IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE: Blooms Everywhere The Bike Ride Garden Prep Zahra's Earth-Friendly Tip My Personal Gossip My Books |
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BLOOMS EVERYWHERE From the ground to the trees, everything is in bloom. I love the colors, textures, and fragrances. I'm sneezing more often, but it's worth it. Getting outside and taking in the fresh beauty of spring energizes me and helps stimulate creativity. When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time just looking at flowers, trees, grass, rocks, water, and dirt. It soothed my soul and made me feel good. Lately, I've been drawn back into quietly taking in nature's beauty. Maybe it was all the quarantining. Maybe my soul just needed to reconnect to nature. Whatever the reason, I'm back in the habit of pausing each day to drink in the blooms and more. |
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I'm obsessed lately with my new bike. Not long after this photo was taken, I stopped riding my bike regularly. Decades later, I bought a new bike (I know, I've mentioned). My latest blog is about my first real bike ride since the purchase. READ MY BLOG |
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Our seedlings are bursting. Gardening is another hobby that keeps my creative juices flowing. Now that our seedlings are taking up a big chunk of space in our makeshift home gym, it's time to prep the garden. We had way more success with our seedlings than expected. |
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The planters and tubs we use are not sufficient for all of our seedlings. My son and I considered purchasing more planters, but we didn't want to invest half our stimulus check. Instead, we decided to improvise. |
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We purchased 12 inexpensive laundry baskets. Each basket has a layer of sticks on the bottom. We then added a layer of leaf and grass mulch. We're getting ready to add lots of dirt. As soon as there's no threat of freezing temperatures or frost, we'll plant our crops. |
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ZAHRA'S EARTH-FRIENDLY TIP |
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Zahra, the main character of my middle grade novels who is no bigger than a loblolly pine cone, wants you to know how much she loves dandelions. Every bit of the dandelion is edible. While some consider them weeds, they're actually quite useful. And healthy! |
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Zahra suggests making dandelion tea. She enjoys the cold-brewed version (her kind live in trees, so they don't use fire for cooking). She thinks humans would enjoy the leaves in spring salads, too. In addition to the bright pop of color they add to the landscape, they also attract pollinators that help our vegetable and herb gardens! |
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After getting about a third of the way through re-editing my WIP, everything stopped. I couldn't edit or write. My writing came to an abrupt halt for good reason. A couple of months back, I began seeing my therapist again. I say again because I've seen her on and off |
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since my father passed away in 2009. She's helped me wade through some tough times. Like so many during this pandemic, depression took hold again sometime in 2020, so I reached out. This time, we hit on some really important, really tough stuff. Under my therapist's guidance, I embarked upon trauma narrative therapy. Lots of feelings have re-emerged. For several weeks, I just couldn't work on my writing. But then, like a phoenix rising out of ashes, the urge to get back to my WIP, and Zahra, pushed to the surface. I'm still working through those tough issues with my therapist. But balance—a much steadier, stronger balance—has begun to take hold. Like the purple, pink, and yellow blossoms pushing through this spring, I am beginning to feel renewed. And I'm editing and writing again. |
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