When I tiptoed into blogging, with my heart in my throat, I had no idea what was about to happen. Let me explain.
All my life, I’ve been a few beats off from the norm. I’ve always known it and have long ago accepted it. My Beloved Husband had a lot to do with that. Somehow he finds it endearing that while he is pointing out (relentlessly) the price of gas or the current construction stage of some suburban blight, I am contemplating minotaurs or the meaning of the universe. I am a very lucky girl.
I used to fantasize about how marvelous it would be to recreate the age of the salon where I would gather with other members of my tribe and we would discuss….well….everything. Around my imaginary Algonquin Round Table, we would carry on about books, art, politics, love, and life. We would gossip and have cocktails and laugh ourselves into stupors, enchanted and amused at our own brilliance.
Blogging is my cyber-Algonquin Round Table. And you are my Dorothy Parkers and Robert Benchleys.
To have found an outlet for my internal world through my blog is just a marvelous thing. The fact that so many of YOU wonderful people take time out of your day to read whatever might be flowing from my fingertips is a great joy. How you all have enriched my life with your intellect, humor, and support is impossible for me to describe, other than to say that this introvert feels she has found her tribe. At last.
Happy New Year to each and every one of you! I can’t wait to see what the new year brings us all.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 18,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Silver in the Barn 
I like the saloon idea…Thanks God nobody noticed that I was still wearing my rope a few times when we met :-). I am glad to be part of your tribe!
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Well, yes, there are distinct advantages to the cyber-Round Table. Appropriate dress not required to my immense relief. Wishing you a very Happy New Year, Bridget!
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Great post, so glad you have found your tribe here!!
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Photographers always welcome. Somebody has to document the carryings-on, after all. Happy New Year, John.
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A tribe, online or off is a great thing. I could go off on a tangent here, but I’ll save it…haha, I typed it and then deleted it! Happy New Year!
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Okay, Suzi, although I would have loved to read your tangent. Perhaps fodder for a future blog post? And Happy New Year to you and yours.
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Yes! I feel much the same about blogging and I’m glad to be in your tribe.
When I read Echo Heron’s book, Noon at Tiffany’s (a biographical novel), I felt jealous of the evening salon gatherings enjoyed by Clara Driscoll and her tribe. I wanted to transplant myself into their midst. Blogging is the next best thing!
If you’re interested: http://nrhatch.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/noon-at-tiffanys/
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Nancy, I’ve recently posted two photographs on my IG account of the magnificent Tiffany lamps exhibited at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Now I am intrigued by this book! I will absolutely be adding to my pile. And happy to have you as my tribal counsel.
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I am so very lucky to have found you and your beautiful and always brave writing! I confess to being a “SUPERFAN.”
Happy New Year to you and your family
—Becky
P,S, Pookie (the daughter) loves you too!
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Thank you, Becky (and Pookie!) I’m never completely sure which one of you I am “talking” to!! I made the collard greens last night, by the way, and to quote Beloved Husband, “I could eat the whole pot.” Huge success. What’s next?
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You are always talking to me but Pookie is home for a while before she heads out again for grad school. Whew, I was worried about the greens…so glad they worked. I am currently making an apple pie in a cast iron skillet for our dinner at the lake tonight. Not very fancy but pies are always better in cast iron…
I hope y’all have a wonderful evening. And I can’t wait to see what you are writing next!
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OK, Good, I am happy to have a somewhat clear image of who I am writing to. We are not having a traditional New Year’s Eve at all. We are flying down to South Carolina to pick up some rescue dogs through Pilots and Paws. Yippee!!!! Enjoy that apple pie…..sounds mouthwatering.
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Thank you! Happy New Year!
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Maybe we can get together in 2015? Wouldn’t that be great!?!
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First time I’ve ever been on anyone’s top five list. I’m honored to be in the tribe. Don’t forget to have
some Blackeye peas with those greens for good health and luck in 2015. It is a southern thing.
Happy New Year and safe travels tomorrow.
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Charter member of the tribe, my dear Madam. Oh really….black-eyed peas? There are limits to my endurance, you know. Happy New Year, my dear friend.
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I have a great recipe for a party snack made with 1 lb. sausage, 2 cans of black-eyed peas, 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies served with Frito Scoops. It will make you want to smack your mama. Call for details. I’ll bet your BH will like it.
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You said it so perfectly … you had me completely at “All my life, I’ve been a few beats off from the norm”. No wonder I felt like I found a sister when I discovered your blog!! ❤
Happy New Year and safe flying. I'm looking forward to what's ahead 🙂
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Thank you so much, Joanne, or should I say “Sis!”, and from my little corner of the world to yours, Happy New Year. You can imagine that impatient pilot is tapping his toes and wants me off the computer so….until later….up, up, and away!!! XXX
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You rock! So happy to have met you in 2014! Wishing you the best 2105! Look forward to more posts from you in the coming year~
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Cindy, thank you so much and warmest wishes for a Happy New Year!
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I’ve enjoyed getting to know you in 2014, and will enjoy getting to know you better in 2015, unless my computer gets messed up again. Messing up computers is one of the things I do best, so I try to continue developing my skills at the things I do best. Happy New Year my dear.
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Oh thank you, Angie, and here’s to keeping that computer up and running!! All my very best!
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Well, Barbara, we all love you! Your blog posts and IG pictures are wonderful and the world is a better, funnier, and much prettier world because of you! Keep being Silver!
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Jane, thank you so much for being part of this little world. I am always so happy to hear from you and am sending all my best for the new year. Cheers to sharing an eventual glass of red wine together!😁
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That is wonderful! One of the things I like about blogging is finding people who share my interests. I have access to so many more possible friends than I would otherwise in my life. So I do identify with your statement about being a few beats off the norm and finding an outlet in your blog. I’ve tried explaining this to my husband, but he doesn’t get it. You got it exactly.
Happy New Year! May 2015 bring good things to you.
Nancy
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Thank you, Nancy. It’s a real gift to be able to connect with people we would otherwise have never known. Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year and hope to get to know you better in 2015.
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Hello Barbara, Although impressive, we don’t need statistics to convince us that Silver in the Barn is the best thing to happen to the Internet in 2014. Thanks for letting us be a part of your life, your interests, your humor, and even your quirks.
Happy New Year and a great 2015 to you and your family.
–Jim
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Well, my cover story for being away from my blog recently has been that I’m off on a Pilots N Paws mission, but really I’ve been investigating ways to get this comment bronzed so I can read it in perpetuity. Please know how happy I am to have you at the metaphorical table. You are relied upon for that prized combination of intelligence and humor that adds so much to my admittedly quirky posts. Wishing you a very happy and healthy 2015, Jim.
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Oh Barbara – I’m so happy you found this too and found me and I became part of the tribe! What joy and knowledge and compassion and strength and talent and so much more you have brought to my life! Sending lots of love and looking forward to tribing in 2015! xo
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Me too, Jodi! It will have to be the Year of Outer Space Exploration with a flight to Mars! Thanks for being such a valued member of my little tribe; you add a special quality of vulnerability and kindness that is enviable.
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Happy New Year, Barbara. It all is quite wonderful.
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Thanks for being one of my earliest followers and supporters, Mark, which gave me such a feeling of validation. I don’t take it for granted. Happy New Year to you and dear wife Karen and of course Ellie B.
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And this reader is happy you are here… and that you are enjoying your blogging experience. All the best in 2015, Barbara.
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Thank you, Eric, and I look forward to reading more of your thought-provoking and interesting posts in the new year. Whether you realize it or not – and I hope you do – various posts of yours give solace to those of us who have the occasional hard row to hoe.Your writing attracts smart and thoughtful readers whose comments leave me with a lot to contemplate. Cheers to a very happy new year.
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Thanks for your kind reply, Barbara. I am well aware of (and blessed) that my blog attracts smart and thoughtful readers. They not only keep me on my game but inspire me to share quality messages. I’m glad we are both given much to contemplate with/from their feedback. Here’s to your fantastic 2015!
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Discovering your blog has been one of the pleasures of exploring the blogosphere….and I didn’t even have to wear a pith helmet!
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Coming from you, Helen, a writer I consider one of the best in the blogosphere, I take your comment as a very high compliment. You never fail to make me COL! while simultaneously envying your facility with the written word. You are a unique voice, true to yourself and your experience, and I would don the pith helmet and wield a machete to make your way over to the round table as easy as possible!
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Happy New Year, Barbara!!! Wishing you & family the best!
xx Wes
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And to you, Wes. It’s lovely to see you pop over to WordPress once in a while and I look forward to enjoying your creations and talent in 2015. It’s going to be a good year!
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It is amazing how we find our “peeps” in the blog world! I’m forever amazed that people will read my meandering thoughts and actually comment!! I’ve made some great friends through blogging which is a treasure I didn’t expect to find.
Happy New Year!!
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That’s just it, Jennifer, I totally wasn’t expecting to make the friends that I have. I’m not sure what exactly I thought blogging would be, but it has exceeded my expectations and then some. And I’m very happy to have made your acquaintance too!
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A wonderful post, Barbara! Congratulations on all of your successes! I love visiting your blog, and even more I love visiting with you. I hope we find time to get together in the months ahead 😉 Best wishes to you and yours for a happy, healthy, and joy-filled 2015! Love and hugs, WG
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Hello Elizabeth, and thank you so much for these kind words. You are one of the very few bloggers (and kindred spirits) that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting face-to-face. With nothing more than a little bearded gnome gravatar to go on, I still managed to seek you out pretty effectively in that crowded room, didn’t I? Thanks for bridging the cyper-chasm into real life friendship and I sincerely hope we have the chance to see more of each other in this bright new year.
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It is interesting how kindred spirits seem to find each other here. Happy New Year!
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Sometimes, for me, it isn’t even that I think the person I admire is necessarily a kindred spirit, but that they are unique with their own identifiable, clear voice and brave style. Like you have. Who wants to read the same old, same old all the time? Not me and I bet not you, either!
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It is hard to picture you as introverted–you come across as confident in your online persona. I am happy you have found a circle of friends online, esp. ones who rate comparisons to Benchley and Parker. I know some of the folk about ARE that impressively quick.
For others of us, it is so much easier to toss off witty rejoinders when one has the time to think of them–in the written vs. oral form, that is. (And to google around beforehand for “inspiration”–but we shan’t discuss THOSE types here.) Yet even with the extra lead time, while I aspire to Parker, or better, Twain, I am lucky to achieve Cerf.
S’okay. I still laugh at Cerf. And at whatever level, am very happy to be in any club that would have you as a member : )
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Hello O. Babe! It’s interesting you bring up the introversion point because I am the very definition of one, at least according to Susan Cain. Have you read her book “Quiet?” There were times while reading it I thought she might have been spying on me! I love how you flipped Groucho’s famous quip on its head! Awesome!! O. Babe, I am happy to have you along for the ride….at least until the WordPress monkeys do whatever it is they do to our followers, right? And I like what I know of Bennett Cerf too!
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I have just added Susan Cain’s Quiet to my library queue. Thanks for the mention, Barbara.
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I hope you get as much out of it as I did. Interesting to contemplate the difference between “shy” and Introverted. Thanks, Nancy.
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Did you notice the person sitting in the backrow of Sydney’s Opera House? He kept shouting ‘encore’ and chucked gladioli in an irresponsible fashion.
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I noticed him….. and his little dog. Irresponsibly tossed gladioli only added to his immense charm.
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Speaking of monkeys, mine’s a banana daiquiri, thanks.
We have the coolest, most off-beat table in the salon, no doubt about it. All eyes are cast our way in rampant jealousy at our fun, our wit, our knowledge and our ability to not sound like Tiny Tim on a ukulele.
Happy New Year, Barbara and Co! Here’s to more hi-jinx in 2015! [H stares at her empty cocktail glass] Waiter Monkey! Another banana daiquiri!
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Coolest, most off-beat comment of the multiple cool and off-beat comments the lovely Flying Beetroot has sent my way! How wonderful our Waiter Monkey (which is so appropriate as I was born in the Year of the Monkey, no, really, I was!) is able to span the globe with such efficiency and panache and never spills a drop! Happy 2015! Tiny Who?
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Did we meet only mid-year, then, Barbara ? – I am not among your top commenters, and I see I shall need to redouble my efforts … [grin]
It seems remotely possible to me that you as a person have something to do with the success of your salon … just possibly …
I go along with H, but mine’s a strawberry daiquiri. Of which I can put away a shitload, I warn you !
;-D
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My dear M-R, is it possible that I have been torturing you for only half a year? I think that might be the case. I remember when you first blipped onto my radar with a lovely black and white photo of a crumbling stone arch in Italy, I think. Details are a bit fuzzy, but something like that. And then suddenly, I found myself irresistibly drawn to whatever FUN was going on over at your place in Australia. Strawberry daiquiris by the pitcher for the lady with the endless surprises on the other side of the globe, please.
Oh, your message just came in about Peter Temple. DULY NOTED this time. Really!!
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Goob.
😀
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Feeling the same, Barbara. Glad to be a part of the tribe as well. Years ago I longed to be connected with like-minded folks and the powers that be led me to blogging – that in and of itself is amazing. The Law of Attraction works unfailingly!
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Did you feel as I did, Eliza? Semi-terrified to take that first step into the blogosphere? And it is complete magic to click onto a blog of a perfect stranger and recognize yourself in their words. I know this has been happening for generations in reading; it’s why I’ve always loved reading so, but the “conversation” with other bloggers is bilateral and that’s where the attraction lies for me. That, and scarlet runner beans.
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Totally terrified. I remember my finger poised over the ‘publish’ button, heart pounding, sweaty palmed! Fear of the unknown. Well, we leapt and the net appeared! Aren’t we glad we did?!
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For me, it was exactly as you describe, Eliza. Yes, yes, yes, so glad we both did!
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You have expressed how I, too, am feeling about blogging. We of the other worldliness can gather and exchange our thoughts, fears and loves. Sitting at your round table, which is getting bigger by the minute, feels privileged and luxurious! I am glad you found your review of the year and congratulations with so many hits! You deserve every one. I still don’t know the difference between light green squares and dark green. There must be a guide to this somewhere!
Wishing you and your family a healthy, exciting and fulfilling year ahead, Barbara! ❤
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Hello, Barbara! I’ve only known you a short while relatively and yet feel as though you’re an old friend. I am so happy to have met you through our dear mutual friend, M-R. I love to pop onto your blog and see her there – and her blog and see you there – and then there’s Heather and Joanne and Gerard and all the other tribal members chattering away and how can we not love that!! Happy New Year to you and your family, Barbara. Will we be seeing more lovely garden shots soon? Ahhhh, summer….. No clue about the green and dark green bits either, by the way.
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I fully agree. I find it amazing and wonderful to meet like minded people living thousands of kilometers away and to realise we have so much in common. Here’s to many discussions and meetings in 2015
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Hear, hear! Let’s make it a great year of making connections and forging bonds that help us all get through this mess called life. Even the chicken lane moments!!
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Barbara, I wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2015! ❤
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And you, Rachel, thank you so much! Looking forward to it.
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It is amazing how we find our Roundtable in the Sky these days. I love the blogosphere for the same reasons you mentioned – it is sort of like a salon and we find the kinds of people that we most resonate with, others drop in and out. I see I made it as your commenter#5. Congrats on achieving such a large readership in one short year – you definitely have things to say that people want to hear 🙂 Happy New Year!
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As do you, Annette! I am always eager to see how you tie your lovely photographs into larger social contexts. I admire that you are not afraid to take a stand for what you believe in and that you feel so passionately about being a good citizen of this planet. We need more people like you! See you in 2015!
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It’s who I am and the lens thru which I view my photos, as is true for most of us, I’d imagine.
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I’ll just sit in the corner and listen. Congrats on a good blogging year. ❤
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But, Christine, that’s perfectly okay because in my little salon there are lovely welcoming little corners near the fireplace. With wing chairs, book shelves, and a pot of tea where you are able to sit and observe as long as you wish. I’ll pull up a chair beside you, if you don’t mind, occasionally. I can only tolerate so much carrying-on, after all.
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Too kind, Barbara, too kind, but if everyone else is on the grog, I could put myself out for a sip or fifteen. 😀
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Wow–you wrote what I feel! Sometimes I wonder if the blogosphere isn’t entirely peopled with introverts who have found their comfort zone and their voices. Or maybe, like the real world, there are all types here but we make friends with the people most like us. Whichever, I’m glad you’re here and I’m here and we hear each other’s voices.
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I do hear your voice and I admire it tremendously. It’s not easy to convey the emotional weight that a piece of linen might carry without getting icky sentimental, and you manage it brilliantly. That puts me firmly in Camp Kerry! Happy New Year!
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Barbara, I could really write a sappy comment here but I am going to keep it to myself and my happy heart. I am thrilled to have found you and your blog through comments at Nancy’s SLTW. An introvert.. me too. I think introverts take to blogging although I didn’t blog much this year. My 2015 is going to be all the better with you a part of it.. you make me smile and you make my life funnier and brighter and I learn a thing or two or three here. Happy to see you on IG too! Hope you and your husband have a happy, healthy, and humor filled year.. I know you know how important funny is in our lives. I am new to your tribe but I sure am comfortable here and delighted to be here!!!!
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After reading this comment I have noticed that I used “here” frequently.. I think it must be my word for this year and you know what? “Here” is a good word for me because I am working on being present, being “here” now! Enjoying every moment now!!! Good Morning Barbara, hope you had a good flight!
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We had a wicked crosswind to contend with when landing in Chesterfield, Pix, which tested BH’s landing skills pretty severely. But I’m telling you, he put that plane down like a pro even though the wind was doing its best to blow us off the runway! Other than THAT, it was a great flight, to and fro.
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I bet there are some in-depth studies on just why so many bloggers are introverts, assuming we are right in thinking so. I could go off on a big long tangent of my theories but I’ll spare you the drudgery of that! Yes, Pix, I hope you do start blogging more in 2015 although it’s amazing how well you can get to know somebody just through their various comments over time. I’m glad you’re enjoying IG too. It’s a different experience and i think the extrovert level is much higher over there from what I can tell. I am so HAPPY that you are comfortable over here in my little tribe where your bright and happy comments are always welcome.
You probably saw on IG we had a successful rescue mission today! YAY!!
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I am delighted to have recently joined your “tribe.”
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Audrey, hello! I am happy to hear you have joined my “tribe!” I am eager to read more about you and the state that was always home to the American side of my family. Wishing you a very happy New Year and a very short winter!!
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That’s it exactly – we are part of a tribe. And as for being a few beats off from the norm, I can totally relate. I like to say I’ve been flattened by the Bell Curve. Happy New Year!
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That’s great! I like that bell curve remark, Kristie, it is the truth. Here’s to a happy 2015. I can’t wait to see how we all journey through it!
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Happy New Year, Barbara! Happy to be part of your tribe! What about those rescue dogs? Need some pics! Thankful they now have a furrever home with you! Christine
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No, Christine, we just transported two puppies on one leg of a long journey from Alabama to Maryland. There is a furrever home waiting for them there, thank goodness! I will post some pictures soon, promise! Wishing you a very happy new year and looking forward to reading more from your corner of the world.
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Oops, a little late to the party… sorry! Is there any bubbly left? Have a happy new year, Barbara! I’ve enjoyed our blogship in 2014 and look forward to 2015!
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For you? I will open a fresh bottle. “Blog”-ship is a good word you’ve coined there, Maggie! I am looking forward to following your always interesting adventures through 2015. Who knew minerals could be so engaging? Happy New Year!
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Happy New Year Barbara! I’m happy to be part of your tribe. In fact, in order to replicate a cyber Dorothy Parker, I recently bought a pair of her “serious’ glasses, hoping they will give me more credence. Our New Year’s celebration was quiet, sober and sensible–I went to bed with a good man and a good book, and the year changed all of its own accord with us.
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Oh my goodness, Kayti, I rather adore this comment! Serious glasses do lend that air of authority now that we no longer wield cigarettes, right? They look marvelous on you and I congratulate you on the best possible way to spend a New Year’s Eve. CHEERS!!
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You always find something interesting to say in your blogs – it’s almost a contradiction in terms:- your posts and the word ‘blog’ which always sounds such a trivial, chattering exercise. Long may you continue.
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Ha! A few beats off the norm … no wonder we get on so well 🙂 The virtual round table is a wonderful concept … the only problem being that no one can see me wearing those lovely long evening gloves that I adore and insist upon!
I read your end of year report and it is downright impressive! Congratulations 🙂 Very happy to have shared some Chateau St. Michelle with you to finish off 2014. BTW..this New Year’s Days for the first time I had collard greens and black-eyed peas in the hospital cafeteria at the INSISTENCE of my co-workers..determined that I would start the new year off appropriately Southern! 🙂
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Ha! I love the image of the long evening gloves which don’t clash at all with your gardening clogs! Yes, ending up the year together was a highlight for us too. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how good collard greens were (are) and I will be making them again. i don’t know how good the cafeteria greens were, but at home? Yummy. So now we are charged up with good luck and ready to tackle the new year, right? XXX
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Thank you for inviting us into your salon! It is a lovely room. 🙂 I can so relate to the need to stop and reflect upon minotaurs and the meaning of the universe. If I don’t have that kind of time. . . If I just keep on keeping on. . . I go a little nuts! I need that reflecting time, daydreaming time. 🙂
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Good morning, Dixie! I would go a little nuts too if I didn’t have the time to properly reflect on things. Those of us who are wired a little bit differently understand this completely, don’t we? Thank you for popping in!
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Barbara I am late to the party but am so glad to have found you! What a lovely blog you have!
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Hello Grace, and thank you so much. It’s such a warm feeling to have somebody pop in and leave a comment like yours. Made my day!
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Happy New Year, greetings to all your cyber-tribe, too, sat around the salon, no dress code confining us in this cyber space.
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Thank you and welcome, Jim. No dress code but opinions required!
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