Spring Weather

I am much more reconciled to the weather than I used to be! :) OK, I love sunshine, but we're having rain in Spokane, both today and tomorrow. Rain to make my dahlias and tomatoes and zinnias grow! My upside-down tomato growing thing-a-majig is on it's way--YES!

When I discover a new passion--in this case, gardening--I tend to get carried away. I'm already casting a speculative eye over an area of lawn over by the shop. Thinking of having the grass rototilled under, replaced with a row or two of corn, some salad makings, and a LOT of flowers. Because of the deer and the moose, I would need a high fence to protect my garden, and the big question is, would I actually garden? Would I water and weed? Well, I can't exactly say right now, so I've decided to see how I manage the smaller projects this year and, if the passion holds, till and build the fence in the fall.

If that sounds like I've changed my mind about moving, well, maybe I have. I still plan on being a snowbird, along with my dogs and cats. (The horses would be tended by my cousin, Steve, or sent to a certain stable I have good reason to trust, as it's too dangerous to transport them any real distance, and Buck couldn't manage it.)

Miss Sadie-beagle has her therapy today. Honestly, she looks so good. Trim and energetic--except for the graying in her muzzle (she'll be 10 this October), she looks like a pup.

I believe the economy is on the upswing. I believe we will come out of this bigger and better than ever, as a nation, and hopefully a little wiser, too.

Great gifts often come to us disguised as challenges. Fortunately, as a people, we thrive on challenges. We keep on keeping on. We show up.

It's who we are.

Farmer Linda

I am really getting into this planting thing! I've marked the 15th of May on my calendar as the day it's safe to transfer bulbs into the good ole Washington State dirt. (I was raised on vegetables grown in this rich soil--my dad, as I've mentioned, was an avid gardener.) I've ordered one of those Tomato Trees (it's on back-order, so lots of other people must have the same idea) that grow things upside down, on the deck, and have two plants waiting on a sunny windowsill to go in. I even started a zucchini plant in a tin can so I can grow squash from the third part of the tree-thingy. And my zinnia seeds are already sprouting in their little plastic greenhouses. I have 30 acres here.

Hmmmm.....

What wealth! With all the worry in the world today, it's good to remember that when you plant a seed in the Good Earth and tend it properly, something nourishing, either to the body (vegetables) or the spirit (flowers) WILL grow!

I see by the news that the Swine Flu isn't going to turn into a Biblical-scale pestilence after all. I knew all along it wouldn't, despite some interesting symptoms of my own, attributed to insipient hypochondria . :) The media probably got tired of droning on and on about the economy, which will, I promise, recover, and decided to scare us all with a plague instead. Honestly, those people should think about getting real jobs. :) It all makes me think of that Charlie Brown cartoon, where all the kids and Snoopy are going over a waterfall in a rubber raft, their heads turned straight up, their mouths open wide, shouting, "We're all gonna die!"

Poppycock. We will thrive, because we're Americans, and that's what Americans do. A dose of adversity every once in a while only makes us stronger.

Be happy today. Be grateful. The earth is still turning. Seed time and harvest are still rolling right along. Get your hands dirty; plant something. As my old daddy used to say, any day when you can roll out of bed and put your feet on the floor is a GOOD day. So many people would give anything just to be able to do that.

I have another radio interview in half an hour, with Butch Bare of radio KBSN-AM, out of Moses Lake, WA. I always enjoy talking to Butch. After that, I will write.

Life is good. Jump in there and be part of it.

ATCs

I received lovely ATCs from Sharon Lee Johnson, Sally Corbett, and Nina Petry.

Thanks, cowgirls! Your cards are on the way....

Good Morning, Book Fans

We are having the most beautiful weather imaginable here in Spokane! I am LOVING it. The big blizzard of 08 seems like ancient history.

Some of my zinnia seeds have already sprouted, and one of my dahlia bulbs has shoots on it already, too.

The party for Aunt Billie didn't happen. I'm not sure why. Crossed wires, I suppose. In any case, I will call her tomorrow, on the day, to wish her a very special one, and Mom and I plan to drive up to the ranch one day soon to sit and visit with our favorite cowgirl.

I did three radio interviews this morning, all before 6:30 a.m. Good thing I'm an early riser--I had the best time. I'll be working on the new book today, and that's just the way I like it. Sadie has her exercise program--she is downright SVELTE!

I bought a Wii this weekend, and plan to play virtual tennis for some exercise of my own. I hear it's a lot of fun, and gives one a real workout.

I'm a fan of the television show, "Ghost Whisperer", but I've got to tell you, I'm disappointed in the storyline, big-time. The central relationship, the marriage between Melinda and Jim-the-perfect-man, has been botched. Jim was shot and now he's in some other guy's body. Yeesh. I'm hanging in there until the season finale, but if they don't fix what's wrong, I'm so out of there, it isn't funny. Why is it that Hollywood doesn't 'get' romance? Why don't they try consulting romance novelists? We know that, whatever else you do, you just don't mess with the love interest.

Go figure.

Chicken Soup and Spring Fever

There's a lot of truth in the claims that homemade chicken soup is theraputic. I made a pot yesterday, and feel lots better.

The weather here is glorious, and it gave me quite a case of Spring Fever. I bought zinnia seeds yesterday--my dad used to grow them in fabulous splashes of vivid color. They make wonderful bouquets, too. Maybe I'll do some container gardening, like my beloved editor and dear friend, Joan. It would seem that my gardening genes are finally kicking in--past a certain age, most Laels become avid growers of flowers and vegetables. My uncle, Larry Lael, runs a wonderful nursery near Olympia, Washington, with his lovely wife, Bethany.

Svelte Sadie is off to her exercise class--she gets the weekend off, and I'm sure she's looking forward to some beagle-snoozing. :)

I plan to polish my prologue and first chapter today, and shop for a new microwave tomorrow. Sunday, of course, is Aunt Billie's 90th Birthday Bash. She's going strong--my cousin caught her rototilling the garden recently. There is nothing that woman doesn't know about horses and things that spring from the soil.

She's definitely someone to celebrate.