Julie Lence's Blog - Posts Tagged "spring"
Springtime in the Rockies
I am a native of New York, but now live in the west. I love it here; the food, the people, and every morning when the clouds aren't down, I wake up to a spectacular view of the mountains. Snow-capped peaks, jagged edges, the sun reflecting off someone's windows; I never get tired of looking at the Front Range. Not only are the mountains beautiful, they also tell the weather better than the news.
From my front porch, I have a clear view to the west, where the Front Range cuts a path from the Mexican boarder to the Canadian boarder. Fluffy white clouds will sometimes sit on the top of the peak, obscuring the tip as though someone took a knife and sliced it off. Other times, clouds will lay in the nooks and crannies. But when those big, grey clouds appear behind the peak and start moving in my direction, I know I have about 30 minutes before the rain hits--or not. Many times, while I can see the rain hitting the ground, the storm decides to take a different path and misses my neighborhood completely. And for this time of year, that isn't so great. We need rain. Not snow. Not wind. But rain. Welcome to Springtime in the Rockies.
Spring is thought of as each day warmer than the last, buds sprouting on trees, birds singing, the grass turning green and planting flowers. Here, Spring is a combination of Spring, Summer and Winter. We have warm days. We have cold days, and sometimes we have a hot day. Birds do chirp outside my window, but the grass in the yard is so dry, it looks like I'm growing hay for horses. And to plant flowers right now is a waste of time and money, because it does snow and the night temperatures do dip down below freezing.
Two days ago, the sun was shining, the afternoon was warm, and then the storm rolled in. The temperatures dropped fast, and one big, gust of wind brought a combination of rain and sleet, which rapidly changed to snow. Within a few short hours, we had four inches covering the ground. Right now, the front yard is white and pristine. Today and tomorrow, we'll have a meltdown, as the temperature rises, but come this weekend, we have a cooling period and then back into the 60's. All of this makes for some interesting days, and frustration.
I'm ready for the days to stay warm, for the rain to wash away the winter dust, for opening the windows and putting away the winter coats and boots. I want to see flowers grow--not weeds, like I've already seen--and I want the grass to turn green. I also want buds to appear on the trees, though why I don't know with my allergies, and I want my trees to flower this year. Two years ago, a cold spell shocked the trees so much that they haven't sprouted flowers since then. But overall, I welcome a true Spring because I thrive on the new growth and the energy it brings to my writing. There's something about the sun poking through the window, with a slight breeze floating on the air that keeps my muse flowing and my fingers typing so I can reach the end of the story. Or maybe I reach the end because I know in 2 short months, school is out and my writing schedule heads south. Mmm… I think it's a combination of both; warm days and the need to complete the story before my days are no longer my own.
From my front porch, I have a clear view to the west, where the Front Range cuts a path from the Mexican boarder to the Canadian boarder. Fluffy white clouds will sometimes sit on the top of the peak, obscuring the tip as though someone took a knife and sliced it off. Other times, clouds will lay in the nooks and crannies. But when those big, grey clouds appear behind the peak and start moving in my direction, I know I have about 30 minutes before the rain hits--or not. Many times, while I can see the rain hitting the ground, the storm decides to take a different path and misses my neighborhood completely. And for this time of year, that isn't so great. We need rain. Not snow. Not wind. But rain. Welcome to Springtime in the Rockies.
Spring is thought of as each day warmer than the last, buds sprouting on trees, birds singing, the grass turning green and planting flowers. Here, Spring is a combination of Spring, Summer and Winter. We have warm days. We have cold days, and sometimes we have a hot day. Birds do chirp outside my window, but the grass in the yard is so dry, it looks like I'm growing hay for horses. And to plant flowers right now is a waste of time and money, because it does snow and the night temperatures do dip down below freezing.
Two days ago, the sun was shining, the afternoon was warm, and then the storm rolled in. The temperatures dropped fast, and one big, gust of wind brought a combination of rain and sleet, which rapidly changed to snow. Within a few short hours, we had four inches covering the ground. Right now, the front yard is white and pristine. Today and tomorrow, we'll have a meltdown, as the temperature rises, but come this weekend, we have a cooling period and then back into the 60's. All of this makes for some interesting days, and frustration.
I'm ready for the days to stay warm, for the rain to wash away the winter dust, for opening the windows and putting away the winter coats and boots. I want to see flowers grow--not weeds, like I've already seen--and I want the grass to turn green. I also want buds to appear on the trees, though why I don't know with my allergies, and I want my trees to flower this year. Two years ago, a cold spell shocked the trees so much that they haven't sprouted flowers since then. But overall, I welcome a true Spring because I thrive on the new growth and the energy it brings to my writing. There's something about the sun poking through the window, with a slight breeze floating on the air that keeps my muse flowing and my fingers typing so I can reach the end of the story. Or maybe I reach the end because I know in 2 short months, school is out and my writing schedule heads south. Mmm… I think it's a combination of both; warm days and the need to complete the story before my days are no longer my own.
Life's Little Curve Balls
I absolutely hate when my weekly schedule is tossed to the curb. This usually happens on a Monday with the ring of the telephone or an unexpected email that leads from one thing to another. I like structure and balance to my routine. I like knowing that by the time I sit down to watch Castle on Monday night that I will finish writing a chapter on Wednesday and this blog on Thursday. Dull, boring, tedious; yeah, it's true, but it's how I manage to write one book per year, keep up with chores and family and enjoy the summer.
Such was not the case these past two weeks. Mother Nature threw a bad curve ball in my direction. Thirty minutes before school let out for the weekend my little one called from the nurse's office. He wasn't feeling well. I picked him up, brought him home and figured he had a cold. No problem. He had the weekend to rest, until the flu took over that night. I spent the weekend tending to him. We watched movies, played cards and snuggled on the couch. Monday came and he seemed to feel a little better so I decided to get some writing done. And that's when it all went south.
He developed a cough that kept him and me up most of the night. I swore he was going to hack up a lung, but somehow he didn't. That in itself was a miracle, but the four hours at the clinic the next day wasn't. Not only was he sick, so was the hubby. The hubby didn't complain, but just having him home and underfoot for the day wore on my nerves. By Wednesday morning, I was tired from two sleepless nights, but determined to crank out my chapter for the week. After staring at the words I had written on Monday and trying to jumpstart my muse with a good dose of caffeine, I realized I felt no connection to the story or the characters. That really irked me, because it was Wednesday and I had nothing worthwhile in the form of writing accomplished. And then I made an executive decision. Since the muse had no desire to work, I'd let it rest and turn my attention and energy elsewhere while I continued to take care of the little one.
Spring cleaning seemed to help relieve the tension of not completing a chapter for the week. And it gave me the opportunity to cuddle with the little one in the afternoon. We watched television--in my opinion, afternoon television stinks--and ordered out dinner since the hubby and I didn't feel like cooking. By Saturday, my son seemed to be on the mend. And then Sunday greeted me with a visit from the allergy witch. The congestion was terrible. Worse was my stupidity to go outside and work in the sage garden. Monday was more of the same. Yesterday, I began to make some headway in the breathing department. Today is even better. Now, if the weatherman could make all this wind we've been having disappear, I'd be happier than a pig up to his ears in slop.
You might be wondering what my jibber-jabber is leading up to. The answer is simple. Listen to your body and your muse. When life throws you a curve ball in the form of not feeling well, or ideas not flowing easily, it's time to take a break. As I have frustratingly learned last week, that break may be longer than a day or two. You may think you're wasting time, but in reality, you're not. When you sit back down at the computer, you'll be looking at your work with fresh, rested eyes and discover you and your muse are ready to get back to work. I recommend you take a break a few times during the year. Afterall, we're human and good ideas need a chance to formulate and blossom before we can get them correctly from our minds to paper.
Happy Spring everyone!
Such was not the case these past two weeks. Mother Nature threw a bad curve ball in my direction. Thirty minutes before school let out for the weekend my little one called from the nurse's office. He wasn't feeling well. I picked him up, brought him home and figured he had a cold. No problem. He had the weekend to rest, until the flu took over that night. I spent the weekend tending to him. We watched movies, played cards and snuggled on the couch. Monday came and he seemed to feel a little better so I decided to get some writing done. And that's when it all went south.
He developed a cough that kept him and me up most of the night. I swore he was going to hack up a lung, but somehow he didn't. That in itself was a miracle, but the four hours at the clinic the next day wasn't. Not only was he sick, so was the hubby. The hubby didn't complain, but just having him home and underfoot for the day wore on my nerves. By Wednesday morning, I was tired from two sleepless nights, but determined to crank out my chapter for the week. After staring at the words I had written on Monday and trying to jumpstart my muse with a good dose of caffeine, I realized I felt no connection to the story or the characters. That really irked me, because it was Wednesday and I had nothing worthwhile in the form of writing accomplished. And then I made an executive decision. Since the muse had no desire to work, I'd let it rest and turn my attention and energy elsewhere while I continued to take care of the little one.
Spring cleaning seemed to help relieve the tension of not completing a chapter for the week. And it gave me the opportunity to cuddle with the little one in the afternoon. We watched television--in my opinion, afternoon television stinks--and ordered out dinner since the hubby and I didn't feel like cooking. By Saturday, my son seemed to be on the mend. And then Sunday greeted me with a visit from the allergy witch. The congestion was terrible. Worse was my stupidity to go outside and work in the sage garden. Monday was more of the same. Yesterday, I began to make some headway in the breathing department. Today is even better. Now, if the weatherman could make all this wind we've been having disappear, I'd be happier than a pig up to his ears in slop.
You might be wondering what my jibber-jabber is leading up to. The answer is simple. Listen to your body and your muse. When life throws you a curve ball in the form of not feeling well, or ideas not flowing easily, it's time to take a break. As I have frustratingly learned last week, that break may be longer than a day or two. You may think you're wasting time, but in reality, you're not. When you sit back down at the computer, you'll be looking at your work with fresh, rested eyes and discover you and your muse are ready to get back to work. I recommend you take a break a few times during the year. Afterall, we're human and good ideas need a chance to formulate and blossom before we can get them correctly from our minds to paper.
Happy Spring everyone!
