Carbon Paper

Making the Mark - I needed to find out if carbon paper was around in 1898, the setting for my next historic novel, Mark of a Man. In one form or another, it was in use as far back as the 1806, becoming more widely accepted in 1867.  So, I can mention it in my story.

By the way, carbon paper is still available today.

Thank you to http://www.answers.com/topic/carbon-paper. Read all about it here.

Living Cross



a Living Cross in our front yard



Easter Sunrise Service at Fort Clinch, Amelia Island, Florida

The Rose Legends by Kate Brown

Kate Brown is writer with a wild, whipping and wicked imagination. Read The Rose Legends, coming soon...

Synopsis:
     Dani Demeco has always had nightmares. For as long as she can remember, her dreams have been of death, destruction, and chaos. But when she finds herself the subject of her own violent dreams, Dani cannot deny her fears. As her dreams worsen, some of them begin to come true. Dani finds that a new friend—the vampire, Bane—may be the only person who can save her life.
     Meg Ellison, recently returned to her everyday life, only wants one thing: to blend in. However, Meg is having trouble acting the part of a normal human, all the while doing her best to set an example for Hannah, her illegal creation. When Cassandra, of the Council of Elders, comes to call, Meg and Hannah can no longer hide.
     All four of them must flee to meet with the Council of Elders, but will the decision prove disastrous?

No Service

Five days without blogging, Facebooking, emailing, tweeting, surfing, researching, etc., etc., etc., was extremely frustrating. The explanation I got was a "network outage." So fix it faster, would ja? This forced me to do the unenjoyable - clean the house - which, as *Martha Bear® says, is a better thing since family is coming for Easter.

So, should I be grateful  I was forced to clean? No. I can't go that far but because I couldn't share my witties with you for such a long of period, it caused a backlog of  my ideas for more blogs. And aren't you happy about that?  I'll bet you are. 

Hugs and Blisses! 

*Martha Bear® is the spokedbear for our free online Rascally Readers program for fun and funny family reading at www.MarthaBear.com.

Toilet Tribute

When our daughter, Barbra, was engaged to be married, all sorts of creative sparks exploded in my head.  One of my best ideas came in the form of a topiary. While her wedding was several years ago, and said sample topiary, which she chose to decline for the actual reception center piece, has since deteriorated, I wanted to remember it always.  And so I painted the very vision of it on our fire screen because I wanted it never to be far from my thoughts or my ungrateful kin. See for yourself and try to imagine why on earth Barbra, and particularly her then fiance, would have declined such a gem as this.


Just because my topiary was made from a toilet plunger, come on!

 

Cupboard Coupons

Do you ever go to the trouble of clipping coupons then never use them because they get stacked in a pile and forgotten? Maybe you don't want to bother sorting them all before you go to the store. Here's an easy fix and you're sure to find the right coupon when you need it. Just tape the coupon to the inside of the cupboard door where you keep each particular item. Need peanut butter? Tape it to the inside of the pantry.  Need toothpaste? Tape it to the inside of the linen closet. Detergent? Tape it inside the laundry room cupboard. No one will see your coupons unless they are family or you have nosey visitors. Either way, they'll think you're terribly organized or obsessive/compulsive and feel sorry for you.  It's a win-win deal!

Gable Not Best Rhett

How un-American, someone thinking Clark Gable would not make a good Rhett Butler? Read all about it below, taken from Margaret Mitchell Gone With The Wind Letters, 1936- 1949, edited by Richard Harwell, Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1976, page 211.

To Miss Katherine Brown, New York, New York
From Margaret Mitchell, Atlanta, Georgia
July 13, 1938

As to Clark Gable - I believe I told you once that he was not as popular here in the South as in other sections of the country - in tough and hardboiled roles, yes; but in other roles, no.  He has never been the choice for Rhett down here. People think he is a very fine actor, too, but they think he does not look Southern or act Southern and in no way conforms to their notion of a Low-Country Carolinian. In looks and in conduct Basil Rathbone has been the first choice in this section, with Frederick March and Ronald Colman running second and third ... Between eleven and twelve at night we get phone calls from people who have been arguing about the cast (and probably drinking about it too) since dinnertime.  They call us up in a fury to find out whether or not we like Gable and Shearer. John is patience itself and soothes indignant ladies who just can't bear Mr. Gable's dimples. He tells them that Mr. Selznick would dearly love to have a letter from them on the subject. I know Mr. Selznick must appreciate our urging people to write him.

When all was said and filmed, Mrs. John Mitchell agreed Gable played her Rhett perfectly, like the rest of us Windies out here do.

Orange Blossom Sunday

What wonder is inside these beautiful orange blossoms? And they smell so sweet.  And they're on my tree in my courtyard!  

Making the Mark to Fernandina Volcano

I'm always double checking facts for Mark of a Man, novel #3 in my Goodbye Lie series. While verifying info about the hurricane that hit our little island town of Fernandina, Florida in 1898, I came across an interesting fact of which I'd never heard. Do you know the "Fernandina Volcano" is in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador? There have been twenty-four eruptions since 1813! More info at www.volcanolive.com/fernandina.html if you're interested. 

Hugs and Blisses!