Month: September 2019

No, not my age.  This is my 100^thblog, unless I’ve miscounted, in which case, it could be 99 or 101.  But I’m pretty sure we’ve reached a milestone.  So, how to celebrate?  How to fully appreciate the moment?  Should I open a bottle of champagne?  Collect them all into a book for those that have been persistent, one might say stubbornly dogged readers that have been with me for three years and are the backbone of my success?  I should mention in all modesty that I also reached a milestone in that 159 people (or robots randomly searching) viewed my blog one day recently – a personal best. On the flip side, I’m off this morning to buy a new computer because this one, my old buddy, has been updated once too many times and the processors are swirling around with the speed of erosion in the Grand Canyon, begging to be retired. Continue reading “A Milestone at 100”

Well, it’s another year since I started these weekly proclamations of joy, and I’d like to again to thank my handfuls of faithful readers that respond just enough to keep me going.  And while I don’t have the readership of, say, Conan Doyle or J. K. Rawling, the new season seems a fine moment to comment on the changes that humans and nature bring, for better or worse.  It’s also a nice time for me to steal bits and pieces of last year’s ode so I don’t have to start from scratch. Continue reading “Ode to Fall 2019 (or Pumpkin Spice and EEE)”

In one of my recent blogs, I mentioned a “dog blogger” that appeared on an episode of House Hunters. This person needed a special “doggie bedroom” where the “doggie beds” could be placed, because we all know that the stereotypical dog sleeping at the foot of its owners’ bed gives the dog a total lack of privacy.  There’s been a steady building of pet independence, leading to wonderful inventions like the “doggie door” that lets all manner of wild animals into your house. Continue reading “Pet Parenting (Going Way Overboard)”

As I hit my stride heading into a third year, it occurred to me that blogs reflect the writer’s interests, unique perspectives, and writing something that will appeal to a niche market. Several bloggers have written to me in the last two years to tell me they have enjoyed my writing, and also inviting me to read theirs, which I have.  That inspired me to describe for you  a few that I’ve read, and honestly, a number that I haven’t but I’ll speculate anyway on what they’re all about. Continue reading “A Blogger’s Take on . . . Blogs”

Well, it’s happened again.  The folks at Publishers Clearing House sent me a message that “A winner has been chosen.” How fantastic.  If it’s not me, I really could not care less.  So, last Friday was the day fated for my big check to arrive, but, get this, it didn’t.  No large vehicle pulled up out front, with crews unloading lights, cameras, and balloons.  I did not even answer the door.  I saw no reason to smile broadly or cry out joyfully. Two years ago, I informed my faithful readers that I felt really, really close to the big payday.  Well, hourly updates were coming in for the last two weeks from PCH.  I’ve been working hard to maintain my Presidential Preferred Status by buying only essentials like cushioned jar openers. It’s all a big mystery because I know they have a map to my house. There it is, on each announcement, surrounded by the lots of happy people in PCH blazers, tossing fistfuls of cash into the air. But, once again, nothing but disappointment.

Continue reading “Another Big Win – Missed”