The sun is shining, the temperatures are warm, and that wonderful time of year is upon us again. Some people look forward to sandy beaches and water sports, but you know what summer is really all about. Its barbecue season and you aren’t nearly ready for it. Stop staring out the window wistfully; dreaming of all the good times you had in the past. This year is going to be better than all of them, but only if you start the preparations right now. Here’s a short to-do list that might help you:

 

Go grill shopping. Do this before the season starts also, even if you don’t need a new grill. You know, at some point during the summer, you will go to someone else’s house and covet their grilling set-up. That’s okay. Yours is fine, but you might want to convince yourself of that early by checking out new models. Who knows? Maybe you will upgrade. At the very least, you’ll probably buy some cool accessories.

 

Buy a freezer. This is for the really serious entertainers. Buy a freezer for the garage or basement and stock it full of meats to feed your friends and neighbors. The hot summer sun will thaw anything out in a few hours and your gas, propane, or charcoal grill will finish the job on time for lunch or dinner. There are some real advantages to having an extra freezer on the premises, the two most popular ones being always having enough to cook and the savings you can enjoy when you shop in bulk.

 

Invest in some real lawn and deck furniture. Do you really want your guests sitting on those flimsy folding chairs? How many did you break last year? Invest in some real furniture and make your home the comfortable barbeque spot everyone wants to visit. They’ll be talking about you long after the summer is over, and it will be for good reasons this time. People will gossip, no matter what, but gossip can be positive.

 

Clear all the junk out of the yard. If you don’t do this now at the beginning of barbeque season, you’ll never do it. There’s accumulated junk back there from the long winter of inactivity, maybe even a few items that have been there since before last summer. Did you procrastinate last season until it was too late? Don’t do it this year. Clean the yard and the porch while you’re at it, then call Junk King to get rid of everything before you start inviting friends and neighbors over.

 

Do some planning, but leave a few weekends open to be spontaneous. Grilling for friends and neighbors can be a lot of fun, but it gets monotonous if you do it every weekend. Don’t allow your source of enjoyment to become a chore. Plan a few weekend events, but leave other weekends open for spontaneous events. You may want to leave your back yard or deck at times to take advantage of those other summer activities – you know – the beach and water sports. You don’t have to give up grilling completely to partake in those. Bring the hibachi.