Monday, December 24, 2007

Candlelight Vigils Commemorate Blog Anniversary

Garden blog fans in Greensboro light candles to celebrate the first anniversary of Leave Me Alone, I'm Digging.

Ok. Not really. But I wanted to use this photo of Christmas Eve at my church, and today is the first anniversary of my blog.

The blog began as a simple solution to a problem. I like to jam lots of plants into my flower beds, and I do a lot of planting in fall and winter when many of my perennials are dormant, and so I was always digging them up accidentally. I figured that a blog would be a handy way to keep my garden photos, along with notes to myself like, "Don't plant anything in the left corner, you idiot, 'cause that's where the hostas are."

Having a designated place to write about my garden motivated me to start noticing things, and to keep an eye out for things to write about. I found that my garden was much more than a simple suburban backyard; it was the scene of a vicious (and still unsolved) murder, and the habitat of gnomes. The blog became a combination tabloid, scientific journal, and a place to confess my own crimes and misdeeds. I complained about the drought a lot, documented the childhood and adolescence of a baby bluebird (if I could raise a child and get him out of the house in three weeks, maybe I'd be more keen on having one), and wrote a poem. I diagnosed my mental illness (one of them anyway), and gleaned some wisdom about plants from my redneck alter-ego, Bobby Earl.

What's really been fun, though, is "meeting" so many people who are warped in the same way I am. People who steal leaves from their neighbors' curbs, who plant stuff in freezing rain, who collect hoes, who camp out by the window waiting for that bird to come around from the other side of the tree, who know the words to all the good cry-in-your beer songs, who can't sleep if they accidentally kill a rabbit, who have plant tags stashed everywhere, who dream of replacing their entire lawn with flowerbeds (and the people who actually do it), who think there's something sick about the "Grow to the size of your fishtank" ethos that defines American culture, and people who buy the last scrawny plant on the sale table because they worry that no one else will take it home if they don't. People like you.

Thank you for reading my blog. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Now, if I could just remember where I planted those hostas...

17 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Congratulations David on your first year of Blogging. I must say I haven't been reading your blog for a long time but I can tell you I look forward to all your posts. You have a delightful way of expressing your gardening pathos, chaos and triumphs. I look forward to all.

Merry Christmas and a Happy plant rich New Gardening/blogging year.

~~Lisa

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas, Happy Anniversary, and all best wishes that in 2008 everything you plant thrives, and that you remember where they all are!

Unknown said...

Merry Christmas, David--and happy blogiversary! I look forward to another fun year of following along with your trials and tribulations. :)

Gina said...

david - i'm terribly disappointed that I wasnt invited to your blog church shindig! Merry Christmas!

Nickie said...

Hope you had a good holiday!! (the hostas are in the back left corner ;)....I think. )

Bob said...

Happy blogversary. All the best for
another great year. Cheers, Bob

Anonymous said...

David: Congrats on your anniversary! I think many of us are blogging for many of the same reasons you are and sharing is at the top of the list. Thanks for that and keep up the great work! Merry Christmas!

Christine said...

Boy, you nailed the buy the scrony plant thing to a T, didn't you? It's nice to know there are other tried and true garden nuts out there.

Aiyana said...

Congratulations on your blog anniversary. You have a nice blog--fun to read! I started my blog with the sole intent to document everything in my garden, mostly for my own reference, but I've really enjoyed others visiting and commenting and comparing notes. It's a fun hobby!
Happy New Year!
Aiyana

Katie said...

Right on man!

Happy Blogiversary!

Weeping Sore said...

Happy birthday to your blog! If there's anything I enjoy more than gardening, it's reading gardening posts by people who garden too, and who don't take themselves too seriously.
I bet if the people in your church knew, they'd wish your blog happy birthday too.

Mary said...

Congratulations on your year! I have enjoyed your writings and I sure hope you continue to write so well and entertain us with your humor and gardening know-how.

I wish you the best 2008 EVER! With rain, no doubt. It's raining buckets this weekend... Hasn't helped the drought much but we will take it!

Benjamin Vogt said...

Wow, a ton of good posts I'm cathing up on here. Especially enjoyed the murder entry, because, well, it's smarmy and entertaining, and I'm smarmy, so there ya go.

David said...

Thanks Lisa...what chaos???

Thanks Marion. I'll try!

Thanks Blackswamp Girl. I'll try to muddle through somehow.

I figured this 55 degree weather would be too hot for you, Gina. Consider yourself invited for the next one.

You're right, Nickie. I dug one up today!

Thanks Bob, and welcome! You've got a great blog!

Thanks Layanee. That's the best part, isn't it?

You too, Christine?

It keeps us off the streets, Aiyana.

Thanks Katie!

Thanks Weeping Sore. I think a lot of people in my church read it--there's a link on our church web page--a lot of us have blogs and mine isn't even the weirdest one!

Thanks Mary--I think it's more humor than know-how! Hope you're getting rain this weekend!

Thanks Benjamin. That was one of my favorite posts too!

Sweet Home and Garden Carolina said...

Hi Bobbyearl,

Minniepearl here. Heeheehee! Congrats on your first anniversary. I've got two months to go before I reach mine.

A belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Don't forget to eat your Hoppin'John and greens for luck in the new year.

Keep on diggin' and writin' !

David said...

HowDEE, Minnie! Thanks--I believe you and my great-uncle went out on a date once...Seriously. He and Minnie (Sarah Ophelia?) were an item!

Gloria said...

A year well spent. Seems several of us started our blogs in 2006 and have recently reached the one year mark.Since usually there is only one of us to a neighborhood it has been great to find you and the others out there and full of enthusiasm.
Congratulations!