yellow polka dot flowers and bikinis

I've been out walking every morning this past week. Up until then, it has been pretty sporadic because I'm just not one to "exercise". But, I was told by one of my daughters, "time to get into bikini shape Mom"! Oh yes, I forgot that I wanted to wear my bikini... you're right. So, whether subconsciously I'm thinking about that bikini that I haven't worn for 20 years, or I've just finally crossed that "walking enough that you start to enjoy it" line, I've been out there every morning this week. I have even jogged a couple of stretches while on my walk. Leah was with me the first time I kicked up my heels and she said "Mom, I'm so proud of you!"

Another incentive that I have are these pretty little yellow flowers. They grow wild around here and line the streets and are sprinkled around in the front of people's homes. I love sunflowers and daisies and miss having them in my yard. These seem like a perfect blend of the two and you don't have to water them. The problem is, we don't have any in our front "natural" landscape. And I want to have the little sprinkling of yellow dots around my house too. My solution is this... while I am on my walk, as I come around one corner there are a bunch of them that are going to seed. It is an area that is really just open space, not really anyone's property. So, I pick off a few of the seed heads each time and keep them in my hand. As I am walking up our driveway, I sprinkle them around and let the breeze catch them and settle them wherever they want to go. I'm hoping next spring I will see some yellow flowers.

Today, and this is really the whole point of this post, as I was reaching down to pinch off a few of the dried flowers I hear someone shout out..."hey there sexy!" I stood up and looked behind me and there is a "woman who runs all the time with her ear buds in" running up the hill towards me. As I look at her, with a loss for words, she says "Berle?" To which I say, "no...but I'll take the compliment!" Because, I'm thinking... well, this walking is paying off and I must be getting close to that bikini!

But, as it turns out her friend Berle lives on the corner and she thought I was her. I told her the funny thing is, I have a good friend in Colorado whose name is Berle and I miss seeing her.And it is a name you don't hear very often. As she was jogging off she said, "well, she just lives right up there and you look kind off like her, but her hair is a little more red than yours." And that was that.

So, with my seeds in my hand I continued walking. In fact...I started to jog again thinking about those cute little yellow flowers and that yellow polka dot bikini that I could be wearing if I keep this up.

Chances are... the yellow flowers will probably come up sooner than I will ever be wearing a bikini... polka dot or not.