DEAR HARRIETTE: Usually my family and I rent a house in a beach community about an hour from where we live in the summer. We haven't yet organized it for this year because of all of the worries about being quarantined. But then my husband and I decided we might as well. If we have to be away from people, wouldn’t it be better in a pretty beach community? We can just take precautions when we go outside and to the beach. We know when the downtimes are.
When we started researching, we realized that, to our surprise, there’s hardly anything available. I think most people who own these homes have decided to stay there since they can’t readily hop on a plane and go someplace else. I’m bummed. I don’t know what I’m going to do with my kids all summer. They need to get outside and play. Any ideas? -- Quarantine Summer
DEAR QUARANTINE SUMMER: Don’t stop looking. Call your friends and people you know in some of the smaller summer communities. Right now, summer rental services are probably not the way to go, but word of mouth might work. If you can’t find anything, check the newspaper in your city for summer activities. Just like at the beach, in order to safely take your children to the park, it will likely mean going early in the morning, practicing social distancing and wearing a mask. Pick safe paths for walking. Research trails and parks outside the city where there are fewer people. Get lots of art supplies, too, and do projects with your kids. It’s a lot of work, but it may be necessary for you to become camp leader at home.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)