Dear Fellow Bloggers

I am not a robot.  I promise.

I don't like having to prove I am a human.  It's very frustrating for me.

You see... I really stink at those Captcha things.  In fact, I can promise you that it will take me at least 3 5 7 attempts to get the code right. 

Picture it.  Me, leaning over keyboard to get my nose as close as possible to the screen.  Muttering to myself... "What?  Is that an h, or an l and an n shoved really close together?  s.l.c.o.o.h.m.u.  Slcoohmu?  Is that right?  What in the world is a slcoohmu?  Is that even a real word?  Is that an 8?"  Once I have settled on what I believe to be the magical mystery code which will give me access to comment; I hit enter.  Only to be told that what I have entered does not match and I must try again.  And again.  And again. 

At some point in the process I am going to take one look at the code and tell it to refresh without even attempting because it is so messed up and blurry.

Two things have likely happened by this time:

I have started to wonder if there is some deep secret I don't know about myself.  Such as: maybe, just maybe, I actually am one of the nefarious spamming robots. 

And

I have lost all interest in the comment I was attempting to make in the first place.

I share all of this to say that I hope you will forgive me if I do not comment regularly on your posts.  It's not that I am not reading; but rather that my tired little robot brain just can't face yet one more log in process. 

You Liebe Me, You Really Liebe Me!

So, I got this here award from Janice's Footsteps....

Which is a pretty cool thing.   It's always nice to get a nod from a fellow blogger!

The Liebster Blog award is for the blogs that have less than 200 followers.  It recognizes the smaller writers, the lovers of reading,   the bloggers sharing little pieces of our lives.

As always happens with these awards, there are questions to be answered and you are required to share facts about yourself.  And you must pass it on to others.  So... 

Janice's Questions for Me:

1. What is the 1st book you fell in love reading? How old were you?  Hmm... Island of the Blue Dolphins.  Read it over and over.  I was... I don't know.. 11 maybe?

2. Describe yourself in 3 words?  Christian, wife, mother


3. Last good deed you did? For whom?  Bought coffee for a friend who was standing in line behind me at the counter.


4. Favorite male character (movies)? Female?  Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara - without a doubt!


5. Worst book ever read? Did you buy it or was it a gift?  I can't think of a really bad one, so I must have blocked it out.  I do remember that the ending of My Sister's Keeper made me so angry that it ruined the entire book for me.


6. When do you usually read? Morning,afternoon, evening, middle of the night?  At night before I fall asleep


7.Book store, delivered to your mailbox, or library?  All of the above!  Plus online for the nook!


8. Paperback or kindle?  Neither!  Nook!


9. Meaning behind your blog name?  I hate all the "Real Housewives of..." shows. THAT is not reality and those are NOT real housewives. 


10. Do you trade books for others or do you hoard them on shelves?  Depends on the book.  Usually I hoard them until I get too many and then I pass some one and donate some to the Library or Goodwill.


11. What is the 1st thing that comes to mind when I say the word "POPSICLE"?  Cherry Popsicle melting onto your hands. 

Eleven Things About Me:

1. I am spending too much time right now wondering "why eleven?  why not ten?  or a dozen?  who came up with eleven?"
2. I love coffee.  And Dr Pepper.  Not together!
3. I do not like onions.  Not even cooked.
4. I hate my thighs.  Ugh...
5. I wish I had pretty long fingernails.
6. I do not like having to make lists of things about myself
7. I should be getting ready to go to a cookout instead of blogging right now
8. I like the smell of Murphy's Oil Soap.
9. When I was a kid I wanted dark hair and green eyes instead of my blond hair and blue eyes
10. Everyone says my daughter looks like me.  I think she looks more like her dad.
11. I am very happy to be done with this list!

The passing on of the award is going to have to wait.  I have to consider who I am giving it to.  And think up my questions for those lucky folks.

Hitting the Small Time

Definition of SMALL-TIME:  insignificant in performance, scope, or standing. - Merriam-Webster.com

Recently I found myself pondering as to why some blogs are so small (I like the term personal), while others gain a much larger following. 

The ones that hit the "Big Time" get a column after column, and row after row full of tiny photos in the "Followers" section.  They get comment after comment, with reply after reply to those comments.  They get featured on other websites.  Some of them end up being interviewed on various talk and news programs.  Some even find themselves on the cover of Time magazine (ahem... yeh...quite enough has already been said on that, I think). 

What's the difference between all those blogs and this little cluster of thoughts I have going here?  After a bit of careful consideration - I think I've figured out two very possible reasons why I'll never make it big or get rich as a blogger.

First, I write like I talk.  What I think in my head, I type with my fingers.  It's sometimes not grammatically correct.  (OK, maybe it's often not grammatically correct)   I use incomplete sentences.  I use a lot of contractions.  I say and type word like "nothin'" and "y'all".  My former English teachers would probably be appalled at what is on the screen after I hit 'Publish".  

Second (and I think this is the Key), I'm not controversial enough. I don't write flaming posts filled with my personal opinions.  I don't write entire series of posts about politics, religion, or any of the other hot button topics of our day.  I don't write posts which incite or inspire people to comment.  Or share through other social media outlets.

I'm accepting that I am just a quiet, moderate, small time blogger.  I write about the things that happen to me and the things I know about my quiet, moderate life.  That's all I've got people.  And I'm much more than OK with that.
As I write this, I have the song "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel blasting away in my head. (The Man of the House will be so proud! LOL) :

"The place where I come from is a small town.
They think so small
They use small words
But not me
I'm smarter than that
I worked it out
I've been stretching my mouth
To let those big words come right out"