She heard the group from the kitchen follow her into the hall, but her eyes were riveted on Steve’s smiling face. When everyone had settled around the bottom of the stairs, Steve asked for quiet as Walter, Sam, and Paul joined him near the large hole in the floor.
“This can never take the place of what was lost,” Steve said. “But sometimes we can find things we love just as much waiting for us.”
Peggy was already crying when Paul and Walter pulled the tarp from the tree hidden beneath it. It was a six-foot red spruce, long lush boughs reaching toward the skylight.
“I chose the red spruce because it’s endangered, and they all need a good home,” Walter explained. “I hope you like it, Peggy.”
There were no words to say how much she liked it as she hugged each man in turn. She brushed her hand lovingly against the branches and smiled up at the top.
A voice called out from the kitchen as she struggled to speak over the lump in her throat.
“Peggy?” A tall man in a leather jacket and black slouch hat walked from the kitchen to the main hall. “Looks like I’m just in time for a party.”
She swallowed hard. It was John’s cousin, Richard, the heir to the house and property.
“Welcome back,” Peggy said. “It’s good to see you. How long will you be staying? I can get a room ready for you.”
Richard spread his arms wide. “This is it. I’m home.”
Peggy Lee’s Garden Journal
Spring!
Is there anything more exciting than the world coming back to life after a long, cold winter? Every heart yearns for the sight of a golden daffodil and a red tulip. Spring is the time when we all come back to life. Just as the trees know when it is time to stretch out their limbs and burst forth with new green leaves, we want to shake off the winter doldrums and do the same.
For gardeners, it is the best time of the year. We till the soil and bring new growth into the warm air, look around ourselves and see the wonder of the seasons.
There’s nothing like it!
Peggy
Celery Soup
Something great to do with leftover celery!
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound of finely chopped celery
2 large, finely chopped onions
3 finely chopped garlic cloves
3 tablespoons flour
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
Salt If you like) and Pepper to taste
Preparation:
In a large sauce pan, melt butter and then add celery, onions, and garlic
Cook over medium low heat until all ingredients are soft
Add flour and cook 1-2 minutes over low heat until it thickens
Add broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes
Add cream, salt and pepper
Simmer 5 minutes
Feeds six – Enjoy!
Gardening
Create a bee-friendly garden!
Bees are endangered, as I’m sure you know. Butterflies and other insects that are helpful to gardeners are also disappearing. There are things you can do as a gardener to help prevent this.
Make sure that you have plenty of bee-friendly plants. Wait to deadhead as long as possible. Bees come out of their winter hibernation hungry. Plant narcissus, crocus, pussy willow, and herbs to feed the hungry new bees. Rosemary is good too! Look for as many bee-helpful plants as you can to have in your garden.
Purchase plants, bulbs and seeds that are free of neonicotinoid and systemic insecticides. These are known killers of bees and butterflies. Ask your garden supply center to have these on hand.
And keep a supply of water in birdbaths and other spaces in the garden. Butterflies and bees get thirsty too!
About the Authors
Joyce and Jim Lavene write bestselling mystery together. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications.
Pseudonyms include J.J. Cook, Ellie Grant, Joye Ames and Elyssa Henry
They live in rural North Carolina with their family, their rescue animals, Quincy - cat, Stan Lee - cat and Rudi - dog. They enjoy photography, watercolor, gardening and long drives
www.Facebook.com/JoyceandJimLavene
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorJLavene
Amazon Author Central Page: http://amazon.com/author/jlavene
Table of Contents
Killing Weeds
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Peggy Lee’s Garden Journal
About the Authors