Substack

My apologies for the lack of a post yesterday.  I'd woken up at 3:00 AM and couldn't for the life of me get back to sleep -- and it had nothing at all to do with a certain cat yowling outside my bedroom door.  In my sleep deprived state, I just didn't feel like posting, even though I had something I wanted to talk about.  I slept much better last night and woke up to the blessed sound of rain!  Yes, rain!   You know, I think I may have had rain as a previous Thanksvember thing, but we need it so badly, I'm making it my Thanksvember Fourteenth:  rain!  

We didn't get much, but every little bit helps, especially now, when 100% of the state is under severe, extreme, or exceptional drought conditions.  

Even the majority of my little county has moved into the exceptional drought state.  So, yes, every drop of rain is desperately needed at this point. 

Before I left for work, I put my little chrysanthemums out into the yard so they could get a good drink of natural water, and when I got home, each one had a bud starting to open!  The weird part is, I'd bought two yellow mums, but these new buds appear to be red.  We'll see once they're fully open.  

In the mean time, here is a photo of hat progress.  

Now I'll tell you what I was going to talk about yesterday, and it just so happens, today is a better day for it anyway.  Why?  I'm not going to tell you.  How about let's play a guessing game.  Does anyone know what today is?  Anyone?  

OK, I'll tell you.  It's my blogiversary! That's right.  On this day way back in 2005, your humble blogger first sat at the keyboard and typed her first blog post.  It's kind of hard to believe it's been 18 years I've been doing this.  

Thanksvember Fifteenth is all of you who've stuck with me through thick and thin.  

You know, I wish blogging would make a comeback.  There was so much more depth to a blog post, and a much better sense of connection in the blogging community.  At least, I felt there was.  

By the way, I created myself a Substack account, but I'm still figuring out how to use it.  I only started it because on of my friends is moving her blog over there, and I wanted to keep up with it.  She'd been with WordPress and said it's "improved beyond usability".  Her words, but I feel the same way about Blogger.  It was so much more user friendly back in the day.  If I didn't have 18 years worth of posts here, I'd move to a different platform myself. 

I'll try to figure out how to do it, but if you follow me over there -- on Substack, I mean -- you're supposed to be able to get links to what I post in your email.  I think.  I'm not completely sure.  I do recommend you do it though, because I know most of you won't come here to read my posts if the links don't show up in your Facebook feed.  I feel that due to Facebook's algorithms, some of you are missing out on posts.  

Facebook is a dying platform anyway, partly because the young people don't get on it.  Facebook is for old folks, they say.  Even more so, because the old folks who are still there are getting more and more frustrated with the site.  

Ten years ago, Facebook was the happenin' place to be.  We would meet in the evenings and chat about what TV shows we were watching, how our day went, and yes...what we were having for dinner.  That's what social media was meant to be, after all.  Social.  

Somewhere along the way, someone decided it needed to be a political debate forum, and those who wanted the front porch atmosphere to continue were mocked and derided.  We were told we weren't serious about what's going on around us, and "by all means, show us your dinner while the world burns."  Completely forgetting as they did so that in real life, we do talk about our dinners.  That's been the topic of conversation all week at work.   Are you cooking for Thanksgiving?  What are you fixing for dinner?  

And we talk about what TV shows we watch, and what's going on in our lives, and what our kids and grandkids did in school-- kind of like we used to do on Facebook.  Used to do... 

Add in the algorithms and the seemingly arbitrary ban hammer, and you get a site that just isn't fun any more.    Ohhh, the ban hammer...It's gotten so bad they don't even tell you what you did any more.  Take yesterday morning for example.  I was in the reading room tending to business, scrolling through Facebook as I did so.  I wasn't even posting, just scrolling.  

While scrolling, I saw that one of my friends had changed his cover photo, so I liked the post.  Almost immediately, the ban hammer dropped. 

No explanation.   No chance to appeal.  Nothing.  All I had done that entire morning was like my friend's new photo, and post my Wordle score.  What was so wrong with that?  How did his photo violate community standards?  It was just a lovely little Fall scene with pumpkins and leaves...Nothing at all controversial or offensive about it.  

Always before when I have been put into Facebook Jail, at least I knew why.  I mean, I didn't agree -- the potted meat filled Twinkies meme was a joke folks, but at least they'd told me why.   And I wasn't really threatening to kill anyone with my brain; that was a line from a TV show, but at least they'd told me why.  This time, nothing.  

All that to say, Facebook isn't what it used to be.  It's too restrictive, and no fun any more.  Thus, the site is dying.  I seldom post there any more, other than links to the blog, Wordle scores, and the occasional comment about the football game or that cat of mine.   

I guess that's all I have for today.  I'm off to figure out how to use that new site I signed up for...

Laters.