blogging...

a favorite photo

This will probably be short because I have to go to Yoga in a little while. But I've been reading blogs this morning and *accidentally deleting* comments (I'm such a klutz sometimes).  And I noticed that some people compare their blogs with other blogs.  Maybe this is normal, I don't know. However, I just wanted to say that to me a blog is a slice of one's life (albeit a small one) that part which a person chooses to share. It isn't a competition... or at least it's not for me (I'm afraid that I've never been competitive - probably why I don't care much for games).

Before I blogged, I journaled; first in tablets, then online. Why? Dunno.  But I've been doing it since I was a child and would do it whether anyone read them or not.  I do appreciate the readers... and the comments. It makes the whole process more interactive. And you get to make online friends (this is a plus!).  Writing in my journals never accomplished this.  It has always been a way to voice my feelings so for me it's probably psychologically beneficial. Blogging is a bit different. I share more of what I'm doing and thinking and less about personal stuff... or possibly the personal stuff gets a bit 'camouflaged'.

And another wonderful perk about blogging for me is sharing pictures! Getting to see what our online friends see! Sometimes getting to see things we would never be able to see in person ourselves.  I love this. Of course I have always been a big fan of photography. Being an amateur myself, some people's photos are fantastic! But I love them all... snapshots of kittens playing, a home-cooked meal,  a happy grandchild, as well as panoramic scenic shots of  nature's wonders...

And lastly, I find that blogging helps me categorize my days, weeks, months, and years.  I can go back and see what I was doing back on February 1, 2003 (or close - in this case it's Feb 2, 2003 - 10 years ago) - ... not important to anyone but me... but hey, it's my blog! As it stands, apparently (and I had forgotten this), this was around the tragic date that the Shuttle blew up over Texas. If you do check this link, you have to scroll down to Feb. 2nd.

Anyway, have a wonderful weekend! And Happy Blogging!

B. W. O.

                                                 

Saw this on someones site recently and thought it pretty cute. Most of you probably know what it means, but I didn't.  For those of you who may be clueless (like myself) , it means "blogging without obligation" and I got it here.  I didn't know how to copy the whole message, so I did it my way and linked it.  Anyway, I thought it an original idea... kind of a waiver saying "I'll blog when and if feel like it!"

Today is a quiet Monday. I won't have many of them in the Fall when Pottery takes over again, so am trying to enjoy them now.  I did a little more 'clearing out' of my computer room... just in case grand daughter decides to come spend some time with us.  She usually does for a week or so each summer, but this summer I have had some health probs that interfered.  But it may still happen.  We have a guest room upstairs, but she prefers to stay in her mom's old room which is adjacent to ours and is now my computer/study (it does have a daybed in it). Unfortunately it is also used as a 'store it all' throughout the year... so it gets a bit cluttered.  In some places there are attics or basements that accommodate this problem, but here we don't have basements and the attics are too friggin hot to even attempt putting much up there. So here I sit with a Santa Claus and old wooden sign saying "Merry Christmas!" on the side of my desk... not to mention boxes of files and old papers that need going through. Oh well, such is life.

This afternoon DH and I plan to visit the town of McKinney.  It's only 15- 20 minutes from us, but has a quaint little town square with shops and eating places.  His brother and wife are coming in a few weeks to visit and we thought we'd take them to a restaurant that I went to with friends a while back.  DH wasn't with us, so I thought we'd go today and have some pie and coffee... and let him check it out.  We need to take the back roads as the highway is being worked on and a real pain to navigate at times.

This is one of our male box turtles that come by to eat the cat chow we feed the ferals (they should call it 'cat, turtle, raccoon, & possum' chow). I marked his shell with a bit of nail polish to distinguish him from some of the others that live in our yard. He's a nice size, but not as large as some of the females. He also likes strawberries, figs, and apples (the figs and apples grow in our yard, the strawberries we get at Central Market and share with him on occasion). We live on a creek and the box turtles and red sliders seem to be abundant... (we also keep our area as organic as possible - no insecticides).

New Title for old site...

It is Monday, June 18, 2012.  Having just googled my old post to see what came up... I decided that the title "For Better or For Worse, but not for lunch" was apparently too popular.  So I've now changed it to "Older but better...?"  But you can find my older posts there.  I probably should have googled this title also before starting to write, but as the saying goes, "coulda, shoulda, woulda.... didn't".

This was me in school around 1954 or 55.  Life was simple then.  It gradually got more complicated... and less simple.  But it was always good.  Don't mean to imply that things were always wine and roses, but my philosophy then (even if I hadn't formulated it into words) was "what is... is, and I can handle it". And that philosophy continues to work for me today at the grand old age of approaching 67.

I have blogged or had a website for many many years.  Previous to this I journaled by hand, but when online journaling became popular (maybe 12 or more years ago), I went with it.  Sometimes I regret it as many of my websites disappeared over the years, some can still be brought up, and there are quite a few out there... the most recent having been Cats, Coffee, and Chocolate.  But this particular site was to be devoted to the new experience and adventure into retirement.  Hubby retired the summer of 2009 and took to it more readily than I had expected. Having retired from my career field back in 1991, I've only worked part time in recent years; however arriving at full retirement age was something I both anticipated and feared.

So many unknowns.  Would we have enough money to live on?  Would we miss the routine we had established over the years?  Would we miss our working family and friends?  Would we get bored?  Would we like being home together 24/7?  Etc. Etc. Etc.   And then there's Social Security, and Medicare, and Supplements....

Anyway, if you want to read the first posts during these awkward months, you will have to go back to "For Better or for Worse" and "Cats, Coffee, and Chocolate".  As now it is almost the first anniversary of both of us being home and retired.  August 12, 2011 was my last day at the bookstore... which is where I spent the last 5 years of mornings. Loved it!  Love books, love people who love books, write books, read books, etc.  So it was a good match.  But have to say this also.... I love being retired!

It has worked out well.  We both have our own routines.  Love being able to do what I want when I want...  (limited some by budget of course, but not by time).  Will go into more of this tomorrow.  Have to close for today. 
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