Earth Day...so?

I used to plant tons of trees, when I had a lot of acreage–I love forests. But I was so disappointed to learn the people who bought my home in Oklahoma clearcut most of the trees. Beautiful pines, helped to stop erosion on the hillside, and they provided homes for birds, beauty, solitude. There’s no prettier sound than wind blowing through a forest and hearing the rustle of branches or pine needles.
We have old forest in and around our neighborhood. Most new home developments, they just clearcut the trees, leaving barren land. But here, I have several old pines. And behind me, one of my neighbors has beautiful oaks. He wants to cut them down. Why? Because they drop leaves and twigs and he has to pick them up. Really? He has to cut the grass too!  Maybe he should dig it up?

In Texas heat, shade trees are at a premium. They’re beautiful. You see them towering a hundred feet above the homes. Why would you want to cut them down??? I had to have one of the pine trees taken down because it had died, but that’s the only reason to do so, or if the roots are getting into the foundation.

But with such a small lot, which I’m thankful for in that it’s much easier to water and maintain, I’m restricted to small shrubs and flowers and such for the most part. Though….I’d like to get some more crepe myrtles, they’re like small trees.

I have planted all of the flowers here, the zinnias from seeds which should turn into flowers soon, the marigolds and daylilies and Mexican heather, the dianthus, and much more. Many will come back next year as they’re perennials. Many will reseed and return even if they’re annuals. I started last year with the daylilies and a few salvia and coneflowers, and the builders had planted coreopsis and snapdragons. So each year, the flowerbeds should be even more beautiful. Oh, and sunflowers.

They’re coming up from the seeds dropped by the birds, but I love seeing them in the garden as they remind me of my father who used to plant them.

What I love about the flowers, besides the color and vibrancy, is that the honeybees, bumblebees, hummingbirds and butterflies love them.

So think about Earth Day, and if you can, plant something to give back to nature.

Have a lovely 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

Nature's Beauty

Oftentimes when I water, I see the miracle of a rainbow forming in the sunlight, and I think how much I’d like to capture it. I absolutely had NOT planned to take pictures today. None. Not one. Okay, one. Of a rainbow. Well, maybe more, until I could capture one just right.

You see, rainbows are tricky devils. They fade just as you take the shot. Here I am, juggling the hose and the camera and trying to see if the rainbow is even in the picture. It was, but I couldn’t tell, or sometimes it would fade right out of existence before the camera finished focusing.

The top one shows more of the rainbow. The second one, the rainbow at the top had nearly disappeared already.

You know that a pot of gold is at the end of a rainbow, right? But would it exist if you create your own?

Wolves and cougars have been found to help keep a balance in the wild or animals such as herbivores, elk, deer, goats, will eat up the vegetation to the ground, and then other wildlife can’t take cover and lose their habitats. And what has that to do with these pretty flowers? While I was out watering the other day, I saw these bad, bad flowering vines. They are weeds. They creep over everything and in this case, they’re climbing over a variegated privet, pictured above with the rainbow. But twice now when I’ve gone out to water, a hummingbird has flown close to my water spray. And I thought she was coming from the cornfields, which I couldn’t understand. Unless my neighbor has a hummingbird feeder.

But no, she’s coming for the nectar from these flowers. Sometimes “weeds” are miracles in disguise.

Hummingbirds love tubular flowers.

Nature’s hummingbird feeder.

Desert Willow

I planted these because they don’t mind heat and drought, only now they’re not flowering. But the hummingbirds are attracted to them when they do flower.

So the weed, which seems to be more reliable,  stays. Sometimes humans just need to leave nature alone.

Don’t you agree?

Now, if I could only capture a shot of the hummingbird!

Have a glorious Monday!

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
www.terryspear.com
Connect with Terry Spear:
Website:
www.terryspear.com
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Sun and Shadows in San Antonio--the Alamo & It's Nearly Time to Party!!!

The sun peeking through the wrought iron fences of one of the arches at the Alamo.

I took a picture of the ivy trailing down the wall, but what I found fascinating when I looked at the picture later was the iron decoration, the beam, and the ivy's shadows.

A ray of sunlight on the flowers that made it look like they were ready to beam up, aye, Scottie?

The lovely vine covered trellis, and the interesting patterns of live oak shadows across the grass.

Two spots of sun next to the squirrel who decided to turn just as I snapped the shot! He looks a bit contorted, doesn't he?

And the slats of the Texas bench.

Okay, back to work, no more goofing off!

Ha!

August 5: For lovers of the paranormal, you are invited to slip into our world and let the fantastical experience take you away! Times are CST.

Guest authors making appearances:
Heather Graham Pozzessere is traveling but hopes to drop in. :) https://www.facebook.com/heathergrahampozzessere
10 am-Sara Humphreys
11 am- Rebecca Zanetti - Author
12 pm-Vonnie Davis
1 pm-Rebecca York/ Ruth Glick
2 pm-Maggie Shayne
3 pmClaire Ashgrove
4 pm-Lori Handeland
6 pmDeb Cooke /Claire Delacroix
7 pmLaura Kaye
8 pm-Stephanie Julian
9 pm-Suzanne Johnson

And I will be giving away:

I make the original teddy bears, and this one I'll be giving away in honor of Hero of a Highland Hero's release at the party. This is fully jointed, mohair bear, the mohair imported from England. He has tapestry paws.

I will be giving away 2 Hero of a Highland Wolf XL T-shirts.

And...

2 sets of the 4 books in the Highland wolf series:

Heart of the Highland Wolf, A Howl for a Highlander, A Highland Werewolf Wedding, and Hero of a Highland Wolf

And...

2 winners will win a copy of Hero of a Highland Wolf

Plus lots of other gifts from all the other super paranormal authors!

This is all on August 5th!

HERO OF A HIGHLAND WOLF
Author: Terry Spear
Release Date: August 5, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Summary:

The MacQuarrie werewolf clan has overseen the Playfair family’s Ardmore Castle for three centuries. So when a Playfair granddaughter from abroad inherits the estate, clan chief Grant MacQuarrie has to train her to manage it—and he’s not happy about having her in his way. Until the prim old lady he’s expecting turns out to be a sexy young wolf…


Colleen Playfair is excited and apprehensive about her new role at the castle, and she has big plans to change the way its run. But the stubborn Grant won’t make things easy, and she’s forced to turn to seduction to get her way…


Amazon – http://amzn.to/1hxh0mp
Barnes and Noble – http://bit.ly/1il2cxw
iTunes – http://bit.ly/1n64Qsf
Really off to work!
Have a super great Wednesday!!!
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
www.terryspear.com
Connect with Terry Spear:
Website:
www.terryspear.com
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Dragonflies and Giant Sunflowers, Signs of Summer!

A blue, blue dragonfly. It was munching on aphids on a crepe myrtle last year. I love them because they eat the varmints that eat my plants.
In A SEAL Wolf for Sale, one of the characters has an animal guide that is the dragonfly. Lots of fun.

I took this picture of another yesterday when I was out watering. They love the water and when I’m watering plants, I will often have them coming to greet me and I wish I could have someone else hold the hose so I can take pictures of them. Well here is one that I kept trying to get closer to, and it kept flying off, then settling again, and then as if it knew I didn’t mean to hurt it, he came over closer to me and landed so I could get a really cool shot.
Love them.
A giant sunflowers stretching up to the blue Texas sky, towering over the cornfields even. :) Love them! I found them!

I wrote 6,500 words yesterday on Her Highland Hero. Only 8500 words until I have my word count. Though it will likely go longer. So I’m trying to finish it up and then I can really edit it. :)

Happy TGIF! :)

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

www.terryspear.com

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website:

www.terryspear.com 

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Purchase Link:

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.




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.


AND!!!! I finished A SEAL Wolf for Sale! Had a few loose ends to tie up and now it's off!

Terry

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

www.terryspear.com

Connect with Terry Spear:

Website:

www.terryspear.com 

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TerrySpear

Purchase Link:

Happy Easter!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! :)

Terry

www.terryspear@ymail.com