# 33 - That Summertime Feeling ☀️ 🏖️ 🐝

Send us Fan MailJune 20th was the first day of summer on the calendar. When does summer begin for you? What gives you that summertime feeling? .... Maybe the long days? Or the warm sunshine?What is that summertime feeling? What do you want to do in the summer?      Do you want to relax? Here are some expressions we use for "relax":    “kick back”     “take it easy”     “chill”     “hang out” with friends & family     Do you want to go to the beach, river or lake and hang out and chill?     Do you want to take it easy -  lie on a blanket in the shade and read a good book?Or are you a "busy  bee" during the summer and want to “make hay while the sun shines”? Maybe you like to go camping or backpacking (hiking in the mountains with a backpack, sleeping bag and food for several days). Do you like to plant a vegetable garden or work on painting or building projects?A lot of people take a vacation or go on a vacation in the summer. Families with school aged children “take advantage” of the summer to go on vacation. Some people  travel far by car or take a road trip. Other people take a plane and fly somewhere.  A lot of families just take a "staycation”? They stay at home and take day trips close to home. Summer is our hottest season and it has been hot recently! Here are some expressions or idioms we use for hot weather:        a heat wave - a wave of heat like a wave of water from the tide on the ocean "washes"  over an area.       a scorcher – to scorch is to burn, like if you leave an iron on your clothes too long, you scorch your clothes. We call a hot day a scorcher.      We also say "It’s so hot you can fry an egg on the sidewalk!"The dog days of summer are those hot days in the middle of the summer when the weather is hot  day after day. We want to be lazy and lie around like a dog in the sun.    How hot is too hot for you?What can you to stay cool (beat the heat) on hot days? You can go swimming or just be lazy and sit in the shade. You can stay inside and turn on the fans or air conditioning -  if you have it. We all should drink lots of liquids like water, lemonade or iced tea.What gives you that summertime feeling, dear listener?Do you like to kick back and chill or are you a busy bee during the summer?We hope you find some ways to beat the heat during these dog days of summer!    Tacomaliteracy.org