It’s May ... a Season I Love, but Also a Sad Season of Saying Goodbye ………. Delsora Lowe

It’s the middle of May, and the neighborhood has turned from dreary brown and muted green, as the grass moves from its lackluster winter color to bright green. Trees sprout new leaves, buried bulbs of perennials sprout green shoots, that will show floral colors in a few weeks. And as I write, my cardinals have been active in the area. I caught the female sitting on my deck railing.

Yes, spring comes late in Maine, compared to our southern neighbors. But spring also brings rain. We’ve had plenty in the month of May, including a few thunderstorms—not as usual at this time of year. But the climate has changed over the years, and more and more humidity moves into the northeast.

Remember the old adage…April showers bring May flowers? Well, here in the north it is now more like May showers bring June flowers. Yes, the lawn is littered with wild violets and the yellow of dandelions. Weeds? No! To me, as my grandmother taught me as a child, both “wild flowers” can be eaten and used in other ways. Dandelion wine from the petals, dandelion greens in place of sauteed spinach or arugula, violets sprinkled atop a salad or a special dessert, or as garnish on a nice meal out.

And a slew of acorns…and no, I don’t eat acorns. The squirrels in the fall certainly recognize a good feast when they see one. They fatten up in the fall, then they bury many acorns and pack away the rest in their own hiding places, as they slow down for the winter. Spring in my yard sees the squirrels gain back energy, as they run up and down the huge oak trunk, sprucing up their nests, and yes, digging up buried acorns. This always amazes me that they know right where they buried them the prior fall. Chipmunks also join the race for food in the spring.

But, alas, as I sit here writing about the new beginnings that the spring season seems to bestow on us, I also bring news about our Romancing the Genres blogposts. Sadly, the month of May marks the end of the RTG blog, and therefore the end of my blogs for RTG. I have been here every month for over six and a half years. I will miss this - writing about my world around me, and making new friends, plus greeting old friends who stopped by to visit.

😔😔😔

On a positive note, it frees up more time to work on my books. But on the sad side of that coin, I will miss the challenge of trying to think of “brilliant” commentary, from my point of view, to match the monthly themes. To me, writing about real life seems to use a slightly different part of my writer brain.

And, most of all, I’ll miss the interaction with all of you as I read and answered your comments. But I won’t be far away, as I will have at least one more book slated for publication this fall, and one most likely coming out later in 2025 or early in 2026—both in the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series. And I have other books in the works.

👋

So here is to a fond farewell, as I wave goodbye from RTG. But I’ll see you soon somewhere down the road.

Amazon: (also in print)

Books2Read        

 

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine (most recently, an Easter romance in the April 1, 2024 edition and a Thanksgiving story in the December 2 edition.) The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella with Book 2 on the way. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker – the youngest brother of the Mineral Spring’s ranching family) were the most recent releases. Look for book 4 of the cowboy’s series, the Sheriff’s story, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, to be released in 2025-2026.

Still SAD after all these years

 

It's the middle of December, 2025, and I feel overwhelmed.

I have dealt with SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, for nearly 40 years. I am repeating a post from 2020 because right now I feel a  little foggy.  Please forgive me for resurrecting this blog post. 

Seasonal affective Disorder (SAD) has probably been around since the beginning of humanity but it was not described until 1984 by Dr. Norman Rosenthal. SAD is a form of depression also known as seasonal adjustment disorder.


Thanks to artificial lights, the world is now active 24/7/365.  Humanity has lost a connection with the seasons and the rhythm of the days. For some of us, this is extremely bad news that can't be helped by holiday lights, no matter how bright or cheery. As an author, this was a period of disaster. I couldn't think. For someone who calls herself a good plotter, during my SAD times, I couldn't write a thing. Depression is a mind-eater. The only thing usable I accomplished during wintertime was an end-of-days short story back in 2012.

The problem

People with SAD often suffer from the associated depression for many years before they are diagnosed. Many are like me. I self-diagnosed long before 1984. One winter, when I was in my twenties, I went through a period of depression. I knew with absolute certainty that some nameless disaster was coming and All I could do was wait for the end. Coming out of that depression was a miracle that occurred around mid-March. I prayed I would never be that down again.


I went through this cycle three years running. By the fourth year, when the feeling of nameless terror arose again during the short, dark days of October, I remembered the pattern. I was finally able to tell my self that I just needed to wait for the equinox, mid-March. By the time days and nights were of equal length, the feeling would be gone and I could finally say, "Here comes the sun," in the words of the Beatles song. 

Estimates are that approximately 500,000 people in the US suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and around 10-20% of the US population suffer from milder forms of the disorder.


SAD can begin at any age. However it most commonly develops before the age of twenty-one. This form of depression is almost five times more likely to be found in women than in men. 


Many symptoms of SAD are similar to those associated with "ordinary" depression, such as anxiety, changes in mood and panic attacks.  Other symptoms include:

• Lack of energy for everyday tasks 
• Weakened immune system 
• Irritability 
• Inability to concentration 
• Overeating and weight gain 
• Alcohol and/or drug abuse
• Feelings of guilt and worry 
• Sleep problems 
• Reduced libido 
• Social and relationship problems

When light hits the retina in the back of the eye, messages are sent to the parts of the brain responsible for sleep, appetite, sex drive, mood and activity. If there's not enough light, these functions may slow down, or even stop. That may be one reason why those with blue-eyes seem more resistant to SAD. Blue eyes allow more light to get into their brains. 

Treatment for SAD involves exposure to artificial light from a light therapy box for an average of 2 hours each day. The light given off by the box mimics natural outdoor light and is at least 10 times the intensity of standard domestic lighting.

Needless to say, I have had one of these boxes for years. Unfortunately, it only helped a little. At least I no longer feared the world could end at any moment. I still had no will to write.

My doctor has also prescribed antidepressants. The light therapy alone barely held the unseen monster at bay. The combination does the trick. 2018 was the first time I tried the pills, and the result was amazing. This year, as soon as the first snow hit in October, I began taking my meds. No monsters at all. (Although getting out of bed in the mornings remains a problem.)

The biggest news for me is that with my lights and medicines, I can write in the winter. Yay!! Winter writing is still slower than during the summer months, I can't deny that. But I can now plot, Craft engaging dialog, even perform edits. And the story does not have to be about the end of days! Before, winter was a holding time. I might be able to think about a story, but not to write.

PS, for many sufferers, the worst is yet to come.

According to The Canadian Mental Health Association, January 19, is the most depressing day of the year. Not only because of dreary weather and lack of sunshine, but also because this is the time people start getting their bills from all that holiday shopping. It’s also the time where many give up on their new years resolutions.

Many people suffer from clynical depression. This is not the same as being depressed because of an external reason like a death in the family, or the loss of a job. Some sufferes are like me. We manage to function, barely, all the while desperatly wishing we were bears so we had an excuse for hybernation. It doesn't have to be from SAD, in fact the good thing about my form of depression was that there was an end in sight.

If any of you suffer from depression, I would like to hear your strategies for coping and remaining motivated to do things.  Don't be afraid to see a professional, it is not a disgrace or a weakness.  Don't let the holiday spirits of others war you down they way they sometimes did me.

And I wish you luck in your journey toward recovery.

There Goes The Sun

  I’ve written to you about my issues with SAD (seasonal affective disorder) in earlier posts. For decades my mood has been controlled by the amount of sunlight during the day. By October, there is so little sunlight that my brain goes dark too as depression descends. Fortunately, by this time of year, my depression has fled. Good, because April 8, 2024 is coming.

The sun has such a powerful effect on me, its no wonder I see why ancient humans worshiped that

glowing yellow ball dominating the daytime sky. The Egyptians, Incas in Peru, people in Babylon, China, Africa, even Rome did the same. Some Native American tribes considered the sun part of the Great Spirit. Solar eclipses were frequently considered signs of the god’s displeasure. People were often terrified during the few minutes of totality, worried that the sun might have abandoned the Earth forever. In fact, the word eclipse comes from a Greek word meaning abandonment.

 
These days we know the cause of solar eclipses. We know its just the full moon’s shadow passing over the Earth’s surface and temporarily obscuring the sun. And we understand the math and physics enough to accurately calculate the dates, location, and duration when this shadow will touch down and hide the sun from view.

 
And yet …

Some of the old superstitions still nestle deep inside some human hearts. My heart, at least. I realized that in a frozen Canadian plain on February 26, 1979, when I experienced my first total solar eclipse. The sub-zero grew noticeably colder as the sun faded away. But I forgot that I was cold once this gigantic hole opened in the sky. The place where the sun had been was now a void empty of stars. A magical nothingness surrounded by a ring of fire. I stood, open-mouthed, just staring into the void. Animals were headed for their homes, leaving only a gaggle of foolish humans standing motionless on the ice, staring up at that emptiness.

 

I had paid big money (for those days) to travel from a warm apartment in Chicago, Ill to Manitoba, Canada just so I could stand on an icy field so I could witness the phenomenon that had terrified so many of our ancestors. I spent just over two minutes in the darkness known as totality that day. It was my first eclipse, but not my last. Over the years I became a veteran eclipse chaser. Instead of fearing the darkness, I raced to meet it across the globe wherever I had the opportunity.

• June 11, 1983  for almost 5 minutes
• July 23, 1990  for 2 minutes
• July 11, 1991  for almost 7 minutes
• August 11, 1999  for over 2 minutes
• March 29, 2006 for over 4 minutes
• August 21, 2017 (nicknamed “The Great American Eclipse”) for 2 ½ minutes

And now, April 8, 2024. This one is expected to last almost 4 minutes in southern Illinois where I will be observing with others at a special presentation at Southern Illinois University, only a five hour drive away from my home. I have traveled as far away as Russia, Lybia and Argentina in pursuit of an eclipse. 2017 found me close, in Missouri. This time I get to stay even closer to home, in Illinois. Fitting, because this will likely be my last eclipse. I will have spent almost a half hour in totality. April 8 will be a bookend to my expriences, and I am looking forward to relaxing, looking up, and staring into the void.

Summer or Winter? I Choose ______

 Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, soul nourishing romantic women’s fiction with light paranormal elements. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you make choices to overcome the darkest nights and choose love and light.

Do you prefer Summer or Winter?

If I had to choose one or the other, I’d choose Winter.

Why?

Because, while I don’t mind the sun, I don’t want it shining every day and for long hours each day. I am also not a fan of heat much less humidity.  And for me “heat” is over 80 degrees.

Yes, I’m definitely a Native of the Northwest USA. I sometimes tell people that moss grows on my north side…if you are from this area that is an apt description.

What I find interesting is that I actually have some of the same symptoms my friends with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) have in the long hot summer days. SAD is attributed to not having enough exposure to sunlight. Isn’t it interesting that I have those same symptoms when exposed to lots of sunlight?

Hats with large brims, dark glasses, keeping the blinds drawn, etc. become a way of life once the temps start rising.

This year in May we’ve had record breaking temperatures – 5


over 90 degrees! And at last count (I’m writing this on May 25), over 13 days in the 80’s. Low 80’s I can manage if the humidity is low. What that means for me is I’m already rooting for Fall to appear…not that my rooting will make the Wheel of The Year turn any faster.

The Sacred Women's Circle Series

So when people are high-fiving and out running or walking or just being outside because it is Sunny and Hot, I’ll be tucked in my house with the heat pump on cool. If I have to go out, I’ll grab that wide-brimmed hat, long sleeved shirt, don my mask and go forth to take care of errands or to do the extra watering plants and trees need when the temperatures soar.

If you haven’t yet read my books, they are a great vacation or beach read if I do say so myself.

Not into fiction? My non-fiction Staying Sane in A Crazy World gives you a process you can personalize to reduce your stress.

You can find all of my books at your favorite e-book vendor. Be sure to ask your local library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource.

Learn more about Judith's fiction The Sacred Women’s Circle series and her non-fiction at JudithAshley.net

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB! 

© 2023 Judith Ashley

Best Advice for the ‘Dark of the Year’ by Sarah McDermed

Although the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, happens just before Christmas, for me and millions of other people, the darkest days of the year arrive a few weeks later, in January. We suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or the milder version, “Winter Blues”. The lack of sunlight in the winter months triggers sadness, fatigue, sleepiness, lack of motivation, and depression.

The best advice I give myself in January is to take care of my mental health. I pray and practice gratitude and mindfulness daily. I try hard to eat healthy foods, get regular sleep and exercise regularly. Whenever possible, I spend time outdoors in natural daylight and take walks in the woods. I use a sunrise alarm to help my body’s sleep cycle normalize. During days without sunshine, I spend half an hour reading in front of a 10,000 lux full-spectrum light to fight off the brain fog that threatens to move in.

My husband, Chuck, is my trusted support person who lets me know if he sees signs I may need to talk to my doctor about increasing medication. Depression is a sneaky illness that sufferers my not realize is getting worse. Having someone you trust be honest with you is vital!

Other strategies that help lift me up:

MUTTS AND MISTLETOE

• Avoid sad, scary or negative entertainment options (TV, books, movies, video games).
• Seek out uplifting, funny, satisfying options. (I have a hilarious Holiday book that I read every year, Mutts and Mistletoe. I watch Hallmark and Disney movies lot. This year we’re watching a favorite TV comedy series we haven’t seen in years, Psych).
• Spend more time around other people. (Take your book to a coffee shop, for instance).
• Don’t avoid friends and family gatherings. Instead, ask yourself to anticipate how much you’ll enjoy yourself on a scale of 1 to 10. Write it down. After the event, rate how much you actually enjoyed yourself. Chances are, you will have more fun than you expect.
• Volunteer. Service to others can be very uplifting.
• If you feel overwhelmed, talk to a counselor. You’ll be surprised how much they can help.

If you take care of your mental health as best you can and cut yourself some slack, you’ll find what helps you and you’ll make it through! ~ Sarah

The SAD truth about Christmas time

Hi everyone! 

I feel lost.

It was true last year, and just as true for 2020. Once again I find it hard to write. In fact, I feel a little more brain dead than other years. I'm sure you understand. Please forgive me for resurrecting my blog post from last year. 

Seasonal affective Disorder (SAD) has probably been around since the beginning of humanity but it was not described until 1984 by Dr. Norman Rosenthal. SAD is a form of depression also known as seasonal adjustment disorder.



Thanks to artificial lights, the world is now active 24/7/365.  Humanity has lost a connection with the seasons and the rhythm of the days. For some of us, this is extremely bad news that can't be helped by holiday lights, no matter how bright or cheery. As an author, this was a period of disaster. I couldn't think. For someone who calls herself a good plotter, during my SAD times, I couldn't write a thing. Depression is a mind-eater. The only thing usable I accomplished during wintertime was an end-of-days short story back in 2012.

The problem

People with symptoms of SAD often live with the condition for many years before they are diagnosed. Many are like me. I self-diagnosed long before 1984. One winter, when I was in my twenties, I went through a period of depression. I knew with absolute certainty that some nameless disaster was coming and All I could do was wait for the end. Coming out of that depression was a miracle that occurred around mid-March. I prayed I would never be that down again. My prayer was answered, until the next October.



I went through this cycle three years running. By the fourth year, when the feeling of nameless terror came in October, I remembered the pattern. I was finally able to tell my self that I just needed to wait for the equinox, mid-March. By the time days and nights were of equal length, the feeling would be gone and I could finally say, "Here comes the sun," in the words of the Beatles song. 

Estimates are that approximately 500,000 people in the US suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and around 10-20% of the US population suffer from milder forms of the disorder.


SAD can begin at any age. However it most commonly develops before the age of twenty-one. This form of depression is almost five times more likely to be found in women than in men. 


Many symptoms of SAD are similar to those associated with "ordinary" depression, such as anxiety, changes in mood and panic attacks.  Other symptoms include:

• Lack of energy for everyday tasks 
• Weakened immune system 
• Irritability 
• Inability to concentration 
• Overeating and weight gain 
• Alcohol and/or drug abuse
• Feelings of guilt and worry 
• Sleep problems 
• Reduced libido 
• Social and relationship problems

When light hits the retina in the back of the eye, messages are sent to the parts of the brain responsible for sleep, appetite, sex drive, mood and activity. If there's not enough light, these functions may slow down, or even stop. That may be one reason why those with blue-eyes seem more resistant to SAD. Blue eyes allow more light to get into their brains. 

Treatment for SAD involves exposure to artificial light from a light therapy box for an average of 2 hours each day. The light given off by the box mimics natural outdoor light and is at least 10 times the intensity of standard domestic lighting.

Needless to say, I have had one of these boxes for years. Unfortunately, it only helped a little. At least I no longer feared the world could end at any moment. I still had no will to write.

Last year, my doctor also prescribed antidepressants. The light therapy alone barely held the unseen monster at bay. The combination does the trick. 2018 was the first time I tried the pills, and the result was amazing. This year, as soon as the first snow hit in October, I began taking my meds. No monsters at all. (Although getting out of bed in the mornings remains a problem.)



The biggest news for me is that with my lights and medicines, I can write in the winter. Yay!! Winter writing is still slower than during the summer months, I can't deny that. But I can now plot, Craft engaging dialog, even perform edits. And the story does not have to be about the end of days! Before, winter was a holding time. I might be able to think about a story, but not to write.

PS, for many sufferers, the worst is yet to come.

According to The Canadian Mental Health Association, January 19, is the most depressing day of the year. Not only because of dreary weather and lack of sunshine, but also because this is the time people start getting their bills from all that holiday shopping. It’s also the time where many give up on their new years resolutions.


Many people suffer from clynical depression. This is not the same as being depressed because of an external reason like a death in the family, or the loss of a job. Some sufferes are like me. We manage to function, barely, all the while desperatly wishing we were bears so we had an excuse for hybernation. It doesn't have to be from SAD, in fact the good thing about my form of depression was that there was an end in sight.


If any of you suffer from depression, I would like to hear your strategies for coping and remaining motivated to do things.  Don't be afraid to see a professional, it is not a disgrace or a weakness.  Don't let the holiday spirits of others war you down they way they sometimes did me.


And I wish you luck in your journey toward recovery.

My Love-Hate Relationship with Daylight Savings Time by Sarah Raplee

I love the first day of Spring for many reasons—for example, Spring and Fall are my favorite times of the year—but I love the second day of the season even more. On the second day of Spring there are finally more minutes of light than of darkness after the long, dark winter months. What I call “the Dark of the Year” is over.

As a person who suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or Seasonal Depression, the more minutes and hours of daylight, the better I feel. Until the days get long enough to remedy my symptoms of increased pain, irritability and sadness; brain fog; a lack of energy and motivation; and a decreased ability to cope with stress, every morning I sit in front of what I call my ‘Happy Light’. 

This lamp produces a special bright light that mimics sunlight. I sit in this artificial sunlight for ten to thirty minutes, depending on how short the days are. The bright light stimulates my body to produce the hormones and neurochemicals I need to function more-or-less normally.

NATURE BRIGHT LAMP

That being said, I dread the change from Standard Time to Daylight Savings Time in Spring and the second one back to Standard Time in Fall. If it were up to me (which of course it isn’t), we would remain on Daylight Savings Time all year. I can cope with darkness in the mornings much better than I can cope with an early sunset. (In fact, for many people, being awake at sunrise helps to mitigate SAD). I have a bad couple of weeks after these time changes.

Research has shown that a lot of energy is saved when we are on Daylight Savings Time. Unfortunately research has also shown that adapting to getting up an hour earlier during the changeover from Standard Time is very hard on us poor humans both physically and mentally. For example, there are more auto accidents in the two weeks after the Spring time change than during any other two-week period during the year. (This year we almost lost a close relative in one of those accidents when he nodded off at the wheel.)

According to the Fox News article Seven Ways Daylight Saving Time Can Affect Your Health, rates of strokes and cluster headaches increase around the changeovers in both Spring and Fall. People report being very fatigued during after the Spring changeover and productivity is decreased.

I say let’s save energy all year round and forgo the stressful changeover periods! We humans created the artificial constructs of Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time. We can choose to remain in Daylight Saving Time all year round.

Do the time changeovers cause problems for you or someone you know? ~ Sarah Raplee