Well, that’s just silly, because I KNOW several of my blogging friends aced the April A to Z Challenge (CONGRATS TO ALL!) and are still publishing material. (Maybe after a little rest?)
What I meant was, is anybody interested in coming back to The Doglady’s Den? It’s been a while…
March 17, to be exact. My last post talked about taking time away from blogging to concentrate on some real-life stuff. I was (mostly) referring to getting off my ass and losing all the weight gained during COVID (yes, that is the sad truth!) and even before that.
I enrolled in the NOOM program, and it’s working pretty well; down almost 30 lbs! This isn’t a sales pitch, but if anyone is interested, there’s no fad dieting (similar to Weight Watchers), and they offer daily psychological insights and workshops. Good stuff! Plus, I’m learning to cook more balanced meals.
Apart from the health kick, I spend a lot of time with hubby, who’s now retired, and our rescue dog, Zoey. She’s a black lab/mountain cur mixture (we think) from Kentucky and super high-energy! We take her out for daily runs (she runs, we don’t) and also a couple of walks to keep her on the mellow side. It doesn’t always work! 😆
Zoey and her friend, Cleo, the Whippet
Slowly, life is getting back to some semblance of “normal” and we’re venturing out more. So far, we’ve been to a movie (The Batman – it was okay, a bit long) and one concert (Buckcherry and Alice Cooper). Now THAT was fun! I’ve missed going to concerts more than anything else.
[Click on images to enlarge – they open in a separate window]
What else has been going on? The blogging mojo was still dormant, but I missed creating something, so I took the plunge and joined TikTok! It’s a site for video clips, and, like Instagram, you have to ignore or block the stupid stuff and seek out what interests you.
I’ve uploaded several videos and, incredibly, amassed a large following, but many of them seem to be fake celebrity accounts, probably bots.
If you’re there too, look me up. Let’s be TikTok friends! 🙂
In other news, I FINALLY figured out how to convert my podcasts into Youtube videos! This is something that has frustrated me for months, but with the help of Wavve.co, it was easy peasy! Check out the podcast playlist:
Subscribe for future updates! Episode 7 is WAY overdue, and I promise it will be out in June.
As for blogging, before the hiatus, I was publishing every Monday, with occasional extra posts in between. Since I can’t promise to stick with that, the best bet is to subscribe via email or RSS feed reader, so you’ll be notified about new posts.
Topics will be the usual mishmash of musings, memoirs, music, photography, travelogues and more.
Thank you all for your indulgence and continued support!
I’ll be popping in, shortly.
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
34 thoughts on “HELLO, IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?”
I have so much catching up to do! Congratulations on your weight goals. I wondered if Noom was the real deal or not. – Man! That Buck Cherry and Alice Cooper gig??? That would’ve been so cool! I’m happy you got to go and are going out more. – I love your pups and I loved the sounds of the crunchy leaves… I’m so ready for fall.
Thanks, Karen. I’m still doing Noom, but the weight loss seems to have stalled for the moment. Mind you, there have been a few “cheat days” here and there. 😉 Buckcherry and Alice were both great, but I was truly blown away by my homeboys, Scorpions, last month. ?? It’s been so hot, the leaves have started falling already! Not enough rain, maybe? Hope it doesn’t mean an early winter. ?
It’s good to see you back. I’ve usually only taken hiatuses near the end of the year or when I knew there was some upcoming difficulties I had to address. Glad to hear that you’re feeling better and have lost weight. I need to work on that part more, considering I’ve upped the amount of steps and miles I’m getting in as the weather’s gotten warmer.
Hi Mitch! It’s good to be back, although I still have more weight to lose, so I probably won’t be that prolific. Yes, the warmer weather makes getting out and about so much easier. Good luck with your weight loss goals as well! Lay off those desserts, eh? ?
Sorry I missed this, in real time, Debbie. Work has my schedule confused. Congrats on you good health choice and positive results… Zoey looks like a perfect mix, and a ball of fun.
No worries, Myke! I’m always happy to see you drop in, anytime. 🙂 Thanks, this weight loss program is working, but it sure isn’t easy! 😛 Zoey is quite the character and we love her a lot! ♥
Welcome back, Debbie! Kudos to you on your weight loss and healthy eating. Not much change on the homefront. Summer has arrived and there is a second set of doves nesting in one of our hanging plants. The first set had their babies and moved on. It’s been a joy to watch.
I gave up on Blue Host and went back to WordPress. com. I grew tired of my site being down for hours at a time. With that said, I complimented Blue Host on their excellent customer service. The pricing between Blue Host and the WordPress Pro plan was about the same so after a lot of maneuvering, I moved my site back to WP.Com. Another day in the life of a blogger.
Thanks, Eugenia! 🙂 I’m hoping to keep at it long-term, this time (both the weight loss and the blogging). How lovely to have such a close-up view of nature. We enjoy watching the birds, chipmunks, and squirrels that visit our backyard. Of course, Zoey wants to chase them. 😀
Sorry you had so many problems with Bluehost! I’ve been fortunate, with only a handful of outages in 9 years. Mind you, there were two, a few days apart, recently. I’ve sometimes thought of switching, but always sign up for three years at a time to get the best price.
Welcome home, DEBBIE!
And thanks for popping in with a vote on my latest ‘Battle Of The Bands’ blog bit. Eddie really appreciated your support. (It’s gotta hurt when someone else is beating you with your own song!)
Now that I know you’ve found your way back home again, I’ll check in at times and bring some snark with me. (You remember how I am, right? 😉 )
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Thank you, Stephen! Glad to be back, but still struggling with time management. Oh well, better late than never, as they say. 😉 I always enjoy your snark, so lay it on me, anytime. 😀
Glad to hear you are feeling healthier. I’ve just followed you on TikTok-I’m “curiousdaydreams” on there, like my blog name, but I don’t have much content or many followers yet.
Thanks, Anstice! 🙂 I saw your follow and did the same. Most of my followers seem to be bots. 😛 Makes the genuine ones all the more appreciated.
Hi Debby – good to see you back and glad you’re sorting things out – carry on enjoying your days. I’m only blogging and have ‘no time’ for other social media sorts – but the main thing is – it is what suits us … and you’re learning new things – cheers Hilary
Hi Hilary, it’s nice to be back. Your blog is a wonderful font of information but yes, we do what suits us. I’m always up for a challenge and easily distracted by shiny new things. It can be a bit of a curse. 😀 Thanks for coming by!
Apologies for not visiting much. Health issues and moving house have complicated life. Waiting to watch Batman at home since house-bound.
No worries, Roland, I haven’t been around since March, myself. 🙂 I hope your complicated life will become easier soon. Thanks for coming by!
Hello Deb. Nice to see you back in blogland. Congrats on the weightloss! So Noom is like points on weight watchers? I’m subscribed to your blog so I knew you were back!
Thanks, Deb! Weight issues have plagued me most of my life. Noom uses actual calories instead of points, but, like Weight Watchers, no foods are off limits, as long as you can stick to your daily quota. And thanks for subscribing to The Den! 🙂 I’m signed up with your blog as well.
Welcome back!
Thanks, John. I’ll try to stick around for a while. 🙂
Debbie,
First off, congrats on the weight loss! I know what a struggle that is. Life for us returning back to “normal” somewhat for which makes me very happy. After the A2Z challenge I pushed back to blogging mostly on Mondays and then once a month for BOTB. There’s too much going on for me to properly tend to things in Blogosphere. Thankfully this is a good time to step away with Internet traffic dropping off. I hope to get back into more of regular blog activity before the year ends but that’s really hard to say at this point. There’s a lot coming up with our schedule so I’m not going to push myself, otherwise we know where that’ll lead frustrated and ready to quit. 😀 Enjoy the summer, my friend!
HI Cathy, congrats on completing another A to Z Challenge! 🙂 Thankfully, my weight loss continues, slowly but surely. Blogging once a week is a reasonable schedule, for sure, yet I even had trouble with that. 😛 Still, I missed the social interactions and friendships, so I’m trying again. I hope you have a lovely summer too.
Hi. I always post less in May. Cool pictures of Kiss. Our concerts start soon. We have 6 scheduled so far!
Hi Janet, I know that “burned out” feeling well. LOL You must be as happy as I am for the return of concerts! BTW, those photos aren’t of KISS. They’re Buckcherry and Alice Cooper, including bandmates Nita Strauss and Tommy Henriksen. Enjoy your upcoming shows!
Yeah, I don’t know why I said Kiss!
It must have been Alice’s makeup. ?
Well, it seems that the break has done you a world of good. Congrats on a new and improved you. Regarding the blogging, whatever frequency works for you is the best for you. I decided to make it a point in posting once a week this year, and so far, I seem to be handling it quite well.
Thanks, G.B. 🙂 I posted once a week for a long while but then ran out of gas. I do a lot of other stuff online, too and needed to get off the computer more. I hope your blogging schedule keeps working for you!
I’m here. Great on losing the weight. I’m down 20 pounds and did that by getting rid of junk food and exercising. Feels good indeed.
You do have a high energy pups. Adorable too.
Have a fabulous day and week. Big hug. ♥
Thanks, Sandee! 🙂 Congrats on your success, as well.
You know I’ll be here… I’m the one who’ll be turning the lights off at the end…
Thanks, Chris! 🙂 I appreciate your support.
Well, I haven’t posted since March 1, and not because I have nothing to say. Maybe it is my age, 75, but I really have little incentive to sit here and type. Nice to hear from you.
Hi Denise, I take a lot of blogging breaks, but eventually, I always miss the creativity of writing and formatting posts, as well as the social interaction. Thanks for coming by. NIce to see you here! 🙂