This blogging's okay

Last December after figuring out all by my dumb little self how to create a blog, I then figured I'd probably stay at it for maybe a week, get bored and quickly fade from view. The fact that my brother Jim in Grants Pass, Oregon, contributed a cartoon and a name for the Slight Detour blog inspired a sense of responsibility to at least stick with it as long as he did.

Well, we're both still at it, and neither of us harbors any regrets. In Jim's case, it opened up a world of cartooning opportunities on a national scale. He's now a regular with the nation's major hang-gliding magazine, contributing monthly cartoons, coming up with calendar images and illustrating articles. This opportunity has added an artistic outlet for his hang-gliding passions.

In addition, he hasn't minded one bit seeing his 'toons featured on Dave Oliveria's "Huckleberries Online." Nor, have I complained one ounce when Dave points his blog readers to my daily musings several times weekly. Have actually made some new cyberfriends because of this association.

I've reaped additional benefits besides just plain enjoying the morning mind exercise of stringing together a few hundred words, usually dealing with a my unique, sometimes quirky perspective on community, home, family or people issues. In so doing, I'm learning that there are actually readers out there. In most cases, I know not who they are, but in others, I do hear from them.

For example, a fellow blogger, Cis, the Retired, regularly offers her nice touch to several subjects in my comments column. I often hear from Rose Marie who recently moved to North Idaho from Northern California and entrusted me with her white Persian queen feline, Charlie.

Through the blog, I've gotten to know Dott from Texas. She's a friend of Bill's and his sister Margo, who frequently checks in from her post at the California State Parks office in Sacramento. And, family members occasionally leave a comment. A former student, Melissa (who has to be the sweetest person I know) often sends me a thoughtful email in response to something I've mentioned that day.

I know of other readers in Sandpoint, New Zealand, New York, England, Florida, and most recently this week, Boston and Paradise-----Montana, that is.

A few days ago, after I focused on June Paulet's departure to Salmon, Idaho, and mentioned the old North Boyer telephone party line, a blurker (they're the ones who read but keep silent) broke his silence and sent me a comment. I hadn't seen my neighbor, Ken Best, for at least 20 years, but now, thanks to Cis' association with his wife, I've actually talked to Ken on the telephone. He was sitting on the porch of his log home in Paradise, Mont. at the time.

Because of that conversation, one of these days Mother, Bill and I will get in the car and drive over to Paradise to share stories of the neighborhood with Ken who remembers when the first phone line served North Boyer residents along with a lot of other classic tales.

Unlike Ken, I can't call Dr. Seth Walker Noonan a blurker because he just discovered this blog two days ago after finishing up his doctoral studies in psychology at Harvard University. He wrote me a note yesterday and said he'd been surfing the web looking for Sandpoint sites and happened on the blog.

After reading yesterday's posting about our paying off the mortgage, he wanted to share why June 30,2005, was also a special day for him. At 4:30 p.m. Boston time yesterday, Seth had officially finished with his Harvard studies. He planned to celebrate the occasion later in the evening at one of Boston's Irish pubs.

Seth has a direct connection with the Love family. His mother grew up in the same small Louisiana town as Bill; there's an epic story of how family members crossed paths in school classrooms.

Bill's mother and his Aunt Fannie taught Seth's grandmother Alice. Seth's grandmother taught Bill. A generation later and 2,500 miles away in North Idaho, Bill's wife Marianne taught Seth-----and our son Willie, in the same sophomore honors English class. A friendship between the two young men was born. A few years later, Seth gave the Best Man's speech and toast at Willie's wedding to Deborah.

Now, Seth celebrates his own educational milestone, and we are all proud for him. Thanks to his discovery of the slightdetour. blogspot.com, I had the opportunity to congratulate him on his special day as did his good friend Willie.

So, yeah, this blog has served many wonderful purposes for me and, I hope, for its readers. I think I'll keep on writing. Thanks, folks, for checking in and enriching our blogging experience.