authorpages, Books, Flowers

And Back Again

66 Comments

As it turned out, my wee break lasted much longer than I had expected. Note to self: Do not ever plan to finish writing a book during peak gardening season, which in Maine is the lovely month of May.

Not surprisingly, for the entire month, I pinged back and forth between my book—Of Time and Magic—and the gardens. Because there is a deadline for the cover, the book took precedence. In three weeks, I wrote 10,000 words and brought Maya’s story to what feels to me like a satisfying conclusion. (I certainly hope readers feel the same way.) Now it’s time to edit, edit, edit.

As for the gardens…I am behind; there are no two ways about it. Two-thirds of the beds have had compost spread on them. One half have been fertilized. But I keep plugging on. Yesterday morning I got up early and tucked compost here and there under plants that are approaching full grown. In a normal year, composting and fertilizing would have been done the third week in May. Fortunately, I did a lot of dividing and moving last year, and there wasn’t much to do this year.

Then there’s the house. The less said about that the better.

However, despite my slow ways, the gardens seem to be doing just fine.

About two weeks ago, we were treated to deep purple irises in the backyard.

The irises have gone by, and now there is lush green. More flowers will bloom in June and July.

Until then, this cheery sign—with places from my books—provides a splash of color. (Thanks yet again, Beth Clark, for this wonderful present.)

The beds out front are abloom with white, cool and soothing.

With a bit of blue from Jacob’s Ladder.

I have missed reading all your lovely blogs and am happy to be back in the swing of blogging. Such a wonderful community! From now on, I will be posting once a week on Mondays. Unless, of course, I get such exciting news that another post is needed.

See you next Monday.

 

 

 

66 thoughts on “And Back Again”

  2. Luckily the gardens can take care of themselves if they have to, though they appreciate all the love that you add to their existence.

  4. Your plants are beautiful, I love the purple iris, purple is my favorite color. I have never seen one with such a deep purple color, it is so gorgeous.

  5. Laurie, it’s good having you back! Your “wee break” does sound productive, though, so kudos on that. And isn’t it grand how Mother Nature keeps on keeping on, despite our “help”?!?

  7. Lovely to have you back Laurie. Your garden looks great despite it not getting as much care as usual. I hope you are finding time to sit and enjoy it with a glass of something nice and some nibbles as well as working in it. As to housework a friend used to complain that she did it all and 6 months later it needed doing again 😉

  8. Welcome back, Laurie. And your gardens are simply spectacular. You’re a few weeks ahead of us. My Japanese iris don’t even have buds on them yet. All things come to those who wait!

  12. So wonderful to see your return to blogging and beautiful gardens!!😁 Good luck with the editing and maybe share an extra patio time photo with a movie, book or tv show recommendation if you have a spare minute between Mondays in case I’ve run out!😁

    1. Thanks! How nice of you to want recommendations. Won’t be able to do that for a while, but I do have a quick Sci-fi recommendation—Night Sky, on Amazon Prime. It stars Sissy Spacek and J. K. Simmons. Really, really liked this series.

      2. Hope you like it as much as I did. One of my favorites of the year. I especially enjoyed how it was both character based and plot driven. My favorite combination and not always easy to achieve.

  14. Lovely to see you back in blogging land Laurie, and your garden looks so green and colourful, and a big contrast to our wintery gardens.

  15. Lovely to have you back, Laurie. I checked in on you a couple of times during your break … figured you were busy with life and writing!!! now I know the garden was fighting for attention as well 🙂

    That iris is spectacular – thank you for the joy it has brought to me day!

  18. It is wonderful to hear your voice again! Welcome back. I’m glad that you were able to spend some time with your book AND your garden. The house stuff can all wait 😉

    Your gardens are lovely. I’m jealous of your irises – we don’t have any. YET. I can’t wait to follow along with your garden this summer. We’re having a stretch of cool and rainy weather, which is most welcome right now. I’m looking forward to tea parties and poetry with the kids on the rainy afternoons. Enjoy the rest of your week!

    1. A-w-w-w, thanks so much, Kate. Cool and rainy here, too. Being a Mainer, I like that kind of weather. Hope your irises bloom soon. They are my absolute favorites.

  19. Seems like you’ve been gone a long time, but you certainly have something to show for your absence. Congrats on the book finish! Good luck with your gardens, and the house can wait, just invite any visitors to the patio. 🙂

    1. Great advice! And if guests need to use the bathroom, I can only hope they will ignore the dust so thick you can write your name in it. 😉

  20. It’s so good to see you again. I must say, that garden (well, ‘those gardens’) look just fine to me. I always try to remember that old Biblical verse about no one being able to serve two masters when I think about writing and photography — apparently it’s relevant when it comes to writing and gardening, too!

  21. Congrats on getting the book written, Laurie. Your garden looks great, so you did enough to keep it up. We’re still waiting for things to warm up here. My garden is saying, “What the…?” Lol. Happy Editing and don’t forget to enjoy some sunshine.

  22. Welcome back Laurie and congratulations with getting the writing done! Your garden looks beautiful with lush greens and gorgeous flowers 💚🌺

  24. Things do sound busy for you, Laurie. Congratulations on having finished your novel. I hope the editing will be easy in comparison.
    Your garden looks lovely and the sign marker of your very own literary creations is very cool.
    I hope you will be able to catch up on your various projects.
    Best,
    Tanja

  27. So good to hear from you again! Your gardens look wonderful! I know there’s always a “to do” list but perfection is never achieved by anyone. And none of us write books, too. xo

  28. I’m very late chiming in, but I did miss you and I’m so glad you’re back. Deep breaths. It will come out ok. I am behind on my blog because my husband broke his hip on May 17 and has been in and out of the hospital since then. Everything is more complicated with Parkinson’s. So “overwhelmed” is a relative, right?

  29. Congratulations on finishing the book! Though I know there is major work in editing too. I am further behind than you in the garden. I ran out of steam almost before I began. Only a small part is even weeded much less mulched. Sigh. I don’t seem to care. If I don’t look at it, it’s not there. Right? I need to clean the house as 2 of my 3 siblings are coming to visit for a week or two, to spend time with our aunt who has cancer and has chosen not to be treated. My Katie-girl is declining fast. But that’s for another post. I’m sure she will explain it all when she feels it’s the right time.

    1. Thanks, Dawn. To me, it sounds as though you are putting your energy in exactly the right places. At times, especially as we age, we have to choose. (When we were younger we could slide more in.) Best to your aunt. Best to dear Katie. Enjoy you time with your siblings.

  30. Good to see you again, Laurie! Yes, we are going full tilt here as well. Your gardens look lovely going into summer, and I do look forward to your latest book.

  31. Congratulations on achieving such an important milestone. Your blogging friends and your garden welcome you back. (And we love when the two converge: great photos and descriptions of your beautiful spring garden) I’m also enchanted by the directional signs for your books’ locations. A very kind gift indeed.

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