Monday, August 9, 2010

15 Days/Happy 3rd Blog-o-versary!


(I'm blogging on my porch! No hands!)

I just spent an hour weeding the garden. It's been so hot this summer that I'd sort of given up. When it's too hot to weed at 8 a.m., it's too hot to weed period. Why should the weeds be put out of their misery when the rest of us have to suffer through it? But fall is around the corner, and along with it opportunities for new gardens. So time to shed the old one of all its flotsam and jetsam.

The only problem with spending an hour weeding first thing in the morning is I am now officially too pooped to do anything else for the rest of the day. Maybe when I finish this glass of iced tea, I'll feel differently.

***

Saturday marked three years of blogging for me. I meant to post and make a big hoo-hah about it, but I was consumed by Will's room, the purging of it, the despair of it, the desperation, the hopelessness. We are getting Will some new furniture in hopes that it will turn him around. Repent, Will, repent! And put the dang Lego away before it sends someone to the emergency room.

Anyhoo. Three years. I looked back at some of my very early posts and realized that one of my very first commentors was Heather, over at Pneuma, and another one was Victoria, who at that time was posting at Dear Megan (I think; is that right?), and now is at One Sheep Town. I hadn't realized we went so far back. We were practically kids together.

It's funny, how some people stick with you, and some fall away. I've had the same experience as a blog reader, myself. There are a couple of blogs I followed religiously when I first started out, and then slowly stopped checking in. Sometimes when blogs get very popular, I get less interested in participating, maybe because it seems like there's less chance for a real friendship to bloom. I will say that my friend Ali over at Domesticali has gotten increasingly popular, with posts that garner upwards to 40 comments, but she still feels like a friend. Besides, her photography is so wonderful, I can't give it up.

I want to say thanks to all my dear blog friends, new and old--Tracy, Debbie, Dulce, Ali, GretchenJoanna, Jody, Victoria, Heather, Pom Pom, Sara, Angela, Danielle and Susan, and to my newest blog friends, Magsmcc and Wayside Wanderer. Your friendship makes me happy, and I often think of you when I'm wandering through this wide, green world.

If you're reading this and have never commented, leave me a comment to let me know you're here! I'm glad you are.

19 comments:

Heather said...

Happy Blog-o-versary!

Reading your posts has been a delight. You make me think, you make me laugh, you make me understand we are all in this together. Cheers to friendship and connection!

Thanks for sharing!

Leslie said...

Happy Bloggy Birthday! I have enjoyed stopping in here since I found you not to long ago. You always make me chuckle and that is a great gift.

It is hot as all get out here, too. I try to think of weeds as xeroscaping. :)

Dulce Domum said...

Happy Blogoversary, old chum!

Ali said...

Nooo, don't give me up! Happy blog-o-versary, by the way. It was so funny to read your words - there I was, happily nodding away to the 'when blogs get popular' thing only to be struck with horror when I thought you might put me on the heap.

And I've only just begun to venture back outdoors (hayfever, not heat kept me inside). Our garden is ridiculously overgrown. I've been hacking away, but it's still a bit of a mess.

Sara Padrusch said...

Happy Bloggind Anniversary! I am delighted to be your blog friend and always love checking in to see what's new.

Only two more weeks! You can do it and believe me, a piece of me will be deeply jealous of you!

xoxo
Sara

Susan said...

What an anniversary and no trip to the Farrington? What were you thinking? We must celebrate in a cyberspace kind of way...hmmm...I raise my virtual glass of red wine to you and then savor the experience of delicious scallops in some kind of fancy cyber sauce with lots of butter. You conjure up the virtual dessert that won't change the size on our little black dresses. By the way, your strappy shoes look great and your hair is divine.

I enjoy every word you write and feel lucky to receive your daily bits of wisdom and wit.

Pom Pom said...

Oh, I have loved your blog (and now YOU!) for over a year which is when I started blogging. I feel the same way, I love the give and take and the discovery. I find so much inspiration from the way people wrangle words and post images that delight my eyes. You are so original, so true and so real. Happy Year Three Anniversary! I keep my eye on your blog and dash over as soon as I see a new post and that's FUN!

Tracy said...

Happy Anniversary! Now you have me curious to know how long it is I've been reading your blog?! It must be a while....and I enjoy our sometimes daily moments to stop and see what the other is doing. Your friendship makes me smile :)

Will, Will, Will. What can I say, but that he and Mr Busy would be the fastest and messiest best mates. I fear another before and after marathon coming his way....along with the requisite tears and frustration. Or perhaps I should just have at it on Friday when he's at school and I can throw things away without his interference!

magsmcc said...

You see, when I picture you American bloggistes, you're all out on the porch with iced teas and laptops! Obviously we don't have the climate to use a porch, so huddled beside the radiator (in August) is where I am just now! Don't despair. It doesn't seem quite you!

Gumbo Lily said...

Happy, happy blogoversary! It is true that I think of you too when I'm out walking the green earth. I was just thinking today, "I wonder if Frances is blogging 5 days a week? I'd better go see."

It's so fun to know you.

Jody

Danielle said...

Happy 3 years! Even though we live in the same place, your blog helps keep me connected. I love when I have my cup of coffee, refresh your blog and get an update. Even though I am not a fellow blogger like most of your followers, I feel a connection with my fellow Frances fans.

As a left-handed housewife myself, I especially love to see what new projects you're working on. The patterns on the latest quilt you posted is abfab. I love, love, love it. Are we going to go to the quilt show?

Sandy H said...

Boy, my desk NEVER looks that clean! Did you tidy yours up special for its birthday pic? LOL. Happy blogoversary. As I've mentioned, you're one of my faves, even if a recent acquisition. I never even thought to check when my first post was. I'll have to do that!

Left-Handed Housewife said...

Thanks to everyone for your wonderful comments! Let me go through ...

1. Heather, Thanks for sticking with me lo these three years! I always look forward to visiting you to see what fabulous socks and fabulous thoughts you have to offer. Cheers, indeed!

2. Wayside, I'm glad you've been stopping in. One of the joys of blogging is making new friends. And your "xeroscaping" weeds cracked me up.

3. Dulce, You feed my anglophile soul and make me laugh. Post as often as you can--your musings make my day.

5. Ali, I could never give you up. Your blog makes me happy with its beauty and humor. You'll never get too popular for me!

(note to all my UK friends: one day I will land on your doorsteps, one by one, mark my words).

6. Sara, you make me laugh until I cry, and you really, really make me want to go junking and get fabulous, red stuff. Thanks for your inspirational design ideas. Together, we will make my house fabulous!

7. Susan, I'm so happy we have this chance to be friends. Your comments cheer me immensely and sometimes make me spit out whatever I'm drinking, I'm laughing so hard. Sometimes, it comes out my nose.

8. Pom Pom, You know I love you, too. You have brought me great joy in the year we've been friends. Sometimes I think of you as the fairy godmother of the blog-o-sphere, waving your magic wand over us, making us think we're princesses. Your students are so lucky to have you, as am I.

9. Tracy, I think it's been two years now. I've had such fun getting to know you and learning about Down Under, and reading about your Nigella obsession. Oh, yes, and having the messiest two children on the planet between us! Thanks for your friendship; it's meant a lot to me.

10. Mags--May I call you Mags? Tell me what to call you! I've been reading through your blog and feel we are kindred spirits. The ice tea on the porch is mostly a southern thing; they're not as civilized in other parts of the country. Thank you for telling me about huddling next to your radiator. You've made me feel better about the fact that it's 100 degrees outside. Not much better, but some.

11. Jody, did I ever tell you I had a dream about you? We were going to do a podcast together! I think about you on the ranch all the time--especially, as I think I've told you, when I'm feeling too lazy to move. You inspire me! And make me laugh. I'm glad we've found each other.

12. Danielle, it's so fun to have a friend who's local and out in cyberspace with me, too. I like that you know both of my worlds and all of my friends, and I always love when you add your two cents. Quilt show week after next? And lunch?

13. Sandy, I had to laugh when I read your comment! That's actually the man's desk cleared off and pulled out to the porch to make way for a new computer table. My desk? You don't want to know! I'm really happy you're here and in my quilty world, too! It's been fabulous getting to know you.

Thanks, everybody, for posting and reading and for blogging. It's a great neighborhood!

victoria said...

Happy Blog-o-versary.
I know, we are very old friends on web-time. I really do believe you can get to know many significant aspects of person without ever meeting them.
It's fun too.
xxooo

GretchenJoanna said...

It's your wise humor, or your perspective on the world, or the way with words you have....I like your writing, and your personality...hmmm..just trying to figure out why I read your blog and not a thousand others.

I didn't know this would happen, entering a little community of bloggers who read each other and care about each other--and even *trust* each other, enough to lend a hard-to-find book across the continent--amazing!

Happy Blogiversary!

Pom Pom said...

Thank you! You are a such a wordsmith, Frances. We are the recipients of true and real words that spring forth from your inspiring talent and your squishy heart. I'm thankful.

Left-Handed Housewife said...

Victoria, O, opshop queen, yes, our friendship has been long-lasting, and it does feel real to me. One day we'll drink a cup of coffee together and then go buy funky second-hand stuff. I love checking your blog to see the most recent catch--and especially to see what you've made yourself!

GretchenJoanna--It's interesting, isn't it, the choices we make as blog readers? I know I visit your blog because whether it's visions of homemade bread and pie, updates on the lives of the saints, or thoughts on books and architecture, I'll always find something that feeds my mind and soul.

Pom Pom, I find the older I get, the squishier my heart gets. I think that's a good thing. I hope!

Angela said...

Happy blog-o-versary dear friend. I so enjoy reading your blog and looking at your pictures. Keep it up! blessings and hugs x

Left-Handed Housewife said...

Angela, You've been a dear friend and someone who has brought such fun to my life. I love visiting you (and Bob) via your blog, and if you're not careful, I'll visit you one day in person!