Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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A Blogging Anniversary

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leafinbirdbath

I saw this little leaf in my birdbath when I was home last week. Autumn is around the corner.

I’m not ready for it yet.

I’m celebrating a little anniversary of sorts. It was one year ago today that I stationed myself at my computer, completed the necessary final steps and made the transfer from Blogger to WordPress. I was nervous. I had already designed my new site and had been ready to move about 6 days earlier, but that was the week that Riley died. Grief and tears took over for several days. Finally, needing something to focus on other than my grief, I decided to go for it. I had studied and researched and meticulously followed each and every step in the book, How to Move from Blogger to WordPress, so I felt pretty confident it would all work out.

It did. Everything went smoothly.

Here’s what I love about self-hosted WordPress:

♥    I own my content, including every photo that I have posted since the move
♥    The possibilities for design and content are endless; you can create a custom look and design due to WP’s flexibility
♥    In that same vein, there are plugins available for just about anything you can think of that give you many more options for design and content
♥    Support, via my host (24 hours a day with a real person on the other end of the phone line,) WordPress, and StudioPress (the designer of my themes), is excellent and ever-present
♥    Security. I was hacked four times on Blogger. No one could help me. The Blogger Forum was useless. Whether you feel the need or not, there are free security plugins available. There are also paid security options with companies that specialize in WordPress.
♥    If you’re interested in that sort of thing, there is much better SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
♥    In my humble opinion, a much more user-friendly way in which to write a post and add photos. I really love it. A lot.

I’m so glad I made the move; I haven’t regretted it for one instant. I didn’t use a designer. I designed this site all by myself. I’m proud of it. I learned a lot about coding, though I’m far from an expert. I like to learn new things. It keeps my mind sharp.

I know that it isn’t for everyone. Most everyone I know, however, has benefitted from the move to WP. I sure have. I never felt or experienced a loss of readers; quite the contrary, my readership grew. Since my blog is about my life, the content didn’t change, the focus of my blog and my writing didn’t change, and neither did the community that I am humbly a part of and which consists of bloggers from all sorts of blogging platforms. Variety is the spice of life!

There’s a blogging platform out there to fit everyone’s taste and/or needs. WordPress has turned out to be the perfect fit for me.

On another topic, I have a book giveaway going on this week. Scroll down if you haven’t read the post and want to enter. I really liked Mystery Girl. But I want to mention that in its world of off-beat characters and in the mystery that the protagonist is trying to solve, there are descriptions of bad porn movies – they figure prominently in the plot. Some of the language is rather graphic. I just wanted to give you a heads up, in case you’ve entered the giveaway and might find that objectionable. If you do, let me know and I won’t include you in the pool of entrants.

Just thought I should include that information!

Happy Sunday.

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On Missing My Garden And My Girl And A Little Bit on Blogging

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Despite the efforts of my adored deer friends, who like to chomp on these plants because they’re right on the edge of the garden, my sweet flowers were in full bloom when I left for Hartford.

Perfect for a cottage garden.

I’ve been away for 4 days and can’t help but wonder what the heck is happening in the garden. I left a watering schedule for Don, which he was gung-ho about on Monday. However, as of today, we’ve already reached the point when I have to remind him about the patio flowers, the flowers that are coming up from seed on the edge of the dog corral and the birdbath. Last night, I realized he hadn’t mentioned any watering in the recap of his day. So, after my bath, I grabbed the phone and ‘gently’ reminded him.

Flowers and birds: I’ve got your back.

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On more than one occasion, I saw a Hummingbird Moth approach the many phlox blooms to sample their delights, as well as beautiful butterflies and bees. The scent from those flowers is heavenly.

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Let’s take a guess as to how many weeds will await me when I get home for a visit. The answer: lots and lots.

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Over the past several years, I’ve often had to leave home for a stretch of time in order to coach a show. But interestingly, I’ve never left home at this time of year. It’s usually in the spring, as the garden is re-emerging from the ground. This leaving in July is new to me. What will I miss?

Yesterday, as I left rehearsal, there was a car idling in front of the building. A man was behind the wheel and was clearly waiting for someone. In the back seat was a happy, panting white and tan Aussie Shepherd who reminded me so much of Scoutie. Same smile on her face. Same love of being in the car. Same sense of adventure.

Talk about a pang straight to the heart.

Missing my girl on this Thursday morning.

A Thought or Two on Blogging

My friend Dawn successfully moved her blog to WordPress yesterday. I kept checking my phone all day long as she updated me via email on the transition, which was flawless. She’s pretty excited, as she should be – her blog looks beautiful. When the transition is made from Blogger to WordPress, it often takes up to 48 hours for everyone to see it. That’s because servers all over the world update at different speeds. But I was able to see her new blog right away – both on the theater’s computer and on my laptop. Stop by and pay her a visit. Like me, she designed her site all by herself and did the move herself. It’s empowering. It also saves a lot of money!

As to WordPress or Blogger and what works and what doesn’t work, Brenda had a lot of trouble on WordPress and she eventually chose to start over on Blogger. I know how stressful it was for her. WP ended up not being the right fit for her. I haven’t had any trouble. I love this platform which gives me all sorts of design possibilities, where I can and do own my content and that includes all the photos I have posted in the year I’ve been here. My photos from all my posts on Blogger are stored in Picasa. If I canceled that account or deleted my original blog, they would disappear from posts in my archives here on WordPress. Because Blogger owns them. By that I mean that the photos are linked to the original blog on Blogger and live in Picasa. There they will remain. I’m not comfortable with that. I also enjoy the process of writing a post in WordPress far more than I did in Blogger. But that’s my experience. Each of us has our own comfort level and has to find a home in this blogging world that feels right. I hope that the move back to Blogger will feel right for Brenda. Here’s the link to her new site.

In the end, everyone’s adventure on Blogger, Typepad, Tumblr or WordPress is distinctly their own. I had a lot of trouble on Blogger where my blog was hacked on four different occasions. And, save for the first time when someone was sympathetic to my plea for help in the Forum but could not ultimately help me, not one of my ensuing pleas was answered. Not one. I felt scared and abandoned. So I hightailed it out of there. For me, it was worth it to pay for a host and for additional security. Since I’m paying for all of that, I can access help and support at any time.

All this is to say that your adventure in blogging is your own. If you’re happy on Blogger or Typepad – wonderful!  If you’re considering a move to WordPress, go for it. I’ve never regretted it for one minute. I feel just as connected to all of you as I did on Blogger. After all, the blog, which is written from my heart, remains the same. The content remains the same. And that’s what ultimately matters.

There’s room for everyone on whatever platform you choose. Heck, I’d even venture to say that we need all those platforms because there are millions of bloggers out there and more and more are being added every day. There’s a platform out there to suit each and every need. And isn’t that terrific?

Happy Thursday.

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Civility, Books, Flowers & Humidity

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If you’re interested in a healthy alternative to the usual cookies out there, stop by my post about eating healthy on the go with Newtons.

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lantana in the planter

Speaking first of yesterday’s post, I thought of another analogy. If I see someone wearing clothes I do not like, whether it concerns the style, the color or the way they look on that someone, I do not walk up to them and tell them what I think about their attire. I keep my mouth shut. A) it’s none of my business, B) it’s hurtful. Same for walking into someone’s home and commenting on how much I dislike their style of decorating. Are you kidding me? I would never do that. If I was with someone who did comment in a negative way, rest assured, they would be on the receiving end of a little tongue lashing from me. I’m a Scorpio. Need I say more? (I’m speaking of criticism re: design, style, etc.)

Manners. Civility. Compassion. Thinking before you speak.

Qualities we should all strive for.

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buds forming on the limelight hydrangea

The heat and humidity rages on here in the Northeast. I don’t remember, ever, humidity and heat continuing unabated for this long a period of time. Yes, we sometimes have 5 or 6 or 7 days of it, but then it breaks. Then we get several days of cooler, drier weather. Not this year. Part of the reason, but not all of it: the waters of the Atlantic Ocean are warmer than usual. I wonder why? (I’m saying that with tongue in cheek. I know why.)

With all due respect to those of you who do live in the South and love it, I’ve never wanted to live there for precisely this reason – I hate the combination of high heat and humidity. Yet, here I am living in New York state, engulfed in horrendous and, now, dangerous heat. And pity my poor husband, temporarily living in a dorm with no air conditioning. I feel stuck in the house, but at least I have air conditioning.

And then my thoughts turn to those who are homeless. I saw several in the immediate area surrounding our rehearsal space in Manhattan. How are they coping? I’m sure they are being transported to some sort of cooling shelter at night. That happens when the temperatures get dangerously high or low. I surely hope so.

So I complain, yes, but am immediately reminded that there are many, many people who are suffering much more than me.

prettydaylily

another pretty daylily

I gave myself the day off yesterday, since I was so darned tired after the weekend. I was still clad in my pajamas at 2:00 pm. I did a little reading, filled the birdbath, watered the seedlings, caught up with family members, vacuumed and swiffered. Today I have to snatch a little time in the morning to do a bit of mowing. Yes, I will do it before it gets too hot. I promise. I have to do a little each day or I will never be able to keep on top of it. Then I’ll start in on Macbeth.

By the way, I’m really enjoying Louise Penny’s books. She was suggested to me by a reader of this blog and I am very grateful for the recommendation. What a wonderful writer! Her mysteries take place in a small town called Three Pines in Quebec. I’d like to live in that fictional, charming town. (Except for the long, long winters.) Penny has created a wonderful cast of characters, many of them appearing in all of the books in her series. If you haven’t read these books, I recommend them highly.

In less than two weeks I head to Hartford. Again. I’m grateful for the work and the lovely people who work there, but the thought of being away for an extended period of time is more than a little overwhelming. Several of you have mentioned taking Scout with me. If I did that, she’d be away from her home and Don. Much better to keep her in the place she knows and loves. I do think, however, that they might visit for a few days here and there. Remember, Scout loves that park. And the elevator. And adventure. Even at 14½ years of age.

I hope you are staying cool, wherever you are. Drink lots of water. Read a good book. Stand in front of the fan or the air conditioner. Have a glass of lemonade. Eat a strawberry shortcake ice cream pop, like I did. You’ll immediately be plunged into memories of the Good Humor man. Remember the little melody that emanated from the truck? That you could hear faintly and then, after you were sure you weren’t hearing things, you raced into the house and asked mom for money for the ice cream man. Then you lined up with a bunch of other neighborhood kids and bought a push-up or a creamsicle or a fudgesicle or a strawberry shortcake. Now, that’s a good memory of summer!

Happy Tuesday

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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