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My Eighth Year in the Blogosphere

Published on by J. Kelland Perry30 Comments

Dear WordPress bloggers, fellow writers, followers and friends,

December 31, 2018 marked my seven-year blogging anniversary.

Yikes! I’m into the eighth year! Who knew that when I published my first post, Follow the Yellow Brick Road on New Year’s Eve of 2011, my blog would still be active in 2019? I genuinely hope I’m not wearing out my welcome here and that you continue to let me into your in-boxes, your readers, and your lives for my brief visits once or twice a week. 🙂

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I’m not one to get hung up on blog statistics, as I value quality of interaction over quantity any day, but I’d like to share a few highlights from my 70 posts of 2018.
I’ve set aside statistics on my About Me and Author Page  to concentrate on regular posts.

The three most-liked posts of last year:

Beach Love
When your address is Sandy Beach Avenue and you live near one of the longest beaches in the province, posts like these are bound to show up regularly. These photos taken at Lumsden North Beach grabbed the most likes of 2018.

Winter Morning Haiku
Summery beaches didn’t get all the love.
A haiku poem with one of my best-loved winter photos,
taken from my back yard.

Book Review – Encounters: Relationships in Conflict by Fred Rohn
So happy to see the traffic this one generated.
I loved this book and I love my book friends.
Rest in peace, Mr. Rohn.

The three most-commented:

Imagination
Kids with coffee filters.
How could one possibly resist a click?

Morning Coffee
(Again with coffee?)
No surprise – this beverage is a vital part of the day for many of us.
Even some of you who prefer tea were moved to give your two cents worth!

Blog Hop: Born in a Treacherous Time by Jacqui Murray
Once again, I’m delighted to share news from my author colleagues.
I loved this book of the prehistoric fiction genre.
So much so, it got me reading the Earth’s Children series by Jean M. Auel.
I look forward to Murray’s next novel in her Man vs. Nature saga.

***

2018 was a special year all around, but it didn’t exceed previous records set by my blog.
January 18, 2016 still holds the favored position as the day that generated the most views thus far, when I introduced the ever-popular Newfoundland and Labrador page…

Newtown, Newfoundland
…and the individual post that has scored the most views to date under that Newfoundland banner is Berg Watching, originally shared on June 2, 2015.
Springtime in Iceberg Alley at its beautiful best.

Iceberg Alley

The Sunday Snap series has gained in popularity since its inception in August 2017, and my new addition for 2018, Friday Fiction, has met with positive reviews as well.

Many thanks to everyone who visits my blog. However long I continue, I appreciate all the follows, likes, comments, and shares. Love to you all, and blog on!

Sincerely yours,
Jennifer

P.S. to bloggers: Have a favourite post from your own blog I may have missed or you’d like to highlight? Don’t be shy – share a link with me in the comments below. 🙂

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Frozen Time

Published on by J. Kelland Perry22 Comments

Photography is the art of frozen time

“Photography is the art of frozen time …
the ability to store emotion and feelings within a frame.”
– Meshack Otieno

Newtown, NL

Photos were taken on the first of January while out for an afternoon walk.
Our faces felt frozen but our bodies stayed toasty warm.

Time to bundle up on those walks, my northern friends.
Happy New Year to all!

Happy Christmas!

Published on by J. Kelland Perry31 Comments
Christmas 2018
jenniferkellandperry.com

I’m taking a mini-break from blogging over the Christmas season. 

Happy Holidays, and I’ll see you again in 2019. (Wow! Seriously – where did that year go??)

***Wishing Joy and Peace to all my friends and followers.***

Lions Club High School Speak Out

Published on by J. Kelland Perry20 Comments

Yesterday, our local Lions Club sponsored and held Pearson Academy’s Speak Out Competition. We had 17 student participants and an excellent audience turnout.

Speak-outs are great opportunities for youth to practice and build skills through public speaking, and to encourage them to have a public voice in issues that concern them.

The winners:

Rhianna Bishop, 1st Place. Topic: Leadership in Rural Communities

Jessica Melindy, 2nd Place. Topic: Growing Up with Mental Illness – Anxiety and O.C.D

Deidre Hounsell, 3rd Place. Topic: Dangers of Driving Under the Influence

Rhianna Bishop and Jessica Melindy. Missing from photo: Deidre Hounsell

As the first place winner,
Rhianna will compete later at the regional level.

Steve Perry, Lions member and moderator
Ted O’Connor, teacher and judge

The judges for the speak-out were Joanne Wiley, Theodore O’Connor and myself.

It was a privilege to spend time with these young adults and to volunteer once more for this worthy event.

***

Have you or your child ever competed
or taken part in a public speaking competition?

Memories of Nico

Published on by J. Kelland Perry29 Comments
Our sweet festive boy

Nico was our one and only grand-puppy. He was a Golden Doodle who had the sweetest, most loving temperament I’ve ever witnessed in a dog. We only had Nico in our lives for five short years before he tragically left us, but he will always live on in a special corner of my heart.

Even though it’s been over a year since he passed, I still miss him when I visit my daughter and her family. They have two cats now, Ginger and Joey, but no one can ever take the place of this big boy who was full to the brim with life and love and fun.

Baby Nico
First visit to Newtown with the fam
with Leah
Summertime fun
Looking out over Lead Cove
Chillin’ with his sister Ginger
Nico and his dad
Just another visit at Nanny’s house
Enjoying a summer day in Lead Cove

Getting over the loss of a pet is never easy, and is particularly hard for animal lovers like our family. I can’t imagine what it will be like to lose my cats when that time comes. Then again, maybe they will outlive me.

Have you lost a special dog, cat or other animal recently?
Please share in the comments below.
❤

Paw Prints

Published on by J. Kelland Perry22 Comments

Cold winter days are fast approaching, and for our feline friends and housemates Maisie and Viv, that means snowy paws and shorter trips outside.

Sometimes they cry to go out, but change their minds and make a quick backtrack when we open the door and the bitter wind hits their furry faces. Then they cry again as if we can magically change the weather for them!

“Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want.” – Joseph Wood Krutch, American writer, critic, and naturalist

Blogger Bouquet #55

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

Marie Zhuikov of Marie’s Meanderings is a novelist, science writer, poet and editor that I have followed for quite some time.

From her About page:

“The meanderings of Marie’s mind blog explores life in northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and anywhere else Marie Zhuikov’s travels may span. There are bound to be thoughts about her passions, which include nature, environmental issues, the arts, music, children, dogs, books, relationships, cooking, water, wine and the like.”

In Marie’s previous novels she has focused on endangered animals, and her next one is no exception. Check out Marie’s recent post on the pine marten, also known as the American marten. She has even written two magazine articles about the marten that are on newsstands now.

Marten Mania

Comments are closed here but you can leave a little love on the blogger’s page.

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!
❤

Sunday Snaps: Root Cellars of Elliston

Published on by J. Kelland Perry21 Comments

Elliston, root cellar capital of the world

root cellars of Elliston, NL

These photos of root cellars are from one of my November posts five years ago. I’ve been thinking about them lately because in the speculative novel I’m writing, an abandoned root cellar figures largely in certain plot points of the story.

More than 130 root cellars have been documented in the Elliston area, dating back as far as 1839, and some are still used today to store homegrown vegetables.

According to Elliston folklore, the older folks told the children that babies came from root cellars. For more photos and info, click on the link below:

Mom, where do babies come from?

Cozy

Published on by J. Kelland Perry20 Comments

When I folded laundry from the dryer the other day, I put a throw cushion on top until I got around to bringing it upstairs.

I usually do that to prevent one of the cats from turning it into a bed. Well, Maisie couldn’t resist the warm nest and simply nudged the cushion aside.

“Voila! Thanks, Mom.”

I didn’t have the heart to drive her out of it. ❤️

“Like all pure creatures, cats are practical.”
~ William S. Burroughs

Today a reader…

Published on by J. Kelland Perry18 Comments

Please encourage your children to read.

Give them books they would enjoy for Christmas.

Take them to the public library to get their own library card.

If they are too young to read themselves, read them bedtime stories.

It’s never too early to inspire a love of good books. No, they won’t all become leaders, but research shows that reading to children and discussing the book is the best way to increase your child’s IQ and instill a love of reading.

10 Ways for Parents to Encourage Their Child to Read