Blogs I Love

This was supposed to be for an assignment for blogging 101 that I never got around to writing. It wasn’t because I never read anyone’s blog; it was because I failed to notate my reading/viewing journey(s.)

I do enjoy looking at photos others take. There are plenty of amateur photographers here and of those, I’m one. But there are also those here who  have honed their skills and present t hem here for us to admire and shoot towards.  Mr. Funk Photography is a favorite blog to visit for this. His photo title “It was a Sunny Day” is one I really like.

When time is short and I need a little prompt or pick-me-up, or new perspective, there is a blogger that has a growing supply: Tales of Unusual Strangeness. Tales of Unusual Strangeness specializes in short, I mean short stories that cover  everything from humor to philosophical and spooky.

There are many powerful writers around WordPress. Every blogger must write, and I’m discovering that by blogging, we are forced to practice and hone our craft.

There are beginner bloggers. I enjoy reading their first blogs and watching them grow.  I’m a new blogger too. Here is a list of some bloggers I’m following that are new to this blogging world:

Unbreakable, who is a night-shift nurse and trauma survivor, among  other things. Unbreakable has some things of interest to share worth reading.

I’ve read some works of promising writers who are young, still in school, and not wasting their time waiting for some later date to begin their writing journey. These blogs are exciting to read. What would I be doing at this point in my life if blogging had been around when I was in junior high or high school?

There are the beloved masters of storytelling, how-to, and reference. These bloggers have been around a while, long enough to have thousands of followers. I’m thankful they’re here for us to study and learn from, and enjoy. One such storytelling master, to me and 24,332 other followers as of June 24, 2015, is a writer called Storyshucker. If you haven’t discovered his blog, I advise you to get on over there so you don’t miss out!

Fellow artists I follow:

Sam Tayag: She’s a hiking artist that paints on the spot and writes about it. I enjoy doing the same thing so I love her blog. She makes me not want to sit at the keyboard but to get out and do after visiting her blog.

To show my readers I really do paint and also paint while I’m “out doing,” here is one painting I did while hiking in the Olympic Mountains.

Early Morning Encounter. Painting is a 5×7 acrylic by Lenee Cobb.

I want to do more of that always. There is nowhere I’d rather be and nothing I’d rather be doing more than to be in the mountains near sweet, clear water on a blistering summer day working with brushes, paint, and canvas. For those interested, I painted this on the banks of a quiet offshoot of the Quinault River.

JanD began her blog about art. She works with oil pastels. I enjoy the products pastels create and she goes so far as to teach by photographing the steps and doing videos on her blog. I respect her work and frequent her blog and yet I don’t like to work with pastels. (For me, working with pastels is too messy and they feel gritty, like I’m running fingernails across a chalkboard. I prefer  feeling the smoothness of paint and brush glide.) But pastels look so soft and smooth when on paper. I’ll say it again, I love the effects created by pastels. It’s great witnessing the development of her blog site.

There will be other blogs by artists I’ll find and follow. Their styles will differ from mine and that’s what art’s all about. What we all share is the joy of creativity. Of course we love to write.

But I am also a spiritual person, a basic Christian, and I’ve discovered some blog sites that have inspired and helped guide me, or open my mind to new perspectives and insights. Not all the sites that feed me spiritually are Christian sites. Bloggers from different religions, beliefs,  and walks of life all contribute to my understanding. Here are some of the bloggers within this category I enjoy following:

The Game Huddle is a blog with more than one writer working it. I recommend it to all Christians, even if it is geared towards athletes. Here is one of my favorite posts there: 5 Thoughts on Hope.

A blogger of extreme interest to people who, like me,  are imperfect, is someone known here as the Pickled Pastor. This blogger is upfront about :1. being a woman and a pastor. 2. battling alchohalism. The blog is new and the progress, both in blogging and in her personal life, is something worthwhile to witness. Perhaps like me, you don’t happen to be an alcoholic. Her insights (or sermons) still have a way of connecting with readers and leave them with something gained for the reading.

Karen Copeland writes a blog called Champions for Community Mental Wellness. Her blog covers her own experiences and sheds light on what many families go through. Her blog interests me because as a foster parent and as a “regular person” I’ve come across many individuals who suffer from one form or another of a mental ‘handicap.’ The opportunity to enhance my understanding of their experiences helps me build relationships with people.

There are so many excellent blogs on WordPress to discover. I’ve only just scratched the surface. If I didn’t mention your blog, it in no way means I don’t love your blog. It does mean I ran out of time and this post is already pretty long.