I am the portulaca

Summer is coming to a close.

Earth-shattering news, right? I'm suspecting those above the Mason-Dixon line are sorry to see the approach of fall, while those of us down South are praying for summer to end.

Yes, it's been that hot. Record-breaking temps in the 90s and over for weeks on end.

We did get some rain finally the last two days. Too late for my astilbe, which succumbed to some
kind of fungus. My friend the Master Gardener told me she had transplanted some  from Pennsylvania when she moved to North Carolina, but they only lasted two seasons. So I guess I will count that as a lesson learned.

I replaced them with some echibeckia, a cross between a cone flower and a brown-eyed Susan. So far they are doing well and look very cheerful down by the creek.

One pot of petunias dried up like an Egyptian mummy while we were on vacation. (The others were parched, but are coming back.) I've always had good luck with portulaca, so I got a hanging basket of them to replace the defunct petunias.

Now, I am going to digress here and admit planting flowers takes a little out of me, particularly when I have to hack at the dry, clay soil with a pickax to loosen it. Like the year, I am reaching not just autumn, but the winter of my days. I can still do a lot of things, but it takes me longer to do them and longer to recover afterward.

So when I looked at the portulaca one evening, I had to chuckle. If there was ever a plant that could illustrate exactly how I feel, it's that one.

Here's why:

  This is me in the morning -- bright and  sassy and ready to move mountains.

And this is me by 5:00 p.m., wilted and droopy, ready for my book and a glass of wine.

The good thing is, the portulaca recovers the next morning and is ready to bloom again.

And so do I.

Taking the wine trail

I admit it -- I've been lax in keeping up with this post. I blame summer and all the activity that goes along with being able to get outdoors. Writing has been put on the back burner.

We did take a trip recently to Pennsylvania. We hadn't been for a few years for many reasons: unreliable car, ill health, etc. But we got a new car, and Jim has been feeling better, so we decided to take the chance. I'm glad we did.

Nancy wanted to go on a wine trail while I was there. We'd done this when she was visiting us in North Carolina, where the industry is getting a fast foothold. Jim and Dick weren't interested, so we set off by ourselves.

To our surprise, there is a plethora of wineries in northeast Ohio. I have to say the signage is not as good as it is in my home state. We zipped by a few before the sign registered. And there was no map or website provided by the state tourism authority as in NC.

Still, we managed to find a few. More than a few, in fact. We couldn't stop at all of them (there's a return trip in my future plans) but we did manage five. This is not to say we drank a bottle of wine at each one, or even a glass. I was driving, so it was a few sips for me. It isn't the wine so much as seeing the different venues. Some have beautiful flower gardens. Some had friendly doggie greeters. One was sited in an old church.

Overhead by another visitor: "Every winery is different!" So true!

We had lunch at one, and dipped fresh artisan bread in oil at another.

But it wasn't so much the drive through the lovely countryside or the thrill of discovery.

It was two sisters being together for a day with no distractions, just talking and laughing and sharing a good time.

Priceless.

Murder in the fifth degree

I told Jim this morning I had a lot to do today.

"You always have a lot to do," he said. I don't know if it was a general observation or a complaint, but my reply was, "I'm never bored."

Between writing and outside chores, I do keep busy. Of course, I save time to read. Once the dinner dishes are done, I head for my chair and book, either an e-book on my iPad or a "real" book from the library.

We have done a lot as far as clearing the encroaching forest around the edge of the back yard. I feel like a pioneer, clearing land for planting! In  fact, I did plant some astilbe around a stump out back. This wasn't easy as I kept running into roots, but it does look better than the bare stump. I think I am channeling my mom, who was an avid gardener.

Then we decided to trim back the quince bush by the deck. Over the years, it has just about taken over.

I stopped pruning when I spied a nest with several eggs in it. "That project will be put on hold until they hatch and fly away," I said.

Mama Thrush didn't much like it that half her shelter had gone, leaving her exposed. But she did go back to the nest. We tiptoed around it, trying not to disturb her.

Then last night I was sitting on the deck when I heard a commotion. The quince bush was shaking as if in a storm. I ran to the railing in time to see Mama Thrush fly past and the neighbor's black-and-white cat jump out of the bush. I threw something at him and screamed at him to go home! He did, limping.

I felt no pity for whatever injury he'd sustained.

Alas, it was the last straw. I haven't seen Mama Thrush on the nest since. In fact, I haven't seen her or her mate at all today.

A minor tragedy in the face of things, but I felt I had caused it by taking away her shelter.

So today I am feeling sad and guilty.

I need to go lose myself in a book.

What's Next?

Since I wrote the last blog, many things have happened. I went to Book 'Em and had a great time meeting other authors and new readers. I sold more books than I expected to and as soon as I got home I signed up for next year.

Also, my latest book was released (sooner than I expected) and so I had to do some promoting to let people know it was available.

And, I am working on the third in the trilogy and discovered I wanted to make a major change in the plot. This meant going back and re-writing several key scenes. And re-writing again until I was satisfied.

Then I bought a book that helped me to make the video you see on the right. It isn't perfect and it isn't full of special effects, but it is my own and I am proud of it. A kind friend suggested the first effort went a  little too fast for her to read all the captions. It didn't take long to go back and add another second to each screen. I hope everyone can read it now. I'm a very fast reader, so I didn't realize what works for me might not work for others.

Now I'm preparing for our annual writers conference this Saturday (April 18). Our little book club has been doing this for seven years now and I am proud of what we do with so few people. Here's a link if you want to see who we have coming: http://www.carolinaswritersconference.org

I want to get as much writing done while I can because I know once the warm weather comes, it's going to be so tempting to go outside and mess around with the yard. I never finished my clearing project last summer, so that will be first on my list. We had a  warm spell and I pruned all the fig trees and now I want to add a bench there. I have a lawn chair down there now for when I need to rest my back, but a bench will look much nicer.

And so it goes. One project leading to another, whether it be in the yard or at my computer.

And Spring come whether we are ready or not -- the greening of the trees, the flowering shrubs and blooming flower beds.

And the pollen. Can't forget the pollen.

Hope this rain washes it all away.

Coming Soon to an e-Reader Near You

The sequel to "A Question of Boundaries," is close to its release date.

In "A Question of Loyalty," Caroline and Nathan face a dangerous conspiracy that threatens both their lives when they take a honeymoon trip down the Mississippi River. Beautiful Floriana is on the edge of revolution and the slightest spark will set it ablaze.

And that spark could be the deaths of the two naive American tourists.

You can read the first few pages on my website www.sandrazbruney.com.

You don't have to read "A Question of Boundaries" first because "A Question of Loyalty" is a stand-alone book. But it might help!

To get a free Kindle copy of "A Question of Boundaries" from Amazon, hop on over to my Facebook author page and leave a comment. I'll select a winner on "A Question of Loyalty" release day.

Here's the link: Sandra Z. Bruney Facebook

Going to Book 'Em!

I've been getting ready to participate in Book 'Em this Saturday. It's an event held in Lumberton at Robeson Community College featuring lots of authors, panels, and book sales. I've gone before, but this year I will be a participant and have a table to display and sell my books. Part of the earnings will go to Book 'Em's literacy program. The idea is to Educate, not Incarcerate. In other words, a youth who reads is less likely to get into trouble.

Getting ready doesn't mean making sure I have books to sell, although that is probably the most important. I need to get people to stop at my table. So I am handing out bookmarks, and little bags of candy that include information about my books. I need signage, so I printed out some signs and now I need something to display them on, like a small easel. I think I have some somewhere... oh, and a tablecloth.

I'm so afraid of forgetting something. It isn't as if I can make the hour and a half trip back home to fetch it! A camera? Good idea.

What I like is I don't have to worry about making change. Volunteers do all the checking out. I hope my biggest problem will be deciding what to write if someone asks me to autograph their purchase.

This is a bigger problem than you might suppose. I have seen other authors post that they have no idea what to write besides their  name. Inspirational authors write Bible verses. I usually end up writing something stupid/silly and wish I could grab the book back and say, "No, no, let me do that again."

As you can tell, I'm both nervous and excited. It's one thing to do a booksigning at the local library or arts council when you know everyone and they are already disposed to be kind. It's another to have someone pick up your book and toss it back on the table in disinterest.

It's like someone looking in the buggy and saying, "My, what an ugly baby!"

Won't happen, of course. People who love books enough to come to a book fair are generally fun to meet and talk to.

And I'm looking forward to meeting lots of readers, and hopefully gain them as fans.

Wish me luck!

When enough is too much

We thought we had dodged the bullet as far as winter weather was concerned. But last night we got a taste of what everyone up north and out west has been suffering, but instead of snow we got freezing rain and sleet. (Jim swears there was a little snow in the mix.)

I can't say we suffered because our power did not go off, although it is off in other parts of the county. The sidewalks and roads were icy this morning but we did not need to go anywhere.

The schools were closed and I just got a reverse 911 call that one of the schools has been opened as a shelter. I couldn't  help but remember the photos I've seen of snowdrifts up in New England. Those folks couldn't get out of their houses to go to a shelter if they wanted to.

Fifteen years ago we did get snow, sixteen inches if I recall the official number. We were snowed in for a week and were without power most of that time. Luckily we had a generator, propane camp stove and lantern, and lots of candles. We had gas logs in the fireplace. So we stayed warm, could heat up soup and coffee, and even read or play Solitaire with a deck of cards.

Since then, we removed the tank to the fireplace logs and I don't know what happened to the generator. We still have candles and the propane lantern and camp stove, which we got out in preparation. Luckily, we didn't need them.

I suppose Mother Nature has to remind us once in awhile who is in charge. Still, my sympathy goes out to those who are snowed in and without electricity. I hope they were better prepared than we were and have heat or are able to get to a shelter.

A little snow and ice gives us a fairyland of glitter and awe. Too much, and it's a catastrophe.

I think I join millions of others in wishing for an early spring.