This past weekend, despite the rain, my family and I began working on getting the house ready for summer. This included swapping out sweaters for t-shirts and shorts, setting up the garden and bringing out outdoor patio furniture.

I finally have extra room in my closet and dresser because summer clothing takes up a lot less space than heavy winter sweaters. I’ve always been a summer girl, so I can’t say I’m sad to pack away my winter clothes in the attic. I tried on clothing I’ve had for years so I can donate anything that doesn’t fit anymore. My family donated five bags of clothing to Goodwill.

My family has worked on preparing the garden for a few weeks. This weekend we began with raking through the dirt to get rid of weeds and other debris. Then we added dirt from our compost to help enrich the soil. By next weekend we’ll get around to buying the seeds and planting. We always plant a mix of plants and herbs including green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and mint. We also have a vine of wine grapes planted and raised by the previous house owners that comes back every year without fail.

The most tiring of it all was emptying the shed and garage and rearranging the outdoor furniture. Halfway through it, my sister and I rediscovered bikes my dad found at a flea market last year. Tired from moving furniture, we left the rest for our parents and spent the end of the day riding around our neighborhood and enjoying the warm weather.

— Nia Scott, intern