2026 A to Z Reflections #AtoZChallenge

It's time to reflect on my experience in the 2026 Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Along with many 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, missing only 2025 because, well, life happened.   What happened also made the 2026 Challenge more difficult than previous Challenges but I had the time and energy this year.  Last year, it never would have happened.

Life lesson:  never take anything for granted.  Life is fragile and can change in an instant.

Many of us assign a theme for the month and yes, I did, also.  Mine was: beauty of our land.  

If anything, I appreciate the beauty around me even more than in the past.  I am a digital photo hoarder (I may have passed the 20,000 mark on my phone recently-I'm almost afraid to look) and going through my photos to choose the ones I would post this past April brought back so many memories.

Good memories.

Good memories sustain us for the hard times, and also make us realize that beauty still exists even if we are not in a mindset to enjoy it.  It will be there for when we can be receptive enough to enjoy it.

So, looking at these photos also made me feel, once again, gratitude.  Gratitude for the blogging community I discovered, after nearly two years of blogging, when I participated in my first blogging challenge (not A to Z) back in 2011.  Gratitude for the blogs I read regularly and for the blogs I discover each year of the A to Z Challenge.

We are asked to answer some questions.  I'll put them at the end so if you weren't part of the Challenge, you can skip them, but I'll answer one up front so you don't have to wade through questions and answers that don't interest you.

I won't name the blogs, as I don't want to leave anyone out.

So, how am I feeling?  Tired.  I pre-wrote many of the posts, but still had to scramble towards the end.  But then again, I wasn't the only one.

In reflecting, I also decided I would not go back to daily blogging like I did for so many years, but it's good to know I still have it in me to do that.

Finally....

Today is a special one year anniversary in my life.  

So, to any new bloggers who discovered me during the Challenge, thank you.  And, if you are a regular reader, thank you, too.

I appreciate all of you.

And now the questions and my answers in red

Our team theme this year was: A is for Aspirations: Blogging hopes, dreams, and goals

Do you feel like our team's posts from this month met your expectations for that theme?  True confession: I didn't read the team's posts.  

While you reflect on your blog's April Challenge posts, please consider this:

• How do you feel about the Theme Reveal? (Especially if this is not your first year doing the Challenge.). I always find it helpful; I base some of the blogs I will read on their reveals.
• In what ways does the reflection post help you? It helps me look back on the month, something that's impossible to do in the midst of the Challenge.
• What experiences have you had in the past, or hope to have this year, with the Road Trip? I haven't taken the Road Trip in the past; I don't plan to this year.
• Does the HTML on the badges/ graphics page help you? Yes.
• Did you meet your blogging goals in April? Yes.
• What were your top five favorite blogs from the challenge to visit in April this year? I choose not to reveal them because several common blogging genres don't interest me at all and I'm sure my subject matter isn't universally loved, either.
• Did a co-host (J Lenni Dorner, Arlee Bird, Zalka Csenge Virág, John Holton, Jayden R Vincente, or Ronel Janse van Vuuren) comment on your blog during the challenge? Yes.
• Is there a comment you received on your blog in April that is your favorite? I don't rate my commenters; I appreciate everyone who takes the time to visit and comment.
• Who were your top comment-leavers this challenge, and did they do the challenge? Hard to say because some of my favorite bloggers were those I met through the challenge -some years back, some recently, and some don't do the Challenge every year. Some didn't do it this year but still read my blog.  
• Is your blog open to comments from everyone, or only comments from those who "sign in" to the platform?  Open to everyone, although I moderate posts and therefore they may not be published for hours or even the next day.
• Do you feel this helps or hurts your blogging comment goals? I have no blogging goals other than making myself happy.  I don't blog for revenue or to promote a business.  If I didn't enjoy blogging, I wouldn't do it.

• • Are there any other blog hops you regularly take part in? Yes, all my current blogging involves participating in blog hops: Music Moves Me, Wordless Wednesday, Skywatch Friday, Shadowshot Sunday, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
  • Did you discover anything interesting because of the Challenge? Yes.
  • Will you plan to do the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge in 2027, and why (or why not)? That will depend on my personal situation in 2027.  I had to sit 2025 out due to the fickle finger of fate saying otherwise.  Life is always uncertain.
  • Will you recommend this blog hop to others? Yes.
  • If RoadTrippers only visit one of your Challenge posts, which would you suggest and why? (This question is also the prompt if you create a RoadTrip post.). 
  • Do you plan to visit the A to Z site every month? No although I may drop in from time to time..
  • The site gets many hits, even in the off-season!
  • Did you refer someone to hope to win a guest post spot? No, because what would I say? 
  • What else could the team offer you to persuade you to encourage others to join the challenge? Perhaps come back and ask me that next year.

Changes to My Blogging Schedule

I am making changes to my blogging schedule (discussed back in July) official probably (at least) until the end of the year.

I am stepping away from daily blogging effective next week.  I still plan to blog on Mondays (Music Moves Me), Wednesday (Wordless Wednesday), Friday (Skywatch Friday) and Sunday (Shadowshot Sunday) but that will depend.  I also plan to blog on the 15th of the month (Garden Bloggers Bloom Day), which, this month, will fall on a Friday.

I hope you will continue to read my offerings - there are many blogs out there that I enjoy and I will still be dropping by to read and enjoy your offerings, too.   I may not comment right away, but I will.

Finally, a thank you to all those who commented on my digital vs print post.  My spouse is the main reader and he dislikes digital.  I enjoyed reading all of your perspectives.

Remember - change is good, or so they say.

I leave you with a song - David Bowie and "Changes".

Happy 5400th (Post)

Yes, this is my 5,400th post.  It took from my start in 2009 until now to get here, and what a journey its been.  I thank those who have been along for all or part of it.

Here's a snapshot of my latest journey - sitting outside on my days off and enjoying the birds.

A female ruby throated hummingbird decided to celebrate with me a day early.  Our backyard has several plantings to attract hummingbirds, but we've only seen them a handful of times this summer.  In fact, my spouse finally took down the hummingbird feeder.

But yesterday, a hummer showed up twice.  Not only that, but it let me take its picture several times, while she showed off her mid air agility. 

She seems to be asking "which pose do you like best?"

On the left side, suspended in midair?

From the back?

Feeding?

Or just wondering which flower she will feed from next?

Truthfully, little bird, I liked them all.

So, do I have any thoughts about my 5,400th post?  I sure do.

I couldn't do these past 5,399 posts without the loyal readership of YOU, my reader, and I thank you once again for making my blogging journey so enjoyable.

Why not join me tomorrow, when I join other skywatchers in watching the sky?

Announcing a Blogging Break

For some time, I have been thinking of taking a blogging break.  I've been blogging daily since the beginning of May, 2011, although one of my posts from 2014 was removed (long after the fact) by what I suspect was a glitch as "not meeting community standards".  It was a post about inventions that changed the 20th century.  I've never bothered trying to get it reinstated. 

But now, I feel I need a break.

I will most probably be off of social media, too, including reading other blogs.

My break will begin on Friday, July 19 and extend until around July 28.  

For this week, my normal Wordless Wednesday will post tomorrow.  My Skywatch Friday post this week will post on Thursday.  And then, that's it until the end of July.

And yes, I will enjoy every minute of this break.

After I return to blogging, I don't know for sure if I will resume daily blogging, but I do intend to continue posting at least four four times a week:  Mondays (Music Moves Me), Wednesdays (Wordless Wednesday), Fridays (SkywatchFriday), and Sundays (Shadowshot Sunday)  plus the 15th of the month (Garden Bloggers Bloom Day).  We'll see how I feel about it after the break.

At one time, the posting daily mattered to me.  It no longer does although I'll feel some sadness in having a blogging streak this long end.  My original reason for doing it daily disappeared several years ago and, in the last several months, it's lost much of its enjoyment.   I feel myself slowing down.

 I hope I return to blogging refreshed.

The Annual Pondering

Last Tuesday, I blogged about Aging with Grace.  In that post, I blogged a little about blogging:

I've also thought about cutting way down on blogging. Several bloggers I know have either quit in the last year, or cut way back.  I hope it is for good reasons....

 I've blogged daily since May of 2011.  In a way, my blog has become an online journal. It's a fragile journal, one that could go "poof" at any time if Google decides to discontinue the platform.  But, for now, daily blogging serves my purposes.  It's a journal I can look at any time I have an internet connection.

There were some interesting comments from fellow bloggers.  I thank everyone who commented on that post.  Here are two of the comments, edited for length:

From reader Liz at Laws of Gravity:  "Lately I've begun to think of my grandfather with regards to blogging. He had a CB radio...My brother and I would sit with him when we were kids in the '80s. But looking back, CB radios would have had their heyday in the '70s. I think blogging is becoming that. It's still here, but people are falling away from it as newer social media has come in and shortened our attention spans (yet again)."

 And Yogi, who heads the Friday sky watching meme I participate in at his blog Skywatch Friday, commented:  "I posted daily on my blog for years. Now it is three or four times a week. You see it with everybody else with the decreased number of people participating in the various memes....And I think we have lost lots of bloggers. It seems to be an older person's passion. Some people just go dark and I don't know if they have passed away or just tired of it all."

They both make good points.

I wonder what I am going to find when it is time for an April blogging challenge I've participated in since 2015 to have its signup.  Signup is starting on March 10 for the 2024 Blogging from A to Z Challenge (A to Z for short).   

This challenge started in 2010 and continues every April for the entire month.  Bloggers who sign up (and some who don't) start April 1 with a post whose title and subject begins with "A". This year, "A" day will be Monday, April 1. Tuesday is for "B", and so on, except for Sunday. We follow this pattern all the way to Z on the last blogging day of April (a Tuesday).  So, 26 blogging days, 26 letters of the English alphabet. Some letters are easy.  Some are hard (think Q and X.)

But each year, it seems fewer people participate and I get less eager to join up. Last year, especially, a number of blogs never even started (and didn't explain) or quit midmonth without even a "Thank you, and goodbye".

Some statistics:

2010 (the first year) nearly 100 participants.

2011 - nearly 1300.

2012 - nearly 1700 

2023 - if my math is correct, 231.

 A to Z turned out to be good for me last year when I contracted COVID, had a few days of feeling crappy and tired, and even a day when I would have been hard pressed to remember my own name, never mind read any blog.  My blog posts, prewritten, posted on automatic pilot, so to speak.

Years ago, I was introduced to some great bloggers (like Liz of one of the above comments) and I think an A to Z Blogger led me to Skywatch Friday.  An A to Z blogger also invited me to join the Monday Music Moves Me I participate in.

A fellow Music Moves Me person also co-hosts A to Z, and I respect this person highly. Actually, I respect all the co-hosts:  this is a LOT of work.  I don't want to waste their time.

I agonize each year about signing up, I know.  And, truth to tell, I already have a theme in mind.

But...do I still have the ambition? Is it still right for me?  Have I done it too long?  Is the joy gone?

Will Blogging from A to Z be for me this year?  Or will I take a Leap (this is a leap year, after all) of faith and seek something different?

It's the hour of decision.

Aging with Grace

Some blog posts I read this past week touched me.

Childhood memories of the kitchen  Kitchen memories - we all have them, blogs Elizabeth Havey.  If we are fortunate, we have those memories of the kitchen where we grew up, and the kitchens we spent our adult life in.

May you never give up on what you enjoy says an Australian blogger.  She quotes Abraham Lincoln's quote ""In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years". I can only hope I can do the things I enjoy for the rest of my life, be they spending time outside in a garden, taking pictures, or reading for pleasure.

"So many things are left to memory", says Carol Cassara in a blog post about how nothing in permanent. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust it's the way of all things.  All creatures.  And all people".

So why am I blogging about this today?

Perhaps because I am realizing so much of my life now exists only in memory.  I walk in our local mall in bad weather, and the spaces are full of the ghosts of retail past.  Montgomery Ward.  Bradlees.  Kinney Shoes, which was my favorite shoe store. Sears is gone (they are down to 12 stores in the mainland U.S).  

Everywhere I go, I see memories in my mind.  The empty lot that used to be a McDonalds.  The elementary school my son went to which is now a senior citizen apartment building.  The building where I used to work years ago which now houses a non profit agency that provides services to older citizens like me.

One day, I will only be a memory, too.  And, one day, even that will be gone.

But, until that day, I intend to have a good time.  I have sunsets to enjoy.  Flowers to document.  Trips to take. Chocolate to eat.  True, I feel myself slowing down.

But don't say I'm too old for anything.  Behind that grey hair and wrinkles is an active mind full of curiosity.  

As the saying goes, there may be snow on the roof but that doesn't mean there isn't a fire in the furnace.

I've also thought about cutting way down on blogging. Several bloggers I know have either quit in the last year, or cut way back.  I hope it is for good reasons.

Speaking of blogging:

 I've blogged daily since May of 2011.  In a way, my blog has become an online journal. It's a fragile journal, one that could go "poof" at any time if Google decides to discontinue the platform.  But, for now, daily blogging serves my purposes.  It's a journal I can look at any time I have an internet connection.

Aging with grace.  It's what we can all hope for.

Eulogy for a Polymath

I found out about his death nearly two weeks ago. A few times, I had started to blog about him and could not find the words to put down on the blank computer screen.  Finally, it's time.

I had read his blog for years.  I think I had been introduced to it, 10 or more years ago, through a blogging challenge.  We had also become Facebook friends.

He had gone into the hospital yet again and wrote about it on his blog.  He had been battling serious health issues for several years and blogged about them, one of many, many topics he blogged about.

His inventions and interests spanned (per his biography) the fields of kidney dialysis, colon electrolyte lavages, water reuse systems, and more.  He was an enrolled agent and blogged about tax matters, and also was a chemical engineer, among several career changes.  Self described as a polymath, I will call him one, too.

He blogged about civil rights 

He wrote about anti-Semitism.

He also loved music.  Here is one of his music posts.  I was honored to have him read, in turn, my Monday music posts.  

He loved wine.  He loved art, and collected art. 

He blogged about our duty to repair our world.  For him, it was a religious obligation.

He never hesitated to DM me on Facebook if I made a mistake in my blog.

Through his blog, I felt like I had come to know something about him.  I know few bloggers who shared as much about himself as he did.  Some of his blog posts, in all honesty (the scientific ones and the tax ones) were way above my head, but I looked at them, anyway.  He would have expected no less from me.  His was not a light and fluffy blog.  I learned from it.

Along all this, he loved his family and his children.  He was so proud of them.  One of the last interactions I had with Roy, in fact, was him sending me a copy of a book "One Bold Move a Day" written by one of his children.  I didn't ask for it.  He just did it.

Several days after he blogged about going into the hospital (for the last time, it turned out) I had a sinking feeling.  I've learned never to ignore that feeling.  I went online and, in mere seconds, found his obituary.  It wasn't hard.  Sadly, he had passed away a couple of days before I had that sinking feeling.

His earthly battles are over.

I miss his blog posts already.  

Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.  May your memory be for a blessing.

Happy Number 5007

This is the 5007th blog post I have published since I started to blog in 2009

Happy milestone to me - I don't check stats often so I was unaware I had passed the 5000 post milestone.  Yay, me! 

It's been fun (for the most part).  

In turn, I've discovered many blogs I enjoy reading - some (not all) are on my blog roll.

Let's celebrate Post #5007 with some flowers from my garden.   First, some leftovers I didn't include in yesterday's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

Impatiens.

Yellow scaviola, which has taken over an entire container.

Another zinnia from our community garden plot. 

Blurry white marigold.  For some reason, the two varieties of marigolds I am growing this year are not doing well, plus something is eating my white marigold plants.  I'm not seeing obvious insects (Japanese beetles, aphids, catepillars) but leaves keep disappearing.

Finally, this is my tallest daylily and it's blooming profusely right now.

I've enjoyed sharing my writing and photos with you, dear readers, and hope you will stick around for the next few hundred posts.  I appreciate each and every one of you.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR READERSHIP.  YOU AND YOUR COMMENTS ARE SO APPRECIATED.

The Baby Years of My Writing Journey

I promised you some reruns from time to time. This is part of a blog post (with updates) I wrote in 2012.  At the time, I was participating in a blog challenge, something I no longer do (except for the annual April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.)

The prompt was:  Describe your earliest memory of writing.  How did your writing habit/process/career develop?

My very earliest memory?  How about second grade?  No, I won't count the many hours I spent with plastic molded toy soldiers (World War II, Civil War, Cowboys and Indians), making up "movies" for them.  I never wrote the plots down.  I also remember making "comic" strips that passed through a paper TV screen. I also won't count the many hours I spent daydreaming that I worked at the Daily Planet alongside my heroine, Lois Lane.  I never did get into journalism.

No, I think it was when I was 10 or 11.  I loved superhero comics (Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and a host of other).  I decided to make up my own superhero comics.  The hero I created was "Cold Man",  He could freeze anything to near absolute zero.  I couldn't draw worth a whit, so I enlisted the help of a friend with artistic talent. She, in turn, suggested my next venture and my first actual manuscript:  The Birdmen of Zuma.  The Birdmen of Zuma were half man, half canary, and lived hidden away in the Canary Islands.  An American pilot crash landed near their city.

It went downhill from there.  Many adventures, just coincidentally, resembled similar adventures of  my beloved John Carter of Barsoom (an Edgar Rice Burroughs series - he did a lot more than Tarzan.)  But it was a start.

My serious writing started (after I stopped writing all together in my early 20's) in April of 2009.  I was in my late 50's.  I started a blog inspired by an "eyewitness" (sort of) email I wrote the day of a mass murder in Binghamton, New York.

My writing habit developed by participating first in the 2011 WordCount Blogathon (31 daily posts, no skipping a day permitted), a blogging challenge no longer held, and then several rounds of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  The latter challenge is still held and I highly recommend it.

I have the habit of daily writing, thanks to over 10 years of daily blogging. 

I don't use a traditional writing process in the sense that I have never taken a writing course.  I do "prewrite" but not formally.  No one taught me these steps. 

I developed a rhythm on my own in my first months of blogging.  I've refined it over the years.   I draft, revise, proofread (not perfectly, especially recently) and publish, usually taking 30-45 minutes with each post.  I research during the drafting phase.  I used to write in the early evening but that was more because of habits that evolved when I worked full time at a Monday to Friday work schedule. (I still work part time at my old job although I am, technically, retired). 

Some of my posts seem to spring, fully formed, from my mind.  Most don't.

I still don't have a writing career, unless you care to call me a career blogger (2009-present).

What about you?

May the 4th Be With All of Us

Today, May the 4th, is Star Wars Day (May the Force (be with you)).  This has become a day for Star War fans to celebrate.  But could any of us have foreseen the sudden appearance on the scene of AI?

We may need The Force sooner than we think.

Up to now, I've resisted playing with AI.  But yesterday, I got a message from the Bing search engine, a search engine I rarely use.  I know it is using AI now, and it encouraged me to chat, or ask a question, of it.  I decided that May the 4th might be a good day for the Bing AI to write a blog post about Star Wars Days, and I asked it to.  This was its response (below, in red.)

It came with footnotes and links - I'll give it that.

I'm not a professional writer (and I don't intend to use AI to write future posts - if I experiment further I will fully document what I did).  AI concerns me a lot, as an almost lifelong reader of SF.  So, I will simply ask my readers, some of whom are professional writers.

What do you think of AI?  What do you think of this fully AI written post? This is what one expert thinks about AI.  

One of the things he suspects is that AI may already (as in "right now") be smarter than us humans.

It wouldn't surprise me at all.

May the 4th be with all of us. 

The rest of this is the AI generated post.

May the 4th Be With You: How to Celebrate Star Wars Day in Style

If you’re a fan of Star Wars, you probably know that May 4th is a special day for the galaxy far, far away. It’s Star Wars Day, a pun on the famous phrase “May the Force be with you” that has become a global phenomenon. But how did this unofficial holiday start, and how can you join in the fun? Here are some facts and tips to help you make the most of this epic day.

The Origins of Star Wars Day

The first recorded use of the phrase “May the 4th be with you” was in 1979, when Margaret Thatcher became the prime minister of Britain. Her party placed an ad in a newspaper that said "May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations."¹

Since then, Star Wars fans have adopted the date as a way to celebrate their love for the franchise. The popularity of Star Wars Day grew with the help of social media and fan events. In 2011, the Toronto Underground Cinema organized the first official Star Wars Day festival, featuring costume contests, trivia games, and screenings of fan-made films.¹

In 2013, Disney, which acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, officially recognized Star Wars Day and began hosting annual events and promotions at its theme parks and online platforms.¹

How to Celebrate Star Wars Day

There are many ways to show your appreciation for Star Wars on May 4th. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Watch your favorite Star Wars movies or shows on Disney+. You can choose from the nine-chapter Skywalker Saga, plus two spinoffs (Rogue One and Solo), or binge-watch the animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels. You can also catch up on the latest live-action series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, or watch the new trailer for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series.²³
• Dress up as your favorite Star Wars character or wear some themed clothing or accessories. You can find a variety of options online or at your local stores, from T-shirts and hoodies to hats and
• socks. You can also check out some of the new products released for Star Wars Day, such as Orbitkey’s key holders inspired by X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Millennium Falcon and Death Star², or Native Shoes’ footwear collection featuring classic and retro designs⁴.
• Cook some Star Wars-themed food or drinks. You can find plenty of recipes online for dishes like Hutt Twins Rice Balls, Grogu’s Favorite Soup, Fruitsabers and Jedi Dip, or Porg Potatoes. You can also try some blue milk, a staple drink in the Star Wars universe, or make some Mandalorian macarons.⁵
• Play some Star Wars games or puzzles. You can choose from a variety of video games, board games, card games, or LEGO sets that feature Star Wars characters and stories. You can also challenge yourself with some trivia questions or crossword puzzles to test your knowledge of the franchise.
• Read some Star Wars books or comics. You can explore the expanded universe of Star Wars through novels, graphic novels, manga, or magazines that cover different eras and aspects of the galaxy. You
  • can also check out some of the new releases for Star Wars Day, such as Marvel’s Star Wars: Obi-Wan #1 comic book², or Sobel Westex’s Antithesis Pillow that features Darth Vader on one side and Luke Skywalker on the other⁶.

  Why Celebrate Star Wars Day

  Star Wars Day is more than just a fun way to geek out over your favorite franchise. It’s also a way to connect with other fans and share your passion for a story that has inspired generations of people around the world.

  Star Wars is not just about spaceships and lightsabers. It’s about hope, courage, friendship, family, and finding your place in the universe. It’s about facing your fears and overcoming your challenges. It’s about learning from your mistakes and growing as a person.

  Star Wars Day is a reminder that we are not alone in this journey. We have a community of fellow fans who support us and celebrate with us. We have a legacy of storytellers who inspire us and challenge us. We have a force that binds us and guides us.

  So whether you’re a Jedi or a Sith, a Rebel or an Imperial, a Mandalorian or a Tusken Raider, a Wookiee or a Droid, you can find something to enjoy and appreciate on Star Wars Day. It’s a day to express your creativity, have some fun, and honor the legacy of George Lucas and his amazing creation.

  May the 4th be with you, always. And remember: this is the way.

 ^{Credits:  1. en.wikipedia.org    2.  usatoday.com   3.  msn.com  4.  abcchicago.com  5.  starwars.com  6.  cnet.com}

A to Z Reflections 2023 #AtoZChallenge

Welcome to my Reflections on the 2023 Blogging from A to Z Challenge. 

Along with hundreds of other bloggers, I participated in a blogging challenge this past April which involved blogging about something beginning with A on April 1, all the way to Z on April 30, with breaks only on Sunday (except April 30). (26 letters = 26 days of posts). My theme was "Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States."

I have a love/hate relationship with this Challenge.  I always make up my mind to do it at the last minute.   I was planning to take a trip in mid April for an event several hundred miles away, so had to scramble to write posts in advance.  Fortunately, I had the time (and energy) to do that.

I usually don't write all posts in advance, but this year I did, and it's the only reason I was able to stay in the Challenge.

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.  But I hit an unexpected bump in the road, although I was able to finish.  More on that shortly.

I'm just fortunate that I picked a good theme, enough to (mostly) carry me through.  I took a trip to South Carolina in February of this year, and I would have taken more (and some different) pictures I knew.  Fortunately, I had South Carolina pictures from past visits. 

As you've probably figured out by now, photography is a large part of my blogging.  I hope you enjoyed what I did.

It always seems, though, that I do variations of the same theme year after year.  Travel and pictures.  Rinse and repeat.  A part of me wants to be original.  Another part just plain likes what I am doing, variations and all. Next year?  As someone I love likes to say "I'm not worried about that".

Part of the fun of this challenge is finding new blogs, and rediscovering blogs I read during previous challenges.  I'm not going to name any blog in particular because I don't want to inadvertently leave anyone out.

To you all, I offer a virtual bouquet (not my tree) of cherry blooms.

In past years, we were expected to visit as many participating blogs as possible.  This year, we had the choice of  visiting only blogs that had visited and commented on our blog. I know the latter choice factored into the decision of one blogger who had stopped participating to participate (and she finished).  I chose the latter, too, and it was a good thing I did, because....

The Real Challenge of April Wasn't A to Z but....

On April 6, spouse and I both tested positive for COVID. Both of us were symptomatic. And, I had a rebound so I had double the pleasure, double the fun (NOT!)

I will spare you the details, but they were both (medically) mild cases and we both are fine now. I already had posts written so was able to stay in.  Thank you, participants who wrote short posts or had mostly pictures.  You saved me on the several days I couldn't concentrate enough to read longer posts.

The experience reminded me that life doesn't always go as planned, and you just have to do the best you can under what life throws at you.  So, if anything, that is the best lesson this year's Challenge had for me. 

At least two blogs I already knew and liked had to drop out for varying reasons.  Sometimes, life is like that, too.  Another lesson we can all learn:  be flexible.

Statistics? 

Didn't check.  So, if you followed me or read me a lot, I want to say "Thank you".

If you did find me, I did reciprocate, though -I hope. See "The Real Challenge of April" above.

Now, let's give a shoutout to those who comprise the Blogging from A to Z team:

Arlee Bird (founder)Tossing it Out

J Lenni Dorner (captain) of Blog of Author J Lenni Dorner

Zalka Csenge Virág of The Multicolored Diary

John Holton of The Sound of One Hand Typing

Jayden R Vincente (spreadsheets) of J. R Vincente Erotica Writer (note, this links to an "adult" website.)

Finally, the unknown Graphic artist who decided to remain Anonymous (graphics) (and A to Z is looking for someone for 2024)

If you discovered my blog through A to Z, either this year or previous years, and are still here reading this, I thank you.

Last but not least...I hope you'll stay and keep reading my blog

I've been blogging daily since 2011 (I started blogging in 2009) so I hope you'll stick around and check out my regular programming:  Music Moves Me on Mondays, a Wordless Wednesday (not that wordless) on Wednesdays, and Skywatch Friday on Friday.

THANK YOU, MY READERS, NEW AND OLD.  I WOULD NOT BLOG WITHOUT YOU. 

Independent #AtoZChallenge

 Independent book stores are not common in the New York State county I live in.  When I moved here over 30 years ago, we had several.  They are all history now, although I think one may still be operating online, run by a retired librarian and her husband.  We have a couple of more recent ones, but, when I looked on Yelp for bookstores in my county, most of them listed weren't in my county. Some weren't even close to my county. 

Meanwhile, Greenville, South Carolina, population a bit over 70,000, has six independent bookstores.

Spouse and I visited two of them back in February.

M. Judson Booksellers and Camilla Kitchen in downtown Greenville calls themselves "A Modern Literary Hub in Downtown Greenville, South Carolina" and they are, with frequent author booksignings and lots of other community events.

 

This is a sight you will never see in New York, despite our state being a leading wine producer (because bookstores and most other retail outlets can not sell wine - even New York wine. (climbing off soapbox).

Fiction Addiction is in a shopping center, and is smaller than M. Judson.  

While we browsed, we overheard a conversation with a frequent customer.  This store prides itself on picking the perfect book for its customers.  That's part of the beauty of frequenting local businesses.

Here are some other bookstores I've run across in South Carolina.  Sadly, the last one has closed.

 

Higher Grounds in Columbia, South Carolina is a church outreach project, and their Facebook page seems to indicate this is more of a cafe than a bookstore.

Finally, let's pay tribute to A Very Little Bookstore, now closed, in Summerville, South Carolina.  It was a children's book store.  I read that it had flooded at one point, but I'm not sure that was the reason for it going out of business.  Their Facebook page has been taken down.

 

I loved its store window. 

I love reading.  I'm sorry the store didn't make it, because I filled my house with children's books once upon a time.

What is your favorite bookstore?

"I" day of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme:  Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States.

Am I Spamming Myself?

 Something interesting to me (and, perhaps other bloggers who use Blogger) has been happening in the past few days.

My spam comments folder has been filling up with comments made years ago - the oldest ones so far are from 2014.  Most all of them date from 2019 and earlier.

Not only that, but most of them are comments I've made responding to other commenters on my blog.

Yes, you read that right.

In other words, I am spamming myself.   Spamming myself, traveling through time, to 2014?

The comments were all made through my Google user name.  Doesn't Google know that this is my blog?  Maybe spamming detection duties have been given over to an AI?

I would rather not go to my blog in the morning and find 14 spam comments from myself, which is what happened yesterday.  I have to reapprove every one of them.

I would much rather be looking at crocus in my front yard and celebrating the arrival of spring.

And you would much rather be looking at my flowers than reading about my blogging problems.

So, let's try this...what is irritating you the most about online life lately?  Please feel free to comment below.

Let's see how many of those comments go into spam.

Sad Thoughts and Irish Whiskey Salmon

Sad thoughts and Irish Whiskey Salmon.  What a combination.

I was getting ready to publish my Saturday post, which was going to discuss a wonderful recipe my spouse made for St. Patrick's Day dinner. (Long story, but the traditional corned beef, cabbage, Irish Soda Bread, and potatoes are waiting for tomorrow.)

Then I opened up Facebook and saw the news that someone I had known through the blogging world (and a Facebook friend) passed away after a short illness.

I didn't know her exact age but I suspect she was at least 15 years younger than I am.  Those are the kinds of deaths, especially when unexpected, that tend to stun me a lot more than some others. 

I didn't know her in the non-virtual world, but, reading her Facebook page and comments from family and friends (and remembering some of the posts in a blog she wrote about caregiving) I am sad that I didn't.

May she rest in peace and may family and friends receive comfort though the memories they have of her.

And now, the topic I was going to blog about today.  Looking for a simple Friday night recipe (for my spouse, not me!) I found this.   Here's salmon marinated in Irish whiskey, honey, cider vinegar, thyme and lemon zest, then baked.  The recipe is in the link.

Turns out this must be a popular dish - there were a number of these recipes online.

The result?

It was delicious.  The whiskey gave it an interesting flavor, one that I wouldn't have guessed.  For two people, we halved the recipe and only had to buy one miniature bottle of whiskey.  We had the other ingredients.

So, a strange combination, these two topics, but they are both part of life.