Beautyberry and winged sumac

Winged sumac

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Found a beautiful Curtiss' Milkweed on the land next to our house today. Asclepias curtissii is endangered so we are very happy to have it growing there. It is also endemic, meaning it only grows in Florida. I will keep an eye on it to see if any monarch or queen butterflies are living there!

Curtiss' Milkweed living in Florida scrub

Asclepias curtissii - you can see a smaller one growing to the right of it

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Had a great time visiting the Sandcrabs!

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Visiting Olivia Brophie fans in New York

Olivia Brophie fans in Queensland

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A local librarian sent me this photo because it reminded her of the Olivia Brophie Series. It looks like Olivia and her bear-friend Hoolie are walking together.

Bear tracks in the Florida scrub

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We had our yearly frost last night and it left these beautiful patterns on the palmetto fronds. It would be interesting to investigate why this happens. Why this pattern? I enjoyed the view for a few brief minutes in the morning before the sun worked its magic.



Wintertime Palmettos

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Everyone knows I love to visit classrooms that are reading Olivia Brophie books! I recently visited a class in California via Skype and had a great time as always. Sometimes teachers send me photos from their side of the conversation. In this particular case, I discovered the classroom itself was overrun with frogs, something I couldn't see from my video.

Skype visit with frog-loving classroom



Meeting Moki from Sky Island for the first time

Anyway, the class is only on chapter 4 of Pearl of Tagelus, so they have sooooo many adventures ahead of them!

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The woods were quiet this morning
she went out to eat and roam,
new sounds rocked the silence
and mother's not coming home.

Laughter rang through trees
smiling photos on their phones
to them it's proof they're men
and mother's not coming home.

We thought we lived in paradise
the sunlight kept us warm,
she kept us safe and fed
and mother's not coming home.

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More photos from my new friends in Gaeta Italy. Yes, my head is gigantic and red. Not sure what is going on there.

I took the opportunity to learn a bit about Gaeta. It is the location of the earliest known written reference to pizza. That alone should endear the town to all of us. They have a mountain named Orlando, the same name as the city I live in. They also have a special olive there. I need to find some of these olives to try.

It turns out, Gaeta is also a beautiful town and, if this class is any indication, it is full of smart, kind people.

‪#‎books‬ ‪#‎reading‬ ‪#‎Italy‬ ‪#‎Skype‬ ‪#‎author‬ ‪#‎authorvisits‬ ‪#‎writing

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Here is a nice minimalist picture from an Olivia Brophie super-fan. It's so simple and it illustrates one of my favorite scenes in the Pearl of Tagelus. I love writing about Florida for children all over the world and hearing about their favorite scenes.

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I received another great fan letter today. This time from Lynn.

"I think you just changed the way I see the world!!!! You're the type of book writer I've been looking for. I just LOVE your books."

Thank you Lynn!

She also included this little picture.

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Our dachshund Spanky was prescribed Rimadyl / carprofen to help control the pain of an ear infection. Of course, we were concerned that our dog was suffering, so we simply trusted the vets and we didn't investigate the potential side-effects. Within a couple days of using Rimadyl, Spanky was unable to walk due to partial paralysis in his hind legs. He had a terrible seizure that lasted a half-hour. He never recovered.

Unfortunately, it didn't occur to us that Rimadyl could have this effect until our 2nd dachshund Pepper received a single dose and lost the ability to walk within 12 hours. That is when we started researching and discovered countless stories from others with similar experiences.  We are devastated. Please be warned. I know some dogs are helped by Rimadyl /carprofen, but the risks are very real and very serious. These are not "upset stomach" or "lethargy" type of side effects. These are paralysis, liver or renal failure, and death side-effects.  Please use a pain management drug with less risky side-effects. If you decide to use Rimadyl, watch your dog very carefully and start with very small doses. It is absolutely horrible to watch your beloved family member suffer because you kept giving them something you thought was going to help them.  Go to http://www.srdogs.com/index.html to find out more.

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Here is a luna moth I found at a gas station.

Luna Moth in central Florida

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Here is a polyphemus moth from the Florida scrub. These moths live in a wide variety of habitats throughout North America. Unlike many butterflies and moths who have a specific host plant, the polyphemus moth can live on many trees including oak, willow, maple, and lots of fruit trees.

Polyphemus moth

A common large moth in Florida

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One of the reasons there are coral snakes in the Olivia Brophie books is because there are so many that live in my yard! I've been trying for years to get a photo of one, but they always seem to arrive when I don't have my camera. Plus, they are shy. Our new neighbor was visiting our house yesterday and took this snapshot. What a beauty!

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I love visiting schools and inspiring young readers. In turn, my fans inspire me to keep writing!

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Beautiful glasswing butterfly at the Cloudbridge Reserve in the Chirripo Mountains of Costa Rica. It's so magical to be surrounded by hundreds of these delicate creatures flying around you.

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I have received so many photos over the years of kids reading Olivia Brophie books when they should have been doing something else. 

#CaughtReadingAtWork

#CaughtReadingInMathClass

#CaughtReadingAtDinner

#CaughtReadingAtBedtime

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Blooming now. Both pennyroyal and lupin prefer sandy, disturbed soils; perfect for the Florida scrub.

Lupin with typical scrub habitat in the background

Close-up of lupin - (Lupinus)

Wild Pennyroyal - Piloblephis rigida

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Here are two trans-continental selfies with Olivia Brophie super-fans.



Author Skype - I love meeting readers!

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If you are curious what the Faino Pepla cyborg birds in the Sky Island look like, look no further than a real phainopepla. Just like their evil twins, phainopepla birds love to sit on high branches above the shrubs and keep watch across the desert foothills surrounding sky islands. My father took this photo south of Tucson. He was a great bird photographer!

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Olivia Brophie super fans in Alberta Canada

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