Recently a sister blogger nominated me for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award. It’s been a long time since someone did that and it came at a time when I needed it, too. I needed it because, let’s face it, it’s nice to hear from someone who reads your blog and thinks enough of your writing to take it a step further to let you know, especially when you’re not feeling very inspired. MarinaSofia blogs at Finding Time To Write and I’ve been reading her blog for about a year where she posts her original poetry, book reviews, and generally things she’s interested in. I would nominate her back if I could because I really enjoy her blog and, most especially, her original writing.  I’ve been blogging since 2005 and I remember the first time another blogger gave  me an award and how happy it made  me because it made me realize I wasn’t talking into a void and people were actually reading and enjoying what I wrote. As the years passed I became somewhat jaded, thinking blogging awards were a bit cheesey although I appreciated the noms because it meant, again, someone enjoyed my writing.

With this award from MarinaSofia I feel I’ve come full circle. Writing has become more important to me over the past four or so years and the people who come to this blog to read what I’ve written have become very  special to me. I don’t know who all of you are but I know you’re there and it means a lot. If you’ve come here to read more than once, I feel we have a bond even if you never leave a comment or click a star. The fact that another writer that I admire, MarinaSofia, thinks the same of me is golden. I am very happy to have received her link-love by way of the Very Inspiring Blogger Award and I thank her!

Part of the acceptance and passing along of the award is to list seven things about myself that you (as the reader) don’t know.  Trouble is, I can never, ever think of things about myself to share when put on the spot plus I don’t think I’m a very interesting person and that complicates the issue. So, instead of listing those seven elusive things I’m supposed to share and to give that rule a little twist, I’m going to list seven things that I thought about or did today.

1. I am so done with fireworks. It’s July 6, people, stop it! You’re scaring scads of dogs and cats and, besides, are firecrackers really all that?

2. I wish there was a device that linked your thoughts (your brain, I guess I mean) to the computer so I could completely bypass the act of typing or writing. This isn’t because I’m lazy, it’s because I’m almost never in a position to write down something as I’m thinking it and my memory isn’t worth shit. I know you’re thinking, “keep a voice recorder in you pocket”, but that wouldn’t work because I’d be walking around talking out loud and I’d feel like a hypocrite since I think people who walk around talking on Blue Tooth look ridiculous.

3. I made a tuna pasta salad for lunch today. It’s a super easy recipe that I kind of made up years ago and I make it a lot in the summer. As I chopped the black olives in the Oscar, I ate about a third of them and wondered if I should get a new food processor since I bought this one in 1985 or so. Then I thought, but why? I rarely use it and it works perfectly fine even if the plastic has turned from white to yellow. No one sees it but me, anyway, and I don’t have to impress myself by owning an awesome state-of-the-art food processor. When it dies, I’ll go old-school and use a knife.

4. Magnolia trees drop way too many leaves and they do it in summer, not fall. What is that about? Instead of sitting back on the patio with a cocktail enjoying my lush summertime backyard, I’m raking up the last of the great Magnolia leaf fall of 2014. Not fair.

5. I keep thinking about a movie I watched a few days ago, Enough Said. Actually, I watched it twice and I think I’m going to watch it again. I’m probably going to write about it, it made that much of an impression on me. I almost never watch a movie twice and here I am wanting to watch this one a third time. In two weeks.

6. I love Pinterest.  I see some of the most interesting things there and I don’t mean just recipes and fashion. I could spend hours perusing it. Actually, you could probably learn a lot about me through my Pinterest boards.  Follow me and leave a link to yours, if you like.

7. I haven’t been feeling the writing itch lately. By this I mean writing poetry and stories. I’ve just felt more like taking in than putting out (sounds nasty/silly, huh?) so I’ve been reading a lot, watching movies and TV series on DVD, and listening mindfully to a variety of music. I’ve been observing and contemplating. Usually, every day I think about writing and what I want to write  but lately I’ve just been thinking about why I don’t feel like writing. I was reading Writing Down the Bones last night and I this passage jumped out as if it was meant for me:

Some people hear the rule “Write every day” and do it and don’t improve. They are just being dutiful. That is the way of the Goody Two-shoes. It is a waste of energy because it take tremendous effort to just follow the rules if your heart isn’t into it. If you find that this is your basic attitude, then stop writing. Stay away from it for a week or a year. Wait until you are hungry to say something, until there is an aching in you to speak. Then come back.

I think this is good advice so I’m giving myself permission to break that writing rule and not stress about it.

So now comes the part where I nominate 15 – 15! – bloggers for The Very Inspiring Blogger Award. As you can imagine, this list is made up of poets, writers, art lovers, and photographers. Here goes. (In no particular order.)

1. Mighty Termitey – I’ve been reading The Little Termite’s blog (in various incarnations) for years and she’s read mine. She is particularly inspiring to me because she is one of the most positive people I know. Her posts are funny, thoughtful, and straight from the heart. Always entertaining.

2. A Beetle With Earrings – The Innerzone is a very talented writer of poetry and very short fiction. Her love and skill of language inspires me every time I read her.

3. La Prairie des Femmes – A photoblog featuring Southeast Louisiana people, landscapes, and culture. Amazing photography. Just amazing.

4. Marilyn Cavicchia, Editor and Poet – Marilyn’s poetry runs the gamut from whimsical to very, very real.

5. The Cure For Anything – I’ve been reading Lisa’s blogs since about 2005 – 2006. Her sensitivity is what inspires me the most.

6. Kathy Fish – I love Kathy’s stories. She is so skillful and writes so beautifully that it inspires me to want to write better. Plus she writes about the craft of writing and does interviews and reviews.

7. The Language We Speak – Stacy Michelle is fierce. Her poems are fierce. She is woman and she writes about what that  means. I want to write like her.

8. Angels and People: Life in New Orleans – A New Orleans photoblog that shows you the real, everyday city and her people. With flair.

9. Part-time Monster – This is probably the most eclectic blog I read. You never know what is going to pop up over there. Diana and her crew write about everything from feminist issues to books to pop culture and everything in between. It inspires me to think about things I might otherwise pass over.

10. Roxane Gay is Spelled With One N – Well. Who doesn’t love Roxane Gay? She’s way too well-known to give a hoot about me giving her a blogging award but I’m going to do it anyway because I just love her blog and her writing. She is so honest that sometimes it breaks my heart and makes me glad she did.

11. Earthgirl – Beautiful poetry that never comes around soon enough for me.

12. Very Like a Whale – Nic Sebastian writes poetry, blogs about poetry, and sets other poets work to video. She does amazing things with poetry from The Poetry Storehouse. I am amazed by her talent for piecing together music, video and poetry into nothing less than masterpieces. You have to watch her work. One of my dreams is having her work with one of my poems. A girl can dream, can’t she?

13. Blathering 504 – New Orleans girl who loves art and blogs about it, among other things. Her weekly “Arty Tuesday” segments always inspire me.

14. The Indigo Vat – How to even describe this blog? Sylvia is interested in so many things and writes about it in a way that makes you get excited. I particularly love her essays on nature and her life in Northern California. She inspires me to look out into the world.

15. Travels With Persephone – A travel blog written by an anthropologist with an artsy eye. Her posts about travel and her work are always incredibly interesting.

And a very special bonus is

Tammy Vitale – I’ve read Tammy for years. She is the epitome of inspiration for me. She is an artist and a life coach and a very wise woman. She isn’t blogging as much as she used to but it’s worth the wait when she does. Dig into her archives and you’ll see what I mean.

Well, this has turned out to be a really fun post for me. It’s nice to share some of my favorite bloggers with you and I hope you’ll visit a few – if not all. I think in the last couple of years I’ve lost the feeling of camaraderie that I used to feel with other bloggers and writing this post today has brought that feeling rushing back. According to rules (!), the nominated bloggers should nominate 15 bloggers who inspire them, list the 7 deadly sins…..er,  7 things about themselves and list the rules. Did I list the rules? 😉

Thanks, MarinaSofia!