10 Things: Summertime Edition

What to read, watch, do, buy, listen to, ponder, and try this summer

Hello Out There!

It’s about to be my favorite time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. I guess this is sort of a basic quality of mine, but honestly, I’m surrounded by so many people who are head-over-heels for fall that I have started feeling that my unabashed love of summer is kind of counterculture? Anyway, I love any day where you roll out of bed and throw on a dress and NO BRA and REALLY ACTUALLY NOTHING ELSE EXCEPT THE DRESS and have your day, plus lemonade.

So this week, I’m focusing in on my ten essentials for summer. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, bookmark it for six months from now. Or ride out the end of the season! Either way, the first three are free; below the paywall are a truly incredible amount of book reviews for trashy summer reads.

1. BUY: Sprayers and reusable water balloons

   

When it comes to the tools you ought to have for the beach and / or public pool, the secret is to care less about sand and more about water. Your hands can do all kinds of stuff with sand, but water is so slippery! The two bests objects are these foam water blasters (they do not look like guns and they pack a really fun but not at all scary punch) and reusable water balloons. After you come back from the beach having used the reusable water balloons, take note of the black stuff on your balls — it’s all the magnetic rock that your balloons picked up! How cool is that!? Science.

• Buy a foam blaster. ($14 for 2)

• Buy reusable water balloons. ($11 for 10, on sale)

2. LISTEN: My summer playlist

   In terms of musical moods, this is where I shine. Last summer, my playlist was more raucous — designed for loud bike riding. The year before it was gauzy and subdued, for sitting in a backyard and being existential. This year I tried to strike a balance: this playlist is for not getting anything done and enjoying the stretchiness of the days.

   3. KILL: Mosquitos with Mosquito Dunks

   I bought these last summer but did not fully commit. Like parasitic wasps (which I also ordered this summer), this product is naturally occurring and can’t hurt people or animals or bees or anything that isn’t a mosquito or a fungus gnat. It’s a bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis or Bti) whose whole earthly purpose is to kill mosquito larvae in standing water. If you want to, you can think of them as nature’s mosquito abortions? IF YOU WANT TO.

homegrownnationalpark

A post shared by @homegrownnationalpark

This summer, I started with two buckets. But then I thought, “I should make a pond.” And so now I am obsessed with my pond. Like, I care more about my pond than almost anything else. I am late sending this email because I was tending to my pond.

We’ve had a few big rainstorms, and insects are thriving. But I’ve been sitting in my notoriously buggy backyard with FULL LEGS OUT and have not yet gotten a single bite, my friends. I am shocked, amazed, and ready to be a brand ambassador.