Memory Keepers

       On January 1, 2012 my sister, Doreen  would have been 69 years old. Instead Doreen died in February of 1953 at age eleven years.


       Doreen was a very healthy active child. She became ill and it was thought that she had a cold. She did not get over the cold but was up one day and down the next. She didn't seem to be able to beat what ever bug she had. The family Doctor decided to admit her to the hospital. Her condition became worse and she was sent to a city hospital. She continued to go up and down. My Mom stayed in the city and my Dad spent as much time as he could with her at the hospital. Antibiotics didn't seem to be doing any good. At the end of two weeks Doreen suddenly passed away. 


     This death was devastating to my parents, her brothers and the community. The loss of their daughter was something that stayed with both my parents until their passing. 


     My Dad died in 2008. With that the keeping of the memory of Doreen passes to her brothers. Most of the people my parents age are gone. Very few people now would have met Doreen. My youngest brother was born after Doreen's death so he never met her. 


     In the 1950's it was considered that kids didn't mourn and that deaths would soon be forgotten. No one talked to us about Doreen's death. People talked to Mom and Dad and expressed their sympathy and support. My brothers and I just continued on with our lives. My brothers and I did not talk to each other of Doreen's death until we were in our fifties. We know now that this is not the way to handle losses with kids. 


     However, we survived the loss of our sister. Now we are some of the few left who will keep her memory . People will visit the cemetery and be able to place her in the family. Soon there will be no one living who will have actually known her. 

Blogger Perceptions

       I have always wondered about blogger perceptions. We deal in an almost one dimension medium. Sometimes we add photos and some bloggers use mainly photos. But how close are we to the "real meal deal" in the blog world. 


      When I was teaching I would ask the kids what I did when I first came into the classroom for each class. I explained that I took a look at each individual student before I started my class. I told them that I wanted to see if anyone came in upset. I wanted to identify that situation and try to settle it rather than wait part way through class when everything boiled over. So in this situation perception was everything. I could observe actions, sounds , body language and other student reaction. I could also observe some sequence.


      When we blog , we are limited to the written word alone. Some writers express themselves extremely well and give us a good picture. But we are missing a couple more modes of perception. It would be nice the hear the bloggers spoken word. It would be beneficial to see the body and the body language. We certainly communicate through body motion. I have stamped my feet or banged my fist down a time or two. So how close do we get to the complete picture of the blogger we read or follow?


      Sometimes I read about bloggers who meet a fellow blogger. They are always excited to meet the blogger in person. They usually report a very positive experience. I've only met one blogger in person. It was a super experience. She was older than I thought because I was going by a picture on the blog. However the person I met was exactly who I knew on the blog. The surprise was her partner. I had pictured him very much as a follower. He was no follower and was an impressive character as he held strongly supported views.


      So I was just wondering how we saw things on our blogs. Do we get it right or does it matter.


      What ever the perception is out in the blog world, I like the blogger as is on the blog. That is the real person in the blog world and that's all that matters.  

An Elderly Son and His Father.

     Yesterday I was talking to my son on Skype. I noticed he  was wearing glasses so I asked him why. He told me they were for reading and then added,"I'm old like you!"


      This reminded me of a couple of incidents with my Dad.


      When I was close to 64 I sent my Dad a birthday card for his 91 st birthday. I had told him in the card that in two more birthdays I would be 65. Dad didn't have much site left due to Macular degeneration. He asked my step mom to read the card again. He thought for a bit and then said, "Red's an old man!" My step mom found this hilarious and so did I. There is something extremely incongruous when your father calls you an old man. 


      Two years before Dad passed away he made another comment that was significant. Dad was a farmer all his life. He looked at the world with farmer's eyes. All judgments were from his farm life. I became a teacher and of course you know that Dad's opinion was that I worked from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM and the money wasn't bad. Furthermore, I had weekends off, two weeks off at Christmas and two months off in the summer. He thought this was pretty soft. He really wanted me to teach near the farm so that I could help him out on the farm with all my spare time. At age 94 he said to me,"Well, you did all right after all!" This comment amazed me. I thought my career was successful and that I was fortunate to have savings and a good pension. I realized that all these years he had looked at me with concern. In his mind if I didn't own 3000 acres of farmland and a few humongous tractors I was not well off.


     Dad died in 2008. How fast the wheel  turns. I am elderly and my son has reached middle age. Slowly the relationship changes. 


   

Beginnings

      This post was the first one I made on the blog back in Aug. 2008. My daughter had helped me set up the blog so I wanted to post something to see how the process worked. It shows a certain naivety about blogs.


       It's one of those posts that you can look back at and see if you did what you said at the beginning of your blog. No one should be bothered by the repetition as I think only one or two people read the post.


       What does one say when one starts a blog ? Obviously something must be on my mind . I'm interested in the environment , music,reading, Xcountry skiing , cycling , issues of health and education ... So from time to time I will leave comments on these topics and other related issues . I hope that you find something of value ...informative, interesting or something which you wish to comment on.

     I look forward to coming up with topics and putting them together for others to think about .

Mommy Blogs

      On "Sunday Edition" on CBC there was a documentary on "Mommy Blogs." I had never heard the term "Mommy Blog" before.


     The documentary went on to explain that women with children began blogging as away to support each other. Ideas of dealing with children were exchanged. Various products designed for children were discussed. 


     Gradually some of these blogs became used by advertisers. Products aimed at women and children were featured on some of the blogs. Many Moms joined in on this situation as it was a way to obtain some extra cash for the family. Moms were then persuaded to post positive things about various products. Of course, some of these people never saw  a product they didn't like. One of these blogger now has about 100 000 hits a day!


    Now large conventions take place for Mommy bloggers. A huge number of companies are there  to display their products. Samples are given away in huge numbers. Hospitality suites are numerous. So the bloggers are wined and dined and the companies find more bloggers who will post for them. Some tape of one conference was played as a performer was singing to the group. As in most concerts this crowd of women were completely into the performance.


     So who am I to say that the Mommy blogs are an eyesore to the blog world? I have bumped into the odd one of these blogs. You usually see that they have 2000-3000 followers and lots of advertising. So if you find one of these blogs that you find interesting, so be it. I for one, will try to avoid following blogs that have advertising. 


     I like the blogs I follow that have a genuine interest in people's day to day activities, exhibit excellent photography and artistic skills. If a blogger is able to combine some of these , it's just a much better blog!

Bloggers: Hard Working People

       The longer I participate in the blogging world, the more I realize how hard bloggers have to work to put out an interesting blog. I'm not trying to tell you that I am a hard little worker. No , I've been reading many blogs this last while. 


       A good blogger reads and follows many blogs on a regular basis. A good blogger doesn't just see a good idea and copy it. When bloggers look at good blogs it prompts them to come up with their own original creations. The blogger may have some ideas that have been rolling around in the back of their head when they see something and then their whole post pops into their head. I think of how many blogs the Smitten Image must read before awarding Posts of the Week!


     A successful blogger is going to make meaningful comments on other posts. A dialog can be set up that benefits both writer and reader. Comments stimulate and support other bloggers. Blogger support for each other is crucial. It's interesting reading comments to find many of the same bloggers show up on many posts. One of my friends recently started a blog. He has a great idea: combine technology and nature. He is an amateur video-ographer and naturalist. He will not post very often but he has an excellent blog. He works full time and there's not enough time to post more often


     There's a tremendous talent among bloggers when it comes to photography. Some blogs succeed completely on their photography. Some bloggers tell an excellent story through use of photography. Good photography is hard work as well as talent. Other bloggers skillfully use clip art. You have to have your post in your head before you set up the illustration. All of this takes time and work. How many times is a post done before it's complete?


      I've said before that it's sad to see some blogs start and just as soon cease. They are blogs with all kinds of potential. Most reasons for ceasing are not enough time to spend putting out quality posts.


    So at the beginning of 2012, hats off to all the hard working bloggers in the blogosphere. I  look forward to spending pleasant time following your blogs.

It's Time to Strike the Set

        A few weeks ago we set up many Christmas decorations as we looked forward to the Christmas season. Lights were hung on the house. The front window had a nativity scene. Banners were hung on each door. A wreath was hung on the outside front door. Stockings were hung on the mantle. The tree was elaborately decorated. All of this was  as if it was a stage which had been set up for a special show.All this was only a few short weeks ago. We have had the celebration. 


       Today was the appointed time to "strike" the set. Outside decorations were brought in first. Decorations at various parts of the house were gathered up. All the boxes which contained decorations were laid out and opened ready to accept the precise decorations they hold. Decorations were removed from the tree in sets to match the boxes that were waiting. Finally the lights were taken from the tree. Then the tree was dismantled and carefully put in the box so that next year all parts would come out in the exact order needed to erect the tree. Lastly all the big boxes containing all the little boxes were put up on the shelf to wit for next year when the whole process will be repeated again. 

Some of the boxes ready for packing 

     My outside house lights are still on because Ukrainian Christmas occurs this week end. 


     So the stage has been dismantled and put away to await another year.