Tag Archive | macro photography

Dragonflies in Flight & the Dinner Out–the New Art of Conversation

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When I water, the dragonflies come buzzing around. But even when I don’t, they do. They must be really smart, unlike birds, and know that when I’m out, I might just be getting ready to water. The birds can’t figure out that if I’m out there, I might be bringing them food or water. Maybe that’s where they come up with the term bird brain? It is hard, well, for me, to catch a dragonfly in flight. They fly very fast, but I had fun capturing these images!

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I took some more pictures of the sunflowers. I love them. They remind me of my dad who had planted them so many years ago and once they are gone, I won’t see them for another year. I particularly loved this one, stretching out.

 

And a picture is worth a million words, don’t you think?

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Dinner Out–The Art of Conversation

🙂

And yes, while this was going on…I took the picture. 🙂

Okay, I’m back to writing. I only reached 11,000. I was working on setting up a Facebook party for next week for Her Highland Hero Release with some other Highland romance authors. After that, I’ll be doing a Hero of a Highland Wolf one, so stay tuned! And I contracted a narrator who is actually Scottish to do the narration for Her Highland Hero, so excited about that. 🙂

Back to writing!

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

www.terryspear.com

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Life is Like a Rose

It’s born.
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It spreads its sepals, awakening to the world.
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It spreads its petals to experience more of its surroundings.

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It welcomes the sun and the rain and the fauna with open petals.

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It is life.

Back to the novella! At 20,000 and nearly done! Have to figure out the end!

Have a super great 4th!

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

www.terryspear.com

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Highlanders, Baby Bunnies and Dragonflies!

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I’m still waiting for it to show up on Kobo and Google Play, but it’s now up on B&N!

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

ARe Books

Kobo

Smashwords

Print proof is ready for me to review, but trying to get somewhere on His Wild Highland Lass.
Now that Her Highland Hero is on Amazon, I’ve uploaded it for a narrator for the audiobook format!

It’s been so hot, I’ve had to go out and water and while I did so, I scared a baby bunny from her hiding place behind a shrub. And of course, what did I have to do? Run and get my camera.

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Not only that, but I saw a dragonfly on the top of my pyracantha. The bad news is that it means there are voracious bugs eating my plants. And you can see that from the way they are stripped naked on top. But that is a nice place for my sentinel bird to perch, so some good comes of it. The other good news is the dragonfly will help to take care of the bugs.

I wasn’t sure, as far away as the dragonfly was, nor how high up it was, that I could even get a shot of him. It was hard to see what I was doing. Same with the bunny too. Mostly, I was just seeing light. And we had strong winds and the dragonfly was fluttering his wings rapidly trying to hang on to the branch, but I still managed to get a shot, winds and all.

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When I went out the second time to move the water, I discovered two dragonflies feeding! So naturally, I had to dash back in the house, grab the camera, and try to catch them both.

2 hungry dragonflies feasting

Who would ever thought on such a hot and miserable day, I could find such wonders?

Back to the air conditioned cool and the hot Highlanders. 🙂

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

www.terryspear.com

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Purple Flower Day

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These are from my birthday flowers, so not exactly wildflowers, but most of the rest are!

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These are so tiny, barely noticeable when I took the picture of the mushroom.

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Not sure on this one. Tried to locate a picture like it, but couldn’t find one.

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Not sure on these either.

Iris open

My garden iris.

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Mountain Laurel

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not sure on this one
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Dead Nettle

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Aster
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Verbena

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Horsemint, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds!

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Wild petunia

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Clover flowers

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Desert Willow

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bluebonnets at the airport

I probably have more, but here is a selection of pretty purple flowers.

And that is my purple flower day.

Don’t you love them?

Off to work on Her Highland Hero.  7,000 words to go! 🙂

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Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

www.terryspear.com

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Jaguar Family
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Wildflowers of Summer, Central Texas

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The bluebonnets are gone, but the Indian Blanket/Firestorm is out in full force, and I caught this milkweed that I thought was pretty with my macro lenses. Who says weeds can’t be pretty?

Back to Her Highland Hero. Need to finish it up so I can work on the Highland novella for an anthology I’m working with 4 other authors on! 🙂 If I don’t keep working on it, I’m bound to get edits in on the other books again and lose my place. LOL And have to start all over again. 🙂

Have a lovely Thursday!

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

www.terryspear.com

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A SEAL Wolf for Sale, THE END!!!

A Wolf

I love it when I can finish the book!

It’s up on Amazon, and the release date is April!

http://www.amazon.com/SEAL-Wolf-Sale-Heart/dp/1402293828

Now I’m back to Her Highland Hero, 16,400 words to go.

We had lots and lots of rain, which usually means mushrooms. But nope. Then we had days and days of hot weather, and there were the mushrooms. So I ran out with my camera and took a couple of pictures. Doesn’t this look like a fairy garden to you? Interesting mushroom. Check. Winged creature. Check. Wildflowers. Check. And the mushroom is split as if it were petals of a flower. Very fairy-like, don’t you think?  Check.

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Here is one that hasn’t split like the other. Interesting caps. 🙂

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And some kind of wildflower that has stars in the center that made me think of jacks. 🙂

For the first time since my father died fifteen years ago, the giant sunflowers did not come up. I think the farmer must have plowed them up. And that’s sad. I could put the seeds out, but it wouldn’t be the same. When I saw the sunflowers, it made me think of my dad and the love he had of the gardens.

If I do plant some next year, I’ll put them in a different location.

Do you have plants that mean something special to you?

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

www.terryspear.com

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Love is Enduring

A while ago, I saw a posting where a woman showed off her lovely roses that had dried up, no longer bright and cheerful, blushing with new color. They were aged and beautiful in their own right.

The leaves and the purple flowers have held their colors, the roses are fading into an antiqued look. These are my birthday flowers from my son–two weeks old And to me, they are as pretty as ever, in an antiqued kind of way.

 

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My parents' gift to me copy

My parents are long gone, but like the flowers they sent to me when my daughter was born, they live on forever. My father didn’t give my mother bouquets of flowers. They didn’t last long for the money spent on them, she’d say. But these are well over two decades old and have made moves twice, and yet, they still are beautiful, a special gift I will treasure always. Love is everlasting.

Terry

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”

www.terryspear.com

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Everything’s Coming Up Roses

A few days ago, I posted about the yellow roses that have appeared.
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But a couple of days ago, my Knock-out roses began to bloom.

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We have heat, humidity, drought, drenching rains, heavy black clay soil, so not the perfect climate for a lot of plants. My mother had Blaze red roses that were beautiful against the white brick, but they were subject to black mildew and black spot and so my dad finally removed them all. It was sad, but they put in a lot of crepe myrtles that blossom all summer and are mildew and black spot resistant.

Then I found the roses at one of the home supply and garden centers that were purportedly resistant to all the stuff that plagued the Blaze. So a couple of years ago, I planted the one and it was so successful, the flowers blooming nearly every month of the year without any hassle, no fungacide, no bug spray, no special fertilizers, that I was won over. They’re Knock-out roses, beautiful, and at least for now, seem perfect for here. I even over-water a bit because two of them are by a cypress tree and lots of jasmine cover, so I need to water some during our awful droughts. But they don’t seem to mind.

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It’s good to keep a color scheme that is more uniform, which makes it more showy. And red really stand out. But when I went to get some red, they were sold out. The pink were beautiful, so I picked up one of those that first year, then the next year planted another pink in that same area and a red in another area.
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So for my mom and dad, they are a memorial to their hard work at trying to make the roses viable.

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This was a frozen rose that had been blooming through winter.

Back to working on A SEAL Wolf for Sale!

Ever been to a Honey-Do Auction? Bachelor Auction?

Some of those paying are really high rollers!

Have a great Saturday!

Terry

www.terryspear.com

Lots of New Reviews! And Spring Flowers! And a Spring Bunny!

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“Will Elaine and Cearnach find time to fall in love amid treasure hunts and attacks from the enemy?

Terry Spear’s A Highland Werewolf Wedding is sexy fun! Elaine and Cearnach are perfect for each other; both are Alphas and act like it. When they first meet it isn’t under the best of circumstances but it is impossible to miss the attraction between them—with each barb they exchange things get hotter.

The scenes between Cearnach’s mother and Elaine are great. The MacNeill’s bring tons of light humor to the story. It’s great to catch up with the family. A Highland Werewolf Wedding will leave the reader blissfully satisfied.: Reviewed by Miranda http://sulia.com/channel/romance-novels/f/f2de4304-2f5b-48ac-83e6-6ec500f112ff/?action=prop&source=tw&form_factor=desktop

 

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“A SEAL Wolf Christmas starts off fast and furious in the Amazon jungle. Things heat up quickly as it’s impossible for Anna and Bjornolf to ignore the budding feelings between them. I found A SEAL Wolf Christmas to be a fun and sexy read. Ms. Spear gives us a good mystery, a heartwarming holiday tale and some serious sexy times with the couple.” Reviewed by Miranda http://sulia.com/channel/romance-novels/f/f2f0d500-c9fc-4ecc-b1aa-852009455aff/?action=prop&source=tw&form_factor=desktop

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“Cougar’s Mate is a shapeshifter romance with a twist even I didn’t expect – Shannon is the cougar shift gone feral in an attempt to save her life while Chase is the cougar who shoots her. A rather humorous mixture of escapes, protectiveness and heated moments follow as Yuma Town (cougar town) join forces to try and convince Shannon that staying is in her best interests. I loved this book! Just like all the ‘wolf books that Terry Spear has written, Cougar’s Mate includes the best parts of the feral beasts these people shift into. I’m definitely looking forward to reading book two and getting to know more of the large-hearted cougar shifters!” Review by: Dominique Goodall on April 08, 2014 : star star star star star https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/413454

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My daughter said I had a bird sanctuary. With the bunny coming around, I feel like Beatrix Potter. 🙂

Have a lovely middle of the week day. I’m over the hump on A SEAL Wolf for Sale, and working toward making 50,000 by the weekend.

Terry

www.terryspear.com

 

 

Gardens Take Me Away from Internet Woes

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Photo taken at the Arboretum by Terry Spear

A little garden paradise. Everyone needs one.

I was scheduled to be part of a blog party to help with another author’s release and then…

the fae got involved.

I swear it.

It’s the truth.

My computer crashed.

I tried to restart it.

It wouldn’t.

I tried again.

It did.

Now this is 10 minutes out of the 30 minutes I have to be there.

No internet connection.

I try everything.

No internet connection.

I scramble to get my phone and tell the host I can’t be there.

Then I’m back to trying to fix the internet connection.

None. No. Forget it.

Fine.

Next morning, try a bunch of stuff, use my laptop, and there is an internet connection. Just not on my desktop. Live and learn.

The author had similar troubles where she lives. Her internet went out. And in a mess, she had to go to the nearest Starbucks.

So I’m writing on one computer and checking my internet stuff periodically on the other.

Remember how I was supposed to chase my muse?

I didn’t need to.

I just needed to lose the internet.

I wrote 4,000 words today.

And called the internet people, who wouldn’t call back.

So called my son.

He talked me through how to fix things.

I now have internet on my desktop.

My son is my hero.

Everyone needs one.

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Photo taken in my garden by Terry Spear

The yellow roses in my garden are starting to bloom.

So this has been a good day.

Do minor disasters turn out to work well for you?

Terry

www.terryspear.com

Cougar’s Mate
Parnormal Romance – Cat Shifters
Cougar’s Mate: Instinct told her to run…

Shannon Rafferty learns that hanging out with the bad boys could be a dangerous business, but hooking up with a cop is even worse. Now she’s on the run, trying to avoid being murdered by his cougar shifter brothers and uncle. If that isn’t bad enough, a deputy sheriff hunts her down while she’s running as a cougar and trying to survive in the Colorado wilderness. He vows to protect her no matter what she’s done. With three dead boyfriends to her name, she’s sure she will be the death of Chase Buchanan before either of them can prevent it. No matter how much she knows she has to run again, he soon holds her heart hostage. But will that be enough to keep them both alive?

Chase Buchanan—as wilderness cabin resort owner, former US Army Special Forces, and part time deputy of the small town of Yuma, Colorado that boasts a love of cougars—is tasked to track down a cougar reported to be hunting human prey. Chase soon learns she’s a shifter, not a full-time cougar, and she’s on the run. When he takes her in, he vows to protect her. After losing his wife and baby to the human kind of predator years earlier, he’s not letting Shannon’s hunters kill her, too. But how is he going to hold onto the wild-cat woman, who is unpredictable at every turn, without losing his heart to her, and then losing her as well?
 
~ 5 Cougar Stars ~ 


Cover is awesome and sexy! Very attractive and inviting.

I love it when I find a book I can not put down even though I know I need to; because it’s so late. Cougar’s Mate is one of thous amazing book’s that you just can’t put down until you have finished. What an astonishing beginning to a wonderful new series by Terry Spear. She has created a fascinating world full of fun characters, adventure, suspense and passion. I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoy Ms. Spear’s writing style and the easy flow, the character development and the plot. I am such a fan of Terry Spear and was blown away by her new series Heart of the Cougar.

Now onto Cougar’s Mate :

So many things happen once you open the first page. Ms. Spear throws us into Shannon’s life. She is a strong woman determined to survive. She has made some bad decisions in the boyfriend department as well as had a difficult life growing up which has lead to her not trusting easily and wanting to just be loved, but it always seams to be out of her reach. I enjoyed her strong and feisty personality as well her character development and growth throughout the book.

Chase (fan myself) is a very sexy man with a sad past that will make anyone cry. He try’s to be a loner running his wilderness inn, but all his friends won’t let him. He works as a part time deputy which ends up getting him into an interesting situation. When Shannon and Chase meet for the first time it’s not in a normal way, no that would be to easy. (If you want to know what happens you’ll just have to read and find out.) Oh course all his friends keep bring up how a feisty she-cat got the better of him.

I really loved the Cougar run town of Yuma. We usually don’t see a lot of cat shifter run towns. I found this to be refreshing.  It was also sweet to see how they helped each other out and how very open and welcoming they where to Shannon. The chemistry between Shannon and Chase is off the charts. It grows throughout the book and it’s not until half way through that they finally hit the sheets. I like a story with a great plot and time for the romance to come together; before we are off to the bedroom. I also loved all the secondary characters that are introduced in this book. I am looking forward to their stories and learning more about them. We get suspense, adventure, passion and so much more that Cougar’s Mate will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Note: We get a sneak peek of book 2 Call of the Cougar at the end of Cougar’s Mate, so more is coming. YA!

 
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Author Terry Spear in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.
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