Saturday, March 13, 2010

Spring has sprung and a blogfest is coming


The poppies are here! The poppies are here! They don't call California the Golden State for nothing. Well, there was the Gold Rush, sure, but our state flower, the California poppy, is a vivid splash of bobbing, waving yellow and orange. They are hard to find when Mother Nature has been miserly with rain. Not this year.
I found this patch while on a walk on a windy day. They danced so much and the sun was so brilliant that I think it makes the photo slightly surreal.
I expect the poppy fields in the Antelope Valley will be carpeted--hill after hill of orange poppies and yellow goldfields. It's seems like magic when it happens, but it's really just the right recipe of sun and rain. It's still too early to know, because the poppy reserve is at higher, colder elevation than where I am.
And, as promised, this is also a spring of spectacular green.


I found this patch of moss nestled in the shadowy recesses of a boulder. In Southern California that is a small miracle. It reminds me of Ireland, and they don't call it the Emerald Isle for nothing. (conscious repetition, here)

I can't resist this fun play on all the lovey-themed blogfests of late. And, um, Irish, you know. So sign up on the widget and write something related to St. Patrick's Day, Ireland, pubs and relationships. His rules are loose. Just post something by next Wednesday, so we can all indulge in a little writerly wearing of the green.
And, finally, a big thank you to two sunshiney, stylish sweethearts who bestowed two new awards upon me.



Thank you, Tamika at The Write Worship, for the Stylish Blogger Award. Tamika has the most beautiful smile and attitude! I'm supposed to share five things: 1) I'm in two fantastic crit groups. 2) I have long fingers and big feet (sigh). 3) I can't travel without a book. 4) I eat chocolate. Every. Day. 5) I talk to plants.

And I love the sun-is-out rainboots of the You Are My Sunshine Supportive Comments Award given me by Julie Dao at Silver Lining. Visiting Julie is always a treat, for her writing and the music she shares.
And, I got another, but, really! J.B. Chicoine on her other blog gave me a repeat of the Creative Blogger liar award. I'm all out of lies, and my nose needs to shrink. But since Bridget creates gorgeous paintings, full of natural light, I bestow the Stylish Award upon her. And, in addition, she gets My Sunshine for being a shiney-maker of comments. Smiles all around.
That's all, folks, except to say I managed to get my first chapter polished, a synopsis written and application off for a grant this week. I don't know how good any of it is, but I met the deadline and I'm still standing, so I count that as win.

27 comments:

Liza said...

Yea Tricia!!!

sarahjayne smythe said...

The poppies are lovely, I've signed up for the Drunk at First Sight Blogfest, and congrats on your awards. :)

Julie Dao said...

Congrats on all of your well-deserved awards :) And thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures with us! I love poppies and how cheerful they are.

Donna said...

Miracles abound!

Laurel Garver said...

I just love your photos, Tricia. Thanks for sending us a little sunshine. It's the typical March downpour gloom here in Philly.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Thanks, Liza.

Sarah, I'll see you at the blogfest!

Julie: Thank you!

Donna: We can all use that, right?

Laurel: Thanks, and I'm so glad to pay forward some sunshine.

Catherine Denton said...

Squeee!!!! Signs of spring. I'm so ready!!!

Yvonne Osborne said...

Oh! The poppies are beautiful! Our daffodils have popped through the ground. Congrats on getting that application off. I need to take the time to apply for grants. How can you tell if you're any good if you don't apply? Good luck and thanks for being a source of inspiration.

Unknown said...

The poppies are so beautiful! Ah, one more plus for the rain. I love it! Congrats on all your awards!

VR Barkowski said...

Gorgeous photos! Don't laugh, but when I was little I thought they called California the Golden State because of the brown (which is really kind of gold) grass that predominates for most of the year. I grew up in the bowl of the Sacramento Valley - can you say hot summers?

J.B. Chicoine said...

Aw, Tricia, you have been one busy lady! Congrats on the awards, and thanks for passing them on to me! I'll try to do them justice.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful flowers! We are in Autumn now, and the leaves are just changing colour. My favourite season. :o)

Jackee said...

Congrats on the awards and thanks for posting the pictures of spring. Beautiful! I'm in need of them because we're still in the midst of snow and winter here.

Have a great weekend!

kah said...

All I could think was, "'ello Poppies!" (ya know with that British/Scottish accent to it.)

Thank for reminding me about Drunkfest. I really need to write something but I'm so consumed by editing right now and have a deadline to meet. Eeek. This time change didn't help either! I need my extra hour back.

Happy Spring. :)

Bish Denham said...

LOVE the pictures and the fact that spring is arriving in other places. I too have posted some spring shots. And congrats on the well deserved awards.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Bridget: Busy, busy, busy. Does it ever stop? Get me a hammock. Please.

Niki: I have such a hard time wrapping my mind about the reversal of seasons from here to where you are--New Zealand, right? I hear it's gorgeous, so I must make it there someday.

Jackee: May the snow melt soon!

Karen: Ha! I love the voice. ;) And oh, how I want that hour back.

Bish: I saw your first flowers, too. It's springtime for us!

Corey Schwartz said...

Oh, the poppies are gorgeous!

Just Another Sarah said...

I love spring!

I left something for you on my blog!

Robyn Campbell said...

Okay. We are sooo alike. First we love orange marmalade, eat chocolate every day, long fingers and (double sigh) big feet. How cool.

I am posting on Wednesday for St. Paddy's day, but then I'll be back after Easter. Gotta take a break and get everything JUST SO before I query. I'm already querying two months later than I thought I would. SHEESH. Happy St. Paddy's Day Pat. Will ye be visitin' a pub or stayin' home? =)

Sherrie Petersen said...

We've got poppies and daffodils all over the yard. You can't help but smile in the face of all that color :)

I got my app out the door for the grant too!

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Thanks, Corey!

And thank you, too, Sarah.

Robyn: Those dang feet...I rarely go to pubs, let alone during the crazies of St. Pat's Day. Sometimes, I bake soda bread, cook corned beef and drink a Guinness. Whoppee, right? I hope you have a most excellent time off getting your work spit-poished.

Yay, Sherrie--for flower-filled yards and getting the app out!

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

I just love poppies. LOVE them. But I'm not familiar with the California poppy. So pretty!

Congrats on your awards!!

Anonymous said...

The spring bloom was one thing I loved about living in California. Thanks for the poppy photo, brought back fond memories. And congrats on getting your grant application in. I hope you get it!!

storyqueen said...

So glad you got the application in!

And I can't wait to see what Patricia O'Brien has to say on St. Patrick's day....

Shelley

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Carolina: The California poppy is more fragile seeming to me than other poppies. What is magical is how it bursts forth in huge patches.

Paul: Thank you! I love discovering wildflowers when hiking. This year, I'm seeing lots popping up.

Shelley: I'm pleased I got it in, too. If nothing else, it was a good way to pull my thoughts together on the project.
And, St. Patrick's Day! I'm writing a fairytale, Oh Great StoryQueen.

Stephanie Thornton said...

I love poppies. I buy a bunch of extra ones to go in my wildflower mix- the Orientals are gorgeous!

sanjeet said...

The poppies are lovely, I've signed up for the Drunk at First Sight Blogfest, and congrats on your awards. :)
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