Saying Hello

CB Potts's picture
Submitted by CB Potts on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 10:46am.

If you asked, I'd tell you that another blog is probably the last thing I need: I've got half a dozen already, each devoted to a separate section of my life. I've even got a sorely neglected domestic-arts LJ that I have to update.

But what I don't have is a community. I've connected with other writers for my professional life, I'm fairly well networked for my hobbies. But when it comes to making a home, I'm very alone out here.

I'm a bit of a luddite, surprisingly for someone who spends so much time on the internet. Having my home work well and simply is important to me: I sew clothes for my daughters, garden for a good chunk of our dinners, and attempt to keep the whole lot clean. But that's not something very valued in the world, and I thought I was alone -- or nearly so -- in thinking that these things are important.

Where I have found people interested in homemaking, I've found heavy religious overtones, telling me that I should stay home and let my husband provide (which, translated, means we all starve!) or that God wants me to be meek and submissive. While those paths might work for other people, they are clearly not for me.

A little background: I'm a married mother of two who makes her living as a freelance writer. We live in extreme upstate NY, and I'm both curious and opinionated. I can't wait to meet y'all.

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jennye's picture

Welcome! You have probably

Submitted by jennye on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 12:54pm.

Welcome! You have probably found the right place! We have some opinionated folks here (uh, Lynn, the owner. LOL! She and I have had a clash or two over things before, but we still get along). And while religion is a good thing to have, it's something we don't discuss around this site.

So welcome again, and jump on in!

CB Potts's picture

Thank you! I''m really

Submitted by CB Potts on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 4:06pm.

Thank you! I''m really looking forward to getting to know everyone.

Shaun's picture

Welcome!

Submitted by Shaun on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 1:45pm.

We are a diverse lot indeed! I am also a freelancer who tries to balance working from home with being a homemaker -- I guess despite the overload of paid work lately I identify more as a SAHM. At least I'm home a lot! Looking forward to hearing more from you,

Shaun
www.homeschoolblogger.com/shaunms

CB Potts's picture

Hey, an overload of work is

Submitted by CB Potts on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 4:08pm.

Hey, an overload of work is a GOOD thing! You homeschool too -- wow! That's got to be very challenging: I'm going to have to pick your brain for some time management skills!

Lynn's picture

welcome :)

Submitted by Lynn on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 2:15pm.

Nice to meet you. We have a very friendly community here. Jump in.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

CB Potts's picture

Thank you! It certainly

Submitted by CB Potts on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 4:08pm.

Thank you! It certainly does seem friendly! I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone.

Andrea's picture

Hey CB! Welcome. I think

Submitted by Andrea on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 4:59pm.

Hey CB! Welcome. I think you will like it here. I have been her for many years and check in daily.
I live in Western NY and love it, despite the taxes. Where exactly are you? Drop me a private message if you don't care to say.

Hope to see you around-
Andrea

CB Potts's picture

Hi Andrea, Some of my

Submitted by CB Potts on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 5:43pm.

Hi Andrea,

Some of my dearest friends are in Western NY, so you are in good company! I'm in extreme Upstate, about 4 miles from the Canadian border, roughly 25 miles from where NY and VT meet: it's a little town called Ellenburg Center, that has roughly the same amount of cows and people.

jennye's picture

Cows to people! LOL!

Submitted by jennye on Wed, 04/04/2007 - 9:40am.

Cows to people! LOL! Amuses me more because where I'm at, the cows VASTLY outnumbers the people! In fact, just my own cows on my little ranch outnumbers the population of our village (I only have 50 cows, BTW). LOL! I'm in E. New Mexico, the real dairy capital of the US (LOL!! We have nearly 100 dairies in a two county area, all family owned and operated, and a majority of those milk 2,500-5,000 cows a day). So, 3 of those dairies are more than the population of humans in big-town, and bigger town is twice the size of big-town. And it's still considered a small town. LOL!

Sorry, back to it being your blog. I butt in alot with lots of useless information. I do it in real life too. I'm sure it's annoying. LOL!

silverbear's picture

And that is why we love JennyE!

Submitted by silverbear on Wed, 04/04/2007 - 10:03am.

The "butting in" is almost as endearing as her self-deprecating humor! LOL!

My county has more people than cows, but only because of the large military installation here. Lewis County, just to the south of us, also claims to have more cows than people.

We have another member, WitchiePoo aka Jo, who lives quite close to you, in extreme upstate Vermont.

witchiepoo's picture

Yup

Submitted by witchiepoo on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 8:23am.

I'm just across the lake from you in Franklin County! (waving) And I bet I win the cows to people ratio. Smiling

How are you enjoying this snow? Me neither. My track team has a meet next week and we can't run outside!

Anyway...
Welcome! This is a wonderful, encouraging community, and I have loved every minute of the seven years I've been hanging out here. It's great to have you with us.

Peace,
-Jo

CB Potts's picture

Waves!

Submitted by CB Potts on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 8:58am.

How exciting! I bet if I peer out the window I can see your house! *grin* I think you all got the better (worse) end of the snowstorm: we have only scattered flurries today, and patches a few inches deep.

Hopefully it will all melt away before your track meet!

It certainly seems like a very friendly community, and I can't wait to take part! Thank you for the warm welcome!

silverbear's picture

Welcome!

Submitted by silverbear on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 5:21pm.

I'm in Jefferson County, NY. This is a great community, and you are most welcome here.

Rose

CB Potts's picture

Thank you Rose! I'm surely

Submitted by CB Potts on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 5:44pm.

Thank you Rose! I'm surely looking forward to getting to know everyone.

Anhata's picture

Welcome to our little corner of the Net

Submitted by Anhata on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 6:23pm.

Where the homemakers who put the "fun" in dysfunctional hang out! (I'm speaking soley for myself, here!)

My family is in Portland, Oregon and lucky enough to have a community of homemakers in Real Life as well as online. But when we lived in Missouri I was very much on my own.

My definition of homemaker is pretty loose. I think it's more a matter of your attitude and where your priorities are than whether you are an at-home mom vs. employed. Does that make sense? No matter if you're unemployed, part-time, full-time, self-employed, if your family and making a home is at the center of your core values and that's what you work for/at, you're a homemaker.

But then, I'm a nut, so there you go. Welcome, welcome, we're glad you're here! We have several writer mamas, the more the merrier.

Anhata
www.familynaturally.com
Your Family's General Store, Naturally

CB Potts's picture

Thank you for the warm

Submitted by CB Potts on Wed, 04/04/2007 - 4:07am.

Thank you for the warm welcome! I, too, am a nut -- I think it's part and parcel of the writer thing -- and already it's starting to feel like a good fit!

heidic's picture

Welcome CB! I am in the

Submitted by heidic on Wed, 04/04/2007 - 9:55pm.

Welcome CB! I am in the midwest which had 80 degree temps on Tuesday and snow on WEdnesday!! The only cows we have around here are on the ice cream cartons at the grocery store! Enjoy the site.

Heidi

CB Potts's picture

I think I like ice cream cows better!

Submitted by CB Potts on Thu, 04/05/2007 - 4:23am.

They seldom if ever get out and run down the road, bawling like a frustrated dairy freight train looking for love.

We're having the bizarre weather too: last weekend, I was starting to clear land for our Garden O' Doom and this weekend I'm shoveling. Kind of bummed, because I wanted the Easter Bunny to hide things outdoors, but it looks like that's not going to happen.

Hi! Kind of wandered off topic there. It's nice to meet you!

lgunnoe's picture

Cows here...

Submitted by lgunnoe on Thu, 04/05/2007 - 2:29pm.

..well, not really here but we can drive five minutes in just about any direction and find some! Welcome, CB! I'm just a bit south of Heidi...(20ish miles or so.) We're scrambling for a couple of extra crafts to make up for the not-possible outdoor Easter Egg hunt tomorrow. Six inches of snow will do that!

You've come to the right place for community. We're right there with you!
Lenora

CB Potts's picture

Hi Lenora! I'm really blown

Submitted by CB Potts on Thu, 04/05/2007 - 4:39pm.

Hi Lenora!

I'm really blown away with how warm and welcoming this community is! In just a couple of days more people have said hello to me than I've experienced in years at some other web communities I participate in.

Good luck with the egg hunt. I've got the sneaking suspicion that the Easter Bunny will be sneaking into our house this year.

heidic's picture

Lenora, You really are

Submitted by heidic on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 2:50am.

Lenora,
You really are that close? We should meet over the summer if that is the case. Whaddya think?

Heidi

lgunnoe's picture

Meeting!

Submitted by lgunnoe on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 5:56am.

Heidi, I'd love that! I think I'm that close: I don't know exactly where you are, but it sounds like I'm directly south of you...if you live somewhere relative to 271 and/or 306 then I'm definitly just south of you! I can be at Legacy Village (barring major traffic snafu) in less than 30 minutes...coming from the south. Smiling

CB: We're always glad to say hello...offer opinions, make suggestions, tell stories...best-case/worst-case... Big grin We tend to be a group that is pretty well educated, very well opinionated, Eye-wink and, well, I don't have another "-ated" word but this is a fabulous group of women! (We seem to have lost our contributing male(s) a while ago...but he/they were fabulous, too! Hi Mike!)

Lenora

Honey's picture

Hello from London!

Submitted by Honey on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 10:49am.

We have a small UK contingent, of which I am one Smiling
Welcome to TNH!

Honey

Kerri's picture

UK dairy country

Submitted by Kerri on Sat, 04/07/2007 - 1:34pm.

well I guess it must be my turn now... we have plenty of people but there's quite a few cows around too. I'm pretty much the rest of the British contingent. But we make up in noise what we lack in number, right Honey!?!?! Laughing out loud Laughing out loud Laughing out loud

Hi CB - you won't find a nicer community anywhere on the web, guaranteed. I'm still looking for something like this in real life too but 'real' people are a lot less welcoming and less forgiving of differences I find.

I'm not around as often as I used to be (sometimes 3 times a day!) because my DH insisted on finding me a job by setting up a company. Silly idea that because I was happy at home, and intend to leave the paid work to him again in future. As Anhata says, being a homemaker is more about where your heart is than where your current working situation is taking you. We have all ends of the political and religious spectra, but Lynn very wisely banned those discussions since they got a bit overheated, and we forgot how many values we share in common, in spite of our different backgrounds and life experiences. We do seem to attract writers and homeschoolers, or make them perhaps - hands up all those who have started homeschooling since coming here... Ok, I got as far as seriously considering it, but many others were braver than me.

and I babble... especially late at night! Hope you find your place here with us.

Kerri.

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