I admit it, a giant photo of her Stuart Weitzman pumps first attracted me to Middle Aged Woman Blogging. [EDIT: I also like her Kickin' Ass and Taking Names... tagline!] Although our lives have been nothing alike, I feel as though we share some of those growing pains brought on by midlife. In honor of MAWB, not the highest or most expensive pair of heels I own, but the red patent...
Red pumps, 2008 (please excuse my worn out floor)
I found Wander to the Wayside while searching gardening enthusiasts... and discovered a person of substance. If you read nothing else on her blog, check out the series she wrote about discovering her biological mother through the records from the orphanage where she lived several months as an infant. In honor of Linda, I snapped this courgette blossom from my garden. The seedling appeared in my compost one day, and is from a light green zucchini I bought at the farmer's market. Funny, I usually cook zucchini seeds and all...
Squash blossom, July 2010
Confession: Elizabeth is a friend of one of my exes, so I didn't meet her through blogging. But she is a talented designer and free spirit, who has been known to drop everything, move to a new place AND not just survive, but thrive. I always enjoy her photos of her travels, even the ones of familiar sites, because she always has an interesting perspective. My regret with this photo is that it isn't very creative. On the few occasions I leave my house to have a drink, I go to the Uptown. It's low-key and I like the details in the bar, the egg(?) strip along the top, the Corinthian columns, the pipe cleaner men lined up along the top and the old-time pharmacy drawer pulls.
The Uptown, June 2009
An Englishman in Southern Germany will always hold a special place in my heart. When I wanted to "see" what life is like where he lives, he introduced me to photoblogs and Phonecam 365, the photoblog of an Englishman in Saarland, and the first blog I "followed" on Blogger. AB likes rusty metal and shows the mundane in unique perspectives. My housemate welded together this now rusty stove from scrap metal while he lived in a shipping container in a welding yard. It was his lifeline in the winter, and now it enjoys its retirement as conversation piece and occasional s'mores heater. I dedicate this photo to both AB and my Lobo, wherever he is now.
Woodstove pieced together from scrap metal, July 2010
(yes, my house really is THAT yellow)
Blackandwhiteandcolours is another photo blog from Southern Germany, with a twist. Martina combines her photos, usually black and white, although she throws in a colour shot here and there, with a quote from a book or story she is currently reading. I've seen snails in a few of her photos, these two (and the bug with them) are from my garden. Alas, I don't have a matching quote, so I'll pick something from my current read... "Merriweather was the King of the Game, the Liar's Poker champion of the Salomon Brothers trading floor." Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis.
Garden snails, July 2010
Tim visited my blog first, so I visited his blog, Catnip, an amalgam of fiction, poetry and commentary, quid pro quo. He's a Renaissance man and hard to define in one photo, but he recently posted photos of his cats and dog. I thought about posting yet another Piglet photo, but instead, I'm going to toot my own horn and post stellar sea lions recently used on the Schmapp tourism guide (one of hundreds, uncompensated, so not much of an honor). It should be the first photo to appear in the upper right box and if you click on the photo, it takes you to my Flickr account, where they found the photo.
This post is not exhaustive of my reading list, and I had more blogs in mind, but the length of this post is becoming a bit unwieldy, I'm running out of photos, it's 1:30 at night, AND I have to remember to visit everyone I mentioned to let them know I have something for them. Perhaps I'll find the energy to continue on another post...
[EDIT: another confession... I've been trending toward crazy lately with wild mood swings, and in the process, even though I've been trying to keep away from everyone, have managed to alienate a few people who are dear to me. If any of those people happen by this blog, I'm sorry. Life in general is so uncertain right now. Not an excuse, but an attempt at an explanation.]
AAAH!! I love this!!! Oh, I needed this. It's so nice to be reminded at 3:52 in the AM, I am not alone after all! These are great blogs. I am going to have to check them out. No, I haven't been around much lately, but I'm still here peeking in now and then. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know about this post. I'm honored!!
ReplyDeleteWow you're fast, and why are you up at this hour? Come to think of it, I'm a couple hours behind you and wondering why I'm up at this hour.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these interesting people. I do understand the mid-life crisis thing, currently there myself. I'd also like to say I have done the alienation thing as well. Reach out though, if nothing else it will help your inner garden grow.
ReplyDeleteHang in there! :)
The squash blossom is beautiful! If we lived closer I'd have you give me some for zucchini pickles or bread! And thanks for thinking of me.
ReplyDeleteYour self-esteem is about as low as mine, and though I understand where you're coming from, I think you're way too hard on yourself. (Is it possible that you're in peri-menopause and it's messing with your head, in addition to the normal mid-life stuff?)(Or maybe lack of sleep since you appear to be a night owl!)
I'm always surprised at how many of us think our blogs aren't of much substance or very interesting or exciting. Just because there are BETTER blogs out there by truly talented people doesn't mean we lesser ones aren't worthy! You said "I can make up for my lack of writing skill with bad photography!" - seriously? That sounds like something I would say, and seeing it from someone else makes me realize how silly it is! Maybe we both need to work on that! I like you just the way you are, because you seem 'real' and not out to impress.
I am truly honored!
ReplyDeleteSweet photo of seals sunning themselves and looking happy...and probably not coincidental at all (there are no coincidences, right?) that my post for today is about being happy!
That is what I truly wish for you, remarkable woman! (I think you need to be reminded of your remarkable-ness now and then.)
nice ankles! :-)
ReplyDeleteInner garden, I like that Jules.
ReplyDeleteI cannot think of a day in my life where I've been content just to be me, Linda. Maybe because I'm a black sheep in a family of overachievers. Or because I have always been a bit of an outsider wherever I've gone. Or...
So far the squash plant has put out dozens of flowers, but only two fruits! I hope it isn't some Monsanto Frankenstein plant that will cross pollinate with everything else and turn all the seeds into duds.
Thank you, Tim. That is a very sweet thing to say.
mdr, Serge!
Which one is Merriweather?
ReplyDeleteJust thinking - I found you through AB's blog - there was this woman with the really interesting funny witty intelligent comment - and then I read the whole Metz blog from the start ...
Now I will think about me and my obvious snail thing ...
Nice read and intersting links, thanks.
here is the missing "e" !
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading my blog instead of the funny witty intelligent woman (and for the missing "e")!
ReplyDeleteIn the time frame of the book, John Merriweather led the trading desk at Salomon Brothers. He later founded Long Term Capital Management, and then JWM Partners, two hedge funds which also went down in flames.
Now you have given me new blogs to check out. And the photographs are wonderful, so no bashing your own skills.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard when life is throwing you about to maintain even a false front of sanity to spare those around you. I hope that your circumstances set themselves on a more even path before someone offers to purchase you a straight jacket (as they have done for me recently).
I'm still trying to find my eye. For some reason, I find it more difficult to "see" things that are interesting and to frame my shots than I did when I was younger.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the support. Hopefully a straight jacket will not be necessary for either of us :-)
Uncertain life can always brings moods. Take good care of yourself, kobico.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Julie. I'm hoping to make things less uncertain by cold-calling local businesses instead of relying so much on job boards. It's not one of my strong points, but I think I need to get off my butt and get my face out there.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I love the rust, but I love the red shoes, too.
ReplyDeleteRed shoes are almost always an eye-catcher, I think.
ReplyDeleteThis was such a lovely and touching post. I so relate to you. Boy do I. The good news is that I've walked through a similar hell and lived to tell about it. There is help.
ReplyDeleteI recently learned that I am really different. I, and 20% of the population, are hardwired as highly sensitive people (hsp). We feel things much deeper than the other 80%. While knowing this changes nothing, it changed everything for me. Please read my account, it may help. I also had the hormone thing. It made me homicidal. Well, not really, but it whacked me out. I couldn't even stand to be around myself. I used natural progesterone for years to balance my chemistry and save my sanity. And relationships!
The pictures are beautiful and your introductions are very loving and honoring. I look forward to reading each of these blogs.
Congratulations on your awards, you are most deserving.
Here's a link for that post. Please know you are not alone, ~that rebel, Olivia