Once upon a time, I had this blog...
I refinished furniture. (I still do.) I painted things. (Everything from cedar chests to terra cotta pots.) I had chickens. ( Oh! how I miss fresh eggs.) I grew flowers and veggies and dug a pond. (I suspect that gardening might be passed down through the genes.)
I have a dog and a sweetie and two very grown sons and two grand-daughters--all of which I love very very VERY much. (Not necessarily in that order. I think.)
I took photos and posted fairly regularly. I enjoyed the community and the friends I made as I shared.
What happened?
Picasa stopped uploading photos easily to the blogosphere. Not a deal-breaker, but it added a degree of difficulty. The Big Bloggers came to the party. People stopped interacting on their visits and I missed the comments. Facebook and Instagram became a lot easier than a blog--snap a photo, write a few words, and done. And then Pinterest came along, heaven help us all.
I miss the days when blogging was at its height. The days of my week revolved around the blog parties when everyone posted their latest. Writing a good tutorial or sharing my latest accomplishment was a part of my daily life. Taking a vacation and planning the best photos was a joy. Visiting blogs was the same as visiting friends. There was community and camaraderie and I loved connecting with people from around the globe.
Change is a part of life. I take photos with my smartphone not my digital camera. Picasa got rolled into a less satisfying photo editor. My PC eventually became a laptop. And my list of blogs eventually disappeared, but not before many lovely writers abandoned their websites.
Now? I finally added some sites to my favorites so that I can read a select few blogs who shall remain unnamed.
I wish I could find my old list to see who's still out there flinging their hearts into the blogosphere. I wish I could reach out to say how much you enriched my life and inspired me. You made me laugh. You shared your home and your pets and your children with me. I loved your photos and your individual style and your enthusiasm.
And now, here I am, realizing that I miss the challenge of writing cogently. I miss sharing my thoughts and aspirations, my hopes and failures. My daily life isn't filled with earth-shattering revelations and insights. It is replete with small satisfactions and quiet beauty and bursts of enthusiasm.
I think that I might still have something to say even if only for myself. I think I need to celebrate my own life and leave a record to look back on so I can say, Wow! I forgot I did that or Gee, I'm so glad I took that photo when the tree was small or Remember when?
It will be a challenge to rediscover photo-editing on a new platform (unless I can figure out how to magically bring Picasa back to usable form). Because my photos were my starting point for any blog post.
Crossing my fingers. You may see me here again.
Or you might not. I might just be writing my life into a journal that no one will see but will satisfy me mightily.
Off to remember what my inspiration word for 2018 is. Off to revisit my old PC and Picasa. Off to look at drafts that were never posted. And off to visit my other private family blogs to see if I should revisit them for family and future genealogists.
With a smile and a wave,
Pogonip aka Roxie
I refinished furniture. (I still do.) I painted things. (Everything from cedar chests to terra cotta pots.) I had chickens. ( Oh! how I miss fresh eggs.) I grew flowers and veggies and dug a pond. (I suspect that gardening might be passed down through the genes.)
I have a dog and a sweetie and two very grown sons and two grand-daughters--all of which I love very very VERY much. (Not necessarily in that order. I think.)
I took photos and posted fairly regularly. I enjoyed the community and the friends I made as I shared.
What happened?
Picasa stopped uploading photos easily to the blogosphere. Not a deal-breaker, but it added a degree of difficulty. The Big Bloggers came to the party. People stopped interacting on their visits and I missed the comments. Facebook and Instagram became a lot easier than a blog--snap a photo, write a few words, and done. And then Pinterest came along, heaven help us all.
I miss the days when blogging was at its height. The days of my week revolved around the blog parties when everyone posted their latest. Writing a good tutorial or sharing my latest accomplishment was a part of my daily life. Taking a vacation and planning the best photos was a joy. Visiting blogs was the same as visiting friends. There was community and camaraderie and I loved connecting with people from around the globe.
Change is a part of life. I take photos with my smartphone not my digital camera. Picasa got rolled into a less satisfying photo editor. My PC eventually became a laptop. And my list of blogs eventually disappeared, but not before many lovely writers abandoned their websites.
Now? I finally added some sites to my favorites so that I can read a select few blogs who shall remain unnamed.
I wish I could find my old list to see who's still out there flinging their hearts into the blogosphere. I wish I could reach out to say how much you enriched my life and inspired me. You made me laugh. You shared your home and your pets and your children with me. I loved your photos and your individual style and your enthusiasm.
And now, here I am, realizing that I miss the challenge of writing cogently. I miss sharing my thoughts and aspirations, my hopes and failures. My daily life isn't filled with earth-shattering revelations and insights. It is replete with small satisfactions and quiet beauty and bursts of enthusiasm.
I think that I might still have something to say even if only for myself. I think I need to celebrate my own life and leave a record to look back on so I can say, Wow! I forgot I did that or Gee, I'm so glad I took that photo when the tree was small or Remember when?
It will be a challenge to rediscover photo-editing on a new platform (unless I can figure out how to magically bring Picasa back to usable form). Because my photos were my starting point for any blog post.
Crossing my fingers. You may see me here again.
Or you might not. I might just be writing my life into a journal that no one will see but will satisfy me mightily.
Off to remember what my inspiration word for 2018 is. Off to revisit my old PC and Picasa. Off to look at drafts that were never posted. And off to visit my other private family blogs to see if I should revisit them for family and future genealogists.
With a smile and a wave,
Pogonip aka Roxie
