Country Living for Beginners

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “All About Me.”

Explain why you chose your blog’s title and what it means to you.

There was another blog first.  It was a memoir for family and close friends and became the beginning of my growing love for the blogging process.  Technicolor Daydreams has now been converted to a self published hard copy book created as a gift for the special people in my life.

I thought I was through blogging, but there was more to come.

Since the old self seemed to be adequately recorded in that first blog, I began to stretch and strike different poses (much like clicking around for the perfect selfie).

And a new blog was born!

Virginia Views is the second-story canvas now used to portray a city girl’s transference to country living.  High heels on a gravel driveway, a horse in the pool, and finding puff balls  and paw paws  in the wild, are the types of stories that still make me chuckle and I hope will bring smiles to anyone interested in the vagaries of country living.

Being mostly mixed up, I originally planned this new blog enterprise to be named Country Living for Beginners.  But I misread the form and a great title became the URL address instead – https://countryliving4beginners.wordpress.com .

VIRGINIA VIEWS turned out to be the all encompassing title of the new blog and I still love it.

My friend Cindy of Photos from the Loony Bin, helped with that title, and the “views” part allows me to wander from poetry to photography to worded essays and stories, however the mood shall strike.

Of course there are always lurking recollections of  hilarious adjustments to the surprises of living “out in the county” but like an emerging butterfly, Virginia Views morphed into an eclectic introspective interpretation of life in general.

The birth and growth of a blog is a terrifically exciting process with grandiose dreams of endless material to share.

Virginia Views now features over 600 posts and even when I think there is no more to say and “nothing new under the sun”, a new story emerges. Just telling you about it is the inspiration to begin again.

Uh oh!  Watch out WordPress!  There may be more to come.

~ Dor

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An Award from the Family

Congratulations to two of my very favorite bloggers who have both received The WordPress Family Award.  Their blogs are A Daily Thought and  Hope the Happy Hugger.   These two faves are where I find informative, inspirational,  fun, and funny posts that are irresistible.  Each is different in dramatic ways that never fail to keep me riveted and always eager for more.

They are also two bloggers who rarely fail to comment, and who share my joy in participating in the grand blogging effort.   They have made a huge difference in my approach to the Blog-Us-Fear.

So, this is to say, “Thank You Judy and Michelle (*hugs*) for passing the award forward to me.”  When  nominated twice like this for the same award, there are two compelling reasons to follow the rules and  respond and you two  have sent  a delightful compliment that leaves me grinning.

The WordPress Family Award is reserved for folks in Cyberspace who are  unceasingly kind, sympathetic, encouraging, and open to laughter – and who keep each other going by sharing, commenting, and making personal connections even though they may actually be virtual strangers.

• Rules:
• Display the award logo on your blog.
• Link back to the person who nominated you.
• Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family.
• Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them.

Since I have received this award from two different people, I am taking the liberty of listing 20 nominees!   I know some of you have “award-free” blogs, or maybe you have already been given this award,  and if so, just take this all as a compliment and a thank you  for your kindness and support over time.

And if you don’t see yourself here, it’s not because I don’t love you.   And since you are “family”, I know you will understand.

And the nominees are:

http://cindyknoke.com

http://georgettesullins.wordpress.com

http://thesedaysofmine.com

http://livingtheseasons.com

http://coastalcrone.com

http://nutsfortreasure.wordpress.com

http://lanternpost2012.wordpress.com

http://upwoods.wordpress.com

http://winsomebella.wordpress.com

http://photosfromtheloonybin.wordpress.com

http://notquiteold.wordpress.com

http://comingeast.com

http://mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

http://growingyoungereachday.wordpress.com

http://coffeekatblog.com

http://poetrypatio.wordpress.com

http://apronhead.wordpress.com

http://ahundredyearsago.com

http://40isthenew13.wordpress.com

http://artyoldbird.com

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Blogging for Life

Daily Prompt:  Million Dollar Question

Why Do You Blog? I blog to write.  For as long as I can remember, I took pen in hand or fingers to a typewriter to put my thoughts down on paper.  Now I put my thoughts out in cyberspace.  Creative writing is what I love to do most and what I do best.  It makes me happy and focused. Blogging has given me a universe to play in, where I can write to my heart’s content.  And there is a bonus in finding fellow blogger friends who become part of my internet family. I am converting my blogs to real books so all that writing will really be in print.  The books might be my gift to grandchildren and generations to come. Why do I blog? To tell my stories, to share my feelings, to understand my own life.

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Best Blogger

Daily Prompt: Share the Love

Tell us about another blogger who has influenced your own online journey.

The most influential blogger in my online journey was Melissa of Writing for Daisies.  She is first and foremost a mother and loves her children so much that I suspect she has left blogging for them.  But she has even more to give.  She came into my orbit way back when I first started a blog called Technicolor Day Dreams that featured my feeble efforts to say something pertinent (at least to family).

Melissa’s last Writing for Daisies post in March was a sincere “Thank you”  to the thousands who followed her.  She doesn’t say so, but it sounds like a Farewell to me.

I miss her.  I miss her gentle prods to keep going.  I miss her expectation that great things are ahead and her promises that wonderful surprises await in the blog-us-fear.  I miss her fascinating, can’t-put-down posts.  To follow Melissa was to wish you could meet her in person.

And, even after she was posting less and less often, she still found time to comment on my efforts, quoting certain lines as if something there was worth savoring and saving.

Melissa was a journalist, a reporter, an expert in her field.  Her opinions mattered to me way back then, and would still.  No, I never met her in real time, but I can list her among the best teachers I ever had.

If you are reading this, Melissa, Thank YOU!

I hope you and your children fare well and that you will come back to us soon.

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Bookmaking

No, I’m not a bookie.  But this post IS about books.  It’s about compiling all your blog posts into a beautiful hardcover book (or soft cover if you prefer).

There is now a Blog Book in the works called Virginia Views. It’s a real, honest to goodness, hold- in-your-hand, turn-the-pages, elegant BOOK of my very own posts.  You might say it is self published.  Why did I do this?  Well, I neglected to make hard copies of each blog post and now there are over 200 pages of ‘em.  Should I save them somewhere?  Definitely.

Maybe Martians will make it to earth and will see my book as a historical hysterical perspective on the complications of human life.

As a result of this odd line of thinking, I went to Blog2print.com, followed the instructions, and the darned service immediately sucked all my posts from May 24, 2012 to February 5, 2013 into a book (which I could even edit!).  It was magic!   In less than three weeks a  hardcover, beautifully bound, glossy paged actual book with all the posts in Volume 1 of Virginia Views will arrive.

How do I know the results will be wonderful?  Because I have done this once before.  It was for my first blog called Technicolor Day Dreams, an autobiography in flashes of memory I compiled for my grandchildren and gave to the family and friends for Christmas.  That book is truly beautiful and something I am so proud of accomplishing.

But now I feel like a real live author looking forward to receiving the one copy ordered of Virginia Views for my library wall! Maybe one day the wall will be covered with Books By Dor!  Who will read them all?

My First Blog Book
Front Cover Photo is Dor
With Her First Love, Dog Tippi

I hope those Martians get here soon.

Have you created a book of your blog posts yet?  Try it.  You’ll love it.  And you can be a bookie too.

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Blogging Awards from the Sky

Congratulations to Eunice of Living and Lovin for receiving her 6^th and final star to add to her Blog of the Year 2012 award.   Everyone knows she’s already a real star in cyberspace, but to receive six stars for her blog  is a tremendous honor.  If you haven’t checked out Eunice’s blog, don’t miss it.  She is versatile and every place at once, and talented, and kind and fun and funny and a serious photographer, artist, crafter, and acute observer of life.    You name it – Eunice is good at it and her blog is no exception!  And I LOVE her dog, JT!

Meanwhile, thank you Eunice for awarding a fourth star to my own Blog of the Year 2012!  I may not reach that pinnacle place with the coveted six stars, but one was a tremendous thrill.  Receiving four leaves me  mute!  Well….. almost.

SO NOW  I AM PASSING FORWARD THE AWARD OR THE STARS.

CHECK MY BLOGROLL.  IT’S OVER TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS PAGE!  

Being lazy and overwhelmed with holiday preparations, I am taking a  shortcut and nominating favorite bloggers from my blogroll.  Congratulations!  You are the erstwhile winners of the Blog of the Year Award 2012!  Think of me as Santa’s Helper, dropping gifts from the sky!  Look up!  You may actually see the shooting stars heading in your direction!

Have you claimed your award yet?

Are you adding stars as I nominate you?

If you have not claimed your award, please take a look at my blogroll and see if you are there.   Are you there?  If so, YOU ARE A WINNER! And note:  I have recently added a bunch of new blogger friends to my blogroll favorite list.  If you weren’t there before, you may be there now.

Also note:  If you still don’t see yourself on the list, but we are commenting and communicating with each other, then count yourself “IN” on this prestigious award too!

About The Blog of the Year 2012 Award:

Unlike other awards which you can only add to your blog once, this one is different!  When you begin, you will receive the one star award.  Then every time you are given the award by another blog, you can add another star!  And as if you did not know by now,  there are a total of six stars to collect.

You can check out your favorite blogs and even if they have already been given the award by someone else, you can still award them again and again to help them reach the maximum of six stars!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY FAVES!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TOO!

AND HAVE A VERY HAPPY, STAR STRUCK NEW YEAR 2013!

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Doctor’s Orders!

What do you do when your most favorite occupation in the whole world is making you disintegrate?

What do you do when your doctor says to get off the computer and MOVE?

What do you do when you are constantly called back to the second love of your life – your blog (the first being “husband” in case he’s reading this)?

What do you do when you are constantly returning to your in-box to see what others are doing on their blogs?

Dear Friends in the Blogusfear,

Have you heard this before?

My doctor says I’m doing the wrong thing for my body and my well being.  He says I should be in motion for more time than I am at the computer.  When I told him I can put in four to six hours a day with this marvelous hobby called blogging, he kind of smirked.  “Wrong!  You are doing the wrong things for your health,” says he.

“I am a blogger!” I said.  “You must understand this is my hobby.  And I love it.”

“What exactly does all this time at the computer really mean to you?” he asked. 

So, I went home and made up a list.

WHAT BLOGGING MEANS TO ME    

• Blogging = Happy time thinking and looking and reading and never ever being bored.
• Blogging = Using my new-found talent for writing; an outlet for self expression.
• Blogging = Connecting with new and fascinating friends; people I love but have never met yet.
• Bloggng = Filling my time with creative, exciting, challenges; focusing on things that matter.
• Blogging = Discovering the beautiful, fun, funny things in life.
• Blogging = Feeling connected with a bigger world than the distance between my kitchen and the laundry room.
• Blogging is MY MOST FAVORITE HOBBY IN THE WHOLE WORLD!

When I returned to my doctor with this list, he once again smirked.  “Here’s what constant blogging and not moving is REALLY doing for you,” he said.

•  You are heading toward diabetes.  You may already be there.
• A lifetime of medications if you don’t get up and move.
•  Loss of circulation from sitting too long with the potential for heart problems.
•  Elevated cholesterol from lack of exercise, leading to vascular problems.
•  Weight gain.
• Deteriorating health.

“Bah! Humbug!  It’s Christmas Doctor!  Are you going to rob me of my most favorite thing to do in the whole world just before Christmas?”

“You need to be in motion my friend, moving more than sitting at the computer,” said he.  And then he offered hope.  “You can beat this.  You can compromise.  Time yourself.  Just start moving instead of sitting.”

And so here I am creating another blog post.  I know – I’m sitting!  But I  have a kitchen timer at my desk now and it’s set for one hour.  When it brashly rings it reminds me to get up and go!  Move!

I am determined to follow Doctor’s Orders now.  I will spend an hour in the morning reading other blogs and trying to comment on the ones I love.  Then I will spend another two hours in the evening when the kitchen no longer commands attention.  I will make walking  my daily priority.  I will wear a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day.

These are my Pre-Christmas Resolutions dear Doctor, because I know you are dedicated to my own best interest.  You are not advocating quitting the blog – no – only advocating sensible, practical behavior.

Blogging remains my most favorite thing to do in the whole world and I know I just have to stand up sometimes and move in other directions.

I’m following your orders Doc!  And as the latest doggy commercial has the doggy saying, “I’ve been good.  I’ve been good.  I’ve been very very good.”

BAH HUMBUG!

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A Badge of Honor

Congratulations to Eunice of Living and Lovin’ for her recent awards, and to my new blogging friend, Lori Lipsky, of Poetry Patio, who writes the most poignant verse! She has received numerous awards over the past few months too.  Both delightful bloggers have added immeasurably to my enjoyment and they inspire me to try and try again.  And it came as truly a big surprise when they both nominated me for the Blog of the Year 2012 Award. I thought the first time was “it”.  But suddenly I can add two more stars to my original badge, making” it” truly a badge of honor.  Thank you both!

And to reiterate:

The ‘rules’ for this award are simple:

1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012′ Award.

2 Write a  post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen — there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required — and ‘present’ them with their award.

3 Please include a link back to this page http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/ –  and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!).

4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them.

5 You can now also join our Facebook group — click ‘like’ on this page: ‘Blog of the Year 2012′ Award Facebook group, and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience.

6 As a winner of the award, please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award, and then proudly display the award on your blog sidebar, and start collecting stars!

Yes — that’s right — there are stars to collect! Unlike other awards which you can only add to your blog once, this award is different! When you begin, you will receive the ’1 star’ award, and every time you are given the award by another blog you can add another star! There are a total of 6 stars to collect.

And the Nominees are….

As before, if you are on my blog roll (you know who you are), I am nominating you for this award.  If you didn’t pick it up the first time, you may wish to now.  And if you did pick it up the first time, you can add another star to your badge too!  How cool is that?  And if you are not on my blogroll yet (either because I’ve been too lazy or you are a new friend), if we are commenting to each other on our blogs, consider yourself nominated for this award as well!  After all, you are definitely my favorites and if so, you are the most talented, brilliant, and wisest bloggers in cyberspace!

Have fun, enjoy, Congratulations, and by the way, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  Luv, Dor

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On Beauty and Blogging Awards

Eunice of Living and Lovin just received two awards, the Super Sweet Blogging Award and the Beautiful Blogger Award.  So, double Congratulations Eunice!  You deserve this high place in the sun!  I encourage everyone to stop by and check out her blog because it’s a smorgasbord of interesting thoughts, photos, crafts, and adventure stories.  Now she has gone and nominated me for the Beautiful Blogger Award too, and I am truly honored.

Sometimes I believe my blogger friends are out there specifically to inspire creativity in others.   And I find myself writing specifically to the one who laughs, the one who makes me laugh, another who shares my fears and aggravations,  she who calls me “sister” for all we have in common, and still another who is my true mentor.  These are the friends who are so inspiring –  the photographer and the poet, the adventuress, the comic, the empty nest mom – some struggling with loss, others celebrating joy – all sharing their lives with words and photographs hurling through cyberspace.  They are the cyberspace givers who make blogging all worthwhile.

Part of the Beautiful Blogger Award is to nominate other beautiful bloggers.  The hard part is choosing just seven, but  the best part is in recognizing all that talent. So, I am nominating seven to receive The Beautiful Blogger Award.  They are all awesomely beautiful for a million different reasons, and I know you will love visiting them:

I Blog Therefore I Am

A Serene Scribe

The Coastal Crone

Lori Lipski/Poetry Club

Life With the Top Down

Lake Superior Spirit

Morristownmemos

If I nominated you, and you choose to participate (no pressure!) here are the rules:

1)      Write a post about the award and include the award picture.

2)      Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.

3)      Nominate seven other blogs and include links as well as a quick statement about that blog.

4)      Write a comment on each of the blogs to tell them you nominated them.

5)      Have fun!

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An Award to Pay Back and Forward

Congratulations Living&Lovin for receiving the Liebster Award!  ‘Tis well deserved, and I would urge my friends to take a look at this fascinating blog because it is chock full of talent and creativity.  And thank you too Eunice for passing this award forward to your other blogger friends – and on to me!   I LOVE  the concept of bloggers sharing admiration for other bloggers.   The acknowledgement gives me incentive to go on and I hope others who receive these awards are just as thrilled.  I believe  awards are truly the frosting on the cake and I have always loved the icing best.

Liebster (pronounced: leeb-stir) is a German word meaning sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.  The Liebster Blog Award recognizes up and coming bloggers and winners are asked to “pay it back and forward.”  The award is given to those bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  If you have more than 200 followers, you can send me a poison pen letter.  I wasn’t quite sure how to identify with such specificity.

The Rules for the Liebster Award are as follows: 

• Link back to the blogger who gave you this award
• Post the award to your blog
• Post 11 things about yourself.
• Answer the questions asked of you, plus create 11 new questions for your nominees to answer
•  Nominate 11 people you think deserve the award and link them to your post.
• Go to their pages and tell them they have been chosen.

Eleven Things About Me:

1)     I am a fanatical dog lover.

2)    I don’t like to share popcorn.

3)    I used to love autumn the best, but now I love spring more.

4)    I adore chocolate covered coffee beans.  I love them so much I hide them for secret binges, so I never buy them and can only indulge when I receive them as gifts.

5)    I played flute in my high school band but never learned to read music so I fooled everyone but myself.

6)    I need fresh air to sleep well and prefer a cold room and lots of covers.

7)    I love reading books about people who are survivors and learning how they did it.

8)    I have always loved to write and started writing poetry in high school.

9)    My dream is to see myself as slim and sleek enough to hit the beach in a bikini!

10) I live in a mountain valley but often crave the beach – with or without the bikini.

11) I have created a manual on how to survive a pandemic.

Now, here are the 11 questions Eunice asked me to answer:

1)     What do you do for FUN?  Write for my blog!

2)      What is your Favorite Sports Team?  The Washington Capitals (ice hockey) but only because my men are into it.

3)      Do you watch the Kentucky Derby?  Yes, when I remember. I love the excitement.

4)      Do you like NASCAR?  I don’t know.  I might. I think I do.

5)      What is your favorite TV show? Dancing with the Stars

6)      What pets do you have?  A big old dog named Rozie

7)      What model car or truck to you drive?  A Toyota RAV4 – maybe a truck/maybe a car.

8)      What is your favorite color?  Merlot (a new name for maroon I think)

9)      Do you remember your very first LOVE?  Absolutely! Who could forget?

10)   Do you watch what you eat?  I try but then I just keep eating.

11)   Are you happy or sad most of the time?  Happy – that must be the right answer right?

And here are the blogs I am nominating for the Liebster Award.  They are very very good.  I have very very good taste in blogs. 

1. The Short Stack
2. Lydia Street
3. The Coastal Crone
4. Lori Lipsky Poetry Patio
5. The Fearless Cooking Club
6. Daysift
7. These Days of Mine
8. Life With the Top Down
9. Mama’s Empty Nest
10. An Observant Mind

And here are my 11 questions for the lucky bloggers I chose:

1)    If you could go anywhere in the world and stay for a month, where would you choose to go?

2)    What is your hobby?

3)    What was your childhood dream?

4)    What was the best gift you ever received?

5)    What is your favorite movie?

6)    Who is the person who inspired you the most?

7)    What is your favorite dessert?

8)    What is your favorite quote?

9)    What do you do for relaxation?

10) What is your favorite remembered scent/smell from childhood?

11) If you could be a character in a book, who would you choose to be?

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