July 4, 2018 at 12:00 am

Note: All my posts on the ’60s are gathered under “The ’60s,” above. Being a blog, these posts would normally be in reverse order, with the newest post on top. However, for this particular category, they are arranged with the oldest posts at the top in order to clarify the sequential nature of the posts. The newest posts will be at the bottom.

Reflections on the State of This Blog

February 19, 2020 at 11:16 am

I’ve been doing this blog since 2005 — 15 years. Over 5½ million page views. Over 4 million unique visits. I was most active in 2012-13, when I was getting about 3,500 page views a day.

But as the years went by, I posted less and less. I started putting up photos on Instagram a few years ago; it’s a photographer’s dream, except for the Facebook factor (like the increasing ads). I put in a lot less time blogging world these days, partly due to Instagramming, partly due to the fact that I have to concentrate on books to keep us afloat.

The best way for you to keep up with what’s going on around here these days, and with me, is to get on my GIMME SHELTER newsletter list. At this stage, with the social media blizzard, email is a form of communication out of the past that suddenly seems to have a new relevance.* I’m writing for a select group of people (latest count about 2,000), not winging it out into the socialnetworkosphere.

If you want to get on the list, subscribe with your email address here. I send one out maybe every 4-6 weeks these days.

*It’s not that “The old is new again.” It’s rather that the old is being looked at in a new light in this digital age, and being rediscovered for its relevance, its soulfulness, its imperfections.

Música del Día: Iko Iko, Dr. John: (Listen to his piano notes at very end of song.)

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Foxy

January 30, 2020 at 1:54 pm

Beautiful young grey fox in garden yesterday, seemed unafraid of humans. Good for photos, not good for fox’s longevity. Please humans, don’t feed wild animals. Especially coyotes. Some of them end up getting hit by cars.

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Oysters & Crabs in Baltimore

January 26, 2020 at 10:59 am

The real thing for seafood lovers.

Sheet of craft paper for tablecloth. After you make a big mess cracking the crab, they roll it up and remove. These are blue crabs, steamed, not boiled. Delicious.

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Baltimore!

January 25, 2020 at 8:31 am

Yes it’s me and I’m in love again.* With Baltimore.

I suspected I’d like it (my first visit), but man, what a city! From the moment I got here, it’s been one wonderful experience after another.

My first impression was that there’s space. Streets are wide. There’s light from the surrounding water. It’s not as cold as I thought it would be. Compared to Minneapolis, where, when you go outside, it’s as if you’re being assaulted by the cold.

The people are great. Just about everyone. I think the physical aspects of a town affect the inhabitants, and here, the wide streets, the old brick buildings, the harbor, the neighborhoods, the Feng-Shui of the city all make people by and large feel good and project good vibes. Every Baltimorean I’ve talked to loves their town. Many (maybe 50% of ones I’ve talked to) are native-born.

My angels, from Publishers Group West, Elise and Kim

I came here to promote my new homestead book and Thursday night, signed about 100 copies for booksellers from across the country. What a bunch of great people!

Publication date is March 3. You can pre-order at: www.shelterpub.com/building/halfacrehomestead

*When I was 18, I heard this song, by Fats Domino, and it changed my life.

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