Saturday, September 9, 2023

Sixteen Years...Really! by Liz Flaherty

Who knew I'd been blogging for 16 years? Certainly not me. Sixteen years ago, I was still working at the post office and had only published a couple of books. Six of the Magnificent Seven had already arrived to teach Duane and me the coolness of grandparenting. I was driving my very first SUV, which was a lemon and with which I hit my first deer in the 30 years of driving to Logansport every day. But it did convince me SUVs were definitely my chosen way to go. 

This came from September of 2007. My love affair with autumn is still going strong and I go into these next months with hope and determination. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week. Be nice to somebody. 

If you've never lived here in North Central Nowhere, where Nothing Ever Happens and there's Nothing To Do, well, hey, I'm sorry. We're slippery-sliding into autumn right now. Even though the temperatures are still climbing into the 80s on a lot of days, they're also diving headlong into the 40s at night. This means that if no one was looking, some of us would run the air conditioning during midday hours and turn on the furnace when we get up in the morning. (I can't do this because the boyfriend always notices things like that.)

But the colors here--I'm writing this in only one of them--defy description. I remember being so surprised that Vermont in October really does look like calendar pictures. So does Indiana. Plus I'm pretty sure our entire state smells like apples and cornfields and burning leaves. (There's a pig farm down the road that distributes an entirely different smell, but that's only certain times of the day, thank goodness--and carnivore that I am, I do really love ham and pork chops. Sigh.)

Well, I see I'm wandering here, when all I really wanted to do was brag about fall in the Midwest, where it truly is glorious. It sounds like Friday night high school football and crunching leave and feels good. Even though the truth is that things really do happen here and there really are things to do, those of us who were born here love the reputation we have. I think we like knowing something the rest of the world doesn't.

Except that I just told, didn't I? Oh, well...have a good day, everybody.


Four authors are selling and signing books at Gallery 15 on September 22. Ryan Record is providing music and we'll be surrounded by wonderful art. I hope you come. There will be cookies! And I heard maybe fudge...











8 comments:

  1. Congratulations on 16! This shows real dedication to what you're doing.

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    1. Thank you. Not dedication so much as loving the sound of my own voice, maybe. Lol.

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  2. There’s no where else I’d rather be than here while raising my family. Good piece neighbor.

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    1. It's a great place for it, isn't it? I love that there are families here.

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  3. Love the pig farm comment. My dad was a veterinarian and when we'd be out for a Sunday afternoon drive with the windows rolled down, no AC, and pass a hog farm, we'd want to roll the windows up to get past the stink. Daddy would say breathe deep girls, that's money on the hoof! Love your stuff.

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    1. Lol. I think I've heard that mentioned by some farmers' daughters!

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  4. Hi Liz,
    It's hard to find bloggers who've been at it longer than me! Congratulations on 16 years! I just marked 13 on mine. Not many who were blogging when I started are still at it. Love what you wrote about the Midwest. Fall is truly a treasure here. Enjoy every minute. I plan to. Keep writing!

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    1. Hi, Nancy, and thank you! If I had a dollar for every time I'd thought about quitting, my retirement from the day job would be a lot more lucrative.

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