Wicked Wednesday–cookouts, white pants, and pedicures?

On Wicked Wednesdays the Wickeds weigh in on a topic, or produce a random stream of thought. This week–next Monday–is Memorial Day. This is the unofficial kick off for summer, though many of us still don’t trust the weather enough to put out winter coats away quite yet. What are your summer launching routines?

Jessie: I plant the pots at our house at the beach. We can’t be there full-time until the kids get out of school and watering can be tricky so I wait until summer really is upon us. Then I have a legitimate reason to drive up, even in the middle of the week. Of  course, once I’m there it would be wrong of me not to get a little fresh air and exercise by walking the beach.

Liz: My favorite launch plan for summer – get a pedi and get some fun new shoes! This year, though, I’m more apt to celebrate by getting the lawn guy here to do the first job of the season. I can barely see the dogs above the grass.

Edith: I will confess to having already consumed a delicious gin and tonic on a sunny Sunday a couple of weeks ago, but I’ll certainly repeat that Memorial Day ritual after I’ve spent the weekend planting the rest of the garden: gold cherry tomato seedlings, a couple of Asian eggplant, skinny beans, tender herbs like basil and dill, and more. Can’t wait to stow that wool coat!

Sherry: We usually cookout with friends. Often on the Sunday afternoon before Memorial Day so no one has to worry about staying up too late. I can’t believe summer has finally arrived after a long, cold Virginia winter!

Julie: Grilling, a pedicure, getting the summer clothes out, finally putting the winter clothes away (I hope). I love this weekend, and the ritual of welcoming summer. And for me, this year, writing writing writing!

Barb: When we close up the house in Maine in November, we bring all the furniture from the big front porch and the big back deck inside and pile it in the living room. If we sneak up to do work there in the spring, we leave the furniture where it is and live in the den and the dining room. So summer for me is when we put the outside furniture outside. This year, I am eagerly waiting while the porch deck gets painted. There have been so many wet days. But yesterday, the first coat went down, so soon I’ll be sitting on the porch, reading Level Best submissions and staring at the sea.

Readers: What’s your Memorial Day weekend ritual? How do you launch summer?