… made its debut one decade ago, on February 11, 2013, so it is time for me to EMBRACE it with this post. What better time to choose to write about your PASSION and labor of LOVE, than in conjunction with the day of hearts a/k/a VALENTINE’S DAY?
A little lookback, a half-century ago (gulp).
After eighteen years of schooling, from kindergarten through college graduation, undoubtedly the class that had the most impact and value for me, was one taken way back in 9th grade, circa 1969. This was a typing class. I believe it was only girls that took this class, as I vividly remember Mrs. Miller, an old-biddy schoolmarm, walking around the room, not just to ensure we sat up straight, fingers precisely poised on the “home keys” but she was adamant that our youthful fingers remained unadorned during her class. Oh … dainty rings were allowed, but back then, the style was clunky, junky and funky-looking rings to be worn on multiple fingers.
So, Mrs. Miller went up and down the aisles to ensure all gaudy jewelry was removed before we even rolled our paper into the platen and began that day’s lesson. Yes, no jewelry would impede our cadence in her class if she had anything to say! So the offending “jewels” were removed and placed in a neat pile next to the typewriter while we pounded out “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” over and over to build up our typing speed.
In later years, with Mrs. Miller long gone and Yours Truly immersed in the workplace, bangle bracelets that banged incessantly on the desk, or charm bracelets laden with trinkets, guaranteed to dangle onto the typewriter keys, or catch onto the platen knob, were problematic, but hey – if you wanted to be stylish, you just dealt with that conundrum, but never removed the jewelry.
Those of you that have never used a manual typewriter can’t fathom what I’m saying. Word processors and wonderful wraparound text was eons away. So, there was a certain rhythm to your typing. You, of course, are used to the featherlight touch of a computer keyboard, but before electric typewriters came on the scene, the manual typewriter required clippin’ along and swinging the carriage return when the bell dinged to signal you were nearing the end of your paper. And, if you were “in the zone” i.e. typing feverishly at top speed, you had to watch your “Ps” and “Qs” because Heaven forbid a long fingernail would embed itself somewhere in between those raised-up keys.
Aah, the good old days (and I won’t even get into how we corrected our spelling boo boos, the misery of calculating footnotes at the bottom of your page and the most-dreaded of all … multiple copies using carbon paper.)
So, in the grand scheme of things, algebra and geometry, the nonsensical diagramming of sentences, or the dreaded dissecting of a frog or fetal pig, were hardly instrumental in my post-education, day-to-day life, but typing … well I wouldn’t be writing this post had I never learned to type!
So, now that we have dispensed with this preamble about the benefits of typing in my formative years, without further ado, I shall now pat myself on the back for my 10th anniversary of beginning WALKIN’, WRITIN’, WIT & WHIMSY.
It’s been quite an evolution this past ten years.
Simply put, I love this quotation by the author of “Little Women” but I didn’t always feel enamored about my blog, especially at the beginning.
Most of you that have followed my posts for a while know how and why I began this blog on a snowy weekend back in February 2013. My mom passed away in 2010 and I had been laid off, a casualty of the Great Recession. After I was hired back part-time in June 2011 and working from home, I realized sitting for hours hunched over the laptop at the kitchen table, then hours more catching up on social media every evening, was taking its toll on my body. Hours of barely moving, with my only exercise of gardening/yardwork and housework, plus, because heart disease runs in the family, I began a walking regimen at Labor Day 2011. My walks grew longer in the various ‘hoods and often expanded to the River’s Edge Marina in Ecorse, where that four-mile morning meander included crossing multiple sets of railroad tracks.
Marge, my neighbor and friend, marveled at my miles racked up and cautioned me to be careful, especially about the railroad track crossings, where I’d look both ways, then sprint across all the tracks. Sometimes, while homeward bound, I didn’t time the train right and stood, tapping my toe for up to a half-hour while it rumbled past me. One day Marge e-mailed me “why don’t you let me know when you’re back from your walk so I know you returned safely?” So I did so as soon as I was online again..
Then Marge encouraged me to tell her what I saw on my ramblings. I accommodated this request as well, sometimes regaling her with a funny tale of birds or squirrels along the way, or people I had chatted-up in my daily travels. Soon Marge was forwarding e-mails of blogs she subscribed to and bugged encouraged me incessantly to write about my adventures and misadventures in a blog. I had never kept a journal as a school exercise or on my own and I certainly didn’t count my pink, pre-pubescent diary with its laughable entries from years before, so I really wasn’t interested and told her so. But Marge was persistent and, because I valued our friendship, I gave her a half-hearted “okay” and set about finding a platform to use for this “blog thing” I had reluctantly agreed to. I chose WordPress from the get-go.
After drafting a 2,162-word post …
… about entering the Blogosphere, which I labored over that snowy weekend, I e-mailed it to Marge for her “approval” … “yes, yes!” she said (probably thinking if she said “no” or “I don’t think so” I’d abandon this venture she had thrust upon me). I picked the easiest WordPress theme and my blog began.
February in Southeast Michigan is nothing to write home about, or to write about either. The snowy Winter weather persisted and boots and a shovel became the norm and walking became a distant memory for the time being. With no walks to provide fodder for my blog, I posted a few quotes and half-heartedly eked out a few posts about Winter weather. I would not publish another walking post until March 24th, wherein I whined about the weather and my lack of miles. It took a couple of months before I found my stride, both literally and figuratively, as finally wintry weather waned.
I decided my blogging style would be one short paragraph and a one-word title and, while returning from that day’s walk, I felt the narrative bubbling around in my brain and I’d sometimes struggle for the one perfect word to describe the walk.
Expanding my horizons.
Marge, my first and only subscriber for a looooong time, was happy to receive my tidbits from the trail and then she wanted me to kick it up a notch and strongly nicely suggested I submit my blog to “The Wyandotte Patch” a hyperlocal news site. “Patch” had hyperlocal sites across the nation, all owned, at that time, by AOL. Once again, to appease my friend, I did so and yes, they were happy to have me aboard. I remained there until a few years ago when they changed their platform and picture format i.e. photos could only be horizontal, a certain size and had to be displayed using a gallery style and that did not work out with my picture-laden posts.
Next, Marge relentlessly pushed encouraged me to apply to the Downriver newspaper “The News Herald” to appear on their blogroll. I reported to Marge that they were going to link to my blog as well and she was ecstatic. I was too to be honest. I got a few comments and views directed from the various online newspapers under the umbrella of Digital First Media. The new editor of “The News Herald” (Jason Alley) had previously been the editor of “The Wyandotte Patch” and he had once done an interview about me as he found it amusing I walked more miles than I drove. Here is the interview if you care to read it.) I remained at that publication until just a few months ago. The newspaper went to a paywall in 2022 and while the community blog forum was still available to read for free, I was no longer comfortable detailing my rather predictable walking schedule in this age of crime, so I e-mailed Jason and asked to be removed. To be fair, someone reading about mischievous squirrels and strolling herons, was an unlikely burglar, but ….
It was serendipity that I discovered Council Point Park.
Considering my all-time favorite nature nook is about a mile from my home, how did it take me so long to discover it? I will say I am richer for the experience, but poorer from the peanuts I have doled out over the years. It is all worth it though. I long ago decided on no more pets due to the grief factor, so who doesn’t want to have 50 squirrels and an assortment of birds greeting them as they begin on the perimeter path? Not to mention an adoring (or would that be an adorable??) Parker, my furry friend pictured below.
I heard a story on the radio touting an event at this venue commemorating the 250th anniversary of Chief Pontiac’s council which convened on April 27, 1763 at this location along the Ecorse Creek. There would be teepees and birchbark canoes, so a “must-see” event to blog about, right?
That morning I discovered a gem and I don’t mean the event festivities. A little nature nook tucked away in a residential area with lots of geese and ducks on land and in the water. Squirrels aplenty were scampering around near my feet. I came home, heady with the joy that comes from any nature outing and I knew before my next visit, I was going to the grocery store for peanuts to toss to my new furry friends.
Into the wild we go …
I was writing more and often using “Dollar Photo” for images (a buck for each image) to match my posts which were primarily walks to/from the Park and around each one-mile walking path and, with images so readily available, it was easy to crank out a post and publish it the same day (unlike now when I am almost eight months behind blogging about Summer treks). Silly me had not heard about free online photos – I finally got smart a few years later and the rest of the time I used my 4X zoom digital compact camera.
Marge and I went on a few car trips to her favorite local venues on weekends when I had more time and, although frivolous, I bought a second compact digital camera with 12X zoom power and began going on longer treks and taking lots more photos. I still have that camera and it has served me well while taking thousands and thousands of images.
So, in retrospect, Marge was instrumental, not only in encouraging me to start this blog, but I learned to love photography all over again, like I once did when I used to travel in the 70s and early 80s.
Mixin’ and minglin’ while raising $$ for a good cause.
In 2017 I did my first 5k run/walk event. It was held at Council Point Park and was a lot of fun. Since then I have done about a dozen more 5k events; this is the swag from some of them.
As of now, I have booked two 5K events for 2023: “Run for the Trees” and “Fish & Loaves Happy Soles 5K Run/Walk/Bike”. They can be done in person or virtually; for now, I am participating at a venue of your choice within a designated time frame.
I never really thought about the “Blogosphere” as a place to share my thoughts.
Why? Because I was merely writing for my own enjoyment. I look back now and wonder why I was not interested in interacting with other bloggers within WordPress. I enjoyed interacting in a Facebook group of fellow “Patch” bloggers from across the country. But we never commented on each other’s posts per se; we merely shared our most-recent post(s), then commented amongst ourselves in our blogging group.
My friend Ann Marie was the only other person who commented on my blog both before and after Marge’s passing in August 2017. We met at Council Point Park, but she moved to another city, so we haven’t walked together for a while.
Finally, in November 2017, a fellow WordPress blogger with the moniker of “Uncle Tree” commented on a post I wrote about trees and I rather naively asked him how he found me? The rest is history. I have taken screenshots as my followers steadily grew through the years and there were spikes and sometimes lots of views, likely for nature-related tales. Here’s a quick rundown of that journey …
… but please don’t let those numbers above fool you. In reality, there are probably 25-30 bloggers I routinely interact with and some more than others.
My last follower was Linda Lou – we visited each other’s blogs after fellow blogger Ally Bean circulated her 2023 Blogroll and suggested we visit a new blog and “introduce yourself by saying: ‘Ally Bean sent me.’”
If you will please indulge me in one more stat …
This is post #1,800. In the Fall of 2022, I computed I’d likely get to this #1,800 stat by my blogiversary with my normal weekly posting schedule of Mondays and (Wordless) Wednesdays. Woo-hoo, I made it!
I have written plenty of words here today and have plenty more words left to say as I write about my joy in the journey. If you made it all the way to here, thank you. Yes, ol’ Bill Shakespeare said “brevity is the soul of wit” so I hope this long post does not make me witless!?
[Photos of the WordPress Scrabble and vintage typewriter and keys are from Pinterest]
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
I learned to type on a manual typewriter before moving on to an electric typewriter and then to a computer keyboard and so I enjoyed reading your introductory descriptions. Happy anniversary for your blog!
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It was quite an evolution wasn’t it Anne? There was nothing more satisfying than zipping along on a manual typewriter – we thought we could go like the wind then, so just imagine now. I use a wireless keyboard hooked to a laptop and I must still pound on it somewhat because the letters are worn off on the home keys. Thank you – I hope to be blogging for a very long time (now, if only I could keep up as I’m eight days behind in Reader right now).
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I took a typing class in hgh school too and used every old type of typewriter a person could use. Sounds like you really enjoy blogging. Here’s to another decade of blogging for you. Have a great week.
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Really it was my most valuable class Peggy. I used my mom’s old Royal typewriter which sat right inside its suitcase … I remember typing term papers in school sitting at my desk in the basement. It was directly underneath my parents’ bedroom. In the wee hours of the night I’d be clipping away, swinging the carriage, the bell dinging and I can hear my father or mother yelling downstairs “aren’t you done with all that noise yet?” Thank you – I hope to be blogging for a very long time. I do enjoy it. For 20 years, I’ll just link to this post. 🙂
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I used a typewriter that had its own case – I forget the brand name. I started typing on it when I was 14. I would sling the carriage too and listen to it ding. Funny how far we have come from those long ago days.
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We sure have come a long way Peggy – like that Virginia Slims cigarette commercial “You’ve Come a Long Way Baby!”
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We had manual typewriters in high school with only one electric that we would get to very occasionally use. My first job interview involved a typing test on an electric. I had to get the interviewer to show me how to turn it on! I went through all the iterations including tapes and mag cards that recorded your docs. I had moved up in the company so no longer typed but supervised people who used all sorts of typing equipment including typesetting. Nowadays the workers have it easy! No carbon knuckles or retyping pages because of mistake! Congrats on your blogiversary!
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I typed on my mom’s old Royal manual for many years. Those chalky white papers we used to correct mistakes and changing the ribbon to use the top and bottom … what a joy. We even had manual typewriters when I worked on the student newspaper. I never used mag cards, but I did use something unusual. I was the editor of the college welcome handbook. It wasn’t all that big of a booklet, but back then (1975), there was no justified typing. The administrators didn’t want to have a printer retype everything, so I had to use a proportional spacing typewriter. I had to calculate the space for each letter and blank spaces to make the copy come out perfectly justified. I went into that office two nights a week and on my day off from the diner during Summer break from school I would calculate the spaces at home to be able to type one page (if I was lucky) when I got to school I remember “w” and “m” were three increments, an “i” and a numeral “1” were one increments. I had them memorized … most letters and numbers were two increments wide. I was glad to see the end of the project and was sorry that I volunteered to do it … I just thought it would look good on my résumé. Thank you Kate!
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I had a job in a public relations department for a short stint. They had executive typewriters which were proportional spacing. For the most part, it was for looks but on a rare occasion we had to justify a document. What a pain!
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I’ve never known anyone else who worked on a typewriter with proportional spacing, so it’s nice to have someone else to commiserate about what a pain it was! Now, a mere key stroke.
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The company I worked for was very large but only the public relations department and the executive office had those typewriters.
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When I left the ad agency, it was to take a job at a CPA firm writing their in-house weekly bulletin and contribute to the company’s satellite offices for a quarterly publication. I was excited – it was Peat, Marwick & Mitchell, a big company – wow, a chance to use my degree. It was a newly created position and I learned something on the first day – never take a job with a created position. I was introduced around as the new editor of the company newsletter and then taken into a room and told that since I had been a secretary at the ad agency, I was going to be a back-up secretary/floater for others were out and I had to learn to use a statistical typewriter. I took one look at that big typewriter and had had enough with the proportional spacing typewriter and was not excited to revisit some complicated typewriter for what I hoped was a writing career so I left at lunch and never returned.
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Good for you! I had at least 3 jobs that were newly created but I had a better experience. I found I was able to structure the jobs to my strengths and was successful. I did have one job in a great company that was “undefined.” I was hired because of my background in training but ultimately I was responsible for making hotel reservations and dinners. I lasted 9 months. Hated to leave the company but I wasn’t happy.
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I should not have gone there as crunching numbers and a CPA firm was really not something that I was interested in, but I made the exception as there was nothing else out there and after my mentor left the ad agency, I knew I’d never get past that position as support for nine people, though working in the Creative Department of an ad agency is a lot of fun and was quite an experience. Our H.R. person started in the same position and worked her way up to Head of H.R. I never thought twice about leaving the CPA firm and I can only imagine when someone stopped by to visit the “new employee” and I was gone. To make it worse, I took the bus which conveniently went to that building. I got a dozen roses from a friend of mine as congrats on the new job, so had to tote them, my briefcase (I was finally getting to use it) and was home by 1:00 p.m. Took the legal secretary job until something else came along and just passed 43 years doing this.
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Your description of typing class reminded me of my high school days. Isn’t using a computer so much easier? I make LOTS of typing mistakes and in my first days of teaching, it took me a long time and many tries before I could turn out a worksheet or lab activity. At that time, we had to type on a mimeograph sheet. Ugh!
I started blogging in 2017 (or maybe 2018). Yours was one of the first blogs I followed. We are both nature lovers and we both like to pile up the miles. So glad we found each other in the blogosphere!
Happy Blogiversary, Linda!!!
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You and I are from that same era Laurie. It seemed to me the ratio of typing mistakes was proportional to the importance of the document. Typing a term paper in the wee hours of the morning, there would be more mistakes and sometimes it was just faster to retype the page to make it look good, as correcting the mistakes was a pain with the chalky piece of paper you tried to line up with the mistakes. I remember discovering erasable bond and what a wonderful treat to type on that, only one time I put my hand down on the finished product and it lifted a big corner of typed content right off the page! Oops!
I remember mimeograph paper with its unique smell. The office was filled with unique smells. One of our clients wanted to fax documents that needed to be looked at ASAP, so they bought the Firm a fax machine just for their matters. The machine sat in an area close to my desk. It was this rubber covering over a drum and you cranked the machine up like the old Victrolas (no, I wasn’t around THAT long ago) and the longer the document, the worse the rubber smell – ugh! We have come a long way haven’t we? Nature lovers and piling up miles is our life isn’t it? Thank you Laurie – I hope to be blogging for a very long time!
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I never learned how to type and in hindsight, just as well as I never needed it. I heard Pierre Burton used one all the time.
I’m sure Parker was tapping his foot wondering where you were?
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You just picked it up without a class? That is great Wayne. I wonder if kids even have typing classes now – I’ll bet they all know how to type as young kids nowadays. There is a name I’ve not heard in forever. I’ll bet he did type his own copy, as he was a writer for a long time. We’ve had some great weather here – we have 47, (feels like 43) right now – just hopped on to see Tofino’s temps and it’s 43F and mid-afternoon so Parker and his pals are enjoying more frequent visits (that makes up for the days with all the ice).
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I always loved typewriters, as an old millennial we had computers just before I hit my teens, but I still wrote many of my stories on my grandmother’s old typewriter. I loved hearing the clackety-clack as I typed.
I truly enjoyed reading about your start in blogging and how it has progressed. Congratulations on 10 years, that is wonderful! I love how Marge encouraged you so much and kept pushing you forward, otherwise I may never have met you in this blogiverse.
Here is to many more posts!
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There is something satisfying about zipping along, hearing that clackety-clack as you pounded the keys of a manual typewriter. After years of using a typewriter, I see the lettering on my “home keys” is all worn off, so likely I still pound those keys. 🙂 (I use a wireless keyboard with a lapboard.) I never used a computer until the early 90s and never used Windows until just before Y2K – our Firm was worried our system would crash and burn as we turned to 2000 so we got Windows!
Glad you enjoyed reading about the evolution of my blog Ari – it is nothing like it began. I am eternally grateful for Marge pushing me so hard to begin this blog and expand my horizons and to meet fellow bloggers like you in this blogiverse. I hope to be blogging for a long time!
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I was the same, when we first started using computers at school I was often chastised for hitting the keys so hard because you really had to when you used a typewriter. Took me forever to ease off lol
Ahh yes, I remember the Y2K panic. The fear the world would grind to a halt and every computer who just freak out.
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Old habits never die Ari. We had a very old computer system at work and upgraded to Windows – never had Windows before, so what a revelation being on the internet for the first time (though others had been on for a lot longer).
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Oh man I remember those manual typewriters and the carbon paper and the different colours of paper we used. As well as the different colours of “white-out” that we used as well! And yes some of the typewriters you had to bang the keys pretty good to get them to go down !
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Yes, those were the days for sure Susan. It wasn’t easy and yes, I forgot about the different colors of “white-out” back in the day. We used to type on good white paper, then use a cheaper yellow “foolscap” for carbon copies. It was no picnic. I used to tell the newer, younger legal secretaries they had no idea of the rigors of the job from the olden days. I use a wireless keyboard but must still pound the keys as all the lettering is gone on my home keys!
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Typing class was one of my favorites in middle school, Linda, and you dusted off my memories with the terminology you included here (platen! carriage return!) We forced our kids to type even though they never knew typewriters, for fear they’d become a part of today’s “hunt and peck” masses on computer keyboards.
What a treat to read about the genesis of your blog. I never knew how or why you got started, and your WP anniversary is the perfect opportunity to share your story. My own blog doesn’t have nearly as interesting of a beginning (I retired from corporate life and simply wanted an outlet for my writing). I hope I can also claim ten years’ worth one of these days.
Congratulations from one of your loyal followers and commenters! WordPress really should’ve made a bigger deal of your ten years than what appears to be a rubber-stamped “happy anniversary” 🙂
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I’m thinking that lots of kids today would not be as proficient on a keyboard as they might use Dragon software rather than typing. It was smart of you forcing your kids to learn how to type. I have a fellow blogger who lives in Wales and is blind. She has a device that reads other’s posts, she is able to comment on them and Zena posts in her blog every three or four weeks. She writes about the adventures of life with her seeing eye dog Munch. She has even authored a book which is compilations of those posts. I am in awe of her.
Yes, my neighbor Marge was instrumental in getting me into blogging. I never thought of starting a blog, though I had hoped to find a career in journalism, but in 1978 when I graduated with my degree in Mass Communications in Print Journalism, there were no jobs to be found, so I began working at an ad agency hoping to work my way up the ladder. I had a mentor but he left the agency after the client decided to do their own post-commercial production.
Thank you very much Dave! I really enjoy writing this blog and hope to be blogging many more years. You would think maybe the bigger years might merit more – maybe for the 25th? I am sure you will reach many milestones on your blog down the road as well. I always learn something with every one of your posts!
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The comment by another Anne would be my story, too.
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Yes, we have seen it all before the advent of computers haven’t we Anne? There was a lot of drudgery back in the day compared to today.
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I just read a couple of college papers that I typed. What a laborious process that was! The content was rather boring, so I threw them away. I can’t imagine why I saved them in the first place.
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I saved all my articles I had in the college newspaper back in 1973-1975 and it was a called a stringbook – a laborious job to create that and never used it after all that work but still have it in the bottom of a closet. I will have a ton of stuff, stuff and more stuff to get rid of when I have more time when I am retired.
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I should have read a few things in my box of items to save or discard. I had an injection in my eye and couldn’t see well, but I was able to trim one large butterfly bush. I should read one or two items now before bedtime.
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I went through a Rubbermaid tote of my treasures when I cleaned the basement after the whole house insulation job in 2017 – they made a huge mess downstairs and in the garage. I opened up the tote and kept a few things, tossed the rest which would be no use to anyone else. I took some photos of the treasures and wrote a blog post about it. I thought of you as the snowdrops are out … I didn’t notice them going to the Park this morning, but coming home I saw them as the sun was out – it was very cold this morning. But I’ve seen them get snow dumped on them, just like the crocuses do and they come back. The butterfly bushes grow fast. I only had mine two or three years and the Polar Vortex wiped them out. I cringe when I see the corner of the yard that was burnt. I’ve got to make a decision what to do with it. How is your eye today?
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I must find a yard with snowdrops.
My eye is good today, thank you. Vision was blurred yesterday, and the eye felt scratchy. That’s normal, though.
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They look so perky Anne. If this homeowner’s snowdrops make it after today’s 45-50 mph wind gusts, tomorrow’s freezing rain, then Friday’s snow, they’ll be lucky! Hopefully your eyes feel better a few days post-shot.
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My eyes are as good as usual now. If only I knew where to aim my eyes to see snowdrops!
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That’s good your eyes are back to normal. I wonder if they’ve already bloomed in your neck of the woods. Marge’s magnolia bushes bloom more than once now with the wacky weather. They only bloomed in April/early May and were done for the year. Now they bloom again mid-Summer and Fall again – crazy weather.
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Happy blogiversary Linda! So glad you are here and we met!!!
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Thank you Ruth – I am likewise glad we met here in the blogiverse, my fellow Michigander!
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Well, for us more recent subscribers, it’s interesting to know a little more about your blogging journey. Manual typewriters are charming, but a pain. I learned on electric, fortunately.
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Glad to fill you in on my blogging journey Eilene – as much as I enjoy blogging now, I am sure most people would be surprised to find out it was not my idea to start a blog and I only did it to appease my friend. I am glad she gave me that shove! Those vintage typewriters are quaint but no joy to use. You are lucky you started out on an electric typewriter. The first time I used one, it was difficult getting used to the touch and the humming noise got on my nerves!
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Wow what a journey you have had Linda…and you’re up to over a thousand followers – good job! When I first started following you I think you were around 500? I well remember typing class as I took it for 4 years, as we were not allowed a spare and it was an easy class…..thank god, as I can now type so fast I used to lock the keyboards on older computers sometimes. We learned on manuals, but I had an electric computer in the late 70’s early 80’s until I got my first computer in 1986 with an old IBM writing assistant program with big floppy disks to save on, but how wonderful to be able to edit a page without typing the whole thing over or using Correctotape or White out!
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Yes, a long journey these last ten years Joni. In the beginning, the first five years, I just posted whenever I finished a post, usually in the evening – I never scheduled it ahead of time. I would fire up the laptop the next morning to see what Marge and/or Ann Marie commented about the post, then reply and that was it. Pretty easy to stay caught up then, unlike now, a week behind in Reader. I never used the floppy disks, but did use the regular disks, but I’ve never saved anything to a CD. That’s great you typed fast and the touch was better/easier on a computer. I didn’t get a home computer until after Y2K so I knew it would not crash and burn as was suspected would happen as we turned to 2000.
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I had one of the first desk ones with glowing type/words on the DOS screen. I bought my first laptop post 2000. I remember it cost $4000 and was a Dell with lots of problems, including having to reinstall Windows – took a whole afternoon with a tech person – was practically in tears by the end of it.
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I remember those. We had DOS before Windows and there was white type on the black screen screen and later we had amber type which was a bit easier on the eyes. In the beginning, we had one computer for three secretaries. The premise was that it was be used for long documents and you had to type the initial document and then any revisions went to our Word Processing Department after that. Plus the Word Processing Department did all the form-type documents. It was that way for a while before we each got a computer. My first computer was a Gateway which was popular at that time (2000) – Gateway was known for their cardboard boxes which were black and white and looked like a cow I have had issues with Dell – one desktop crashed and burned doing a Service Pack update, so I was not happy to find this new work laptop was a Dell.
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Wowwww 10 years, makes you wonder were the time went. Last time we spoke was about our EAORR Public school. That was 60 years ago… I totally enjoyed catching up on all these blogs. I am not a blogger,,maybe I will be. Hehehe
You take care. And congrats,, keep up the stories
Robert / Bobbie
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Thank you Robert! Would you prefer I call you Bobbie? I am glad you are enjoying catching up since we last connected. I love writing and taking pictures. I have pictures from last Summer through the Fall that I’ve not even sorted out yet, but I have some snow photos at the Park which I’m going to be using next week. Also, I am going to do a post later this year about 50 years since high school graduation … 50 years! That makes me feel old. Thinking about our time at E.A. Orr back when we were kids makes me feel even older! You should start a blog – it would be fun. I will be your first follower! You can pay an annual fee for a WordPress blog or start a blog for free – kind of like taking blogging for a test drive. I will send you the link in a separate comment in case it goes to your SPAM filter. You can write about a hobby or the weather will be getting nicer, so maybe you enjoy outdoor activities? I forgot to ask you if you still live in or near Oakville?
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Good day Linda
I moved away from Oakville since grade 4,,but I always travel back when I can..I lived in the Arctic for several years, inuvik, and Baffin Island. Then I got married and moved to The Bay Area of San Fran, but I have a summer home in Manitoba, another home in Yuma. I never knew where was sometimes.
I will try blogging
Thanks for the site
Robert
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Hello Robert –
You certainly traveled around and lived in many places. It sounds exciting to me, but I can see how bopping around could leave you wondering where you were that day. I traveled in the late 70s and early 80s, but always hoped to travel more when I retired. I’m still working. I have been to San Francisco – it is beautiful there; I passed through Arizona, but many years ago. I’ve actually been in more U.S. States than Canadian provinces. I am still a Canadian citizen on a green card.
You are welcome and I hope you will consider blogging – take the free site for a test drive and see if you like it before investing in the annual fee.
-Linda
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Here is the website that tells how to start a WordPress blog. There are some links that explains the difference between a free blog and a blog you pay an annual fee for. You do get a lot of space on the free forum – I know several bloggers who use the free blog.
https://www.wpbeginner.com/start-a-wordpress-blog/
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Happy 10 year anniversary, Linda! You have such a gift when it comes to writing. I always look forward to hearing about your adventures and seeing your photos. Wow, you brought back all kinds of memories of my high school tying class. Kids today don’t know what they’re missing. 🙂
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Thank you Rebecca! I really enjoy writing and I’ve enjoyed blogging even more since I began taking pictures, so I feel like I’ve come a long way. I’ve got a whole lot more adventures and photos to share from last year. I usually write a quick rough draft when I come home from a weekend trek and that might include several parks in one day. Otherwise walks from six or eight months ago I know I wouldn’t remember all the details. I had to include the good old days on the manual typewriter and typing class – I do not kid about that being my most valuable class ever taken. Kids do have it easy these days, especially with term papers. I can remember spending the evening at the library with my father and feeding the xerox machine lots of dimes to avoid making a return trip for more research. Now, all that research is a few Google mouse clicks and you’re done.
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So very true! It’s definitely a different day and time.
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We’re stronger for it!!
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Congratulations, Linda!! Marge was wise to encourage you. It was fun to read about the evolution of your blogging experience. The highlights you chose to share are heart-warming and also teach us that blogging has a lot to do with personal perseverance too. I’m glad you learned to type, write, take photos, and capture the attention of adorable critters, and mostly that you persevered – I’m so thankful for our blogging friendship. Cheers to you and many more adventures to share here on your blog!!!
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Thank you Shelley! I am glad Marge encouraged me like she did and, even though I only did it to make her happy, I ended up making myself happy in the process. 🙂 Blogging was something I had absolutely no interest in, despite going to school to have a career in journalism. I had started saving those screenshots of the progress of my followers awhile back with the intention of using them in my 10th blogiversary. I will have Parker, the star of many a post, in my Wordless Wednesday post tomorrow. Probably thanks to him, I have had a lot of nature followers through the years. I am grateful for our blogging friendship as well – cheers to both of us for many more blogging adventures.
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Goes to show us, you never know how much of an impact someone’s appearance in our lives will have. You have made a special difference in so many lives, thank you for that dear friend!
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Yes, you’re right Shelley. Sometimes it is best not to resist what you think is best for you and just go with the flow. Thank you for saying that – a fellow blogger and friend like you are very special to me too!
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🤗😍🥰😁
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10 years on WordPress. That’s impressive and worthy of a party!! I’m glad you decided to keep with blogging, allowing yourself to evolve into the blogger you are today. Thanks for the shoutout, btw. I enjoy knowing who finds whom from the Delightful Blogroll.
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Thanks Ally – I am glad I stuck it out too, even though I really never had any interaction with others until November 2017. Now there are not enough hours in a day to keep up here. You’re welcome – last year I tried Zazzy, Jenn at Bossy Babe and LaShelle’s blogs. Right now I’m lucky they are not posting too much as I’m horribly behind in Reader.
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Happy 20th blogging anniversary, Linda! I remember my great-grandmother’s OLD typewriter and we loved to type on it and “mail” the note in her drop mailbox on the wall by the front door. Walking and photography sure go hand-in-hand–two wonderful pastimes that allow for both fitness and creativity. I sure wish we lived closer geographically, we would have a blast walking and shooting together! Have a fab week and Happy Valentines’ Day!
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Thank you Terri – yes, it has been a long haul to get to where I am today, though it was easier to keep up when I only had two followers. 🙂 It has been a wonderful journey and I hope to have many more years blogging. I have no doubt we would have a blast walking and shooting together and enjoying Mother Nature’s gifts. You do the same Terri!
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Wow …ten years… that’s awesome! Never stop! Thanks for all you’ve shared with us!
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Thank you Michael! It has been a long haul to get here, but an enjoyable one. I look forward to many more years of tales from the trail and lots of photos to accompany them.
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I took typing in 9th grade, too, but I don’t remember much of it, except that I never got the hang of it. To this day I type with two fingers and was surprised and delighted when I learned that Peter Jennings typed the same way.
Congratulations on 10 years, Linda! I knew some parts of your blogging story but it was great to read the whole story together in one post. Here’s to the next 10 years of long walks, photography and blogging!
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Well Barbara, if you had been in Mrs. Miller’s class she’d have probably rapped your knuckles if you didn’t type to her liking. 🙂 If it works for you using two fingers, go for it. I have been in a secretarial position since graduating from college in 1978 so I honed the typing through the years. I always liked Peter Jennings’ and not just because he was a Canadian. His delivery was superb, so professional. We always watched the evening news back then. Thank you – I thought I’d share my story because so many people go to a blogging site, eager to start posting words or pictures, where I was reluctant and doing it really as a sense of duty. It is far from that feeling now and I hope to be just like you, taking long walks with my camera and blogging about it ten years from now!
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Yikes! I’m glad I wasn’t in Mrs. Miller’s class! But her lessons served you well. Fortunately for me full-time motherhood required no typing skills. 🙂 I admired Peter Jennings, too. You mentioned being reluctant to blog and made me think of one of my oldest blogging friends, Jeff. He hasn’t posted anything since 2018 but the name of his blog was actually “the reluctant blogger.” (https://jeffstroud.wordpress.com/) I always enjoyed his photography.
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Barbara, I think I told you about the one and only time I held a baby and it spit up milk in my open purse and I had a meltdown. I never babysat and I never had siblings, was estranged from my young cousins … I have not been around babies or children ever. I’d be better around a puppy than a baby, so I think I was not cut out to be a mother. 🙂
I went to visit Jeff’s blog and I was smiling as he did what I did … an initial post, then one a month later, til he got going. You’re right – there were some beautiful nature photos and other photos as well. I went to his photography website. I would have liked following this blog. He wrote for eight years, so perhaps he will begin it again. I am hoping to get one more day of reading in Reader tonight as the freezing rain pitter-patters away. They mentioned a thunderstorm – I hope not as I generally shut down when that happens and I’m eight days behind in Reader.
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You remind me a lot of my sister, Linda. She doesn’t like the spit up and sticky fingers that come with the little ones and consequently she never had children. She used to cringe when she had to sit next to one of my kids eating in his or her highchair. 😉 But she loves animals.
Nowadays Jeff is into cooking whole foods and posts pictures of his creations on Facebook. I can’t eat most of what he makes but I’m happy he has found something he enjoys doing. I do miss his nature photos, though!
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My parents never let me babysit and so I have never been around babies or even young children. I am better holding a puppy than a baby. Your sister and I think alike Barbara. One of Marge’s sons loved to cook and converted his garage to hold all his cooking gadgets and for his birthday one year she got him tickets for when Emeril Lagasse was in town for a cooking show appearance. He was very excited to see him in person.
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Happy ten year anniversary! I took typing in high school too, but my teacher didn’t police our jewelry. My mama was a teacher and she had a typewriter that typed in cursive. If I had a time machine, I would go back and make sure that I kept it; it was so unique!
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Thank you Linda! I hope to be blogging for many more years. Our teacher was strict and had a real issue about the rings. Now that I think back on those rings, they really were kind of junky looking and probably weighed our fingers down or got in the way, so I see her point. That sounds like an interesting typewriter your mom had. I remember first using the Selectric electric typewriter with the interchangeable typing balls with different fonts. We’d use a tiny 10-point font which was almost as bad as the type in a telephone book. But what a treat after using a manual typewriter!
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I enjoyed reading the history of your blog. You have accomplished a lot!
One quick note, I learned on a manual typewriter, of course. In fact, my high school typing class had about half manuals and half fancy new electric ibms. Looking through some images, I think we had a Royal at home. My mom could type faster than someone could dictate on that thing. Me, not so much.
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Thank you Zazzy! Things finally took off in year #5 but as I mentioned before, I really only interact with 25-30 fellow bloggers, if that many … I still can’t keep up in Reader. I’m a week behind right now. Though I initially balked at the idea of starting a blog, it is one of the best things I ever did for myself; the walking regimen was the other. I used my mom’s old Royal typewriter that fit into its own carrying case, which looked like a suitcase. I’d sit downstairs at night typing term papers, directly underneath my parents’ bedroom. Between the clackety-clack of the typewriter and it banging on the case, not to mention the dinging bell, they’d call downstairs “aren’t you done with making all that noise yet?” I’m thankful for computers.
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Oh the flashback of the manual typewriter Linda! I had straight A’s in high school, however, when I took typing I always looked at my hands. The teacher lowered my A to a B just because of that! I was devastated as that was my only B! I still look at my hands! Lol You have come so far with your blog. I wonder when I started following you? I started blogging in 2017 so I will guess about 2019. Your writing is always so fun to read and all your nature children are so fun to see! But more than that I feel that we are friends and enjoy our messages back and forth!
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Well that was unfair Diane! Our teacher would have probably done that as well – she was something else. I just looked to see when you started following me. I used to be able to see e-mail subscribers and WP subscribers (separately) and put in you blog name and nothing came up. I am having some issues with WordPress right now. I wrote to them on Wednesday as my own post did not show up in Reader … yet others saw it. Frustrating. Then they answered while I had no internet the last three days due to the ice storm. When I look on my blog site, it appears as I don’t follow myself … not sure what to make of it. I really had no WP subscribers until November 2017, so 2019 sounds right to me. I love writing about my nature children and I enjoy our interactions as well. One day I will wow you with a food picture. 🙂
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Congratulations on your 10 year bog anniversary!! So glad that we are friends and to read about your walking adventures. I used to be scared of squirrels and still am, but every time I see one, I remember you and how you make friends with them. Wishing you more fun treks and adventures on your walks. Marge would be proud of how far you’ve come!!
I first learned to type using a manual typewriter in high school. I wasn’t that great at it and dropped out. I remember how hard it is to correct a spelling error and putting the paper in the typewriter. If it’s crooked, the whole thing is slanted. Yikes!!
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Thank you Esther! I think Marge would be happy and yes proud for me pursuing her dream for me to start a blog. I wish she would see how much fun I am having with this blog. I think that maybe squirrels, if provoked, could be something to worry about, but as a general rule, when they show up at your feet, they are looking for a handout. It doesn’t hurt that they are cute, so people are inclined to give them treats. We had to take that typing class, so there was no way to wiggle out of taking it, but I guess I would have had to learn how to type inevitably. Trying to correct an error was the pits … never easy, always looked like you made a mistake. How easy things are now!
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Congratulations Linda! I love your long posts. So many stories would not be told if it wasn’t for WordPress. Glas to have met you here
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Thank you Jeanine – I am happy to have met you here too. Walking and blogging have been the best things I have done for myself. I lost my internet for the past three days due to an ice storm … if I was behind here in WP before, it is even worse now. It may be April ’til I catch up!
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Happy belated anniversary, Linda! You have built a delightful little community and can be justified in a little pride.
I remember manual typewriters. To this day I hit keys with far more force than necessary, treating my keyboard more harshly than it deserves.
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Thank you for saying that JP – walking and writing have become really big parts of my life now and the blog has truly become a labor of love. I zip along faster on the wireless keyboard than I ever did before and I notice that the white letters are all worn off the letter keys from using more force than necessary. The line of numbers are still there – good thing, as I still have to look at the numbers when I type after all these years.
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Hi Linda – brevity is not the only thing connected to wit – because sometimes we NEED to give a few details – and for a ten year anniversary – that is a time to celebrate and share some info so we can get a feel for the journey.
And I do like how you say JOY IN THE JOURNEY! right on and keep walking and keep writing and keep being witty !
glad we are blog friends
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I know I am long-winded sometimes and I will look at a post before scheduling it to publish and think if I can give it a haircut … nope, I leave it all in. Thank you for saying that Yvette and yes, ten years is big stuff in the life of a blogger … forget that all this “feeling the love” and wonderfulness has mostly happened in just the last five years.
The JOY IN THE JOURNEY line originated from some chalk art that I photographed one time. It said “Send Joy in the Journey” and Ruth, a fellow Michigander suggested I use it as a tagline in my blog, so I did. I will send you the post in another comment, so you can see the chalk art. Maybe I should add it as a widget along with the award you gave me. I am glad we are blog friends too Yvette!
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I am glad
You like the award
And yes!!
You need to add that chalk art – it is great and would look good on the blog
– by the way – I forgot to tell you how much I like your blog main page
Super clear and easy to find the search
Oh my goodness is it annoying when blogs make it really hard to find the simple search function
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Oh and speaking of joy in the journey
TAZO brand tea had a Christmas blend called joy (I have a draft of a post set hi to share about it eventually)
Anyhow – I bought up the last three boxes of this “joy” tea and earlier today – I had some on me and gave one (and a green tea bag) to someone named Ben who said he was “low” today!
It was fun to see him light up – and Linda – it was a simple bag of tea that said JOY on it that brought a smile
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I will add those two items to my home page this weekend Yvette. I am using a “Twenty-Ten” theme and have not changed that theme since Day #1. I keep expecting one day I’ll get a message that it is no longer supported and I will have to change it. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen anytime soon. When I started my blog, I looked for an easy theme with no distractions and yes, I know what you mean that some blogs are so chock-full of info, it is impossible to find a last post or an About page, or even someone’s name if they don’t use their name. Over the years, I have found many quotes I like – the painted rock craze even gave me some quotes. Years ago my mom drank Salada Tea and the bags had tags with quotes or words of advice on them. It is wonderful when one small gesture can light up a person’s world like you did with Ben.
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we have so much in common and one more thing is the SALADA tea!
my dad loved Salada and the little quotes on the teabags were fun.
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and I am going to make you a better award to put on your blog.
that was a quick one – but the official one will have the date and a better look – so I will try to have it your way soon
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Yes, we do and what a coincidence as there are so many brands of tea out there. I loved their tea bag wisdom, kind of like a fortune cookie! Thank you – whenever you get a chance – I do appreciate it Yvette.
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☀️☕️🫖
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Here s the chalk art pic, just scroll down a little where “Joy in the Journey” originated.
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☀️thanks
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