Attack of the Cookie Monster! (I think)

Don't know what's going on, but I've been having HUGE problems with Blogger for several weeks now.  I am forced to stay signed in on Dashboard, as in, I can't sign out even when I try, yet if I open one of my actual blogs, I cannot sign in.  So weird!  I can read other blogs and even my own, but I cannot post or comment.

Anyway, when I google the matter, I find others having the same troubles.  My first try was to clear the cache and cookies, per someone's suggestion, and I thought it actually worked.  That was last week, and it lasted a couple of days....then the ugly monster reared its head again.  Today, I found another suggestion...to try Google Chrome, which seems to have worked...at least temporarily...long enough for me to type out this post.

Wow, it has been a weird break from my whirlwind garden-blogging obsession.  And right as the garden has exploded, no less....

New Beginnings

Today, I announce "New Beginnings" on my blog.  I had recently become disillusioned by Blogland, as I seemed to be attracting more spammers and scrapers than real followers.  Yes, my blog was being repeatedly copied by scrapers, as well as being linked to on numerous sites, some of which I couldn't access, due to the requirement of a login.  I reacted the only way I knew how...adding watermarks and copyright verbiage and monitoring my hits on Statcounter.  But it just seemed to be getting worse.

Blogging Blahs

My garden has been good to me.  This year promises to be the best ever.  The blog...not so much.  I do believe the passion has fizzled. 

"Happy Birthday to Me!"

"Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me,

Happy Birthday to Me-eeeee, Happy Birthday to Me." 

Who yelled "Encore!" anyway?

Well, we got through our first frost of the winter that hasn't even technically begun.  I am still breathing, the heart is still pumping.  The temperatures are going to warm up nicely for us here in the valley this weekend...just a teaser, really, as Jack is coming back to visit again next week.  Ugh.  This is quite uncharacteristic of December, but who knows anymore?  I'm so glad I chose 2010 to start garden blogging!

200 Posts Later

Well, this is it.  My garden blog--Peace in the Valley--officially has its 200th post!   Say what?!!

Blogaholics Anonymous

Hello, my name is Floridagirl, and I am a blogaholic.

Goofy Googles and a Blog that Bings

Here I sat early this morning, on my porch, eating my usual hard-boiled egg, sunflower seeds, and banana, watching the hummingbirds fight over the nearby bottlebrush, trying desperately to catch a photo of one.  Well, that idea is hopeless, for my camera is just too slow.  Then my mind wandered out of my garden and into the blogworld.

Confessions of a Blotany Addict

There is much that has been said on the subject of blogging of late.  Blogging addiction, blotanical competition, and just plain blogging frustration in general!  Most recently, I read a post by fellow Florida gardener Kimberly at Garden in Paradise on the subject of a "Blogger's Quandary."  It seems the last few days, this blogger temporarily abandoned the blogworld for the great outdoors (certainly the right choice!) and is questioning her blogging devotion.  After reading all the post comments, I had way too many thoughts on the subject to fit into a comment box, so I decided to get it all out in a new post.  I do agree with all the comments.  The nature of a blog is a very personal thing, and there are no rules.

What's a Blotanist Anyway?

So many gardeners are waxing eloquent of late on the subject of the blogging community, that I feel I must throw in my two cents. I am very, very new to this blogging world, though I wish I had jumped in much earlier. From what I’ve been reading, it sounds as though there has been a very recent explosion in the blogging population, making it easy to get lost as a newcomer. And lost I am. It seemed very simple at first. Write about your garden, throw in a few pictures, and, wow, what a pleasant surprise when someone comments!