July is a special month. It is the month of Leo. Yes, you guessed it, I am a Leo. In fact, all my siblings are Leos.. And for the most part, we all fit the Leo profile really well. Warmhearted, leaders, confident, sometimes ego-driven, don’t like to be told what to do and yet very generous and caring to others. Leos love admiration and appreciation and often have careers that put us in the limelight. I am not sure about that last one as I like working behind the scenes and am quite camera shy. But for the most part Leo is a good sign and I am so glad my grandson Jackson is a Leo, too. We will celebrate our birthdays this month, his on the 23rd and mine on the 28th. Maybe we will bake a Lion cake as the “mane” attraction. So happy birthday to all you Leos out there. You are people who love to lead and others are counting on us to make things happen. But never worry, Leos are up to the challenge! Grrrrrrr!
Summer is definitely here. The cicada are chirping (sort of blending in with my tintitis), the lightning bugs (fireflies) are blinking, the goldfinches are fluttering and the bats are swooping around the yard. My big tomato plant got some sort of leaf problem and is starting to die. I Googled and it said maybe some sort of soil problem. But it already gave us a couple dozen tomatoes. So it added to our table. The summer squash and zuchinni are coming along nicely. Have you ever seen a plant that grows such huge leaves? Some are the size of elephant’s ears. Ok, maybe baby elephants, but really big. The vines will take over the west end of the yard but the bounty is worth it. Nothing better than summer squash and zuchinni. Yum! Our yard is now filled with native plants and many we did not plant. I think the birds knew what we would like in our gardens as they made their pit stops and deposited native seeds. Good Karma! I have been playing around with an art app on my phone and as you can see I turned my picture in this column to a painting. I wonder how the fine artists feel about this. Maybe how I felt as a photojournalist when digital photography came along. At what point do technology and art collide? Or is it the “new art”? I prefer brushstrokes to push buttons, but I am turning 66 (full retirement age) soon. I will have to look into what that really means. I am plugging away here and I call that (still working age). And as a Leo, I am happy to have been leading the pack here at the Healthy Planet magazine for the past 20 years and bringing you your monthly treat of health, wellness and green living news and resources. You might say it’s the purrrrfect job for a Leo. lol
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Happy Summer! J.B. Lester, Publisher