Awards Scare Me!

Back on March 13, Kaye Barley from Meanderings and Muses emailed me that she had chosen me for a Fabulous Blog Award. (You can see her post on the subject at her place). This recognition comes with rules -- and I quote: "You must pass it on to 5 other Fabulous Bloggers in a post. (You might find their email addresses on their Profile page or, if not available, post as a "comment" to their latest post.) You must include the person who gave you the award, and link back to them. You must list 5 of your Fabulous Addictions in the post. You must copy and paste these rules in the post. Right click the Award icon and save it to your computer, then post with your own awards. To my way of thinking, this is not only a nice tribute, it widens the reading audience."

Whether from a paralyzing fear of success, too much time spent on Facebook, or sheer laziness, I haven't blogged since! But now I'm back and resolving to do better. How did I get started blogging anyway?

I remember a dinner party a year or so before we moved from City of Lakes where 3 of the 4 men present talked animatedly about all the blogs they kept up with each day. Onkel Hankie Pants was the fourth man, and I don't think either of us really understood what was being discussed -- we knew the word and that was about it. In retrospect, I think our friends were all reading professional or semi-pro political blogs, of which more later. We also wondered how these guys got any work done!

When we moved to Maine, we had a bit more time on our hands and we each got our own computer (my recipe for a happy marriage, especially in retirement or semi-retirement.) We were visiting different churches and looking at their websites, and one website recommended Songbird's blog. One visit and I was hooked. I started reading her blog regularly and then dipping into some of the others on her blogroll. About that same time my elder daughter started a blog. This daughter is the middle child, and as we know, the middle child is more peer-oriented; plus she was in the Pacific Time Zone, making telephone communication difficult. I read her blog simply to keep in touch! Some time later, Onkel Hankie Pants started blogging, and, not to be outdone, I began Exile's Return. After a while I joined the RevGalBlogPals blogring, and I continue to sample blogrolls. There are blogs on almost any subject, including many that interest me, and before the election I was even checking in fairly often at some of those political blogs mentioned above. (Now? Not so much, unless one of my favored bloggers links to one, except for my old college chum Rick Horowitz's funny take on politics and other aspects of the news.)

Some of my favorite mystery writers have blogs. Vicki Lane, who passed the Fabulous Blogger award to Kaye, who passed it to me, has a beautiful one -- just looking at her photographs of the Carolina mountains each day lifts my spirit. Some other writers have joint blogs (you'll find a couple in my blogroll) which is a Good Thing -- with only one post a week, they have more time to write more mysteries.

I wish all my friends had blogs! I've recently joined Facebook, and it's been fun keeping up with some more people that way, but the short status updates aren't quite enough for me. I want to know what you think! DorothyL and Goodreads have proven good ways for me to reflect on what I'm reading. I joined a site that promised to do the same sort of thing for movies, but I'm not pleased with it and I may need to follow Sisterfilms' example and start another blog for film reviews.

Without further ado, here's my list of Fabulous Bloggers -- check 'em out!
1. Meanderings and Muses -- where I'll be guest-blogging in June!
2. Cordeliaknits -- there is quite a bit about knitting, but more besides, and some great photos.
3. Are You There, God? It's Me, Elinor -- my younger daughter and a deep thinker, seriously.
4. Processing Counselor -- someone I don't know in person but who is in many ways a kindred spirit, and in others quite different, which keeps me interested in what she has to say
5. The Owl's Song -- taught me that people of faith and goodwill and eminently good sense come in all denominations -- even ones I've tended to think of almost as "the enemy."

And my Fabulous Addictions:
1. Reading and acquiring books: here's a photo of one of my TBR shelves,
note double-shelving!








2. Christmas music: here's a photo of where I keep it:
3. Genealogy: here's a photo of just some of my files and resource material:
4. Ripping Yarns: Here are two examples of the kinds of books and movies I call "Ripping Yarns"--
I'd probably count National Treasure movies as one of my guilty pleasures even without
Nicolas Cage, and Patrick O'Brian, while of another literary order entirely, writes a great Ripping Yarn.












5. And last but not least, How to Be Perfect books. These fall into many categories (if you look hard you can spot at least one in each of the two photos of bookshelves above) and here is my latest purchase, which I couldn't resist when I came across it in the used bookstore last week: