Monday, October 18, 2010

Here I Am

So I just got an email from an old work friend from whom I hadn't heard in almost two years.  The last time I saw him was when I went to his house to collect a good 50 pounds of green tomatoes (he's what you'd call a suburban backyard farmer, and a good one) so Steve could make his mother's green tomato mincemeat pie filling.  After that fun visit, there was utter silence.  Couldn't imagine what had happened.  Lo and behold here's this note today asking me what happened to Days of Transition and telling me he's worried!  Who knew he was even reading it???  If I needed a reminder that there are lurkers out there care about me (why, I can't imagine) and were using this blog to keep up, that was it.  (You know who you are.  An occasional shout-out, even anonymously, would be most welcome, just so I can know you're there.  I'm not at all averse to a private email, either, if you care that much about visibility.)

I've been working up to starting again, anyway.  Most of the heavy move-in projects are done now; Steve's actually dreaming up make-work things to do just to keep his sanity.  Can some sort of actual job be on the horizon?

And I've been writing all over people who never asked me to.  Long comments on friends' statuses on Facebook.  Longer replies to simple emailed greetings.  I've been away from this daily exercise for too long and it's showing.  I need to write.

I see no need to make any changes here.  I'm still transitioning, even though that original, literal transition is now history.  I'm still learning about living here in the country, meeting new people, getting new perspectives.  Most are good; some are less so.   There are plenty of impressions to tell about.

So I hereby promise to make an effort to get back into the daily habit, or at least as close to daily as I can make it.  If habits there must be, this one is one worth keeping.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice to see You back again :-)

No need to change name on the blog, life is just one long transition :-)

Take care!
Christer.

Sam said...

Good - about time you put down the hammer and nails, got out of the kitchen, scraped the garden dirt out from under your nails (well, maybe not - who can tell?) and got down to business. And no, I've not forgotten about The Picture. Just haven't unearthed it yet, not exhausted the possibilities that it might be here and not in storage in Frederick.

PS (LOL) - The directions for word verification come up auf deutsch. I'm fumbling my way through ...

Ralph said...

Thanks, Christer. Yes, Nan made me see that no matter what I do, it's a transition of some kind. I've missed this place! Thanks for being there.

Ralph said...

Sam, how can you tell if that cryptogram is auf Deutsch? They don't look like any language at all to me!

I sure hope you find that picture, though I can't imagine why you'd have it with you there....

Anonymous said...

I have a tickler line in the sidebar at the Cat blog and wonder why it never highlights for something new here. But I figured a new house takes some doing. I know how hard the new house here was and it seemed nothing was ever done that didn't create another five things to do. Welcome back and maybe this might include food friday although in your absence many foodies have jumped in. Do I get a hint that Steve is job hunting?

Ralph said...

Food Friday might resume as the weather cools down and I experiment with some new things, Z&M.

Steve's not job hunting now, but he has mentioned it. It would certainly help with his medical insurance, which he about to begin as an individual, unprotected by any group or govt. assistance. Ouch!

Big Geez said...

I dunno, Ralph. The process of writing comments to your blog carries a lot of pressure. Your comments to my blog are always so well-written and on point -- that's a tough act to follow.

Maybe I'll just fall back on something simple that I've always wondered about. Is it just my eyesight or is most of the black lettering on your header lost in the dark areas? :)

Ralph said...

Geez, that's a great comment and it gives me chance to kvetch about blogger. I like the picture and that's as bold and as big as I can make the lettering and still keep it in the space provided. I'm not satisfied with it but I don't know what to do about it.

And sometimes my comment to you is just "great post!" If you really think it's a great post, I don't at all mind hearing just about that!

nan said...

Oh Ralph! You're back! I knew you'd come back to us! Welcome back to a more regular writing space and time. I look forward to following along.

Ralph said...

Oh such pressure, Nan! Now I'll be a bundle of performance anxiety! Here's hoping....

Sam said...

Ralph, it's not the cryptograph itself that's in German, but the directions on what to do with it, where to enter it, etc. I'm glad I posted on here a few times in the (dim, dark) past so I have the gist of things.

As for the picture, I think the little mugshot-book was in a coffee table drawer that was crammed with photos and such, so was all packed up in a box I have YET to open (after nearly two years here). I still have about a half-dozen boxes that are unopened - and if I've gone this long w/o opening them, I can probably last until I get home. But for you? I'm looking ... just not very fast.

Ralph said...

Sam, guess you brought a lot of stuff with you over there! I don't have that elementary school stuff because it was packed in the basement of my parents' house in Falls Church when hurricane Diana came through and flooded it. (The basement was "my room.") Lost everything--report cards, mug books, all of it. So I've lived this long without it--I can last a bit longer!

Perovskia said...

I've been popping by in and our irregularly, but always looking for a word from you. Glad you're back again. Remember, your blog is where I come when I need to feel...calm and satiated when (if) I'm down. So for that reason alone you have to write :P

Glad you're well.

Ralph said...

Perovskia, these kind words of yours went into spam (I fixed that) and I'm juset seeing them for the first time today, several days later. Thank you so much. I'll do my best!