FALL- LOVING THE SEASON!

By Linda Lovely

I'm skeptical that fall beats out any other season for loving, so I’ve done a bit of reverse engineering on this month's theme: “Tis the Season for Loving.” My take? Fall's the season I love best.

That wasn't always the case. Growing up in Iowa, fall was too short and meant real cold lurked around the corner. But in Upstate South Carolina, fall is both beautiful and it lasts a LONG time. When winter eventually arrives, it's mild and just long enough to tackle neglected yard projects.

So here are the reasons I love autum:

Weather. While temperatures are milder than summer, the lake water stays warm enough for me to swim well into October without chattering teeth or worries of cardiac arrest.

Quiet. As summer lake traffic dies down, it’s an ideal time to kayak, swim or putter around in our geezer craft (pontoon boat). No excessive stink-pot chop to make it feel like you’re plying waters churned up by a giant Cuisinart.

Flavor. Nights are cool enough to serve soup. Summer chef salads are great, but I miss those savory soups—tomato basil, split pea, chicken vegetable soup, and—best of all—chili!  

My Book Launch! A special reason to love fall 2017. BONES TO PICK, the first book in my humorous mystery series, releases Oct. 24. (You can pre-order now.) We’re planning a big party to celebrate at Split Creek Farm, a nearby goat dairy, since BONES is set on a goat farm. The series serves up a generous side of romance along with humor and adventure. Give it a try!

Walks. My husband and I walk together three days a week. Each foray is just short of five miles. While we keep this routine year-round, I enjoy it most on crisp fall days full of spectacular views.

Fireplace. I’m not as wasteful as Richard Nixon, who reportedly turned on air conditioning so he could cozy up by a fire mid-summer. But I do LOVE sitting by our fireplace. I count the days until evenings are chilly enough to justify a fire.

Football. Never been hooked. But with a a great nephew kicking for Texas A&M, I enjoy watching him—and his team—play. When other games are on, I get lots done. I type away on my laptop as I’m doing now while my husband channel surfs. If there’s a big cheer, I can look up to watch the replay.

Beauty. Besides gorgeous fall foliage, fall-blooming plants add zesty splashes of color. Azaleas, tea olives (what heady fragrance), camellias, and lantana to name a few.

Thanksgiving. It’s the gravy at season's end. Literally, I make about a gallon of gravy when I roast our turkey—usually a 22+ pound heavyweight. A favorite holiday. Great food, family and friends.

What season do you love best?

The Christmas Tree Alliance

Make sure to enter the Christmas Tree War contest—see details at the end of this blog.

Inspired by Book Cover

To celebrate the launch of my holiday novella on December 10^th, I used Debbie Taylor’s cover art as inspiration for one of my three personal Christmas trees. While I’m not exactly thrilled with the results of my blue and white creation, I do like it.  I am however, pleased with my other trees. I really enjoyed decorating all three.  In fact, I like decorating trees so much, I start planning a new theme each January (yes, I know I should be in a program). Worse, I’ve infected several of my friends and they, too, start planning eleven months early.

This year, I fashioned a green and pink tree—inspired by a hydrangea display I saw in a store window in Asheville, NC. Normally, I only design one “new”  
tree each year and simply recycle designs from prior year favorites for the other two. Did this obsession inspire The Christmas Tree Wars?

Not exactly.

Pink and Green

Pink Tree without Lights

In the past, I always felt a bit odd for my multiple tannenbaums—until I met my friend Pam.  She had twelve Christmas trees--or maybe the number was even higher. Of course, she counted the small tree on the tank of her bathroom toilet (the woman was ahead of her time). Pam had a wonderful assortment of Radko decorations and lights for every color of the rainbow.  Since I have a new theme each year, I must be more budget conscious about my ornaments.  Not only do I modify dollar store decorations and paint inexpensive boxed ornaments, I also create a lot of folded ornaments. Yep, the very same ones you made from Christmas cards as a kid. Except I use Wonder-Under and shiny/lacy/metallic fabric to give them a more grown-up flavor. You can find the instructions on my website, www.AuthorRobinWeaver.com.

Sometimes art imitates life and sometimes it doesn't. The effort my friends and I expend on our trees each year certainly ignited the idea for The Christmas Tree Wars, but there are no battles. Ours is more of a Christmas tree alliance; we each keep an eye out for ornaments befitting the theme (both our own and others).

Some might say spending so much time on a tree that’s displayed for only a month or so is a waste of effort. I say it’s a thing of beauty.  After all, isn’t that what makes life worthwhile—those moments of beauty?

Wishing all of you a very happy holiday!

Robin

Don’t forget to enter the Christmas Tree Contest.  Send a picture of your Christmas tree to ChristmasTreeWars@yahoo.com.  I will be posting the pictures on my facebook page and will select at least one winner on December 15th. The winning entry will be selected on December 15th and will receive a free copy of The Christmas Tree Wars AND a copy of Ashantay Peters holiday tale, Dickens of a Death. Also, one lucky person leaving a comment on either of my Facebook pages (Robin Weaver OR Christmas Tree Wars) will win a copy of the novella--so leave those comments.