(Post 7 of 189. Thanks again to those who participated in the Fundrazr!)
I was witness to something very bizarre a few weeks ago that nobody believed me about. I actually wondered if maybe I was seeing things. It was kind of improbable. But the other night, I got photographic proof! Now, people say that I’m still crazy, but not about this. What an improvement!
Can you see it?
How about now?
Yep, that’s a dog walking along the top of my garden wall! As I can understand it, he starts at the neighbours on the south side, walks west to east along my south wall, turns north, walks along the street façade, and then disappears into the yard of my neighbours to the north.
I have seen a lot of cats do this, but a big dog?! I know that “roof dogs” are a thing in Mexico, but a dog that takes a wall as an expressway is new to me!
He probably feels a lot safer up there. Stray dogs are not treated kindly in Mexico.
Depends on where in Mexico.
PS: Nice to see all the posts from you. Who knew it could be that easy!
I am shocked if it is a surprise to anyone that it would take something like this to get me blogging again. I have said it over and over that it requires a lot of time and effort to produce quality, informative content and that something had to give. I was so insulted by the one time I flat out asked my blog readers for financial help and got chastised for it, in addition to having every attempt to monetise the blog being blocked.
So after 10 years of being flat out told, “We want you to post more, but we don’t feel you deserve to be compensated for it — this should be a hobby just for fun even if it’s a part-time job!” that I am frankly shocked that anyone even responded to the Fundrazr. I would have made my promise to post much less generous had I had any faith in my readership to come through, but I thought that I might have to write a post or two at most. I wish I could say faith in humanity restored, but, really, I’m still sad that the community I thought I had took this long to really have my back.
But again, I want to thank everyone still reading who ever gave me a place to park and/or bought me a meal and/or bought an ebook. You made up for A LOT. So that includes you, Croft.
Posting should be a fun hobby and not a “job”. Trying to make it a job would, I fear, lead to disappointment for anyone! I doubt many Bloggers make enough from their Blog to justify the time spent. I treat mine as more like a diary that I refer back to often.
Actually, that’s not true. Lots of people make money from their blogs, even a living. I always made it clear that I wanted it to be at least a part-time income for me.
What I have resented over the years is just how much was demanded from me in terms of how much people felt that I should be posting and how much people felt that I should be giving versus how much they felt that content was worth. I can’t even get people to use my Amazon.com affiliate link, which doesn’t cost anybody anything.
I will remind you again that you are retired. There was a time when I was probably spending 20 hours a week on this “hobby” instead of making money at a job because I saw how it could be a job for lots of people. People still refer to my old posts about technical subjects and email me with questions that I take the time to answer.
I really only Blog when I travel and even then posting seldom takes more than a half hour per day with a few exceptions (and it shows). For a while I was running photos through a basic PhotoShop “levels” adjustment but gave that up after I got my new cameras which produced much better images. Now, a simple crop and they are ready.
I have always enjoyed reading your material and appreciate when you share your adventures but I never “expect” anything from you and never realized you were under pressure to produce. Knowing that, I don’t blame you at all for phasing down your Blog.
I too still get the odd email request for information on Mexico travels and Shaw Direct, enough to know people actually do search the archives. My current posting is down to a few posts per year but I do notice that within minutes of posting my reader count starts showing “hits” and I always find this surprising.
I put enough professional effort into blogging that I was chosen to be the keynote speaker at the biggest RV show in the northwest one year, gave a lecture at an RV seminar, and was even on the cover of an RVing magazine. Oh, and I wrote the manual on full-time RVing in Canada. Funny how my core readership group, fellow RV bloggers, never felt that I was entitled for having some sort of expectations that I could make a living for my efforts as I was “just a blogger” while the rest of the RVing community at large recognised that I should be paid for what I was teaching them. I never asked anyone to pay to subscribe to the blog. I never asked for help the two times that I had really bad accidents. I asked people to buy my ebooks (something concrete that offered extra value outside the blog). I asked people who shop on a site millions of people shop at to consider doing so through a special link so that I could get a token amount in commissions every month (so no extra cost to readers). And the one time I said, hey, guys, I really need help, I was chastised for reaching out. So I am gobsmacked if there is any surprise that “this” is all it took to get me blogging again. And you can bet that I’ll stop again the minute I have fulfilled my obligation.