Hi Everyone!!! Debra Clopton here to say, "Yay! Spring is here! And that makes me one happy girl." What a beautiful day yesterday was...I hope everyone had a blessed Resurrection Sunday aka Easter :)
I love spring and summer with a passion, they are my favorite times of the year. You know I love road trips :) and these shots I've posted are from a drive through the country looking at the beauty of God's creation. Spring is, I'm sure everyone's favorite season...summer probably not so much--because yes, Texas summers are hot, hot, hot (but I still love them.) By the end of July and all of August things are really crispy here in good ole central Texas with an average week hovering near or over 100 degrees most of the time...but still, I love it. Then again I don't have to work out in it so my heart always goes out to those who have no choice but to work in the heat all day. They, I'm sure have favorite times of the year too and I'm sure its spring, fall and even winter. 
This time last year I was working on my book which just came out on the 1st of April, HER LONE STAR COWBOY. What is weird or the behind the book story of this book is that our spring started out just a bit dry which got me to thinking about some new twist for my book that I was working on. I knew a little about toxic plants and drought...and since it was a dry spring it got me to thinking about the fact that I'd never put a drought in Mule Hollow. Soooo, I decided it would be a twist to do just that and have it themed around toxic plants threatening the livestock on the Holden Ranch and other ranches in the surrounding area of my little town Mule Hollow. Great idea except I had no idea what so ever that Texas was about to go through the worst drought its been through in what a hundred years or so!
Truly, this book was created in real time as I worked on the drought going on in Mule Hollow here in Texas we were drying up and looking more like Arizona than Texas! Here on our small 300 acres we almost had no grass by the beginning of summer and it was really bad by fall. I was researching toxic plants and having no trouble since every monthly farm and ranch publication I receive was talking about and warning about the dangers of toxic plants during drought. It made for easy research. Plus I had the expert he
lp of local veterinarian Lisa VanReenen who knows her plants as well as my heroine Gabby Newberry. I was as impressed by Lisa and my hero Jess Holden was with Gabby. The book isn't just about killer plants but also fun at the county fair--or I guess that should be chaos at the county fair!
lp of local veterinarian Lisa VanReenen who knows her plants as well as my heroine Gabby Newberry. I was as impressed by Lisa and my hero Jess Holden was with Gabby. The book isn't just about killer plants but also fun at the county fair--or I guess that should be chaos at the county fair! I'm hoping that you are loving this weather as much as I am and that you're looking for a road trip you'll grab a copy of HER LONE STAR COWBOY and come join me and the gang in Mule Hollow for a few hours of reading pleasure. http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find/1285572356?Ntt=Debra+Clopton&N=1014644&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1&search=
I have a couple of things I'd be interested in knowing about you--what is your favorite time of year? And also have you been to the county fair and had and "Incident" something funny that happened to you?
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I am like you Debra love spring and Summer, infact Summer more. NO I dont like it when its over 100 outside but I would rather 100 than the wet cold winter. I love it around 80+. Of course I have such a cool house in more ways than one. it is an old house with thick walls around 12 inches thick made of Mount Gambier Stone (or limestone) keeps cool but if we have a say 5 or more days over 100 without cooling then the house does heat up. that hasn't happened since I moved in.
ReplyDeleteI remember years ago when friends still lived here we had some plovers decide to live nest nearby. Well my friend is walking across the oval where some events were help and we hear this annoucement would the lady walking across the oval leave the plovers alone. Poor Julie was running to try and get away from them. Plovers are not like magpies once you go in there territory they will attack even when you are out of the area.
One other time when I was about 8 I went on the gokarts not knowing you had to drive them. I thought they were like other rides and would go well no I sit there like an idiot no idea what to do.
Lovely pics!!! I adore autumn.
ReplyDeleteYes, I "became a woman" when I was 16 at the fair. LOL I'd been waiting and waiting but that wasn't where I wanted it to happen. lol
Jenny we are like minded about the heat. Your house sounds great. And I got so tickled thinking about your friend running from the plovers. My poor son got attacked by Blue Jays one time, the wicked birds chased and dive bombed my poor seven year old until he made it back to the porch!
ReplyDeleteAnd I can just see you sitting there in the gokart waiting for it to go. Cute memory but I'm sure as a kid you were probably embarressed.
Thanks Jessica the flowers were so beautiful on that drive that the pictures really don't do justice to them. And oh boy was that an "incident" for you at the county fair! LOL poor kid!
ReplyDeleteHi Debra! Love your pictures :) Spring is my favorite season, too. I struggle through winter, so the longer daylight hours and nature's beauty really perk me up! Your book research sounds neat.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book, Debra! I love all the Mule Hollow books though! Thanks for another great one. When I finish one, I always wish there was another one waiting at the book store to run and get :) I do not like summer! It is my least favorite season. I grew up in Southern Calif. and it was just too hot for me. I recently lived in Arizona for 6 years and it felt like summer for 8-9 months out of the year! I now live in Oregon which is much better for me! I think I like Fall the best although winter isn't too bad either! I love rain :)
ReplyDeleteSpring in Georgia has been beautiful this year. I'm heading to Barbara Vey's Readers' Luncheon in Milwaukee today...flying in, luncheon is tomorrow. Anyway, the temp for tomorrow in WI is supposed to be mid-40s. Oh my gosh! This Georgia girl is going to be cold!!!!
ReplyDeleteToxic plants? You've got my interest! :)
Wishing everyone the joy of the Resurrection!
Hi Karen, We are so in agreement! And I loved research for this book. LOL I can spot a toxic plant in a heartbeat but the thing is there are so many of them and so much of it depends on the weather and drought to make some of them turn toxic! Anyway, yes it was cool research.
ReplyDeleteThank you Valri--I am so flattered by your comments! Thank you so much. But where weather is concerned we are total opposites :) I do like rain though and want to visit Oregon and Washington.
ReplyDeleteDebby, I want to go to the luncheon! It sounds fun :)
ReplyDeleteI rode the tilt-a-whirl, then the Ferris wheel, then got sick. Not fun!
ReplyDeleteLOL Merrillee! Not fun at all, poor thing. I'm weird I love anything that goes around and around. I don't get sick thankfully...now if I rode rollercoasters it might be a differnt story :(
ReplyDeleteDebra I was on a tour once and there were plovers that dived bombed the swimming pool. Magpies here are really bad in spring they swoop but they have an territory and once out of it they leave you alone, Plovers dont.
ReplyDeleteLOL, Merrilee. That about sums up my experience with fair rides, especially the spinning ones. Once I reached my teens, I couldn't take them anymore.
ReplyDeleteAs a northern girl, I love spring (which starts later in May) and summer best of all.
Jenny! Isn't it funny--all those little birds look so sweet!!! Who knew they could be so aggressive. lol my poor son was terrified of Blue Jays for the longest time after his experience with them. And I just looked up a picture of a plover and they look totally innocent lol
ReplyDeleteChristine, I don't ride rides any more either. The last time I rode one was at the ACFW conference at the Mall of America in Wisconsin. Allie Plieter and I decided we wanted to ride the kiddie ride type ferris wheel they have there...okay so yes we got a lot of weird looks because I'm 5'9 and Allie is a couple inches taller than me and we squeezed into that ride and had a blast!!! Hey, there were other adults on the ride they were just happened to be riding with a child...we didn't have one so we made do with each other :)and plan to do it again if we're ever there again. lol
ReplyDeleteOh yes, you don't hand Debbie Clopton and I vouchers for free amusement park rides and expect us to pass it up! I'm always up for that kind of adventure. And yes, we did get stares galore :)
ReplyDeleteHere the cost of rides is so expensive like $5 a ride. I do love amusement parks and do love the roller coasters. But the one I dont like is the roulette wheel its so gentle goes round and round and a bit of a gentle up and down but nothing scary. little kids would love it. well I get stuck with this lady who spent the whole ride looking down and saying I am going to be sick and gagging. I could not get of that ride quick enough. It was like a carousel and not even fast.
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