A to Z Reflections 2024 Edition #AtoZChallenge

I can't believe that April is over. 

Along with hundreds of other bloggers, I participated in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge this past April  I've done this Challenge successfully every April starting in 2015.    

Many of us assign a theme for the month and yes, I did, also.  Mine was : gardens, art, history, and the unexpected.  

In our Reflections post, we are supposed to reflect on the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge we just completed, and let the A to Z team know what worked, what didn't work, what our experiences were. I'm not going to tackle many of the list of questions from the team as it would take me hours to respond.  Rather, here's a selection.

Did I win?  Yes.  Did I post alphabetic graphics?  No.

I enjoyed being able to use some of the many photos buried on my phone.  Some of them brought back memories - a garden visited in 2019 not long after the death of my mother in law, a historic mill converted to a motel I visited in 2013.  I enjoyed sharing these photo memories with you, my readers.

Part of the fun of A to Z is finding new blogs, and part is rediscovering blogs I remember from previous challenges.  I was happy to see (and read) that some bloggers I had met in previous challenges but had not participated in a while were back. 

Were there particular blogs I enjoyed?  Yes.  There were many enjoyable themes - animals, gardening, family history, a trip to remember. One blog discussed hero animals that won a special military medal: dogs, horses, and even pigeons.  Another blog revisited some of her family's history using a treasure trove of photos and ephemera kept by her parents. A third blog discussed a trip, something she intends to expand into a book one day.  A fourth showcased her love of seed starting.  A fifth blogged a seat of her pants mystery story with 26 short installments.  A sixth, by a blogger who wasn't able to finish, concentrated on aspects of her family history and things found in Texas.

I don't want to call out any blog because I wouldn't be mentioning so many others deserving of mention.  

Any thanks? You betcha.  I want to thank all the people (blogging for A to Z or not) who visited my blog in April. There are a number of blogs I wanted to visit and never got to them.  

What about the Challenge's social media?  No. I'm on social media too much as it is. 

Any suggestions for the team?  Yes - Please don't wait until the "day of" to post instructions on how to sign up, or questions you'd like us to answer in our Reflections post.  I prewrite many of my posts, and I also participate in several blog hops, which is why I'm not posting my Reflections until today.  Also, there was that glitch with the sign up.  Maybe having more time to work on it before it went live may have helped the team.

Did I learn anything through this Challenge?  Yes. I need to take a break, at least from social media.  Life is too short to spend it doom scrolling.  Or even, alas, blog reading.  I'll be figuring out the details, but I think I am going to take a break sometime this summer.

The final question: Will I consider doing the challenge again next year?  To that, I answer, next year will take care of itself.

And now, my thank you's to those who make A to Z possible:

Arlee Bird (founder) at Tossing it Out 

J. Lennie Dorner (captain) at the Blog of J. Lennie Dorner 

Zalka Csenge Virág  at the Multicolored Diary

John Holton at The Sound of One Hand Typing

Jayden R Vincente at (note, X rated) J. R Vincente Erotica Writer

Ronel at Ronel the Mythmaker

To those who found my blog during A to Z I hope you will visit me from time to time going forward.  To those who have read me for years, I thank you, also.

Your readership makes it enjoyable.