Alligator wishes you a Happy 4th of July! Honest!
Blog readers disappear on holidays. It’s a Fact.
You have all disappeared. You have all gone somewhere. You are out there having fun. You are at parades, maybe, or picnics along the beach. You are hanging out with friends and family. You are not reading blogs.
Therefore, I shall just talk to myself.
I am all by myself on this Saturday evening on the 3rd of July. Visiting son is at his class reunion. Husband is playing a band gig. I am…sweating, for one. Because it’s over 90 degrees and humid. Luckily a breeze blows through the forest. Luckily.
Knowing that 99% of all blog readers are Out Having Fun, I should probably remain mute and pretend that I’m Out Having Fun, too. But alas. That is not the case.
I remember the first time I became acquainted with a holiday blogging exodus. I had just started my outdoor blog back in December 2008. It was four or five days into it.
I was getting maybe 25-30 hits a day. It was so exciting to start a new blog and see a few readers stopping by each day. It was incredible!
Until Christmas Day. It was something like 4 p.m. on Christmas Day and I checked the hits.
Something like five people had stopped by all day. I was devastated.
“Stupid Christmas,” I muttered to my family. “Stupid Christmas! The blog readers have all gone away!”
Can you imagine the teasing which I have endured to this day from that–err–how shall we put it?–stupid comment?
Family members will now gleefully interject on comments on holidays like “Stupid Easter!” or “Stupid Thanksgiving!” or “Stupid 4th of July!” They are rubbing my face in it. They think it’s terribly funny. They laugh and laugh. But they think it’s kind of endearing too…because they knew how important blogging was to me.
Err, did I say was? It’s still important.
So anyway. Even if you are all out having fun on the holiday–it’s OK. Don’t feel guilty about not reading blogs. You have fun.
It was great to get this off my chest. Even if none of you will read it anyway. 😉
Lake Superior Spirit 
Reading away!!
Let me be your first hit!!!
My son and I are watching “House” on USA network…..
Wow! Kim! I am so impressed that you are here. And reading! I adore you! LOL! Enjoy your show…
I’m reading. Having spent the morning laboring away at the patio project and with the heat being what it is, it seems best (recommended, even) to sit here in the cool of the basement where it is always somewhere between 64 and 66 degrees and just chill while catching up with the blogosphere.
Happy 4th to you, too!
Hi Robin! Waving arms wildly at you and saying hello!! Isn’t the cool of a basement wonderful in the oppressive heat? I have been spending lots of time today downstairs in our basement. However…the computer is upstairs. I suppose I COULD move the laptop downstairs…. Have a good weekend, will you? 🙂
Happy 4th; we here in Canada had our birthday on Thursday.
Today, I am in my apartment, feeling very tired and probably fighting a summer cold. It’s time for a nap, I think.
Next weekend is Homecoming, hopefully, I will have recovered by then.
Hi, gigi! Hope you had a good Canada-day! Sorry you are feeling tired. Glad to hear from you. I will picture you fully recovered and chipper. Blessings to you!
Ha!! See, you’re not alone!
I’m just camped out here on the couch with a STUPID headache!
So to spend the time, I’m reading blogs, and watching the History channel which is doing a mighty fine job of teaching me all the stuff I missed in school.
Oh, and it’s hotter than blazes here too, so ice cream sounds really really good……even if I have to go and get store bought. We’ll save the good stuff for our visit.
Thanks for blogging, Kathy….it always feels like you’re sitting right here. 🙂
Wow, this is exciting to see you all here tonight! I don’t feel quite so alone any more. I am so sorry, Susie Q, that you have a headache. Can you feel that I am sending love and energy for your full recovery?
Oh oh oh I still so want ice cream! I may have to drive those 17 miles to Baraga tonight to get one of their famous custard cones. Wouldn’t that be SO pathetic? And they don’t even have pistachio, only on Friday and Sunday nights.
I am glad my blogging entertained you. I am glad we can all be alone together.
Driving to Baraga sound like a mighty fine idea to me…..you could bring your camera, get your ice cream, then go to the beach to play “I Spy” on all the holiday festivities.
Yes…..I do feel all your love and energy, and I know that I’ll be sitting pretty soon!
Have fun!!
HA! You are so WRONG! LOL! We’re here! And reading! Cause it’s COOLER in here than out there! Even though I am technically at the lake with family, we’re in between meals and boat rides, and the fireworks that are going to happen tonight won’t be till later…so…here I am!
Have a wonderful holiday with your family!
Dawn, isn’t it HOTTTTT? And you’re even sitting on that beautiful lake! It’s weird how you can be with family–or friends–and still have these moments of lull or quietness or in-betweeness. I hope you enjoy the fireworks. Hope your fireworks look better than mine did last year! LOL! And Happy 4th to you & yours as well.
OK, you guys. I AM going for ice cream. It’s official! Woo-hoo! It’s 4th of July now, for sure! Ice Cream!!! See you all later…
Hey, UPWOOD KATHY…..I’m here!!!!!!!!!!
Fountainpen
Hi Fountainpen! Wow look at all you readers! Forget everything I said in this blog, LOL! You are all Magnificently Present. And I am back from having an ice cream cone at the Baraga Drive-In. The only kind of custard they had was cotton candy…so that was it. Never had that kind before!
I am here too! I was surprised to see so many of our regular bloggers commenting! What fun!
I am in because Muffin does not like fireworks and people shooting of things in the yards so I have to stay close by and distract her.
Went to the parade earlier today in our little town of Magnolia, I missed most of it but I got some shots of the “string band” and the groups of people in the park.
So I was trying gather up steam to write me blog and ignore bad tv shows!
Happy 4th! enjoy the Ice cream!
Hi Jeff! Yes, it is amazing that so many people are here and commenting. Wa hoo! It feels like fire works are going off in these comments! Cover Muffin’s ears! Poor lil thing… Now I am feeling tremendously happy about spending the night with all of you guys. 🙂 Happy 4th to you!!
Hi, I’ve never read your blog before. I did however, read this post. So maybe some people disappear for those stupid holidays, but they’re probably the kind of people you don’t want reading your blog anyway, no commitment!
Hi vbcpp…I am so ashamed of that “stupid holidays” comment. Well, in a funny sort of way anyway. I am glad that you dropped by, truly. Whether you ever stop by again or not, I am glad you helped make this holiday much more lovely.
Interesting post. I wonder if there are other days that might prove a decline in the number of views you get… As in, maybe Sunday (supposedly a ‘family’ day) there are less viewers than other days. Anyways, it seems that you’ve garnered many comments for a post that you think should have been hardly viewed. 😉
With Love and Gratitude,
The Intentional Sage
Hi Intentional Sage! I love your name! You know what day is often slow for me? Fridays. And my son said Fridays were slow for him when he blogged, too. Other people have said other days are slow. Mondays are usually the busiest–but not always. Makes me wonder how many people are reading blogs when they go back to work! Have you noticed that Sundays are less active days for you?
Look how many of us are home, just sitting here eagerly waiting for and reading your post! We went to our local parade today – perhaps I’ll blog about it. Later. Maybe tomorrow evening. Need to let you mid-western folk know that here in the northwest, we had a touch of frost last night. Today I wore a long-sleeved corduroy shirt over my t-shirt to the parade, and then sat in the sun all day to keep warm
Thank you for giving us something to read instead of going out and having fun!
Look how many! But why do I get the feeling that everyone wasn’t just sitting eagerly around the house waiting to read my post. smiling! I have been working my way through a list of blogs today and it looks like yours is coming up. So will get to read your parade post, I’m sure. Our parade is tomorrow…and then the fireworks are tomorrow night. You had frost last night?? Ohmygoodness!! That is crazy! (As for giving you something to read instead of going out and having fun…oh no! Will have to think deeper about this during the next stupid–no-no–delightful holiday. LOL!)
No WONDER you were soooo on my mind. It took a literal Act of God (the intense heat in my apt) to drive me out of the oven and down the little hill to the Lumberjack coronation …
I did NOT want to go by myself. I felt weird and awkward and alone … and then I said: “To heck with ‘them.’ I am taking pics of a few of the former students who are GLAD I am here … alone, hot, tired, forsaken ….
I get home and find that you have traveled this way … and I laugh at the timing … and I wonder whose plan was it anyway for us to fly solo tonight – but, we’re not, you know … solo … we’re not at all …
I am making no sense because I am melting from heat prostration now and must stick my feet back into the ice water bath I’ve made …. I may go sleep on someone’s dock tonight … Hee-hee …..
Hi Susan! Gosh darn, I’m sorry we missed one another. I was gonna drag you out for an ice cream cone but thought you were visiting your grandbabies. All they had was cotton candy custard…it was OK…but nothing like pistachio. I am proud of you, very proud of you, for going down to the Lumberjack coronation by yourself. Did you see my son anywhere??? Even though you probably wouldn’t recognize him, except maybe you would because of the photos the other night. I’m not making sense cuz of the heat prostration either… hope you have fans in your place!!
I didn’t see him, doggone it. Think I would have recognized him, too, from your photos. I pretty much took pics, schmoozed with a couple of the young ladies and trudged back up the hill …
Yes, I’m checking in, too, way down the list. See how loyal your readers are, Kathy? I had a cool little video to post on my blog today but got an error message every time. Finally gave up in disgust. Will try again in the morning. Happy 4th!
Hi Pamela! I am very sorry to hear about your error messages when you tried to post your video. 😦 That would not have been pleasant. Especially in the heat. Are you going to try to do an audio blog like Gerry? I was thinking about it. That would take some chutzpah. Happy 4th to you as well!
I am happy to see your blog today also. I just got back from Costco watching everyone buy their BBQ fixin’s. The carts were full of ground beef, hamburger buns, corn on the cob, ice cream, chips, and yuck! store bought potato salad. The sad thing is I am only there to pick up a prescription and I am so bored (it took an hour and a half to fill the prescription) I’m watching what people are putting in their carts. Listening to them fuss over who was supposed to go get the mustard or butter pickle chips. Truly it’s probably sour grapes on my part as every one I know has OTHER plans this 4th of July, really its cool though, I am actually looking forward to building a puzzle…did I say that!…(he he)
Have a great 4th everyone!
Hello there, Julie! I am imagining you in the store watching a billion people buy stuff for the 4th. It’s the oddest feeling, isn’t it, when you see so many people celebrating and preparing to celebrate and you’re not really doing anything. I think your puzzle-building enterprise sounds wonderful. I used to love putting together puzzles. Until I started collecting taxes. Then my tax collecting began to seem like putting together a jig saw puzzle. Weird, huh? Happy 4th to you! Make some homemade potato salad why don’t you? 🙂
I’m checking in too, Kathy. Spent Canada Day…July 1st…gardening with my Mom while Rick is back home in California celebrating July 4th for both of us. We are pretty low key with our Canadian celebrations, at least compared to how our CA friends and community celebrate the day.
I’m feeling somewhat discumbobulated from all of the time zone changes in such a short period time…no energy to outrun (or outsmart!) these darn mosquitoes! Have a wonderful July 4th with your family 🙂
Hi Colleen–I thought a lot about Canada Day on July 1st as different blogging and Facebook friends were excited about it. I do hope everyone had a great Canada Day…and everyone has a safe & happy 4th of July, too. So often on these national days of celebration I ponder inner freedom. How we can truly be free & awake as individual people.
Am smiling thinking of you gardening and spending time with your mom. As for those mosquitoes…they are the ones that rule some parts of the country! LOL!
Hey Katht
We just took OREOZ for a car ride to get Ice Cream!!
I had a Hot Fudge Sundae…Don’t tell OREOZ but Mike got an Oreo Blizzard…Joe got an Ice cream sandwich…
Kim, we were both doing the same thing, then! Hope you enjoyed your ice cream… It felt like the perfect thing to do on a hot sultry night, didn’t it?
Hi! I have been cleaning the girls’ room for 12 hours now! There has not yet been a giant explosion, though twould be a great time to have it, as people are expecting such things. The last of the laundry just came in the door and we are on the way out to order white pizza with onion and meatballs. I was adventurous and found a pair of orange capri that are sort of scrunchy and have pockets with little button flaps, and a white top and a black top all for $20 new at the store! The pants were a surprise and half off…yay me! The shirts will go with other pants and skirts so, for my moula, I have created about 6 outfits. You are the money person, you figure out how much that makes an outfit–if you need something to do 😛
You might stand outside and draw a little rain to cool things off, though the non-blog reading persons might protest!
Good morning, Elisa. First of all, 12 hours to clean the girls’ room? I think I would have been crazy after that much cleaning! 🙂 Your orange scrunchy capris sound so much like you. And at such a magnificent price too! Six outfits…oh dear…it’s far too early in the morning to figure out money-related questions on a day off work. Actually it may rain today. Last night I sat out on the deck on the lawn chair in the dark and felt the cool breeze. That was lovely indeed. Hope you enjoy your 4th and that the girls’ room is clean now!
Kathy – I’m present and accounted for. We’re home because one of our dogs three dogs — Lexi — has a hissy fit (scared out of her bloomers) when there’s fireworks. And even though it’s a day early, all of the men and boys on the block are out in the street fully loaded (in more ways then one). Fireworks are illegal, but that’s not stopped any of them since we moved into our home in 1994. No siree!
Isn’t it nice to be home alone?! I personally love it. It doesn’t happen often, but I cherish it when it does.
Laurie, wow, look at all these comments. I have been proven SO wrong. Oh yes, people are fully loaded all around this county too. Not just the fireworks which kept going off every two seconds last night. I remember our little dog when we were growing up was as scared as Lexi. Poor lil thing…
I do love being alone. Cherish it. Except when restlessness hits…
Happy 4th to you and Len!
Hey Laurie
I hope you don’t have any stuck dogs under the bed…You might want to get th grease out now!
Its starting on our side of town too…
OREOZ is being ok about it so far.
Kim
Just put the kids down to bed and started reading. Your words are a one of the fabulous blogs I relax with in the evenings. ~Jessica
Hi Jessica! Why thank you very much. I remember those days after putting the kids to bed and the hush that fell on the house and that lovely feeling of space and independence. I also loved being a Saving Mom, too.
ha i remember when you eschewed christmas! glad you’re coming to terms with the holidays. call you in the morning.
Well here you are, one of the ones that laughed and laughed at my silliness. Will look forward to your call this morning, sweet pea.
lol- looks like you’ve been proven wrong. I’d much rather relax at home. It’s lower 80’s here with a strong offshore breeze. I’m holding a cocktail with cranberry juice in my hand (so it’s good for me) and all is well.
K, I am so wrong! (But proven wrong in a good way…since everyone showed up…maybe we all needed to talk…) Maybe instead of ice cream last night I should have made a cocktail! I love cranberry juice. Your day sounds like the perfect weather, indeed.
We are still out there. Some going places and others staying in but Happy 4th to you! And don’t worry about others, you have a great holiday with loyal readers!
Dear gardenfriend, Maybe I should write a new blog about how EVERYBODY shows up on the holidays now. LOL! Wow. This was an amazing show of support and community. Happy 4th to you, as well! (By the way, we spent quite a bit of time in the garden yesterday morning before it got too hot. Probably should do some weeding this morning too…)
Kathy, I wrote a blog post last night, too, and got 2 hits so far! 🙂 Don’t usually write at night but I had watched an extraordinary movie and just had to share my thoughts… Blog commenting and blog posting are hit or miss with me as my life is full of twists and turns with the old folks. It’s fun reading about all the different things your readers are up to!
Hi Barbara…life IS sure of twists & turns, isn’t it? I read your blog about that great movie and now want to watch it, too. As for getting 2 hits so far–I think I had about the same number of hits on my Simply Here blog this morning. We were tied! I loved reading what everyone else has been doing, as well.
Seems I’m late to the comment party yet again! And I was not Out Having Fun last night either. I was home – baking! Craziness, I know, in this 90 degree heat we’ve been having, but I finally saved up enough of those raspberries to bake something with them before they withered away. Watched the boys from Boston win another ball game, too, while my cobbler was in the oven. (Thank goodness for central AC!)
Karma, you are NEVER too late for a comment party! Welcome! I have been virtually smelling your raspberry cobbler and drooling. Isn’t this 90 degree heat something? You are sure lucky to have central AC. That way when you bake you probably don’t even notice that you’re wilting. LOL! Hope you’re staying cool today too.
HAPPY 4TH, KATHY. IT IS BORING HERE IN GA, CRAIG COMING TOMORROW. TOO HOT TO GO OUT TO EAT AND CROWDED TOO. YOU KNOW, JIM, IF THERE ARE TWO PEOPLE IN A PLACE, HE THINKS HE IS IN A CROWD. HOPE CHRIS HAD A GOOD TIME AT REUNION. CALL WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE. MLD
Hello there Georgia Mom! I will call you soon–either immediately or tonight. Tomorrow at the latest. Chris called earlier this morning and he had a good time at the reunion. Can’t wait to hear details! Wish we were with you. Then it wouldn’t be so boring in either place…
I’m here, too – though I’ve been very hit-n-miss with Kenzie here and a long out-of-town weekend. Now I’m all caught up with you – I was just going to read the new ones but couldn”t bear to miss all the ones from before! Plus JenJen reads them (how does she get a chance to do that and I don’t? Hmmmm?) and tells me I have to read today’s (or yesterday’s or the day before) cuz it was really good. Now I have to get caught up with Amy, Kathy and Gerry…..
Cindy Lou, really? Did you go back and read all the old ones? Wow! I admire you; I truly do. How much longer will JenJen and Kenzie be around? If we go to the parade this afternoon, maybe we’ll run into one another. I can’t believe that Jen reads these blogs! That makes me smile. You tell her so, OK?
Nice blog. Enjoyed reading it today. I subscribed!
Thank you, Robert!
Oh, well, in that case, I just feel COMPELLED to leave a comment for you, to reassure you that I AM RIGHT HERE, and EVEN THOUGH we just on Friday watched the Netherlands beating Brazil 2-1, and Uruguay beating Ghana in a penalty shoot-out, and just on Saturday we watched Germany giving a hiding to Argentina 4-0, followed by Spain beating Paraguay 1-0, and EVEN THOUGH we have visitors from Germany, who actually WENT to the Germany-Argentina game, which we watched from HOME, and EVEN THOUGH we spent pretty much all of today driving around the Stellenbosch wine route area with them… to round off an extremely full and busy weekend, I am now at home, sitting in front of the computer, and checking out what my dear blog-friend Kathy has been doing on the opposite side of the world!!
And there she is, aaaaallll a lone,… or so she says. And I feel so sorry for her, so I scroll right down to the end of the comments….
And then I see that there are 51 (FIFTY-ONE!) comments, which is way more than I have EVER had on any post….
And I can’t help giggling as she wails, “nobody loves me, nobody reads my blogs, I feel aaaalll alone and abandoned…” 😀
Well, Kathy, I think you now know that you’re NOT, hey? 🙂
Hi, Ms. Reggie! You saw that I was catching up on your blog-adventure last night, didn’t you? That’s what I did when I was soooo alone…. (Did it really sound like I was saying nobody loves me; I’m so alone and abandoned? Wow! I didn’t feel that. I felt like–oh gosh, nobody is around to read and play, it’s like being the only kid out in the park with a baseball glove–make that a soccer football, LOL–and I just wanted some folks to play with!) And ohmygoodness, look at all these comments! The team came out to play. They all gathered bits of their own lives and came to share. That made me feel happy, happy! 🙂
*waving!* Hello up there!
Hey, Ms. Emma! It’s you! I see you waving! You look awful tiny down there, though. LOL!
Yes! I have to WAVE REALLY HARD in order for you to see! 🙂
Here too and I’m so happy to have it validated that holidays in the blogosphere are slow! I was thinking it was me.
Tammy, perfect! Glad to have written the blog, then. Just in case other bloggers were thinking it was them. We shall commiserate together, we bloggers!
After painting my nearly 300-foot-long picket fence (yuk!) I came inside, took a nice shower, then wrote a nostalgic blog about growing up in the late 1950s.
Judson
Painting a nearly 300-foot fence must have been a challenging project, Judson! Thank goodness you could blog to relax…
Well, I was just taking a break to have a rest when you posted this, but am back now!
I loathe it when people get offline and do something else, I mean – how dare they?!
😉
It’s weekends, too, that are quiet in the blogosphere.
Hi Ms. Bird! Gosh, I remember having such fun writing this blog! I SUPPOSE it’s OK if people have a life outside the blogosphere… I SUPPOSE. I mean, think of the fun we would miss if we limited ourselves to staring at this machine!
LOL! But, yes, weekends are quiet. Friday’s are especially quiet. I am amazed that anyone is here today!