17 years

 My blog is still a teenager.  I have been blogging for 17 years, I began in late December of 2007.  Those real early blogs were on another blogging platform that is now defunct.  However I have those blogs as hard copies and I may revisit a few of them on this blog next Summer...especially the ones with family history.  ( So that is now on my to do list.)

My Grandson Adam asked me ...when do you blog Grandma?  I usually blog in the afternoon or the evening and then set it to auto publish at 3 AM.  If I know I am going to be really busy I will schedule a couple ahead of time.   Yes I could be dead and still blogging...technically! 

Flowers last Summer.  I love primary colors in a pot of flowers. 

We are doing okay Up North, there was a mix up with Far Guy's Infusion, the Doctor even tried to straighten it out....with no luck.  Back home Tiff and Lynn gave him Zemaira at the Infusion Center.  Here he gets Aralast that makes him very short of breath.  The Pharmacy up here says they cannot get Zemaira. Far Guy will contact the Pharmaceutical Company himself.  Far Guy gets infusions every week to protect his lungs, he has a genetic defect...rare disorder called Alpha One Antitrypsin Deficiency. 

I am keeping busy with puzzles, reading, crocheting and petting Sadie while keeping one eye on Far Guy. No improvement in my RA pain...the injections in my back worked about ten days. I was hoping for longer...but thats life. 

I will keep blogging as long as I am able.  I enjoy reading many blogs and connecting with many people all over the world. 

 Thank you for reading!

Far Side

13 years

 My blog is now a teenager.  Ha!  

13 years ...hard to believe I have been blogging that long.   Actually I think the blog anniversary is December 29 ...but I forgot...so today will do.

As per my custom I give myself flowers on this special day.

Chain Orchids in Hawaii during the winter of 2018-2019. 

Thank you for reading my everyday musings, I appreciate the friendships I have made through the blog from all over the United States and the World.  I  appreciate your comments, I read them all except those by a couple of horrid spammers.

Although I may never meet most of my readers...we have forged wonderful online friendships. 

One of my favorite bloggers died shortly before Christmas...I miss her very much.  She was four months short of 90 years old when she died from complications due to a fall.  Thankfully her family put a post up on her blog because they knew she had many online friends.

Time marches on and stops for no one...so I have to make the best of every day.  I write mainly about our everyday activities...someday one of my Great Grands may appreciate it.  I know several of the Grands read it just to keep up with what and how we are doing.  I know our youngest daughter Jen reads it every morning.  Far Guy says he reads it to find out what kind of trouble he is in! 

Far Side

12 Years

Well...I have been blogging for twelve years.   My family says "She has no filter and is brutally honest."   Guess it must be true.

Whoever still reads this everyday...you need a medal.  I know Far Guy reads it but has given up talking to me about it...I think he must be kinda like a duck and lets the water flow off his back.

It snowed a little...must be a pre storm snowfall. We are ready for winter storm Gage.

I cleared off the patio from the last four inches...so we can start anew.
I accomplished some errands outside.   Far Guy has a very sore throat possibly a cold coming on so he rested quite a bit yesterday.  One day at a time.

I usually give myself flowers on this my blogging anniversary.

The Poinsettias caught my eye one day.  The red bracts are so vibrant.  The actual Poinsettia flowers are the little yellow/green nubins in the center of the bracts (modified leaves) enough horticulture for today!

I guess I shall continue to blog...it is what I do.  It serves as a great journal if nothing else.
Far Side

11 years

I began blogging on this date in 2007.  Time goes by faster and faster as you get older.  I read someplace or someone told me  …when your brain is all filled up with memories time seems to go faster and faster….when we are young and had fewer memories time went by slowly.

Today I will share with you again the much awaited Japanese Lilac blooms…I waited 17 years for them to bloom so they are worth a mention or two on the blog!

I was thrilled with these long awaited blooms.

The blog will continue, perhaps a bit differently some days.

Thank you for reading.  When I first began this blog it was in a Area Newspaper, sadly those blog posts are no longer available to read…however I was fairly anal back then and made hard copies.

10 years

I have been blogging ten years now. 

Last year my daughter said “Mom go for ten.”  check mark

I wanted to write about the flood of 1997.  check mark

I wanted to write Midway Memories. check mark

There are some subjects I have totally ignored.  Perhaps I will get to them in year eleven God willing and the crick don’t rise.

As is my custom…I give myself some flowers.  This time an Echinacea that is orange…with two bees and off to the side for good measure is a pesky old fly.

Blogging is a great hobby.  I am not perfect when it comes to spelling (no spell check on the software I use) or sentence structure…oh well. It is what it is.  Most times I just share what is on my mind…or something I took a photo of or something that was irritating me.  Sometimes I think Far Guy just reads my blog to find out if he is in the dog house or not…or if I am cranky.

Thank you for coming along on this blogging adventure!

Nine years

I have been blogging for nine years.  It doesn’t seem like it has been that long. It has been an adventure, one that I enjoy.   I have met many other bloggers from all over the world, visiting them is like going on a vacation without leaving the comfort of my home.

The Grands have grown up on this blog. A few even read it from time to time.

I guess I have just a few more things to say….a few more history related stories to leave for the Grands…I have all the emails that I sent during the Flood of 1997, a Indiana friend Ardith saved them for me.   I also have a whole bunch of letters that I wrote to my best friend Susan in the late 1980’s and 1990’s… she actually saved them all for me.

So I will continue.

 

These beautiful George Vancouver roses are for me today and I hope you will enjoy them too. In the midst of winter I can almost smell these blooms that are clustered together on the bush like little bouquets.

Thank you for reading!

Eight Years

I began this blog in 2007 on December 28, it only appeared locally in the online newspaper as a wordpress blog.  Recently I found out that those early blog posts have been archived.   Not sure if I can resurrect them or not.  I do have hard copies of them all…I think.  That is a project for the new year.  

I began writing on blogspot on September 5, 2008.  At that time I wondered what would happen to the blog entries and worried that someday they would all be lost.  I wrote the same exact thing and published both wordpress and blogspot with live writer.  I published with wordpress for six years then I abandoned the blog that appeared in the Fargo Forum online.  It was like giving up a baby… but I had to make the decision because they wouldn’t allow me more photo storage.

Live Writer was the best software ever to write blogs with.  Now it is called Open Live Writer and has a few bugs which may or may not get worked out, some wonderful Microsoft volunteers took it over and are working on it.

So anyways I have reached another milestone. Eight years…hardly seems possible.

Yellow Lady’s Slippers or Cypripedium parviflorum

I have thought about it and I still have some stories to tell and photos to share.  So I will continue.  After all I am retired…the evenings get long up here in Minnesota especially in the winter.  Television is not all that exciting most nights.   I read, play a few card/word games online and write the blog.  I am a night person so most nights I am up past midnight anyway.  I do my best sleeping in the morning. 

Other than Wistful Wednesday I have no idea what I will write about until I sit down at the computer.  Most times I just think..okay what do I want to share with my best friend, my children and my grands?  Sometimes I am just bitchy…I write it all down and then delete it. Then I can go on and write something nice…most times.

My brothers say I have no tact very little tact.  Some days that is very true, I tell it the way I see it….I used to say I tell it like it is…but my husband says that is not true, so I just go with his flow.  

Showy Lady’s Slipper or Cypripedium reginae Minnesota’s State Flower

Thanks for reading!  See ya’ll tomorrow!

Seven Years

Today marks seven years of blogging.   It has been an adventure.  I still enjoy blogging so I will continue.  Hopefully someday the Grands will have a good read…perhaps some family history can be unraveled for them.

I still have a few stories to tell…some I have avoided…some I would just as soon forget about…some are almost ancient history.  I will be unearthing some old thoughts in the upcoming year.

Maybe I have the seven year itch?  (A decrease in satisfaction after a long period of  time)  I have thought about blogging once or twice a week…instead of daily.  I have made no decisions at this time.

It is what it is. Que sera sera what ever will be will be.

As always thanks for reading my drivel.

 

Six Year Journey

Six years ago I began this blogging journey.  It has been an experience…good, bad, sad, happy and everything in-between.  I have met many wonderful bloggers from all over the world.  It has been a pleasure.

I write at night instead of watching TV, I use a program called Live Writer.  I don’t have an index of my blogs … sometimes I think I may be re telling a story I already told.  I am getting old what do you expect?

When I began blogging we still had our Greenhouse business ( I closed it in the winter of 2008 a very hard decision), Far Guy had just been diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia, Chance was three years old, I had a 2 megapixel camera and I was younger.

Why Blog?  To leave some small part of me behind for my Grands.  Just like a diary and they are in it!  Some things will fade in their memories as they get older and they may have some questions about their family history…well they might find that info in the blog.

Selfishly I also wanted to collect enough photos and blooming information about the wildflowers in our area to write a book.  The blog was a great place to collect some of that information.  It is also a good place to document the things that happen in our area.

I also enjoy sharing old photos and memories and just a bit about our part of Minnesota.

I think I may have a few stories left to tell and possibly just a few things to whine about so I will keep on keeping on.

Morning skies on December 24, 2013

December 28, 2012

Five years ago I began to blog.  It began as something to do in the dead of a Minnesota winter and a way of leaving just a small part of me behind for my Grandchildren.  In the beginning I expressed many of my personal opinions and beliefs.  I think I still do to a certain extent..I am passionate about Minnesota..both the good parts (Spring and Summer) and the bad parts ( freezing weather and ticks.)  I enjoy Wildflowers and “old stuff.”  Five years ago I had one blog.  It appeared locally in the online newspaper in a section called Area Voices.

In September of 2008, I got nervous about the Area Voices blog suddenly disappearing so I began a blogspot blog. My Area Voices Blog is still there, it appears in online newspapers throughout Minnesota and North Dakota.

Today, I write a weekly blog for the Hubbard County Historical Museum.  Yes, I get paid to blog!  When I first started blogging I thought wow wouldn’t it be great to get paid to do this?

Many people write blogs that have banners and advertising..and I suppose they get paid..I always find those blogs with ads to be distracting.

I write Far Side of Fifty on blogspot and Area Voices, both are the same blog post just different formats.  Area Voices is Wordpress.

I have a photo blog called Far Side of Fifty Photos. It seems to get lost in the dust some weeks..but I still like to take photographs.

I write Forgotten Old Photos which began one day from a box of old photos that I purchased in an antique shop. So far I have presented 1090 old photographs and returned 128 photos to their families.  It was chosen Blog of Note in November of 2010.

I also write a family blog about my husbands Grandmother called Tracie’s Treasures which is available only to family members. Yes, you can write a blog and restrict the readers. After the first of the year I will get back to that one!   I had to have some time off during the summer and fall..it is a blog worthy of my full attention.

You can also write a private blog..I don’t have one  of those.

I use Live Writer to write.  It is a simple tool to use..non complicated and reliable.  I write at night..instead of watching TV..sometimes whilst watching TV.

My daughter Jen gave me a Christmas gift.

She used blurb to create one year of Far Side in a book.  I cried.  She strives every year to make me bawl at least once during the opening of Christmas Gifts.

I guess I will keep keeping on, putting one foot in front of the other..one blog after another.  Some people email me comments, some people leave comments, some people are silent. It is all good. 

I enjoy blogging, and I really enjoy reading a variety of blogs throughout the world.  You all know who you are..I leave you comments occasionally..thanks! :)

Four Years

One day back in 2007 I woke up and said..gosh I think I will write a blog.  Perhaps I will voice some of my opinions and tell some stories about how things used to be when I was a little girl.  Perhaps “The Five” will find it interesting and amusing someday to learn something about their Grandmother…then again maybe not..you never know.

I had been reading Buffalo Gal’s Blog for a couple of years..she was and is awesome with all of her stories!   She and I became fast friends.  I value her opinion and her friendship.

Today is post number 1,468.  I have not missed many days in four years. Daughter Jen guest blogged one time when I was hospitalized with pneumonia.  Chance guest blogs from time to time so I do get a break.

One thing I worry about is repeating myself..have I shown an old photo before on Wistful Wednesday?  If I repeat myself I hope my readers will just go with the flow, and chalk it up to getting older.  I thought about compiling an index..I decided it would be too much work.

Last summer when I was working at the museum I began to write in my mind and then spit them out into the computer late at night.  It seems to have worked.  I have discovered my best writing time is when the house is quiet and the phone is not ringing.  Blogging is a hobby.. a fun hobby.  Most of my blogs are written the night before and published in the early morning.

I also write Forgotten Old Photos.  A blog where old photos found in antique shops are sometimes reunited with family.  That blog brings me great personal satisfaction.  I also get to feed the old photo collection monster that dwells inside me.

Blogging would be a perfect job!  This winter I am being paid to continue writing the Hubbard County Historical Museums blog.

My personal photo blog Far Side of Fifty Photos began to suffer last summer..it was hard to keep up..photography is still one of my passions..and Chance is sometimes a willing subject!

How long will I be blogging for..I have no idea..I take it all one day at a time. God willing and the crick don’t rise I will be back tomorrow.

I have “met” some marvelous bloggers over the past four years. Some I have actually met in real life..some are neighbors!  I thank each and every one of my readers, especially those who leave comments!

Now for a pretty picture. I once had a blogging friend who said “No post is complete without a pretty picture.”  Heaven has been her home for two years now.  Yes, even in the blogging world there is death and feelings of great loss when we lose one of our own.  I cannot explain it..it just is.

Lupines in the wild gardens..with Veronica ‘Blue Bouquet’ providing the bokeh:)

Three Years

Today I get flowers. Or maybe it is you the reader that deserves the flowers. Whatever..

A Yellow Lady’s Slipper along the driveway.

A big old bee drunk on the nectar of the Baptisia (Wild Indigo)

Three years and 1,100 entries. Thats why we get flowers. Me for writing them..you for reading them.

Far Guy and I never plan too far ahead.  We try to be flexible.  There was a Train Show that Far Guy had been looking forward to a few weeks ago..the weather turned stormy..so we stayed home. He was disappointed..so was I ..not for the Train Show but for the Antique Shops that we would have passed by on the way back.

I won’t plan too far ahead with this blog either..if it makes it to four years that will be fine and dandy..if it doesn’t ..it doesn’t. My daughter Jen would say “Mother it is what it is.” 

I believe I have accomplished what I started out to do three years ago.  That was to leave some small part of me behind for the “Grands”.  I have a really good start.

I would like to thank my readers, and those who take the time to comment!  The side effect of having a blog is the connections you make with people of all walks of life all over the world. I have amazing friends..amazing readers who leave comments ..people who I could have over for coffee this afternoon and within minutes we could be in a comfortable conversation..but they would still have to bring their own cookies:)