Paradise, California

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I took all these pictures. They are pictures of flowers in m yard, in the forest and around town.

I took rainbows and sunsets. Please enjoy on this Mothers Day weekend, and Happy Mothers Day to all 

you mothers out there. Enjoy your day.

 

Longer Days...? Or shorter...? by Delsora Lowe

The blog question for this month is whether I like winter or summer best? Do I look forward to the longest day of the year or the shortest day? Both have their positives. The longest day of the year can be sad, as it means the warmth wanes and the daylight dwindles earlier. And yet, I love fall weather and November nights with the stars vivid in clear, dark skies. And fall follows that longest day.

The shortest day means the following days will get longer, to give us more light each day. And flowers, dormant now, will soon blossom.

To choose one season over the other is impossible.

June is the month where my yard comes alive with color. The nights are still cool but the day’s air is warming up.

This year, our April showers bringing May flowers didn’t pan out. It seems the blooming flowers stayed on track, but the grass stayed brownish longer than usual. Who am I kidding? In the Northeast, where we used to get feet of snow with every storm, we had very little, and the grass had a bit of a green-brownish tinge all winter long.

The rain invaded June instead of March and April. Granted, we need the rain, so I can’t complain about cooler weather. Especially since my air conditioner is yet to be installed. The seasons continue to be mixed up these last few years.

But I do have to say, I love the longer days with more light. And I love the colorful landscape, compared to yellowed grass and no leaves, just stark brown trunks and limbs of late fall into early spring,

            

Yes, color is important to me.

Having said that, each season has its own color. In fall the leaves are bright until they are crumpled, dried up, and dull, as they decay on the ground.

But there is still beauty in those muted colors. As we move into November, the sky’s blue is more vivid, and at night, the constellations of Orion and the big and little dippers are easily identified.

In winter daylight, against the stark white snow, we see hints of color from plants now dormant. We also see magnificent sunsets and sunrises that color the sky with neon pinks, magenta, orange, or various shades of purple.

In spring, we anxiously await those first peeks of light green, as trees start to leaf out, and the first sprigs of grass shoot their way toward the sun. The tiny white blossoms of wild strawberries pop up among decaying oak leaves left from fall.

Then there is that first carpet of color as the dandelions show their bright yellow heads. I love dandelions.

My grandmother used to make wine, tea, and jelly from the flowers and sauteed the young greens for dinner. Dandelions have so many vitamins, and yet we neglect them—malign them. I welcome their sunny faces after the grays, browns, and whites of winter.

And spring and summer thunder storms, though scary and sometimes bringing hail with torrential rains, also show off vibrant double rainbows against coal black skies.

 What about you? Can you pick a favorite? Do you love the seasons of longer days? Or shorter days?

June is a month we associate with wedding season, as the weather is warmer, but not hot, and the landscape is lush with green and floral colors. And the early fall months can also be big wedding months when the weather turns cool and crisp.

Check out The Love Left Behind, a smalltown wedding romance set in Rhode Island, in a fictional town near the Atlantic Ocean and Newport.

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Left-Behind-Hartford-Estate-ebook/dp/B08L5N5DS9/

Books2Read   

books2read.com/u/mglVqK

Print Books by Delsora Lowe others available in e-book

~ 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. Her newest novella is The Love Left Behind. Look for both a Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker) later this fall.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

Photo Credits:
Photos taken by the blog author.

The Inspiration of Setting … Delsora Lowe

Writing is all about setting. In this case, I’m not talking about the setting of our books or articles or poetry. But the setting in which we place our desk and computer or pad and pencil.

Oak and Sunset From My Window

Moon Playing Hide and Seek with the Oak

For me, visuals are important. I need the distraction of scenery or activity, even if it’s a scene of squirrels chasing each other around my oak tree trunk in the spring or gathering acorns in the fall. OR birds pecking the ground for bugs. OR the profusion of dandelions springing up across the brown turning to green lawn. OR the arrival of elementary-aged kids bicycling or skipping or skateboarding to school, wearing backpacks laden with who knows what.

All those common-day occurrences are fodder for the imagination. When I can’t think of a word or I can’t figure out why the heroes of my story are acting out or not doing anything at all, which is unacceptable in a story that must move along, these little distractions allow my brain to observe and become distracted. That little act of woolgathering helps to empty the mind and allow the muse to take charge and create.

But sometimes, the same ‘ole, same ‘ole just won’t do the job of releasing the muse. A change of scenery is needed. That can be taking a walk around the block, enjoying neighbor’s gardens to free up the brain, or getting away for a self-imposed, writing retreat weekend, where you can stare at waves pounding the rocky shore in New England. OR the vibrant sunsets dipping below the red rocks in Arizona. OR eagles flying over a calm lake surrounded by tall evergreens as far as the eye can see in the Adirondacks. OR the expanse of white sands meeting a blue sky of a North Carolina beach, with only the flight of native birds for company. OR a sunny day in Colorado with the range of snow-covered mountains as a backdrop.

Red Rocks of Sedona, AZ Painted by My Grandfather

Unfortunately, those types of retreats are a bit out of my budget. But, even a three-block trip to the local coffee shop to people watch while inhaling scents of dark roast, spicey chai tea, and cinnamon buns, can elicit memories and help create a new outlook on story.

So, when you’re stuck, or need a break from whatever activity is holding you hostage, take a mini-vacation around the neighborhood, or plan a weekend getaway to really rejuvenate your muse or relieve stress of the day-to-day drudgery that can totally shut us home-bound writers down.

To choose which I prefer, sitting at my usual writing place with the familiar scene or exploring new places with a view, is a toss-up. I know where things are on my desk (even though it is a frightful mess.) I know what I’ll see out the window as I gaze blankly looking for the correct wording. I know I can jump up and grab my favorite mug for a cup of tea, the flavor to match my mood of the day.

The Oak in Early Spring

But changing up my writing environment, puts a new spin on the world and makes my brain do a reset, opening up my mind to think differently. Observe a new prompt to jumpstart my stalled writing. Or bring me in contact with an overheard conversation or new image that will spark an idea for a brand-new story.

Hanging at the Beach

Both the familiar and the unfamiliar have a place in reenergizing our minds and souls, and jumpstarting our writer’s muse…or anything in your life that needs jumpstarting.

What’s your favorite setting?

 

The Love Left Behind

Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/Love-Left-Behind-Hartford-Estate-ebook/dp/B08L5N5DS9/

Books2Read   books2read.com/u/mglVqK

 

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. Her newest novella is The Love Left Behind. Two holiday books will be released this fall.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

Photo Credits:
View From Desk, Oak Tree, Painting: Photos by author
Kids with backpacks: Free Pictures Of Backpacks, Download Free Pictures Of Backpacks png images, Free ClipArts on Clipart Library (clipart-library.com)
Thinking: People Thinking Clipart, Transparent PNG Clipart Images Free Download - ClipartMax
Steamy Cup: Clip Art - Free Steamy Cup - Google Search

Seeking the first times...

Hey hey everyone! 

Welcome on this first day of Spring

I struggled to come up with a first to talk about...
           the birth of my children - amazing!
                     my wedding - awesome!
                         my first car - soooo cool (it was Mustang)

And then there are those first that turn in hundreds of thousands...
             bacon maple doughnuts - drooling here

It's love at first sight EVERY TIME I open the box

                     the Lord of the Ring movies - here take my 3 hours of life
                          creating new recipes with vodka - never gets old

But as I pondered all of these, I realized that I wanted to talk about my fear - what if I run out first? I what if I EVERYTHING that I can do, I have done? I mean there will always be getting stranded on a desert island with Matthew McConaughey but that is a first that isn't very likely to happen.

I mean I've tried ALL the doughnut flavors! I'm not having any more babies (okay I'm glad about this - no woman my age should be having babies in my opinion). There will never be a new Lord of The Rings movie...The list of first are shrinking.

You see where I'm going? What happens when the 'firsts' in your life are all gone? Well, you keep experiencing them like they were the first time.

For example, it doesn't matter how many times I go to the beach - less than a mile from my home - and watch the sunset, it's like the first time. The colors are a little different. The waves are never the same. 

We need to allow ourselves to experience the joy and happiness that first times brings... even if it isn't exactly the first time.  It's the first time that minute that you have experienced whatever it is.

Every time I take a bite of a bacon maple doughnut, I close my eyes. I savor each bite. 

I circle the day in my planner when the local ice cream shop opens for the year. It's a big thing at our home, it's supper that night. Nuts are protein, ice cream is dairy, the cherry on top is a fruit and I have everyone eat a stick of celery before we go as the veggie. We drive down there talking about we are going to get. Wondering if they will have our favorites from last year. It's a first.

Do you have favorite things that give you that first rush every time you do it?  If so I'd love to hear them.