This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Dear Myself,

It's here! Summer! Your very favorite time of year! So here's a list of things you can do to celebrate the season before it fades into fall. Enjoy.

1. Go to some Bees games and eat some corn dogs.

2. Only not too many corn dogs like you did the last time you went to a Bees game.

3. Walk through the gardens at Red Butte at least once a week and appreciate the variety there.

4. Take your granddaughter on a hike to Cecret Lake when the wildflowers are in bloom. If she asks you what the wildflowers are called, feel free to make stuff up.

5. She won't know the difference.

6. Sleep in your backyard beneath the stars at least once. This is a summer tradition you've followed for years.

7. Buy a shake (or two) at the Iceberg on 9th East and 39th South.

8. Grill hamburgers.

9. Also hot dogs.

10. Eat all the peaches and tomatoes you can get your hands on.

11. Go to a farmers market to buy those peaches and tomatoes. Also corn and melons. Think about your grandpa Edwards who made a living as a truck farmer, peddling produce from here to Green River.

12. Resist the temptation to buy another daylily. Remind yourself there's no room at the inn for another daylily at your house.

13. Seriously. THERE IS NO ROOM AT THE INN.

14. Make a potato salad for the Fourth of July. It won't be near as good as the potato salad your mother-in-law, Ruth, makes, but it will be pretty good anyway.

15. Go to at least one concert.

16. Even though going to a performance by a band you loved in high school can be sort of depressing. Remember how you went to that Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood concert at the MGM Grand in Vegas and noticed that half the people in the audience were on oxygen tanks there?

17. That's because you guys are old farts now.

18. Remember to drink water and wear sunscreen for a change.

19. Ride your bike around Liberty Park.

20. Also, while we're on the subject of Liberty Park, why not take in one of those bird shows at the Tracy Aviary? Remember how that one bird scared your brother at Sea World when you were kids and your dad told you all to watch out for Australian Crunch Birds after that?

21. See? You come by your talent naturally for making stuff up when it comes to kids.

22. Read a book while sitting outside. Next on the list? "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles followed by "Crooked Kingdom" by Leigh Bardugo.

23. Welcome the Texas branch of the family when they roll into town.

24. Take the dogs on walks up City Creek Canyon.

25. Take off your shoes and dangle your feet in some water somewhere.

26. Speaking of feet, your feet look gross. Get yourself a pedicure STAT!

27. Take a road trip to Cedar City and attend the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

28. Check with your mom to see if she wants to go to her hometown, Big Piney, again this summer, where she'll remind you that Wyoming women are not to be messed with.

29. Frankly, your mother can be a little scary when she gets her Wyoming on.

30. Remember what summer nights felt like when you lived in New York? The air was so thick with humidity you could have sliced it with your pocketknife. Do not take for granted how pleasant summer nights in Salt Lake City are. Sit on your porch every single night after dark and give thanks for mountain desert air.

Sincerely,

Myself

Ann Cannon can be reached at acannon@sltrib.com or facebook.com/anncannontrib.