The week started off with stormy weather (a few tornadoes) and a cold for both me and my husband. It is not a sinus infection. It is not the flu. It is not Covid related. It is a cold. We are both better, but still have lingering symptoms. This has been a season where I have had sinus allergy or cold stuff since a few days before Halloween. I’m ready for it to vacate my head.
I chose not to put up a Christmas tree this year. I don’t miss it. I love Christmas trees. I love looking at them. I enjoyed decorating them in the past. We have 4 cats. That is the big reason for not having a Christmas tree, it’s the ordeal of having 4 cats removing ornaments, eating things they should not, and the everyday chore of picking up items from the floor they removed from the tree. Plus, I don’t have the heart to ask my husband to go up in the attic and get down the artificial tree, only to put it back up there in a few weeks. That tree is the only thing kept in the attic.
I’ve decorated the house with a few items that are festive. I listen to Christmas music most days. I am watching Christmas movies, especially the classic ones.
For those of you who blog, do you visit the blogs that follow you or you follow them? Do you wait until they like or leave a comment on a blog post and then visit them?
On Saturday mornings, I receive emails from 40 plus blogs that I follow. Instead of getting an email every time a blog posts, I get a weekly digest. It is one of the first things I do on Saturday mornings: I read through, like, or comment on those blogs. I have a few that come to me in emails as soon as they are posted during the week, but most arrive in the weekly digest.
Some blogs post 1 or 2 times a week. Some blogs post multiple times a week and sometimes more than once per day. This means a lot of blog posts I look through in that once-a-week digest.
The more graphics on a blog page, the longer it takes to load the page.
Some blogs do not have a like button on the email, but if I click on comment, I will be taken to the blog post and can like or comment.
One of the big takeaways from reading all those blog posts is bloggers who write book reviews work hard at blogging about books. The amount of time and commitment that goes into blogging is created and developed from a big heart that loves books and reading. I’m proud of all of you my fellow bloggers and readers.
Are you signing up for reading challenges in 2023. I’ve committed to one, the George Eliot Chapter a Day Reading. This is the link if you are interested. I have the book, Adam Bede. I printed out the reading schedule. I’m ready.
This link is a one stop place to find reading challenges in 2023: Girl XOXO/Master List of Reading Challenges.
The Salon Salon is hosted by Readerbuzz.
Impressions In Ink 
I do have regular bloggers I comment on their posts. I also take the time to visit every person who takes the time to comment on my blog. I do not get notifications for all the blogs I follow (not sure why) but I do try to visit the ones that I get notifications for, although busier days or weeks I don’t. In an ideal world we would have time to visit all the blogs, right?!
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I can see why you might not want to put up a tree. We put our Christmas decorations in the attic for forty years, but last year we decided it was too dangerous for us to be lifting heavy boxes down from the attic. We put our boxes in the garage and in the closet last year, and this year we couldn’t remember where we’d put everything! Oh dear.
To see what my book blogging friends are doing, I use my Blogger Reading List. I check it on days I don’t blog generally. I also like to visit via linkups. I wish I had a better way to stay current.
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It’s really hard and time consuming to stay current with all the bloggers I want to. For sure I visit & comment on every person who visits me and I try to get to others in the various link ups as much as I can. It’s also a little frustrating when I make the effort to comment several weeks in a row and don’t get a visit (or at least a comment) in return. I take it to mean my blog isn’t for them (which is fine). I feel like the regular visitors/commentors on my blog start to make me feel part of a community, which I love and gradually I piece together more of their personal life, their reading life & preferences, etc. which is really fun. I love talking books and reading opinions so, in spite of the time, I do enjoy visiting as much as I can.
Luckily our decorations are in the basement, so easy access and it’s all in bins which is still fairly easy to take up and down stairs. And I still enjoy the effort and result of decorating but not sure how long that will continue! When we had cats (for years and years), we never had any problems with any of them touching the tree…..not even the low dangling ornaments. Lucky I guess.
Happy Holidays!
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/sunday-post-29
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I use Feedly to keep up with bloggers I follow, I try to at least leave a like or a comment on them regularly, whether they visit me or not. I also try to ‘repay’ blog visits, and I make an attempt to visit every blogger who shares to the Monday memes I participate in.
Wishing you a great reading week
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