Jewels of Winter

Mill Creek Park's Riverside Fellowship Gardens recently held their annual orchid show, Jewels of Winter. It was truly spectacular! Orchids of every shape and size and color adorned the hallways. Each plant was in great condition.

We noticed the temperature was cool inside to accommodate the orchids as we entered the Davis Center of MCP's Riverside Fellowship Gardens to hear  Dave Miller,  president of the Greater Akron Orchid Society speak on growing orchids. 



"Orchids are the jewels of the
plant world. Let them dazzle you with their brilliance and splendor. During the heart of winter, find the spirit of the tropics here at the Davis Center as you observe these exotic beauties on display. Bring your camera, as there will be plenty of amazing flowers to photo-graph."
         -from the Davis Special
              Events brochure             

Orchid roots will die if they don't get enough air. That's why orchid pots have holes in them. These exotic beauties grow best in a non-soil potting medium, not packed tightly, and with very good drainage. 

Orchids hate a stale, stagnant environment. They also will not tolerate drafts, so be cautious placing them near a drafty window. They like bright light, but not full sun beating down on them.

Don't be afraid to try your hand at growing an orchid. They can be a little fussy, but they are worth the extra effort. If I can grow beautiful orchids that bloom like crazy from February until late April, so can you!

Hugs,
Carol

I Need Christmas, Christmas in July Free Promotion

Dear Gentle Readers,

My publisher Books To Go Now has run a terrific Christmas in July Promotion this month on my three Christmas short stories. I hope you had a chance to pick up Madison's Christmas, Madison Rand, Book 1, and Christmas at Star Lake, Madison Rand, Book 2, because the third and final Madison Rand is scheduled to be released this Christmas season.

Today through July 30, 2016, I Need Christmas is free at

                                    http://tinyurl.com/name

This one was a highly unusual writing experience for me, and as those of you who know me know, I jump right in and then work out the details as I go. I have written anthologies with other authors using a completed work timeline. An example is A Dilemma for Daisy in the Monday Mystery Society series. The five of us worked together to come up with dates and seasons in a chronological order. First was A Mystery for Marisa by Alison Jean Ash, who introduced the storyline and characters. Although we worked closely to maintain the integrity of each other's characters, each previous story was complete before the next began. 

Not so with An Oakville Family Christmas! We each used the exact same timeline and wrote about the same two week period before Christmas. Much discussion. Much revision. But we ended up with a tight, cohesive tale of family love and family values at Christmas time with the Curry family.

Pick up my contribution to the Oakville Family Christmas today.

Merry Christmas in July!
Hugs,
Carol

Amaryllis By the Pond

Dear Gentle Readers,

The Amaryllis is  Christmas flower, but our Amaryllis is having it's own Christmas  in July. The plant doesn't stay there on the edge of the lower deck, because a good wind would send it right into the water. This was for photo op purposes only.

I don't remember this plant blooming last December, but now in July it is just beautiful. All in all it had four giant red flowers.

Amaryllis grows from a bulb. It's a native of South Africa It is sometimes called Jersey Lily or March Lily, but it's not really a lily. They are great as indoor bloomers from December to March. They're fun to grow. They send out a huge leafless stalk sometimes over two feet tall. Funnel-shaped flowers appear at the top and can range from one to twelve, but we usually get three. This year it was four huge, gorgeous blooms, spreading out in all directions. I didn't think to take a photo until the first two flowers dropped off. 

At the end go the growing season, it goes dormant. We allow the stalk to wither naturally and then put the pot on the bottom shelf in the sunroom, where it gets heat, humidity, and some water, until it pokes it's head out again, ready for another blooming season.

Hugs,
Carol

Down By The Pond

Dear Gentle Readers,

     One of my favorite places to read is down by the pond. The sound of the waterfalls is mesmerizing and immediately calms me down. The lower deck juts right over the edge of the pond and it is easy to feel you are part of nature when you're there.
     You have to remember not to swat because the hummingbirds and butterflies are very bold...or maybe it's inquisitive.
     The last few days have been too hot to be outside for any length of time, but I'm looking forward to cooler days at the end of the week.
     Have a great day.

Hugs,
Carol

Ramblings of an Unknown Author

Dear Gentle Readers,

     I have an author website at carolannkauffman.weebly.com. It's a great little site with a page on each of the books I've written, an author bio and photo, a page for coming events like book signings, personal appearances, and speaking engagements, and one for the writing projects I'm working on now and collaborations with other authors.
     It has a spot where you can sign up for my monthly newsletter, 
revealing dates of free book promotions, sales, and giveaways.
     It also has a blog page that has cost me many sleepless night and at least two extra-large size bottles of TUMS. I write and write. I find a photo that goes with what I wrote. I press POST. And nothing happens.
     The Weebly Support people have been great and I've got to know a few of them very well. They are very sweet, polite, and willing to help. However, nothing they suggest works. The problem seems to be with the interfacing between Weebly and Apple itself and only for those of us attempting to post using an iPad.
     I travel a lot. I need to be able to post using a mobile device. When I don't post, naturally, the number of visits drops drastically.
     I've attempted to merge the Weebly Blog Page with my existent website, Vision and Verse, at visionandverse.blogspot.com but my 40,000+ Weebly followers...refused to follow.
     They had some very good reasons. Vision and Verse is a blog dedicated to artists and authors, old masters and the up-and-coming new stars of our time. It was begun in April of 2013 by Texas collage artist Parker Kaufman and an unknown author from Ohio - ME! (No, we are not related.)
     There are short articles on artists and their art, book reviews, cover reveals, and in-depth interviews with today's best and brightest artists and authors. It's a truly wonderful site, brimming over with inspiration and creativity.
     My Weebly site is very different. There are photos of my gardens and pond area, short posts on great restaurants, Pick of the Month hosted by my seventeen year-old dachshund KC, craft projects I get into, and a ton of stuff about my own writing.
     So you see, the two didn't meld well. This is a blatant attempt to lure my Weebly followers to a site similar to the Weebly one, but accessible by mobile device so that I am actually able to post.
     I am not deleting the old site. I can still post when I am home. I can still email my post to my personal assistant when necessary. Apple and Weebly might make up. I can hope, can't I?

Hugs,
Carol