Pulling on a pair of yoga pants and a loose, cotton tee that said, Cereal Killer across the front, she stepped into the peaceful oasis of her backyard garden. Sunflowers lined the fenced in border of her property, towering over plantings of vibrantly colored lilies, larkspur and Iris. Two mature trees, an oak and a maple, cast dappled pools of shade for those plants that like to keep their feet cool in the summer.

  In addition to floral plantings, she’d added beds of vegetables and herbs, enough to fill her table with good things to eat.

  Off to the left stood a little potting shed surrounded by peonies, a few late bloomers still blossoming, their blood red heads bowed down by their own weight scenting the air. Created out of reclaimed materials, she and her best friend Julie had built the shed, roofing it with a sheet of corrugated metal that played heavenly music when it rained. Plastic barrels, also reclaimed and faux painted to look like weathered wood held rainwater to be used for dry weather irrigation.

  This year’s project would be an outdoor, solar rainwater shower. She’d already picked up a long, coiled length of black plastic tubing and attached it to the roof of the potting shed. One end she fitted with a large funnel mounted on a stand she’d found at the Salvation Army that had only needed a slight modification to work for her intended purpose. On the other end of the tubing, she used several plumbing adapters to fit it out with a shower head. The coiled tubing, filled by the funnel when it rained, heated by the sun, held enough water for a decent shower and was plenty warm. The only thing left to finish the project was to add an enclosure and some sort of drainage system that would divert the water into one of the flower beds. No use in wasting it.

  She liked the satisfaction of creating, building something from nothing and by using recycled materials; she did her part to reduce waste. It was a complete win, in her opinion.

  After making the rounds with her clippers and throwing the dead heads into the compost pile, Gustavia chose a spot near a hedge of fragrant roses and began her workout with a sun salutation. Then, she ramped it up by running through a series of Krav Maga moves that left her feeling toned and full of energy. The combination of peaceful stretches and aggressive kicks, punches and spins, she felt, balanced her out, prepared her for whatever the day might bring. As always, she hoped for peace but prepared for war.

 

 

  ReGina Welling, Rings On Her Fingers: Romantic Mystery Series (Psychic Seasons Book 1)

 

 

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