Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy
a magazine created by Karen Cotton
United Kingdom http://www.visitbritain.com/en/US/
Turkey http://www.goturkey.com/
France http
://www.francetourism.com/ and http://us.franceguide.com/
Mexico http
://www.visitmexico.com/
Russian Federation http://www.visitrussia.org.uk/
Canada http://www.discoveramerica.com/usa/states.aspx
and 90 views from the USA !!!!! http://www.discoveramerica.com/usa/states.aspx
United Kingdom
Turkey
France
Mexico
Russian Federation
Canada
and 90 views from the USA 🙂
*Please note that all of the photos on this post are courtesy images.
I’ll be adding tourist information for your countries tomorrow on my blog. I’m hard at work on posts about writing, walking and an author …. check in this week.
Please keep in mind : Although I don’t update my blog daily because my primary job is being a stay-at-home mom, I’ll be updating this blog at least weekly or twice a week depending on my schedule. My blog/magazine and writing comes second. Thanks for reading Life is As Sweet As Cotton Candy 🙂
One of the things that I’ve been busy with is my large garden area in my backyard. Now that it’s spring it’s time to start working on it again.
Two days ago Catherine Wissner, a Laramie County Master Gardener and horticulturalist, made a house call to my home. It’s really neat that Master Gardeners make house calls. Its an excellent service that they provide for free. Look for Master Gardeners in your area, according to Catherine there are Master Gardeners all over the U.S. , as well as in parts of Canada.
Catherine took a closer look at my weeping cottonwood tree. The tree has brown rings and a slimy area that weeps when it rains or snows.
I’m going to take one cup of bleach to one gallon of water and apply that with a sponge to my tree’s weeping spot.
While Catherine was in my front yard, she told me how to fix the trouble spots in our soil and grass. She suggested that Roundup would easily kill vine-like flowering weeds that are creeping into our grass from our neighbor’s yard.
We proceeded to my backyard where my large garden area is. Currently it’s full of weeds and pesky grass from last summer and fall because I had to take a hiatus from gardening when I was pregnant last year.
Catherine told me that household vinegar would kill those weeds and crab grass, without harming my other plants. You just have to take a large rolling paint brush and carefully apply the vinegar to the weeds and crab grass while making sure not to touch your plants that you want to live.
You can also cover those spots with large black trash bags, or yesterday’s newspaper and to keep them in place you can add landscaping stones on top.
My viburnum tree, which is in in the middle of my large garden area, has mossy green shoots on the tops of some of the branches. Catherine told me that I can cut those and place them in cups of water. That way I’ll have new trees to plant. The same goes for my cotoneaster tree, but she said once they’re planted, they would make a nice hedge. They would also take up some of my garden space.
Catherine is also coming up with a list of flowers and plants that are low maintenance and would be great for my backyard area.
If you’d like a house call for your garden, trees, or grass problems you can reach the Laramie County Master Gardeners here: www.lcmg.org
For Master Gardeners in the U.S. Or Canada go here: http://www.ahs.org/master_gardeners/
HAPPY GARDENING 🙂
Here are some upcoming workshops for residents of Laramie County, Wyoming.
“Gardening on the Cheap: Big Garden Dreams on a Small Garden Budget”
with Jodi Torpey
Date and time: Tomorrow, April 21 at 3 p.m.
Event location: Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave.
Who to contact: Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, 307-637- 6458, or Catherine Wissner, horticulturalist, phone number: 307-633-4383
Laramie County Cooperative Extension Service website: http://www.uwyo.edu/ces/county/laramie/
Event information: Jodi Torpey is the author of the book “The Colorado Gardener’s Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Centennial State.” Torpey is also an expert on growing great gardens and harvesting healthy crops while pinching pennies. She will explain tricks to cultivate a green thumb without going into the red. She’ll teach people about creative ideas to become a frugal gardener from finding inexpensive or free options for soil amendments, seeds, plants, planters and garden structures.
More information about Torpey: http://www.westerngardeners.com/about-jodi-torpey.html
This event is brought to you by the Laramie County Master Gardeners and the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens.
Another gardening event in Cheyenne, Wyoming :
Laramie County Master Gardener’s Annual Plant Sale and Garden Festival
Event time: Saturday, May 19, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Cheyenne Depot Plaza in downtown Cheyenne. The Depot Plaza is in front of the Cheyenne Depot Museum, which is located at 121 W. 15th St.
Brought to gardeners by: the Laramie County Master Gardeners, The Cheyenne Depot Museum and the City of Cheyenne
Here is their tourist information :
http://www.visitbritain.com/en/US/
Thanks for reading my blog 🙂
if you ever want to send me feedback e-mail: karencottonwriter@gmail.com
For several years now, I’ve donated my photography to Wyoming Art for the Cure. The event is celebrating its tenth year this year. and the silent and live auction funds go toward the Wyoming Affiliate of Susan G. Komen foundation.
A couple of years ago my mom had a breast cancer scare, but luckily it was only a scare. It was frightening to think that my mother had the C word. I couldn’t imagine life without her. She is healthy and going strong now and never needed any treatment. Yet, in 2007, over 40,000 women fought the brave fight against breast cancer, but lost their lives, according for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
I have lost several friends to breast cancer, including a friend that I called grandma Meg.
I remember going to the cancer center with Meg. She stood beside the fish aquarium and told me about breast cancer and how they were going to treat her with chemotherapy on the other side of the door that led to that doctor’s area. I was in my early teens at the time. She was a brave woman and put up a big fight and did it ever so gracefully. She was one of my grandma’s best friends and she was also like a grandma to me.
Help fight breast cancer together with Wyoming Art for the Cure this Friday, April 20th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
According for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2007 202,964 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 40,598 women died from the disease
* 2007 is the latest statistic for USCS
The CDC site continues to say “Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. CDC supports breast cancer surveillance and research, and provides free or low-cost mammograms to underserved women.
CDC breast cancer screening information for Wyoming: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dcpc_Programs/default.aspx?NPID=1&PID=68
Susan G. Komen for the Cure is a global organization. You can find out more information here: http://ww5.komen.org/aboutus/aboutus.html
This year is the 10th anniversary of the Wyoming Art for the Cure. Regional artists donate their work for the silent and live auction that will be held this Friday, April 20 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person, at the door, which includes light fare. You must have a ticket to enter the event.
Location: Little America Hotel and Convention Center, 2800 W. Lincolnway, Cheyenne, Wyoming
The proceeds from Wyoming Art for the Cure benefit the Wyoming Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Here is a link about how Wyoming Art for the Cure began:
http://www.komenwyoming.org/get-involved/art-for-the-cure/about.html
See the artwork that will be for sale tonight, April 20: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150669393543165.400253.292009248164&type=3
Here is some more information about Wyoming Art for the Cure: http://www.komenwyoming.org/get-involved/art-for-the-cure/
Here is the link to Wyoming Art for the Cure’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/WyomingArtfortheCure
After looking at my blog stats tonight I found out that I have a reader from Brazil ….very cool 🙂 I’d like to send a shout out to you 🙂 Thanks for reading …. Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy 🙂
Procrastination I know ….I know… off of here I go ( for real this time)
Karen
Hey Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy readers.
Today was a long day. I updated the look of Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy and created the beginnings of a Facebook page for my magazine/blog.
I’m also working on some really cool future posts 🙂
Of course in between doing that I took care of Katie, made dinner, and had a Public Health nurse and other visitors for Katie come to my home today.
Tonight I’m staying up until 1 a.m. I’m going to work on my children’s book.
If you’re a writer then you already know that the beginning is actually the hardest part of the book to write. I’ve rewritten mine ten times now over the past few months, but I finally am happy with how it’s going.
Everyone has a first draft, whether it’s an e-mail to a friend, or a business letter, or when you’re trying to figure out exactly what you’re going to say in that blank card for someone special. Before you figure out the perfect thing to say, you write down all kinds of things. You may hit delete, or erase your pencil marks a few times, or use Wite-Out, until you choose the words that you like the best.
My book is about Santa. My goal audience is for third, fourth and fifth grade readers, possibly younger, possibly older … doesn’t every writer dream of having the same kind of audience that J.K. Rowling has had for her books?
It’s always good to set your goals really high, but sometimes that also puts a lot of pressure on you when you write. So, I’ve decided to just write my book in order to get this idea out of my head and onto paper, with the hope of getting it into the hands of readers. I’ve had an agent and a publishing house interested in my idea and writing that I’ve done so far on this book, but that’s intimidation almost, when someone’s anticipating your book.
I now have an editor guiding me along in this process, so I better get off of here and hit the keys.
Before I leave for tonight, though, I wanted to ask you all if you have ever struggled with writing.If so, how do you work past it?
Who are your favorite authors to read? What about authors from your childhood, or new children’s books that you might be reading to your kids.
Let me know on my comments area on my post.
Night,
Karen
Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy 