Blogaverssary

Bailey' Buddy is 4

 February 12. 2007 was the beginning of Bailey's Buddy. My first post. Since that time I have shared photos, poetry, peaks, (and valleys) joys, sorrows and almost all aspects of my life. I started out saying that this would be an eclectic blog and it certainly has.  This is the 3661st post (or 3662 if I put up one more between now (when I am writing this) and Saturday morning at 7:00 AM when it will go up).  When that event happens I hope to be in Cedar Rapids or approaching Cedar Rapids as I am attending the Iowa Conference for Masonic Education which is being held there. As I mentioned in an earlier post I have been working on the Iowa Academy for Masonic Knowledge which will be introduced at the Conference.


I have written about daily life, ranted about (many) things, the Masonic Fraternity, movies, opera, plays, books, events I have attended.  I have let you know about places I like to eat and places that haven't been quite so hot.  I have shared my life with you and many of you have shared yours with me.  It has opened me up more than I usually open up to people and I have shared with you when I have been hurt. (What most of you don't know is that I have another blog where I can put up my wine and cheese (whine and jeeze) parties.  I had allowed some people to share that with me but took it down and put up a private only one that I can use to store things I want to develop into future articles.  I can also put up things which need to remain private. Usually when I have had my feelings hurt..) I have a Poetry Blog where I keep my poems.  Some good some not so good.  The most popular poem is "On Being A Man" and I have gotten some positive feedback from some people who read it and were touched by it.   I also do blogs for my former church and the Des Moines Consistory, the York Rite and the newest is the Iowa Academy of Masonic Knowledge.  I maintain calendars which can be accessed from the blog, let you know what I am reading and provide links to other blogs and web sites that I read and follow. Some posts have been really pretty good. Others should be trashed.  That is the way of things.  I try but sometimes I do not reach the high mark that is set before me. My friend and fellow teacher/photographer Bob Kelly has shared his marvelous photography with us and his trip to Antartica took us to the bottom of the world.


Since I started counting I have had almost 166,000 hits. (of course about half of them were from me editing but I am still impressed with that number.

Please join with me in celebrating this event and dance as though no one is watching.

Blogger has been tracking my pageviews for awhile. This is the Friday Stats. Pageviews today 249 Pageviews yesterday 277 Pageviews last month 9,601 Pageviews all time history 61,627

The most popular post used to be a speech given by my friend John Klaus which went viral (for me) and was linked to by another site and directed a lot of people here. Then I put up a post honoring Bishop John Selby Spong.  There were about a thousand folks who came here to see that post and then went back to the referring site (which I will not link to) to make nasty comments about him.  Those Episcopalians really do like to keep things stirred up. I monitor the comments on this site because there were spam posters who just wanted to link to their sites to advertise and I did not allow them to make their nasty comments here.  From time to time I allow differing opinions if you are respectful but I explain all of that on my disclaimer.  For the most part the way I feel about my readers is shown in the picture below:

And that is the truth.  It is always fun to meet someone who tells me that they read the Blog. I know that there are people who disagree with my religion or politics but I love them also.  The regular readers of this blog who keep coming back to see what I have to say and to help me through the rough times and celebrate the good times I thank you.  I appreciate each of you and celebrate you as my on-line family.  Even if all you do is check in to see my latest post I appreciate each and every one of you.  Thanks for stopping by.  Be good to one another. Cherish your friends.  Hugs, j