The Ten Years That Was

Ten years ago, as close as never mind — on January o6, 2011 — I started this blog. In that time I’ve published 1,526 posts, received and responded to 4,851 real comments, and deep-sixed at least 3,682 spam comments.

“You’ve hit the ball out the park! Inbiedrcle!”

I’ve written stories, essays, rants, observations, and things that would be columns if they were published in a newspaper. I’ve presented videos, photos, phaces, and excerpts from my latest book.

I’ve written about language, family, death, avocados, sports, language, getting older, techno-weirdness, alligators, food, Christmas, weather, day lilies, nudibranchs, spam comments, spam emails, birds (too many to count), gardening, plagues, Canadian national treasures, travel, stuff, work, humour, and politics and squirrels and other things that make you puke. Not much, you’ll notice, on housecleaning. What’s the advice they give writers?

“Write what you know.”

All right then.

I’ve been serious and flippant; off-the-cuff and deliberate; angry and at peace. Sometimes all at once.

Most of you have been along for most of that ride. I thank you for reading, when you do. I thank you for commenting, when you will. And I’d be happy for you to forward a sample post to anyone you think might enjoy it. It really is the case that the more the merrier.

To conclude with something that is apropos of nothing at all, yet that seems nonetheless to be eminently appropriate, this bit comes from an article on canine cognition. It made me laugh, in a week when I needed that.

“Americans spent nearly $100 billion on their pets in 2019,
maybe half of which was spent on dogs.
The rest was embezzled, then gambled away — by cats.”

– “Evolution of a Friendship” by Jeff MacGregor,
Smithsonian magazine, Dec 2020

Close-up of tortoiseshell cat.

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10 Responses to The Ten Years That Was

  1. Ken from Kenora says:

    Happy Anniversary Trad. ‘by cats.’ indeed.

  2. Tom Watson says:

    Isabel
    Thanks for 10 years! You certainly have hit the ball out of the park.

    As you say: “Inbiedrcle!”
    Tom

  3. barbara carlson says:

    Congratulations, Isabel. You’ve given me much to think about. And I remember the day when you asked my advice on starting a blog — and you took it!
    And, you’ve come some way in making me even kinda like birds.
    Can’t say fairer than that.
    Here’s to another ten, at least!

    • Isabel Gibson says:

      Barbara – There you go: You get an assist on the play. 🙂 Many thanks – and keep working on the birds. Definitely worth it.

  4. Ian Hepher says:

    Thank you for including me on your list, Isabel. I often gain new perspectives from reading your posts, and thinking about what you have written.

  5. Paul Coffman says:

    Dear Isabel. I don’t know how many years I have been receiving your blog; at least six or seven. I have only replied to one of your posts a time or two. I’ve been greatly impressed with your style and taste, your sense of humor, your imagination, your knowledge, your writing and artistic skills, your common touch, and your political thinking. Thank you so much.
    Paul Coffman
    South English, Iowa, USA

    • Isabel Gibson says:

      Paul – My goodness. Thank you *so* much for your kind words. Have I ever mentioned that one set of my grandparents came from Iowa? My grandmother was born near Oakland and my grandparents married in Harlan before moving to a homestead in southern Alberta. I see from the magic map that Harlan is about as far west of Des Moines as you are east, and as far north of the I-80 as you are south of it. It’s a small world.

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