More Decorating with Jewelry

     As I say with so many things, "Why not?"  And so it goes with these pretty bracelets, made for me by my  wonderful sister and expert jewelry maker, Nancy Kamp.  Since I only have two arms, this is a reasonable and most perfect way to display them to myself, family and visitors.  I change out decorative jewelry around the house all the time.  It's far batter than letting it sit in the dark of jewelry box.  Thank you, Nancy!

P.S. Note the crown on the top of the lampshade. My granddaughter, Ava, and I made it at our last Grammy Camp. Fun, fun stuff!  Click on the link for instructions to make your own crown. ->Grammy Camp- Crowns Abound

Spring's Frying Pan

     As you may know, I seasonally change what I hang on the gate of our Stately Martha (Bear) Manor.*  While some hang flowers or seaside verses, I  say, "Off with the shamrock and up with the frying pan!"  The paint has chipped a bit, here and there, but it has endured the brutal Florida sunshine and not faded too much.  The best part for me is visitors recognize my tall decorative sticks as the palm trees they are supposed to be! 

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Martha Bear (who sees with her heart because she has no eyes), Captain Fancy Patch, himself, and Swiney, his piggy companion

     *Martha Bear is a featured player in my Goodbye Lie  historical romance series set in the late 1800s in Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida.  She makes cameo appearances in the books and is also the star of The Great Amelia Island Sniff Off, a 15 minute story read by Captain Fancy Patch of the Rosie Freckle, anchored off the northern tip of the island.  Click on the link to enjoy the family friendly silly story!

The Irish Dunnigans Approve

     The Dunnigan family in my Goodbye Lie series highly approves of me sharing with readers a photo of my very own  Saint Patrick statue, actually made from peat*! (I have to brag that we got it in Dublin, Ireland! What a treat of a trip that was for us.) Michael Dunnigan, the patriarch in the novels,  is second generation Irish, so Saint Paddy's day is one of his favorite holidays.  

label on the bottom of the statue

*Peat- I had heard the word peat, but didn't know exactly what it was.  Wikipedia says: Peat, also known as turf, is an accumulation of partially  decayed vegetation or organic matter.  It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs.  It is often cut out and dried for use as fuel and in gardening.


Many an Irish cottage burns peat in the fireplace. I was given incense-like cones made of peat to light. They made our own seaside cottage smell with the realism of an Irish home. Very, very cozy.

God Never Fails to Impress plus Goodbye Lie Diaries - Peeper

Dancing Girls

(Impatiens Bequaertii)

Laughing Bumble Bee Orchid

(Ophrysbbomyblifora)

Swaddled Babies

(AnguloaUniflora)

Parrot Flower

(Impatiens Psittacina)

Flying Duck Orchid

(Caleana Major)

An orchid that looks remarkably

like a tiger

Happy Alien

(Calceolaria Uniflora)

And his friends…

Angel Orchid

(Habenaria Grandifloriformis  )

Dove Orchid Or Holy Ghost Orchid

(Peristeria Elata)

White Egret Orchid

(Habenaria Radiata)

The Darth Vader

(Aristolochia Salvadorensis)

An Orchid That Looks Like A Ballerina

Monkey Face Orchid

(Dracula Simia)

Hooker’s Lips

(Psychotria Elata)

Moth Orchid

(Phalaenopsis)

What a wonderful world!

A friend sent these beautiful photos to me by email and I had to share. If anyone knows who created this email, please tell me at graciousjanemarie@yahoo
 and I will happilycredit them. 👍

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The Goodbye Lie Diaries

Peeper

Late 1800s

Fernandina on Amelia Island

Florida

Grandmother Peeper writes:   Them is some perty flowers there, Jane Marie. I hope whoever made them pictures steps forward sos they get the high praise they deserve.  Aunt Noreena, next door, keeps ordering them orchid flowers from somewheres about once ta year and once ta year she kills 'em dead.  She needs ta stick to plantin' weeds.  They will grow - even fur her.

(Peeper and Aunt Noreen, aka Noreena to Peeper, are recurring characters in my Goodbye Lie series.  Their constant, and often funny, squabbling has gone on for so long, nobody can remember who began the fussing. -jmm

Hollywood Hearts - Groucho Marx Quotes

     If you don't know, I love clever things. Here are some quotations from the great slapstick comic, Groucho Marx.  Thank you, Groucho

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. 

Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?

Those are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others.

From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it. 

I must confess, I was born at a very early age.

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.

Amelia Island Book Festival 2019

Characters from 
The Goodbye Lie series
 bestowed the title, 
Scene Queen, upon me!

Those same characters are shameless. They love me to tell their stories and like to flatter me so I will show them in a beautiful light.  I only tell the truth about them.  Just sayin'... 😉

I had another enjoyable day meeting authors and the public at the Amelia Island Book Festival, here in Fernandina Beach, Florida.  Thank you to everyone who makes this annual event in February happen!