Lovely Blogs

Sorry I didn’t get this posted yesterday afternoon as promised—Thursday was a hectic one between working for wages & contractors hauling sheet rock & fledgling guitarists & pianists & so forth. But despite the delay in getting this on the blog, it’s always great to get some affirmation that your creative endeavors are appreciated; for those of us who blog, this typically comes in the form of comments & “following” & emails; it also comes in the form of awards from fellow bloggers, & I’m most gratified that Linda Pendleton of World of Spirit: Population Unknown & also of North Sister/South Sister chose to make Robert Frost’s Banjo one of the recipients of the One Lovely Blog Award that she herself deservedly had received & was passing on.

Most of these awards come with an expectation that you pass them on to other deserving blogs, & folks invariably say this is tough; in fact, some bloggers decline awards because they find this expectation onerous, & I can understand that. I follow the blogs of all the followers here, & more besides, & they all are “lovely blogs.” However, since Linda noted in her post about the award that it was the first blogging award she’s received, I thought I’d pick a few blogs that, as far as I can tell (& with one exception), haven’t received any awards but which certainly deserve to have one. Three of these blogs are quite new; the other two has been around for a bit.

The Amazing Voyage of the Turtle: Blogger Sandra Leigh has been regaling readers with tales of her travel adventures for awhile, but when she & her husband returned from a winter in an RV in Mexico, she decided to keep this blog up as a daily journal even when she wasn’t on the road. We’re all the more fortunate that Sandra made this decision, because her writing is invariably witty & smart, with an eye for telling & unusual details. Her posts include details from her day-to-day life, music, photos & poetry (both her own & by others), & she has an unfailing sense for finding fresh material. This one is a “must-read” among must-reads for me on a daily basis.

Apogee Poet: Rose Marie Raccioppi’s compendium of her poetry & artwork (both her own & by others) is by definition a “lovely blog.” It’s most pleasing to view & to visit. Ms Raccioppi is a published poet who’s a prolific writer, posting a poem a day (or more) since the blog began earlier this year. Her selection of photos & paintings always interact well with her verse, & her own paintings are very appealing. This is a blog that’s worth checking out by anyone who admires a good visual presentation.

Piano Posts: Chris Wolf is a piano teacher in Minnesota, & the core of her blog has to do with observations she makes & lessons she learns thru her profession. Of course, since I’m also a music teacher (tho of a more informal variety) I find this quite fascinating. But I’d venture to say that Ms Wolf’s writing will be compelling even to those who have no connection whatsoever to the music education process. For one thing, the education process overall, no matter what the subject, is intrinsically fascinating; for another thing, Chris’ writing is crip & good-humored, & the thoughts she gathers from her profession are relevant to us all. You’ll be glad you stopped by this blog.

Secret Poems from the Times Literary Supplement: Lovers of poetry really need to visit this blog, & need to do so often. Blogger Mairi is a very talented poet who uses “snippets” from the Times Literary Supplement as a starting point for some dynamite poems; the writing here is superb, with a firm grasp of imagery & rhetoric, & the poems revolve around a clear emotional center. Also, as is the case with Rose Marie Raccioppi’s Apogee Poet, Mairi invariably finds interesting images to accompany her work. Her recent three-part poem based on an Edith Wharton quote about what it’s like to write a novel is a real tour de force. Do yourself a favor & pay this blog a visit.

Yes is Red: Here’s a new blog that’s beautifully written & beautifully presented by blogger René Wing. The journal-like entries cover a lot of ground: gardening, interacting with animals, recipes, poems, thoughts on country living (or “living off the beaten track” as René puts it, something I can relate to) & observations about personal growth. There’s also music, some great images & a “Hindu God of the Month” feature! This is a space that will really reward a visit.

I’m passing the award along with no rules or expectations—if you also want to pass it on to other bloggers, that would be great. Passing the awards on does, I think, have the effect of widening the circles of connection, which are such a rewarding aspect of blogging.

& thanks again, Linda!