Hot and Snowy with a Chance of Tadpoles by Kathryn Hills #RomanceGems

Hard to believe it’s Memorial Day Weekend—the unofficial kickoff to summer in the USA. Yet, recently we had snow. That’s New England for you! When I first moved here many years ago, someone shared the adage… “If you don’t like the weather just wait a minute.” And, it’s true. Spring is particularly riotous with bone-chilling mornings and hot summer-like afternoons. In between it is anyone’s guess what you will get. Super-hard to dress in the old days when I worked in a big office and not at home. These days, I just pour the coffee and shake my head at what is going on outside the window.

Being home more than ever in 2020, Mr. H and I were busy prepping gardens early, only to have recurring bouts of frost, snow, and heavy rain. Even tornado warnings and hail last week. Jeez. Yet, I’m always excited when typical springtime weather rolls around. I think trees in New England—and other places with changing seasons—work extra hard at looking beautiful. There were two sunny days when the maples and red oaks on our wooded property were awash with pink and light green budding leaves. Gorgeous against a clear blue sky! Cool breezes, tiny wildflowers, and no bugs yet… Ahh…

All this “blooming” in May is not without setbacks. Achoo! If you are like me, pretty blossoms make your eyes itch, and you sneeze. Then, there are the creatures. With three crazy dogs (all hound breeds – what was I thinking?!!) I am constantly running interference for chipmunks and squirrels. Sleigh bells on our doors, once used for puppy training, now serve as warnings to any rodent in the yard. LOOK OUT, INCOMING! Jeez again.

There was that one year though...when a new sound entered the yard. A chirping sound, almost tropical. “Hmm… Do you know what that is, Mr. H?” “Nope,” the man of few words said and kept chopping wood. That was the same year the pump for our above ground pool died, and we had to delay opening until way into June. By then, that weird chirping sound had hatched THOUSANDS of tadpoles in the water on the cover of our pool. I discovered them, hiding beneath leaves in the murky mess, on the day we were all set to open. I did not say “Jeez” that day. Think more colorful and cover your kid’s ears.

You see, we Hills are nature lovers, and the last thing we were going to do was kill thousands of baby frogs so we could swim for a few short summer weeks. But what the heck do you do with them…growing in hundreds of gallons of slimy pool cover water?

We tried catching them. There were too many. Syphoning came next, and it worked a bit. Now, we had a smaller puddle of wigglers. These attempts played out over a very long week. Of course, we wanted to save them. Our daughter wanted to raise them. I said, “NO!”

Ten large Home Depot construction buckets with lids later, two pole nets, new hoses, and we captured oodles of tadpoles in various stages of development. I asked a neighbor with a pond if she would take them, but she cringed. She had her own issues with the little green guys. My critique partner laughed, and laughed, and wanted pictures. No help there. Friends and family just shook their heads, saying, “Only you.”

What to do with ten big buckets of tadpoles? We did what any good nature-lovers would. We packed the little suckers in the car and drove them north to a beautiful lake. Not just any lake. One with somewhat easy access from a hidden spot off a dirt road. Because you can’t just drive up to someone’s lakefront home and ask if they’ll adopt your thousands of tadpoles. At least, I don’t think so. 😊

So, there ya have it. Another crazy story from Camp Hills. We’re magnets for weird.

Update: I was outside the other day and heard “the chirp”. OMG! Not again! “Honey… Guess what we’re doing this holiday weekend. Opening the pool even if it snows again.”

If you enjoy my quirky family stories, then you'll love how I incorporate family antics into my books. You can find them HERE.

Thanks for reading!

~ Kathryn

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Spring Thoughts and Contest Kickoff by Nancy Fraser #RomanceGems

Spring is my favorite season of the year. It's a time of renewal, of both body and spirit. The winter clothes are shed in favor of a good pair of walking shoes, a lightweight jacket, and...if your spring is like mine...an umbrella.

This year things will be different. Yet, the promise of spring and of renewal, gives me hope that we can overcome our current obstacles and once again enjoy the peace of mind we so desperately need.

I've spent the past few months in solitude. January and February were by choice, as I hibernated to avoid the winter flu. Little did I know how my hibernation was going to become not a choice but a necessity. And, like many others, I found myself struggling to accept that I couldn't just pick up and go whenever I wanted.

I had no trouble occupying my time and my mind when I was running the show. Reading, my own writing, everything fell neatly into place. Once staying inside was out of my hands, those same fun pasttimes grew increasingly tedious. As the days and weeks closed in, I knew I had to find new hobbies. New outlets for my restlessness. And find them I did.

Here are some of the things I'm doing to keep busy:

Every day, I make a phone call to a complete stranger at one of our two local nursing homes. I first spoke with the resident managers and asked them if they were willing to compile a list of names of those who had few or no relatives. Both were eager to comply and gave their lists to their main switchboards. I call each day at a set time, the person answering the phone gives me the name of the resident I'll be speaking with and a little bit about the person. Then, she connects me. And, for ten to fifteen minutes, I'm lifted out of my own bout of seclusion self-pity and into another person's life. It's amazing.

Last week, I cleaned out my two linen closets. Having traveled a lot over the past few years for both writing and pleasure, I had a lifetime supply of hotel soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. I boxed those all up and dropped them off at the womens' shelter near me. I have to say, I've become an expert at dead-drops!

I've also started an indoor herb garden using...of all things...toilet paper tubes to hold the growing plants in place.

I've got five different herbs, some green onions, and garlic started.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to grow actual toilet paper.

I just finished a book trailer for an author friend and next week I'm going to turn in the revisions to my very first cookbook. I know that if I don't keep busy, I'll go crazy, so I'm looking for other ideas. I'd love to hear from all of you about what you're doing to pass the time in self-isolation.

I'm also participating in this month's Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt. You'll find a hidden egg somewhere on one of the following sites:

My Website ~ My Facebook Author Page ~ My Twitter Page

Once you've located the egg, just come back to the Rafflecopter form below and enter the information requested on Egg Hunt task. While you're there, also complete the other tasks for even more points!

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Until next month, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay well read!

Nancy