Sharon Lovejoy's Blog

Dear Friends,Thank you for your letters, cards, gifts and...

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your letters, cards, gifts and inquiries about whether I am still residing on planet earth. YES! I’m here and keeping busy. Thanks to questions from many of you, including Vee (A Haven for Vee blog), my old pal Susan Branch, and so many others, I thought I would send you a quick note.

Life has been good and full, too full sometimes, but I am grateful for everything good that comes my way.

My newest book, Running Out of Night, now a Yearling paperback, has opened so many doors for me. School visits (sometimes with hundreds of students), classroom visits, author days, and library talks have been a wonderful challenge and more fulfilling than I could’ve ever dreamed. 

I still do talks for gardening and nature, and recently did three talks at the 25th Annual Visalia Springfest Home & Patio Show in California. I met many new readers, but I also got a chance to visit with people I knew from my old days at Heart's Ease in Cambria. Dear, dear people, and so appreciative of everything. Thank you for not only making me feel welcome, but also loved. (Rachel Snodgrass, you were the crowning glory).



When I present talks to large groups, I always like to have something special for the teacher and the students. Recently, I was given a complimentary sampling of wooden, book shaped flash drives with one of my illustrations and my name printed on the cover. I am able to offer this to teachers, who may want a copy of the program I present. If you are interested in ordering some of the flash drives with your design and name on them, here is the ordering information from USB Memory Direct (https://www.usbmemorydirect.com/products.htm)




For students, teachers, and my readers, I have drawn and painted a new fox bookmarks. When I visit groups, I’ll tuck a bookmark into each book as a useful keepsake. (Thank you to my husband, Jeff Prostovich, for the great design).

If you’re reading this and would like some bookmarks, please send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Sharon Lovejoy, 495 Buena Vista Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405, and I will mail some out to you.



I welcome your e-mails and letters. Thank you for your loyalty and caring.

Love across the miles,

Sharon

Do What You Love!

Happy 11th birthday dear little book. Thank you readers!

Welcome to the world, Running Out of Night (Yearling) in paperback! 

Dear Friends,
No excuses except one. Somebody needs to invent a 36 hour day! Period. Never enough time to do all the things you need to do and all the things you want to do!
January
What a wonderful month. I was one of the luckiest people in the world. I got a chance to work with fine authors, Sara Louis Kras, Sherri L. Smith, and James Burks at the annual Author Go Round for Santa Barbara County Department of Education. 

James Burks-Fabulous illustrator, cartoonist and graphic novelist. 

Sara Louis Kras. She is an explorer extraordinaire with lots of courage. Face offs with monitor lizards (behind her) and polar bears are just some of the things she writes about.

Award winning author Sherri L. Smith. Her fantasy and fiction books are gripping.


One of the happy audiences. Let's face it, every kid loves a day off from school and a chance to do something different in a new place. They're loving this experience.
I visited with hundreds of students, teachers, librarians and parents from 75 schools. Every day of the week was crammed with adventures and new beginnings.








Each author had a large booth with an area to set up books, art work etc. Groups of 25 to 30 kids, parents and teachers would cram into the booth and ask questions about book writing, reading and jobs. So inspirational for me and I hope I inspired a few of the kids too.
February
A month to work, work, work on my new book and a month to give a couple of small talks to groups and to do some more wonderful book club SKYPE interactions. The questions thrown at me by the kids were great. Here I am with a group of students and the little hummingbird (right window pane) is watching the goings on.

SKYPE Book Club 

...and Kiddie Writers met at my home for a "class" with Newbery Honor author Kathi Appelt. We did that via SKYPE too. Amazing! Left to right-Sherry Shahan-Ice Island, Frozen Stiff, Skin and Bones and more), Me, Elizabeth Spurr-At the Beach, Farm Life, Wind, Snow, Perrier the Pig and more, Cindy Rankin, her new book, Under the Ashes will be released in October by Whitman Publishing. Helen K. Davie-Penguin Chicks, Animals in Winter and more. Cynthia Bates many books to come and Lori Peelen, one soon to be released. 

Spring really started popping in February and I tried to bring it indoors every day. Here are the 7 days and 7 bouquets for a week. Even accomplishing such a little thing as cutting a bouquet made me feel good.









March
What a month. So fortunate to give two seminars at the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. My first talk was about California Gardens: Glorious Despite the Drought. Sharing photos of gardens I love touched many hearts. I also wrote a two page hand-out for the attendees. If anyone wants a copy of the hand out, please write. In it I list some of my favorite native plants and the critters they attract to a garden.

A little watercolor I did for the title of the talk.
My second talk was "Vest Pocket Gardens." You get it, small gardens to fit into today's hectic life. What I love about the small gardens is that even with our fast paced existence we can tend them and become intimate with the plants in our care. Containers have always meant so much to me and I know they can enrich your life too. I call them the quick change artists of the garden. Just a few well cared for containers can enliven even the darkest corner of a garden. And, they attract myriad critters too. You don't need a huge garden to create a wildlife sanctuary. (Just think smaller).
April
Our March rains were a much needed miracle. Here are a few shots of the astounding rainbow of colors that our California land is producing.

Mariposa lilies galore.

A hillside blanketed in purple bush lupine and poppies.

From 12 miles away the peaks look like they're on fire!


The back side of Figueroa Mountain.



During this month I'll be visiting Cal Poly to give a guest lecture on writing for children, both fiction and non-fiction. I'll talk about all the ups and downs of a writing career and help guide students onto their own paths of creativity. Wish me luck!
Speaking of creativity, the winners of the book give-away are: teejay and Emily Darling. I will need your mailing addresses and my dear Workman Publishing will mail the books directly to you. Congratulations!


Ok, this posting IS like a crazy quilt of thoughts and experiences, but that is really how life hits us.  I'll just end with this photo. Please read the words on the bag I am carrying. It is a mantra we all need to chant. Whether it is by reading lovely books, making bouquets, teaching, creating a garden, cooking a meal, please DO WHAT YOU LOVE!

Love across the miles, the seas, the mountains,
Sharon

What I Expect of Myself

Me and my best friend Hans Lovejoy

Years ago I stopped doing what other people expected of me and started doing what I expected of myself.

 The 21st century needs another Mark Twain
It wasn't only teachers and counselors trying to dictate my choices, but also my family. "What Sharon? You are an art major? What will you do with THAT major? You need to learn how to type and take dictation."

"I can't believe you're not going to accept the job with the school district. You could retire in 20 years and THEN do what you want."

Twenty years? Really? Wait 20 years to do what I want?

Right around that time I met a woman in an electric wheelchair. She was proud to tell me she once trekked all over Britain, but now? Now she blew on a mechanism to make her chair work. Her words to me? "Don't waste any time, don't put off doing things, follow your heart. I was waiting to retire before I did so many things. I retired at fifty five, but look at me now."(She was 56)

 Oh how I love the wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt
I chose to take chances. To start businesses, some of which thrived, one which didn't do well. I chose to devote myself to drawing and painting and to learning everything I could about the critters and the gardening I loved. I chose to write, well, maybe I didn't choose it, it chose me. I knew that whether or not anyone ever read my work,  I wanted to try to touch other lives and open doors of understanding and build bridges between me and my readers.


So, I didn't learn how to take shorthand, but I did learn how to type, thank goodness. It makes my life so much easier. Mom was right about that one.


I guess what this final blog posting for the swiftly fading 2015 is all about, is believing in yourself and always trying to live up to your own expectations. It is impossible to have expectations of others, you never know when people are going to do a 180 degree turn from what you think you've figured out. But, if YOU know what you're going to do and how you're going to live your life, you're on your pathway. You are "honoring your calling," as author Elle Luna says in the following quote.
Because I honored my pathway (despite the bumps, wrong turns, and dead ends), my life is richer and more joyful. Because I honored my pathway, I am sometimes broke, sometimes frustrated, sometimes on fire, and sometimes sitting alone under a dark cloud. But if I hadn't taken the chance and expected more from myself, well, I'd finally be ready to retire and start living.

I'm living now–what about YOU?

My generous editor and publicist at Workman Publishing have offered TWO copies of Elle Luna's book to my readers. Please leave a comment and we'll do a drawing around January 15th of 2016 (Don't hold me to that). Workman Publishing will ship the books directly to the winners.


 
 






 

Love Always, Maine

A harvest of autumn treasures from my wanderings

Dear Friends, Happy Autumn! So many wonderful letters, cards and e-mails have made their way into my life. Thank you, thank you. I'll admit that yesterday's e-mail is the reason I am posting today.

"Dear Sharon,

As a teacher and a lover of nature, I find your posts so inspiring!  I have missed seeing your lovely posts.  Do you plan to return soon?  Sincerely, ------- 2nd grade teacher at Oregon Episcopal School, Portland, OR"

I've also received notes from a teacher in Indiana (hi Lori!) and friends from all over the country. Honestly, I didn't realize that so many people still read blogs. I post every day on my page on Facebook, Sharon Lovejoy: Home Gardens Books, and thanks to my granddaughter, who put me on Instagram without my knowledge, I now also post on Instagram under sharonlovejoyauthor.
So, here I am, sitting at my computer and preparing to share, in a single posting, some of my happy and peaceful times in Maine.

Morning from our porch.

When I awaken, I can look through four windows to the sea. I never take it for granted. Every morning I say how grateful I am.
My little studio faces the sea.

Working on spreads for my new book.

Drying pages on the back of the couch.

The screened porch is the perfect work room on a hot day...

...or a cold morning...(which I love sharing with Jeff!)

...or a dark, sea-scented night.

Our supply of hats, walking sticks, and umbrellas stand ready for our hikes all over the peninsula.

You can't see me smiling, but believe me, I AM!

Past the homes of Christmas Cove toward...
...the home of Miss Rumphius...


...and the sandy beach where I find bird hieroglyphics and sea glass.



But we don't just walk during the day. Luckily for us, the night of the fall "Blood Moon" was clear and sparkling. Perfect for a hike to the causeway where we watched the full, autumn moon turn into a brilliant red orb.

The moon rose over the hump of the Pemaquid Peninsula.
The Blood Moon
Watching the transformation of the pearl-like moon into this glowing, red orb felt like magic. I can't imagine how ancient man, not knowing the rhythms of our eclipses, would have felt. Fright? 
Many of our friends tried to watch this, but fog or storms stole their views. I feel so lucky to have seen/experienced this phenomenon.
The Lucky Winner is...
The winner of the (long ago) drawing for the Sara Midda book is reader Thea McGinnis, who said, "Toss my name in the hat." 
Congratulations, Thea dear! Please send me your address and Workman Publishing will send you your copy of this marvelous book.

Book News



A Blessing of Toads  (Down East Books) is available now in paperback. All the inside illustrations are in black and white. 


The Little Green Island with a Little Red House Second printing and hard cover from Down East Books.

Tim and his beloved grandmother.

Above is a peek inside the little rhyming rebus written and illustrated by me.


My 1859 historical, middle grade novel (Penguin Random House) is still available in hardcover, but will be coming out in March 2016 (Yearling) in paperback. I have been so fortunate to do some wonderful book club meetings via SKYPE. The most far reaching was from my favorite Korean teacher, Lily, who joined me in my studio with five of her star students who read and discussed Running Out of Night.
All my books are available from bookstores, on-line, and from me. If you want personalized books for gifts, I am happy to inscribe them.
I am working on several books right now, one of which is a personal journal of Maine and its rich traditions. Stay tuned!


Well, this has gone on and on. Sorry, I still have so many things to share with you, but perhaps you'll join me again for more Maine. In the meantime, visit me on Facebook for a short (almost) daily glimpse at nature and the wonders of life.
Sending love and joy across the miles to you.
Sharon

My Midnight Kitchen-Peachy Keen

Early Harvest-Never enough peach pies!
Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for keeping in touch. I love picking up the mail and finding good, old-fashioned letters and cards. Let's not ever stop sending real mail, real photos, and let's not ever stop reading real books!

Be sure to read to the end of this posting to see who won the lovely little teak side table for the garden, and read what the newest offering will be.

My garden, despite the odds, surprises us with harvests of all sorts. We've cut our water usage by half, we use every drop from showers to deep water fruit trees; all our cooking water is kept free of salt and oil so we can cool the water and use it in the garden.

When Mother Nature produces a bounty of anything, you must work fast and hard to preserve your food. Last year I refreshed my canning skills by taking classes with Ingrid Hilton at the fabulous Avila Valley Barn. Now, when I am in town, I take classes through the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Food Preserver Program. They are fascinating and teach how to preserve, pickle, and dry anything and everything.

My little 'Tropic King' dwarf peach burst into bloom on January the 8th. I never dreamed that during this severe weather it would out produce anything it has ever done. By May I had hundreds of fruits, and the branches hung low (and needed to be propped so as not to break).

 
The ripening crop.
 
 Washing the fruit to prepare the extras for freezing and cooking.
 Many of you know that I love to cook/think/dream in the middle of the night. Working in the kitchen soothes me and helps me get in touch with life. So, I cook in the Midnight Kitchen. It makes me happy.
Washed fruit waiting to be blanched. I slit an X in each fruit so the skin would pop and be easily peeled.
 Dropped them into the boiling water for a minute, then plunged them into an ice bath and peeled them.
Then reality set in. This is too hard. Life is too complicated. I decided to try another way of readying the fruit for freezing.
The Easy Freeze
I picked them JUST as they ripened. They were firm, not hard. I washed them thoroughly and set  them out to dry overnight in clean egg cartons.

Then, I froze them whole in freezer bags and tucked them away for the cold winter days when I want to bake or make a smoothie. I checked my friend Pat Crocker's preserving book for her way to freeze them. She recommends sprinkling the fruit with granulated sugar and packing them into freezer bags, squeezing out air, sealing tightly.
   
 This is my Grandmother Lovejoy's Fire King pie plate. I never took the time to really look at it, but it is gorgeous.  
 I Always Make a Mess  Get Busy!
My Favorite Gingersnap Crust
 2 cups gingersnaps (homemade or store bought. I love Trader Joe's Triple Gingersnaps)1/4 cup brown sugar. Pack it tightly.1 tablespoon all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I use Malden's; it is like snowflakes on the tongue)1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1 teaspoon orange zest4 tablespoons (half a stick) of unsalted butter/melted Blend all ingredients till they hold together and don't crumble. You want the mixture moist, but not soggy. (Kind of like the perfect soil in a garden) Line your pie pan and set aside enough for the topping. Fill with peaches, sprinkle on topping and pecans.
Luscious Filling

5 cups fresh peaches, sliced
1 tablespoon of orange zest
1 cup sugar (when the peaches are sweet and juicy I cut the amount of sugar in half)
1⁄3-1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of allspice
A grate of nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Stir together flour, 1 cup sugar, and spices and set aside. Wash, peel, and slice fresh peaches. Zest orange. Mix together peaches and orange zest with the combined dry ingredients. Turn into gingersnap lined pie pan. Use remaining gingersnap crust to cover top of peaches. Dot with butter, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar. I added chopped pecans to my crust.
Wow! Bake 35 to 45 minute


 You won't believe the aroma of this pie as it bakes.
 

From Pies to Book Talk
 We had a dinner picnic at my house for some readers of my new book, Running Out of Night. They arrived with growling stomachs, big smiles, and lots of questions about the story and how to write. They especially enjoyed visiting my studio and seeing where I write and draw. I hope this visit served as an inspiration for them to reach for the stars. 
  The next day I did a SKYPE book club interview with fabulous kids and moms in Portland, Oregon. I showed them around the studio and shared art supplies, drawings, ideas, and reference materials. Then, I was in the hot seat and answered well thought out questions. I loved every minute of our time.
 When doing a SKYPE interview, I can see them and they can see me and my surroundings. Also watching is the little Anna's Hummingbird up in my window feeder. Can you see her?
 Also got the chance to talk to a group of kids about Running Out of Night , and shared with them the enlarged copy of an actual bill of sale for three slaves. They could not imagine that humans could be sold just like an object from a store. 
Teachers, Librarians, Home-School Parents, Scout Leaders, Book Clubs
I am happy to speak with you about a library, school visit, book club visit, and more. Just contact me via e-mail, and we can set up a time to meet with readers. Send me an email at sharon@sharonlovejoy.com.

Why I write and draw!

  Thank you, dear readers, for sending photos.
Fabulous Teak Table Give-Away (finally)
A huge thank you to Teak Close Outs for donating a teak table to one of my lucky readers. Over a hundred of you tossed your names into the invisible hat. Tah dah, here is the lucky winner:
Ann Reynolds 
Please send us your snail mail address, and Teak Close Outs will ship the table (needs assembly) directly to you. You'll love this!
 
Onward...Workman Publishing has offered to send one of you lucky readers a copy of Sara Midda's new book, A Bowl of Olives . Many of you are Sara fans. She wrote and illustrated In and Out of the Garden , which was a huge hit. Then she did Sara Midda's South of France , and many other books. Workman will ship a copy of this beautiful work of art to whomever wins the new drawing. Here are the directions for submitting your name, but please do leave a comment on the blog so I know that you're visiting me! Thanks.
To drop your name into the "hat" for the drawing, simply leave a comment at:Sharon's Give Away at sharonsgiveaway@icloud.com.

Sending love across the miles,
Sharon

A.W.O.L.

For the Butterflies
The butterfly dipped,and circled to smellHis floriferous dinner,Which suits him quite well.
But, wait just a minute,My story's not through,His feet have more talents––He tastes with them, too!
From Hollyhock Days
Dear Friends,

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, well, you must adore me by now.  Thank you for the sweet cards, letters, and e-mails. They make my heart happier. Many of you know that I was hacked and off the computer for awhile. It took a few weeks to get back on line and then, Whap!, we were hacked again. Thousands and thousands of spams and more.

This morning when I sat down we were again having problems. Jeff sat on the phone and awaited some tech help for a long, long time. Who would ever believe that we have become so dependent on our computers for so much?

My garden is bursting with life and my windows are flung open. Scents of Verbena de la mina (it is so fragrant), roses, and jasmine fill my little house with spring. I love it.

So much has happened that I can't include it all in this posting. Each posting takes many, many hours of concentrated time, which I don't have right now. So please, if you love the beauty of butterflies, just stay with me for this to the end. Also, look for the winner of the beautiful Josie Iselin Beach book and the possibility of winning this glorious little teak side table sent to me by Teak Closeouts.


The little table has a slatted top and a bottom shelf. It is so handy and useful. It does come unassembled, but it took Jeff only about 10 minutes to put it together. Sorry, the supplier cannot ship outside of the continental U.S. A.

I hosted a meeting of The Questers at our home last month. The organizer (trouble-maker), Kit Long, is a fabulous woman with many interests. Look what she brought as a hostess gift! A pot with a twiggy tree branch. On each twig was tied the jade-like chrysalis of a Monarch butterfly. What a gift, maybe the best one I've ever received. Glad this isn't a video or a might break your eardrums with my screams of joy!

Can you see them dangling from the branches?

Close up. The gold spots are entry points for oxygen.

You can see the miracle going on inside the chrysalis. I took this photo about an hour before the butterfly emerged from it.

I spent hours next to the chrysalis tree and recorded everything, but I NEVER got the actual emergence. I literally turned my head for a split second, and wham, the butterfly was out of the chrysalis and all crumpled up like a slightly used prom dress. See how fat the abdomen is? As I watched the newborn, the abdomen elongated and thinned.




Starting to pump fluid and unfurl.

Look at this beauty shot!

I spent hours watching them and became intrigued by the shadows of their legs. You can clearly see how they are able to hold onto flowers even in high winds. This shot sends me into the stratosphere. I love how mysterious it looks.

This male fell to the ground, and I quickly rescued it. You know it is a male by the dark spot on each hindwing. He stayed on my hand for about 15 minutes until his wings were rigid and he was able to beat them.




My garden dances with butterflies now and sways with the slow moving (and always hungry) caterpillars.
If you want to have the awe-inspiring presence of caterpillars and butterflies in your own garden, just do some simple things to suit them.
1. Plant a diverse array of flowers (native wildflowers, bushes and trees are most important) that will feed both the caterpillar and the butterflies. Monarch caterpillars feed ONLY on Asclepias species. Go for the natives if possible. See Monarchwatch.org or visit the Xerces Society for guidelines.
2. Provide a tray or saucer of soil that can be kept moist. Butterflies will puddle on the mud and sip nutrients.
3. Lay out a few flat basking rocks. They'll sun bathe on them.
4. NEVER use toxic sprays; insecticides, herbicides, fungicides. NEVER.

Fruits ripen, flowers burst into bloom...and the adventures and joy continue.
Thanks for the visit. I post daily photographs, quotes, and ideas on my Facebook page. I also have a business page Sharon Lovejoy: Home Gardens Books with upcoming events and public appearances. Both reach a broad audience. I enjoy interacting with readers. Like the blog, I have made some wonderful friends through this medium. 
If you are a blog follower, you will get an alert whenever I write a new blog. Blogs take hours and hours, which is time I sometimes don't have to spare. I continue to write infrequently for those dear friends who do not use Facebook– Lori, Julie Marie, Darla, and others.
I am happy to let you know that my little book Trowel and Error by Workman Publishing, has just gone into its 13th printing! Hurrah.

and...
my beloved old book A Blessing of Toads is now in its fifth printing with Down East Books!

This iteration has a new cover with black and white illustrations inside. The same information is still packed in the pages.

Thanks dear Aline for sharing this photo with us! I treasure seeing the two of you reading my book, The Little Green Island with a Little Red House .

This little book explores the world of colors and critters and is a fun read aloud with children. Jeff and I designed the text to reflect the words.###
Now, some reader letters:


I want to share with you one of the most special young people I have ever heard from. Move over writers, we have a new one on the way! I love this! 


Your words keep my words flowing. Thank you for your many kindnesses!
The lucky winner of the Josie Iselin book, Beach: a book of treasures is: A Facebook follower, Paulette.###
Enter the new drawing for the little teak end table, a $99 value from Teak Closeouts, which would be perfect in your garden, on your porch, deck, or?

To enter, simply send an email to Sharon's Give Away at sharonsgiveaway@icloud.com.
Happy Spring to you all!
Love across the miles,
Sharon

"She Done What She Could"

I am thrilled and honored that the International Reading Association chose my new Running Out of Night as one of their "2014 Best Chapter Books."
Dear Friends,

I am overwhelmed by your many kindnesses. You're the best (as is my husband). I couldn't keep limping along without your support.

Are you wondering about the bad English in my title? I love to visit old graveyards and read the tombstones. I conjure up images of families of olden times, lives lived on the sea, or in the case of my title, a mother's life raising nine children.

Jeff and I were traveling through Maine and stopped at a graveyard on Deer Isle, Maine. One tombstone spoke to me; it was as if I were reading my own headstone. I remember that her last name was Eaton and that she'd somehow managed to birth and raise nine kids. The tombstone had her name and then those words, "She Done What She Could." Isn't that all that most of us can aspire to, doing what we can do in the best way we know how? That's what I do. I know that there are always so many more talented people, but I keep going.

For my birthday the year we stumbled on Mrs. Eaton's telling tombstone, Jeff ordered a headstone cake from Linn's in Cambria, California. They were flummoxed, but they made the cake in the shape of the stone and inscribed it with the words I so loved. "She done what she could." I am still working and still trying to approach life half as steadfastly as Mrs. Eaton and all the other unnamed and forgotten women before me. Salute!
My First Book Club


This is a trial run of what is an upcoming SKYPE book club interview. If you have a book club in my area I will be happy to participate, but if you're far away, SKYPE works beautifully.
January has been a month of scheduling and work. Jeff is accepting requests for talks, for Skype hook-ups with book clubs, with school visits, and so much more. I will let you know all that is going on as soon as I have an updated schedule. I am looking forward to an upcoming Skype interview with a book club for children in Washington, D.C. that chose Running Out of Night as their book for January.

The girls and their mothers will speak to me via Skype and ask pertinent questions about the book and about writing books. They'll be serving food too that goes along with my book. Beef Jerky, apple slices, just the foods I mention. It will be so much fun.

The Dave Congalton Show on KVEC 920 AM

Dave Congalton welcomed me to his lively local radio show last Friday. (Link is to the podcast. Sharon's segment starts at 36:33) He did an incredible job of making me feel welcome and at ease. We talked for an hour on live radio (daunting), answered two calls that came in, and had a great time. Thank you, Dave, for what you do for our central coast.
Into the Garden AGAIN!


Can you believe that my dwarf peach is already blooming?

Then again, can you believe that this dwarf 'Pink Lady' apple is still on the tree?

Join Me on a Garden Walk


Hurrah! I can walk, bend, and work again and I am loving every second on my feet. 
Join me for a quick walk through the garden and glean a bit of wisdom about gardening in your nightgown!
Who Won the Double Give-Away?
This is a short, short posting, but I did want to catch up with you and also let you know that having a separate e-mail address for our give-aways is working well, especially for people who are not bloggers and can't leave a comment, or don't want to sign up with Google, etc..We had over 100 entries in the give away of my old book A Blessing of Toads , which was purchased by Down East Books and was just released. FYI, they updated the cover, but now the interior illustrations are in black and white. Still the same words though.

We also offered this wonderful, solid copper rain chain from Rain Chains Direct (valued at $129.95). The LUCKY winner is one of my Facebook friends, Kris Lech in Nebraska. Maybe this should be an ice chain? 

Congratulations, Kris, lucky girl!
Signing off now, but hoping to hear from you on Facebook, my new Sharon Lovejoy Home, Gardens, Books Facebook page, by e-mail, or on this blog posting.
This month I am offering another copy of A Blessing of Toads and the fabulous Beach: A Book of Treasures  by Josie Iselin.



This is a magnificent book. Good luck! Please leave a comment on this posting (I love them), but to enter the drawing, send an email to sharonsgiveaway@icloud.com (sharonsgiveaway@icloud.com).
Sending love across the miles,
Sharon

New Year's Resolution: Don't Procrastinate!

The Last Rainbow of 2014

Well friends,

Procrastinate is exactly what I've been doing. I have promised readers and myself every day that I would post a new blog entry, but other life matters got into the way. Thank you so much for the gifts and cards.

My friends are now referring to me as The Happy Hobbler, and I am happy. I am up and using a crutch sometimes, but mostly walking slowly and surely as much as possible. I am grateful to my friends for meals, help, and love, but no words can express my gratitude to my husband Jeff. He was there for me every step of the way as I will always be for him.

Stay tuned for the fabulous give-aways at the bottom of this post.

RUNNING OUT OF NIGHT


In a million years I could've never dreamed of the friendships and journey this book has provided. THANK YOU for your letters and e-mails. I have tried to quickly answer you whenever you write, but sometimes things stack up on me. 





This January I am participating in my first book club interview (east coast) via SKYPE. I'll be interacting with five young girls and their moms. This should be a wonderful experience. I can't wait to hear their questions.
Jeff recently made a book trailer to publicize Running. 
Making a trailer is a costly project, one which a new author normally can't afford to do. When we realized that it would be up to us to do it, Jeff said, "I'll just learn how to do it." That is sort of the way we handle everything that needs doing...just do it ourselves. Anyhow, it took half a day or so to read, edit, record, and add the pages of reviews. The best part of the trailer is at the end when my son and his close friend play their music. Noah on banjo and John on mandolin. So, this is a family, affair and I am proud of my family for doing it!
Your letters keep me going on my new book, which should be finished soon! Thank you!
Nancy Heraud, your glorious jellies and pot pourri make me so happy. The kids adore them, but they're so beautiful I never want to open them.


(Nancy is Lemon Verbena Lady) The jar of summer's scents (her famous potpourri) is sitting inside my quilt cupboard. Whenever I take out a quilt and catch the sweet drift of roses, I will think of her.


It smells divine!

My friend Patsy Lee Anderson knows how much I love anything fox. This is a wonderful new talisman sent by Patsy. Her name is Flannery Kitt Fox; she sits beside me as I work (and cousin Julie Marie, my little chip chip does too). A heart full of thanks dear Patsy. Every package was perfectly wrapped. I didn't want to disturb them, but curiosity got the best of me. I love George Ella Lyon's book Poetry , the fabulous fox stationery, I love it all.
This year's Christmas tree was teensy. I just wasn't up to decorating a huge one, but I adored this and enjoyed it every minute.

I save egg cartons for my ornament storage. Jumbo works best! My friend Consuelo Macedo saves those double plastic boxes that some fruit is packed in. 

No Christmas at our house is complete without my flock of old friends on the mantel. These are German stick sheep (their legs are like wooden matchsticks) and we have had them for decades. During the big San Simeon earthquake in 2003, they were thrown off our Cambria mantel and hurled across the room. Many ears and legs were broken, but they are treasured nonetheless.

But the best part of the holidays this year was this simple place setting. My grandson Luke, who was born two years ago weighing only one pound eight ounces, finally got a seat at the Christmas Eve table. He sat up with us and saluted the new year to come. He is a little miracle boy and the greatest gift we could ever hope for.

Now all vestiges of Christmas are being stored away until next year. For the New Year, I always set my table with olive branches, the symbol of peace. I also tuck them into napkin rings and weave them through the old chandelier so that anyone sitting beneath them will have peace in their hearts. It works!
A DOUBLE-DOOZIE GIVE-AWAY
The first wonderful part of the give-away is a solid copper rain chain, donated by Rain Chains Direct. They sent one to us to try before I endorsed it. This has a retail value of $129.95 (we all know how expensive copper is now). Not only is it beautiful, but it is functional and fun. I love the way the rain cascades down the chain and into our big crock. I use the rainwater for my potted plants.


Jeff prepares the down-spout and sets out the chain and gutter installer. They look like mini-buckets.




Love these! You will too. 
Send me an email to sharonsgiveaway@icloud.com with "Give-Away" in the subject line to enter. Facebook visitors to Sharon Lovejoy: Home, Gardens, Books or on Sharon Lovejoy are invited too. The drawing will be on January 15th. Please, limited to the United States due to customs and high postage rates. So sorry!
I still welcome blog comments, but this new system will enable others without a Google or Facebook account or a blog to enter a free give-away drawing.


The second part of the give-away is a copy of my newly reissued book A Blessing of Toads: A Guide to Living with Nature (Down East Books, December 2014). This book is filled with all sorts of tips for how to invite nature into your yard and it explains how nature helps you have a healthy, well-rounded garden. This has an updated cover and shortened title and subtitle from the 2005 version. The interior illustrations are in black and white only.

I will end this, my final post from the not-always-so-great 2014 (though it ended with a soft rainbow). I send a prayer that your 2015 will be bright, healthy, and joyful.

Happy New Year to you all.

Sending love across the miles,

Sharon

When a Dream Becomes Reality it can be SCARY!

My "friends" Zenobia and Lark run for a hide-out.

Dear Friends,

Ok, so now I've confessed to you all that turning a dream into a reality is SCARY, really scary. That's exactly what happened to me on November the 11th, 2014. A book I began writing many years ago and that I never dreamed would be published, well, it was, and I am trying to grapple with disbelief and joy, two warring elements in my brain.

First you think to yourself, "I can write a book. If he can do it, then I can do it." Then you may sit at your desk and stare at a keyboard or pen for hours. It happens to us all.

For me the dream began in 1969 when I found an old suitcase filled with family letters that dated back to the late 1700s. I soaked in the cadence of their words, the thoughtfulness, the history, the Quaker dialect, the landscape. I rolled in the old letters the way a kitten tumbles around in a bed of
catnip.


I began copying the letters in 1969...

...and continued in 1974.

Some of the letters were faded, and this particular one had blood spots on the top. I copied the letters every time I visited my Cousin Margaret Macdonald, who is the one who first took me to Quaker meetings at Goose Creek, Lincoln, Virginia. What a life-changing experience.
I made notes, copious notes; I copied every word in the letters; I visited the Virginia and Pennsylvania countryside and fell deeply in love with it and the people. I began to write, but I never really believed that anything other than a heartfelt story would emerge for my family to enjoy.

Enter my husband. "You can do it. Just keep shooting for the stars, and you'll do it." So I began to work on my book (which I still didn't believe would ever be a book), and I began to carry pages to my Cambria Writers' Workshop and Kiddie Writers, two critique groups that proved to be invaluable to my process.

Every day I wrote a few pages. Every Wednesday in Cambria I received critiques, drove home, and worked for five to six hours to remedy anything that needed to be remedied. Over and over, hour after hour. My friend, screenwriter Janet Brownell, once advised me to always walk away from my writing when I knew that I had more story inside me to tell. So every night I would get to a point that felt like the story was ready to flow, and I would close the lid to my computer, lock the studio door, and head back into my home and life.

Sometimes, because I spent so many hours working on the book, I actually dreamed out parts of the plot. Those dreams were an amazing gift. I'd get up in the morning and sprint into the studio to make note of them.

So now the book is out there in the world. It is like walking your son to his first day of kindergarten. How can I let this precious part of me face the world alone? It is as though you slice open your chest and fillet your heart into thin, thin pieces. Some critics will gobble up the pieces and spit them out as though they are spoiled, others may treasure their pieces and share them with their loved ones. I can't choose what happens, but I know that some will care for their book, others will toss it aside. I did my best and that is all I can do.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I HAD MY BOOK LAUNCH PARTY?

You were all invited to the party, but I was so out of it (yes, I am still in the wheelchair) that I relied on word-of-mouth and Dr. Dan Krieger's wonderful Tribune newspaper story to alert my friends about the event held at The Steynberg Gallery in San Luis Obispo, California.


My sister Laurie, my dear friend Ginny, and Jeff start working the day of the party.

I am supervising!

Is this outdoor table fabulous? YES! My friends Susie Bassetti (Bassetti Vineyards), Cindy Steidel, Penny, Carol, Ginny, and my sis and brother-in-law, and Jeff worked hard to ready the area. Pomegranates, sunflowers, pine cones, Grenache grape vines cut by Ellis Bassette, my dear ones pitched in.


Jeff rolls me through the garden as we leave for The Steynberg Gallery. "Nobody will come," I tell Jeff. He says, "We will have a heck of a lot of cake to eat then." That does NOT reassure me.

"See," I said, "nobody is coming. Get out the cake knife."

When he wheeled me through the door, I wanted to kiss everyone there.

My friend Dee Dee Osborne drove down from Carmel. Dee Dee and I knew each other many years ago in Santa Barbara. Talk about an amazing reconnection. We "found" each other because she wrote me after watching an episode of Central Texas Gardener, on which I appeared. Imagine, Central Texas Gardener has such outreach. (Linda Lehmusvirta, Tom Spencer and staff, amazing).

I looked out into the audience and saw so many who are my beloved, long-time friends.

Throughout the event my friends, musicians, composers, singer extraordinare, Mary Anne and Ames Anderson of Simple Pleasures, performed music of the 1850s. They were superb!

Back at my home Cindy, Susie, Ginny, Carol, and Penny (who was outside finishing bouquets) slaved in my little kitchen.

I celebrated, signed books, saw old friends I hadn't seen in years.


Oh, and we all ate cake, glorious chocolate fudge and carrot cake. Whatever was left over was sent (with the cover intact) on to Hawthorne School.

My stepson Jim efficiently handles book sales. This one is to my dear friend Elizabeth Spurr who has many, many children's books to her credit. She is a fabulous writer. All net proceeds from the sale are to benefit the historic Dallidet Adobe and Garden in San Luis Obispo, California.

I especially loved talking to children who are also interested in becoming writers. We need more programs for young writers. 

Jeff watches over me and everything going on. Since I couldn't walk around and visit, he did it for me. What a partner he is. Thank you, Jeffrey! 

Great friends begin to arrive at my home. Jeanie Greensfelder (left, who recently had her poem read on Writer's Almanac), Connie Higdon Gannon, who is the new director of Greenspace in Cambria, Annie, a wonderful photographer and ceramist, and Thomas, who writes beautifully. 

The farm table is slowly being filled with foods for fabulous friends.

Dear friends Matt Spurr, Ginny Holihan, Susan Branch, Diana, Lee, and Penny (who finally sat down for a moment of rest).

More friends (fainter of heart and not so wild about the cooling weather outdoors) moved inside.

The candles lit, the food available, and some brave souls ventured outdoors to eat and talk.

Writer/photographer Lorin Cary shoots some photos. Check out his Facebook page.

My adopted daughter Skydrea serenaded me with her newly written song and her amazing, thrush-like voice. Thank you dear, Skye.
The day was a looooong one, but one of the most wonderful of my life. Thank you to all my dear friends and readers who helped me celebrate the birth of my book. You make my life richer and fuller.  A million thanks to my brother-in-law Jeff Prather and my sis Laurie. Jeff took most of these photos.
Love across the miles and thank you for joining me. I think I posted too many photos, but I wanted to share the experiences. I know that I am not posting blogs very often. Sometimes it seems like days are not even 24 hours long now.  
Sharon
P.S. The winner of the book An Ocean Garden by Josie Iselin was chosen by the random number generator. Congratulations to Cathi Lamoreux. Cathi, I don't have your address. Please send it along to me and we'll ship the book to you.

Maine-ly Memories

November 21, 2014 UPDATE: Read about The Lost Kitchen in this NY Times article.


Sunrise in Maine

Dear Friends,

Your once peripatetic friend is grounded. I am sitting up in bed for the second week in a row, but getting stronger every day. Watch where you're stepping when you're out in your gardens at night.
I stepped out of my studio door and ended up with a fractured ankle, torn ligaments, bumps, bruises, a head knot, a sprain, AND my first ride in an ambulance. The worst is behind me, and I am feeling good and ready to get up and run...or maybe not run, but walk again.

Being in a wheelchair has REALLY taught me a lot about the challenges that people must face. Every small bump, change in ground level, or step is a challenge, sometimes a challenge that makes even the easiest chores turn into a grueling physical effort. Hats off to all of you who wrestle with canes, crutches, and wheelchairs. Let's try to make the road smoother for everyone.

Thanks a zillion for well-wishes, calls, food, and for cards and gifts. I am humbled by your many kindnesses and will try to pay them forward to someone in need. You know who you are...Vicki Boster, Lori Hibbard, Susan Branch, Susie Bassetti, Virginia Holihan, Vicki Greene, and so many others. You are in my heart. Oh, and I should mention that my family, and Jeff have been fantastic, just fantastic. I owe them, big time.

Since my last posting I have been in New Hampshire on Lake Sunapee and in our beloved cottage/camp in Maine. I also thoroughly lost myself in the culture of apples. Every tree looked like a gift from heaven, loaded with shiny, green and red fruits, and history, volumes of history.

Please join me for a too long overdue and too long posting. Oh, and I still have to mail out the Stillmeadow Cookbook. Life has been wild. I appreciate your patience.

BASKET LIST DREAMS

I have always wanted to visit Boston's famous Swan Boats and also the Robert McCloskey ducklings. Our dear friends Aline and Frank are Bostonians. They shared the adventure with us and introduced us to some of Boston's hidden treasures and neighborhoods.


There they are! I felt like a kid when I saw them!

Patrick was our captain.

Make Way for Ducklings!

Our dear friends Aline and Frank on the shore of Lake Sunapee. Pretty adorable, huh?






Just a small taste of Maine.



On Cottage Point Road in Damariscotta, Maine. A gift to any passerby from Sharon and Jim Aderman. Take a book, read a book, return it, or replace it with another. Their beautiful mini-library. I love it.

Gotta love this! On the road to Freedom, Maine.

One of my favorite little islands and lighthouses on Curtis Island. This is just outside Camden Harbor on the way to Vinalhaven, the beloved island of Margaret Wise Brown., author of Goodnight Moon (and a hundred other books, including The Little Island done in pseudonym Golden MacDonald). 

Illustrator/Caldecott Honor winner/author/ Melissa Sweet sketches as we plow through the waves toward Vinalhaven. During waking hours, the sketchbook is never far from her.

Traffic Jam

Bye bye traffic jam.

Approaching "The Only House" so named because Margaret had never owned another house. (See earlier blog posting that shows her New York City home, which she didn't own). "The Only House" is on the site of an old granite quarry.

Melissa Sweet and me on the deck of "The Only House." True bliss.

Margaret's mossy, lichened apple tree. 

I couldn't stop studying the beauty of the mosses and lichens. Look at the little British soldier lichen in full red uniform. The macrocosm is so amazing if we just take the time to really look.

No other words necessary.
 
If you're fascinated by Margaret Wise Brown, you should read this old classics and read Awakened by the Moon, which is a biography of her too short, but extremely productive and creative life.

Sitting on Margaret's settee beside her desk. The view is what inspired her to write her The Little Island, which maybe what inspired me to write my The Little Green Island with a Little Red House .

Here is the view of her little island.

An enlarged version of my book The Little Green Island With a Little Red House . Makes it easier for reading to big groups. This book is going into its second printing with DownEast Books, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, and should be out soon.


This was so touching to me. They've inscribed the tombstone with her words in The Little Island (video).

For my birthday, Jeff treated me to a dinner at The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine. The restaurant is in this old mill, which has been completely renovated. You enter it by walking over a pond and stream. It is magical. Pure heaven. Everything. Pure heaven. The food, my friends, the setting, the entire experience. You must (if you're in Maine) treat yourself to this expeience, but reservations are a necessity. I think my friend Lynn Karlin made the reservations about five weeks in advance.

In the dining room.

On our table.

Back at our camp, to get reacquainted with Audrey, I pile black sunflower seeds on my foot. It is literally the first step.

Sweet Audrey. My favorite chipmunk.

I'll leave you with a heart full of gratitude for family and friends. 
I originally wanted to write a big posting about apples and apple trees, but that will have to wait till next time.
Oh, and I guess I should mention the release party for my new book.
It is on Sunday, November the 9th at 2 p.m. at the Steynberg Gallery,  1531 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, California. All net proceeds from book sales will benefit the gardens of the historic Dallidet Adobe and Gardens in San Luis Obispo. Come join us!

With love across the miles,
Sharon
p.s. Leave a comment on this post or the previous one to be eligible to win the drawing for these gorgeous Josie Iselin books.
NOTE: ONLY if you leave a comment as "Anonymous," begin your comment with "Sharon" to dodge our spam filter and be sure to list your name at the end of your comment.