Pondering The Blog

I've been thinking about a blog post that Amy (from Angry Chicken) wrote pertaining to - if I can even summarize this -- to being okay with other people's successes. It was a rather profound concept and it dovetailed with coming off of the SewMamaSew giveaway week.

Like other crafters out there, I visited a few blogs (nowhere near the 550 giving things away) and checked out some other sewing blogs. Knitting  blogs, family blogs, crafty blogs. Sheep shearing blog.

Beyond being blown away by other people's creativity, I was also pondering blog design and why we blog at all.

So Amy's post was timely and while sorting mail (and instead of reading other people mail),  I revisited the reasons as to why I blog.

My obvious reasons: I like to write and have nearly forgotten how and I love taking photographs so the two work as a journal of sorts.
This journal is also, on purpose, a positive place for me to be. With work being so stressful and intense right now, it becomes doubly hard to turn off the negativity and be one with a positive outlook. You cannot create if you are mired down in stress, office politics, not to mention back-stabbing people. I try not to let those things come into my blog world. I like to keep mine along the lines of Zen and the art of blogging.

The less obvious reasons: Announcing to the world at large that I need recognition and applause. I think of myself as fairly humble so I hope my blog doesn't offend anyone with it's greatness. (lol)

Another reason that became apparent last year was my auto-immune disease messing with my memory - aka brain fog. I literally go back to some of my posts and cannot remember making that soup or even writing the post. Not to mention old age; but writing a journal is quite helpful for this problem.

Another reason is to document that I do something besides work all week (six days a week). It can be a big morale boost when I am not feeling good and I am tired from working to see that I manage to do quite a few things. I've always pushed myself. I like to stay busy and frequently juggle three things at once so when I slow down to one project occasionally - it can feel wrong.

I do tend towards projects for others - as gifts. Hand-made gifts are great  but I do recognize I need to give myself some of these finished projects - more than I do. Think Selfish Seamstress. So by blogging I am reaching for that goal of taking care of myself.

Repeat after me; We are all a work in progress.

Amy's point of not always being "Good for you" when someone has a success is true for anyone. That their success makes you less somehow and you need to hurry up and perform better is  - wow - I've felt that way.
She brings up a better response of "good for you"  for everyone who this can apply to and then leaving it alone.
I enjoy the process of creating something but by no means do I need to make it perfect and it frequently is not. I tend to stay clear of sewing bloggers who have to have all their quilt triangles perfect or their garments all finished inside with bias tape. Without stringing words together, those perfect bloggers 'intimidate' me a bit - on a sub-conscience level, of course. What Amy is saying is make it simple - just say "good for you" and move on. Take it up to a conscience level.

Short list of blogs (SMS giveaway)  I was not going to read further;
I saw some blogs that were so loaded down with advertising and award buttons  that I could not enjoy them. Let alone find the content.
Many just wanted their number of followers on Facebook to go up but were not really invested in those people.
This newish trend of headline blogging (no examples as I have none of them bookmarked and I certainly cannot find one under pressure)  is distracting as well. I've asked several people about them and no consensus was reached. I think they look commercial - somewhat like reading the USA today newspaper.

Part of the problem of a type-A personality is the amazing amount of stuff in your head so my other big reason to blog is to let the stuff out. Seriously, it's not healthy to keep it all festering inside.
So- I'm right back where I started. No changes on the horizon. Still rambling about whatever is in my head. My blog is still gonna be all about me.


There were sun breaks today when I got home from work so I took care of this corner of a path to the neighbors this afternoon when I got home from work.

I took out the hodge-podge of miscellany plants and put a curve to the plantings with some variegated boxwoods. I am keeping this pathway but need to rework my second brick step as it has sunk a bit. Some barkdust to be spread to keep columbine babies from taking over the corner. That bright light in the upper left-hand corner - ANOTHER SUN BREAK!!!

Since felling 18 large fir trees (small leaning problem) last Spring, I have tried to move on to my next gardening moment but when the shack appears in my photos, it all comes back (good for them - they put a new roof on). Since the sunlight hit this bed, I have been battling growth. The light pink things in the foreground are Azaleas smothered in Lamium. I have both purple and pink varieties and Lamium was such a thoughtful delight when the trees shaded everything but now it is matting over everything in it's path.

Lamium and my snail collection device. Need some? Lamium, I mean?

Two wheelbarrows full today. Lamium, Columbine, Sweet woodruff, hardy geranium, pinks, Asters, Valerian, Forget-me-nots, Cup & Saucer( Canterbury Bells).
Destined for the compost pile.

Brief sunshine caused an Iris to pop.

Nora Barlow Columbine. I still have 10,000 plants. Somebody needs to get some backbone.

 Still sunny but some serious sounding thunder happening to the south of us.