When I think of Spring, I think of colorful flowers, the wonderful scent and feel of soft garden soil, and the sounds of birds. What can I say? I will ALWAYS be a gardener! I bring this up in the middle of winter because one of my most enjoyable activities is escaping to the cozy confines of a greenhouse or plastic tunnel while snow covers the ground around me. Inside temperatures can easily reach one hundred, with humidity visibly high as condensation drips from the plastic above and makes rows of splotch marks on the soil landing pad. Talk about a major disrupter to Old Man Winter! And talk about Heaven on Earth!
Do any of you, my dear Readers and Friends, take winter trips to botanical gardens just to be in the manipulated climates of the greenhouses? To see and feel the tropical rainforests while wind chills break records on the other side of the glass? To catch an early glimpse of spring with landscaped gardens of forced bulbs? Two of my favorite destinations are New York Botanical Garden in The Bronx, New York and Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA. What are your favorites?
Partly because I have a thing for winter greenhouse visits, I incorporated an atrium into my novel Clean Sweep. To be sure, atriums are very different from greenhouses, but they, too, bring us closer to the magic of our outdoor world, even as we go about our indoor activities and work lives. With natural light, stone, green plantscapes, and glass walls and ceilings that let us connect to sun and clouds outside, we are allowed to connect a bit more with our own insides, as well as our surroundings.
In Clean Sweep, I introduce one particular atrium in a way that speaks as much to atrium visitors and to social issues, as it does to the particulars of the atrium itself. It is a vehicle for provoking thought as well as a story element.
If you have read Clean Sweep, I would love to hear your thoughts on the atrium and the atrium scenes. Please, send me an email at eblee.author@gmail.com .
If you have not yet read Clean Sweep, pick up a copy today. It is available in hardcover, softcover, ebook, and audiobook. Get your copy through any of the outlets listed on my home page HERE.