I had this header for quite a while….

This one never made the cut.

I loved this one – that was a peony that I had in my apartment when I was working in San Diego for 6 months. I took several pictures of it.  Remember those blue glasses?

My very first laptop which was white. I still miss that color. But boy, was it heavy compared to today’s laptops. I liked this brown color scheme on the header.

Oh, and this was pretty! All of these were in use at some time or other when I was still on Blogger.

Have you guessed why I’m showing you these?

If your answer is “Claudia started this blog 18 years ago on February 17th!” you’re right. I debated on posting about it the day before my blogiversary or the day after. Before won out.

The photos of me are shockingly young compared to my current state of gray hair, weight gain, and double chins. I wish I was still thin, but Don still loves me, so I’m good.

My friends, it’s crazy that I’ve been blogging this long! Crazy! Most people who were already blogging when I started, or who started around the same time, are no longer blogging. They’ve either mysteriously disappeared from online, or have moved to Instagram or Substack. Sadly, some have left us. But there are a few that have hung in there all this time. We’re a rare breed these days.

I’ve loved most every minute of it. Truly. The minutes I haven’t loved are when there were technical problems, or when the blog would briefly disappear in the Blogger days, or when distasteful people would leave distasteful comments. One of the major plusses of moving to WordPress on a host/server was the ability to block someone. And, since it’s my home, I do just that. Had to do it again just the other day. But everyone who writes a blog or a substack or an IG post has to deal with that kind of thing. It’s the way of the online world.

But let’s shift to the best thing: YOU. All of you. Some of you have been with me since pretty near the beginning. Some of you joined in much more recently. It ebbs and flows. I have been so blessed by your friendship, by your comments, and by the community we have built here. Not me. WE. What a blessing it is! I treasure each and every one of you. I have met people from all around the world, virtually. And yes, it is virtual, but I would also say it is very, very real. My world opened up that day 18 years ago and it has expanded ever since.

You have been with me when I’ve traveled to other cities on coaching assignments, on trips across the country, or to Paris and London and Edinburgh. You’ve been with me when I’ve had work on Broadway and when I worked on a film and had an unexpected opportunity to act in that film. You’ve watched me plant gardens and mow lawns and you’ve listened to Don play the guitar and sing his songs. You’ve cheered me on as I took on the renovation of a dollhouse, crocheted blankets, made quilts and scarves, started oil painting, added to my collections, and suddenly started buying dolls in my late sixties (“What the heck, Claudia??”)

And you’ve been right here for me in times of loss. In this 18 years, I’ve had dear friends pass away, we’ve lost our two dogs, Riley and Scout (we just passed the 10th anniversary of Scout’s death.) I’ve lost my mother and my father and Don lost his father. You’ve been such a source of comfort and support.

I thank you for all of that. From the bottom of my heart.

I don’t know how much longer I will be doing this. I suspect it will keep going for a year or so. But probably only that. As I grow older, I run out of things to talk about. Our lives here are quieter. We aren’t working as often as we’d like to. We tire more easily. At some point, I’m going to have to fold my blog tent and move on. As you know, it’s not inexpensive to maintain this blog and that’s another consideration.

My blogging friend Kim, of Dear Daisy Cottage, was faced with that scenario when TypePad, her blogging platform, suddenly announced it was closing down. She wrestled with what to do. Should she move to another platform? Or should she just fold her tent? She had been blogging as long as I have – I think even longer. She finally came to the conclusion that she would end it. She took screen shots of all of her posts, said her goodbyes via the blog, announced it on Instagram. We all came together and thanked her for her beautiful and positive posts, for her lovely home that she decorated so beautifully, for her dogs, and her grandchildren, all of whom made an appearance on the blog. She’s still on Instagram and though it isn’t quite the same thing, we can see her there, we can read about her life there.

I think she was lucky. The ultimate decision whether to save years of posts was pretty much taken out of her hands. TypePad has disappeared into the ether.

My blog will disappear when I decide to stop blogging. I’ll take Kim’s advice and take screen shots of my blog posts.

But none of that is for now.

It’s just a heads up for all of you. I’ve never worked at ANY job for 18 years.

Only here.

Thank you my dear friends. Here’s to another year together.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.