5,000 and counting

I received a lovely notice from my blog service provider, WordPress.com the other day. They said it was time to celebrate, as my blog has been viewed over 5,000 times. This is glorious news for a site initiated on 22 May, 2021 as a placeholder for material for inclusion in social media posts. In the beginning it wasn’t even my material but material from other authors.

To date the blog has 25 regular followers; it would be nice to have 250 or 2,500 but I’ll take 25 stalwart readers any day. Take Note! will never go viral for a number of reasons: It’s too diverse in its interests; It does not intend to sell anything; The posts are on the long side (800-1000 words) – attention spans are short these days; I do not promote it beyond posting online and in social media; I do not study ways to increase traffic. Finally I am a writer of modest ability. I am waiting to “be discovered” knowing that recognition for J S Bach was only posthumous, though not for J K Rowling. (Neither of these however are or were bloggers.) I just love writing and given fewer sermon commitments these days I am grateful for a creative output destination. Popular blog posts in this series have included:

Monarchy, Colonialism and the Indigenous Church in Canada (Martin Brokenleg) 640 views
The formation of an indigenous ally 453
Ellie Johnson – An Appreciation 241

Juno is an increasingly active though she is not the most popular blogger . . .  yet. For instance:

Highways and Holidays 127 views
On the Street Where I Live 90
A Nativity According to Juno 86
My Days are So Joyful 64

Of special interest, and with thanks to a recent meeting of the provincial NDP online convention, Juno hs provided a trenchant analysis politics, people and process. Enjoy! While her blogs are less popular the comments she receives are quite marvellous; for instance:

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Woof, woof, woof, woof. Lovely words, Juno.

Happy, happy flying in the coming year.

Juno is a deep thinker and quite well read for a dog.

Reading your description, both of the details of walking in the snow and the majesty of the hills in Kamloops reminded me of the joy in Mary Oliver’s poetry about her dogs.

Juno! You are becoming such a deep thinker, despite your nose-to-the-ground approach.

No wonder Juno doesn’t come when I call her . . . she is too busy thinking philosophically.

Now you may wonder how folks find the Take Note blog. Well if you are Facebook I post each blog there and also on Twitter. So far in 2022, 521 folks came from Facebook but only 3 from Twitter. Sometimes I email the link to friends and family. A very small number of folks connect directly through WordPress itself. Concerning location, during 2022, 730 are from Canada; USA – 47; UK – 45; and Serbia – 1. None so far from the Democratic Republic of Congo (though I know people there), Ghana or North Korea. (I know people who want to leave there, and quickly).

Concerning purpose, someone recently told me that “now your children will have a legacy to cherish once you’re gone.” Well they don’t read it now so I doubt they will later. My wife suggests that I write too much – “I can’t keep up” she says. A colleague recently addressed me as “my writing-all-the-time friend.” Don’t other people write – I think so. Obviously, she wanted something, written, as it turned out. Another colleague suggested that “books are passé” which is quite likely true in some contexts. I wonder what will fill the shelves of airport bookstores when we travel again? Will we travel again? Certainly not as easily or frequently as before COVID.

I suspect you are interested to know what is in store with future posts. Two are under active development. I loved the movie Don’t Look Up. Others demur suggesting that it provided no solutions to the impending (climate) crisis. Well hello, the only solution is a massive change in consumerist expectations and leadership behaviour. The movie showed us the deceptive strategies and short-sightedness of both leaders and followers though satire. It show us our world and ourselves. Listen to the prayers at the end as a sign and symbol of confused motivations – with a marvellous summary appeal from a prophetic skateboarder. It’s laughable, pathetic, even obscene. It is also very, very sweet. Watch this space; more coming.

When completing an online application a week ago I was shocked to discover where just short of age 64 I now appear in those “select the year of your birth” lists. Slightly alarmed by an ageist discovery I was reminded of many personal life events – risky, creative, adventurous, lovely –  and of world events – you know, assassinations (rather a lot I must say), moon landings, iPhone announcements and Rock‘n Roll watershed moments. Something in this newfound consciousness deserves further scrutiny.

Finally, what can I say about The Blog is Dead. In this case Mark Twain’s comment (caveat emptor) is here appropriate. This particular blog is certainly anything but dead. It has been described by some as entertaining, funny, thoughtful, relevant, insightful and even beautiful. OK, I added some of these but I shall continue, at least for a while, attempting to meet some of these very attributions, with thank to you my growing number of viewers and readers. Thank you all.