Whoever said summer was a time for rest and relaxation wasn’t from Maine, where we’re doing one of two things: enduring a long Maine winter or preparing for yet another one.

While visiting my brother’s family in Massachusetts after one particularly harsh Maine winter a few years back, my sister-in-law asked how I was enjoying the spring weather in Windham and I replied, “In Maine, I’ve realized it’s winter year-round. It’s just that some days are warmer than others.” I’m not sure if you feel the way I do, but summer is a momentary lull in the battle, the battle against Old Man Winter.

If you’re from Maine, you know what I’m saying. The winters here last forever, but we’re proud each spring to have made it through yet another cold blast.

I know Memorial Day just took place, but to Mainers, the three-day holiday weekend isn’t merely the unofficial start of summer, it’s the beginning of house project season. People from away might think Mainers are strange for doing so much on their houses in summer. But, when there’s two to three feet of snow surrounding your home half the year, summer is just about the only time you can get anything done. So, we covet these warm days and are quick to tackle projects that just can’t be done during the winter when it’s too cold.

My list of summer projects is huge. First I have to do something with my basement. My “basement” really isn’t a basement at all. It’s a 3-foot-high crawl space with a dirt floor. Using plastic sheeting, my mission is to seal out the moisture that comes up from the dirt so my sub-floor and supporting beams and columns don’t rot. Last summer, I was going to hire a professional to do the work but after receiving an estimate, I quickly realized this was going to be a DIY project – a project that has sadly morphed into a several-year-long odyssey.

Last summer I began by leveling the dirt floor, which was a lot of backbreaking work. I then bought gigantic rolls of thick plastic, with which I was going to cover the dirt floor and foundation walls. I had managed to get half the basement done, but when I went down to finish the other half, I found the adhesive I had used to stick the plastic to the foundation hadn’t stuck at all. And that was about as far as I got before the snow started flying. So, this year, it’s back into the crawl space for me. Priority number one is getting that basement sealed.

Priority two is getting my house painted. It seems winter and house paint don’t quite get along here in Maine. Every year since I bought my house in 2005, I notice there’s less and less paint still stuck to the exterior when spring rolls around. This spring, it’s beyond reproach. My neighbors must think I’m a bum for letting my house go. Come the first sign of snow, come heck or high water, this house will gleam with a fresh coat of paint.

As an aside, I just wish I could paint without having to scrape first. I’d use a pressure washer but I wonder if that’s truly good for shingle siding. It’s easier to spray, I know, but I fear the water is being shot into nooks and crannies and will eventually cause havoc. So, it’s the scraper for me.

The last chore this summer, in my desperate race to outwit Old Man Winter, is to install an electrical generator. Last winter we had way too many power outages down my road, and I, for one, am sick of sleeping in odd places hoping the pipes in my house don’t freeze. I don’t want to break the bank hooking up a generator, but something needs to give. It’s an investment, but a wise and necessary one I think.

Yep, they say summer is a magical time when one does nothing but rest the afternoon away in a hammock sipping lemonade from a tall, plastic cup. But here in Maine, we’ve got stuff to do in summer. Yes, it’s sad we spend these warmer days preparing for power outages and house rot, but they don’t call us Maineacs for nothing. If you’re going to thrive and not just survive a Maine winter, the time to start preparing is Memorial Day weekend. Or, in my case, the weekend after.

John Balentine, of Windham, is a former editor of the Lakes Region Weekly.