I can actually hear it: I need pruning, I need trimming, I need weeding …

The song sparrow who has been feeding on our suet outside my window all winter is singing chirpy songs and sporting a more vibrant look. There are even days with sunshine!

But not me. I’m not singing the springtime serenade, attending to the yard, or even enjoying the sun. Nope. Instead, I’m on the living room couch, where I’ve been parked the bulk of the last two weeks.

Sick. I won’t go into the details of my ailments–let’s just say it isn’t pretty! Is there nothing worse than being sick on the cusp of spring? I know a lot of people think the summer is bad, but spring happens in about 10 minutes in Montana! I want to smell the earth, lift my face to the sun, and sing with the birds.

Not happening. At least not this week.

The good news for my readers is that I’ve been hard at work at a new series: The Choteau Ranch. I’ve completed the draft for one book, and I’m working on 25-word synopses–harder than you think! It’s been fun to go on a mental vacation and stare at the Rocky Mountain Front, one of the most beautiful vistas you’ll see in your life.

Unwrapping the ideas for a new book is an exciting endeavor for a romance writer–I learn things about my characters and myself.  What does the character want? What will derail them? What character flaw do they need to fix to achieve their goal? Fun stuff!

Okay, maybe not for you… I enjoy reading, too! I just whipped through two books by C.J. Box, a great suspense writer in the west. That’s part of the problem…I soon run out of things I want to read and need to read the stuff I should (serious literature).

I hope to be on the mend soon.  In the meantime, I’m about to engage in a coughing jam with my DH, who is also enjoying the benefits of small bugs.

How about you? What do you do when you’re sick?