I’m Alive!

Rosa ‘Brother Cadfael’

I haven’t been around, I know. For months!

So, here’s what’s been going on all spring and early summer

First there was construction. Our only bathroom was falling apart, seriously falling apart. So, we took out loans and for 3 weeks we got a portapotty and I was surrounded by construction. Whee!

It was a nasty, wet spring here and every time I planned to go out and weed or plant things, I looked out and said, nope. Nothing doing.

That didn’t stop me from buying plants.

Then there were the book launches. I released two books in April – Faerie Descent and Horticultural Homicide. It was an interesting experiment, but I think I’ll wait a long time before I do that again. Took a lot out of me.

Then I got sick, which turned out to be bronchitis. Apparently, my lungs didn’t appreciate the construction dust, uncovered mold, nasty paint fumes and pollen combination. Some flu, cold or virus I picked up was the tipping point.

So, by the time I recovered from all that, warm weather was here and I had at least a couple hundred plants (not kidding) in small pots which needed watering twice a day. Temps were in the 80’s, which doesn’t happen here often.

Datura

So, I dragged containers around, weeded and planted. Without much progress. This was the year I decided to get the three large, metal watering troughs to use as raised beds. Which meant filling them up with compost and potting soil. We bought (and I lifted) 23 one yard bags of potting soil. Ouch!

I finished planting last week. In July! Sheesh. All the plants that will be planted before fall. There are still some plants waiting for new beds, but those were planned for and they aren’t new ones.

So, It’s mid-July and I finally looked up and realized I haven’t blogged in months! Although I have been writing and publishing things. Several new short stories and a collection of stories. I even did a couple of events.

I’m still working on the novel from hell, which will end someday soon. And my to-do list seems to be getting longer. Well, at least on the publishing side. The gardening side is actually getting shorter. Whoo hoo!

Rosa ‘Tamora’

And I’m going to a Mystery Writing Workshop in September, out on the Oregon Coast. I recently got the reading list – which is massive. I’m happy to say that I’m less than a hundred pages from the end of reading the 800 page anthology. Only eight more books to go!

So, I’ve got tons more news, but I really do need to go eat some dinner. It will have to wait. And I’ll have more photos of the bathroom, the garden and who knows what else, but on another day. Once I take them. I’ve been slacking on that too.

So, I hope your summer is going well. Go outside, to the beach, or the desert or a garden. Smell some roses and spend a few minutes, kicking back and enjoying life.

I’ll be back soon. I’m not going away for another three months, knock on wood!



2 thoughts on “I’m Alive!”

  • Sorry to hear you’ve been so sick, Linda but what a great catch-up in the life of you! Your garden must be amazing right about now. 🙂

    We’re in winter over here, which really doesn’t change the Australian bush that much but it’s quite cold in the New England highlands with the wind coming off the snow further south. I have a wood fire burning day and night right now.

    My treat this morning was to be visited by a koala, they’re transient so he was just passing through but reminded me how much I love being on the crossroads of wildlife.

    Congrats on your writing achievements and best wishes, enjoy your new loo, and hope the bronchitis stays well away. Cheers, Lyn 🙂

    • Wow, hard to imagine a koala wandering through our property. We’ve got rabbits, raccoons and possums and an occasionally coyote. There was a deer across the road a few years ago and a decade ago a mountain lion at the nearest (now gone) elementary school.

      Lovely to hear you’re doing well. Thanks for your congratulations and wishes. I’m working hard in so many areas of my life right now, wish I could get everything on an even keel, but one or two parts always seem to be way behind. Oooh, mixing my metaphors there! LOL. Today, I’m behind on writing and gardening. I’ll go water containers after dinner and there will be an upcoming post with photos! I finally took some.

      Waiting to hear when you’re going to get back to writing. Winter’s the perfect time.

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