Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Some Thoughts

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Why is this photo here? Just because I like it. I like the grain of the tiger oak of our sideboard and the clock and its shadow. I wander the house at times, snapping pictures of things I see every day, just for fun.

My last little bit in the previous post generated some interesting comments. There are different viewpoints on this subject of commenting and visiting other blogs. As you know, my concerns were with big-big blogs. But a couple of my readers offered another opinion – that the blog post itself is the form of communication and that comments are a part of the conversation. Maybe we’ve strayed in our expectations, then? Maybe the whole idea of returning comments is not what was originally intended. I must admit, you’ve given me food for thought. Perhaps this whole idea of returning the visit and leaving a comment is an additional pressure that we’ve put on ourselves? I do know that I appreciate it when someone visits me in return and leaves a comment or email and I will keep doing the same. I can’t help it – it’s bred in my bones. Thank you for your  honest responses. I’m a person with strong opinions about all sorts of things (ask my husband) but I don’t usually air them here. I hope I haven’t stepped on anyone’s toes. I must admit, I’m not entirely comfortable in the role of opinionated blogger – at least here at Mockingbird Hill Cottage. So, I’m going to leave this subject.

What the ???? Suddenly leaves are falling everywhere on our property. The gosh-darned maple is shedding its leaves all over my garden. I see hours and hours of raking in my future. Not yet, though. I can’t quite go there.

We’ve just come through 3 days of humid, summer-like weather here. My sinuses are screaming in protest. The dogs and I took a walk and poor Riley was moving very slowly. The humidity is just too hard on his joints.

Do you find that a seasonal change can make you feel a bit blue? I’ve been blue of late. A bit of melancholy has taken over. Yes, I have some very real worries at the moment, but this is a bit different, this feeling. I get a little sad, for want of a better word. I suppose that saying goodbye to summer and knowing that winter and its shorter days is not far away is behind it all.

I must say Happy Birthday to my best friend, Laural. Love you.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friends.

Embroidery, Fall & Just a Bit More on Blogging

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Isn’t embroidery floss pretty? Such an array of colors. I had to run to Michael’s yesterday to get some more shades of green for my sampler.  I’m glad these colors look right, since the one light that wasn’t working at Michael’s was directly above the embroidery floss. At 35¢ each, I threw in a few more colors. You can’t beat the price. Seriously – what can you buy for 35¢ nowadays?

I stitched quite a bit more last night. The wonderful thing about these samplers is the chance to learn new stitches. Last night, I learned the feather stitch, the bullion knot and the coral knot – all while watching baseball. (Try as I might, I can never get the colors right in these photos. They are much more vivid.)

I’ve also been in a major nesting phase – sorting, organizing and dumping. Does this happen to you in the fall? I feel compelled to get everything in order. I’m also getting the urge to paint some pieces of furniture – one or two dark pieces in the bedroom as well as the kitchen table. And, after several months of inactivity, the dollhouse is calling to me. As the days get shorter and colder, I will once more tackle the renovation of my dollhouse.

Leaves are changing color rather quickly around here. Every day I see big changes. Our sugar maple is always the first to change color and the first to drop its leaves. I wonder just how much color we will have this year. It has rained quite a bit in the last month or so, but the first part of the summer was incredibly dry and that can affect how much fall color there is.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about blogging and why we blog. I so enjoyed reading every comment. It sounds is if it struck a chord with many of you.

I’ve spoken about there being room for all types of bloggers out there. But I have one more thing to say about blogging that has to do with basic good manners. House/cottage, nesting, crafting, creative blogs are, by their nature, more cozy and welcoming than are political blogs, for example. I spoke of those bloggers who get hundreds of comments and never return the favor. I realize that keeping up with hundreds of comments on each post is impossible. We’re all busy and sometimes it takes a while before we can return the visit. But when several comments are made over a long period of time and no effort is made to respond, whether by email or a visit to the commenter’s blog, well, that sticks in my craw. It’s rude and there is no room for that.  I know it has happened to all of you. It certainly has happened to me. Those are the blogs I stop visiting.

So here’s my suggestion: If your blog has become so impossibly big that you can no longer take the time to communicate with your readers who are, after all, the reason you have become so popular, then perhaps you should rethink things. Because you might have lost the heart and soul of what made your blog so attractive to begin with.

Okay. That’s all on blogging, at least for a while. I will now descend from my soapbox.

Why do we Blog?

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:: A few of my favorite bloggers have been wrestling with whether to continue blogging. In one case, a popular blogger has decided to close her blog. She eloquently wrote about her reasons and I think each one of us who read the post understood and sympathized with her dilemma. Reading her post and reading all the comments got me thinking again about why we blog and maybe offer some advice from my perspective.

Blogging can be time consuming. Coming up with posts, taking photos, reading and commenting on other blogs – all of it takes time and can become overwhelming. I think each of us has to decide how much time we are willing to devote to our blogs – whether we post daily, once a week, or less often. We read other blogs. It is very easy to start reading and commenting on posts and suddenly discover that a few hours have passed.  I love reading other blogs and do my best to visit often and leave a comment. Some days I am successful, some days I’m not. I try my best to respond to everyone, but I’m sure I’ve been remiss in the past and will be in the future. As with anything in our busy lives, we have to set priorities. We do the best we can.

Here’s what I don’t like: when people assume that those who post daily and visit and comment on many blogs have no life. I read a few comments that said as much on the previously mentioned post. I would say in response to those comments: No, that person doesn’t have your life or your priorities. She has her life, with her priorities. And I bet her life is as full as yours. I see bloggers out there with children and full-time jobs who post all the time. I see others in the same situation who post infrequently. Then there’s those of us with no children and demanding jobs or with grown children and demanding jobs or who have part-time jobs or who are enjoying retirement – we run the same gamut. It is totally individual. It’s a choice. There’s room for all of us in this blogging world. There is a space for the infrequent blogger, for the daily blogger, for the lurker, for the power blogger, for the professional blogger, for those who enjoy reading blogs but have no desire to start a blog.

There are cliques out there in blogland,  there are bloggers who get hundreds of comments and never return the favor, there are blogs that lose their charm and intimacy and become more of a business.  We’ve all seen it. Just like you did in high school, I guess you have to learn who you want to hang out with and who wants to hang out with you.

As for followers, I’ve written about that before. I am honored and grateful for each and every one of my followers. But, and this is a big but, that followers number is misleading and even more, is not an indicator of how many people visit your blog. Lots of people visit this blog who are not followers, and I’m sure many of my followers no longer read this blog. In fact, out of curiosity, I recently looked at my list of followers and there are many, many who I never hear from. Who knows if they even read my posts anymore? People change, tastes change.

Many bloggers require you to become a follower to take part in a giveaway, consequently, their numbers increase. Theoretically, someone can become a follower to be entered in a giveaway and never read that blog again. That little box is not a true indicator of your blog’s readership. So when that feeling of not having thousands of followers like so-and-so arises or that ‘she’s more popular, what am I doing wrong’ feeling you had in high school suddenly reappears, let it go. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not a competition. Stay true to your style, to your reason for becoming a blogger in the first place.

You have to decide how much time you’ll spend at your computer on any given day. You have to set your priorities. Only you can put pressure on yourself. I’ve seen plenty of bloggers take an extended break from blogging. Sometimes it’s because they aren’t inspired, sometimes it’s because of illness or the demands of life. It’s your blog – you can do whatever you want. If you are no longer getting any pleasure or joy from blogging, then take a break. Stop, breathe and let go for a while. Those who read your blog regularly will understand.

I think it is important to remember why you blog and what it gives you in return. I started my blog to share my passions: for my home, my husband, my dogs, my collections, my garden, my adventures. I have always loved to write and through blogging, have grown to love photography. My life has been enriched beyond measure by the friends I’ve made. I’ve been challenged to learn more, grow more and expand my horizons. Through this sharing, I’ve found kindred spirits everywhere. That’s why I blog. Remember why you blog and don’t let all the so-called competition affect you. If you read this blog, you know I’m nothing if not honest. It’s taken many years, but I am who I am.  Be who you are – and your blog will be all the richer for it.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, my friends.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

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