This tree is decorated with flowers I dried, most of which I grew. I keep the tree up year round (without the lights lit). After three years the flowers are faded and I throw them away.

Writing: A novel starts with a seed of an idea that has to be nourished and grown-- through research, outlining and mentally trying out different scenarios. But when the writing begins, the words falter and the characters move robotically. What had been a promising bloom withers. Rewriting and editing preserves the bloom. But like a dried flower, the color is changed. Sometimes the story doesn't bloom, instead it crumbles into dust.