Sunday morning view from the porch in Texas...

Come sit a spell. Having my morning coffee while the sun is still rising...there is a light breeze, still cool under the willows and oak tree branches. Ring-neck and white-wing doves are sitting on the weathered fence posts around my yard, watching this curious human make pecking noises on some flat box in her lap. LOL

Once in a while, the grackles swoop down and interrupt the scene, looking for food I tossed out for the doves. Overhead, I have noted that the willow is beginning to lose its leaves and I had a flock of snow geese go over, heading toward our playa lake in the neighborhood. These two things are normally signs of the impending advent of fall in our corner of west Texas. But, I am not getting my hopes up that cooler weather is headed our way. Forecast is for 100’s. I am chalking it up to Mother Nature playing tricks on us. It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with Climate Change, etc...WINK, WINK.

And now as the sun rises higher, humans in the neighborhood are beginning to stir. They bring their noises into my quiet morning garden. We have a couple of ‘men’ in the neighborhood who have huge trucks. Having trucks in Texas is the norm. Unfortunately, it brings about a pet peeve of mine. 1) Learn to drive them 2)Learn to park them correctly 3)Take the huge tires and the LOUD exhaust systems and stick them where the sun doesn’t shine. In other words...I see you acting all tough in your big trucks as you barrel through a residential neighborhood at 50 mph or better...but then you have to emphasize your manhood (note size is in there for a reason) and gun your motors so we can all see and hear you and think you are just the hottest stuff there is...NOT.

Pickups belong in the country. They belong hauling things and pulling stock trailers and doing the work of real men/women on ranches and farms. My opinion and sticking to it. I laugh when I walk by a truck in a parking lot and see no sign of real dirt on its tires. Wannabees.

Much the same as the drug-store cowboys...but that is for another day on the porch.

I hand-water my yard. For some of you that don’t know what that is...I pick up a garden hose and actually move around my yard directing the water onto the grass, etc. We have not used the in-ground water sprinkler system as long as we have lived here. I enjoy the peaceful frame of mind that comes when I am watering the grass. I can plot out my books, chase down a problem scene, meet new characters...or simply allow the high blood pressure brought on by my day job issues to evaporate. If you haven’t tried this, I suggest you do. It might save you on high-priced prescriptions if you try getting ‘back to the basics of life.’ (sounds like a line from a country song...but do you remember which one?)

As I sit shrouded in the shade and plants, I watch the early morning dog walkers. Interesting to note how many allow their pets to stop and pee on my rose bushes. Thanks for doing that...it is killing them by the way. And when I make a noise and they see me...they grab their dog and move away quickly. No apologies, that would invoke manners...and that is a social grace that few people know and use these days.

And now our little Blue Jay has stopped by for a few morsels. There used to be two of them...juveniles that mom kicked out of the nest and are on their own. However, I only have one these days. I hope nothing bad happened to the other one and it simply went on its way. It is interesting to note how the ring-necked doves are picked on by the white-wing doves...like there is a real ‘pecking’ order. The white-wing get to eat first. Then the ring-necks get to come in for the leftovers. I do not mind the grackles...but they need to keep quiet. The cooing of the doves is much nicer in my garden.

I am procrastinating. I need to move inside to my office and get some writing ‘business’ out of the way. I must touch base with my writing assistant, Emilie, who is working on new memes for me and getting ready to push my Christmas book to new readers for the holiday season that is coming up. Then I will put my headphones on and listen to Christmas carols in the month of July. This is while I am trying to finish up my next Christmas book...The Christmas Heart. It is a sweet, contemporary romance about a small heart locket that holds a secret and brings together those on Christmas who are searching for new love and those finding long, lost love thanks to the magic of Christmas and the heart of a small child.

So there you have it for our visit this morning from my porch in Texas. May you have a wonderful, restful Sunday. Come back and visit anytime!

Debra