The Evolution of Blogging! Why and How

My husband took this picture in Kowloon, PRC

Blogging has turned out to be a wonderful thing for me. I began several years ago on a whim while my husband and I were visiting China. I wanted to share my experiences with children/grandchildren...it was slicker and a lot faster than a postcard or letter. The results have been an ongoing journal that included interests, stories, and letters.... and the list goes on. I am not sure whether the original aim lines up with the outcome but, for me, the effort is very rewarding.

The simplicity of starting this process has become easier with the passing years and the learning curve is not a steep climb. It simply requires a little (or a lot) of your attention every few days. Your posts don't need to be long or complicated...all they need to be is a reflection of your personality. When we retire and the years pass, we become more aware of the legacy we will want to pass on to our family. I personally would love my family to visit to my old blogs (there are three of them now) and read about what I loved, hated, and found interesting enough to write about. I want them to read the fiction and savor the stores about themselves. It is important to me for them to understand what I was all about.

In the beginning, one blog was more than enough. Then my life style changed and I added a second and then a third:

It Crossed My Mind (originally Barbara's Travels) is a personal blog that contained stories, poems, and diary like entries. It was my first blog and the description at that time was a quote from Confucius...A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Retire in Style Blog is a later blog that I began writing as a way to share those things that effect the life of a retiree. Originally intended as a place to vent about life in a condo and neighborhood associations, the blog has evolved into a retirement lifestyle dialogue. Travel, restaurants, recreation, products I like, home maintenance, photographs and things to do in Portland, Oregon + Tucson, Arizona fill the pages.
Just Give Me the Facts is a blog I began during the Obama/McCain race for the presidency of the United States. Once in a while a big rant is good for the soul. It is not all political. I want this blog to remain in place and I add to it occasionally. I want my children to reflect on my opinions...good or bad in their view.

In the end though, the pleasure I get from going back and reading what I have written will be enough. I never realized how compelling a journal could become. I would recommend it for anyone...just go to blogspot.com and follow the steps. Really is not that hard.

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

How to be a 12 Month Snow Bird

Vacation Rental in Mexico I live around snowbirds 6 months of the year. I have heard those people say that they all want to live the "snowbird" lifestyle when they go home. But it just is not possible. They are isolated and cold. Social activities with friends and beautiful weather are greatly missed when they return to the realities of their "real" life. One couple I visited with lately returned to Florida this morning where they own a home. The woman is a nurse and works in the summer. They are not going home until May this year. It is too cold in Michigan in the spring so they are hoping to extend their good weather season by simply staying away. Besides that they love their Florida lifestyle a lot. Last week I visited with a woman that lives the snowbird lifestyle year around. No going home to the Midwest in the spring. They essentially vacation 12 month out of the year. And I thought their solution for avoiding unpleasant weather and keeping their lifestyle in...

If You Build It, They Will Come...Maybe!

It all began with a antique window in front of a local shop. It had been painted yellow, the glass was loose and all of the hinges and latches were gone. My old friend Betty would have approved...she would tell me it was just broken enough and damaged enough for me to drag it home. When my dear husband saw it, he wondered what he was meant to do with it. Imagine his surprise when he was presented with the plan to build a small neighborhood library exchange. It wasn't the first time he had heard me ask "How hard could it be?" Now it is six weeks later and we mounted the darling little library exchange on two posts in our front yard. I love it. Now the question is, will they come or has the time passed when people actually read something made of paper? Our association president stopped by and admired the box but left after telling me that he only read books on his Kindle. We will see. Would you bring a book and take a book? b+

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