By Barbara Killmeyer

As the old song says, “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.” I’m afraid my favorite summertime activity isn’t very active, but I certainly enjoy it. I love to spend as many days as possible in my gazebo, relaxing in my recliner while sipping a glass of cold iced tea and reading a good novel. Even though I love doing it, I have to admit that if I indulged in that activity every day, it would cease to be enjoyable, so it’s probably a good thing I have to ration my time on this pleasure.

Actually, I like to use this time of the year to entertain friends. For instance, my neighbor and I have a tradition that goes back about ten years. Each summer we invite friends to a tea. We have a wonderful time planning it: selecting a theme, choosing the foods we will prepare, and inviting friends to join us.

The theme of our first tea was Blue and White. We asked the guests to dress in either blue, white or a combination of the two colors. The reason for this theme was simple: my china was blue and white. Since then, we have had a Patriotic Tea, a Butterfly Tea, a Victorian Tea and more. Our theme for this year is an Iridescent Tea.  This is because my neighbor has discovered that she has dishes, vases, etc. that are iridescent and we can use these to develop a theme.

This is a good time to have friends over for lunch too.  In the winter there is always the chance that the weather will not cooperate. Cold, snow and ice often prevent people, particularly seniors, from venturing outdoors. Now is a perfect time to get together for cold drinks, a light lunch and a lot of laughter.

If you have a porch, deck or backyard patio, as long as you can provide some shade, you have the perfect place to entertain in the summer months. The one thing to remember is to keep it simple. The idea is to see old friends and to have fun.

Summer is short, so make the most of it by doing what you truly enjoy and by spending time having fun with old friends. I wish I could invite all of you to our tea, but since that isn’t possible, so create your own special time and make lasting memories for yourself and for your friends.

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For more activities of interest to seniors, see What's Happening for Seniors.