Rolling With the Punches + Other News

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I took this photo of the corner of my bathroom the other day. The small oval landscape print came from Walmart. I believe it was $7.49, and I knew just where I wanted to put it, so I ordered it.

I can’t buy things like I could a year or even six months ago. Everyone is feeling the crunch of whatever life is dealing you, with inflation, etc.

The Container Garden:

The container garden hasn’t done very well this year due to the strange weather and torrential rains.

I only get about one Persian cucumber a week from the cucumber plant, and I usually can get three salads out of it. They’re tasty little cucumbers that I’ve never planted before.

The green beans are ready, and a tomato has produced its first flowers. That’s all I’ve got in the vegetable department, though I do have various herbs. I always have my favorites, Pineapple Sage and Lemon Verbena.

Mexican Purslane was another plant I planted this year because this plant stands up to the heat.

They aren’t the most elegant flower, but will last longer in the late summer months when everything in the garden is drying up.

Many of my plants in my garden have already dried up. Annuals. But the perennial hosta and coral bells are lush and pretty right now.

It’s been really hot. Kendra came last week with her electrician and made a hole in the ceiling of my living room to install a ceiling fan. I’m really enjoying it.

I have also found good sturdy oscillating fans at Amazon, by the Good Housekeeping company.

Fan Description:

All-Metal 12″ Retro Desk Office Table Fan with Wide Oscillation, 3-Speed Settings & Carrying Handle. It comes in nine colors.

I ordered these because they aren’t plastic. They are heavy ($69.88 each), and I hope they are durable. I already am enjoying the red one. The silver-gray one hasn’t yet arrived.

I’m pretty sure I got the crimson red one for ten dollars less, but you know how prices go up and down online.

This 12-inch fan puts out a lot of air. I’m impressed by that. It was more than I wanted to spend, but the reviews weren’t good on other ones I looked at. I figured if it was metal and durable, then it was worth the price.

I’m going to put the silver-gray one on my desk, facing outward, to blow air where it’s stale. The back rooms, laundry room, office, and back bedroom with all the windows are not insulated.

My last electric bill doubled and a half from the month before. I’m hoping to keep my bill within reason. I’ve turned up the thermostat and put 70% blackout curtains on the living room windows.

What I’m Doing Lately:

I haven’t been reading of late, due to the arthritis in my hands and fingers. It hurts my fingers to hold a book because of the stiffness and losing motion.

I continue to work on this blog, just wishing I was making the money I made this time last year. AI is hurting so many of us. My income is three quarters less. That’s a big hit.

This month looks to be the worst yet. But what can you do but keep going and hoping things will level out.

Usually, once a week, I post something I think is Google-searchable and might stick around as a perennial post. When I write posts like the one I’m writing today, Google doesn’t even pick them up. It’s what is called a no-index post.

Readers Who Read This Blog:

You can read the blog post, but it doesn’t go out to the masses. You only see it if you subscribe to my emails or just know how to find me.

I didn’t realize that was happening until a few months ago. You learn something new every day, I guess.

I’ve subscribed to a service that backs up my blog and manages plugins, etc. for years. And this company has come up with analytic intelligence that daily helps me rewrite old posts.

It is really amazing because they analyze your blog content and tell you what you need to do to stay relevant. To remain on the internet where people can locate you.

It costs me more a month, but I’m looking at it as an investment. Blogging isn’t cheap anymore. I pay over $200 a month just to keep it going.

This service provides an online dashboard and sends emails to remind me what I need to do seasonally, etc. All by continually analyzing the blog’s content.

This kind of knowledge is beyond me. I have to rely on those who are tech savvy to help me move forward.

Updating Content for Google:

For instance, you can’t just post something and forget it’s there. You have to keep updating your blog posts so it stays in search results. Otherwise, I suppose, it drops to the bottom. So you keep rewriting, updating, and adding new photos.

Where you see text highlighted, if you ever wondered, that is linking to other older content. Which is what you must do to keep things on the right path.

In other words, linking is supposed to lead readers to other similar posts in the blog that people might click to.

Those clicks are very important to the growth of your blog. And traffic means income.

I am trying to get more traction on Pinterest. On Instagram, I only post images. I don’t put a little social blurb or description with it like most do. That social media platform has never caught my interest, but I want a presence there for whatever traffic I might get.

I’ve always been more interested in Pinterest, from the early days. I love gazing at all the pretty pictures, decorating ideas, and gardening ideas. There was really no point in buying magazines any longer once Pinterest came along.

For this post, it is simply informational for those of you who like to read this blog and keep up with me. So I will mark it as “no index” so Google doesn’t ding me for it. In other words, punish the site.

This post will be considered of low value to the internet, so they won’t put it out there to come up in search.

The New AI World:

This is the new AI world, where they steal your content and then show up in search results before you do. And you can’t do anything but try to keep going with the flow. With this blog that’s been a central part of my life for over 17 years.

I’m determined to keep this blog active and remain connected with all of you who have supported me over the years. It is still “my baby,” and I want to continue to nurture it. But that won’t pay the bills, unfortunately.

That’s what is called “rolling with the punches.” And I’m rolling as fast as I can, treading water, not knowing where it will take me next.

I’m not going to throw in the towel, as many bloggers already have. I need the routine, the work is important to me, and I need the income.

I’m here, I suppose, for the long haul. As long as you’re here with me, I’ll be here too.