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| All my blogs with comments in 3-ring binders |
Last
week I wrote my 223rd blog with Writers Who Kill starting my fifth year
of blogging here so this is my 224th blog not counting the guest
blogs I’ve done. The only members I started with who are still blogging here
are E.B. Davis, Jim Jackson, Linda Rodriguez and Warren Bull. Warren and I are
the only ones who still write a blog every week. I can understand cutting down to
every other week or once a month because coming up with a new idea for a blog,
writing, and often researching the topic I choose to write about as well as
finding pictures to fit the blog takes time. And then there’s sending it for
review and revising the blog as well as posting it.
Since
I started blogging, I have written close to forty-five blogs on writing, but
there is only so much to be said about the topic when it’s a topic also covered
by other members of WWK. It hasn’t always been on writing mysteries, but also
writing poetry, letters, and keeping a journal.
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| A blog about the amazing memory of elephants. |
I’ve
written blogs on animals like cats in cozies, dogs, bouts with a skunk and
possums. There was one on bears and another on Bambi, a fawn I found in my woods.
There were blogs on my chickens, ponies, horses, ants, spiders, butterflies,
bees, and one on elephants and their memory.
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| E.B. Grace, Shari, me, Paula, and KM at Malice 2015 |
I’ve
written about Malice, Bouchercon, Seascape, and writing events my SinC chapter
NEOSinC has put on or specialists who visited us; an FBI agent, a cadaver dog
and his handler, an arson inspector, as well as a visit to the morgue. We’ve
had other events we put on, too. Hank Phillippi Ryan was our guest at one several
years ago and in September we had Nancy Pickard.
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| I'm on the left with a nephew and one of my sisters. |
I’ve
also written on interests of mine as well as things I’ve done like gardening,
backpacking, camping, book clubs, vacations I’ve gone on, daily walks in the
woods, and delivering Mobile Meals to name a few.
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| For an Easter blog |
I’ve blogged on holidays and special days like
New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, the Irish in March, Memorial Day,
Father’s Day, Fourth of July, Halloween and Thanksgiving.We don’t blog in
December so I haven’t blogged about that holiday, but I did one on the
anniversary of Girl Scout Day and a few other days like that. I got a lot of
comments on the Girl Scout blog.
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| Beatrix Potter |
I’ve
blogged about famous people; Charles Dickens, Robert Frost, Pete Seeger, Dr.
Seuss, Maya Angelou, John Muir, The Car Talk Guys when Tom Magliozzi died,
Beatrix Potter and Woody Guthrie. I’ve
only done a few interviews and three of them were members of my SinC chapter
and Judy Hogan, who I met at the 2nd Malice I attended. We meet up every
year there, and since we also both have small farms and write poetry we’ve
become email friends.
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| A picture from my blog about ghosts |
Because
I have what could be considered a monkey brain that is fascinated by many
things, when I hear something interesting on NPR or read something strange in
the newspaper, I often decide to look into it deeper and Google it to learn
more. So I wrote a blog on Entomophagy; a culinary revolution about eating
insects and the movement to make them more appealing and available for people
to eat this nutritious food. No, I haven’t tried any nor do I intend to. I also
wrote a blog “Are You an Extrovert, Introvert or Ambivert?” When I wrote that I
was more of an introvert, my Washington state sister and her husband found that
hysterically funny because everywhere I go I strike up conversations with
people. I wrote a blog “Are Ghosts for Real?” and a follow up “The Unexplained
Revisited.” Both of them got quite a few comments.
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| My oldest son's grave |
The
comments I’ve received for my blogs vary from as few as three once up to over
twenty, and I know some people follow me on a regular basis without leaving a
comment because they’ve told me so. The most comments I've gotten was on “Life Changing
Events” in which I wrote about how the death of my eighteen year old son led me
to college and eventually to teaching and writing. “Finding a Body” about my
finding a suicide hanging from a tree in my woods one morning also had a lot of
comments. Another blog that had quite a few comments was “Bouncing Back or Not”
about the resilience some have and others don’t after something bad happens in
their life.
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| My daughter's cats are as curious as I am about many things. |
I’m
facing another year of blogs ahead of me because I’m not ready to give up my
Thursday spot, and even though I have no idea what I’ll write about next week, I’m quite sure something will pop into this monkey brain of
mine that will grab my attention and make me want to write about it. Yes, it
takes away from my time to work on the seventh book I’ve started. However, I
feel blogging is a mental activity that keeps my brain more active and at my
age that is important. Also, I’m not big on promoting my books and this is a
way to do so while at the same time enjoying the challenge of writing something
new each week.
If
you write a blog do you enjoy it?
Do
you enjoy reading blogs?
Is
there a blog of mine you remember?
I've been interviewing for so long, I may reserve a Saturday for myself to actually blog! Of course, I'll have to wait until June since we're booked! No doubt the blog of yours that sticks in my mind--when you came upon the suicide in the tree. Didn't it make you a bit paranoid that the fifth, tenth, twentieth time you walked the same path you'd fine another horror? Another person's death is solemn, but also its unnerving. Did you change your walking trail? Silly of course, but still, I can't pull that bag of giblets out of a turkey because one time the head of the beast was also contained therein.
ReplyDeleteGloria,
ReplyDeleteI remember most, if not all the blogs you mentioned. It’s been wonderful to meet you in person (and stay with you and walk through your woods). Best wishes for the coming year.
~ Jim
E.B. no it hasn't worried me walking in the woods, and yes I follow the same path. Mostly I felt sorry for that man I never met after hearing about him from his son and seeing his face in his obituary. As I mentioned before, I planted daffodils where he died and say a little prayer there both for him and thanking God I have a woods to walk in. I have been personally involved in death more than you ever have, E.B. and that makes a difference. I held my son as he died, was with my mother-in-law nights the last few weeks of her life although not there when she actually died, was there before my father died and there when my mother died and was with my brother when he died. So no death doesn't scare me although if it had been a murder, that might have made a difference. As for pulling a head out with the bag of giblets would have creeped me out. I don't like dealing with dead critters.
ReplyDeleteJim, I enjoyed the brief time you and Jan stayed with me. If you ever want a place to stay on your trip between Georgia and Michigan, I'd love to have you again. You don't mind weeding do you???? By the way, the two rose bushes you bought for me are blooming nicely - well not right now, of course. :-)
You're always up to something, Gloria, a curious person born to google. It's reassuring to read about your walks in the woods with Maggie, as the seasons pass. You always have something different to ponder, investigate, and celebrate.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen your first snowdrops yet?
The amaryllis bulb I potted before Thanksgiving is finally getting its act together, sending up green shoots and as of this morning, two big fat buds. I could meditate on the value of being a late-bloomer, but I'm pleased and relieved that I potted it correctly AND didn't waste my money buying a bulb that never bloomed.
I've thoroughly enjoyed your blogs, Gloria. Their diversity is wonderful, and you lead us to so many interesting topics.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMargaret, we got out first snowfall earlier this week. So far not a lot of snow, but it was bitter, bitter cold, although today it's up in the lower twenties and rising which is good since I deliver Mobile Meals today. I haven't had an amaryllis in years. The last several I had never bloomed so I haven't tried them again. Maybe next year I will.
Thank you, KM. At first I worried about the diversity because it is a blog devoted to mystery readers and fans, but like I wrote, there's only so much I can write about that. Right now I'm wondering what my blog next week will be about, but I'm sure I'll get some idea before then.
Gloria, you are my role model! I love the way you embrace life with such enthusiasm and positive energy. I remember us meeting at Malice, during your Authors' Alley presentation for your first book. How amazing to think you are now on novel seven! We have spent time together in the Guppy Story Critique Group and had our short stories published at WWK and BWR(the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable). This last year, when we met at Malice and Bouchercon, it felt like a family reunion. Thank you, Gloria, for your friendship and your beautiful monkey brain (which I'll also call a teacher's brain). I'm always glad to be learning things from you. I continue to look forward to reading your blogs each week. [Let's just hope that Carla Damron doesn't react too strongly about your photo of "Peep Power."]
ReplyDeleteAmazing Gloria!I cannot imagine writing that many blogs. Never occurred to me to put mine in a book (they reside in a file on my computer. Somehow a binder makes them more tangible. I am so intrigued by your peep post and your ghost post. Are they available in archives? I would love to read both. Preferably while eating peeps! I'm looking forward to many more of your blogs.
ReplyDeleteGloria, you are an inspiration. When I think of all you do, taking care of your house, family, critters, community and you still maintain an impressive reading and writing pace - whew! From one monkey brain to another, thank you for your positive energy and fascinating blogs.
ReplyDeleteI love blogging too, Gloria, though 7 years weekly on one group mystery blog and almost 3 on another was enough, except for the occasional guest blog. Among many, many topics, I interviewed my remarkable Aunt Hilda on her 95th, 100th, and 101st birthdays. She died this year at 103, and for her memorial gathering in December, I printed out those posts and shared them with her family and friends. She wasn't a writer, but she had the family editorial skills, and her comment that President Obama's letter of congratulations on her reaching the age of 100 was "well written" got a good laugh.
ReplyDeletePaula, you're so sweet. I've enjoyed meeting you each year at Malice and then at Bouchercon last year, too.
ReplyDeleteKait, all of them are available in the archives. Easter and Peeps was 3-28-13, The ghosts ones were Are Ghosts for Real 11-7-13 and The Unexplained Revisited was on 11-14-13. I print out almost everything I write because I never know if my computer may crash. I had to go back on a few of my blogs to print out the comments because I usually wait a few days afterwards to print those out and there were a few I'd forgotten to print out.
Thank you, Shari. I'll always cherish the trip we took to Mass in Raleigh. Wasn't that an awesome church? I was especially impressed with the diversity of the congregation. As someone who lives in an almost all white community we don't see much diversity at all.
Liz, you've got me beat in number of blogs I would love to read about your grandmother. I especially loved hearing her comment on President Obama's letter.I blogged once about my very eccentric grandmother, too. All her grandchildren enjoyed her because of her eccentricity. Once we get older, we don't worry so much about being different, do we.
Congratulations on reaching this milestone, Gloria! And yes, I love blogging, but it does eat up a lot of time.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about that, B.K. but I figure it helps our mental acuity.
ReplyDeleteI write my own postmenopausalzest.blogspot.com which I've done on many topics since Jan 2011, so that's five years, too. I don't read many other blogs--too much else I feel I need to do first, but Gloria sometimes gets me to read hers. She's very good about reading mine. I review mysteries, share poetry, interview writers of all kinds. The blog that has had the most pageviews all this time is the interview with Louise Penny which I originally did in 2009 for the Guppy newsletter. It still gets the most hits from the summer of 2011, I think. You can probably google it and find it. She wasn't so famous yet, but I loved her books. Then i write about fracking and coal ash problems, which we've had here in central NC. It's my main social networking, but lately I've joined goodreads, so I'll see how that works out. Gloria is devoted, and I feel lucky to have her as a reader. Judy Hogan
ReplyDelete