The 6th Diamond Hill Sunflower Festival on August 25^th was a tremendous success! Lots of folks entered their gigantic and/or unique sunflowers in the competition. I joined four other Lake Writers – Jim Morrison (Bedford Goes to War), Becky Mushko (A Cup of Comfort for Writers), Marion Higgins (When Men Move to the Basement), and Jean Brobeck (Musings) to sell and sign books. We had a great time meeting new readers, selling books, and visiting with people who stopped by to chat.

Christine Brodt, co-owner of Diamond Hill General Store, dressed appropriately for a sunflower festival. If you've never shopped at Diamond Hill, do. The folks there are so nice to work with. And they stock lots of neat stuff.

Yours truly hawking my Smith Mountain Lake mystery novel Secrets at Spawning Run. We Lake Writers had the best time, even though the temperature hovered between 97 and 103 degrees. I’m not kidding. A lady I was talking to told me that!

Sunflower Gold

I put this vase of sunflowers on my deck railing for a photo shoot. When I downloaded my pictures from camera to computer, I noticed a hummingbird perched on the feeder near the sunflowers. What fun, especially since I like hummers and sunflowers a lot.

Hummingbirds fascinate me. One day I stood near the feeder with hand outstretched and a finger across a perch. Ignoring buzzing insects, I stood this way for what seemed like an eternity. And suddenly a female flew close. Her wings brushed my hair. She stared into my eyes, then actually landed on my finger. This was one of those rare "Wow!" moments for me. Prime Living Magazine published the article I wrote about this experience in their January 2004 issue.

As for sunflowers, I love their golden color, their texture and intricate designs, the way they bow their heads, provide nourishing food for birds and people.

And speaking of sunflowers, on August 25th from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., Diamond Hill General Store in Moneta, Virginia, will hold their 6th Annual Diamond Hill Sunflower Festival with the Biggest Sunflower Contest. Entries will be judged on size, best presentation and most unique presentation. Besides the contest, the Festival will feature music, wine tasting, an art show, gourmet food sampling, garden club stuff, refreshments, and book signings. And guess what! I will be there to sell and sign my Smith Mountain Lake mystery novel, Secrets at Spawning Run. Becky Mushko, humor columnist for the Smith Mountain Eagle and author of several books will be there, too, as well as Jim Morrison who wrote Bedford Goes to War. So if you want to have some really good fun on the 25th, come join us.

Diamond Hill General Store is located on Diamond Hill Road in Moneta. This unique store offers neat gift items, a large selection of wines, yummy food, gorgeous plants and flowers, and even gas for your vehicle. And the folks who work there are really nice.

Life. Death.

Life. Death. And all the living and loving and hurting in between.

As my husband and I drove home from Lynchburg Sunday night, we saw two deputy's patrol cars and at least ten other vehicles parked beside a house we pass often. I knew something major had happened and I worried about the couple who lives there. I didn't know them, but had seen them occasionally in their yard tending to their tomato plants or outside with their Welsh corgi dogs. I wish I had stopped and introduced myself, gotten to know them. I think I would have liked them.

What had happened? Had an intruder broken into the home and robbed or killed one of them? I learned on Monday that the wife had killed herself. My heart aches for her and her husband. I thought about the childhood each of them had lived, wondered how they met and fell in love and married. I can picture them moving into their first home, laughing together, buying their first Welsh corgi. Did they have children? Grandchildren? And what happened along their journey together that would cause her so much pain that she felt life was no longer worth living? At least now her pain is over. I hope their good times far outweighed the bad.

Watching Me

As I stood on my deck a few days ago, I saw this deer by the water's edge. I almost didn't bother to go inside for my camera. After all, I reasoned, the chances of her waiting for me to capture the moment were almost zilch. But I went inside anyway and grabbed my trusty digital kodak. I'm glad I did. I snapped pictures and she posed for a couple of minutes until our elderly dog Angus saw her and initiated a half-hearted chase. This is my favorite. I think she enjoyed watching me. I certainly liked seeing her. Now if she would just learn to leave my roses and other plants alone . . .