Yesterday I planted a butterfly garden. Last night, actually, had to do it in the evening after kids went to bed and it cooled down.

The garden patch of raised beds is what I see from the kitchen window, and when we moved into this house, the beds were, well, a wreck. But it was the wrong time of year to do anything about it. Had to wait for enough clear weather to get out, clear the mess, bag up the weeds and haul ‘em to the curb for pickup, and get plants for a flower garden. I picked several items to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, including one lovely butterfly bush with gorgeous rich purple flowers. (The flowers sort of resemble lilac bunches and the perfume is amazing.) Now we need to bark it all in and give the roses some food, and probably the rest of the plants could use general feeding, too. It got hot yesterday and they got wilty.

But today it’s a garden. Will post before and after pics.

Updated to add: Click here to view the slideshow! Before, after, and some close-ups. As you can see, the dog is exhausted from supervising.

Time for the Monday poetry train! To shake my literary fist at the unrelenting rain in the Hoh valley here’s a poem I wrote about the mythical son of the Sun, Lugh.

Your eyes are the blue skies
Your smile, the white sunlight
The golden heat of you warms me
And I, like Icarus
Have flown too close
And fallen from dazzling heights
To earthly constraints.
Who dares to be your lover?
What name shall I speak
On lips that tremble to adore?
Who dares to be your lover?
You, of the Long Hand, of the Sun
The golden heat of you warms me
Your kisses burn into my soul
You are ablaze
And I have flown too close.

As the official release date approaches, it’s time for a Wild Wild West roundup! Here are links to cowboy sightings around the blogosphere:
The good, the bad, and the unread
Nicole Austin
Jaci Burton
Romance Junkies
Romantic Times

Aug. 7 is just around the corner! Pre-order your copy and cuddle up with a cowboy of your own. *g*

to watch this and not go hug somebody. (You’ll need sound on to fully appreciate)

We’ve been doing a feng shui makeover on the house. Started a while ago with some little things, wind chimes and a new welcome mat outside. Then we did some rearranging inside and a whole lot of de-cluttering, especially the entryway. We donated a lot of books to the local library, enough to empty out a bookcase. Now all the books fit neatly in their shelves instead of being double stacked all over the place, and the empty bookshelf can be used for storage, or become a home for new books. Because one of the reasons we cleared out books? We haven’t stopped acquiring more and don’t kid ourselves that we ever will.

It feels unbelievably good to clear things out and to make space for more of what we want to invite into our lives. One of the statements I read that really struck me was that if you hem yourself in (with clutter) and weight your environment down with items that represent the past, it makes it very difficult to change and to move into your future. So in addition to getting rid of books I’ve had for years but know I’m not going to re-read, I threw out versions of my own printed manuscripts I had in my filing cabinet. I have the final versions electronically; I don’t need to store the ballast.

There’s still plenty of work to do, clearing out cabinets and closets, but the progress we’ve already made feels wonderful. And as a side benefit, new ideas have sprung up wanting to be written. From now on, I swear if I get stuck in a book again the first thing I’ll do is clean up clutter and get rid of dead weight, especially anything involving past projects.

Come join in the discussion about covers, marketing, and erotic romance. Comment and get your name in the drawing for a copy of Wild Wild West! I’ll pick a winner Monday morning.

1. Missoula, Montana (Wild Wild West)
2. Ketchikan, Alaska (Miss Lonely Hearts, coming Oct. 30)
3. Burlington, Vermont (Yule Be Mine)
4. Seattle, Washington (I Was An Alien’s Love Slave Sept. 21/Earth Girls Aren’t Easy Aug. 29)
5. Hedeby, a Viking trading center (The Gripping Beast)
6. Maine (Only Human)
7. Portland, Maine (Love and Rockets)
8. Franklin, New Hampshire (Catalyst)
9. Southern California (Wolf In Cheap Clothing)
10. Medieval border lands between Scotland and England (Wolf In Shining Armor)
11. Boise, Idaho (Love Spell - Ellora’s Cavemen Legendary Tails II)
12. Idaho High Plains Desert (Dangerous Games)
13. Forks, Washington and Hell - fire and rain, anyone? (Wicked Hot, St. Martin’s Aug 08)

I discovered via the Ja(y)nes and Smart Bitches that there has been a blog explosion over skirts and swan hats. Who knew? When I saw a post about this at Kate’s a while ago it seemed harmless enough but apparently it exploded. Well, it’s clear what’s going on. Too many people have too much time to worry about skirts and headwear and they do not have enough to read! I happen to have in my possession, courtesy of Rosina Lippi, a brand-new copy of If Angels Burn. Since I have my own copy, this is an extra in search of a good home. So, comment here, and your name goes in the (swan) hat. I will mail this book to any reader anywhere in the world.

(I’d give away a Shomi book but you’re not getting Wired out of my hands, sorry)