Saturday, May 16, 2009

Blossom Catch-up

14th018

A backlog of recent flower photos were clamoring to see the light of day on the blog……

11th039 (3)

So, this post is where they landed.

11th015 (2)

Have a nice weekend!

14th013 (2)

*

P.S. - This opinion article contains food for thought for us bloggers. Do we tend to “overshare” on our blogs? Do we engage in exhibitionism? Are we blogging to compensate for the absence of face-to-face, real-life interaction with other human beings? Think deeply on that and take necessary measures, which might include continuing to blog.

Navigating the online communication highway can be tricky, like groping blindly in the dark.  It lacks the visual and the auditory, the awareness of facial expressions, body language, and voice inflections as in a face-to-face conversation. I sometimes have the wrong-headed tendency to view things as humorous that might not be seen that way by someone else. In a face-to-face encounter, I can usually maneuver carefully enough to express my point-of-view and prompt laughter in the other person eventually. We can laugh together then---a joyful experience! Online, its a different story;  on the flat, lifeless computer screen I might carelessly type a message that offends someone. I may think I’m laughing WITH them when actually they believe I am laughing AT them. No one is particularly fond of being laughed AT.

****

Its excruciating for me to type this next sentence:  My blogging time will be infringed on this weekend due to previously-scheduled real-life interactions with human beings, no less. Visitors will be at my home today, and tomorrow I'm planning to attend church and then go cemetery-touring with my mom and sister (weather permitting).

*

Can you tell where I was last evening?  And, rain was falling…..AGAIN!  More about that on Monday.

15th005

*

12 comments:

Sempringham said...


As long as you take your camera with you, we will excuse you from blogging to go cemetery hunting. But come back with at least one research puzzle!

Have fun.

Country Girl said...

Morning, Jeannelle. First, thanks for sharing the flower photos! I miss my lilac so much. The day before the tree came down on it, I was sitting in a chair by it, reading an book and the scent was everywhere, making me happy.

Second, I read the article you linked and wondered about myself and personal information. Especially about my husband and his illness. Sometimes I am afraid I say too much. Am I an exhibitionist? I don't know. Maybe a tiny bit. And now I am wondering about personal interaction, etc. In my position at the school, I get so much personal interaction that I almost can't stand it sometimes! So blogging for me is a retreat and a release.
I feel better now.

rhymeswithplague said...

I like the flower photos, especially the violets.

ioneer-Pay oman-Way is exhibitionistic in a way that is fun and engaging. osa-Ray of aron-Shay, on the other hand, is exhibitionistic in a way that absolutely smothers.

Maybe exhibitionism is in the eye of the beholder.

And self-expression, I think, is better than no expression at all.

Gail said...

You do make those brain cogs turn. Obsessed...yes. I can carefully plan out what I want to say without my foot entering my mouth too often.
If I don't want to talk, I don't have to unlike the real world.
Enjoy the weekend ahead.

Leenie said...

Jeannelle: Thanks for the preview of blossoms to come! I can almost smell the perfume and hear the bees. And, yes, the struggle to make your words on the screen not offend and yet express is quite a balancing act. Neverthelss, it is so fun to visit places in the bloggesphere and find those with similar interests. That being said, if you wish to share your snailmail address with me, I have a small gift for you. eileenb@cableone.net

Anonymous said...

Not addicted here or an exhibitionist.. just enjoying the holy heck out of blogging, AND, it's a venue for many of us to share our photography. I have met some local bloggers in the flesh and we are supportive of one another not only in the blog world but the real world.

Love this post and your flowery photos.

Di
The Blue Ridge Gal

Mary Humphrey said...

Really good article (the link)!

I feel blogging (depending upon the theme of the blog) is about the overall "you," however I tend to stay away from the personal details (i.e. I had a fight with my next door neighbor...My husband has been a B this week...etc...). I leave those things to myself, to my husband, or two my closest friends whom really want to know.

I believe anything we (you, I, anyone) puts in writing can be misconstrued. That is going to happen regardless.

My sister and I write an email to each other every morning, and then several times throughout each day. I have misunderstood her feelings on a topic, and not even known it until she and I speak in person. It can be a real eye opener.

As far as stepping on toes, perhaps laughing at something that someone else might be offended by. Nah. It is up to each one of us to realize that when we write it is going to be comprehended in more than one way, no matter the great effort we put into our words.

We are exhibiting to the world when we write, especially on a blog. So, write what you want everyone to know. As with my best friends, away from the screen, if I do not want to discuss something personal in my life, I simply do not tell them.

Did I say too much? Ha ha ha!

Good blog post...and interesting!

Mary Humphrey said...

And I wish we could edit comments...of course I mean to (not two). My fingers have been twisted lately!!!!

Jeannelle said...

Wow.....wonderful comments. Thanks! My visitors just left.

*****

Sempringham,

I'll try to find a puzzle for you to solve.

*****

Country Girl,

If your excellent blogging is exhibitionist, then I'm all for exhibitionism! By blogging about your husband's health situation, you prompt many others to pray and think of him and that can't be a bad thing.

That's too bad about your lilac's demise. You'll have to sneak into a neighbor's yard to catch more lovely whiffs before the lilac flowering is done. It goes by much too fast.

*****

rhymsie,

Hmm....I've never visited the second blog you mentioned, but may have to see what you mean.

I like it that you like the flower photos and thanks for your final sentence, too. Very good thought.

******

Gail,

It is nice to be able to edit our blog posts as needed before publishing.

That's a good point, about our freedom to choose when and if we wish to communicate with people online. Especially, that must seem refreshing to those who spend their days meeting the public.....which I assume is part of your job.

*******

Leenie,

That's a good way to put it...."a balancing act"......that's exactly what it is. And, the more we practice balancing, the more coordinated we become....hopefully, anyway.

How sweet of you! Yes, I will send my address your way.

******

Blue Ridge Gal,

Great points you make, too! About how enjoyable blogging can be for us and as a pathway to new real-life friendships!

******

Mary,

Great insights, and, no, you didn't say too much! Especially good is the reminder that ANYTHING we write can be taken in way we don't intend. We need to blog sensibly and in a way that feels comfortable for us. That might mean different things to different bloggers.

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

Those flower photos are absolutely stunning. How did you get that reflection thing at the bottom?

I've decided to stop worrying about why or how I blog. For this week, at least. LOL

alphabet soup said...

Blogging and its interpretation, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

Words, both verbal and written, can be misunderstood or miscontrued. However by taking time to write as clearly as we can then it's over to the reader and there is little we can do about how they might wish to see the words.

Enough of the serious stuff!! Those photos are beautiful - that mirror image is a different look.
Ms Soup

DesertHen said...

Beautiful flower shots! I'm a tad jealous...=)

I feel it is very, very important to "say what we need to say." "It's better to say to much, than never to say what you need to say." A line from a John Mayer song.