HERE’S HOPING 2022 WILL BE BETTER THAN THE LAST TWO, FOR ALL OF US!
What happened to last year?? It went by so damn fast!
On the personal front, my husband and I both retired. Me, thanks to COVID (nobody’s travelling, effectively killing the dog boarding business) and hubby, because he was getting tired and fed up. Well, he is 71, and deserves some rest.
Our main focus these days is a lovely, yet challenging rescue dog named Zoey. We adopted her in September 2020 and she’s about two years old now. She came from Kentucky and we think she is a mixture of Black Lab and Kentucky Mountain Cur. Click on the images to enlarge them.
On the blogging front, I took another extended break – 5 months this time – due to lethargy. When something becomes a chore, it’s time to step back. Since August, though, I have been faithfully sticking to a schedule of posting at least once a week, even through this past holiday season.
Have a look!
~~~~BLOGGING DOLDRUMS~~~~
What else was new in 2021?
PODCASTS!
I’m still learning as I go, but there are five episodes, so far, and I plan on doing more (and improving them) in 2022.
Click on the image below ▼ to visit the podcast page. Have a listen! 🙂
Critiques and suggestions are always welcome.
Also, my idea to turn the podcasts into Youtube videos is still alive, but I’ve yet to learn how. Working on it!
So, what’s on the agenda for 2022?
More creative writing, travelogues, memoirs, photo spreads, etc.. publishing mostly once a week still, on Mondays, with the occasional added post. Plus, one new podcast every month, time permitting.
COMING UP MONDAY, JAN. 10:
In the meantime, check out some fabulous, talented people in the blogging community:
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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!
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29 thoughts on “YEARLY ROUNDUP – 2021”
I love Zoey. He is awwwdorable. You’ve done yourself and all others super proud. Wonderful to hear about the podcast dear Debbie. Will tune in to it soon.
Be well. Love and laughter.
Thanks, Natasha! ? We are so happy to have a dog of our own again. Zoey has melted our hearts. ?
Blogging once a week? I am so impressed with your energy level!
Zoey looks like a love. I am convinced that one of our dogs (lab siblings) is at least part coyote. A siren screams by, on the road down below, and she is at the gate howling right along. She tends to put a lot of effort into communicating; her front paws come off the ground when she barks 😉
If you’re wondering where the snow went, it took a wrong turn somewhere and buried our summer home the week after Christmas. The first couple of days were kind of festive, even pretty. By day six, I wanted to send up flares. It was a very quiet New Years’ eve, but we really didn’t mind. And yes, here’s to much better times for everyone!
Hi diedre, don’t be impressed by the once-a-week postings. Much of it is recycled material, with some minor updates – not that labour intensive. 😉 Zoey is the light of our lives, but she did come with issues (reactivity, fear-aggression), so it’s an ongoing challenge. I can picture your dog barking with her feet off the ground! 😀 You have black labs, right? They are pretty hyper but one of my favourite breeds. I’m surprised you had so much snow! It does get old after a while. 😛 Quiet New Year’s Eves are pretty much the “new normal” (Talk about things getting old!), so we are resigned to it, for now. Thanks for coming by!
Happy New Year, Debbie!
Enjoy your retirement and take care of you and your hubby.
Good luck with the podcast! That sound like an awesome project.
Thanks, Michelle; this whole retirement thing takes some getting used to. 🙂 Podcasts are fun, and I’m learning as I go. Happy New Year to you too!
I’m tossing around the idea of adopting another furry love but I’m not there just yet. I really wonder if I ever will be, Debbie. Soon. Maybe… I don’t know. – Happy New Year! I’m back in the blogging world so you’ll be seeing more of me – you’ve been warned – and I look forward to more posts and podcasts from you!
Losing a beloved furry family member is acutely painful, something I understand all too well! It took us 13 years after Tasha’s passing to get another dog. Thankfully, I had many wonderful four-legged guests to keep me company all those years. Not having ANY dog in the house was just too lonely, and we had to do it. 🙂 Yes. I’ve been visiting you and am happy you’re back! 😀 Only thing is, I may not be able to keep up with daily posts. I’ll try, though. Thanks for coming by! 🙂
Wow! I never knew you weren’t receiving post notices anymore. Glad you got one again. I have missed you and I remember when you announced at the start of COVID that you were taking a break. For me for a while it gave me a schedule and a need to connect more with people through blogging. Now I’m just kind of tired all the time. I think I need to be with people more but the newest strain will keep me close to home. AS for the blog, I found out in November that part of my WordPress software had not been functioning right since February. I loss a lot of stats for visits etc. Have my finger crossed for a better year for us both.
I take a lot of breaks, whenever blogging burnout sets in! ? It seems that sticking to a (mostly) once-a-week schedule prevents that from happening as often They say the Omicron strain is not as severe as previous ones and should help to tame the pandemic. Here’s hoping! Website issues are always aggravating. May you have smooth sailing from now on.
I totally understand the doldrums. I usually enjoy blogging but I’m just tired right now. It’s hard to stay enthused sometimes. Love your new family member, Zoey. She is a beauty. I also dropped by your page about your stores and the photos. Congrats on that – hope it is going well. We haven’t visited each other in a long time. Another pandemic victim I guess. Write when you want, take photos when it pleases you, and stay healthy my friend!
Happy New Year, Carol! I hadn’t received any post emails about your blog for a while until the other day. Glad to see you’re still with us. 🙂 It’s true, enthusiasm lags at times, but I am fighting the lethargy and hope to keep up some semblance of a schedule. Once a week shouldn’t be too taxing! 😀 Thanks for visiting my store! I’ve been neglecting it too but made a few sales last year. I will follow your excellent advice and also wish you good health. Cheers!
Happy New Year, Debbie!
I meant to swing by yesterday but I was playing catch up and I had a head to boot which wasn’t a good combination. My brain doesn’t work too well when my head throbs. It feels better this morning. We’ll see if it holds. Thanks for sharing your end year recap. What a good idea! I know this took some time to compose. Zoey is a pretty dog. I don’t know canine breeds but her profile makes me think of Greyhound a little. Covid forced the hands of many to retire. My GYN of 30+ years retired last year. I was so upset to loose him but I understood totally. Speaking of Covid, our youngest daughter who lives in Maine has it again. We just found out last night. I hope she fairs well. It’s terrible with her being so far from us. All I can is pray for her and leave the rest in God’s hands. Thanks for mentioning my little blog. Here’s to another good year of blogging and friendship, darlin’! XOXO
Happy New Year, Cathy! I’m glad you enjoyed the post and that you’re feeling better. 🙂 We are happy to have a dog of our own again. It was pretty lonely around here without any four-legged houseguests. COVID continues to wreak havoc, but it has to get better, eventually. I do hope your daughter’s bout is mild and that she will recover well. Apparently, the Omicron variant is less severe than the previous ones. All the best❣
Debbie,
DD#2 reports this bout of Covid isn’t as bad as the first but still rough. She’s not sure which strain she has but I’ve read if you get Omicron then it’ll give you an immunity to other variants. We’ll see.
Hi Debby – enjoy your retirement times with hubby and Zoey – lucky ‘girl’ – good to see you around and to catch your thoughts, travel, photography et al … Happy New Year – cheers Hilary
Thanks, Hilary! 🙂 Retirement is a bit of an adjustment, but Zoey keeps us on our toes. Happy New Year to you, too and thanks for all your support.
Quite a year Deb. Many of us lost our momentum this year. Here’s to hoping this new year gets better. Already, it’s off to another Covid start 🙁 x
Not a great start, for sure! 😛 Hopefully, the booster shots will do the trick, and we can get back to actually living our lives at some point.
I had to look up (via your link) Mountain Cur. Thank you, no, I don’t need “stubborn” added to “mouthy”!
Stubborn and mouthy could be a problem! 😀 I’ve always been attracted to intelligent dogs and stubbornness is part of that package, but Zoey isn’t too bad. She is part Lab, after all!
I was let go, after 30 years, on Sept. 15th but I found out they are rehiring already but want people more sales oriented not client focused. This burns my britches because I am a great counsellor which you can read on google. I guess I was not going to do what they wanted me to which was sell their payment program rather than find out what is best for the client. Oops, I am ranting! I wish I could retire and volunteer with animals. I love your doggie and never heard of the Kentucky Cur before. Our dog has never been able to enjoy the outside due to his extreme fear. Now he is 13 and farts…every night so bad I think my eyes will fall out of my head and my nose will run away screaming. Let’s see what this year will bring. I finally listened to your last 2 podcasts and enjoyed them plus agreed with your opinions. Have a great week ahead.
I’m so sorry you lost that job, Birgit! 🙁 I’m sure with all your experience, you will find a better one. I was turfed in 1992, which led to me starting a petsitting service that operated for over 25 years. Zoey is a treasure and getting calmer as she matures, thank goodness. Mountain Curs are high-energy dogs, and the American Lab part of her is too. Keeps us on our toes! 😀 I remember you talking about Wallace. It’s a pity he can’t enjoy going for a walk. And doggie gas is the worst! 😮 Maybe change his food? Thanks for listening to the podcasts. I appreciate that and am glad you enjoyed them. Still a bit amateurish, but practice makes perfect. 🙂
Awww on Zoey. What a cutie pie. They are such fun and so loyal.
Have a fabulous day and week, Debbie. Big hug to you and scritches to Zoey. ♥
Zoey is adorable and gets easier to manage as she matures. She was pretty wild when we got her, but who could resist that face? ? Thanks for coming by, Sandee. Hugs back!
Fabulous post, Debbie! The ugliness of the last two years actually made me want to write even more because it was an escape from reality. I have high hopes for 2022 and wish for world peace. Rock on! I have a new Instagram account and hopefully, I won’t be stalked on this one. I don’t add much to it but I do follow others. https://www.instagram.com/iluvfall50/
My escape from reality was Netflix, etc. 😛 Somehow, the muse died for me, but I’m glad yours was alive and well, Eugenia. I’m fighting the lethargy, and the new year does offer hope. Thanks for the link to your Instagram page. Unless you make it private, there will always be stalkers, but they are easy enough to block.
“Lethargy”–that’s a good word. I felt it too. 2022 has got to get better. Please not worse.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Well, it isn’t starting out that great…here’s hoping things will turn around and we can get back to some sense of normalcy. I’m fighting the lethargy as much as possible.