I logged into my SquareSpace account a few days ago with the intention of adding Walking With the Muse to my Books page and realized something—the old website is in desperate need of tidying up. There’s nothing quite like launching a new book to make you realize how out-of-date your website is.
I’ve never been what you’d call particularly proficient in web-design. As much as I enjoy the creative aspect of it, it seems like there are always a gazillion technical hurdles that stand between what I want and what I can actually accomplish. The end result is usually far from my original vision. The design tools make it easier than ever but if you want to stray from one of the many templates you can find yourself in the weeds pretty quickly.
One thing I'd really like to do is to start cross-posting my Hive blog on a dedicated blog page on my site. I'd also like to start collecting email addresses and build a mailing list. This is something I did 10+ years ago, pre-Steemit/Hive, when I had a basic Wordpress blog. However, email database services like Mailchimp that used to be free are now charging some pretty steep monthly fees for even their basic service.
Up until now I’ve never been able to justify hiring a web-designer but that might change in the near future as the book orders are rolling in. So for now, my website is technically functional but under construction. As my Dad used to say all the time, "You have to pay to play."
Sometimes when I hit these kinds of walls between my vision and reality I need to be reminded of his old saying. It's a lesson that I find myself coming up against, again and again.
Changing Seasons
It's beginning to feel like fall now. The air cools quickly as the sun sets behind the horizon. The migratory birds are very active on the feeders as they fuel up for their trip south. The one bird, beside the hummingbirds, that I'll really miss are the gold finches. These little guys are so boisterous and bright. They really help to put a smile on your face.
That's probably the toughest part of living in Minnesota (the Siberia of America)—the lack of color and of life during our extremely long, harsh winters. From November almost through to the beginning of May we see nothing here but white, gray, and brown. It seems like any of the wild animals that can move on to warmer climates take advantage of that freedom.
Those animals are, sometimes, far more intelligent than we are. Who knows, maybe we'll follow their lead this year and become snowbirds ourselves?
Making Peace With My Inner Spanky
Prepping the house for the winter has been a very good reminder to me of how much work it actually is to maintain a home. I think, like childbirth, the human brain pushes those memories of the hassles and expenses to the outermost recesses of our minds for our own sanity.
In the last couple of days we've had a contractor come out to prep the wood pellet stove for the burn season and sweep the chimney and a few days ago we had the driveway sealed. We've also hired a contractor to repair the drywall from our recent plumbing leak. As I'm sure you all are well aware, absolutely everything cost 2-3x more now than it did before the pandemic so sticker-shock can feel overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, I'm truly grateful to live in a relatively safe neighborhood and have a decent roof over our head, we're fortunate in that regard, but...
At times life can have a way of making you feel like Spanky, from the Little Rascals, throwing stacks of money out of the window.
They call homeownership the cornerstone of the American Dream—and most times it feels like that. However, there are some not-so-pleasant aspects of that specific dream that they don't talk as much about and those things have a tendency to keep coming for you. I guess that puts a whole different spin on Labor Day.
All for now. For those who reside in the US, enjoy this extra day off! Today, we're headed to the Minnesota State Fair and I'm going to try to put my Spanky-vibes on hold until tomorrow. ; )
