Tag: gardening

Family, Life, and Things that Matter

L. Ryan StormsLeave a comment

I missed March, April, and most of May on the blog. I bet you can all guess why.

Wow.

What a heck of a year so far. Global pandemic, hundreds of thousands dead, and so many people refusing to do something as simple as wear a face mask to protect themselves and others. It’s mind-boggling.

Not going to lie, friends. I’ve had my ups and downs handling this over the last few months. As all of you have. Working from home, online schooling for 4th and 8th grades, a 10-year-old with a broken arm (because the pandemic wasn’t terrifying enough on its own…let’s head to a hospital for corrective surgery!), being around my family every single day all day long and never getting a break even though I’m an introvert and desperately, desperately need a few days of quiet…or just a silent house for…like…an hour. Yeah. It’s all been a bit of a challenge.

And I’m sure you’re all in the very same situation. We’re all facing difficult times. Stressful times. Unprecedented times. But it won’t last forever. Years, maybe. But not forever.

So take this time to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. Do things with them. Appreciate nature. Enjoy your backyard. (Or your balcony. Or your porch.) Here are a few snapshots from my own life in the past two months. Crazy, yes. But not all bad.

Family puzzles.

Family haircuts. (She’s trusting.)

Finished manuscript. (Book II of The Tarrowburn Prophecies. It’s almost ready!)

Broken arm.

Surgery because the fracture was through the growth plate.

Family karaoke night.

Chickens in the house. Hooray! These little ladies will be earning their keep in about four or five more months.

Backyard garden work.

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New project inspiration!

New truck! (Because the old one left husband stranded 40 miles from home not once, but TWICE. And it’s been 21 years, I guess we’re due.)

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The Sun Also Rises, Indeed

L. Ryan Storms4 Comments
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The gardens in Alcatraz are better tended than mine.

This is a difficult time of year even if most people would disagree. After all, the sun is streaming through my window, the grass is green again, the trees are bursting with tiny white petals that litter the ground like confetti, and the scent of lilacs carries on the breeze. Plus, Flip-flops.*

But with all of this sun and nature comes additional responsibilities to add to the household chore list. Now, not only do I still have last night’s dinner dishes piled in the sink and dog hair-coated carpets that need to be vacuumed, but I have several gardens to weed. And I don’t even have a green thumb. (I am SO good at weeds, though!)

Plus there’s mowing, which my incredibly thoughtful husband did for me yesterday. (Back off, ladies – he’s mine!) Oh, and today is also grocery day, which means I’m going to spend more time than I should (certainly more time than I want to) clipping coupons for my shopping trip later.

All of this amounts to losing time for myself and time for my writing, but what’s a writer if she doesn’t write?

The answer to that is simple: She’s a frustrated ball of nerves who snaps at her husband and kids.

Oh, and kids. They’ll be home from school early today because we have yet another half day for reasons I can’t even fathom. I seriously do not remember having so many random days off when I was a kid.

So I suspect I’ll be writing late tonight to make up for the time I’ve lost to adulting. Stupid adulting.

At least when it rains, I can’t mow.

 

 

*Would you like me any less if I tell you that I hate flip-flops and that it actually pains me to watch other people wear them? Like, my feet physically hurt just watching yours tromp around in flip-flops…