there's no method to my madness

One of my favorite tangibles, is a beautiful vintage, wood and brass
level that WT gave me one Christmas. I keep it here on the old oak
high school drafting table, I use as a computer desk, in the little
sitting area off the manor kitchen. I didn't realize until today, it's
obviously my Libra sense of balance, that draws me to this mellow
level, with its air bubbles housed in cloudy green glass.

Speaking of a sense of balance, the only thing about blogging, that's
making me feel incredibly unbalanced lately, is the fact that I'm
having a bit of trouble making it through the bloggyhood to visit all
you special peeps on a daily basis. You are the nicest, most creative
and intelligent group of gentle readers in the whole blogosphere. I
am one lucky blog duck. You mean the world to me, and that's why

I am feeling frustration.

You know how it is. I'm going down the mile, the ubiquitous green
blogroll mile, and the phone rings. I chat. I laugh. I return to the
mile, and it has grown. Not only that, but I've lost my place. I skim
down and click on a blog with an intriguing post. I click on someone

new in the comment section, and I'm on a fresh and exciting street

in the bloggyhood. I pop here. I comment there. Before I know it,

an hour has passed and I'm still only a quarter of the way down the

green mile. And I'm a fast typer, too.

I know some of you like to send an email to everyone who leaves a
comment. I'm afraid this method would permanently attach my butt
to the chair, and I would soon collect dust and spider webs. Plus, I
think it's a bit redundant to reply by email, and also go leave a blog
comment. Not to mention, it chokes the old inbox. Some others of
you only comment to those who have left comments on your post.
I don't really care for that method either, because there are so many
interesting bloggers out there, that don't necessarily leave me a
comment on a daily basis.

So, what's a willow to do? I think my gentle readers will understand,

while I would love to comment on 200 blogs a day, it's just not

realistic. It's not healthy to sit here blogging 24 x 7; this willow might

just send down roots and sprout withy shoots. Got any suggestions?

Any methods to your bloggy madness? Blogging should be fun and I

should not be feeling this unbalanced sense of "oblogation", right?
.

willow with withies ready to harvest

back by popular demand

Several of you commented last week
about missing the old profile avatar.
Well, I thought the hand was
especially artsy, but I do aim to
please my gentle readers. So,
without further ado, my framed
portrait with the button eyes, not to
be confused with any clowns (please
refer to my footer for my feelings
on the subject) is once again my
avatar.

comments...obstacle or catalyst?

One of my goals, as a blogger, has been to make this blog a welcome
spot, where readers feel comfortable to participate in the comment
section. In fact, I am quite in awe of the comments left by all of you.
I am daily inspired, very much entertained (your comments make
me laugh until it hurts), as well as enlightened, by your thoughtful
and avid participation. In many of the more lively conversations,
there are those of you who return, adding further to the discussion.

Last week, I visited an interesting blog for the first time and left a
comment. This blogger, in turn, visited Willow Manor, and instead of
leaving a comment, took the extra effort to send an email, telling me
they "turned tail" because of the number of comments. It never
occurred to me that too many comments could chase bloggers away.
I know. I know. I shouldn't take these kinds of things personally, but
not being one who relishes the thought of being blissfully ignorant, as
Reya so eloquently mentions in her blog today, I took a moment to
ponder.

I've always considered the comment section the soul of the blog.
That's where the compelling expression takes place. I appreciate that
readers feel free to leave their own ideas, even if they vary from my
own. It gives the blogging community the texture and interest it
needs to be engaging and appealing. The more the merrier. There are
countless times an excellent book, piece of music, an artist, recipe, or
thought provoking idea has been mentioned, not in the text of a post,
but in the comment section of a blog.

So, what's your opinion? When you visit a blog, does the number of
comments effect you? Are you repelled by a large number and leave
without visiting the comment section? Or does the number work as
a catalyst, drawing you in, behind the scene, to the smoke-filled
room?

artwork: detail from Mr. Hulings' Rack Picture by William Harnett

quest for the perfect avatar

.

. . .Okay, I know. In case you didn't notice, I had 17 different avatars today. And now,

am back to the one I started with. My cool

framed sunglasses pic suddenly lost its

cool after someone said it reminded them

of "Chucky". That's when I switched to the vintage Hanes ad girl.

I was prompted to find yet another one, since my little Hanes girl's head was cut off in the tiny sidebar followers profile. So, I embarked on a quest for the perfect avatar.

I finally found a decent photo of myself; not too old, not too fat.

Downloaded it into my profile; pretty good so far. The crucial part is

the further shrinking to the comment box size. This is where the rub

comes in. Either one of your eyes disappears completely, or it

magically crosses. And if your eyes stay straight, then there is the

problem of the teeth. If you are smiling with your teeth showing, one

of the front teeth comes up missing. I don't know about you, but

heavens to murgatroyd, I don't want to comment on a hundred blogs

with a cross eyed, toothless version of myself.

My personal computer tech told me, "Mom, it's the pixels." I know,

I know. But just knowing it's the pixels, doesn't solve the problem.

The next picture I tried was fine, but the small version made me

look like the Quaker Oats guy. Not the image I want to portray. The

photos that turned out the best were those of Juliette Binoche and

Myrna Loy. I suppose it's because they have such beautifully

symmetrical Hollywood faces. Well, I guess I'll stick with my Hanes
ad girl for now. She's a step up from the Quaker. And besides, she's

bookish, like me.

Anonymous Troll

Most of you have probably noticed I've had to start moderating my

comments, which I absolutely hate. It disrupts the flow of the

conversation and is a pain in the butt to screen and click each

comment, let alone the pile up it causes in my email inbox.

Until now, I have been totally comfortable with the occasional

anonymous comment. A variety of comments compose a rich and

textured conversation around the blog post. They also provide a

meaningful forum for readers to express their views; the more

varied, the richer the experience. I've always welcomed readers to

post an opposing view or conflicting facts. The occasional spam was

always easy to delete and didn't particularly bother me.

But what do you do when someone abuses his or her anonymity by

posting bizarre, hostile, negative or abusive comments? I have one

particular blogger, who instead of using their blog handle, leaves

anonymous comments. This person knows me personally and has

clearly crossed the line with such comments, even ones that could

be potentially libelous to me and my loved ones.

It is most cowardly not to stand behind a comment with a name.

They have nothing to risk. They remain safe and unknown. It's

incredibly easy, as well as irresponsible to leave a threat, one they

would never say to my face in public, click "post" and be on their

merry way.

The following Blogger's Code of Conduct is a proposal by Tim

O'Reilly for bloggers to enforce civility on their bloggers by being civil

themselves and moderating comments on their blog. I think they are

some very good guidelines to follow.

1. Take responsibility not just for your own words, but for the

....comments you allow on your blog.

2. Label your tolerance level for abusive comments.

3. Consider eliminating anonymous comments.

4. Ignore the trolls*.

5. Take the conversation offline, and talk directly, or find an

....intermediary who can do so.

6. If you know someone who is behaving badly, tell them so.

7. Don't say anything online that you wouldn't say in person.

*An Internet troll, or simply "troll" in Internet slang, is someone

who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic

messages in an online community, such as an online discussion

forum, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an

emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic

discussion.

Hmm, just like the obnoxious creature under a bridge? Very aptly

named. How do you deal with these anonymous trolls? Heavens to

murgatroyd! Is comment moderation the only alternative?

Toot-Toot, We Have a Winner

Thank you so much, bloggies, for all the kind comments in honor of
my first blog year! And it was also nice to "meet" some of you who
are regular readers, but don't normally leave comments. Today I
will spend some time tidying up the manor, and the hundreds of tea
cups from all your wonderful visits. Thanks for celebrating with me!
I had pre-selected the number 43 (witnessed by WT) for the drawing.
Taaaa-daaaa!! We have a winner! Reya Mellicker left the 43rd
comment yesterday! Reya, I will send you a well loved book or two
from my personal library. If you haven't been over to Reya's
The Gold Puppy, go pay her a little visit. She is a fellow "Blog of Note"
and her thought provoking, intelligent blog is one of my daily reads.
So, hey hey, there you have it, my bloggy friends. Best wishes for a
lovely weekend, all. Willow x

Does Willow Reinvent Herself?

People who cannot invent and reinvent
themselves must be content with borrowed
postures, secondhand ideas,
fitting in instead of standing out.
Warren G. Bennis

There has been some talk in the bloggyhood about various types of
blogs and their purposes. One of the beauties of the blog world is the
individuality of bloggers and their right to choose what they post.
One of my readers recently commented that, in their opinion, I try
to “reinvent” myself and my blog is somehow not in tune with the

"new millennium". Let me just say, and those of you who know me

personally can attest, that my blog is not too far from who I really
am, although reinventing oneself is not entirely a negative concept.
We all take part in the creative process of inventing ourselves by
blogging. I have chosen to keep my blog simple and hopefully positive,
sharing "a few of my favorite things" (hence the header) with a
thought, poem, film or even inspire you to try one of my favorite
recipes. I purposefully steer away from politics, controversy and

generally subjects that might be considered part of the harsher
side of life. With the current state of our nation and the world, people
are frightened, worried and exhausted. There is a plethora of blogs
out there with tough, real issues highlighted and discussed. Just
because I, personally, don’t regularly post on these topics, it doesn’t
mean I am out of tune with reality. My life is far from perfect, and
I’m not always in the sunny mood I try to show, but if I can share a
little respite from the daily grind, with my simple little Manor theme,
then I am happy. I don't know about you, but blogging has been a
most beneficial experience for me. All of you delightful friends out

there have made my life the richer with your thoughts, laughter and

tears. Thanks, dear bloggies.


Now, with that said, let’s get on to something completely and utterly
frivolous. I've been tagged twice! Once from Marc and also from
Sydney. Since the tags are similar, I'm going to combine the two.
(And if you aren't familiar with these two friendly bloggers, go
pay them a little visit.)

CLOTHES SHOP... Shopping for clothes used to be quite the
enjoyable experience. I could just throw any old thing on my lean
5’ 7” frame and look fabulous. Now that I'm not as young as I once
was and my body has started rearranging itself in unique ways, I
am forced to use my creativity to it’s furthest degree. Talk about

reinventing myself! So, the formerly fun experience is now a

challenge, to say the least. I usually stick to the minimal basics and

add flair with interesting accessories and jackets. And I always like

to shop for clothes alone.

FURNITURE SHOP... I can’t remember the last time I actually
shopped for furniture but do remember almost dying of sticker shock.
20 years ago, we bought two similar vintage sofas for $50 each and
covered them with matching fabric for the living room. They still look
great. But I would love to have a new sectional for the family room.
There’s just not enough furniture to accommodate everyone and their
significant others when we want to all watch a movie on holidays.

SWEET... Fortunately, I don’t really have the sweet tooth like so
many do, but really have a weakness for dark chocolate.

CITY... We lived in Kansas City for four years when we were newly
married. It is a delightful place to live and I have missed it ever since.
Another city I love is Philadelphia, where my daughter lives. It has
big city attractions like NYC, but on a smaller scale. Lots of charming
historical areas like Rittenhouse square and the historic district. The
Philadelphia Museum of Art is marvelous.

DRINK... I never turn down a nice glass of Chardonnay. Favorite beer
is Michelob Ultra (I know, a complete girl beer) in a frozen glass, of
course and I really like Svedka, Diet Pepsi and a twist of lemon.

MUSIC... Basically, I am a classical music kind of girl, with some 60’s
and 70’s music thrown in. My daughter is an opera singer, so I have
come to appreciate and love it, as well.

TV... The only regular TV programs that I watch are on PBS. I like
Nova, American Experience, History Detectives and Antiques
Roadshow. Not really a big TV watcher, though.

FILM... Now movies are entirely another thing. I LOVE film.
Especially vintage ‘40’s, foreign films and any well done time period
movie. I am totally embarrassed to tell you how many DVD’s are in
my collection.

COFFEE... I adore ultra strong coffee. But lately have found that
I can’t tolerate the caffeine. So now I mostly drink tea, but it is
just not the same. Now and then I treat myself to a cup of extra
strong Marques de Paiva whole bean decaf with fat free half and half.

So, for what it's worth, there you have it my bloggy friends.

Anyone who would like to play this tag, please consider yourself
TAGGED...you are all IT!!