SUMMER’S impending start Monday set us to thinking about all the things we love about the season, especially as experienced in Northeastern Pennsylvania – church bazaars, backyard barbecues (to which we’re invited or simply drop in), sneakers soggy from streambed explorations, cricket choruses, lake house getaways, late-night dips, outdoor concerts that end right before cloudbursts (and those that rock through the rain), Knoebels daytrips, Jersey Shore stays, second-glance swimsuits, water park slides, watermelon smoothies, street corner lemonade stands, late-night conversations held by campfire glow (or firefly show), sandals, sweet corn, dripping cones, days off, lingering to watch a distant thunderstorm, hurrying through a beach read’s final chapter, old-timers’ softball games, farmers’ markets, fireworks, trail walks near nature-chilled streams, gooey marshmallows, drive-in movies, sweet cherries, kids giggling in backyard tents, sidewalk chalk artwork, tree-shaded porches, sun-brewed tea, sun-kissed skin – and, alas, the one thing we don’t.

Summer is too short.

This year, pack the most into the season. And savor every precious day.