Remembering

This summer I noticed these growing on my street. Whenever I see thistles growing, I think about my grandmother, Lillian. Of course I didn't know her back in the 30s when she looked like this:

I remember her looking like she did in the photo below - in the blue polyester pant suit. (What was it about older people in the 1970s and polyester?) And, yes that's me in the middle.

Anyway, thistles always make me think of her. When she passed away I inherited her china tea cup collection and four of them are decorated with thistles. All the other cups seem completely random - except for those four. So now, whenever I see thistles, I think of her.

I know the "thistles" we have on Mackinac aren't the same thistles that grow in Scotland (where my grandma was born) - ours are common burdock, but they remind me of her all the same.