Snowdrops and Why I Enjoy Blogging

The snow is melting!

The Snowdrops have had little closed blossoms for a couple of weeks now, but today they're open! We have bright sunshine and 55ºF ( 12ºC), but a bitingly cold wind has kept it from being pleasant outside, unfortunately. I walked down to the river this morning, trying to get a glimpse of the geese that were honking and calling to each other. I found them sitting on a strip of land surrounded by water, but they were quite a distance away so I wasn't able to get a good photo. They're sitting on that strip to the right of the photo, but are pretty well hidden so you can't really pick them out, even when the photo is enlarged (not many of my photos have been clickable in recent posts...just another Blogger quirk). You can see though, that the snow is rapidly melting. Soon the shades of brown will be replaced by green grass and leaves on the trees.

The snowdrops are finally open!

Marion, my dear blogging friend of Reflections Through the Seasons, has tagged me to write about Why I Enjoy Blogging.

She lives in a quaint seaside village in Wales, and posts glorious photos of the picturesque countryside, as well as her beautiful gardens. Just this week she shared photos of their wonderful old village church, dating back to the 1200’s, with it’s historic Rood Loft and Screen.
It’s people like Marion who draw me to blogging. One of the things I most love to do is chat with friends, but I’m not particularly good at taking time to visit. In my free time I almost always seem to have something I want to get done at home, especially during the gardening season. Blogging gives me a way to visit with many friends during the quiet hours of the day, when there’s time to relax and enjoy a little recreation.

Roses still covered, surrounded by Snowdrops

I’ve always enjoyed corresponding with friends, and blogging is such a wonderful way to do this. In commenting on posts we can send just a few words of encouragement, appreciation, or just a simple hello…as often as we have time for. That’s the beauty of a comment….it can be short and sweet, or a bit longer as time allows.

Blogging has given me friends in far off places, and some who live closer. These are people I would otherwise never have the chance to know, and some have become very dear to me. This is a strange phenomenon about blogging…that we can feel so close, and care so much about people we’ll most likely never meet.
I can travel via the Internet to their homes on any given day, and see what they’re up to, find out what the weather is like compared to ours, and know what’s on their minds. I often find inspiration in my travels.

Blogging has opened up my world and taught me more about geography, climate, human nature, photography, computers, and so much more. I particularly enjoy knowing what the weather is doing in other parts of the world.

Such delicate white blossoms, yet they brave the snow!

It’s amazing how much I’ve learned about gardening especially….this being the subject that attracted me to blogging in the first place. Often in everyday life we don’t have the chance to share what’s growing or blooming in our gardens with like-minded people who truly share our passion. But with blogging we can! What a pleasure it is to find others as enthusiastic in their appreciation for a beautiful bloom, bud, sprout or whatever! And oh, the plants I’ve discovered!

Birds are another passion that’s so much fun to share. I never, ever tire of seeing, and reading about the birds others have spotted and photographed.
And then there are the cats, dogs and other animals that share our lives. I’ve always loved animals and have a particular fondness for cats, as you can guess by all the cat photos I love to post.

Looking up

I am so much more aware of what’s going on around me and have a more intense interest and curiosity in everything, because I’m seeing from another’s point of view. Digital photography makes it so easy to share any subject, and seeing all the beautiful photos that others post shows me other parts of our world on a personal level, not just pictures in magazines.

And there are so many wonderful writers! I wish I could mention all my favorites, but there are so many. You’ll find their links on my sidebar if you have some time and want to browse.

In a nutshell, blogging allows me to share, in a very pleasant way, the everyday lives of my blog friends, develop new and satisfying relationships, and learn new and exciting things about this fascinating world we live in, all thanks to my computer and the amazing Internet.
Isn’t technology a wonderful thing?

I'm going to tag Alice, Val and Apple. I hope you won't hate me for it! If you're too busy, or simply don't feel like it, don't worry about it. Otherwise, take your time, and enjoy jotting down a few thoughts about the wonderful world of blogging.

We're off tomorrow to see the kids for a few days, so I'll catch up with all of you when we come back.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!