Hello!

I think I see a new face or two coming for a visit to my blog.

My name is Elaine, and in some circles I am called Retired Knitter.

I am participating in a Grow Your Blog event, sponsored by Vicki at 2 Bags Full.  This creative fiber artist decided it was time to say "Thank You" to the blogging community for all the support she has received over the years by helping bloggers to grow their readership. I love these events because I love to discover new blogs.

Vicki suggested several elements for the event participants to follow.

  Start with an introduction ...
Who the heck are you!

 So here goes:

• I am a blogger.
• I am a knitter.
• I am a sometimes crocheter.
• I am a new-be weaver.
• I am a wanna-be spinner.
• I am a walker.
• I am a grandmother and dog sitter to three magnificent dogs (Meathead, an English Bulldog, Grimace, a Pug, and Milo, a French Bulldog).
• I am a wife of 43 years, and a mother to 2 grown children and 1 new daughter-in-law.
• I am a caregiver and daughter to my 86 year old mother.
• I am retired, and thank God for that because ...
• I am completely out of time or energy with the above stuff for anything like a real job.

Before I begin the next segment (Why I blog), I plan to bore you for just a few minutes with pictures of my "grandchildren."  I am a typical grandmother, after all.  So please stick around.

Just pretend I have taken out my wallet, and I am sharing some family pictures with you.  And you, being a good blogging friend, can't back out gracefully ...  you smile,  show enthusiasm, and remark on how cute they are.

Left is Grimace.  Yes, his tongue is sticking out.  It is one of his charming features.
Right is Milo.  Yes, his ears are sticking up.  He is doing his "deer imitation."

This is Meathead.
This is how he looks most of the time.
Meathead is 10 years old and that is very old for an English Bulldog.
I caption this picture as
"Sleeping dog with heavy lips."

There!  That wasn't so bad.  I think we are going to get along just great.  :-)  Thank you for sticking with me this far.  Now we can move on to the next part of my participation.

Answer the question ...
Why do I blog!

It started innocently enough.

I discovered blogging through my friend, HappyOne, at Life is Good-Smile. I always felt better after visiting her blog.  The posts weren't exciting or unusual, just a chronicle of her daily walks and the activities that filled her days.  But reading her blog was like a short visit to a peaceful island where life was calm and orderly ... when my own life was anything but peaceful.  That was July 2010.

The blogging seed was planted ... maybe I could have a blog too.  

You see in July 2010, I was in my 3rd year as primary caregiver for my elderly mom.  She lived with me.  The intensity of her care had not reached a critical point in 2010, but it was growing in challenges and responsibility, and it was constant - 24/7.  In fact, I retired early from my job to care for her.  The story of my journey as an elder caregiver can be found on my blog under the label Through My Caregiver Eyes.

I didn't start out wanting to write about my caregiving experiences ... I just wanted a way to express myself about fun stuff, life observations, my goals ... a distraction of sorts.  Caregiving was rapidly shrinking my world as I became more and more house bound with mom.  I wanted this blog to be about the life I wanted and to focus on stuff important to me.  I did not want to write about caregiving. It was important but private.

A year of blogging passed!

On August 15, 2011, I changed my mind and decided to write about my life with mom.  That year was terribly difficult.  Like the valve on a pressure cooker, I needed to let some of the steam out.  So I posted my first caregiving post on August 15th - and closed it to comments - private.  Just a place to sort out my conflicting emotions - because they were spilling out of the cracks in my life anyway.

But bloggers are persistent people. I got a few private emails ... readers wanting to share their own experiences with me and to express a camaraderie.  It was surprisingly comforting.

Then I received an email from Doris, a Nursing Home Social Worker, who blogs at Hold My Hand.  She wanted me to Guest Post on her blog - sharing two of my recent caregiving posts.  I remember the overwhelming emotions of that moment like it was yesterday.  One morning ... sitting at my kitchen table in my pajamas, facing my computer with a cup of coffee, struggling to read Doris' email through my tears. Someone saw and understood.  No judgement, no criticism.  And this nursing home professional thought I could do something good for someone else by sharing my story.  (The link to the Hold My Hand blog above, takes you to that post on my mom.)

I agreed to the guest posting.

And I put the comments back on my caregiver series of posts.

Mom has now moved to Assisted Living. I am still her caregiver, but my primary role is now "daughter" ... as it should be.  I have taken back most of my life. And the experience of caregiving has changed me forever.

My blog has evolved as well.  I share all sorts of things ... my entries are eclectic.  I have written about vacuum cleaners and tree bark, family life and all my dearly loved crafts, my grand dogs and my cats, my walking and my couch sitting (I won't lie, the walking habit is a struggle.)  I write about everything. And I still write about Mom on occasion.  But my life is now more balanced, more normal (well, except for writing about vacuum cleaners and tree bark - how normal is that?)

 :-)

This blog was there for me when I really needed it ... as well as my blog friends ... during the most difficult months of my life.  It was a life line.  And unconsciously, I think I knew that at the time.

Why do I blog?

I now think you know!

Hope you come back to visit again soon.  And I will be searching out your blogs, because the real joy of this kind of event for me is discovering new blogs.  

Finally
Offer a contest!!

Be sure to leave a comment - maybe introduce yourself if you are new here.  All commentors will be eligible for a prize if they include an email address - my first contest ever - more on that next time!

Be sure to come back on Monday, January 21st to find out more.

Like seriously!
I can see it in your face.

You know you want to come back!!!

Cheers!

Elaine
   Retired Knitter,
   Caregiver,
   Daughter, and
   Blogger

PS - A final picture of my 3 grand dogs - sleeping! The most blessed of all times!!

PPS - Ok, so it is not the final picture.  No sense in starting off our new relationship with a lie!!