Welcome to My Deck

I feel like I need a note to explain my absence.  I started having severe headaches (only at night) about a month ago. At first I could not figure out the cause. Long story short, it was a toothache and once that became clear I went to a dentist and had a root canal done this week. This was unforseen, but managed to impact my work, my class, and my blog.

I've been taking an online class on Creating a WordPress Website since September. In October I had started a post on an article about blogging that was included in our class materials. Well, yesterday I took my final for the class and will take the next class in the series starting mid November. 

I still wanted to share this article on blogging. It's not packed with technical information, but I liked the concept and as I read it I was mentally reviewing my blog.

The article is "Make Your Blog Feel Like Home and Keep Visitors Coming Back" by Coree Silvera. The article is short, the point being that when you invite someone to your blog it is similar to inviting someone to your home. She gives some pointers on making your "home" more presentable. 

She mentions clutter, but I have to admit that when I find a new blog full of images, even ads and links, I tend to want to hang out there, because there's so much to see. Yet, I've tried to keep All-Purpose Flower as tidy as possible. My desk is another story altogether.

At the end of her article, she talks about letting people know about you, the blogger. She makes a good point that the "About Me" page says a lot, but the images we use on our site tell even more. I'm drawn to blogs that share the personality of the blogger. Yet, when I first created my blog, it was meant to be more of a journal with clippings, photos, and links.

After reading this article I wondered, "Am I inviting you into my home or my back yard?" This may seem irrelevant, but in my mind there's a difference. I'm not much of a hostess, yet the idea of inviting people over to hang out on the deck and drink coffee is more my style. Having that "space" in mind changes the way I view my blog space.

Since I first discovered blogs I have not easily found gardening blogs that appeal to me the same way as artistic or DIY blogs. I started out reading blogs by Kelly Rae Roberts and Funky Junk Interiors and I haven't found their equivalent in gardening blogs. I want to add that if you scroll to the bottom of the web page you will find a list my favorite blogs, gardening or not. If you would like to share your favorite garden blogs, please leave a note in the comments.

While I may not be inviting anyone over for tea, I can invite you to come visit on the back deck and check out what I'm currently growing.