carol williams: Second Chance Saturday: Week 470
- 10/08/26 07:26 AM
Sometimes you deserve a second chance, not because you weren't fabulous the first time, but because the timing and circumstances weren't quite right. You just got overlooked." -Carol Williams
Second Chance Saturday is all about giving deserving posts more exposure. If you see a deserving post that didn't get Featured, be sure to tag Carol in the comment section of any post and watch for it in the next edition of Second Chance Saturday.
First Time Bloggers are now being featured in my Welcome Wednesday series. This is where we also feature educational posts to use ActiveRain more effectively and efficiently. … (20 comments)
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carol williams: Fun Fact Friday: The Gingko From the Age of Dinosaurs
- 10/08/26 06:22 AM
“When your family history predates the dinosaurs, you’ve earned the right to show off a little gold.”
Today we're going back to the days before dinosaurs roamed the earth. I don't know why I didn't think of featuring this tree before now because we have a Petrified forest of Ginkgo trees almost in my backyard. They aren't in my actual backyard, but 40 miles south of Wenatchee.
The Dinosaur link:
The Ginkgo biloba, is also called the maidenhair tree, which is the only surviving species in its botanical family. Fossils of its relatives date back more than 270 million years, which IS before … (3 comments)
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carol williams: First Ladies #22: Frances Cleveland
- 10/01/26 04:22 PM
“We are coming back just four years from today.”
Attributed to Frances Cleveland as she prepared to leave the White House in 1889.
-Frances Cleveland
First Lady: June 2, 1886–March 4, 1889, and March 4, 1893–March 4, 1897
Born: July 21, 1864, in Buffalo, New York
Died: October 29, 1947, in Baltimore, Maryland, at age 83
Are you paying attention? We have another First Lady, #22. There have been 9 presidents who had hostesses serve at social functions because they weren't married at the time. In Grover Cleveland's case, he married while serving as president, as did President John Tyler.
When President Grover Cleveland entered the White … (11 comments)
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carol williams: First Ladies #22*: Rose Cleveland
- 10/01/26 03:47 PM
“It is by contact with humanity that we become more tender, more unselfish, more sympathetic, more wise, and less egotistic.”
Rose Cleveland
Born: June 13, 1846
Died: November 22, 1918
Years as White House Hostess: March 4, 1885, to June 2, 1886
President: Grover Cleveland
Relationship: His younger sister
As we are learning in this series, not every woman who served as first lady was a president’s wife. When bachelor Grover Cleveland became president in 1885, his younger sister, Rose, stepped forward as White House hostess. A teacher and writer, she brought scholarly interests to a position centered on entertaining and social traditions.
Early Life and FamilyRose Elizabeth Cleveland … (6 comments)
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carol williams: Second Chance Saturday: Week 469
- 09/30/26 10:14 AM
Sometimes you deserve a second chance, not because you weren't fabulous the first time, but because the timing and circumstances weren't quite right. You just got overlooked." -Carol Williams
Second Chance Saturday is all about giving deserving posts more exposure. If you see a deserving post that didn't get Featured, be sure to tag Carol in the comment section of any post and watch for it in the next edition of Second Chance Saturday.
First Time Bloggers are now being featured in my Welcome Wednesday series. Please check there, and take a minute to welcome them to ActiveRain.
* * * * … (13 comments)
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carol williams: Welcome Wednesday #2: The Point System
- 09/29/26 06:34 AM
“A warm welcome opens the door. Shared knowledge gives us a reason to come in, stay, and grow.”
Welcome to this week’s edition of Welcome Wednesday, where we introduce ActiveRain’s newest First-Time Bloggers and share educational resources that can help all of us use the platform more effectively.
Welcome To Our Newest First-Time Bloggers
Every experienced Rainer here was once a new member. We all started with no knowledge of how this platform works, so follow along, jump in, and enjoy The Rain.
Real Estate Service Support Group
"Real Estate Service Support Group, LLC, also known as The Land Buyers, is a nationwide real estate investment … (18 comments)
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carol williams: Fun Fact Friday: Rainbow Eucalyptus
- 09/22/26 10:31 AM
“Colors are the smiles of nature.”—Leigh Hunt
After exploring the bulky Baobab and the umbrella-shaped Dragon’s Blood Tree, our tour of trees that hardly look real continues with one that appears to have been painted by an artist.
The Rainbow Eucalyptus is famous for its extraordinary trunk, which can display streaks of green, blue, purple, orange, red, and reddish brown, all at the same time. Yet no paintbrush is involved. Its brilliant colors are created through the tree’s natural process of shedding and renewing its bark.
Tree Profile
Common Name: Rainbow Eucalyptus, Rainbow Gum, or Mindanao GumScientific Name: Eucalyptus degluptaTree Type: Tropical broadleaf evergreenAverage Height: … (10 comments)
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carol williams: First Ladies #21*: Mary McElroy
- 09/12/26 09:29 AM
“When I went to the White House, I was absolutely unfamiliar with the customs and formalities.”
— Mary Arthur McElroy
Born: July 5, 1841Died: January 8, 1917Years as White House Hostess: 1881–1885President: Chester A. ArthurRelationship to the President: Younger sister
Mary McElroy was never officially First Lady, yet she gracefully served as White House hostess during the administration of her widowed brother, President Chester A. Arthur.
Arthur’s wife, Ellen Herndon Arthur, had died of pneumonia in January 1880, nearly two years before he unexpectedly became president following the death of President James A. Garfield. Deeply devoted to his late wife, Arthur chose not to give … (10 comments)
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carol williams: Fun Fact Friday: The Baobab Tree
- 09/12/26 07:17 AM
“Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it.”— African proverb
After the enormous Giant Sequoia, I wondered what tree could possibly be interesting enough to follow it. Rather than trying to find something bigger, I decided to go for something stranger.
Meet the Baobab, one of the most unusual-looking trees on Earth. It is pronounced "bow-bab", rhyming with cow-bab.
With its enormous swollen trunk and relatively sparse branches, the Baobab has earned the nickname “the upside-down tree.” According to African folklore, it looks as though the tree was pulled from the ground and replanted with its roots sticking into the … (10 comments)
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carol williams: Fun Fact Friday: Giant Sequoia
- 09/06/26 11:29 AM
“A Giant Sequoia doesn't simply grow old. It becomes a witness to history.”
After writing about Douglas Firs, Oaks, Monkey Puzzle trees, Bald Cypress and several other fascinating species, I started thinking about what to write about next and one kept rising to the top of the list.
And "rising" seems like an appropriate word.
This week we're heading to California to meet the Giant Sequoia, a tree so enormous and so long-lived that photographs don't really convey its scale. Stand beside one and suddenly you will feel very small.
Size isn't the only thing that makes the Giant Sequoia remarkable. Its relationship with fire, … (10 comments)
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carol williams: First Ladies 18: Julia Dent Grant
- 09/02/26 09:25 AM
“For nearly thirty-seven years, I, his wife, rested and was warmed in the sunlight of his loyal love.” -Julia Grant Born: January 26, 1826 (St. Louis, Missouri, USA)Died: December 14, 1902 (Washington, D.C., USA)Years as First Lady: March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877
Julia Dent Grant, the wife of President Ulysses S. Grant, entered the White House after years of separation, war, and financial hardship. Unlike some First Ladies who found public life burdensome, Julia embraced her role with enthusiasm. She enjoyed entertaining, welcomed the attention that accompanied her husband’s presidency, and later remembered their eight years in the White House as … (12 comments)
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carol williams: Fun Fact Friday: The Eastern Black Oak
- 08/30/26 10:54 AM
“The true character of a person (or tree) is not seen on the surface, but revealed in what lies beneath.”
After publishing my Fun Fact Friday article about the Eastern White Oak, my friend Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Real Estate Svcs., suggested that I should feature the Black Oak next. After all, we certainly would not want anyone to think this series was showing favoritism of race! Of course, trees don't concern themselves with such nonsense. Her comment made me laugh and gave me an excellent idea for our next tree.
The Eastern black oak has an interesting story of its own. … (12 comments)
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carol williams: Second Chance Saturday: Week 465
- 08/30/26 02:34 AM
Sometimes you deserve a second chance, not because you weren't fabulous the first time, but because the timing and circumstances weren't quite right. You just got overlooked." -Carol Williams
Second Chance Saturday is all about giving deserving posts more exposure. If you see a deserving post that didn't get Featured, be sure to tag Carol in the comment section of any post and watch for it in the next edition of Second Chance Saturday.
Let's Welcome Our First-Time Bloggers:
Note: We don't feature first-time blogs that aren't about real estate or those that appear to be spamming their own blogs. We consider … (15 comments)
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carol williams: Second Chance Saturday: Week 464
- 08/28/26 10:14 AM
Sometimes you deserve a second chance, not because you weren't fabulous the first time, but because the timing and circumstances weren't quite right. You just got overlooked." -Carol Williams
Second Chance Saturday is all about giving deserving posts more exposure. If you see a deserving post that didn't get Featured, be sure to tag Carol in the comment section of any post and watch for it in the next edition of Second Chance Saturday.
Let's Welcome Our First-Time Bloggers:
Note: We don't feature first-time blogs that aren't about real estate or those that appear to be spamming their own blogs. We consider … (18 comments)
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carol williams: Fun Fact Friday: The Bald Cypress
- 08/21/26 06:58 AM
“A tree is our most intimate contact with nature.”
George Nakashima
Have you ever paddled through a Southern swamp where enormous trees rise directly from the water and strange woody structures surround their trunks like small sentinels?
If so, you are probably looking at bald cypress trees, one of the most unusual and recognizable trees native to the United States.
The bald cypress is a conifer, but unlike most familiar conifers, it does not remain green throughout the winter. It loses its feathery needles each year, which helps explain how it earned the name “bald.”
Tree ProfileScientific name: Taxodium distichum
Other names: Southern cypress, swamp cypress, red … (12 comments)
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carol williams: Fun Fact Friday: White Oak
- 08/20/26 05:07 AM
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Last week's featured tree was the Douglas Fir, which is native to the Northwestern part of the U.S. This week we are moving east to feature the White Oak.
Few trees represent strength, endurance, and American history quite like the oak tree does. Oaks have provided shade for generations of families, supplied food and shelter for wildlife, and provided wood for everything from homes and furniture to ships and barrels.
There are approximately 435 oak species worldwide, with about 90 native to North America. They include red oaks, live oaks, bur … (18 comments)
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carol williams: Second Chance Saturday: Week 463
- 08/18/26 09:45 AM
Sometimes you deserve a second chance, not because you weren't fabulous the first time, but because the timing and circumstances weren't quite right. You just got overlooked." -Carol Williams
Second Chance Saturday is all about giving deserving posts more exposure. If you see a deserving post that didn't get Featured, be sure to tag Carol in the comment section of any post and watch for it in the next edition of Second Chance Saturday.
Let's Welcome Our First-Time Bloggers:
Note: We don't feature first-time blogs that aren't about real estate or those that appear to be spamming their own blogs. We consider … (17 comments)
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carol williams: Second Chance Saturday: Week 462
- 08/10/26 09:07 AM
Sometimes you deserve a second chance, not because you weren't fabulous the first time, but because the timing and circumstances weren't quite right. You just got overlooked." -Carol Williams
Second Chance Saturday is all about giving deserving posts more exposure. If you see a deserving post that didn't get Featured, be sure to tag Carol in the comment section of any post and watch for it in the next edition of Second Chance Saturday.
Let's Welcome Our First-Time Bloggers:
Note: We don't feature first-time blogs that aren't about real estate or those that appear to be spamming their own blogs. We consider … (18 comments)
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carol williams: Fun Fact Friday: Douglas Fir Tree
- 08/08/26 02:57 AM
"A forest is more than just trees. It's an entire community of life."
I was born and raised in the Northwest portion of Oregon. As the state tree of Oregon, I thought it would be an appropriate one to start my tree series with. When I was a teenager, 4-H Forestry was one of the clubs I belonged to. Although I've forgotten much of what I learned, I remember the Douglas Fir very well and the scientific name of the is etched into my memory for some mysterious reason:
Pseudotsuga menziesii.
Pronounced: soo-do-TSOO-ga-men-ZEE-see-eye
When people think of the Pacific Northwest, they usually picture … (14 comments)
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carol williams: Second Chance Saturday: Week 461
- 08/07/26 03:39 AM
Sometimes you deserve a second chance, not because you weren't fabulous the first time, but because the timing and circumstances weren't quite right. You just got overlooked." -Carol Williams
Second Chance Saturday is all about giving deserving posts more exposure. If you see a deserving post that didn't get Featured, be sure to tag Carol in the comment section of any post and watch for it in the next edition of Second Chance Saturday.
Let's Welcome Our First-Time Bloggers:
Note: We don't feature first-time blogs that aren't about real estate or those that appear to be spamming their own blogs. We consider … (16 comments)
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Sometimes you deserve a second chance, not because you weren't fabulous the first time, but because the timing and circumstances weren't quite right. You just got overlooked." -Carol Williams 
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