THE FIRST OCTOBER DRAWING

The seasons march on and we are on the dark side of the fall equinox. Halloween and the US midterm elections are only about a month away, so it’s time to … have another drawing. No matter how much excess stuff I give away, it seems like more accumulates. 

This giveaway includes the usual 100 g of samples plus an assortment of miscellaneous cosmetics, all in pristine (i.e., unused) condition. Just leave a comment. 

I will be writing some regular posts this month, so the question you should answer to be entered in the drawing is what general topics you would like to read about.  


[Photo was grabbed from the webcam feed of the local ski area.]

WHERE DID SUMMER GO? A GIANT GIVEAWAY

I have no idea what happened to summer. As soon as school was out, we had major construction projects going on. Then in July we went to the Big Island of Hawaii for a much-needed vacation in the vog, and then spent several weeks at home while the sky and air was filled with wildfire smoke, trying to downsize my huge collection of cacti and succulents so that I don’t have to figure out where to put them all when the weather gets cold. On top of it, there was our summer sale, with frenzied packing and shipping for a month. Now I’m one week back into teaching the intensive 4-week course that I do each year. So much for summer. 

As I type this, I see that the leaves on the maple tree outside my window are turning yellow. I don’t know if it is because the weather was warmer and drier than usual (I don’t think so), or whether it is an effect of the smoke. This tree normally doesn’t lose its leaves until the middle of November, so I don’t know what’s going on with it. 

Yesterday was the first mostly smoke-free day we’ve had, and it was good to see blue sky. This morning it looks like the smoke may be coming back. Smoke in summer seems to be the new normal. 

I’ve been trying to upgrade my perfume studio with new shelving and storage for bottles, stock, and labels. It’s an ongoing process. To celebrate the fact that I now have storage space with easy access to printed bottles, I’m offering a huge end of summer giveaway. Leave any sort of comment about your summer or anything else that strikes your fancy, and be entered in a drawing for 100 g of perfume samples along with other random things including creams and lotions, facial cleansers, cosmetics, and who knows what else. 

[Photos are mine, taken on the Big Island] 

THE FIRST MONDAY OF SPRING GIVEAWAY

It’s sunny! It’s warm!  The crocuses, cyclamens, hellebores, and camellias are in full bloom after a ridiculous cold spell that slowed them down. The purple crocuses have reproduced so much that there are huge purple patches in the garden. The jasmine survived the winter. The fruit trees have huge buds and the birds are going crazy. It must be spring cleaning time.

This week my cleaning will consist of another 100 g of miscellaneous perfume samples, plus a mint condition 28-color lipstick palette. If you like lipstick and don’t mind applying it with your finger or a brush, this should be fun to play with. It’s an extra because I ordered one and they sent me two (maybe it was a buy-one-get-one free deal) – it was a while ago so I don’t recall how I ended up with a duplicate.

This week’s question to answer if you want to be entered in the drawing is one or more of the following: Do you (or someone you know well) like to wear lipstick or other form of lip color? If so, how long does it typically stay on? Have you/they found one that lasts a decent amount of time?

[Crocus photo is mine from last year - there are way more purple crocuses this year. Lipstick photo from Wikimedia] 

WINNER OF THE COSMETICS DRAWING AND THE NEW GIVEAWAY

After running in place for several weeks just to keep from falling behind, I've finally gotten around to doing the drawing for the perfume and cosmetics samples.

The winner is: MARY.

Please contact me by e-mail at olympicorchids at gmail dot com or leave a PM on our Facebook page. If the winnings are not claimed they will go into the jackpot for next time.

Even after packing a big box of cosmetic samples, there's still enough for another drawing of the same, plus the usual 100 g of samples.

To enter the new drawing, just leave a comment about what you're looking forward to this spring. I know I'm looking forward to spring break!

[The webcam photo from the local ski area in the rain looks like the invasion of the alien bubbles]

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE 2017 AND A GIVEAWAY

A phenomenon we're all happy about, especially here in the far-north parts of the world like Seattle, is the fact that the days will start getting longer now. At least a few things are still predictable and worthy of hope.

The weather report predicts snow (yeah, right - I'll believe it when I see it), but the sky does have that matte beige-grey look to it. More to the point, I'm on holiday from the university for another week, catching up on shipping packages from our winter sale, which runs through December 26, preparing for winter quarter teaching, updating my websites as best I can, and spending some time with family and friends.

The break also means that I've got time to sort through my possessions and get rid of things I don't use (yeah, right - I'll believe that when it happens). As a hopeful first step, I'm going to offer another 100 g package of miscellaneous perfume samples, to be awarded to the winner of a random drawing.

All you have to do is leave a comment letting me know that you're still alive and reading this blog. The drawing will take place on December 31. If no one claims the prize, it will go back into a jackpot that will increase every time there's an unclaimed prize.

[The photo is of a winter sunset, not a fire.]

SUMMER SLIPPING AWAY AND BAD ROBINS GIVEAWAY

It seems like summer has just started, but in less than two weeks we go on our now-traditional August vacation, with a break from phone and other tech time sinks. Once we come back, there’s a week to catch up, then I start teaching again. Where does the time go?

The last couple of weeks were spent trying to keep up with the summer sale and special promotion, as well as wholesale orders. I think today’s industrial-size run to the post office must be the culmination of the summer madness! It’s been a scramble, but it’s great to have so much business from long-time customers and new ones.

Today’s drama was the attack of the robins on our blueberry bushes. They have been eyeing them for the past couple of weeks waiting for the berries to ripen, and today they were all over the bushes, ripping and tearing at the clusters as they stuffed their greedy mouths. Some people like robins, but I have developed an intense dislike of them. It started when I put some baby orchid compots outside to water and went away to do something else for half an hour. When I came back, I found several robins gobbling down baby orchid plants! Of course they chose to eat the rarest and most expensive plants, not the ordinary ones. I recently discovered that robins are responsible for the pre-dawn bird-screaming that wakes me up way too early in the morning. Another bad mark. For years they have eaten our blueberries. One year we tried putting bird-netting over the bushes, but the robins just lifted up a corner, crawled under it, and ate the blueberries anyway. These robins are the fattest, greediest, most aggressive birds I’ve ever seen.

As I try to clear my shelves of excess items, I continue with the Monday giveaways. This week it will be another 100 g of random perfume samples worldwide; for a US winner, the samples will be accompanied by some larger items up to the 1-pound limit for first-class shipping. To enter the drawing, leave a comment about which bird you most dislike. If you don’t dislike any birds, answer the ridiculous corporate interview question of which bird you would like to be and why.

The drawing will be held next Sunday so that I have time to ship your prize before leaving for vacation.

[The blueberry pic is mine. The others are from Wikimedia. The robins appear to have been photographed east of the Rockies, and are much slimmer, cuter, and more benign-looking than than the Seattle variety.]

THE MONDAY GIVEAWAY AND A FRAGRANT MINI-ORCHID

It’s Monday again, and time for another giveaway. But first, I want to brag about a wonderful little orchid that’s blooming in my greenhouse this week, pumping out loads of fragrance. It’s Cadetia taylori, an Australian species that grows in rainforest and mangrove swamps and looks like a white insect with antennae. It blooms off and on all year long, but seems to like summer. The fragrance is a sweet vanilla-mixed floral scent with anise overtones. It’s similar to some of the Dendrobium moniliforme flowers that have that anise smell. Australia has more than its share of cool orchid species!

For this week’s giveaway, there is no jackpot because everything from the Tigerlily tote bags drawing is on its way to the winners. What I'm offering this week is another 100 g batch of miscellaneous perfume samples along with whatever other goodies I randomly find in my studio. To enter the drawing, leave a comment about what features you really like on a perfume e-store.

Last week’s winners will be announced tomorrow.

[Orchid photo is mine]