Solstice gardening and beyond!

 by Diana McCollum

Summer time for our household is gardening time. When we moved from the high desert of OR my husband said No more vegetable gardens. As he didn't have much luck growing vegetables at 3500 ft and in a dry climate. So what do we have now that we live in northern CA? 

A vegetable garden!!!

 We have all kinds of beans, eggplant, tomatoes, corn, Thai chilies , sunflowers, three kinds of squash, pumpkins, lettuce, radish, onions, potatoes, fennel, all kinds of herbs. That's not even mentioning the 2 cherry trees, pear tree, fig tree, apple tree that have to be taken care of and harvested. Yikes! Definitely a summer of gardening.

Plant and Garden expert Craig Hignight says this is the best time for farmers and gardeners to plant. Around the solstice "we get the best growth," Highnight said. "That's why we grow so much corn and soybeans in the Midwest" Pumpkins have been known to grow by inches overnight in the summer.

There are cold weather crops that are good to start at Solstice, some of the better ones are members of the cabbage family. Kale is one of the vegetables and it can even survive frosts and quite often continues growing throughout winter. That gives you fresh greens in the dead of winter time.  It is best to germinate indoors and then plant in prepared beds. 

If it is too hot the seeds may not germinate if sown directly into the prepared beds. There are a dozen plants you can plant at Solstice to harvest in the fall or winter.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Summer Solstice Plants: What To Plant On The Summer Solstice https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/spaces/summer-solstice-plants.htm

Come with me for a walk through our gardening areas:

The box above is fennel radish, green onions and herbs.

Box on right are cucumbers and squash.

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Tomatoes and potatoes and onions.

Tomatoes, eggplant, Thai peppers in boxes above.

String beans and peas

Pumpkin hills to the left.

Hill of Corn on right, husband is doing the three sisters method. that consists of corn, beans and squash all planted together. the corn grows up, the beans wrap around the stalk and the pumpkin or squash grow in between on the ground.

Husband's grape vines, he planted four but only two survived.

And then the sweetest thing of all in the garden, he trimmed this bush just for me!

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of our gardens (not all).

Do you plant a vegetable garden? or flowers? or both?

We plant both.

(all pictures taken by Diana McCollum in her yard)

Summer Solstice in Alaska by Lynn Lovegreen

 Summer is my favorite time of year in Alaska. It's warm enough to go around without a jacket, and there's lots of daylight. When it's twilight all night long, it's easy to stay up gardening, hiking, or just enjoying life with friends and family. Here are a few summer photos to prove my point!

  Spencer Glacier

Unalaska

Katmai National Park

Kachemak Bay

Enjoy whatever season you're having right now!

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. 

Once Upon A Winter Solstice #holiday #solstice

 

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and supernatural stories with a romantic soul.

I'm not gonna lie - I've always struggled with holiday stories. I'm not sure if it's just me, or if scifi is a genre that doesn't lend itself easily to such (hint - it's probably me!). Several years back I had a hankering to do some holiday tales, but somehow my mind struggled to wrap itself around such concepts as Christmas in Spaaaaaaace, But while I battled to create a cosmic Christmas, I did manage  to persuade muse into a paranormal short set around Halloween, back in 2014.

At the same time that I was writing Hallow's Eve, I'd also gone back to basics with a Christmas story idea, looking at a more astronomical concept of holidays. Many of the pagan holidays later swallowed up by Christianity followed the course of nature, the movement of the planet, stars and moons, the changing of the seasons. Maybe that would give me an alternative route into a holiday story. And so I started one set on the winter solstice on another world rather than a cosmic Christmas...

Skip forward a couple more years. I found myself thinking about what Christmas means to me. I'm not religious, so for me Christmas was a time for family, for taking my kids to buy one new decoration of their choice each year, putting up the tree together, stuffing our faces on Christmas Day, playing games and opening presents. And in that personal celebration, I finally found the inspiration to do a story for my main scifi romance couple in my Redemption series. At first I released it as a freebie with a cover I put together myself, but last year it got a professional edit and a proper cover.

But even though I finally had my Christmas in Spaaaaace, that solstice story was still sitting in my files, seven years after I started it. SEVEN YEARS! That's...a long time. One benefit of the pandemic has been I had an extended stretch at home unable to work, and in the midst of that, against all odds, I felt inspired to try and finish a few things. One of those was Solstice on Vintro, my incomplete scifi mystery with a love story at the heart of it. I finished it and I'm currently working on it with my editor. I'm hoping for a December 21st release - the winter solstice in the UK for 2020 - but right now that's looking pretty tight. Fingers crossed that I can finally put it out into the world...

In the meantime, here's a few other Christmas in Space stories you can enjoy.

Open With Care by Pauline Baird Jones and Genie Davis
Beware of aliens bearing gifts 
Christmas is coming and so is All I Got For Christmas. Inside you’ll get the evocative and haunting, ”Riding for Christmas,” and the offbeat and heartwarming, "Up on the Housetop.” 

Riding For Christmas:
A mesmerizing tale of interstellar time travel and romance!
Jane MacKenzie, visiting her grandfather’s abandoned ranch, discovers something in the snow. When she opens the ribbon-wrapped box, it mysteriously returns Sam Harrington, who “disappeared” in an 1885 blizzard. 
There’s nothing alien in this enduring tale of holiday homecomings and the hope of love that lasts a lifetime. 

Up on the House Top:
Will her Christmas be ho, ho, ho? Or oh no, no, no?
Gini knew Christmas in Wyoming would be challenging as she headed over the frozen crick and through the woods to the family cabin. The lights are going out in her mom’s attic, the guy who broke her heart is on the porch…and there are aliens on the roof.
According to her mom, it’s going to be the best Christmas ever.
194 pages, $3.99
Amazon, Kobo, Nook

Batteries Not Required by Christine D'Abo (Christmas themed and erotic)

Love Transcends Circuits

Zoe is all alone on an outpost monitoring a lonely quadrant of space. It’s nearly Christmas and all she has for company is her computer AI, Rupert. She isn’t expecting a present from Xion Corporation to help pass the time, but when she opens the box to find a sex bot, a whole world of steamy entertainment possibilities come to mind.

When Zoe activates Sam she doesn’t realize the trouble she’s in for. Sam takes Zoe to sexy new heights and Rupert does a stellar impersonation of a jealous boyfriend. Zoe struggles to ground herself in reality despite her growing lust, but it’s becoming more and more obvious she’s falling in love. But with who—Sam or Rupert?

When a computer virus is unleashed on the outpost, Zoe must choose—or risk losing them both.
128 pages, $1.99
Amazon, Kobo

Noelle In His Heart (Celestial Seasons #1) by C.E. Kilgore, now available with other holiday SFR tales as an omnibus edition: Details here: http://cekilgore.com/books/celestial-seasons/
A Christmas romance with a Sci-Fi twist!
Noelle has made the same wish for the past six years to the angel on top of Father Nathan’s Christmas Tree. All she wants for Christmas is someone with warm arms to hold her and who can understand that she has commitments – commitments which include the twenty-six children at the foster center she volunteers for.
Stranded on Earth six years ago, Steve and his crewmates have done a pretty good job of secretly finding a place in human society, but it doesn’t erase the loneliness that hits hardest around the holidays. He longs for companionship and someone who will understand that his alien heart can love just as deeply

Hey, Santa: SciFi Holiday Romance by Jessica E Subject

She doesn’t want a lot for Christmas… 
Claire Otton dreads spending another holiday alone. When her best friend convinces her to approach the sexy mall Santa, she takes the chance and asks him out, hoping for so much more. 
He’s waiting under the mistletoe… 
Although Andreas Castellanos blends in on Earth, he knows he will never belong. But when the gorgeous woman he’d been staring at invites him to dinner, he has a hard time saying no. 
All they’re asking for… 

Can these two lonely souls find magic together or will their secrets steal their chance of a happy Christmas?
Amazon

A Galactic Holiday: SciFi Romance trilogy
Do androids dream of electric sugar plums?
A detective who refuses to modify her body teams up with her cyborg rival to track down a burglar who is putting toys into homes. A solitary ice miner finds love and friendship while stranded on the surface of Galileo. And two hardheaded negotiators put their differences aside to evade an assassin and save their planets. Enjoy these visions of Christmases yet to come with three science-fiction novellas from Carina Press.
How the Glitch Saved Christmas, by Stacy Gail
Galileo's Holiday, by Sasha Summers
Winter Fusion, by Anna Hackett
Stories also available for purchase separately. 86,000 words
Amazon, $7.99

Even Villains Have Interns is set around Christmas and ends with a Christmas Day proposal (psst, recommended - this is one of my favourite series!)
It's Chicago's favorite city son vs Delilah, daughter of Dr. Charm. America's second city will never know what hit it. 
Bootleggers, drug dealers, crooked cops, and dirty politicians... Chicago has always had a reputation for indulging in the finer vices of life. That’s why Doctor Charm’s favorite daughter found America’s Second City so appealing; criminals are never boring. As second in command for the powerful Subrosa Security group, Delilah Samson finds opportunities to use her superpowers at every turn. Whether it’s stealing a priceless French painting from a mobster or stopping a drug deal, she’s game. 
In fact, the only thing she doesn’t care for is Chicago’s favorite native son, Deputy Mayor Alan Adale, the man who made Lucifer jealous. Sinfully handsome, or possibly just sinful, Adale has been pursuing Delilah since she first arrived, and she’s been dodging. 
When she finds ties between the new kingpin in town and a drug The Company wants to buy so they can create more superheroes, Delilah takes the gloves off. Teaming up with the spooky Spirit of Chicago, she aims to take down the dealers, the mobsters, the kingpin, and The Company. All without falling in love with the one man capable of capturing her heart. 
Amazon

The Polar Terror
Kaddy Chaak’s career is in jeopardy, her social life is non-existent, and instead of spending the holidays at home with everyone she loves, she’s in the hospital with her chronically-ill, probably-dying nephew Everett, wondering if her dead sister could have fixed this. The one bright note in an otherwise bleak winter is a potential visit from the Polar Terror, the only super villain north of the 66th parallel, to make little Everett’s hospital wish come true.  

Kaddy’s not really expecting him to show. At best, she expects a lackluster cosplayer with a half-hour to spare.  

What she gets is a swoon-worthy stranger full of secrets, who might just sweep her off her feet–and maybe help her leave the past behind, once and for all.  
Publisher's website
(not set at Christmas but it is mentioned, and the book is set in Alaska). 

Captain Lorcan explores the sectors from his space craft conducting a futile search for his planet’s lost colonists. When he finds a beautiful Sedorian female on an obscure planet at the edge of the galaxy, his mission is to bring her home. Unbeknownst to him, she is on the cusp of her first Zsan Zar, the Sedorian mating ritual.

Led by her glowing pendant, Adria follows a faint blue light deep into the snowy forest. She runs headlong into the mysterious Lorcan who seduces her onto his ship. Once on board, they begin an adventure that will change both their lives forever.

Is their love strong enough to defy the odds or will they lose each other beyond the stars?

Amazon

Winter Solstice, aka hibernal solstice

As I’m bustling about in preparation for the coming holidays, feeling more and more frazzled every day, I’m inclined to adopt a winter solstice mindset, a time of calm reflection. Also, hibernal suggests hibernation and that’s an idea I can get behind.

Recently I’ve been reading about how the solstice is celebrated around the world. Throughout history, the darkest day of the year has been marked by ritual, reflection, and feelings of renewal. People in Scandinavia celebrated Yule by gathering around fires to burn Yule logs and sip warmed mead – both of which were good antidotes to the encroaching dark and cold of the northern winter. The celebration also welcomed the return of the sun – each subsequent day will be longer.

Ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia, dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture, to mark the end of the planting season. Music, gift-giving, and feasting lasted for several days.

Traditional solstice rituals continue to be celebrated. St. Lucia’s Day was a festival of lights during which fires were lit on the longest night to scare away spirits. Today in Scandinavia, young girls dress in white and wear a wreath of candles on their heads.

Many people in Japan mark the solstice and the return of the sun, called Toji, by bathing in water scented with yuzu, a citrus fruit. They eat kabocha squash for good luck, and they light bonfires.

Not surprisingly, fires and candles are a common theme across many cultures.

To celebrate winter solstice this year, I plan to walk a labyrinth (perhaps while celebrating this year’s accomplishments and contemplating next year’s goals) before feasting with good friends – a bit of nature and a bit of good cheer. And I’ll light a few candles.

And then I’ll crawl in my cave and not poke my nose out for a few months.

No matter how you celebrate this time of year, may your home be filled with light, warmth, and love.

~~~

If you enjoy steamy, small town romance with laughter and snappy dialogue, don’t miss the first book in this exciting new series. Buy If I Didn’t Care and escape to MacLeod’s Cove today!

Guess who’s moving in next door?

Nicole Bennett is used to bad luck—it’s kind of a family curse. She’s spent the past year stitching her life back together after losing her dream job. Well, it paid the rent. Now stuck working at her family’s grocery store while wrangling a demoralized dad and a spoiled-brat sister, the last thing she needs is for the man who wrecked her life to move in next door, even if it is for only three weeks. So what if he’s sexier than sin and makes her believe in fairy tale endings?

Ross Calvert’s life in the fast lane crashed when he lost his job and fiancée. All he’s got to show for years of hard work are a sleek sports car and a closet full of designer suits – minus the closet. Determined to salvage his relationship with his best friend, he trades in the corporate life for a brief stint as a caregiver. The decision was simple—until he discovers the tempting vixen he wronged lives next door. Maybe she’s what he needs to reboot his life.

What starts off as a no-strings fling soon veers into making promises that might be impossible to keep.

https://books2read.com/if-I-didnt-care

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Photo of fireplace by Stéphane Juban on Unsplash