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Farm-grown memories

CINDY DAY weathermail@weatherbyday.ca Cindydayweather Cindy Day is chief meteorologist for Saltwire Network.

It's hard to believe that July is almost over. Those who know me know that I'm a fan of winter; having said that, I do love all of our seasons. Now, if I had to pick a favourite month, hands down, it would be July.

For starters, I was a July baby; next week, I will be 39 again - so that makes me a Leo. A lot has been said about the stubbornness of Leos, so let's move on.

My birthstone is the ruby, which by the way, was my maternal grandmother's name. The ruby is considered the king of gems and symbolizes love, passion, and success. I've been blessed with all three. It was once believed that the ruby would protect its wearer from evil. So far, so good.

Growing up with a summer birthday was wonderful. I could have Kool-aid and cake on the veranda if I chose to. Mom's dahlias were always at their peak on my birthday, so it felt very special.

As a side note, my paternal grandmother's name was Delia, which, until I was well into my teens, I assumed was the same as the flower. Grandma Delia, more affectionately known as Memere, was born on July 25.

We always celebrated our birthdays together on the 27th on the veranda.

Summers were always busy on the farm, but magically, my birthday often fell between the first and second cut of hay, so we weren't quite as busy with fieldwork. If the weather co-operated and it often did, dad would take me fishing for

perch on the St. Lawrence River.

The 10 days following my birthday were the very best: for those 10 days, I was the same age as my older sister Monique; some say that makes us Irish twins. There were times when I wished she would move to Ireland, but we quickly became best friends when she stopped wearing my clothes.

The sultry summer late July sun has a way of opening a floodgate of memories; I wouldn't have it any other way. It's the perfect time to reflect on the blessings in my life. It's far too easy to lose sight of how fortunate we are.

This year I will celebrate my birthday surrounded by the people I love the most, on that old veranda in Bainsville.

WEATHER

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2021-07-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

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