Breaking the blogging "rules"

As I get ready to make a new post, I have to chuckle, as I hypothetically (and tongue in cheek) wonder what are the rules for blogging? I must have missed the blogger training rules years ago ;)   What exactly am I allowed or supposed to talk about? Am I allowed to complain about anything or maybe it's just that it's ok to complain once and only once and never to mention it again? Is there a list of what topics are ok to include in my blog posts? Who decides? Is there some secret blogger society I don't know about that is in charge? Do they meet and discuss blogs and decide "everyone" is sick of hearing about something someone posts? LOL.

Is it my responsibility to only have content that a particular person, or group of people, like and want to read about? It is my responsibility to provide them with their entertainment and what they want to read about and make sure they aren't annoyed? I never thought it was. I mean, it's not like these people who read are paying me to read something they want. I never considered that someone who is not paying for my house, my bills, my property taxes, my life, would think they have a say in how I feel about it or how much I decide to write about it on my blog.

For me, my blog has always kind of just been a daily diary. That a few people actually end up reading it (and still read it!), and the other wonderful bloggers I've gotten to know over the years is just a bonus. I enjoy when there are comments and replying back and try to reply to everyone's comments. It was never and still isn't my intention to have some blog that my goal is to appeal to everyone and get lots of followers. I just write about whatever is going through my head that day or going on with my surroundings. Good, bad, boring, otherwise. To me most of it seems pretty mundane and not too interesting. No more or less interesting than the other blogs I read. I don't too often skip blogging days, because years ago I found if I did that, it ended up skipping a few more and it's just easier for me to try to stay in a daily routine, even though some days not a whole heck of a lot is going on.

Someone commented yesterday they've been waiting to see if I ever realize how obsessed I am with DAN. I replied yes. I am the one writing about him/the situation and I know when and what I say, haha. The thing is....I just. don't. care! and come to find out Mr and Mrs Neighbor are just as "obsessed" as we are with what he doing/plans to do. I have lots of faults that I am fully aware of! I didn't realize I needed to state the obvious.

For some reason both dh and I have cut way down on online purchases. We still order the regular supplies and stuff we need to use and take care of our place, but that's been about all that we've been ordering for months now. I can't even blame it on having Covid and being too sick to order stuff (though that was a "benefit" of Covid, I guess, LOL), as we've been not ordering for months now. I'll get online with Amazon to look at my order history or dh will ask "are you expecting UPS today?" and I look (because sometimes I can't remember if I ordered something) and see that I haven't even ordered anything from Amazon in like a month! Our UPS guy used to come here a few times a week. DH knows him well, LOL. Now we hardly ever see him. He did finally deliver some cat food and cat litter yesterday that I ordered. DH chatted with him awhile, they had lots to catch up on, haha. 

I think we must both kind of be to the point we now have most of our little wants out of the way. Other than some bigger ticket items (for the bonus room, to be finished some day) I think I pretty much have what I need for the house now. It's pretty much fully decorated now (I'm slow, only took me 4 years, LOL). The only thing I find myself telling myself "NO!" is more Christmas decor....but so far so good - other than the $5 I spent on some with Temu. It's nice that both of us have cut down, finally.

I did have to place an order for dh for lawn tractor and lawn mower maintenance kits today. When he is done with every season he cleans them up, changes the oil and spark plugs, etc. It's that time of year again. DH wasn't too happy that it costs $140 for the kits (for both) but that's the cheapest he could find them. Mr Neighbor just takes his into the lawn tractor service place. I'm glad dh knows how to do that stuff himself. It does save money. Last month Mr asked dh what he uses for the lawn fertilizer, where to get it and how often. They've always paid TruGreen or some company, but their lawn hasn't looked as good this year and he wants to try it himself. Dh even recommended the best type of lawn spreader to get. I'm sure this will save them quite a bit, which I'm sure is helpful now that Mrs. is retired. 

DD and SIL are very much enjoying their trip. The first 5 days, in London, they walked 50 miles in 5 days, just seeing as much as they could. Now they are spending a few days on the Isle of Skye and it looks very peaceful and beautiful. Then I think the next stop is Inverness. They have a rental car for Scotland. One of the days next week they plan to go see the town of Huntly, which is where my paternal grandfather was from (and all the generations before him). His father emigrated in early 1900's to Montana and his wife and 4 year old son (my grandpa) came over a few years later.  They flew up to Scotland on Tuesday afternoon and spent the first night in Edinburgh before going to the Isle of Skye yesterday. SIL said when he was checking them out of the hotel the desk guy asked him his name, so he said it. SIL's first name is Mexican and his last name is Irish, LOL. I guess the Scottish desk clerk got a big kick out of his name and said that is a great name! and kept repeating it. LOL. DH and I were trying to imagine how his name sounds in a Scottish accent, haha.

After lunch today I have a quarterly update phone call meeting with mom's investment guy. The stock market sure has looked crummy the past couple of weeks. I read because the fed said they are going to raise the interest rate again. 

It's been pretty rainy here this week. It's kind of a refreshing change, especially the cooled down temps. I like in the morning how the fog hangs around the tops of the mountains all around us. DH will be able to finish emptying out and throwing away some of the flower pots we aren't keeping. The garbage can was too full to get all of them taken care of, but it will be empty today. Some of the annuals, that are getting the rain are still hanging on, but the ones that are hanging under the front patio or in front of the garage and shop (between the doors) are under the overhang died. When we got Covid - I gave up worrying about getting those watered. It was Sept and I just didn't care that week I was so sick with it.

I'm trying to decide when I should go visit my mom again. Now there are 7 covid cases (still not in the memory care part yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time). The main part of the place is huge, I'm sure there are probably 200 or more apartments, so 7 isn't a large percentage of everyone that lives there. I haven't taken another test (I took at like 10 or 11 days and was still positive) but of course will take another test before I would visit. But, just thinking for now to stay away for a bit longer. She's doing fine and I'm talking to her nearly every day and she's very content and doing well. Plus, her place is very good about keeping in contact if anything is wrong.

Well, it's almost 8am and time to log in to work for the day.