Ask AnswerWoman

Some of you have left questions and comments after recent posts. Some answers I tried to email to you, but I honestly haven’t figured out a good way to respond. This post is an attempt to answer a few of those items. For those who might be curious, I’ve inserted links to the original posts which provoked the comments/questions.

• No, Golda hasn’t arrived yet, but we did look last weekend. Farida decided that Mohammed, Jesus, Krishna and Buddha would eat Golda, and that wouldn’t be a good thing. But I guess that’s actually not too far from reality, is it?  The Druze, the Jain and the Bahai are probably going to take even longer.

• Yes, I admit I could have vacuumed in the time it took to write the post. But I had fun writing. I wouldn’t have had fun schlepping the Rainbow all over the house.

• The only reason I know this part of the English language is because I have children and a grandchild who are technologically savvy.

• Yes, you really can transfer Tivo recordings to your iPhone or iTouch, take them with you and watch them anywhere. And the only reason I know this is because I have children who are technologically savvy.

• You really can’t expect me to feel sorry for you, now can you? You who are not gainfully employed at the moment should revel in the opportunity to read all these outstanding blogs that I have scouted out for you. I did all the work. You get to have all the fun.

• Yes, it’s surprising how much Abid looks like his mother, but what would really surprise you is how much Nasreen looks like the aunt she was named after. At Christmas she complained about a photo that made her look “too ethnic,” and we thought she was joking–until she brought out the photo of Auntie Safia. The resemblance is uncanny.

• I am amazed and thrilled that you would try out the recipe. I will bring you the garam masala on Tuesday.

• Definitely yes to the cuppa once the big storm which is supposed to pound us this week gets over with and there are no chain restrictions to get to the valley. I don’t do chains.

• I have been too cheap to buy Grey Eagle an automatic feeder until now. But at 20 he definitely deserves it.

• Call me slow or naive or whatever. You are right that in many areas (Afghanistan particularly comes to mind) women are considered second-class citizens. To Abid’s family’s credit (or my ignorance), I never got the feeling that the men in his family looked down on the women of the family at all. Quite the contrary. Many are quite well educated, highly-respected physicians, which is a tribute to the men who encouraged their education and careers. This does not imply that this is necessarily the norm with other families. Yet at the time I was in Pakistan, all of the women of Abid's family still observed the custom of segregating the sexes at social gatherings. The women would also wear burqa when prudence dictated, although it was not the norm for them. They did it by choice, not by obligation. Abid’s family also nominally observed the “arranged marriage” custom although I know of several cases where the couple knew each other and wanted to marry but had the families make the arrangements.

• Yes, I noticed this endearing trait of your son-in-law and grandson at your birthday party.

• Getting published was the result of having a great writing teacher, fantastic co-authors, perserverence, several years of classes–and a certain amount of luck.

• I miss you, too. Yes, Arkansas is a lot closer than the Jordan Valley.

Whew! I thought this would be a quick post, but it’s now an hour and a half in the writing. But I think I’ve caught up with everybody.

Open Letter to Betty F.S.H. in Israel

Dearest Betty!

You just made my day.

You can’t imagine how happy your comment to my post of January 17 made me. For a variety of reasons.

First off, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to urge, coerce, wheedle, whine, and beg you to start a blog. But I felt guilty about doing so because writing is not everyone’s thing, even though you and shared the inspiring words of Mrs. Ohlsen lo! those many years ago in the hallowed halls of Cal State L.A. And that, my friend, is a run-on sentence the likes of which Mrs. Ohlsen would be appalled at. Also ending a sentence with a preposition. Also sentence fragments.

But consider this:

* How many of us have abandoned the ideal job as an insurance adjuster in Southern California for the wilds of a kibbutz at the tail-end of the Sea of Galilee just three miles from the Golan Heights?

* How many of us spent six months as a volunteer on said kibbutz willingly mucking out cow stalls and peeling bushels of potatoes (not at the same time, of course).

* How many of us then came back to the states and converted to Judaism (even though she has a Jewish father) so she could make Aliyah?

* How many of us hid in the bathroom as Saddam rained scud missiles overhead?

* How many of us have photos of ourselves wearing gas masks in said bathroom?

* Who among us spent years working as an administrative assistant in a valve factory in said kibbutz?

* Who else is married to a lovable Bear?

You have tales to tell, my dearest pal, and little enough time to tell them. Please get started now.

And those are just the bare-bones stories I know. I, for one, want to hear those stories again from you and all the rest that I haven’t heard.

Think of all the adventures we had before you left for Israel? I’d like to hear your side of those.

So, pal of mine, by now you should have received an email in which I’ve told you how to get started on your blogging career. From there it’s up to you.

I can’t wait!

Love, meeeeeeeee

It's Official: I'm Addicted

It's time to come clean. I'm addicted to blogging, both writing and reading. I've got my reasons.

Writing:

I started this adventure as a way to get back into writing after years of saying,"I'll write when I have more time . . . "

At this point the prose being churned out would not meet the exacting standards of either of my writing gurus, Elnora King and Susan Ohlsen, but Elnora has always emphasized that it's important to get what's on your mind down on paper/computer screen on a regular basis, and I'm doing that. Whether anyone reads doesn't really matter (although I *love* to hear that you do). It simply has been incredibly therapeutic to express these crazy thoughts.

I also wanted to chronicle a bit of family history for my girls while I still have a few brain cells left. It's sad to recognize how many of the memories I swore I'd never lose have disappeared forever. Way back in 1979 Farida, Nasreen, my mom and I sat in my aunt and uncle's home in Oklahoma City discussing how important it is to document the past. Uncle Ralph regaled us with stories of my dad and his brothers growing up in Central City, NE. Most of them (stories, not my dad or uncles) have now been forgotten.With the death of my aunt Bessie in 2009, all of that generation is gone, and those tales are gone, too.

The blog has also become a way to keep in contact with friends the world over, and this has been a blessing beyond belief. Seems like I've kept quite a bit of my life "secret" over the years. Haven't meant to. Blogging is a way to keep in touch with friends in a kind of general way. It doesn't take the place of a phone call or a personal letter or email, but it helps a bit.

Beyond all of that, the blog has also been instrumental in my looking at life in a distinctly more critical way. I see bloggable moments now that would have sailed by, and it's more fun than you can imagine to write about them.

Reading:

In the beginning it was Pioneerwoman and only Pioneerwoman. I had no idea how diverse and fascinating the blogging world is. The list has grown so much that it has developed categories.

First thing in the morning (in a league all their own). I mentioned these in a prior post, but they bear repeating:

• Pioneerwoman - simply amazing. Her humor, her writing, photography and her views of country life make this a must-read on a daily basis
• Jasmine Star - this should be on the photography list--except that it's much more than just photography. She's another whose view of life inspires and provokes thought.
  

Friends/Family

• Farida - my daughter's new photography blog
• Pat - long-time friend, traveling companion
  
• Virginia Pilegard - former writing partner, forever friend, awesome author, great inspiration
  

Reading Pioneerwoman and Jasmine have led to other fascinating blogs that can keep me engaged for HOURS at a time. In fact I started reading the PW archives, including the comments, and have discovered a treasure-trove of literature. So many folks who comment on her posts are bloggers themselves . . . some are humorous, some sarcastic, all are witty. I've read comments where someone will have just stumbled upon PW's blog and will read her entire archive in an afternoon. I'm not sure how they accomplish that. PW began writing in May 2006. As of two nights ago, I am up to May 2007.

The amazing thing is, the blogging world is a very small community. Once you start reading you discover the same names appearing time and again in each others' posts and comments. And these people soon become almost friends as you read them on a daily basis.

I've mentioned a few previously but am repeating them here to make the list complete (as of today). Just so you know, I'm sharing these sites in hopes that you, too, will get addicted as I am and spend too many hours of the day sitting on your fanny reading! The links make it easy for you to check 'em out. What the heck . . . take a chance . . . click on one or more that whet your fancy and see where it takes you.

• Dooce - Heather Armstrong, who got fired a few years back because of what she wrote on her blog and turned said blog into one of the most widely-read. It made Time's list of 25 Best Blogs of 2009, along with Pioneerwoman and Zen Habits.
  
• I Am Bossy - Philadelphia-based Georgia Getz (BOSSY) has a style and wit all her own.
• Granny Mountain - down-home tales from Arkansas, especially enjoyable now that Pat has moved to that state
  
• Going Country - Love this tale of a pregnant city girl living on a farm in upstate New York in an old, old house with her husband, mother-in-law and a herd of animals.
• NieNie Dialogues - amazing tales of a Morman wife and mother living in Utah in recovery from a horrific airplane crash. Her honesty about her circumstances and her recovery just blows me away.
• Rocks in my Dryer - very diverse blog by a young woman who has just completed a book about blogging, among other things.
  
• Daddy Scratches - one of the few male-authored blogs I've found   
• Running with Stilettos - I met Mary Wagner at the Visitors' Bureau when she and her son visited Yosemite, and I've followed her blog ever since. Sadly, she's too busy with her legal career (and life) to write often.     

You know what's annoying? When you get connected to someone and they don't post all that often. 

Self-Improvement Blogs (for lack of a better term)

• Zen Habits (along with PW and Dooce, named among Time's 25 best blogs of 2009)
• Blog 4 Change
  
• 50 in 52 Journey - one woman's drive to make a difference; 50 states in 52 weeks
  
• 1000 Mitzvahs - call me crazy but after being involved with a Jewish man for nearly 4 years, I have embraced the idea of "mitzvahs," good deeds, and the writer of this blog has vowed to complete 1000 of them in honor of her deceased father
  
• Greg Mortenson - of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools fame

Photography Blogs, in no particular order

• Steve McCurry's Blog - he's the photojournalist who captured the world-famous photo of the Afghan girl which appeared on the cover of National Geographic a few years ago. Phenomenal images.
• Joe McNally's Blog 
• Lighten Up and Shoot
• The Strobist
• Zack Arias

Yosemite/Hiking - this list includes several photography sites which often specialize in Yosemite images and is sadly lacking in entries. If anyone knows of any other Yosemite or Sierra blogs that should be mentioned, please let me know.

• Yosemite Blog
• View from the Little Red Tent
• G. Dan Mitchell
• Michael Fry Photography
• William Neill

1/9/10 6:50 a.m. NEWS FLASH! Edie from View from the Little Red Tent came through for me this morning on her blog, with a very interesting Yosemite site:

• Tree in the Door - blog by David Sharpness on Yosemite flora and fauna. As Edie says, "David is a videographer and photographer specializing in filming and photographing the wildlife of Yosemite, with a special emphasis on birds of prey." This is just what I was looking for. Thanks, Edie!
  

Blogs about Blogging

• Blogging Tips - Resources for Finding Content for Your Blog
• Blogging Bits  
• Blog-Well.com
  

Yes, folks, I pretty much visit many of these blogs each and every day. Is it any wonder that I am up by 5:30 am and in bed at 1:00 am? Oh, my. In reviewing this list, I realize it is woefully incomplete. There are a number of other blogs I look in on regularly. This, my friends, will have to do for now.

What blogs do you read? 
What blogs on my lists did you check out? What did you think?