Day 37: It must be July, the tiger lilies are in bloom

 

Tiger lilies are a special treat, aren't they?  These are actually Asian lilies, but they have the tiger lily spots.  My great-grandmother had tiger lilies growing outside her back door.

Mumsy (as we called her in the family) was a very young great-grandmother.  She drove!  Which I understand was kind of uncommon in her generation of women?  She was divorced!  Yikes!  And remarried.

And she had a tiny brick house a block up from her town's main street.  Very little yard/growing space.  No grass, at all.  Out front, a bed full of petunias!  Out the back door, the tiger lilies.  So, in July, when they bloom, I think of Mumsy.

Anyway, out here in the center of the country (USA) we have been having wonderfully mild days for this time of year.  While the far West, and even Canada are getting broiled, we've been having good weather for walks.  I have enjoyed those walks, when the thermometer was registering in the 60's F, as I would head out the door, and barely into the 70's by the time I got home.  Ahhh... gratitude and grace!

The personal trainer had been on vacation last week, so I walked more, and did more yard work.  The cooler weather came just in time for ME.  The trainer is back now, and I have a little bit of time yet to blog before I head over for my first workout with him back.  

I went to the grocery store early.  Like many parts of the country, our local Covid-19 rates have been going up.  Again.  The average hospitalizations in July so far have been more than double the average in June.  Still not time for the fully vaccinated to panic, but based on this observation, I wore my mask and went early.  I was not the only masked, older shopper, either.  There were not many shoppers out yet at 7 a.m., and it felt good to get this chore out of the way, and have my freggies all stocked up.

Today I am thinking of my brother.  This is his Yahrzeit.  Two years ago today, we lost him.  Most Sparkers know his story.  I have his Spark success story archived over here: Kevin's Journey to the Boston Marathon

This photo was taken at mile 9 of a half marathon he was running, the last day of his life.  I can't really think of a better way to exit than doing something you love.  But I can still hear his gentle voice, self-deprecating, saying in my head, "I might have managed that race better..."

Today, I am living to honor him... and I encourage all of us to live this one and only Tuesday, July 13, 2021 we'll ever get making choices to support not just longevity, but quality of LIFE, for as Kevin would close his blogs, LIFE is good!  ✨ Keep sparking!