All spiffed up
I just received an official notice. It’s been nine years since I first started blogging about our Little House in the Big Woods.
Nine years ago, on a snowy winter day in 2008, the idea arose to spend an entire year “Opening the door, walking outside” and blogging about it. On Solstice, 2008, I started yakking to no one in particular about this commitment to open the front door, day after day after day, and find out what new & exciting might present itself in the outdoors of this Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Our little shed in the big woods
So many folks paused to read about this commitment, to step outside with me day after day, to see what was happening in the cold and snow and black-and-white scenery of winter.
I was soon hooked–hook, line and sinker–in the world of blogging!
A year later, I started Lake Superior Spirit. This would be post # 970, just in case you’re a stats fanatic like I am. There has been 476,983 views. That translates to 116,360 visitors. On March 2, 2010, this blog had 4,294 visitors, just because it was featured on WordPress. These days–when I’ve quit blogging for ten months at a time and lost many readers due to inattentiveness–I’m lucky to have a hundred viewers after a published post, maybe two hundred if it’s an exciting day.
It doesn’t matter. Because you’re here. And that’s what counts; because you’re a real person and not a number. You’re HERE and that matters more than any numbers! (I always frown lovingly at the stats lover of myself convincing her of what’s truly important.)
So today I opened the door and walked outside, just to remember. And snapped pictures of our Little House in the Big Woods.
In the past two years we’ve paid a builder mega-bucks to spiff up our exterior. After 30+ years, the roof needed repair. After 30+ years, the siding had been pecked by woodpeckers way too many times. Big holes decorated its girth. Mice and shrews happily skittered within the holes.
Our bird feeder (and small chickadee) in the big woods
Not only did we repair the roof and siding in the past two years, we also nicely asked the builder to put a roof over our firewood. We are in 7th Firewood Heaven. We no longer have to buy $100 worth of tarps to cover the firewood every year. Now we luxuriously load our wood room beneath the massive roof, thanking the entire Universe for our protection from the elements.
A few little spruce trees in these big woods
All is good in our Little House in the Big Woods. Even though we won’t see our two kids (and their significant others) at Christmastime, we are content. We’ve seen each of them more than once during 2017.
That’s a big year for us!
Thanks for stopping by, opening the door, and walking outside. Thanks for nine years of blogging here at WordPress.
May you be blessed by nature’s beauty as the upcoming year unfolds…
Lake Superior Spirit 
I’ve enjoyed visiting with you at your little house in the big woods, walking in those woods, and getting glimpses of your Great Lake. There is a thrill to numbers of followers growing, but for me the important parts are being able to share, and those fellow bloggers we see most often. Like you.
Carol, I like how you put that–that there IS that thrill of followers–but what’s important is the readers with whom we gain the rich value of friendship. Thank you for reading! And for speaking up and sharing your thoughts!
Sweet, Love the photo of the wood shed ! You have blessed many of us readers with your joy and humor, sharing your world that many of us will never know. Thank you, have a great Holiday!
Jeff, how lovely that you’ve paused and commented and now I’m remembering you in New York City when we met. Glad that you’ve enjoyed these north woods and that you’ve remained a faithful reader even when I’ve disappeared for months at a time. Love! and Happy Holy-days, too!
Kathy, I loved reading about your adventures outside in the northwoods! This was how I found you and will always treasure those stories from you! Thank you for sharing your life with us here and for opening your heart to all of us ❤ Merry Christmas my dear friend! ❤ xoxo
Oh Brenda, thanks for reading and taking the time to make this comment! Gosh, there have been a lot of stories, haven’t there? I have been so inspired by YOU and by other friends who have supported this for so long, and who haven’t deserted me during the solo times that I need to be in silence. Merry Christmas to YOU and Alex!
Kathy, you are a Rock Star in our books and I will always remember getting to drive up to your “Little House” and coming in. I remember Jenny telling me to breathe. It was as exciting for me as getting to sit on the floor next to Studs Terkel and take pictures. You are ultra-observant, a master at relating your experiences to us, you are insightful and your interests abound. The best part you are even nicer in person than you are online.
Oh gosh, John, you so often make me laugh OUT LOUD! Honestly, Jenny telling you to breathe. Knowing you even a little bit, I believe it! I am grateful that we’ve met in person, and hope for you and Jenny to have a VERY merry Christmas! Blessings to you…
I am so glad that you opened the door and let me in. It has been a special blog since I first found you. I am happy that you are posting once again because I enjoy seeing the world through your eyes and heart. Blessings to you and yours Kathy.
Thank you for your kind words, Bonnie. Sometimes you just have to open that door, lol! Blessings to you at Christmas, as well!
I had never given up, Kathy. I was a week too late this year, but happy as always when I saw your first entry, “she has come back, she has come back” 🙂 Keep going, and listen to your inner voice. If it’s too much and other things are important, go ahead and take your time out. There is nothing more important than our own life.
Well, hello, I needaloginblog! So glad you were excited about this. I do try and listen to that inner voice as much as possible. It’s the guiding voice on this end… Thank you for your kind words. Happy holy-days!
I feel such gratitude for all that you’ve shared with us, Kathy, and for inspiring me to sort of follow in your footsteps, learning about the gifts of my surroundings (even the mud and heat and biting insects…lol!). Your little house in the big woods looks so welcoming and cozy.
I had to chuckle at your stats lover. I have one, too. Or had, maybe. I haven’t looked at my stats in ages, but there was a time I loved looking at those numbers (or sometimes fretted over them).
Always good to see you here in the blogosphere whenever the mood strikes. Happy Blogiversery. 🙂
Thank you, Robin, for your Blogiversery wishes! You must have more years than I have. It was so wonderful that you opened the door and spent a year outside as well. That was such a blessing–and I know you understand the joys & craziness of that kind of commitment.
As to the stats lover, I have lately basically decided she’s here to stay. Even when I didn’t blog for ten months (and got very few hits) the stats lover still wanted to check! The lucky part is that somewhere along the line I realized that fretting didn’t need to be an ingredient in it. It didn’t matter if there was 19 hits or 34 or 56. I have been a person who counted miles on the car (!), dishes (one dish, two dish) and adored making budgets. Probably why I had a career in counting numbers. Luckily, the counting seems to be reasonable these days. 🙂
Thank you for that reality check about seeing the children.
Does that mean you’re not seeing your children at Christmas this year? Alas…some years (many years) are like that. Thanks for dropping by!
Kathy:
I want to welcome you and your awesome photos back to our blogging universe. And as for keeping track of stats, I have stopped checking the number of views for my posts. In fact-if you decide to read other blogs again-I wrote a post about this on my blog at http://www.msmcword.com. The post is titled, “The Best View.” I wrote it in October or November of this year.
Thank you for sharing the photos of your home and its surroundings.
Nancy
Thank you for stopping by to read and comment. I went over to your post and liked it. Very wise! Glad you enjoyed the pics of our house and woods. Blessings!
So glad you are back!
Thank you–so good to see you here again, Lucinda!
I enjoyed visiting your snowy world this morning. We’ve no snow so far in Missouri, though it is possible but not likely that we could have some white for Christmas. The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts – mild with snow – time will tell. I don’t mind mild but then the insects next summer . . .
Deb, I thought you were going to get some snow–last week maybe? You must not have got it. Hoping you get just the right amount of snow for Christmas. And the same for the winter!
I love your little house! I love the reference to the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, that i read to my little girls, while imagining my own life taking an adventurous turn; I adore the little front portico, that turns with the steps, seeming to reach out in welcome. Finally, I love the inspiration you have found there, in nature and in your own heart, that you share through your writings. Wonderful holidays to you and yours!
Thank you, Cindy. Your comment meant so much to me. We put so much into residing and reroofing this little place in the last couple of years. And I adored those Little House books, too! Started reading them all to Chris when he was about three or four years old. Couldn’t wait until the girl came along to read them to her! Happy holy-days to you as well, in your little house in the big woods on the little island. 🙂
The little house is looking really good. Looks like you’re getting your fair share of snow too. We’re a little shy yet here. Not complaining! Truly an inspiration to roof over firewood storage. Hope you enjoy many more years of opening the front door (and writing about it).
Lisa, thank you so much! We’ve really been sprucing the old girl up. Yes, the snow has been coming quite a bit, although we had melting yesterday. You can hardly imagine our absolute joy about having that roof over the wood shed. Too many years of shoveling off that wood pile and struggling through deep snow.
I’m happy to visit your house in the woods! I love the way you arrange words on a page, too. XO
Thanks, Stacy. Wishing you Happy Holidays and dancing words in your life!
Dear Kathy, why does your pretty house look so warm even though surrounded by snow all around? Isn’t that magical? Your woods are welcoming, I feel the joy of being there. Thank you for sharing, for looking outside and showing us that the real warmth lies within. Lots of love & hugs, Sonali
I think the sun was shining just so to make the house look warm, Sonali! It is frigid frigid frigid cold right now and we are burning our fire wood like crazy! Thanks for reading and knowing about the real warmth within.