Why Blog?

I met my friend Bev for lunch yesterday at the new Peach Valley Cafe. During our conversation the topic turned to my blog. She wondered how I got started,  her impression of my relationship with Bruce, and how she's learned a few things about me from my writing that she hadn't recognized in our face-to-face encounters. Later on I got to thinking more about it, specifically, what has kept me blogging for so long when most folks have long forgone the personal blog? The short answer is, I feel compelled to do so. Oftentimes, as I'm going about my day, I'll think of topics or titles, and so, as it is with my photography, I'm sort of obsessed.

Now, I never want people to think I write because I'm narcissistic, or that my life is more interesting than most, because that is most certainly not my intention. I like to think of my blog as a microcosm of what life is like in whatever year I happen to be writing in. A middle-aged, white, happily married woman, is probably (understatement) not representative of the populous at large, but I do keep up with trends, happily passing them along with my observations. Plus, it is a good way to justify all the photographs I'm constantly taking!

And then too, those who read this blog with any regularity, may be thinking to yourself--my gosh, they sure have been getting a lot of new things lately. You would be right--we have. After five years of going  to the market and art shows, week in and week out, I finally decided to spend a bit of the money I've earned.  So, never think I'm a big spender, because I am not! I do feel grateful to be able to save my photography earnings, however, that may not always be the case, particularly because Bruce has made his intention to retire from Darden official. He's agreed to finish his current jobs, use up all his available vacation time, and call it quits. He's tired. Talk about working--the pressure of so many jobs under construction at one time has finally gotten to him. Even without his current mega-workload, he's worked seven days a week for so many years, I fear he won't know what to do with himself, but, as with most things in our married life, we'll figure it out as we go along...

With that out of the way, let's get to some pictures, shall we? During my bike ride I stopped at Eric's house to fiddle around with the high key/low key camera settings. Here's what this darling angel statue looks like shooting with high key:

Very dramatic indeed. To give you a comparison, here's what it looks like shot with the automatic setting under similarly gloomy skies:

Which is your preference? His garden is never without new and interesting blooms, like this bromeliad:

The flash came on because there was not enough light, making for a very bright picture which nicely shows off how the ends look like curling ribbon! Check it out big for yourselves.

This bumper sticker caught my eye:

A new take on a familiar saying, or at least it is to me.

Oops, before I forget, look who has ridden 800 miles?

I wonder how high the odometer goes? I once heard a story on the radio about a 90+ year old woman who began walking on a treadmill during her 60's. Over the next 30 years she racked up more than 36,000 miles! Me? I can't imagine it, but never say never. Right?

Rarely, do I leave the house without a camera--see above. Yesterday afternoon, while running up to Publix for some orange juice, I decided that with the rain, my phone camera would be just fine. Well, who knew that when I stopped to photograph this amusing/sad sign:

that after parking the car to do so, I would be facing a beautiful rainbow???

Presumably, that is not Paul, pictured on the right, looking for his tortoise. Don't you hope he finds it? With what I know about tortoises, I'm thinking he couldn't have gone too far.

Am I the only one who thinks Anne Hathaway looks like a wax figure on the cover of Vogue?

Let's get real editors! Or at least somewhat more so. I dare you to try and hold your mouth like hers for a moment. At least they left a few wisps of hair in front of her ear.....

I'm glad Bev asked me those questions because it made me think about how much time I spend on writing, and what it means to me. Bev, kindly consented to a photograph for posterity:

I'm a firm believer in oppostites attracting one another--how else to explain my fondness for her, after all she was a Science teacher!!

My favorite part of the Wikipedia article in the above link is this:

Personal blogs

The personal blog, an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual, is the traditional, most common blog. Personal bloggers usually take pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to reflect on life, or works of art. Blogging can have a sentimental quality. Few personal blogs rise to fame and the mainstream but some personal blogs quickly garner an extensive following. One type of personal blog, referred to as a microblog, is extremely detailed and seeks to capture a moment in time. Some sites, such as Twitter, allow bloggers to share thoughts and feelings instantaneously with friends and family, and are much faster than emailing or writing.

  

I so remember when I first starting writing how weird it felt to hit publish--sending my thoughts and feelings out into the world wide web. Now, it is second nature.

Writing a blog is kind of like this squirrel, running along a fine line, hoping not to fall, or fail, for that matter.

Something has gone haywire with blogger--excuse the last few paragraphs formatted weirdly--I promise, it's not my fault!

As one of my favorite song lyrics goes, "I'm just waiting for the sun to shine", to do my bike ride but with the looks of the sky, I might have to wait all day. Alas, I will go despite the chilly gloom...

Until we meet again.