And Forever in Peace May It Wave

I was ready with a light hearted "Happy Fourth of July" post with some flowers.  If you want light hearted only, here are some flowers for you, and I'll caution you not to read any further.

Three cheers for the red...

...white...

and blue.

For those of you who remain, a Facebook friend told me (yesterday) about something trending on Twitter - a hashtag, #SecondCivilWarLetters.

I rarely blog about politics,  and I didn't mean to today, when we are supposed to be celebrating our Independence Day and remembering what the price of freedom is.  But I was intrigued and decided to read some of these tweet "letters", as I am an occasional student of the American Civil War.

During the 150th anniversary (2011-2015) I had a weekly Civil War Sunday feature - you are welcome to look it up and read my posts, if you are so inclined.  I am not a "buff", nor a historian - just someone who enjoys history.

For those who haven't heard the story of how Second Civil War Letters came to be on Twitter yesterday, a brief summary:  a man (I refuse to name or link to him) declared, on Monday, that the Democrats were going to start a Civil War today, the 4th of July, the day we in the United States celebrate as our Independence Day.

The Twitterverse quickly took revenge - people tweeting out "letters" in the style of letters written by soldiers of the first (and hopefully, only) American Civil War.  Some were literate.  Some, in fact, were pretty well done.  Some poked fun of liberals, all poked fun at the "other side" and some were just plain mean.

OK, I get it.  The Battle of Bowling Green (aka the "Bowling Green massacre"), the liberal's love of avocados and Starbucks, the dreaded covfefe.

I learned what "kek" meant.  I had just heard about the Space Force and learned more about various memes than I ever wanted to. 

But after a few too many "letters" especially one describing the (satirical) last words of a dying "alt right" soldier, I sobered up and stopped laughing, because, in fact, a second Civil War is no laughing matter.

My ancestors did not come to the United States until well after the Civil War ended.  It is in my DNA, though, as a third generation American.  I was born and raised in New York City, but I have lived parts of my life in the South - the former Confederacy - in Florida, Texas, and Arkansas, to be exact.  And Kansas - once known as Bloody Kansas.  The Civil War lives on in these places.

A monument to Confederate soldiers, Charleston, South Carolina

When I lived in Arkansas, my daily commute to work involved driving through one Civil War battlefield (Prairie Grove, now an Arkansas state park) and near another one (the Battle of Cane Hill).

Some facts:
The death toll from the Civil War is hard to know, but estimates vary from 620,000 to 850,000 for military- possibly two percent of the then-population of the United States.  The 620,000 figure comes from a study done around 1889  The higher figure is more recent.

The number of "casualties" at Gettysburg - a three day battle that concluded on July 3, 1863 - dead and injured - 51,000.  That's more than the population of Binghamton, New York, where I work.

Let's not forget those taken prisoner in the war (I know someone descended from one of them).  Andersonville (South Carolina). Elmira (New York) and many other prisoner of war camps, on both sides stand as monuments of horror today, as Americans descended to depths we would hope we would never descend to again.

One hundred fifty seven years later, we still can't even agree about the causes of that war.

I fear we are heading towards a second American Civil War, as we turn against our neighbor, against our relatives, against our co-workers.  We can not seem to have any civil (no pun intended) conversation anymore.  Fake news rules.  People receive death threats on social media for expressing their opinions.

Neo-Nazis and their sympathizers can openly deny the Holocaust and be taken seriously.  They were allowed to gather near a synagogue in Charlotteville, Virginia on the Jewish Sabbath one August Saturday (the Charlottesville police having turned away the synagogue's requests for protection) hours before one of their kind allegedly rammed a car into a crowd of counterprotestors.

On this, the 242nd anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, I implore you to think twice about a second American Civil War.  Let us remember the toll of the first.  Let us remember how the trauma still lives with us today.

It's good to laugh for a few minutes.

But then, there is work to be done to make sure the Second Civil War never happens.  One of those opportunities may come soon to a community near you, and will certainly come in November.

Write your Congressperson or Senator. Subscribe to you local newspaper and read it.  Become informed.  Be respectful, always.

And then, VOTE.

Day four of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #BlogBoost

Local Saturday - Loving, Remembering and Escaping

Fake news has struck again.  Or at least, bent-into-a-pretzel news.  Both left and right, I find that I am thinking once again of abandoning Facebook.  But, instead, I thought about what I did know to be true.  I decided to become serious for a few minutes today.

Virginia Welcome Center, I-81

But first, a picture.  Such a simple word.  Too bad it is in such short supply in our world, as we seem to veer closer and closer to war.

Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Our country remembered it by...oh, I am coming too close to becoming a political blog.  But someone on Twitter did not forget. 

What happens when the last of the Holocaust survivors die, I wonder?  

Today is the 31st anniversary of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.

With two astronauts dying in the last month,  wonder if we in America will ever walk on the Moon, Mars, or anywhere else.  

So, I decided, with news overload to turn to other matters.  Perhaps it was a mistake.

Originally, I was going to blog today about the 81st birthday of actor Alan Alda, who, like me, is from the Bronx.  He is a good topic for a "Local Saturday", just one of many famous people from the Bronx.

M*A*S*H , a TV series Alda starred in, is considered one of the greatest shows of all time.

Here is a list of some of its best episodes.

But it is his after-M*A*S*H work he should be more noted for, and be continued to be noted for.


But then, yesterday, two actors died:  Mike Conners of Mannix fame, which was one of my spouse's favorite shows. 

And, Barbara Hale, perhaps most noted for playing the secretary of attorney Perry Mason, dead at 94. Along with Mary Tyler Moore and Noel Neill, Barbara Hale's Della Street character was a role model for me.

And then, this afternoon, I heard of the death, at age 77, of actor John Hurt.

So there is only one place where I can escape to.  My blog, which, in turn, leads me to a decision.

I am so close to becoming more political.  But I've resisted so far (well, mostly resisted - it gets harder and harder) because these times demand that we all speak out.  So, I may do just that, on one scheduled day of the week (perhaps Sunday).  I haven't made up my mind yet.

But, we also need a place to escape to.  And I believe, for many of my readers, my blog has become a few-minutes-of-the-day refuge.  We need that, too, just as much as we need those who speak out and put themselves on the line.

Which is why I've decided, for now, to keep trying to find the beauty in our world, and (mostly) stay away from politics.  I will try to concentrate on love, hoping that it will, in the end, trump hate.   I hope you will continue to join me, as my blog would not exist without you, my readers.

Thank you, every one.

Day 28 of #blogboost the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Why Does The Man in the Red Sweater Want You?

Uncle Sam...no, I mean the man in the Red Sweater - wants you.

He wants you to register to vote today if you haven't already.  Don't wait for tomorrow because in some 12 states, tomorrow will be too late. (Here are the deadlines in each state).

Who is the Man in the Red Sweater?  I am not talking about the Man in the Red Sweater, the horrible dog breaker in Jack London's The Call of the Wild who taught the dog Buck that a man with a club was a law giver and must be obeyed.

No, the man in the red sweater is a man by the name of Ken Bone, an undecided voter who works in the energy industry who asked an energy related question of the two leading candidates during Sunday's Presidential debate.

He explained:   "I work in coal fired electricity and it's a big concern where I live in southern Illinois, the St. Louis metro area,"

People loved how he was dressed - a red sweater, black glasses.  And then, he memorialized his 15 seconds of fame with a disposable camera.

Not by taking a selfie with his cell phone.

In a season of unreality, he has become a possible route back to reality.

Whether you live in the United States (as I do) or elsewhere, you know that our 2016 Presidential election season has become a time of great division.  It has torn friends and family apart.  Normally sane people have posted the most hateful posts defending their candidate and even unfriended each other.

Then, along came Ken Bone.

Yesterday, he went from 7 followers on Twitter to over 36,000.  And what does he say about voting in November?

He still hasn't made up his mind (and doesn't plan to until after the last debate) but he is telling America this:  "I'm really glad that so much attention has come my way, if for no other reason than I can get the message out that your voice can be heard, and please get out and vote in November. If you feel like your vote doesn't matter, it does. Make your voice heard."

And that's the most important message of all.

Fellow Americans, don't sit this one out.  Whatever your voting preference, please, PLEASE exercise that right this November.

Your country's future depends on it.

If you live in the United States, don't miss out.  And then, maybe, you can start talking to your family or your next door neighbor again.

Day 11 of the #Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Civil War Sunday - What If Social Media Had Existed During the Civil War?

I love historical "what if modern ___ was around during (some other point in history)" as long as they are done well.  They help people grow in their understanding and love of history if they can frame something that happened in another time and place within the context of their own lives and culture.  As long as it is done with accuracy, I think there is a place for something like what I am about to describe.

Yesterday and today, in the 15 Day Author Blog Challenge I am participating in, the prompts involved if we, as bloggers, have a Facebook fan page for our blog and if we tweet.  (I'll answer that for this blog at the end of this post.)

So I got to thinking:  what if social media had been around during the United States Civil War?

Various satirists have done article or books on the subject of "what would have happened if Facebook had been around for _____" 

So, I thought about it some more.  Had anyone actually set up parody or serious "what if" accounts on the real Facebook or Twitter for Civil War historical figures?

Apparently, there is at least one Twitter account for the Confederate General Robert E. Lee (not kept up for very long) and one for Union General U.S. Grant, which is being kept up.  Robert E. Lee has a Facebook "public figure" page, which is not the same as a "fan page" (I don't think, anyway).  The links earlier in this paragraph are what I found out in a brief search.  You may discover something unique (or not) if you look - who knows!

As far as my own Facebook and Twitter accounts for this blog,if you are interested:

RamblinWithAM has a Facebook Fan Page.  I use it mainly to post links to my blog (not every day, but usually) and I also post articles or posts from other blogs that fit into some of the themes I discuss in my blogs - farmers markets, local food, gardening, the Civl War, and autism, for example.  I find I am using Facebook less and less - and I use it mainly to keep in touch with far flung relatives plus some game playing.  It excels at visual content. 

I have a Twitter account under @RamblinGarden.  I do not automatically follow back anyone who follows me, nor do I expect anyone I follow to follow me back.  I use Twitter mainly as a way to keep track of breaking news, which I have found it excels at. I usually tweet my daily blog posts and also retweet tweets that interest me.

It would have been interesting to know if any actual Civil War figures would have utilized Facebook or Twitter (or You Tube, as another example of social media) if they had been around 152 years ago.  Do you have any opinions about that?

The New Normal- Why You Should Vote

Two weeks ago Saturday, I was partying with some of them at a 60th birthday party on the edge of New York City.  Today, they are recovering from a natural disaster, every one of them.

Two weeks ago, the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area could never dream what would happen next. They have collided with the New Normal.

I have other friends/family in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Westchester County.  This is what happened, and why it is important to vote. 

I realize this happens to Florida and the Gulf Coast a lot more, but the extent of this storm was massive - the total area it covered was something not seen often in our lifetimes.  The nature of these storms is changing.  Less wind.  Larger area.

A cousin at the party had water in his house, his car is undriveable and possibly totalled, and he still did not have power as of when I heard of them last

Mother in law, didn't have power 5 days ago; she's home now but had to take refuge with first a family member and later a neighbor's daughter.

Husband's cousin-in-law (is there a better name for this relationship?), without power, expected restoration was November 4, let's hope so.  Her daughter, no power, expected restoration, November 9.  CIL's mother has Alzheimers, and can't understand what is going on.  Speaking of being in the sandwich generation...

Cousin in Brooklyn, without power 55 hours, has it back now but heating system isn't working.  Neighborhood 1/2 mile away is totally devastated.   Gas lines are two to three hours long in some neighborhoods as of yesterday.

New Jersey relatives were without power. One moved down to Florida several months ago and was very unhappy.  Turns out she made the right choice as her former home area is in ruins.


Brooklyn relative talks about New York Marathon and how they took generators that residents could use and used them for Marathon tents. He posted on Facebook explaining  how Midtown Manhattan got their cell phone service restored and the rest of the five boroughs got ignored.  A high school friend who is a runner got involved in the relief effort, and a "helping" marathon was held yesterday.

We saw the best and the worst of people, through the fingers of friends communicating on social media.  Facebook was essential.  Twitter was helpful.  Smart phones, when charging was available, useful.  iPads were better, for some reason.

So, dear reader, what have we learned, as a hurricane hit an area of the country that one would not normally hit?

We've learned that this isn't the first time New York City has been brought to its (figurative) knees by weather.  There was this little storm called The Blizzard of 1888. 

Partially because of the Blizzard, itself a superstorm, the subways were built, and powerlines in Manhattan were put under ground.  The system worked - until Monday.  Times have changed.

Now we have to rethink our cities near the coast.  Sandy showed us just how vulnerable we are.  Our lifelines of gasoline and cell phones were cut.  Storms aren't storms any more, they are super storms.  Perhaps weaker winds, but the storms now cover huge areas.  Imagine - this storm affected the weather in Chicago while it was tearing up New Jersey!

We must adapt or die. Maybe NOW we will no longer think our lives are "business as usual". Too many people have had their lives disrupted for too long.  Will we finally wake up and realize we must adapt to what is going on around us?  That we have to spend the money to rebuild and improve our infrastructure to cope with the changes in the weather?

We have mixed politics and meteorology too many times recently.  This must stop.  Hoping the affected people can get to a voting booth and express what they feel.

If we don't face the facts, our lifestyles won't be sustainable for very much longer.

My thoughts continue to go out to all those affected by Sandy.

And, the final lesson of the past week?  VOTE TOMORROW.  Even if you think it won't matter.  Even if you think your candidate will lose.  Haven't been paying attention? Pick up today's newspaper, if you can. You can read newspapers without power (at least during daytime hours.)

Exercise your right to vote tomorrow.  Or shut up for the next four years.

The Lost Everything

Today is the 48th anniversary of the assasination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.

I missed seeing an interesting special on the National Geographic channel Sunday night.  "JFK-The Lost Bullet" is going to be rerun this Sunday morning but I won't be able to catch it then either.

However, I was able to watch a special (first aired in 2009), "The Lost JFK Tapes" that featured tapes of WFAA (a Dallas TV station )news broadcasts the day of the assasination and of the next few days.  That is what I loved the most about this special - instead of rehashing the famous tapes of Walter Cronkite losing his composure while announcing the horrible news, we got to see a local station where the shooting occurred.  Live, and in black and white.

We got to see the people gathered at the luncheon Kennedy was on his way to, sitting there as the minutes ticked by and no Kennedy.  In today's day the people in that room would have known what happened in minutes - certainly someone would have been on Twitter or Facebook, or someone at the scene would have texted someone at the luncheon.  But in those days they were clueless, those people, and you saw the reaction when someone announced the assasination to them.

We saw a WFAA program director state, on air, state that Dallas was ashamed.

We saw the horrified expressions of people on the street.  We saw reporters interviewing people on the street, who expressed their shame and their hope that citizens of the United States would not blame Dallas for the terrible event.

And, in a moment that made me gasp, we saw the WFAA program director introduce a middle aged balding man who had brought some film to the station.  His name was Abraham Zapruder.  THE Abraham Zapruder.  And someone was interviewing him, live! I was just a child when this assassination occurred, and I've seen the "Zapruder" film over and over again.  Now, I saw, for (I think) the first time, the man, in the moment of his filming made public, in his first interview.  Could he ever have imagined how his day would unfold, as he stood there and filmed?

Today, of course, there would have been hundreds of videos from cell phone cameras.

I saw the new coverage featuring the assassination, in turn, of the accused assassin.  But not just the shooting, but action in other parts of the building.

This is history come to life.  I saw the hair styles, the way people dressed, the way people reacted.

I was there.

This is true living history. Painful history but a history seared into my memory and the memory of everyone my age.   At least these tapes (if they were ever truly lost) are now found.  They were submitted for our approval.

I approve.

The Great Reaction of 2011

Well, this was a change of plans.  I was going to blog about someone living in the midwest (outside the "crepe myrtle" zone).  Everyone told her no, crepe myrtles (a large shrub I've blogged about before) won't grow in your area.  But no, she tried it anyway.  And guess what.  Her crepe myrtle grew and she called it her "beautiful Says Who tree.

I was going to talk about how maybe I should go for it and try to grow a crepe myrtle, although I don't know what zone she lives in.  Microclimes can only help you out so much.

But today we had an earthquake, and it was a lot more exciting than the earthquake I blogged about last year.

No, wait,  it wasn't the earthquake that was so exciting.  It was everyone's reactions.

This isn't my first earthquake but it was the scariest by far.  I was at my desk at work when suddenly the building lurched and things on my desk started swaying back and forth.  Even after the pit in my stomach cleared up, a co-worker's bouquet kept vibrating.

I thought at first someone had rammed into the building (that actually happened once) but when the motion kept going, I realized it was an earthquake.

People evacuated at least one of the tall (if you can call a 10 or 11 story building "tall") buildings downtown.   I am, of course, writing of downtown Binghamton, NY.  And, thanks to the Internet, I soon knew that the earthquake was in - Virginia?  and only 5.9? I couldn't believe how we felt it here.  I still can't believe it.  I missed Twitter (the same Twitter I resisted joining for so long) because it is blocked at work.  Figured that would be the place to get my information.

When I got home, I found out just how much excitement I had missed, here in my little upstate NY enclave. Cell phone networks jammed.  The Capitol and Mall evacuated.  NYC buildings evacuated.  Commuter trains running slow.  The National Cathedral damaged.  A cousin in law in Texas posted on Facebook declaring he was praying for all of us.  (I did appreciate the prayers but, honest, we are OK.)  My friend in Tunisia posted on Facebook bragging about how nice the beaches were today there in earthquake-safe Tunisia.

My young adult son called.  Mom, did you feel it?  He (he works at night) was woken up.  Ever the scientist, he noticed how his TV was moving back and forth and then it suddenly changed motion and started to move side to side.  And then he left his mobile home just to be safe.  He's all prepared for natural disasters and childed me that I'm not.  He usually doesn't call just to chat, so it was nice to hear from him.

Well, it seems none of us in the Northeast are prepared for natural disasters. Earthquakes, anyway.

And now, for Hurricane Irene....

I Came, I Saw, I Tweeted

I've done my first tweets.  I am following several Blogathoners, people who I know are good writers.  I will study you to find out just how, when, and why to tweet. (If I haven't offered to follow you, please let me know you are out there, and I will.)

I don't want to follow too many people right now; otherwise using Twitter will be like (the expression goes) "drinking from a fire hose".

Great news, I have two followers!  I am a bit humbled because I am just starting out and I hope they don't give up on me before I have enough experience to exit newbie status.

I must say Twitter isn't what I expected, not at all.  Now I'll get some questions "well, what did you expect?"  To be honest, I expected it to be a bunch of inane "here I am having pancakes for breakfast" kind of updates.  I know there is probably stuff like that out there (depending on who you follow) but I am overjoyed at what I have been finding so far.

I hope I have enough material about gardening to keep me busy; after all (as Michelle warns us) I am certainly not as interesting as Lady Gaga.

And now, heading out to hope that some rhododendrons are still in bloom.

A Walk , a Tweet and Some Irises

June 4 is a very busy weekend day in this area.  There are a number of festivals going on, and you don't know which way to turn.

So what I did instead is take some pictures, walk in an autism walk, post some photos to my Facebook account and sign up for Twitter.  Sometimes the Internet can be such a drain on time.  But I hope today's activity was worth it.

Yes, I did it, no thanks to new blogging friends from the Blogathon.  I am on Twitter, under the name of RamblinGarden.  You are welcome to follow me.  Please bear with me while I get my "Twitter Legs" because some of my first posts may be a bit on the inane side.

As for the pictures, apparently, Firefox 4 is not playing well with Blogger.  For a while, I couldn't get into my account at all and had to use Internet Explorer.  Now, I can get into my account, but I can't upload photos if I am using Firefox.  Something tells me I am going to leave Blogger if too much more of this stuff happens.  Life is too short.  (end of whine).

This first photo is of a bearded iris I know only as the "Kool Aid iris".  The tubers were given to me by someone I used to work with.  I wish blogs had smell-o-blogpost, because this post would have the delicious scent of grape Kool-Aid.

I was told this is a rebloomer, but this has never rebloomed.  For that matter, no rebloomer I've ever planted has rebloomed.  Either the climate isn't right or the plants don't like me.  (and yes, I do think plants can like or dislike their caretakers.  More on that another time.)

This is another purple bearded iris.  We lost some of the blooms to the hailstorm last week but some of the buds survived.  This iris also has a scent.

Finally,  here is a yellow iris I bought at a local iris show.  Of course, I have no idea what it is called.  I end up not remembering half of what I planted, which isn't good for someone aspiring to perhaps turn this into a gardening blog.

We have a white iris also but its buds rotted away during our Rain Festival.

As for the walk, it was the second annual Greater Binghamton Walk for Autism.  I was very glad to run into someone I hadn't seen for years, although I've had some communication with her on Facebook.  And then, when we went food shopping afterwards, I ran into someone else I had not seen in years.

As today would have been my mother's 93rd birthday, the day was a bit bittersweet.  But, after a gloomy drizzly start to the day, the sun ended up coming out. 

Tomorrow (maybe)....rhododendrons.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet - That is the Twestion

The Blogathon is over.   My time is mine again.  I didn't have to wake up at 5:30 to write. But I did.
I said the other day that one thing the Blogathon did for me was make me stretch.  I want to keep stretching, growing.    So now, I am considering signing up for Twitter.

So far, I have resisted using Twitter.  I do not text message (I barely use my cell phone as a phone; I'm going to be one of the 143 people left in this country who don't text message).  But in the Blogathon that just concluded yesterday, I found that many bloggers in the Blogathon tweet and have their tweets visible on their blogs.

The "wrap" party for the Blogathon "competition" is going to be on Twitter, too.  I can follow it by using a certain hash tag.  But I have no account, so I can't party.  Being left out.   It isn't a good feeling.

Know what?  I feel like I felt about the Internet back in 1995.  Reading about that "http" stuff and how web addresses worked seemed so daunting.  But I bought my first computer on my birthday in 1996 and have never looked back.  (I can still remember my first night online - January 20, 1997...and how I fumbled around.  But am I glad I did.). What if I don't have enough to say?  What if I have too much?  What if I choose the wrong user name (or whatever it is called).

I've tried to find a good tutorial on Twitter online. What I seem to be finding is already a year or two old.  So:  I invite your comments.  Does Twitter work for you?  Is it worth the stretch?  Should I take the plunge?

Is it worth the time I will invest in learning about it?

(and, sneaky me, I'll know if anyone is still reading my blog now that we've finished Blogathoning.)

And meanwhile, fellow Blogathoners - enjoy that party.

Blogathon - It's a Wrap! Lessons Learned

The Blogathon is over.  And so is may.  I am depressed, because it has been so much fun.  Fellow Blogathoners, you've all been great!


Tomorrow is the wrap party, which I won't be attending - first, because I will be working at my day job when the party takes place (oh well) and second, because I still haven't signed up for Twitter, where it will take place.  However, I've done a little research on my blog statistics and:

Successes

1.  I received 31 comments on posts posted during the Blogathon.  For the entire two plus years of my blog previous to this May, I only received 7 (not counting the spam I had to delete before Blogger increased its blog filter.  As a result of the spam, I turned off commenting for a couple of months.)

I hope some of my Blogathon readers stay with me.  I will try to make it worth your while.
2. Traffic to my blog increased.  Although the top two viewers are people who knew about my blog previous to the Blogathon, I did get increased traffic overall.  (and yes, I know who has been viewing, and I thank each and every one of you for reading.)

3.  I got the opportunity to guest blog post on two blogs - one person I knew beforehand (although I've only met her once) and the other was on a blog I had never heard of before the Blogathon.

4.  I got to stretch myself, blogging alongside several professional writers.  These professional writers leave me breathless, by the way.  It is obviously a LOT of hard work - work I'm not sure I am ready for.  Yet, if the worst ever happens and I find myself unemployed, I have an idea now of directions that I can go.

And, to those people, thank you for being gentle with me.

5.  I know now what people are interested in when reading my blog.  The gardening and weather posts seem to be getting the most attention. Although, my #1 post ever (to my amazement) was not Blogathon related but a post from last year concerning dinosaurs that briefly invaded Binghamton, before vandals put an end to their reign.

My "to do" list

1.  Give thought to where I want to go with this blog.  Should I dedicate it to gardening and perhaps local food?  Or, as an alternative, have "theme days"?  (I don't think I am going to keep posting 7 days a week!)

2  Improve my proof reading skills.  (also see #3)

3.  Perhaps buy a style book?  Or learn something about grammar?  Do more editing?  Sometimes, after I post, I find sentences that made sense in my head, but not on screen.  I have to go back and edit the posted post.

4.  Play less FarmVille?  Would you believe, I didn't take the cheap way out and blog about FarmVille, not once?  (Also, I played Angry Birds for the first time this weekend - I'm staying far away from that)

5.  Continue to visit, and comment, on other blogs. This is something I did very little of (the commenting part, anyway) before the Blogathon.  I now realize how important it is.

6.  Mine my blog a little more - now that I have over two years of material, I can revisit some of the older material and see if I have grown in my writing.

7.  Keep that momentum going!  I'm not one for "new year's resolutions" but hey, it's May!

And, last but not least-
8.  Look forward to Blogathon 2012. 

To Twit or not to Twit? Is that the Question?

After months of bragging about "no Twitter"....I may, gulp, decide to give it a try.

January sure is the month of change.

Why?  I am not sure.  I've seen the bad of Twitter (the tweets going back and forth during the tragic shooting in Binghamton last April, giving no information and declaring only their tweeter's lack of maturity.  Which is why I decided to call tweets "twits" - I'm sure that wasn't very original.)  But there are aspects of it that intrigue me, too.

But first I have to figure out how Twitter works.  Gee, I remember back in....1996?  I had to figure out this thing called the Internet, complete with its strange lingo-and I did it...I went online in January of 1997 and never looked back. (by that you can tell I'm not an early adapter-but not necessarily a late one, either.)

I'll do my research and then....we'll see.  Hopefully by then it won't be the thing that suddenly everyone is doing.  And, I promise...pinky swear....that I will tweet, not twit.