Audrey Hepburn, the iconic movie actor of the 1950s and ’60s, said that to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. It was a characteristically elegant way of re-phrasing an idea many of us heard from our parents when we were growing up — “You reap what you sow.” It’s also a beautiful metaphor for summer.

This time of year, the plans we make in winter and spring take root and grow. Seeds and bulbs become plants that produce vegetables, flowers and fruit. If spring is a time of rebirth, summer is when many of us feel most alive. Whatever summer means to you, I hope it’s full of joy, adventure and quality time with family and friends.

In this issue of Huron-Perth Boomers, we’re celebrating several stories that reflect the vitality of the season, along with some practical tips about how to live happily and healthily. Boomers contributor Elizabeth Bundy-Cooper brings us a fascinating profile of Stratford artist Philip Yielding (Page 24), whose work appears all over the Festival City. Jenessa Dalton, of the North Perth Family Health Team, offers a primer on the new Canada’s Food Guide, and how it informs healthy eating (Page 30).

Wealth manager James Gauthier discusses how to avoid tax inefficiencies to save you money (Page 34), while public health promoters Courtney Feeney and Candace Cunningham of the Huron County Health Unit give us a rundown on cannabis in 2019 (Page 12). Spoiler alert: Today’s cannabis is more potent than the stuff you may have smoked in your youth. In her latest ‘If These Walls Could Talk’ feature, historian Jodi Jerome recounts the story of Hicks House, a landmark property in Mitchell that traces its origins to Goderich Township around 1830 (Page 16).

As you read this issue of Boomers, I hope you’ll enjoy summer to the greatest extent possible — without pushing too hard, of course. Soak up the sun (using sunscreen), putter in the garden, and start that book you’ve been planning to write.

“Pick the day,” Ms. Hepburn said. “Enjoy it – to the hilt.”