8 Summer Delights by @JoanReeves

Happy Summer, everyone! Unlike many, I love summer. Sure, it gets hot here in Texas, but I can easily cool off by stepping inside where it's air conditioned or jumping into a pool.

Giveaway Alert: Details at end of post.

Many of my books are set in summer. Maybe it's because the heat goes hand in hand with heated desire and passion.

Here's my list of favorite summer delights that might explain why I love this heated season.

1. Homemade ice cream.

OMG. There is nothing better than the homemade vanilla ice cream I've been making since I was given the recipe by my ex's mother-in-law many years ago. She got the recipe from her cousin Maybelle who got it from her mother.

The icy cold vanilla sweetness melts on your tongue. It's light, not heavy like commercial ice creams. I've never had better ice cream anywhere. It's so good that when I announce, "I'm making ice cream today," everyone grabs bowls and spoons and volunteers to help.

2. Roses, crape myrtles, zinnias, marigolds, and lantana.

I love gardening. I love all the bright colors. Growing flowers creates a feast for the eyes--for me and any passersby. Here in Houston, the color parade starts in the spring when Mother Nature outdoes herself with wildflowers in the country and azaleas bursting into bloom in town. As the days heat up, the flowers begin blooming. How can anyone feel down when you see such beauty every day?

3. The fragrances floating in the air.

Oh, honeysuckle, star jasmine, night blooming jasmine, gardenia, roses, butterfly ginger, and magnolia. There are many others, but these vines, shrubs, and trees are my favorites.

4. Porch swings and hammocks.

I can't think of anything more relaxing than lazing away in a porch swing or a hammock in a cool shady spot. A chaise lounge will work nearly as well. Just bring a good book on your Kindle and you have everything needed for a fabulous summer day.

5. Visiting with neighbors.

We have a wrought iron bench and a couple of matching chairs in our front courtyard under the giant live oak tree. We like to sit there in the gloaming and sip glasses of wine. Neighbors come by and stay a while and chat. It's low-key, casual, and friendly--all of which is often missing in today's frantic world. (By the way, gloaming is a word my grandfather often used. In fact, there was a song he sang that had the word in it. One doesn't hear it much any more. In case you don't know the word, it means that time after sunset and before darkness.)

6. Summer rain.

There's something special about a summer rain. I love it when it lightly falls on the roof or taps at your window, like the song Summer Rain says. I love that oldie sung by Johnny Rivers.

7. Flip flops, sundresses, and cork sandals.

I do love to wear breezy sundresses. I choose flip flops if I'm just hanging loose or cork sandals if I'm going somewhere. Cork sandals are the best because they make me taller. *LOL* I'm on the petite side so anything that adds 3-4 inches to my height--comfortably--have a place in my closet.

8. Beach reads.

Of course, summer is for reading, and Kindles make it so easy!

Need a beach book? Try any of my sizzling romantic comedies like The Trouble With Love, with action taking place during the hot Texas summer.

A thoroughly delightful romance. The story of not one but three separate and equally lovely couples. What a merry chase this story is. I absolutely loved how it all wove together to create a satisfying and lovely romance. ~ Amazon Review

If you like your heroes hot you'll love FBI agent Hogan, who's caught up in a family conundrum during his vacation. Together with deputy sheriff Susannah they manage to get themselves into all sorts of trouble. Sparks fly between them with both determined not to fall in love and of course failing. Lovely secondary romance as well for Susannah's mother. Lots of fun and laughs in the Texas sun! ~ Amazon Review 

GIVEAWAY!

That's my list of favorite summer delights. What's yours? Answer this in a comment with your email address and be entered in a random draw for a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card. Giveaway closes June 30. Winner announced July 7, when I recover from the Independence Day celebrations.

Post Script

Joan Reeves is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Sassy, Sexy Contemporary Romance. Her books are available at all major ebook sellers with audio editions available at  Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. In 2017, new print editions of her books will be available.

All of Joan's books have the same underlying theme: It's never too late to live happily ever after. Joan lives her happily ever after with her hero, her husband, in the Lone Star State.

Sign up for Joan's mailing list/free NL and receive a free ebook. Find Joan online: Blog, Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

Wildflowers in the Country by Joan Reeves @JoanReeves

Prolific Bitterweed offers a yellow carpet.

I spent the weekend at our house in the country, working in the yard. Trimming shrubbery, removing winter kill, and laying out some new flower beds.

I also spent a good bit of time admiring the 3 varieties of lantana--red/orange, lavender/yellow, and purple--in my yard that are already blooming madly and trying to take over the entire flower beds where they're planted.

Also blooming are the fields of wildflowers around us.The photo to the left was taken from my front yard, looking south. This wildflower richness is just part of the Texas landscape in the spring and summer.

Texas Wildflowers

Beginning in late February, depending on the weather, Texas is awash in color as the wildflowers begin their annual show.

Just about everyone has heard of Bluebonnets (Lupinas havardii), lovely pink Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa), and even orange Indian Paintbrush (Castilljra purpurea), sometimes called Prairie Paintbrush or Prairie Fire, but there are so many more flowers that bloom along roadways and in fields from early spring through summer.

Depending on where in Texas you travel, you'll see many different varieties of wildflowers. In East Texas, you'll find masses of Red Clover, but rarely outside that area. Bluebonnets abound from Houston to Dallas and westward. The Hill Country is covered with them, and thousands throng to view the beautiful display.

Back at the Ranch

The Bluebonnets have faded, and the Indian Paintbrush are going away too, replaced by pink Evening Primrose and sunny yellow Brown-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta). These carpet the sides of the road leading to my house in the country. Occasionally, you'll see the tiny brilliant purple blooms of Trailing Four-O-Clocks (Allionia incarnata), the small pink blooms of Sea-Purslane (Sesuvium portulacastrum), and other small samplings that produce a blur of red, violet, pink, and blue as I drive past.

The happy pink Primrose has a brilliant yellow center (tons of pollen) that causes many to call them Buttercups. They're not Buttercups though. The buttercup is actually a solid yellow flower. So cheerful yellow and happy pink blossoms claim the attention now.

Color Parade

As the weeks pass, other wildflowers will join in the color parade. At our place, the Bitterweed (Helenium sp.), bright yellow flowers whose greenery has a pungent odor when crushed, have gone to seed. Soon, Bluebells (Eustoma grandiflorum) will sprout. This delicate blue flower with the perfume-like aroma is the flower for which Bluebell Creamery is named. Once the bluebell grew prolifically in the fields around Brenham, Texas. They don't seem as common now, and many people don't know what they are.

Bull Nettle with showy blooms atop tall stalks are nice to look at, but we try to eradicate them when they pop up. The spines on their stalks and leaves can rip your skin up if you brush against them.

Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella are the biggest addition to the carpet of color on the back of our property. Many now call this Mexican Hat, but my husband's grandmother called these orange, yellow, and brown showy flowers Mexican Sombrero.

If you'd like to know more about Texas Wildflowers and see photos of the different varieties, visit Texas Highways Wildflowers and Gary Regner Photography Texas Wildflower Index.

For Your Consideration

I'm currently writing Book 3 in my Texas One-Night Stands series. Why not check out the previous books for some laughter and romance? Book 1 is The Trouble With Love.  Available at most ebook sellers.

Hang on to your Stetson as the fun and games begin in this contemporary romance that's sexy and funny and hotter than a bowl of Texas chili!

To catch a thief, small town deputy Susannah Quinn and FBI Special Agent D. E. Hogan (just call me Hogan) pose as husband and wife and go undercover. Unfortunately, Susannah and Hogan have already been undercover--in a bed at the Houston hotel where they first met.

For her part, Susannah wishes her lapse in judgment would take a flying leap and land on Jupiter. Hogan, on the other hand, wants to get the contrary deputy back in his bed, but the complications caused by family--his and hers--pretty much guarantee that's never going to happen.

Throw in an over-the-hill Romeo and his lady love, a single mom determined to have her own love affair, and the charm of a small Texas town, and you get a story with heart and soul and passion--lots of passion.

Can Susannah and Hogan, two mismatched lovers doing everything in their power to avoid falling in love, catch a thief and recover stolen jewels? The clock is ticking. They have only seven days--and nights--to complete their assignment and resist the sweet siren call of desire.

Post Script

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