I feel like I'm at a point where I am fighting stagnation with this blog; I mean lately, if I didn't have those damn loggers to write about, where would I be? And by the way, the noise is as bad as ever tonight, at this point I just hope they can cut their 120 acres ASAP and return me to the nocturnal silence I love about this place. Right now it sounds like I'm living in Baghdad, night and day.
So, back to the stagnation thing. I have no intentions of quitting, or even writing one of those "I'm thinking of quitting because I feel I have nothing left to say, please talk me out of it" posts. I have not yet, in two years, scratched the surface of what I have to say, and I'm loving the blog community thing. I just feel I have to renew a personal commitment to focus on the original mission of this blog: "Notes on nature, phenology, environmental philosophy, gardening, music, and the pursuit of the Good Life in the northwoods of Minnesota."
That means I should be blogging more often. Although gloating after new windows has its place, I should devote equal time to exploring how much those windows, and our construction decisions, mean in the overall picture. (Energy efficient windows, if you can afford them, are a must here in Minnesotarctica. Anything that lets in valuable light in winter, and prevents heat loss, is a plus.) I should post more frequently about my bird sightings. I saw a pair of cardinals as I was going out to fill the bird feeder at work today. I also sighted a red tailed hawk, over a quarter mile away perched in a tree, on my drive home.
It also means the quality of my writing should never be compromised. I feel I have made a lot of mediocre posts about what could be amazing life revelations lately. I fully intend to commit to making this blog a pleasure to read as well as an invitation for thoughtful comment and discussion. I am so grateful for all of you readers out there, whether you comment daily, occasionally, or never, and I want to make sure it's worth your time to check in here.
And, since there seems to be a lack of knowledge, or the willing to share it, about gardening here in the northern latitudes, where frost can hit any month but July, I feel I should at least share some of my successes and failures in the garden department so I can remember them and others can learn from them! My garden is becoming more and more an integral part of my life, and I intend to share more of what I am learning.
So there I have laid out the challenge for myself. Please, in your comments, feel free to make sure I am living up to it!
5 comments:
I've never thought of your blog as boring at all. We all reach points in our life where we feel like were stuck in a rut.
I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog Deb, even if I don't comment on every post. I think we all cycle through ups and downs in all aspects of our lives. Right now I often feel like I'm treading water waiting for more daylight. I really HATE the short days of our winters.
Well, I wouldn't change a thing, but I understand if you do. It's yours. I like not knowing if it'll be a kids, birds, garden, house, brew, reflection post when I click that link.
Some single focus blogs get so mundane and predictable that it's hard to get pulled in ... does that make sense?
Get it where ya want it, I'm sure it'll all be good.
Deb - I agree with everyone else, I've never found your blog boring. I think you've set out some great challenges for yourself in this post, and that's great. Nonetheless, there's lots of places to read about green technology (like energy efficient windows) but I love your blog because it is so personal and such a great window (pardon the pun) into what it's really like to try to live "closer to the land."
No matter what you do, I'll be reading!
dragonfly- thanks. I don't think my life's in a rut so much as my attention to writing about it is!
lynne- Weather has everything to do with it here in Minnesota! I have a hard time getting out of my warm bed in the dark, I'm not motivated to go outside when it's windy and barely enough snow to ski, and the long evenings are dark. I gotta go see that snowy owl; maybe that would be an inspiration!
FC- You've got a point there; I know of a lot of single focus blogs and while they're a good read occasionally, I find myself going to a few blogs every day that have a good mix of life experiences and thoughts, coupled with good writing and humor. Pure Florida is on that list.
dharma bum- thanks, and I always enjoy reading your perspective on life.
I'm really not thinking of changing much, just maybe going more in-depth into the "why" of things as much as the play-by-play narrative.
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