Thursday, April 21, 2016

Spring Cleaning - Shaking Off the Dust Covers!

Spring has arrived.  In my neck of the woods, that means it was thundering and pouring buckets a few days ago while we shivered in multiple sweaters, and today, we're sweltering in the heat.  All this back and forth, from one extreme to the other, doesn't seem to be harming our surroundings any — they're just bursting forth with life!

almond blossom

Spring cleaning frenzy has taken over my household, but as I pause between reorganizing drawers, cleaning out closets, and dusting out nooks and crannies, I've been watching the almond trees out my window.

A few months ago, these barren twigs looked bleak. We weren't sure they'd recover from last summer's wildfire that stopped right by them (and only two lots from our house).  The winter didn't make them look any better, except maybe by washing out the black charred bits to an ashy grey.

Yet, on the brink of spring, the trees were suddenly, improbably sporting tiny buds. And then bursting forth in full glory!

almond and lemon trees

The intrepid little lemon tree next to them wasn't to be outdone either.

Two weeks later, here's where we are:  What looks like it's going to be a bumper crop of almonds later this year!

almonds on tree


In case you're wondering, we won't be eating any of them — these are wild almonds, which may not be edible.  They're growing on empty land, as is that incongruous lemon tree.    I always wonder if one of us, walking home with groceries one day, inadvertently dropped a lemon there! It seems rather unexpected there.

Knowing the trees survived and are thriving again give me a lot of joy as I bustle around. Airing out the house we had sealed up tight against the winter winds, hanging up laundry in the warm sunshine again, I feel like we're all coming out of hibernation, too, and starting to bloom once more as well.

sneak peek at Reclaiming Home by Milou Koenings

By the way my house isn't the only thing getting a face-lift this month.  If I'm rearranging the furniture and giving the kitchen a whole new look, why not do the same for some of my books?

I've got two new covers coming soon and they are just gorgeous. 

I'm really excited about them, so keep an eye out for them. I'll be revealing them soon!


sneak peek at Sweet Blizzard by Milou KoeningsMilou Koenings is a USA Today best-selling author. She writes romance because, like chocolate, stories with a happy ending bring more joy into the world and so make it a better place.  
  
Her Green Pines sweet romances, Reclaiming Home and Sweet Blizzard are available on Amazon and Amazon.uk

You can find her on her website,www.miloukoenings.com, on TwitterFacebookPinterest, or Instagram.
 


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3 comments:

  1. Spring cleaning has arrived here in the south. I love opening my windows, but the pollen is still everywhere.

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  2. Oh yes... the pollen ... last week was so bad! We sounded like we all had bronchitis. Then we had a huge thunderstorm that seem to have washed most of it away.

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  3. I don't usually do spring cleaning. I clean those hard to reach places and dust the forgotten corners at Christmas when I put up and take down my Christmas decorations.

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