Guest Blogger, Cherry Adair

Heather Graham: I'd like to introduce Ms. Cherry Adair as our guest at TLC today. Wait? You say she needs no introduction? That's quite possible. Cherry has received all kinds of awards and hit almost every list created for writers. And she does much, much more! Cherry isn't just friendly and kind (with a wickedly warm sense of humor, quick wit, and the ability to have you laughing in a flash) but she gives away "scholarships" and has "Pips" out there who win not just books in her giveaways, but wonderful opportunities. She has the same life were all living one--hectic, confusing, and torn constantly between or home situation and work--but she manages not only to produce, but encourage others to keep the upper lip, get out there and go forth, and be her "Pips!" And now, beware! The one thing Cherry isn't is shy! If you know Cherry, you'll already enjoy. If you don't know Cherry, you're in a for a treat. Come on now "Pips," pay attention!

 Living in Seattle, I’m used to rain, drizzle, downpours, showers, cats-and-dogs, sprinkles, and everything in between. Normally we have the hot, glorious sunny days of Summer to off-set 8 months of gray. This year, one newscaster pithily claimed we’d had 87 minutes of Summer all year. Not true - we’ve had 3 days of summer. Three. Freaking. Days!

Most of the time I don’t really notice the weather. Despite living on a lake with a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier, I write facing a wall. As it is, I’m easily distracted. (Especially when I’m writing the dreaded first draft.) To be clear, I’m sidetracked by a worm crawling on a leaf in my garden. Imagine how diverted I’d be by a snow capped mountain reflected in the sparkling lake right outside my door.

I know I’d be much more aware, and annoyed, by this incessant rain if I had to drive to work every day. The closest I get to a commute is to put on make-up, dress and do my hair before making the journey downstairs to my office, which is just at the foot of the stairs. and a convenient ten feet from the kitchen. (A perfect location J) Instead of a lake/mountain view, I look out over my front garden.

Like writing (that #@%^* first draft), I love to have gardened (and hate to weed). And like writing, once the first draft, and clearing of the bed is done, you can’t pull me away. The fact that there have barely been any notable sunny days has no impact on my flowers. Rain or the invariable lack of shine, my lavish and glorious garden flourishes.

Bulbs come up where I don’t remember planting them, flowers bloom where I was sure I hadn’t planted anything, weeds thrive everywhere, and every year shrubs and trees grow bigger.

 

I have to admit, I’m not terribly well rounded. I write 23/7, which means everything revolves around the book I’m currently writing, the book that’s coming out in five minutes, or planning activities around a book in the near future. It’s all about The Book. And having it be all about The Book means I have tunnel vision.

A garden is a metaphor for life. Rain or shine, good or bad, life goes on. My garden reminds me that to have a more balanced life, I need to tend to my family and friends. My garden reminds me that friendships will continue, even in rocky dry soil. But also that friendships wither if I forget or get too busy to tend them. My garden reminds me that with hard work (even digging in rock-hard, dry stony ground) something beautiful will grow. It reminds me that anything worth having is worth putting in a little elbow grease. It reminds me to be patient, and that while I look impatiently for that glorious orange dahlia in this bed, it might come up over there instead.

Gardening reminds me to be patient, to expect and welcome the unexpected. It reminds me that there are worms and gophers, slugs and bugs, but there are also colorful butterflies and shimmery hummingbirds.

So I go out into my garden every day, rain or shine. Summer or pretend-Summer. I pull a few weeds, I joyfully jettison a few slugs, and amid all the dirt and mud, slug guts and occasional buried dog bones, I am surrounded by colors plucked from the sunset, painted by nature. Cultivated by me. It’s satisfying, even on gray days, knowing that I worked my ass off to get it this pretty.

 

Like all things in life, we reap what we sow.

 

Cherry

 

Comments

[Kathy Reschini Sweeney]

How cool! I am a big Cherry Adair fan and still have all of her books on my keeper shelves.

She is truly one of the funniest, friendliest authors you will ever meet and if you like sexy, fast-paced books, you are going to LOVE her.

T-FLAC rules!

[xena]

Hello Cherry!
We're doing the Fantastics this Sept and one of my songs and most of my dialogue is about gardens.
"Plant a radish and you know what you're about. You don't get a turnip or a cabbage, Noooo! Plant a turnip. Get a turnip. Plant a cabbage. Get a cabbage. While with children? I thought I planted a turnip or at worst, an avocado...something remotely useful!"
Gardens go on growing.

[Harley]

Welcome, Cherry -- the only thing missing from this lovely blog is your beautiful accent. It is NOT native Seattleze. I wish you could narrate this post for us.

Love your writing. Loved sitting next to you at dinner in Houma, Louisiana.

[Karen in Ohio]

The thing about the Pacific Northwest is its lushness. Don't you have to watch it every minute, or it will get away from you? All that rain, I guess.

I'd be distracted from such a spectacular view, too, and would want to spend half the day in that kitchen! Gorgeous.

[readerdiane]

Diane from Oregon-after such a gray & rainy spring I was looking forward to Summer. It didn't really happen but the upside is that my roses & hydrangea make me look like I know what I am doing.
Haven't the slugs been horrible? I have a dog that likes slugs so I have to be careful what I put down to get rid of them.

[Storyteller Mary]

Welcome! It's going to be 100 degrees here in St. Peters, MO today. I'd rather be in the NW right now . . .

[Holly Gault]

Only in my last years of living in the PNW did I attempt to garden and very rewarding it was. And I well remember that after our rainy winter and spring, it was nice to leave the interior fug and get out into the fresh.

[Debby]

Welcome, Cherry! I loved this! So very true, the similarities between friends and a garden.

I have never been to the NW, been close but not quite. I do remember, when I was a travel agent years/decades ago, sending a client for vacation to Washington state. Was shocked to receive a postcard thanking me for the glorious weather. What? Abnormally, they had sunshine during the day, every day, and only a bit of rain late at night. LOL!

[Nancy Martin]

My all-time favorite hotel experience was in Seattle---with a terrace that had a garden (!) and a view of mountains in the distance and whales jumping in the water, and planes landing---it was glorious. I had been accidentally given the suite Charles and Diana had on their honeymoon, and lemme tell you, the other half really knows how to live, but Seattle was like a fairytale. I can only imagine gardening there. I seem to be almost allergic to sunshine now, so it seems like the ideal location for me. Sigh!

Thanks for being our guest, Cherry! Nice to see you here. :-)

[Marie]

Cherry, what a beautiful blog.
Your pictures are so lovely and inspirational.

[Elaine Viets]

Welcome, Cherry. What a lovely blog -- and a lovely window into your life.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Hey, Cherry! So great to see you...YOu know, I sometimes think it would be fun to be a florist. I know it's difficult, and living on the edge, and flowers wilt or rot or don't work and deliveries go awry--but we have a wonderful flower garden--and one of the most relaxing and rewarding thigs I do is arrange flowers.

Do you all like to?

It always works--I bring in our dahlias, now, and phlox and blackeyedsusans and echinacea and it's all so gorgeous.

ANd xena, I ALWAYS sing plant a carrot!

[lil Gluckstern]

What a beautiful view. The lushness is so rich, and your kitchen looks like it belongs in the French, or Spanish countryside. Oh yes, I enjoyed your post.

[Nancy Pickard]

Hi, Cherry. So nice to meet you! And may I just say, I want your kitchen! Love your colors.

[Nancy Lee Badger]

Exciting book trailer, and great cover. I used to see Mt. Ranier from my apt. window, years ago. I also frame each of my book covers and post on my wall (I am up to six) Can't wait for your all day workshop Oct. 8th in Raleigh, NC!

[Cherry Adair]

Hi All, thanks for your notes. What a fun hang out you have here. More fun if you could all magically appear here in Seattle for tea at my house.

Thanks for keeping me, Kathy

Xena – that’s hilarious. Set to music even better. Lol

Harley – you know I adore you. And since we only met that once, I went immediately to another conference, far far away where I tried to recreate your funny, witty and wise keynote speech for *my* keynote speech. Sadly, try as I did, I couldn’t pull it off. Next time I hear you, I’ll be sure to take copious notes.

Karen – I DO spend half my day in my kitchen. Not looking at its gorgeousness, but hanging onto the refrigerator door like a starving teenager, hoping that while I’m out of my office, the fairies will be in my office finishing my first freaking draft! Invariably I return with a fist fill of cookies to find a blinking cursor on the same crappy sentence where I left it!

Diane – I know. Don’t you love it when you look like a rose/hydrangea expert, and all you did was stand back to admire the flowers?! Lol

Mary – I must admit, I’m not tempted by those high temps. Nice once in a while, but I do prefer cool. I find I stay better preserved this way. Lol

Holly – the front door is just outside my office, and because we have two dogs, it’s usually wide open rain or shine. I get plenty of fresh air sitting right here.

Thanks, Debby. You know we do that fabulous weather thing to tempt people to move here. Then once they’re all settled in we casually mention that was an aberration! Lol

Nancy – how cool that hotel sounds. And a fortuitous accident, you probably well deserved!

Marie – thanks. And thanks everyone for the necessity of cleaning the rubble from my desk so I could get that picture for you! Lol (I found. . .things! lol)

Hi Elaine – I cleaned the window just for you

Hank – Instead of being a florist- I’d like to be the recipient of daily deliveries *from* a fabulous florist. Lol Then I can have my garden and enjoy fresh flowers inside all year round. Bliss.

Lil – thanks you. I found a wonderful tile artist on line, and sent her paint chips and a rough sketch of what I wanted, and a picture we took from the shore of Lake Como, also a fruit bowl I’d bought in a little shop in Naples. She turned the bowl inside out (because the pretty was painted on the inside ) and combined all the elements into a wall I love. I build the whole kitchen around that tile mural.

Hi Nancy – this is so much fun. I’m thrilled to be here with all of you. Come to Seattle anytime.

smooches
Cherry

[gaylin in Vancouver]

I love living in the PNW, the rain only gets to me when it is dumping down so hard you can't see in front of yourself. I love how green and fresh everything smells after a rain.

I don't have a garden on my wee balcony, I just walk around outside and enjoy other people's efforts. The rain this year may have made for a crappy strawberry season but the cherries (Hi Cherry) were terrific and lasted way longer than usual.

[Laraine]

Cherry, I've just finally gotten back to my 'garden' after considerable neglect, and you're right about it all--my day is so different if I just get my self out the door and into the garden before anything else.

I'm right there with the kitchen-admiring crew. Also, when I was in Seattle the first time, there was a week of spectacularly sunny weather in July--saw the whole panorama every day in technicolor. Everyone said it was an aberration, which was proven on my second, grey, rainy visit, including a drenching downpour that soaked me almost to the waist despite a good umbrella and trenchcoat!

Anyway, all the better for you to write and write, and now you're on my TBR list, so, thanks.

[Harley]

I was so inspired by this, I just went out and bought a bunch of petunias, which I am not planting in a window box.

I'm not much of a gardener. Please, everyone, say a prayer for me.

[Laraine]

Petunia prayers for Harley, going up.

[Martha Ramirez]

LOVE CHERRY! THis was great! I really enjoyed reading and all the pics. You rock!