Publisher’s Corner
Summer of Mixed Emotions
Summer is my season. I love the warm nights as the cicada
sing and the fireflies dance. Dragonflies dart the neighborhood
in search of pesky yet tasty mosquitoes. Butterflies enjoy
the nectar of the purple cone flowers as the honeybees make
their daily visit to the clover patch. We have noticed a
pair of hawks have taken to our suburban neighborhood amid
the tall oaks. A bumper crop of rabbits and squirrels has
perhaps brought them to our neck of the woods. Mice and
voles are plentiful as well but our Norwegian Forest Cat
“Smokey” takes care of that overpopulation with
a steady paw. A series of thunderstorms have kept the greenery
steamy and the creeks flowing. Wet basements are the norm.
A cardinal made her nest in our backyard cedar tree so near
the edge of the branches we worry that the next big breeze
may send it to the ground. Hummingbirds eagerly drink from
the Mimosa blooms high atop the canopy mostly out of view.
But the hummingbirds also like the taste of the blue spruce
sap, so we can observe them there. Our Border Collie, “Suki”,
has created a cool earthen spot beneath the Japanese Maple
we call the “Ojii Tree” in honor of my wife
Niki’s father. And the honeysuckle and milkweed vines
have nearly connected on our chainlink fence creating a
beautiful and fragrant green boundary to our small backyard.
It is somehow so meditative to just observe what goes on
around you, even in your own yard. I am not sure who coined
the phrase, “It’s the small things in life that
really matter.” But they were so right. We can’t
keep the big things from happening, but thank goodness we
have the small things to fall back on for solace. So long
as you don’t sweat them...
It is with great sadness that I have lost my uncle, James
C. Barnard, this summer. He was the patriarch of the family
and a mentor and friend of The Healthy Planet. He was there
when we started The Healthy Planet more than 11 years ago
with sage advice, enthusiasm, insight and generosity. My
entire life my uncle has been there for anyone and everyone
in our family. A man of great enthusiasm for life, spiritualism,
and family, he touched the lives of everyone who knew him.
He was a very successful entrepreneur and businessman. He
had an knack for making things work. He had a curiosity
for the alternative and was able to question the status
quo and seek out answers to those questions. He was funny,
outgoing and we spent many great years enjoying the hospitality
of his home. He was a good husband, father, grandfather,
brother, uncle, cousin and friend ... and as he would have
said about someone else, he was just a “neat guy.”
His strong support of The Healthy Planet and positive karma
have helped inspire us to stay on task with our mission
these past 11 years and he will always be a part of each
and every page that we publish.
J.B. Lester, Publisher
