Family, Just Good Stuff | Posted by Jannie on 18 August 2009 @ 11:38 AM
Hey all! Here’s where Jannie’s been hanging out — the Bay Of Chaleur at Mom & Dad’s cottage.
Last year they added on a little porch with 5 windows. Put in solar panels too.
We likes it a LOT.
Love hearing the waves splish and splash.
Great place for young kids…
and bigger kids, like my sister and me.
Mom has it fixed up real cute inside.
Sunsets are not bad here.
Neither are the bon fires at night.
We’ll be back home one week from today! I hope to post again in the meantime. If not, ’cause I’m enjoying my coffee and favorite beach chair and such, I’ll see you back in Austin.! xoxoxoxo
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1967: Me, Brother Joe, Brother Harry & Tom the cat (See # 36 below.)
During the course of my extremely long blogging career — almost eleven whole months now, I’ve learned a thing or 46 I’d like to share …
1. Blogging can take up a LOT of time.
2. Blogging can be addictive.
3. Bloggers need just as much sleep as non-bloggers. Sleep — right up there with oxygen for humans.
4. I will not die if I run out of time to read every single word of every single post of every single one my blogging buddies, it only feels that way. (I hate getting behind.)
5. It’s okay to post on my own schedule.
6. Since I can’t do justice to ALL 137 social media sites, I’ve picked a couple favorites to learn inside-out — Stumble Upon and Twitter. Facebook I use more for long-lost cousins, whom I’ve found 296 of so far! (Long Canadian winters and no tv for my grandparents made for lots of bouncing Funster babies.)
7. The wild beast of Efficient Twittering can and hopefully will be tamed by me. (I’m up to page 177 of “Twitter For Dummies” at this writing.)
8. Bloggers are a super nice bunch of peeps.
9. Bloggers are a supportive bunch of peeps.
10. I can go from laughing on one friend’s blog to crying on another’s to laughing again on another’s in the space of minutes.
11. Blogging connects souls.
12. I care as deeply for some bloggers as I do for real life friends I’ve known for years.
13. My blogging buds often, if not usually, know more than I do on topics I post about. I never cease to be amazed.
14. I am surprised there are still psychotherapists around with all this blogging love and wisdom to be had for free.
15. It’s great to share helpful things on blogs. Why hog the good stuff?
16. Being controversial for the sake of pageviews is not something I’d ever feel comfortable doing.
17. I must be kind, I never know how my words will affect someone.
18. I must be sincere, I never know how my words will affect someone.
19. Commenting is fun, free and easy.
20. Linking a great blogger up is fun, free and easy.
21. People like me to be ME. (Go figure.)
22. Commenters appreciate the gift of shorter posts once in a while, or maybe more than once in a while.
23. If I write a long post I think is compelling, I don’t feel the need to inwardly apologize for “taking up” so much of my readers’ time.
24. Sometimes writing a post, letting it sit, then trimming the fat is good.
25. My best posts are usually the ones that bubble up and write themselves quickly.
26. I catch inspiration when it hits for rainy-day post ideas.
27. Sometimes I wonder “Why the heck am I even blogging at all?” But those moments pass and lead to moments of “I LOVE blogging — it’s the best.”
28. Blogging enthusiasm ebbs and flows.
29. When blogging growth stalls I keep going.
30. It’s good to be patient with blogging, to keep moving optimistically forward and making connections.
31. Blogging cream rises, but good blogs must be promoted.
32. SEO can bring a ton of traffic.
33. Using stats can be very helpful to draw traffic, maybe even loyal traffic. By poking around in my Google Analytics a lot has been revealed to me. (Google stats are free.)
34. I still don’t know how to write a proper About page. And I keep hearing About pages are important.
35. Getting away from the computer into the wilds of Real Life is a wonderful thing.
36. People love photos in blog posts, especially ones from my personal life.
37. I love photos in posts, especially ones from bloggers’ personal lives.
38. Commenting on an A-List blogger’s post can bring in traffic, but there is a way to overdo it.
39. Some blog communities are not so much communities as cliques.
40. I never want this blog to become a clique and will continue to be aware of that.
41. As to content, the mind’s the limit. One can never get TOO creative in blogging.
42. Once in a while I’m a little fearful before I publish something weird or potentially that people might not approve of, like what may or may not be a funny photo session,) but as Bold Tess says in her Inspirational Book, your successes are usually preceded by fear.
43. I CAN be bold — do reviews, guest posts, put ads on my site, switch to a crazy background color, etc.
44. I wonder if I’ll ever reach a satisfied place as I strive for bigger and better blogging things?
45. The more I realize just how deeply I can get into blogging and the promotion thereof, the more I realize just how deeply I can get into blogging and the promotion thereof — which leads right back to point #1 … TIME.
46. I’ve got a whole heck of a lot more to learn about blogging.
Any observations on my observations or ones of your own to add?
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Friends, Just Good Stuff | Posted by Jannie on 22 July 2009 @ 8:06 AM
Picture me today as Vinny in gold chains, Hear the scratch of my polyester sleeves against my fake oak desk as I lean forward to claim that “This — My Excellent Friend — is your lucky day to get in on the ground floor of a once-in-a-lifetime unbelievable opportunity.
‘Cept I’m just regular old Jannie sipping tea here on my futon.
But there is a real deal and her name is Thomma Lyn Grindstaff, author of the very well received Mirror Blue, her debut novel on the Black Lyon Publishing label.
Imagine if Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, Julie & Julia,) had just published her first novel. And imagine she had a personal blog where she would respond to your comments with a smile and a wink. And often a hug. And suppose she might post wonderful things, as Thomma Lynn does, like…
photos of hikes on her Tennessee mountain,
her garden’s progress this year, where she took this…
to this…
to this…
to this…
and this…
and these.
To have been new BFFs with Nora Ephron when she was just starting out, would that have been cool, or what? That’s how I feel about Thomma Lynn, pictured below with her Marilyn MonREOW. I stumbled onto Thomma Lynn’s Tennessee Text Wrestling blog last fall and am so lucky to call this gardening, cat-wrangling mountain-hiking woman my good friend.
Mirror Blue is categorized as a Literary Romance Novel — Literary being the key word, thankfully, as for me Romance Novel usually conjures up images of Aunt Lucilda engrossed in soaps, chain-smoking menthols and swilling Yoo-hoo while devouring Harlequin Romances. But please, for the love of Pete, don’t let your mind linger on that lovely image one second longer. Mirror Blue falls dead opposite on the Aunt Lucilda spectrum. When you think Mirror Blue, think longing, waiting, charm, humor, deep thoughts, intrigue and heartbreak via characters you easily grow to love and root for, in pages that flow like a dream of delights on many levels, written in highly original, often poetic prose, with a plot that keeps you rooted and rapt from the first sentence to the last. I can see it as a gripping movie.
And I’d tell you a bit about the storyline but I’ll leave that to Julia of the “A Piece Of My Mind” blog in her excellent Mirror Blue review.
Mirror Blue — available from Black Lyon Publishing as an Ebook or as the tasty soft-cover pictured above with my Kit-Kat. Also available here from Barnes and Noble and here from Amazon.com.
So — My Excellent Friends — act NOW to get in on this ground-floor Thomma Lynn’s Grindstaff deal while she’s still got the time and energy for all us little people! She’s already on the third revision of her new book “Heart’s Chalice,” with more novels to come.
Oh, and talk about a mutual admiration cooincidence, Thomma Lynn recently published a review of My CD “I Need A Man” on her blog. Small world of love.
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Friends, Just Good Stuff | Posted by Jannie on 16 July 2009 @ 7:34 AM
Photo by: Me [that’s my Kelly in the blue goggles.]
So, I was moping around in my satin hipwaders and golden fuzzy bra on the front porch swing — hungry, thirsty and gripped by general inertia, when up our pansied walkway bounced a sprite in a red riding hood and blue tights, holding out a basket of muffins and a super-jumbo thermos of coffee with my name on it.
Holy hen-house, Batman. What the?
“Hey, Jannie-Banannie,” the sprite grinned. “It’s me, Tess Marshall! Yep, your The Bold Life blogging buddy.” Take these, will ya? “And this,” she handed me a book. “Read it. You just might like it.”
And with two jingles of her ankle bells Tess vanished, leaving my big eye beholding the back cover of the cool smooth book in my hands;
Uplifting quotes… and stories that provoke thoughtful self-examination… empower you to move towards inner change, let go of the past, follow your dreams and fly.”
Okay, why not? I was only moping around anyway.
So I ate. And drank. Boy did I eat and drink. And I read. I read that whole book in 3 hours.
And friends, I wish I could say Flying By The Seat Of My Soul was good, but I can’t — it was absolutely great.
It lifted me up immediately to let go of doubt and fear, or at least give them both a good boot to the butt. Tess’s voice whispered from under the porch, “Jannie. Jannie. You must go beyond your fear to leave your comfort zone. Remember that turning points in your life are usually preceded by fear.” Yeah, so true!
After I was all coffeed and muffined and Tess’ed up I went out that day in my red cape and smiled at everyone I met. I planted flowers. I sang songs to old people (they seemed to like my wedgie one best.) I took the stairs instead of the elevator. I “wrote love letters to the world,” signing them with kisses of hope and inspiration. I forgave everybody who had ever hurt me. I became grateful for every single thing in my life, and I still am. Grateful, that is. Even for the yucky stuff, for the yucky stuff is our best teacher.
Flying By The Seat Of My Soul is available off Tess’ The Bold Life blog, either as a free download or in the delightful paperback you see pictured above with my Kelly-bops, the paperback surely a gift you can give yourself for less than the price of a movie and small popcorn.
It’s chocked full of real stuff your can sink your heart into and fly with.
I recommend it very extra much. And Blue Bunny does too.
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I have no idea who Tara is, the sprite who incited both Deeper Issues Dot and Passing Thru Betsy to honor me with meme action, but I thank her deeply for this opportunity to share more deeply true Jannie.
1. Who is the hottest movie star?
Larry of the Three Stooges is my all-time fav, but if we’re talking contemporary actors, I like that Russell Crowe guy. Girl-wise, I like Uma Thurman.
2. Apart from your house and car, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?
Definitely my genuine-imitation Mr. Spock belt buckle, as seen on tv. A $379.99 value I scored for only $19.99.
Next most expensive thing, my good-used marble cheese tray for $17.50.
3. What’s your most treasured memory?
Oh, I have so many, but the June Saturday afternoon I got my green wrestling outfit when I was 13 springs to mind. I was so energized by the shiny spandex, I put “Big Mike” McGillicuddy in a headlock for 30 minutes until he finally aplogized for teasing me all those years about my knobby knees. Then all of us kids on both sides of the long-standing feud kissed, made up and went for shakes at the Dairy Dip where my Uncle Sylvester dropped by with his 3-legged goat, Miriam.
4. What was the best gift you ever received as a child?
The box of elbow macaroni Aunt Freda brought me from Italy. I still have half of it.
5. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made?
Putting salt instead of sugar in Uncle Sylvester’s birthday cake. Whoops. Miriam ate it, tho. Stole the whole thing right off the picnic table and lived to “maaa” the tale.
6. 4 words to describe yourself.
Spritely. Optimistic. Forgiving. Infinite.
7. What was your highlight or lowlight of 2008?
Getting the Christmas tree early was so great! Jim brought it home the day after Thanksgiving, a real nice fir that had slid off some old guy’s truck at a red light. Lowlight of 2008 — missing out on the bake sale at church ’cause I had to sit with the cat at the vet’s all day due to his post-neutering psychosomatica. I heard there was divinity fudge. And candy apples. And baklava flaking so lightly and honeyed it could make angels cry for weeks.
8. Favorite film?
Three! Waking Ned Divine. Ghostbusters. How To Hook A Rug In Four Minutes.
9. Tell me one thing I don’t know about you.
I wear a full-body vintage girdle every day. Like this one…
10. If you were a comic book / strip character, who would you be?
I would be the stick-person named Susan Lam that Kelly created and centers her adventure stories around.
Bonus question: What’s one stupid thing you did today, Jannie?
Didn’t let the water run at least 45 seconds first thing in the morning before drinking some.
Ta-da!
Okay you guys know what’s coming next, right? I’m supposed to pass this on to seven of you. But I’m gonna make it 10, ’cause I like the number 10, it’s so… Metric System.
So, here goes. And if anybody feels left out, please e-mail me and let me know you’d like to be tagged for my next meme, as I have no way of knowing who likes meming and who wants to avoid it like a rabid pigeon on a sugar-high.
1. Tammy of Windows 2 The Soul
2. Carla of Kootenay Bliss
3. Teahouseblossom of Teahouseblossom
4. Karyn of Sailor Mittens
5. Bella of She Sleeps With Sea Glass
6. Aimee of the Aimee Brons Blog
7. K of Interstitial Life
8. TheWeyrd1 of Keen Observer Of The Human Condition
9. Lane Savant of Feel Free To Laugh
10. Adrenalynn of Rainy Day
Tagged ones, Blame Tara indeed! 🙂
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