Tag: appreciation

Friday Bouquet #19

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

The World According to Dina is a photographer’s dream. Her blog includes a breathtakingly lovely collection of images from Norway, though she and her helpers “blog about everything that we connect with the North (Scandinavia)– from nature to culture.”

In her own words:

I am Dina. Actually, my name is Hanne and some even call me TofFeeFee. I come from Fredrikstad in Norway, the most beautiful land of the trolls, the fjords and midnightsun. If you take a closer at my blog, the natural beauty of Norway will present itself.”

I have chosen to highlight the following post because I am longing for summer here in Newfoundland and Labrador, and I was struck by the similarities of many of the scenes to my home province.

A True Summer Dream – Hvaler, Norway

I have disabled comments here in the hope you will comment on Dina’s blog.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Jennifer’s Journal

“You’re Like Your Mom…”

Published on by J. Kelland Perry21 Comments

During a conversation with my husband last week, he said, “You sounded just like your mom, the way you said that.”

This wasn’t the first time he made the observation. Along with the unmistakable signs that I have become “a woman of a certain age” (ack!), sounding like my mother seems to have become yet another aspect of my getting older.

“Hmm,” I replied. “I was always told I was like Dad and his side of the family.”

“You may look like your dad, but you have more of Carrie’s mannerisms lately,” he told me.

So, yes. I grudgingly have to admit that sometimes, when the words fly out of my mouth, or if I behave in a certain way, it makes me think I may be morphing into the woman who raised me. For example, if I defend myself when teased, it’s as if I am channeling Mom. “You proper fun-makers!” Or if I refuse to give in to someone else’s demands, the comeback that comes to my mind is “And I won’t dance to your pipes!” These are just a couple of the dear old “Mom-isms” from yesteryear.

And there’s so much more. I’ve adopted her quick laugh, as well as her sardonic humour and her no-nonsense way of handling whatever life brings. All showing up in my actions, the older I get.

There was a time, when I was much younger, that I would have taken issue and disagreed with such a comparison. The truth is, I have always thought while growing up that I turned after my father. Dad had always been my hero of sorts, and he was the parent I had always identified with and wished to emulate.

But now, I see that bearing a resemblance to my mother is a badge of honour and a cherished rite of passage. In fact, I’m realizing if I could only be half the woman she was, with her intelligent observations and her kind, fun-loving nature, I would be more than proud.

In a couple of weeks when Mother’s Day rolls around, I will be remembering my mother again for the lovely yet strong person she was, for the way she lived her life, and for each and every valuable lesson she taught me.  And even though I continue to miss her every single day that goes by, I will give thanks that she is still showing up in my life in other, more subtle ways. And I will give a special thank you to the universe for giving me the dearest woman anyone ever called Mom.

Friday Bouquet #18

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

When I took part in last month’s Daily Post Photo Challenge: Reward, I discovered blogger Karen Anderson, a photographer from Surrey, England.

Expressing My Vision – a Journey into Creativity and Beyond is the name of Karen’s blog. In her own words from her About page:

I am an amateur photography enthusiast who enjoys experimenting with different genres in my quest to find my style. I will turn my hand to anything. I do have a few images under licence with Getty Images, I also do photoshoots and wedding photography for family and friends, as well as any other photographs I am asked for. BUT I am not trying to make a living out of photography…I am in it for the love of the art and part of the fun for me is in sharing and learning more.”

Check out the link below to see Karen’s Reward post that caught my eye. In it, she shares photographs of a chance visit by two adorable robins, as well as a fitting poem by Thomas Hardy: The Robin – perfect for our neck of the woods, as we saw our first robin hopping around in the garden just yesterday.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Reward
by Expressing My Vision

Comments are closed here in the hope you will visit and comment on Karen’s page.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

❤

Friday Bouquet #17

Published on by J. Kelland Perry10 Comments

I’m shaking things up for Friday Bouquet this morning. Usually I award it to a fellow blogger found doing something wonderful in the blogosphere, but this time I am throwing the bouquet to my sister and the therapy dog program.

Lynn is an assistant professor and nursing instructor at the Memorial School of Nursing in St. John’s, but her contribution to health care and humankind hasn’t stopped there. Please click on the link below – wouldn’t you know it, a WordPress blog by Eastern Health Story Line – to find out what she and her little dog Abbey have been up to, and be sure to look for their photos. All of my animal lover friends are sure to enjoy it. 🙂

http://storyline.easternhealth.ca/2015/03/19/canine-therapy-a-warm-and-fuzzy-feeling/

Have you had any experience with canine therapy?
What about the health benefits of spending time with other animals?

Here are two other sisters wishing you a warm and wonderful weekend. ❤

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zzzz…
Maisie & Vivian
Maisie & Vivian

Friday Bouquet #16

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

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One Wild Word is an excellent blog and a trove of information for developing wordsmiths and published authors alike. Cousins Carol Despeaux and Carly Sandifer both have MFA degrees and writing careers, yet still find time to offer tips covering all things literary. Their advice is proving helpful to my writing applications, and could do the same for you. In their own words:

About Us
Are you looking for a jolt of inspiration, a new way of approaching your writing practice? Maybe you’re stuck on a scene or looking for a way to describe the nuance of a character. Sometimes all it takes is one wild word to make a poem sing or a sentence fly. In that spirit, we’ve created this blog in hopes you’ll find a dose of wild writing mojo to fuel your next sentence.

I’ve chosen the post below, as it is one of my favourites:

Freshen Up Your Manuscript With This Exercise

Comments are disabled here in hopes you will comment on the writers’ blog.

Have an inspired weekend, everyone. ❤

Friday Bouquet #15

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

Mark Bialczak is a prolific blogger, writer, veteran journalist, and columnist in the Syracuse, New York area. He shares his thoughts on a variety of topics such as community, music, movies, sports, life, and he even offers himself as an advisor. Being an avid movie lover myself, I have enjoyed reading his reviews on a number of current films.

Today, however, I share a link below from his periodic feature, Free Advice.

In Mark’s own words:

My qualifications: 57 years of open eyes and ears but no stalking charges…Four decades of writing in public about people, places and things. Send questions to markbialczak@gmail.com. Anonymity is assured.”

 “When’s A Flirt Not A Flirt?” — Confused

Comments are disabled here in hopes you will comment on Mark’s blog.

Heck, why not send him that question you’ve been struggling with and need advice on? 🙂

Friday Bouquet #14

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

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I’ve followed Sue on Travel Tales of Life for some time now and love her beautiful blog. From her About Page:

“Living in Calgary, Alberta, married to my best friend Dave for over thirty years and Mom to adult children; my decades as a nurse have shown that in a moment life can change completely. Passionate about social justice, volunteerism and not letting the phrase “What would people think?” or my own fear get in the way of trying something new; the possibilities are endless.

Travel Tales of Life has been featured in-depth by More Time To Travel in speaking to cycling tourism for those over 50. My posts have been featured in The Caribbean Daily, What’s Up Tasmania and About Basque Country online magazines and the HIS Vancouver travel website.

Enjoy the tales and I hope you will be inspired to try something you have been thinking about doing.”

Check out her latest post below for some captivating photos from around the world:

Where Would You Like To Travel?

traveltalesoflife.com

Comments are closed here in the hope you will visit Sue’s blog.
If you do, please tell her Jennifer sent you. 🙂

Friday Bouquet #13

Published on by J. Kelland Perry23 Comments

A departure from my usual “pat on the back” of fellow bloggers, I found this quote recently and it made an impression on me – as did its author.

“I am an optimist, and I believe that people are inherently good and that if you give everyone a voice and freedom of expression, the truth and the good will outweigh the bad.”

 – Matt Mullenweg, founder and CEO, Automattic and WordPress Developer

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Matthew Mullenweg, born January 11, 1984 in Houston, Texas, is an online social media entrepreneur, web developer, philanthropist, and musician. He is best known for developing the free and open source web software WordPress, now managed by The WordPress Foundation.

After dropping out of college and working at CNET Networks from 2004 to 2005, Mullenweg quit that job and founded Automattic, the business behind WordPress.com, Akismet, Gravatar, VaultPress, IntenseDebate, Polldaddy, and more. In December 2012, Mullenweg was listed in 2012 Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in Media. His professional blog is ma.tt, a domain hack. ~ Wikipedia

Matt lives in San Francisco, California. His hobbies include photography and music. He turns 31 on Sunday.

 

*Photo from WordCamp San Francisco 2014 taken by Sheri Bigelow (ma.tt)

Jennifer’s Journal is Turning Three

Published on by J. Kelland Perry43 Comments

Happy Birthday to my little blog!

Actually, my blog will turn three years old on New Year’s Eve, but I thought I’d get a jump on marking the occasion with  questions and answers about my experience as a blogger.

1. Did you think you’d still be blogging after three years?

I didn’t think about it in the beginning. I only knew I was willing to see where it would take me.

2. Can you describe your blogging experience in one word?

Rewarding! This post tells why.

3. How has your blog changed from the time you started until now?

At first its purpose was to practise more writing of poetry and short prose to better prepare myself for the discipline of novel-writing. But my posts broadened quickly to include photography, still in keeping with my blog’s central theme of sharing what I love.

4. Are you a better writer three years later?

I believe I am. I think my ability has been honed, while my curiosity about everything has expanded tenfold. Writing a couple of novels definitely helped too. I hope my research and editing skills have improved as well.

5. What do you dislike most about blogging?

I keep wishing I could meet some of the wonderful people I’ve found here on WordPress. Or at least hear their voices. Come on, everyone, let’s vlog! (video-blog) 🙂

6. What do you love most about blogging?

It’s hard to choose only one thing, but I love to create something that readers can identify with and moves them to share their comments. Posting photos that others like as much as I do is gratifying too.

7. What advice would you give to someone starting a blog today?

Commit to a schedule and blog regularly. Be consistent and be yourself; in other words don’t try to be everything to all people. Don’t choose a theme with a white text on a dark background, or too many bells and whistles. Most people find it hard to read those kinds, including me.

8. What has surprised you the most?

Connecting with people who are like-minded, as well as those who have different interests and opinions. Besides it being an education, it is a great way to cultivate an open mind and form new friendships – even if they are the virtual kind.

9. What have you learned about blogging?

Most people are visual creatures. An image catches my eye and invites me to read in a way a block of text alone can’t. The writing still has to be engaging, of course.

10. Who was your first follower?

Carla from Seasons Change and So Do I. We started our blogs on the same day and we still follow each other. We’ve both been through a lot in our lives, and just as her blog name suggests, we have gone through significant changes since we began blogging. I’m grateful for her support. She feels like an old friend.

11. What are the most popular posts of the past three years?

I will qualify this answer with the reminder that I had fewer followers in the first couple of years, so the lists reflecting the most popular posts are also the most recent.

By reader views:

Greenspond – Part II
Friday Bouquet #11
Hello, December – Goodbye, Nano!
Christmas Renewed
Imagine (and a Birthday)
Wildlife of Newfoundland & Labrador
A Walking Trail, Bergy-Bits, and Other Pretty Things
About Me
To Sea by Virtue
Relics of Rome

By reader likes:

 About Me
Unexpected
Photo Challenge: Threes
Battered
Summer Lovin’
Cat Dreams
Vivian’s Room
Photo Challenge: Up
Remembering Rhonda
Is There Room* in Your Book for Me?

12. What are your ten personal favorites?

Thinking Out Loud
My “Backyard” – Part 1 & My “Backyard” – Part 2: The Beach
A Spanish Purr Sounds Just As Sweet
The Day We Met
If Only
She Writes
“That’s my father”…
Hey, Little Girl
Vivian’s View From Here
Autumn Walk on the East Coast

13. Anything you’d do differently?

I should have started blogging sooner. I have a vague memory of wondering why anyone would want to have a blog. Now I know.

14. Anyone you want to thank?

I’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read Jennifer’s Journal. I especially want to thank those who have liked, commented, followed, signed up for emails, reblogged on WordPress, retweeted on Twitter, or shared my posts on Facebook. You all know who you are. 🙂

I also thank the lovely bloggers who shared their stories, advice and talent with me, supported me in my writing, and those who nominated me for blogging awards.

15. What will the next year look like for the blog?

I have three chief areas I hope to work on:

a. more opinion pieces, poetry, and short fiction to develop my skills for writing articles and short stories
b. better photography, thanks to a new DSLR camera for Christmas – providing I learn how to use it 😉
c. articles about writing, while periodically sharing what is going on with my pursuit of the craft.

~ J.K.P.

Is there anything you’d like to see more of in future?
Jennifer’s Journal would love to hear your suggestions.

Friday Bouquet #11

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

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I’ve been following Elizabeth from Almost Spring nearly as long as I’ve been blogging. She writes eloquently as a woman blindsided when her husband leaves their marriage, and tells how her life is transforming from “We to Me.”

In her own words:

I am a 59-year-old woman surviving the pain of the collapse of my 37 year marriage that occurred suddenly through no choice of my own. I survived the first six months by living in today and enjoying the moments of a glorious summer.

…When that first summer ended, when the days became shorter, the mornings colder and I could see the winter approaching, I began to wonder how I would survive the darkness, the cold, the grey skies and the impending gloom of winter. Then I thought to myself – ‘why?’ It is almost spring… So too with my current life situation.”

I chose one of her posts from last month because it illustrates how far Elizabeth has come on her emotional journey. You might like to follow her too, if you’re in a similar situation. Click on the link below to read about her, and don’t forget to mention Jennifer sent you.

From Trauma to Transformation

Comments are disabled here in hopes you will visit and comment on her blog.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.
❤

*Image:Courtesy[StuartMiles]FreeDigitalPhotos.net