When I was kid growing up on a farm on the Canadian prairies, I knew it was spring when the crocuses bloomed in the pasture. Sometimes, they were so anxious to bloom that they pushed their way through the snow, somehow managing to survive.
I feel a little like that this spring, so anxious for some warm weather that I'm ready to blast through the snow. It's been a very long, long, long winter and I'm ready for it end.
Unfortunately, it's going to be a while until I see any crocuses around here. Here's a couple of shots of my yard as of April 2, 2014:
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| My back yard. My husband used the snow blower to make a path so he could get to the shed, and so the dog could do her business without drowning! |
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| My front yard, looking across the street toward my neighbor's house. Yes, my garbage cans are out there too. You just can't see them because they're in front of the gigantic snow bank on the street! |
How about you? Is it spring where where you are? Or are you still waiting like me?
I'm giving away an e-copy of Book 3 of my Left at the Altar series, ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID. To be eligible to win, here's what you have to do:
1. Comment on this blog and tell me something you like about spring, or something you plan to do this spring.
2. Like my Facebook page. Send me an email at jana.richards@hotmail.com with SPRING FEVER in the subject line to let me know.
3. Follow me on Twitter. Again, email me to let me know.
4. Subscribe to my newsletter. I send out a few newsletters a year to let readers know about new releases, contests, and other news.
5. Follow me on Goodreads. Email me at jana.richards@hotmail.com to let me know.
You don't have to do all five things, but the more entries you make, the more chances you have to win. I'll pick one name at random by April 15, 2014. The chances of winning depend on the number of entries. Good luck everyone!
To whet your appetite, here's the blurb and a short snippet from ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID. I hope you enjoy it!
Dani Dipietro has always considered herself an ugly duckling in a family of swans. She's the bridesmaid her friends count on, but never the woman any man wants for his bride. So she plays the funny girl and guards her emotions, and her secrets, closely.
When Zach Morrison was dumped at his wedding, Dani was there to help him through the humiliation. A year later they meet again and once more Zach needs her help. To fend off the unwanted attentions of his former fiancé, he asks Dani to pretend to be his girlfriend. They play their roles a little too well, and make believe turns into reality. But their relationship comes crashing down around them when Zach's trust issues cause him to accuse Dani of cheating. Telling the truth means that Dani will betray a friend, something she will never do. But keeping her secrets means she may be destined to remain a bridesmaid forever.
Here's a ten paragraph peek at ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID:
Wanting nothing more than to comfort, she wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. He held her tightly, pulling her against him and burying his face in her neck. Dani inhaled the intoxicating scent of spicy aftershave laced with underlying notes of warm, clean male. How could Chantal treat a wonderful man like Zach this way?
She gently pulled away, keeping him at arm's length. "You're going to get past this, Zach."
"It doesn't feel like it right now."
"I know, but someday, when you're old and grey, you'll be sitting on the front porch with your wonderful wife of fifty years, and you'll say 'Thank Heaven Chantal cheated on me or I never would have met you.'"
He made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "Fifty years, eh?"
"Trust me."
Some lucky girl would snap Zach up in a minute, and if she was smart, she'd shower him with the love and consideration he deserved.
Some lucky girl, but not me.
Reluctantly, she took a step back. He squeezed her fingers before letting her go. With her heart pounding in her chest, and regret nipping at her heels, she hurried from the church.
Before she did something stupid, like kiss the jilted groom.
Don't forget to enter my contest! Scroll up to see how. And once you have, I hope you continue hopping your way through the MFRW Spring Fever Blog Hop.Here's the link if you need it: http://is.gd/mfrwave Happy Spring everyone!
I too grew up on the northern prairies in Canada. I guess in comparison the Calgary winter this year is mild. But like you, I feel like the crocus ready to burst through all this cold and snow. Better days are ahead. You book sounds interesting and I will try to win. Thanks for the offer
ReplyDeleteHi Mary. Since I took this picture some of the snow has gone, but the weather people are calling for a snow/rain mix today. Oh, goody. I'm in Winnipeg now, but I grew up in Saskatchewan. Unlike Calgary, neither of those places gets a warm chinook wind in the middle of winter!
DeleteOur snow here is gone but I know exactly what you are talking about being anxious for spring. We had a hard winter here in Wisconsin too. I can't imagine the cold you must have experienced this year in Canada. I hope you warm up soon.
ReplyDeleteIt was a hard winter in a lot of places this year, but it was exceptionally hard here in Winnipeg. It was the coldest winter since 1898, which means that no one currently living here has ever experienced a winter as cold, and believe me, we get some doozies. It got so cold that the frost went deep into the ground, some eight feet or more, and they say it may not completely thaw till June! Water pipes froze on some 2,000 homes. Some people still don't have water. I've never seen anything like it and I hope never to see anything like it again
DeleteOoh, wish we'd had some snow this winter. All we got in the UK was rain, rain and more rain! :(
ReplyDeleteYour crocuses are so pretty peeking out of the snow, they're one of my favourite spring flowers and I have them in my front garden. Such pretty harbingers of spring!
Be careful what you wish for! Our usual reply to people in Vancouver who complain about the rain is 'At least you don't have to shovel it!'. But I know what you're saying. The one saving grace about our winters is that the coldest days are usually the sunniest. I don't think I could handle endless dreary days.
ReplyDelete