Thanks for stopping by, I look forward to seeing you again. 

Spending some time near water can be healing for the mind and soul. Take yourself to a source of water, such as the ocean, a river, or even a small pond. Close your eyes and take in the sounds. 

What effect does being near water have on you?

Melinda

An interesting twist on a search I requested from Copilot. I’m so addicted now!!!!!

Flora 🌿

1. Wildflowers: Sprinkled across the meadow, wildflowers add bursts of color to the otherwise green canvas. Imagine delicate buttercups, vibrant daisies, and perhaps a few shy violets. Their petals sway in harmony with the breeze, creating a soft symphony of hues.\
2. Tall Grasses: The grasses here are not mere blades; they’re tall and graceful. Their feathery heads catch the sunlight, turning golden as the day progresses. When the wind dances through, the grasses ripple like waves on a tranquil sea.
3. Ancient Oaks: A few ancient oak trees stand sentinel. Their gnarled trunks tell stories of centuries gone by. Their leaves, a rich emerald, provide dappled shade for our contemplative woman. Perhaps a squirrel or two scampers along their branches, gathering acorns.
4. Whispering Willows: Down by the water’s edge, willow trees lean gracefully. Their long, slender branches dip into the pond, their leaves trailing like veils. When the wind rustles through, it’s as if the willows murmur secrets to the water.
5. Ferns and Moss: In the shaded nooks, ferns unfurl their delicate fronds. Their greenery is lush and inviting. Moss clings to rocks and fallen logs, creating a velvety carpet. Tiny insects—nature’s architects—flit about, weaving their own stories.

Fauna 🦋

1. Butterflies: Butterflies, those ephemeral creatures, flit from flower to flower. Their wings carry patterns of iridescent blue, orange, and black. They sip nectar, their delicate feet barely disturbing the petals.
2. Songbirds: Hidden among the branches, songbirds serenade the landscape. Robins, sparrows, and finches create a melodic chorus. Their notes blend seamlessly with the rustling leaves and the distant babble of the brook.
3. Dragonflies: These jewel-toned insects zip through the air, their gossamer wings catching the light.

Melinda

I love the song and it’s a bit of an anthem for me but now that I know the backstory I’m happy he sang the lyrics that Paul Ankna personally wrote for him, Frank asked his good friend Paul to write a song for his retirement. It was deeply personal for both and it revived Franks’s career.

Here is the link to the article in People Online. https://people.com/frank-sinatra-my-way-the-strange-saga-of-a-standard-8655019

It’s a shame, Frank stopped liking after so many years of singing and getting demands for the song. I think it was his best song. Many went on to record his version or changed versions of the song. The Elvis version is great, I’m a huge Elvis fan and believe he sang it properly even though Paul Anka didn’t want Elvis to record it, they were close friends as well. 

The story is quite interesting in musical history,

Here are my two favorite videos, one of Frank Sinatra and the other from Elvis.

Frank Sinatra – My Way (Live At Caesars Palace/1978)

Elvis Presley – My Way (Aloha From Hawaii, Live in Honolulu, 1973)

I love music history in many genres.

Enjoy.

Melinda

Hi, I’m glad you stopped by and I look forward to seeing you soon. 

“I admire the people who drink from the water of the storms in their lives and grow flowers in the most unlikely places because of it.”

S.C. Lourie

Melinda

I’m glad you stopped by and I hope to see you soon.

Melinda

Here’s what I’ve learned, it may not be the only way to view those stats but the stats are telling even if you don’t look at your traffic numbers. The stats are directly tied to each post, the links inside of the post, and the percentage of click-through rate.

I can look at my Home stats to see what posts are getting the most traffic however I find the information Email Stats more useful although they are not completely accurate. 

I’m looking at the Traffic stats for the post, Baked Potato Wedges Recipe By Guest Blogger Stay… and I then click on Highlights to see the big picture. It’s not a measurement tool for me to focus on but the stats give you insight into the reading community.

The click-thru percentage was interesting because it tells me how many people clicked on a link within your posts. That’s information to have, for nothing else than to see what your community is responding to. Which is most important to me. It’s not how many, it’s the quality of the engagement.

When you click on Email Opens you see a bigger picture of the stats on each post. The percentage of opens reflects how many people read your post through email who actually opened the email. The Email Clicks reflect how many clicked on a link within the page. In the case of this post, it had a 23% open rate which is good. From the answers I received from Copilot, it sounds like an average open rate is 8%. That’s critical information to me. 

 These stats are a great way to see what posts have high open rates, which to me say the post topic was a success. If you want to drill down on the behavior of your email community, that’s a journey I’m not taking. Good luck.

I write as a hobby and love it but for me, it’s not about how many followers but the engagement of the community. I’m happy in my corner in the blogging world and it’s cool to be a small fish. I don’t write to make money, although there have been times when I’ve been paid, my blog is not a money-making business, it’s not a business at all, it’s a personal blog. I’ve worked hard to leave my competitive nature out of blogging because it doesn’t suit me well.

I love learning, it opens my mind to ideas and opens the world to me. That natural curiosity helped me achieve many goals including being successful in my career, traveling, learning how to scuba, and hiking off-trail, but most importantly my confidence grew exponentially.

Now, I have the pleasure of being at home and have since gotten in touch with what makes me happy. Having interactions with people worldwide hit my button is one of them.

The weird twist on the post is that it started out technical in nature and turned into an affirmation. That can happen as your body adjusts to new medication which I’m going through now.

Melinda