Gardening During Craziness

I feel rather like Rip Van Winkle, as if I fell asleep months ago in the blogosphere and had to relearn format. Sheesh. I also have a Wordpress site and its gone through a major makeover in my absence. But here I am. Finally. Trying to sum up my journey in a sound bite or two.

Covid turned our world on its head in March and it flipped again in May with daughter Alison's cancer diagnosis. The big C is bad anytime, but Covid makes it worse. These past six months I've supported her as she underwent emergency surgery and a grueling course of Chemo for colon cancer--stage 3. Her three children, especially two--year-old Charlie, needed a lot of attention (still do). Only a few of us, like her husband and the other grandma, could help with the kids because of their tight covid circle. Our area continues to be a hotspot. But we were amazed by the stream of faithful friends and neighbors who brought meals, ran errands, and did loads of laundry for the family. This generous outpouring made a huge difference, as did the countless prayers. We are eternally grateful. Shortly before Christmas, the oncologist declared Alison's latest scans good. Thank God. She's free from cancer treatment, apart from follow up scans and tests. It's hard to believe this challenging episode is done. It seemed endless.

My indoor Window Garden.

In addition to helping Alison and the kids, I threw myself into the garden. Planting, pruning, digging--all that goes with gardening--lifts my spirts and calms my mind. Every time events threatened to send me up a tree, I ordered a rose for the Memorial Garden. I'd already planted a great many, but the number swelled with such a memorable year. When it got too late for rose planting, I ordered a LOT of bulbs and added tulips, hyacinths, crocus, daffodils, and lilies to the many lying dormant in the ground. When spring comes, they will burst forth with abundant color and fragrances. When the weather grew too frigid to plant bulbs outside I turned to my indoor garden. Geraniums and rosemary brighten the sunspace and I add new amaryllis bulbs each fall. I've been given four orchids, several cyclamen, Christmas cactus, and acquired a variety of succulents. Bringing hyacinths into bloom early is on the agenda and I always grow paperwhites.Gardening, indoors or out, helps keep me sane. Hubby Dennis is putting up a greenhouse outside the sunspace which will give me more room for starting seeds. The dahlias daughter Elise and I dug are overwintering in an unused bedroom and I've ordered a few more flamboyant tubers. And tuberous begonias. *Of course.

Cyclamen in my window garden:

I'm still an author, guess I always will be, but writing has been on the backburner these past months. I didn't have the heart to venture into that consuming world, while holding my breath about Alison. I hope to soon. Maybe I'll finish that time travel I began B. C. Before Covid. Meanwhile, two of my novels are free this week from Sunday through Thursday at Amazon.

Titles Free thru Thursday in Kindle. Visit My Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Beth-Trissel/e/B002BLLAJ6/

Through the Fire

Through the Fire (Native American Warrior Book 2) - Kindle edition by Trissel, Beth, Trissel, Elise. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. (Free thru Thursday)

Will love inflame these two natural-born enemies in fiery destruction?

Passions run deep in the raging battle to possess a continent, its wealth and furs. Both the French and English count powerful Indian tribes as their allies.
English lady Rebecca Elliot, having eloped to America with a British captain, finds herself a widow. When she ventures into the colonial frontier with the militia to seek her uncle, she unwittingly enters a dangerous world of rugged mountains, wild animals, and even wilder men. The rules are different here and she doesn't know them, especially those of the savagely handsome warrior who captures her body and her heart.

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Time Travel Romance Novel Somewhere My Lass Somewhere My Lass (Somewhere in Time Book 2) - Kindle edition by Trissel, Beth, Trissel, Elise. Paranormal Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. (Free thru Thursday)

Will Mora and Neil be too late to save a love that began centuries before?

'‘The MacDonald comes’ warns Mora Campbell when Neil MacKenzie finds the young Scotswoman lying unconscious at the top of his stairs after he discovers his murdered housekeeper slumped at the bottom. Mora’s claim that she’s his fiancé from 1602 and was chased to the future by clan chieftain, Red MacDonald, through ‘the door to nowhere’ seems utter nonsense. Neil thinks she’s addled from the blow to her head until his life spirals into chaos and the avenging Highlander shows up wanting blood. Mora knows the Neil of the future is truly her beloved Niall who disappeared from the past, but he must also remember. And fast.

(December Sunset over our farm pond.)

 See you next year!