in the length of days. Late Spring is my favorite time of year.

We've been dividing our time between Los Angeles and Cathedral City/Palm Springs during the pandemic, and we will continue to visit the desert even in the summer.

What we are really looking forward it is being able to travel to Europe again, and we have postponed that until next year.

"It was a summer of rediscovery and making new friendships."

wildchild, that sounds awesome. Rediscovering things and learning new things about yourself is so empowering.

Thanks, perennialfan, for these good wishes. DH and I just returned from a little getaway to celebrate his 75th birthday. Our first stop was the Tennessee Aquarium where everyone going in was still required to wear a mask. We happily did so. It was not very crowded (this was Monday morning), and many kids are still in school here through this week. Then we headed to the North Carolina mountains and saw very few people. We ate most meals outdoors or were among few people. We just really enjoyed getting out again.

For those of you traveling, congratulations and have a great time!

My mom is planning a huge family party next month as my out of state siblings are planning to visit, they didn't last year. I have been recruited to cook everything for it, as usual.

Other than that, I really really really dread summer. I hate heat and humidity and wish that fall was here. I stay out of the sun as much as possible and bless the fact that I am a night minion and can avoid it for the most part. Even though its still hot at midnight, I can go outside and walk without frying in the sun.

We have been living out of our suitcase since last summer when we bought our camp. We have been enjoying our summers. We didn't change or cancel anything last summer. The only thing different this summer is we didn't book a week on lake Erie for our family/friends week. I wasn't going to book it last year for this year not knowing what the restrictions would be. If I'm going on vacation I don't want any restrictions. This year we are holding the annual family reunion at camp. So all our family and friends will be here anyway.

Flying over seas apparently is hit and miss. My BIL & SIL are moving to Scotland from Florida. Their plane to Scotland was canceled now they have to fly into London and drive to Scotland.

Thank you for the kind wishes perennialfan ☺

Summers have become brutal here too. I dread the season nowadays. It's already hot and severely dry - no rain for many weeks. Our AC has been running 24/7 for many weeks now too.

The good thing is family coming here to visit finally. I have a feeling it's going to be very chaotic for my mom tho.

I am looking forward to summer. It has rained here for a month. Dry yesterday, pouring down again today. I guess I am looking forward to dry weather. Heat doesn't bother me. Well, the first few days it is unpleasant, but I soon get used to it. Last summer was no different than usual. This summer I hope to start on my house, but first need to get the yard under control. It is an absolute mess due to all the rain. I have no plans to travel....maybe a couple of little events with the antique rose folks, if they have any. I also may go to the big flea market in Canton. And I want to do more waterlily crosses, and maybe, for fun, some roses. I just planted some of my rose seeds and some are sprouting already. That is exciting to me.

And I have a filly that I need to start. I have had to put it off due to no time, because taking care of Jody, and I am just now starting to feel like life again, but now, waiting out this constant rain.

Marylin you mention waterlily crosses do you know Carlos Magdalena? He is the person that rescued the small waterlily. It was growing in a warm spring but he found how to have it grow after he took it back to Kew. One of my friend's was sent a plant to see how it would survive in various areas of the world. It was such a delicate thing with a very small flower. I am hoping if my trip to Europe that starts in England actually happens to meet him in person not just on FB.

No, sorry I don't know him. I am a founder and life member of the Watergardening Society...which used to be called the Waterlily Society, and I was very active but not so much in the past 25 years. Waterlilies enjoyed a boom in the 1980's. That is when the group was formed and I knew many of the hybridizers back then. Unfortunately, most of them have passed on now. They used to have a symposium every year....a different state, and many over seas. I think they just meet in San Angelo, Texas now, which is where they have a display garden of many varieties. Since so many of the older members have died, I don't believe they do much now. It's a shame. I have loved waterlilies since I was about the age of 10. I especially like the miniature varieties. I used to have many of them....but came home one day after spending the day with my mother, who was terminally ill, and my horses had gotten out and destroyed just about my whole collection. It was at a time in my life where I was over whelmed and I couldn't bring myself to sort through all of it. I had about 200 varieties at that time.

Marilyn this is a link to the book that he has written including finding the waterlily. Perhaps you can find it online somewhere free or have your library order it through their library exchange program.

Link: The Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the World's Rarest Species, Magdalena, Carlos - Amazon.com