“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow fast in movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with summer.”
–F. Scott Fitzgerald
Today we celebrate the beginning of summer…a day filled with light…a season filled with joy…a season with an abundance of gifts from mother nature. During the sweet days of summer the jasmine’s bloom and there is NOTHING like the smell of jasmine! Here is South Florida, the heat is on, and so is the Heat. Another tense and intense game last night, but alas we emerge 1 away from the brass ring. It’s actually so appropriate that the Heat and the Thunder play here, together, as we have plenty of both, this week. Life imitating art, or art imitating life. Having had some incredibly beautiful and dry weather (until now!) I have been grateful to get in daily walks with the bigredguy, which is what he lives for and probably because of! I have also been able to get in some great swims, hitting a personal best last week, swimming 50 laps. Jane hit a personal best extending her morning walk to 6.5 miles. Mitch has been able to get up every morning and get out for a walk before work which is such a great way to start the day, for so many reasons. It not only gets your blood pumping, and your brain started, but for the rest of the day you know you have already gotten in a good amount of “steps.” Many are coming out for night classes as the added hours of sunlight make us all feel like we have a lot more day to live! Having given up red wine (after being a nightly drinker of a glass or 2) I have found that my mid-life night sweats and hot-flashes have completely disappeared. It’s easy and inexpensive to eat lots of fruits and vegetables during summer. Glancing through the grocery store circular this morning, prices are way down on berries and cherries. Cherries scream summer to me and I am sure they are my all time favorite fruit of all. Mangoes are right up there and not only does our tree have fruit for the first time, but my generous students and next door neighbor are gifting us mangoes daily…and they are soooo good! Grilling vegetables are also at their all time low prices. Zucchinis and yellow squash are under $1.00 a pound. Hmmm. Thinking veggie subs for tomorrow night’s VFT dinner, but now I am getting a head of myself.
Wherever you are, I wish you a first day of summer that makes YOU feel like life is beginning all over again! We are all kids, in summer.
