No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. ~Proverb

"It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" ~Mark Twain

(Flowering crabapple)

While much of the country is still buried under winter, those of us fortunate enough to dwell in the Shenandoah Valley, or 'The Shire' as I call it,  are blessed with spring loveliness. Not that the weather doesn't waffle here, because it has and does, dipping back into frigid temps after luring everything into bloom. But most plants are hardy enough to withstand this whimsy. We are well accustomed to the annual dance. I cover my gullible lilies and pray for the blossoming trees.

(Tulips in front of our old farm house)

A new project has opened up in my gardening world with the redoing of our farm pond--digging out years of accumulating silt--and the expansion of the surrounding fence.  This gives us much more room to grow our dreams, safe from munching cows, and a lot of tree planting has ensued. Yesterday, daughter Elise and I planted thirty additional trees and bushes on the pond banks, after a long planting session this past Saturday with the enthusiastic help of my three oldest grandsons. While we labored, we were surrounded by birdsong from meadowlarks, red-winged black birds, the song sparrow, killdeer, cardinals... It's hard work, but the pond will be glorious. Our aim is to plant for the birds, water fowl, fish, pollinators, and people. I'm envisioning magic.

As for my writing, admittedly it has sagged as planting and gardening take priority, but I have a new story idea buzzing around in my head. Outside time gives me the opportunity to ponder my emerging plot. How can I not be inspired while enveloped in all this spring beauty?

(Part of our pond)

(The boys, Elise, and me after a long tree planting day)

"Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day." ~W. Earl Hall

"April is a promise that May is bound to keep." ~Hal Borland

"The naked earth is warm with Spring,
And with green grass and bursting trees
Leans to the sun’s kiss glorying,
And quivers in the sunny breeze."
~Julian Grenfell

(Virginia Bluebells)

"In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours." ~Mark Twain

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
~Robert Frost

Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

***Images by Elise

***For more on me follow my Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Beth-Trissel/e/B002BLLAJ6/  

Finding an Everlasting Love by Vonnie Davis

L

LOVE is a single syllable with infinite emotion. As authors, we write about it. As readers, you enjoy turning the pages until the characters find it. And as human beings, we desire it for ourselves.

I'd been single for 12 years before I ventured into the dating scene again. Oh boy, was I ever nervous. What if I found another cheating, lying man? Or worse, what if the guy turned out to be married and I'd be too dumb to see the signs. Nope. I wanted no parts of setting myself for another pain-filled relationship.

Then I met Calvin. We'd both majored in English and he taught it for 40 years We both wrote books. We were both sentimental. We were a strange matched set. He was dark; I was light. He was tall; I was short. He spoke with a deep southern accent; I was more nasal North in accent. He had a fabulous singing voice, while I sounded like a moose in heat. He was thin; I was fluffy. But we clicked.

My Calvin passed away on Saturday night...at least I think it was Saturday...I have no clue what day it really is. You see, Calvin had a heart of gold, a soft mental. In the end, it was his heart, operating at 10% and a stroke that caused his death.

Even in his weakened state where he could barely form words, he slowly spoke "I ,,, Love ... You."

We had him transported home, so I ould care for him and he'd be more content. Three days later, I held his hand as he crossed over, sending him off with words of love. He was the best husband and on May 2nd we would have been married for fifteen years.

If my post is not the greatest or written in a herky-jerky way, forgive me. My eyes are pretty puffy from the crying. So, hug your loved ones hard and make your love everlasting. Next month, I'll be more together.

www.vonniedavis.com

www.vonniedavis.com

CREATIVITY HAS DISAPPOINTMENTS

By Judy Ann Davis

Musicians, writers, painters, scientists, and many more people share a skill that many call creativity. Where does it come from besides the activated frontal lobe of the brain? It’s a tough question that has been explored for years and has often been linked with mood disorders. Many artists, when their brains or hands are busy, have learned to channel depression into some type of creation.

First Steps

March 30, 1953, was the birthday of well-known painter, Vincent Van Gogh, who lived to be only 37 years old. At the age of 27, he abandoned his unsuccessful careers as an art dealer and a missionary and concentrated on his painting and drawing. When he began painting, he used peasants and farmers as models and then flowers, landscapes and himself because he was too poor to pay his subjects.

Noon Rest

In less than ten years of his life, he painted almost 900 paintings. One of his best known works, Starry Night, was painted in in an asylum at Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France where he voluntarily admitted himself there to recover from his 1888 nervous breakdown and his ear-cutting incident. The painting depicts the view from his bedroom window.

The Pink Peach Tree

Ironically, he sold only one painting in his life time. The Red Vineyard which went for 400 francs in Belgium seven months before his death. His most expensive painting Portrait of Dr. Gachet was sold for $148.6 million in 1990.

Why Vincent Van Gogh?  Because he’s just one of scores of visual artists, writers, musicians and other creative people, including Ludwig van Beethoven, Mark Rothko, Sylvia Plath, T.S. Eliot, Irving Berlin, Virginia Woolf, and Ernest Hemingway, who are known or believed to have suffered from mental illness. He was a prolific artist—not recognized until after his death. Yet, his paintings are marvelous. I particularly like many of his lesser known works.

I also mention Vincent Van Gogh because we celebrate Mental Health Month in May. We need to realize that mood disorders occur in all people in all walks of life, but more particularly in creative people. So, as a writer, if you’re feeling a little down and out with your current situation, please realize you are not alone. Everyone suffers mood disorders and feelings of failure, but the key to thwarting them is activity. So write gobble-gook, paint, ponder, hand wash the dishes, clean out a closet, try your hand at a knitting, take a walk, but stay active until those next brilliant thoughts pop up.

I have chosen some pictures by Vincent Van Gogh that are my favorites. Enjoy!

_________________________________

Amazon: https://www.amzn.com/B06XPBKY7F 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Ann-Davis/e/B006GXN502/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudyAnnDavis4 

Twitter ID:  JudyAnnDavis4 

Blog Link: “A Writer’s Revelations” ~  http://judyanndavis.blogspot.com/ 

Website: http://www.judyanndavis.com/ 

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4353662.Judy_Ann_Davis 

Yahoo Groups:  wrppromo@yahoogroups.com and ahachat@yahoogroups.com and pennwriters@yahoogroups.com 

ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/four-white-roses/id1222189126/ 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/four-white-roses-1

3 Surprising Reasons Why You Overeat

By Josie Riviera

Have you noticed that everywhere we go, we are surrounded by food?  Here's 3 reasons why you may be overeating, and how you can curb yourself. Please add to the list and share your comments below.

1.  Is your favorite activity going out to eat? (Mine is!)  Instead of going out to dinner with friends, consider a physical activity--perhaps bowling or roller skating.

2.  Are you eating the correct amount? Read the serving size on the label. You may be surprised to learn you're eating twice the recommended serving size.

3.  Are you eating enough fat? Fat-free foods don't control your appetite. Consider eating more healthy fats like olives, nuts, avocados, and salmon.

Rest and relaxation is important. At the end of the day, grab a cup of tea and curl up with a good book. A perfect read for April, The Seeking Series Box Set is a set of my 3 Christian and Historical Romances. Free on KU!

*Five Star Amazon Reader Reviews are saying:

"I loved this series. I have always enjoyed books featuring the Romany. Each selection is well written with a good plot and and believable characters. I thoroughly enjoy this author’s writing. If you enjoy historical fiction I recommend this set." 

Enjoy your copy of The Seeking Series today and Happy Reading!

From A Cornfield To A Carnival -- by Laurean Brooks

What does the last week of April mean to you? To many in my hometown, it means a trip to Paris, Tennessee to the “World's Biggest Fish Fry.” Along with huge vats of perfectly-fried golden catfish, it also means a colorful parade and carnival rides.

We didn't give the fish a second thought. Just take me to the carnival. One particular year, my sister's friend Rosalynn, spent the last Friday night in April at our house. We hoped she could persuade our dad to take us to the carnival the next day. Jewell and I had tried, to no avail.

Early the next morning we nudged Rosalynn toward our dad. “Ask him,” I whispered.

Rosalynn, notorious for talking with her hands, dramatically flung them up and out as she began in her sing-song voice. “Mr. Tims, could you possibly find time to take us to the carnival? We would very much appreciate it.”

Daddy grinned and nodded. “Tell you what, girls; I got an acre of corn that needs plantin' in that bottom field.” He pointed through the kitchen window. “If you will plant that field, I'll drive you to the carnival.”

It was all the encouragement we needed. Jewell, Rosalynn and I grabbed hoes and headed down to the already-plowed field. Daddy followed with a heavy sack of corn on one shoulder and set it on the ground at the end of the middle row. “Remember what I told you. Take one short step, drop two grains, take another and drop two more grains. Keep the corn evenly spaced. When the field is planted, I will drive you girls to the Fish Fry.”

Eagerly nodding our understanding, we filled our coffee cans with corn seed. Jewell, Rosalynn and I began stepping off our selected rows, dropping the corn, and covering it with a hoe. Daddy left for the house. I took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of freshly-turned earth. Ah-h... country living.

Before Jewell and I dropped corn halfway down our first rows, Rosalynn reached the far end of hers. She waited for us then started again. Two rows later she had to refill her can.

What was she doing with all that corn? My sister and I looked at each other with a question, but we decided not to vocalize our concerns. A couple of hours later, Jewell and I had refilled our cans. Rosalynn had already refilled hers for the sixth time. With only three unplanted rows remaining, she rushed up to us with her empty can. “ Y'all got any more corn? The sack's empty.”

The sack is empty? Must have been 25 pounds of seed in it.

“We don't have much left,” I warned. “We need to make sure it's enough to finish.” Rosalynn nodded as Jewell and I divided the remainder of our grain with her. Soon we had finished the entire field.

We washed up and changed into fresh clothes before approaching Daddy. He stood up from his easy chair. “You girls ready?”

After girlish squeals, we raced out to the truck, letting the screen door slap to behind us.

True to his word, Daddy climbed behind the wheel of our rickety old Chevrolet pickup while we hopped up in the truck bed and got comfortable.

At the carnival, he gave each of us money for the rides and instructed, “I'll be back in a couple of hours. Meet me at the front gate.”

We rode the Tilt-a-Whirl, Scrambler, Ferris Wheel, and every other thrilling ride we could find. Some of them twice. 

When our time was up and our money gone, Jewell, Rosalynn and I trudged to the gate where Daddy waited. Exhausted from a long day, we climbed into the bed of the truck and relaxed. I leaned back and relaxed, relishing the cool air on my face during the twenty-mile drive home.

I think it was six weeks later when Daddy and I stood in the backyard facing the bottom field. He pulled a pouch of Country Gentleman from his pocket and began to roll a cigarette. When the cigarette was rolled, he stuck it in his mouth and took a puff. His gaze drifting over the cornfield, he pointed. “I'll bet I can tell you every row Rosalynn planted.”

Scanning the corn rows, I smothered a giggle. Every third row was as crooked as the 21-curves on Highway 190 to Latham, and grew as thick as Johnson grass. In a hurry to get through and get on the road to the carnival, Rosalynn had generously strewn corn by the handfuls in the furrows.

Daddy was not smiling as he took another deep draw off his cigarette./

******************************************

My novella, TO TRUST HER HEART, has a new home and a new cover. You can find it on Amazon for a great price.

Amanda must live down a scandal caused by her husband's death. His body found in the wreckage of his Porsche with a young woman wasn't bad enough. Now Amanda finds herself penniless due to his gambling obsession. 

https://www.amazon.com/Trust-Her-Heart-Laurean-Brooks-ebook/dp/B07BFH9LFJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1524189579&sr=1-1&keywords=To+Trust+Her+Heart

Something For Your Sweet Tooth

Hi, everyone. I don't know if it's because I'm trying to eat healthier due to my PMR (polymyalgia rheumatica) or what, but I've been craving sweets. Grrr So to keep me from baking and eating some of my faves, I thought I'd share a favorite family recipe with you.

My Grandfather, John Garland Carr, was, among other things, an engineer for the Santa Fe Railroad. He started at Santa Fe during the depression and retired about 1965. His hours were anything but routine depending on the runs he made. He loved his black coffee and my grandmother's pound cake, which she made before every trip. She packed slices in his lunches and he would grab a slice on his way out the kitchen door. In addition to the cake, there was always a pot of coffee sitting on the stove, and he would always stop and take a swig of hot coffee straight from the spout of the pot. I remember watching and wondering how he kept from burning his mouth! Yikes!

The name of the recipe is Crisco Cake, but we all called it John Cake. I hope you'll try the recipe and love it as much as our family does.

John Cake aka Crisco Cake

1 3/4   cup    sugar 2        cups  flour 1        cup    Crisco shortening

5            eggs 1     tsp  vanilla 1/2  tsp  salt

Procedure

1   Cream sugar and shortening

2   add eggs one at a time, beating well, to make batter fluffier

3   add vanilla

4   Mix salt into sifted flour and add to creamed sugar, shortening and egg mixture

5   Bake one hour at 350 degrees in greased and floured tube pan

Servings: 12

Now it's your turn to share with all of us. What's your fave recipe?

Hugs and Love to all y'all!

Carra

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Do You Want Romance? by @JoanReeves

I wanted to share something with you that I'm participating in this month.

It's the I WANT ROMANCE GIVEAWAY.

There are such great prizes that I'm trying to get everyone to enter. Plus, there's a Book Fair with romance novels, of course.

I mean, who couldn’t use a little more romance right about now considering you've probably all been working on income tax returns this past week--if you live in the U.S.? I thought I'd never get mine done!

Prizes: Hurray for Rafflecopter

* Kindle Fire 7 Tablet
* Marc Jacobs Leather Zip Phone Wristlet ($155 retail value)
* $25 worth of ebooks from Amazon (winner's choice, up to 5 total books)
* $20 worth of ebooks from Amazon (winner's choice, up to 4 total books)
* $15 worth of ebooks from Amazon (winner's choice, up to 3 total books - 2 of these prize packs will be awarded)
* $10 Amazon gift card (2 will be awarded)

Just visit the Giveaway page on I WANT ROMANCE GIVEAWAY and click "Read More." The page will open with pictures of the great prizes, the Rafflecopter entry form, and more.

Then there's the Book Fair filled with amazing novels where you can shop. Choose from books in genres from contemporary romance to romantic suspense to PNR for $2.99 or less.

You’ll even find a bonus giveaway so be looking for it!

The Giveaway ends April 22 so enter today and tell your friends too. You could be one of 8 lucky winners to add new ‘romance’ to their lives!

Sponsoring Authors

Alexia Adams • Allyson R Abbott • Amy Ruttan • Anne Stone • Aubrey Wynne • Becky Lower • Bethany-Kris • Brenda Whiteside • Brighton Walsh

Cailin Briste • Calinda B • Candace Sams • Carla Krae • Carrie Whitethorne • Cate Tayler • CB Samet • Cecy Robson • Charmaine Ross • Crystal Dawn • Donna R. Mercer • E.B. Black • Eliza Daly • Elizabeth Meyette • Elizabeth Rose • Holly Cortelyou

J. L. Lora • J.E. Parker • Jacquie Biggar • JC Andrijeski • Jen Doyle • Jennifer Dawson • Joan Reeves • Joanne Dannon • Josie Riviera • Julieann Dove

Karly Morgan • Kim Petersen • Kris Michaels • Kristin Holt • Kristy Tate • L A Cotton • Lana Campbell • Laurel Greer • Linda Carroll-Bradd • Lola Karns

Madeline Iva • Mari Carr • Marilyn Peake • Megyn Ward • Melissa Belle • Melissa McClone • Michele Barrow-Belisle • Nancy C. Weeks • Patrice Wilton • PG Forte • Renee Ann Miller • Ruth A. Casie

Sarah Williams • Shereen Vedam • Soraya Naomi • Stacey Joy Netzel • Stacy Gold • Susan Jean Ricci • Susanne Matthews • Sydney Aaliyah Michelle • Victoria Saccenti • Aileen Harkwood

Remember, shop our book fair where you can choose from books in genres from contemporary romance to romantic suspense to PNR for 2.99 or less. You’ll even find a bonus giveaway!

This event is a great one, Readers. Enter the I WANT ROMANCE GIVEAWAY today, and Party Hearty!

Joan Reeves lives her Happily Ever After with her Hero, her husband, in a book-cluttered home in Texas. Visit her Amazon Author Page for a list of her books. While you're there, click to Follow her. To receive a free ebook (download link sent to your inbox) and be the first to know about new books and giveaways, sign up for Joan's mailing list.