Sunshine and Music Speak to Me by Paty Jager

Sunshine has always been my pick me up. I love the brightness. The light that grows plants, makes you warm, and gives you a feeling of life. 

Flowers grown this summer

Where I grew up the winters are long. Not as long as in Alaska but the cold and snow can come as early as November and not fully leave until May. Growing up I couldn't wait for May and finding the first buttercup. When that happened it was a pretty good chance the sunlight and warmth was there to stay through the summer.  

Buttercup

I wake with the sun. If it's not until 7 am in the winter, that's when I get up. If it rises at 5 am in the summer, that's when I'm up. I love the brightness, the cheerfulness of the golden rays that warm the earth. 

If it is a cloudy or overcast day, I turn on all the lights in the house. I like bright even if it's artificial. My husband would have all the lights off in the house when he watched television. I turn the lights on. I don't like sitting in the dark. It's dreary. Life is too short to be dreary. 

The other thing I do to cheer myself up is turn on music. I love cleaning the house while dancing to 80s pop and any other upbeat music. It's even better when I know the song and can sing along. Up-tempo music is the best way to put me in a good mood. Especially if the sun isn't shining. 

Music can set the tone for my day. Some days I listen to Cher. Some days Abba. Other days it's the Pentatonix. I also listen to Kenny G and various other artists who are popular now. I like any music that has a beat or that is soothing. I don't care for Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, or Hip-hop. Those just make my jaw clench and my head hurt. 

The other music I love is birds chirping or singing as well as the low of cattle and the nicker of a horse. Even the howling of coyotes after dark can make me smile. I don't want to be near them but their calls and songs are part of what makes them who they are. 

Nature sounds are better than music. The gurgling of a stream, the roar of a waterfall, the patter of rain, and the mesmerizing lull of the ocean waves rolling toward the land--all are soothing to me. 

White River Falls

Have you stood in a forest and listened? The leaves rattle. The tree limbs and trunks creak and scrape. The bushes scratch together and rustle. The thump and rustle of animals walking through grass and brush. The animal calls, the rocks sliding. The music of nature is pleasant and mysterious. 

So hearing how I love sunshine and music, it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that I love the outdoors. As soon as the weather grows warmer and the ground dries up enough I don't slip on mud or slide on ice, I am out walking every day. Enjoying the sunshine and nature's music. 

You can purchase my audiobook Stolen Butterfly, book 7 in the Gabriel Hawke Novels for $2.99 for a limited time. 

You can find links to my website, Kobo, and Chirp here: https://indieaudiobookdeals.com/

Missing or Murdered

When the local authorities tell State Trooper Gabriel Hawke’s mother to wait 72 hours before reporting a missing Umatilla woman, she calls her son and rallies members of the community to search.

Hawke arrives at the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation and learns the single mother of a boy his mom watches would never leave her son. Angered over how the local officials respond to his investigation, Hawke teams up with a security guard at the Indian casino and an FBI agent. Following the leads, they discover the woman was targeted by a human trafficking ring at the Spotted Pony Casino.

   

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 60 novels, 11 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Author’s Guild, Alliance of Independent Authors, and NIWA.

Website: https://www.patyjager.net

Blog: https://writingintothesunset.net/
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2IhmWcm

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I Got the Sun in the Morning by Eleri Grace

Gotta admit -- this month's prompt threw me a curve ball. I frowned when I saw it and put off writing or even thinking about it for over a week. Obviously relationships/partnerships can cover a wide range of non-romantic relationships (as evidenced by some of the blogs already posted this month -- I loved Robin's humorous take on her love affair with her shoes). But as a divorced woman who would enjoy finding love again, my thoughts turned immediately to what I lacked. 

As is my habit with these blogs, I usually turn on some 40s music, seeking a catchy title and inspiration for my WW2-themed content. You can imagine that many of these songs relate heartbreak at wartime separations. That wasn't helping my mood at all! 

I turned to the 1945-46 songs, hoping for a song that conveyed that post-war optimism that parallels what we are feeling as pandemic conditions ease more and more here in the US.

The 1946 song "I Got the Sun in the Morning" from the Broadway musical "Annie Get Your Gun" spoke to my usual sunny outlook and refocused my energy on what I do have, not what I lack at the moment. 

Taking stock of what I have and what I haven't

What do I find? The things I got will keep me satisfied

. . . 

I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night

And with the sun in the morning and the moon in the evening

I'm doing all right

Sometimes all we need is a reminder to look on the bright side and count our blessings. I may not have a spouse or romantic partner at the moment, but I have my kids, a close family, and numerous friends. I've got two careers I love, hobbies that bring me joy, and good health. There's so much to appreciate and enjoy in life -- thanks to Irving Berlin for the timely reminder. I'm doing all right.