Finally, Some New Pictures

Here's the new set up of the draft dodging curtain.  The foyer (behind the curtain) is on a heating zone which no one can identify.  Let's just agree that's it's very cold and dark behind the curtain.  The curtain used to hang (for many many years) on the inside of this--what would you call this? A hallway?  anyway, we decided to try it on the foyer side and it just opens the room so much.

We are finding so many new nuances to this much used room.  The new floor to ceiling windows on the south side (directly opposite the foyer/curtain), the beadboard on the long wall at the left.  It's just one surprise after another.

Remember I was supposed to declutter a kitchen drawer on March 10th?  This was the drawer I decided to start on.  Look at that mess.  In fact, when I emptied the drawer there were items in there I could not identify with a use. I was wrong about the twist ties.  They were not in this drawer.

Here it is all decluttered.  We can now see the ravioli press (never used but the 1980's me thought I would use it) the grater from my dad's house, the ginger grater (a white porcelain fish shape), biscuit cutters (found the third in the fourth drawer I decluttered), Pampered Pantry useless items but you have to buy something at those parties, and four board scrapers.  I think two are mine and two were my dad's.  The other three drawers look just as tidy.  I also noted that my potholders are looking very sad.  So I intend to make a few new ones and to also make a four cornered microwave safe bowl holder.  So I don't burn my hands getting my oatmeal, reheated soups etc out of the microwave.  I saw the pattern on Life Scraps and Patches a few weeks ago.

The sky yesterday as the storm was approaching.  We got rain for about 12 hours which was a delightful change from snow.  Today we are having light, swirling snow globe snow.  About 2 inches on the deck.  The sun was just behind the bright white part of the cloud.

Terry (the first blog in my blog list to the right) opened up a discussion on blogs/ comments/ readership yesterday.  She expressed what I have been feeling for quite a while now.  I write but it seems I am speaking to an empty auditorium.

 I started blogging (seven or eight years ago) just to have a space where I could type and press publish.  I think my two children were the only two reading.  Eventually, through the 12 by 12 project which I was not a member of--just a tag a long--- I picked up a few Readers and a few Good Friends. Like Terry.  I would comment, she would reply, I would reply and we started a dialogue that increased the happiness factor here at my house and I hope at hers as well.

What Terry and I are both noticing is increased readership (the stats we get--but they could be false) but hardly any comments.  Which translates to hardly any companionship via dialogue in the comments.  I admit to being pretty damned excited when a comment shows up.  I don't get many and ONE is a pretty big deal.  So, I always reply.  Sometimes just thanking the commenter for stopping by to read my simple little blog.  On the very rare days (sometimes years apart) when I get two comments--I am jazzed up all day.  The bloggers who daily get 40, 100, 200 comments--- I can't imagine it. What a rush it must be.

I have gotten information, magazines, fabric, cream wool for my sweater repair and sweet cards from my small but mighty band of readers.  Oh, I nearly forgot---reading book recommendations.  Oh the books I have discovered and loved.  So I am never going to complain about my solid little tribe of commenters.

But I wonder if Facebook is making blogging for companionship a thing of the past.  It's like the difference between writing a post it note and a letter.   "look at this!"  rather than "let me tell you about this".

How do you feel about it?  Prefer a great photo with a five word tag or the written essay with pictures and the personal imprint of the writer?

I know you are out there and have an opinion.