‘Tis the Season
Reading Poolside Beats the Heat
One of my favorite summer activities is reading—preferably beating the heat near a pool or beach with a bar and waiter attending my cold beverage needs! I’ve found that my Kindle is great outdoors. The lighted screen is easy to read and it doesn’t add too much weight to my beach bag. I’ve read several books recently and enjoyed most of them. A few I’d recommend for your summer list: Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize), and Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Some that I’ve got
Bring summer–skip the bloodsuckers
Summer is my season. I don’t mind the heat, as long as it doesn’t come with high humidity and inch toward the upper 90s. I love almost everything about summer—vacations, long days that allow me to enjoy the evenings outside, warm temps, summer flip-flops, reading by the pool, tropical iced tea, the flowers in bloom, and probably much more! Pretty much the only things I hate about summer are the bugs, mosquitoes, and spiders. Ugh. I’ve tried so many different ways to keep the mosquitoes away. Citronella candles make me sneeze. And I hate spraying chemicals on my skin or
June…month of romance and weddings
It’s June, so naturally, thoughts turn to weddings as this is one of the most popular months for them. And what leads to weddings? Romance, of course! My romances tend to feature engagements more than actual weddings. But they all include the warmth of a little flirting, the heat of that first touch, and the sizzle of mutual attraction. Most (but not all) of my romance novels are what we call “sweet,” or PG-13, meaning the sizzle is there, but any bedroom activity is off-page. They also include some family drama, conflicting goals for the main characters, and plots that
And now the payoff begins
It’s always fun to watch something I’ve planted grow and thrive. At my house, it’s a struggle. We have many big, beautiful trees, which I love. But those trees house a lot of squirrels and provide a lot of shade–things that often work against me in my quest to grow a few flowers. We’ve got bunnies and chipmunks galore, and we do not have dogs to chase them away–more obstacles to growing things. But, hope springs eternal for gardeners, I guess. Last fall, my husband and I decided to try a new bed in a sunny spot and grow annuals
A lilac bush that blooms!
After years of being disappointed by lilac bushes that produce great, healthy-looking foliage but no flowers, it appears I finally have a variety that blooms every year — at least two in a row. 🙂 I have no idea whether it’s the type of lilac, the quality or the placement or if it’s just a happy plant, but I’m excited to see several flowers blooming this year. I’ve long envied other yards their fragrant, full shrubs. Fingers crossed that this one will live and be fruitful for a very long time! Do you have any gardening/plant challenges in your yard?
Kauffman Gardens
I spent a few minutes in Kauffman Gardens yesterday. I try to get there a few times every year. The groundskeepers were cleaning and resealing the fountains, so the water wasn’t running. But someone had lovingly planted pansies. It looked like more spring blooms might be around the corner.
Presidents Day Sale
I regret to announce that I failed to take advantage of any Presidents Day sales. Not a single one. Even worse, I didn’t offer Presidents Day deals on any of my books. So if you were hoping for either of these things … sorry to disappoint. On the bright side, I didn’t spend any money!
Frosting is the fun part!
Just finished frosting the first set of Valentine sugar cookies! A little early because they’re being shipped. Making these cookies is a three-step process. One day to mix the dough, one day to cut and bake, and another to frost. Frosting is the fun, creative part! I love to try new designs and play around with sprinkle combinations! Baking tip: This time of year, when the heater is running and the air is dry, I always use extra large eggs to give the dough a little more moisture. Do you have any tips/tricks to share? Do you bake for Valentine’s
Signs of spring bring cheer!
I am sooo glad to be almost a week into the shortest month of the year. I can’t wait for longer days without gloves and scarves and coats. We’ve had a surprisingly warm weekend, so I went out and poked around in the yard a bit today. And was cheered to see signs of spring. These little crocus will be blooming soon, a promise that winter will go away again! What do you look forward to most about spring?
