Tag Archive | gardening

The Question is Why?

person with difficulty and questions in studies — Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

I walked and then worked on weeding part of one flowerbed out front. My flowers and and crepe myrtles and sunshine ligustrum are getting bigger, but the the grass and weeds still manage to take over. I think once it’s a little more shaded out, it will help, or not.

In any event, it’s so hot and muggy even at 8 in the morning, my sunglasses steamed up. It just zaps you of strength. 93 heat index already! And this is the coolest part of the day. If I could have weeded in the dark, it would have been better. lol

Stormy weather over the cornfields in Crawford.

Well, I’ve managed 2,000 words a day for a couple of days. My publisher wants the long synopsis, etc, for red wolf Christmas. They did this to me last year too. I have deadlines of April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st. October is the Christmas book. I was just finishing up the July book. So now they don’t want the July book for July but they want the Christmas book instead? And I worked like crazy to meet a July deadline just so the book is pushed back to publication in January of 2023? I work all the time to meet deadlines. I can’t pull a full length novel out of my head in a few days. I wish!!! Just think of all the books I could write. The question is why did I get myself into this predicament again this year? Because I have a contract, AGAIN, that states when my deadlines are for each book. And Christmas isn’t due until October.

But I’m not going to do this again for a 3rd year in a row.

What am I writing on the Christmas story? I have no idea! I just finished with Billionaire. I have to have time to think of writing the next book.

Anyway, so I’m back to cougar and hope you all have a truly fantastic day! I’m staying in and keeping cool. And writing.

Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
Connect with Terry Spear:
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Steamy Jungle

Jun9

amazing waterfall with lush foliage on rocks — Photo by ArtHouse Studio on Pexels.com

It feels like a steamy jungle today!

I turned in Best of Both Wolves and I worked on You Had Me at Cougar, took my walk, and I’m ready to write. I decided to move a couple of scenes from one book to this, because it fits better and now I’m up to 42K and have 28K to go! So really getting there! Now that I’m incorporating this one though, I’m going to have to make changes throughout the book, but it’s all good.

Maybe I’ll dig up that crepe myrtle for my daughter. I keep planning on it and then everything else comes up.

Off to work!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
Connect with Terry Spear:
Website: http://www.terryspear.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear
Wilde & Woolly Bears: http://www.celticbears.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/u63qP

Follow Me for new releases and book deals: http://www.bookbub.com/authors/terry-spear

Hot, Hot, Hot Today!

Jun7

It started out feeling like 86 at 6 in the morning, which means a sizzler of a day.

I’m digitally hand painting a puffin, which is taking me a while, so I played with orange flowers and turned them blue instead to show off here. Eye pleasing? Probably not. lol If I had more time, I’d do something more with it.

I finished Jingle Bell Wolf–the 2nd red wolf story. And I’m on chapter 12 of Best of Both Wolves, have 29 chapters to go with it. I need to return a broken in shipment item to the post office first thing, and then we’re going to swim. I hope to get maybe 5 chapters done today. I’m going to dig up a crepe myrtle volunteer to take to my daughter’s when I drop off little one and hold the baby while she plants it. The last one never got planted and died. I noticed my first crepe myrtle is in bloom and I need to take a picture! It’s hot pink. They’re so pretty. Even with their peeling bark, the trees are pretty. I just read where you should leave trunks in combinations that make for odd numbers which is more appealing. Huh, I didn’t know that. So 3, 5, 7 trunks.

I hear the Delta variation of the virus is bad news. And I’m off to try and get something done before little one gets here!

Have a great day!!!

Terry

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Honeybee, Flower, and Natural Bokeh

Jun3

I took the photo of the bee on the flower and the pretty bubble bokeh, but it was just brown, so I added a texture overlay to add color to them.

Okay, missed my blog this morning. I was running late, just trying to get the dogs fed, garbage out and then little one was here. I wanted to go to the grocery store and so we did that and it was so hot, I wanted to take her to the pool. Trying to rush her out the door because the lifeguards take a break and I was afraid we’d get in and then have to get out. But we were there for half an hour and then 10 minute break and then we were there for another hour. It was perfect. It’s just so hot, that’s the way to go. I’ve been trying to teach her to swim, but she’s reluctant to get her face in the water.

I made it to chapter 20 last night, but stayed up too late doing it. Anyway, I’m still trying to finish that chapter with all that’s going on. Have to take her to a dance class to see if she’ll do it or not in an hour and a half. We tried gymnastics, but she wanted Grandma there with her every step of the way. lol But that was 2 years ago, pre-COVID. She’s 2 years older now, so we’ll see.

Have a great day! Even if it’s half over!

Terry

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Sunny Sunflowers!

Jun1

The autumn variety is my daughter’s, the greener one is mine. I did plant some of the autumn colored ones also. I have a whole bunch coming up from my birdseed too. Silly birds. They’re supposed to eat the seeds. But I can’t wait to see the sunny sunflowers. They’re always like sunny giants in the garden.

Yesterday, I spent the day editing Billionaire, so I didn’t get a lot done on You Had Me at Cougar. But at least I managed a 1,000. I wanted to get to 40,000 yesterday no matter what.

We had a fun Memorial Day, grilling hamburgers, little one playing with her parents with a splash pad–93 F so it was perfect. I took pictures of them, the baby sleeping next to a fan and was perfectly happy in his enclosed sleeper so that he wouldn’t be bothered by bugs. He can sleep through all the dog barking and little one squealing. I wish I could sleep like that at night! I managed to get some pictures of a blue dragonfly. Love them. And some of my daughter’s flowers and a honeybee. With her being pregnant, she didn’t plant any seeds this year and these are all from seeds that propagated themselves. I have a lot like that also. She said she left the sunflower seed heads out there for the birds, but apparently they didn’t eat the seeds. lol

As for watching what I eat, I didn’t eat the tater tots, mayonnaise on my bun, or the grilled pineapple with brown sugar coating. I did get some birthday cookies delivered and I was NOT going to open the box. If I had known they were there, I would have taken them to our party. But my WW friend asked what was inside. It was like opening Pandora’s Box. As soon as I saw a chocolate chip cookie, I had to have one. But only one. In the past I would have had several. I figured I’d go over on points and gain, but I went way down. I ended up losing 4.2 lbs for the week. So this week, I start over today and I’ll keep on with what I’m doing and hopefully it will continue to work. I already feel better.

I was going to walk this morning before it gets too steamy and when I took the dogs out for the second time, I found it was pouring rain! I’m glad. We’re supposed to have a chance of rain all week, but I really didn’t think it would happen since we had a much higher chance on Saturday and it never rained. Everything has dried out because of the heat.

I’m off to re-read Billionaire and hopefully turn it in today. Have a great day!!! Mine has started out really great!

Terry

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Scrap Art Picture + Water Lily

May30

I created this with Lynne Azeltic’s designs from Oscraps. They’re fun to use if I want to just create a scene and not take a ton of time to do it. I still created shadows under the ducks, and had to mask off some of the turtle to make him look like he’s partly under the water, and added the reflections of the geese in the water but they’re really easy to do. Still I really want to create my own.

Also, I have a waterlily photo I took in San Diego and used Topaz Labs to create an oil painting look.

Yesterday was a great day. We had fun and my daughter gave me books on composting, since we both have composters but I don’t use mine enough, and how to gather seeds to plant, and that’s something I’ve been doing since last year, so that will give me some new cool ideas. The stuff in my composter is already composted, but I need to add more to keep it going! I thought you couldn’t put weeds in the composter, but actually you can as long as they don’t have seeds on them. So that was one thing I learned already.

It’s cool this morning, yay! So I was out pulling weeds and grass. We didn’t get the rain yesterday after all. And it looks like we won’t get any rain until maybe Tuesday. So we’ll dry out a bit.

I had my ice cream sundae, expecting to gain, but you have a birthday once a year, so I figured that would be my extra 28 points and hopefully it would cover it. I lost 0.2 lbs. Watching what I was eating the rest of the day really worked, to my surprise! Of course I couldn’t eat a sundae daily, but I figure if I can watch what I eat and then have a treat every once in a while, I’m good.

I didn’t get much written, but reread the last two chapters I had been working on and revised them. I hope to really write today and tomorrow before I’m back to having little one here and picking her up at daycare every afternoon. I spent a lot of yesterday working on the Memorial Day pictures I took of the family. I need to get back into the writing saddle and start getting word count again! I’ve already got a 1,000 words on You Had Me at Cougar this morning, so up to 37K!

Hope everyone is having a great day! I’ve fed the dogs and I’m ready to write.

Terry

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Daylilies in the Garden

May28

These are 3 foot high daylilies and like the others, they have really spread into a beautiful array of flowers. I really needed to take a picture of the original flower as I plant it and when it’s barely emerging, to fully grown after a couple of years.

Well, I’m getting closer to the end of proofing the re-release of Silence of the Wolf. I finished proofing Silence, but am now working on the second chapter of the new novella SEAL Wolf Pursuit that will come out with the updated book. I really liked the way I had included a couple of other people’s POV scenes in Silence of the Wolf. In later books, sometimes, the editors have taken it all out. Sometimes they want me to and I’ve said no because it’s way too integral to the story.

I’ve skipped doing that in more recent books, not wanting to waste my time on scenes that are going to be thrown out. However, I really like the way I did that. It gives more depth to the story. So I think I’m going to start doing that more with my indie books and not just show the hero and heroine’s POV unless it works fine that way.

With all the rain and heat we’re having, it’s mosquito repellent time. I was trying to take pictures of a dragonfly last night and getting eat up. And the fire ants are trying to take over!

Hope you all have a beautiful day. I’m off to feed the dogs and get back to proofing. Hope to have this done today!

Terry

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Daylilies in the Garden

May22

I used Topaz Labs Impressionist to create the Impressionist picture.

My daylilies are finally really becoming showcase flowers from a tiny beginning. I need to take some pictures of the new ones. I should have taken a picture of how sun deprived they look when I first plant them. But these are really turning out pretty.

It’s time to get back to work! I was at the doctor with my daughter and baby and then got home in time to grab a lunch and pick up little one and then ended up hugging on baby again, then went home and returned for dinner and taking kid pictures. So it was a wild day yesterday. Still, I managed to get to 36K somehow on You Had Me at Cougar.

I think I’ll switch gears and reread Billionaire and try to finish it up since I’m at the end of it. And then back to You Had Me at Cougar.

I’ve tried to think of several different openings for United Shifter Force Christmas and none of them are working, so I might just try something else for the Christmas anthology and maybe I can get going with it. Sometimes, I just need to think of a different story, new characters, and run with it.

We haven’t taken a family vacation since Thanksgiving two years ago. And we decided to do one at S. Padre Island this summer. Some of my fae stories have been set down there, and I even have a romantic suspense where I wrote that the characters were down there for a bit. It will be the first time little one has been on sandy beach or seen the “ocean.” So it has a bedroom with two beds in it that little one and I will stay in. We talked to her about sleeping in her own bed, right near Grandmom’s. Her response, “I want to stay with Grandma.” So I suspect, she’ll be in bed with me. lol I don’t think my son-in-law has been there either. I’ve been once with my mother and kids and then again with my son who was in college by then. My daughter was off on a conference trip, also in college at the time. So my son and I had a ball too.

Anyway, we had planned a trip to Seattle and Canada (my dad was from Seattle, my mother from Canada) and we were so looking forward to it–then Covid-19 happened. So we didn’t go anywhere last year at all.

Except for the little ones, we’ll all be vaccinated and as long as we don’t end up having a hurricane or tropical storm come in about that time, it should be a blast.

Hope you all have a lovely day! I’m excited about concentrating on writing all weekend! And if I can finish up Billionaire, all the better!

Baby Cardinal on Feeder–Photo Art

May13

This is a baby cardinal, added an overlay and new background to create the photo art.

It was chilly all day which made for the perfect time to plant flowers. We picked up a bunch. Note to self, don’t take 4 year old to pick out flowers. She was grabbing all the colors she wanted–pink for her, purple for me. I put one back, she put it back on the cart. Okay, so I have to admit it’s one of the ones I love best! But I was trying to get a drift of colors in the same shade rather than an individual that just stuck out. It was the only one like it.

But we had a ball and after she got tired of helping me plant and weed, she unwound my hose to water things, which were already wet, so I had to show her how to wind it back up. We also went for our walk to feed the turtles. She has to sit on my lap so she doesn’t have to worry about the fire ants. What about Grandma? lol

Then we headed home and she was ready. We did work books on writing her letters. I really need to work on those with her each day she’s here.

Otherwise, we had a lovely time. We might repeat more of that today. I had bought some more rocks and a couple of more pavers that I need to put out.

We got my TV up on the wall last night too. Yeah! I was afraid with little one, she’d pull on one of the stand legs and there would go my TV. I need to figure out a way to hide the cords.

I thought of a piece of furniture on top of the furniture, something that would fit there. I’ll have to see what I can find. Maybe a bookshelf kind of think to go under the TV and then I can fill it with more books. That’s always a good thing.

Well, I did a little more editing, but I really just need to write 2 more scenes. My granddaughter wore me out yesterday, so when she went home at 6, I just watched a couple of programs. I just couldn’t think.

Maybe I can get more done tonight. No nap for little one yesterday, sigh. Maybe I can get her down for a nap today.

Have a super day!!! Ours is going to be fun filled!

Terry

Yellow Flowers and a Honeybee

May10

Usually, I’m not big on yellow, but I have yellow lantana, coreopsis, two different varieties, don’t recall what these flowers are, and one other yellow flower in the bed. And then purple salvia. I’ll have zinnia in there that are coming up and sunflowers. It’s really pretty.

We had a lovely Mother’s Day, and I always enjoying hugging on the grandkids. Really lovely time. And of course I took pictures. Need to download them.

Everyone was tired. Them with the new baby, and me because I didn’t sleep well either. No baby as an excuse.

Then I returned home to work on the book again. I had worked on it all morning before I went over to have lunch with them.

I had moved one scene earlier in the book and that changed everything, and then too, I had been writing some scenes I thought should be in the story, and just tacked them on the end until I could find where they should be. So it’s been a month since I did that, and I get to the end on edits and I’m like why are these scenes out of order? lol

It’s wonderful when you can write a story from beginning to end, perfectly linear. But my mind doesn’t work that way sometimes. So this afternoon, I spent the rest of the day trying to sort out what I could use of the scenes at the end of the book and put them where they belonged and discard the rest. Obviously, I did not finish the book this weekend. But I’m getting closer.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Mine was too short!

Have a great day!

Terry

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Terry Spear's Shifters

"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy IS reality."

Tag Archive | gardening

The Question is Why?

Steamy Jungle

Hot, Hot, Hot Today!

Honeybee, Flower, and Natural Bokeh

Sunny Sunflowers!

Scrap Art Picture + Water Lily

Daylilies in the Garden

Daylilies in the Garden

Baby Cardinal on Feeder–Photo Art

Yellow Flowers and a Honeybee