Gayle M Irwin

Spring arrived in Wyoming during the past week. In fact, summer nearly took over during the weekend, with highs in the 80s for a few days. However, 60s returned this week, and during the coming days, the temperature is expected to drop to the 50s with rain on the coattails of the lower temps.

That’s the way of weather in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. Fluctuations. Clouds. Sunshine. Moisture. Sometimes snow. Yes, even in spring. Yet flowers grow and bloom. Shrubs bud. Leaves appear and develop on trees. Grass greens. Birds sing, and squirrels scamper through yards and amid branches.

 

Spring brings color to the landscape and joy to hearts – certainly to mine. I enjoy watching birds eat from feeders I’ve set out and drinking from the water dish on our deck. I enjoy hearing them sing from the apple and elm trees in our back yard. I enjoy taking nature drives and seeing young animals in pastures and on the prairie. I like sitting on the deck and eating lunch or dinner while the squirrels chase one another around our trees and the chickadees zoom to the feeder, grab a seed, and flit back to the nearby apple tree, crack open the seed, and feast. I relish the smell of lilacs and crabapple trees as they bloom, and I enjoy the colorful tulips, hyacinths, and iris that bloom.

On Sunday, my husband and I took my parents on a short nature drive near the Wyoming community where they now live. We saw a pair of bald eagles near a nest they’d constructed. We observed pronghorn in fields teeming with green grass. We saw burly brown buffalo moms with their young-of-the-year in pastures with water holes, a bison ranch we didn’t know existed until Sunday’s drive. Several of the youngsters were frolicking in the grassy fields, soaking up the Sunday sunshine. Such a joyful group of bison calves, and a delight to watch! We also saw several small sandpipers and a few killdeer dance around the waters’ edges, looking for insects and seeds to fill their tiny tummies. A partly cloudy sky provided a bit of respite from the spring sun, and yet the blue areas seemed magical … because it’s spring!

In my book, Love Takes Flight, springtime arrives in western Montana, and my main characters find various ways to enjoy it. From observing sandhill cranes to planting seeds for gardens, taking nature drives and enjoying a picnic by a lake, they, too, relish the sights, sounds, and smells of the natural world. That’s one thing Ellie and Nathan have in common. Find out what else connects them in this sweet, contemporary romance set near Glacier National Park.

I’ve discounted a few of my e-books this month, including Love Takes Flight (on sale for just $1.99!). Grab a copy for yourself or gift to someone for their spring and summer reading pleasure! Find this e-book on your favorite online bookstore via this link: https://books2read.com/u/4AADBe.

 

You can find my other sweet romance stories, including those on sale this month, via my Amazon Author Page here:
https://www.amazon.com/author/gayleirwin

What are some things you enjoy about spring? I hope you’ll spend some time in nature, whether that’s your own garden or yard, a botanical garden or park in your community, a national park or forest, a state park, a farm or ranch – each one offers its own unique landscape and provides its own special joy.

Happy Springtime!