How we spent Tuesday afternoon:
Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Bread
and the Nightmare Before Christmas
Then we watched “Autumn in New York”.
Even the weather knows it’s September: the breeze is cooler, crisper.
I think it’s going to be a wonderful season.
You may also enjoy reading:
Writing Prompt: Songs
Why I Don’t Go to Carnivals in October
A few years ago, I had some friends suggest I start a blog. “A what?” I asked. I was certain they’d lost their minds. To me, a blog was nothing more than a digital diary. A public digital diary. Why would I want to spill my guts to a bunch of strangers?
I had a mental image of a Blogger as being someone who drank Starbuck’s all day and jotted down notes about things they wanted to (but not necessarily should) share with the World at Large. Someone who had nothing better to do with their time than write instead of work. Boy, was I so very wrong!
If you’ve been around Frankly, My Dear… for any length of time, you know that turning into a “Professional Blogger” was not my initial intention. I merely wanted to expound my writing skills while also sharing my social forays.
And then I discovered the difference between keeping an online diary and writing a Blog. The behind-the-scenes work that it takes to put together a Blog is remarkable. And the great ones make it seem so effortless. It’s like putting on a stage-play with each post. Do the characters (story elements) shadow or compliment each other? Is the set (website) designed to help or hinder the performance? Are there too many distractions, or not enough decorations?
Blogging, I discovered, is so much more than words.
As time went on, I found myself growing and changing along with my Blog. I found what worked for me (and what didn’t), what stories I wanted to tell, and what you wanted to read. It may not seem like it, but I strive hard to not be categorized as a Foodie Blog or a Mommy Blog. Frankly, My Dear… is so much more than that.
Just as you have many facets that sparkle and shine, so does a well-written Blog.
I also found myself craving the acceptance and recognition I get when reading comments from people I’ve never met. And what a feeling to read other blog posts I can relate to. Blogging is a wonderful community!
I follow other Blogs and seek advice from Bloggers. I discovered that discovery is part of the process. To learn, ask, inquire, seek, research, and hunt for the path that would get me from here to There. I’m still learning how to build a better blog. And I’m learning that it’s a whole lot more than just good writing.
The blogs I first had for reference were those from people who vented online. Bad grammar. bad spelling. Bad stories. It was all just very… bad. There were also those who told cute stories about their cute kids and had cute backgrounds. It was all just very… cute.
But I’m a serious writer, I argued. Blogging isn’t writing. It’s… well, it’s just blogging. That’s right. I said it.
And I’m sorry. Because there is such a difference between writing a blog and Writing a Blog. The more I wanted to know about writing a good blog, the more I read other blogs. And I found some amazingly helpful ideas. I also saw what not to do.
First, find a niche. Some blogs are about one thing: Cooking. Automobiles. Crafts. Felines. Some are about life. Life with kids. Life with a Significant Other. Life Without a Significant Other. Still others (my favorite kind, of course!) incorporate a little bit of everything.
As long as the writings are coherent and connect to other posts, I think any number of categories works. Of course, disjointed posts and ten thousand themes in one year can make it difficult to follow. I try to keep it simple but real. I don’t expect every one of my friends to like every aspect about me. Neither do I expect every one of my readers to like every post I write. It’s the overall appreciation, the intrinsic value of all parts combined, that keep us together.
Add photographs. The bigger the better, but try to keep them similar in size. If you’re a blogger, invest in a good digital camera. You’ll be oh-so-glad you did. I know several bloggers that post copyrighted materials. Even though media sites such as YouTube and Pinterest gives us access to review someone else’s work, I personally stay away from putting it on Frankly, My Dear… unless I know it’s absolutely approved. Just as I would hate for someone to put all my photos on their blog without compensation, I don’t want to take advantage of others’ hard work (and copyrights!).
Comment. Find other blogs you like, and comment on them. If someone leaves a comment on your blog, reciprocate! The Blogging Community thrives on recognition. Promote other blogs. Ask for help with your own promotions. When a blog you like links up to a third blog, check it out! I’ve found several great blogs this way; and made some fantastic blog friends.
Don’t be afraid of social media. Sign up! Link up! I have Facebook, twitter, StumbleUpon, and Pinterest. So do many of my blog friends. We cross-promote and help each other out. If your blog is just for yourself and close friends, numbers aren’t too significant. But if you’re looking to get recognized and earn some corporate sponsors… well, the keyword here is earn. You have to work at promoting your blog. And ask your friends and fellow bloggers to help you out.
Don’t be afraid. Reach out! I am a big fan of asking questions. When I see a feature on a blog that I admire, I find a way to contact the blogger. Whether it’s an email, Facebook post, or direct message through twitter, I reach out. I ask, how did they do this? Who do I contact? What do you recommend? And most of the time, they reach back. They, too, know the importance of interacting.
But it’s still so much more than that. I spend several hours each week reading other blogs and leaving comments. I send emails to people and entities that I want to partner with. I’m on my social media sites throughout every day.
I’m just now learning what attracts sponsors and what doesn’t. How certain layouts can actually turn readers away from a Blog. Why sometimes short is better. What makes a good post. How to take a good photograph.
I didn’t come by this knowledge on my own. I sought it out, certainly. I googled my questions and read article upon article, blog upon blog. But without mentors and fellow bloggers, I’d still be in Bloggy Kindergarten. I’m so thankful to be striving for Blog recognition, and to have so many wonderful tutors.
Just as a diamond is made from coal, which is made from elements pressed so very tightly together into something so remarkably beautiful, so are individual people. And so are the blogs they write.
So you see, blogging really can be a business. At least, it should certainly be treated as one. The next time you read a blog post, I hope you notice the little details. But if you don’t that’s okay, too. Because sometimes, we writers only want you to read. And leave the behind-the-scenes stuff to us.
I invite you to click on the following blogs. They never cease to inspire me, and I hope they’ll do the same for you.
Jenn at …so this is love…
Ann at Doodles and Jots
Larissa at Papa is a Preacher
Winnie at Winnie’s Inky Fingers
Sylvia at Living and Homeschooling With a New Normal
Kathy at Bereaved and Blessed
Margaret Christine at From Maggie’s Farm
Shell at Things I Can’t Say
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
My biggest yard project to date has been digging up the old root ball for the Mock Orange Shrub in the Northwest corner of Bedford Manor. It was a lovely shrub when I moved in, but just not my style.
Too Much Green (Mock Orange is in right corner)
It was overgrown, and fast growing. We had this cut down to a dead stump before moving in, along with the line of Juniper bushes. Of course, because the last two winters have been wetter than typical for the desert, the moisture helped the Mock Orange to reflourish. Even without manual watering or feeding, it fought its way back. Unfortunately, because it wasn’t well-cared for, the regrowth had been a bit staggered and unkempt.
Mock Orange regrowth
I have an idea of how I want this corner of the yard to be finished, and Mock Orange just doesn’t fit those plans. So I worked to get rid of it. Knowing that just cutting it back wouldn’t do the trick, I faced the reality of some hard work and set my mind to digging up the entire root ball.
This is where I explain to you the toughness of desert sand. It’s not soft and easy to manipulate like beach sand. My sand is compacted, heavy, solid. Nearly like clay. And the farther I dug, the more that reality sank in (pun not intended, but there it is). Combine that with the several roots several inches in diameter. No amount of hacking or sawing was going to make this go any faster. And believe me, I tried.
It dawned on me that the easiest way to dig deeper would be to soften the sand and so after I dug a shallow trench around the stump, I filled the trench with water and let it soak in. I had to wait for the soil to recognize that water isn’t the enemy: every bit of water I added took quite a while to be absorbed.
The Underground Beast
Since it was later in the day, I called it quits and packed up my tools. The only “work” for the rest of the night was turning the hose faucet left and, after five minutes, right. Repeat once an hour for three hours.
Yesterday I found myself sitting, digging, cutting, and sawing. It took a few more hours of hard work, but I finally broke through. I dug the mud out from under the stump and had a better look at just the roots. My Happy Moment came when I leaned my back against the fence post for leverage, and pushed the stump with my feet. It wobbled. It shifted. In other words, it moved!
Re-energized, I sawed like my life depended on it. In a matter of moments, all attachments were broken and this incredible beast of a ball was removed from the ground! It’s at least 25 pounds.
Burdensome
What a feeling of accomplishment! Mind you, I’m a writer, not a farmer or construction worker. Manual labor is not something I come by easily. To be able to say I did this, and I did it alone, is so utterly satisfying. Both my daughter and mother offered to help near the end and I roared at them like a Momma Bear protecting her cubs: This is my project!
After sifting through the sand for rocks and stems and other debris, I refilled the hole. I still need to level it out a little more with a heavy-duty yard rake, but I’m so happy with the nearly-finished results: a clean, debris-free corner. And now it’s ready to be redesigned.
Nearly Finished Corner
With the added bonus of getting rid of the Tree Stump Garden, this part of Bedford Manor’s front yard is looking quite well-kept indeed!
Clean Corner
I can’t wait for Spring!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
As I write this, Firefighters are about 35 miles away as the crow flies, trying to contain any amount of the over 1,000 acres burnt so far this afternoon.
Because it’s Sunday, I wasn’t watching news or doing yardwork. You could say I was partly unplugged from the world. And I’m okay with that.
Except when my Mom called to ask me if I saw smoke, and then I checked Facebook and saw several statuses about it.
These pictures were taken at approximately 5:15 tonight. At that time, the fire was at only 700 acres. After dinner, I took the trash out to discover the sky is now completely hidden by a thick, dark blanket.
The View From My Backyard
A Close-Up Through the Trees
The Red Glow
View Over Roof from Front Yard
As of right now, they’re not sure what started the fire. It could have been an illegal campfire, or it could have just been an accidental car fire.
In any event, it’s getting thicker; my lungs are telling me so. I hope for three things: I hope by the time I wake up, the cooler temperatures and lesser winds will have allowed our hardworking firefighting teams to gain the upper hand. But history shows us, in reality, it will be several days at least before the cloud has completely dissipated. I hope no one gets hurt. That, also, is not much of a reality. And I hope this is the only fire of the season.
Fare thee well, Fire Fighters. We certainly appreciate all you do. And then some!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
When I first bought Bedford Manor, there were three trees in the front yard.
Before I moved in
Before moving in, I had the overgrown Juniper shrubs, Lily garden and miscellaneous items removed. The Fruitless Mulberry closest to the driveway grew so quickly, there were times driving into the garage felt like a trip on Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise. We made the decision last year to have it cut down [you can read about it here].
That resulted in the stump that I surrounded with scalloped brick and tried to utilize as a flower garden.
Stump Garden
Unfortunately, Southern California just went through one of the hottest heatwaves we’ve had in years. Which means that my potted flowers, the seeded flowers, and anything else that was supposed to grow, didn’t.
And in a hilarious turn of events, the tree stump began to reflourish. Even after two summer haircuts.
It Doesn’t Know It’s Dead.
Two days ago I decided it was time to stop playing pretend, and I made some drastic changes to the yard. First, I moved the scalloped brick to the side of the house. Then I cut all the new growth emitting from the stump.
I now have a stump. Not a garden. Not a pretend garden. Not a hedged-in dirt plot. A stump. It still needs a little more care to finish (drilling and salting). But thankfully it will cease to overrun my happy home.
Stump Growth
And I’m actually okay with that. Without the brick and the overgrowth, my yard is actually starting to look more like a yard again.
I’m so ready for Spring planting. My Italian Desert designs will come to life. I’m thankful that I have fall and winter to prepare the yard.
So much to do, so little time.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
NOLA, by Molly Jo Realy
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