Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Blogging Comes to the Funny Farm*

*The Funny Farm is the real estate between my ears.

This time last year I had no idea what a blog was. When Liz, my DD, started one, I wrinkled my ancient nose, cocked my ancient head and said "Eh? What's that you say? A blog? What in tarnation be that?" Patiently, she tried to explain. But, as they do in the face of most technobabble, the eyes of the Ancient One glazed over. So, steadying her voice and trying hard to keep the I-don't-have-time-for-this-crap tone out of it, DD sweetly told me to just type in http://notinyourear.blogspot.com and all would be revealed.

Well.

Lights came on all over the Funny Farm that night; rocket ships roared into the wild blue yonder; the farm band broke out in celebratory oompah-pah, oompah-pahs; fireworks razzle-dazzled into the heavens above; a choir of angels sang over the oompah-pahs; all the denizens of the farm jigged and reeled in ecstacy over the fields, and a strange glitter came into the eyes of the Ancient One. A tiny seed had been sown.

It has been mentioned on these pages before how slowly the penny drops down here on the farm. For a full six months I hogged DD's blog. And waxed poetical in her comment box. And pompously opined on every subject she raised. And generally acted the buffoon. Until, one day in mid-July it dawned on me. Mommy needs her own blog.

Because the particular brain cells required for setting up a blog do not live on the Funny Farm, DD wasn't out of the woods yet. With patience and grace and the "assistance" of her smallfry, she set the whole thing in motion. Kind of like getting a kid you know can ride the bike up on it, steadying her for a moment, then giving her a tremendous shove to send her careening off down the hill.

The Ancient One was exhilarated by the wind in her hair as she whizzed over hill and dale. The denizens of the Funny Farm were intoxicated by the fresh air whistling through the ears at the farm boundaries. But elsewhere in the kingdom there was disgruntlement . Down in neighboring Curmudgeonly Hollow mutterings were heard about "this blogging nonsense". Horror was expressed by the youth of the region at the thought of mother, the technologically challenged one, taking over the computer, twiddling buttons at will, and generally increasing the chances of crashes and freezes and such. It was hoped it might just be an ill wind that, given time, would blow over.

So the Ancient One blogged her way randomly through July, August , September and October. She was really starting to enjoy herself. Then NaBloPoMo came along and transformed her from a casual blogger into a rabid blogmaniac. It began to look like the ill wind wouldn't be blowing over after all.

She is holding fast. Nobody will be prying her ancient fingers from the blogbike's handlebars anytime soon. She craves contact with intelligent life forms; more than can be provided in a five minute phone call..... She regularly casts blogbottles upon the waters, and hopes someone finds them on another blogshore, and sends them back with a friendly "Ahoy!"

At first I told myself "I'm doing this for me." Right....... But truly, I am. Because I love to write. I love what happens when I sit here, clueless, and start with a tiny germ of an idea, and it grows, and from the din and clatter of the farmyard, I mold and carve and shape something coherent. But most of all I love it when I throw the bottle out there and it strikes a chord with someone, touches a nerve, tickles a funny bone. I love it when I connect. And that's why I blog. So thank you DD , for bringing blogging to the Funny Farm, and for pushing your ancient mother down the hill on the blogbike. Wheeeee!

12 comments:

meggie said...

I really loved this post Molly.
I can really relate to it, but I did my start all by myself, having a little knowledge -which can be a dangerous thing, as we all know.
But gosh, I have had fun, & have met wonderful people I would not normally have had a chance to 'know'.
GOM is a little jealous. DJ avoids reading me- again, a little green, though she is very busy, & doesnt have her own computer going.
SB reads me & tells me he enjoys my writing.
And yes, I too started mine for ME. But doesnt it give a buzz, when you connect with someone!

Stomper Girl said...

Love the message in a bottle analogy. It's so true!

Stomper Girl said...

Oh and PS am in the process of helping my mother start a blog!

Pam said...

Love the bicycle metaphor too. I too got started by my daughter, though I'd started reading blogs ALL BY MYSELF some time before.

Re your comment on my blog - your contribution of Remember for a child's name has won the silly-name prize hands down. Can I hazard a guess that the parents were American? I don't think we Brits can really compete, though some do try quite hard.

I also love the communication aspect of blogs and can never understand why more people who read don't comment. Very frustrating!

Jess said...

I'm so glad you started blogging!

keryn said...

Your blog certainly connected with me; I read through all the archives in one sitting, and now I feel bereft that there's no more.

I found your blog through meggie. One thing I love about Blogland is the way I can follow links from blog to blog and end up in places I never could have known existed.

Write often, write long. I'll be reading.

Lily said...

How's that go about the student will become the teacher? I'm glad you have a blog -- I love your writing, just wish I'd inherited half your way with words.

Kelli said...

I love your blog too even though I can't always check in as often as I'd like.

Must tell you - I went and found the library thing you mentioned on my blog. You're right. It's AWESOME!
Thanks for the tip!

velcro said...

I would set my mum up with a blog but then she would want to know how I knew about them and would find out about mine and oh boy that's not a route I want to take! Glad your daughter did though as I really enjoy reading your stuff

Zanna said...

Stumbled across you from Isabel's blog. Just love your writing style - can almost hear your Irish heritage, wicked sense of humour and way with words. I'll be back!

Dave said...

Once you start blogging, it becomes addictive... At least that's what I found. Enjoyed your blog!

Becky in FL said...

You've come so far so fast on that ancient bicycle, what will be next? (I have a mental image of a cartoon barnyard with screeching hens and cows with bells, all perched on top of a unicycle and careening downhill. Lots of speed lines!)