2012! Blogging awards, and gifts for friends…

Happy New Year!

Wazir, a security guard at the museum who speaks several languages and was a professor of Pashto in Afghanistan, told me recently that although he’s lived in the United States for eighteen years he still can’t get a decent job, still doesn’t have a friend, and longs for the simple life of his Afghani village…

Wazir

[FYI The tribe’s name is Pashtoon, the language is Pashto]

I sympathize with him. When I started this blog I wrote on my About page

Born in one country, birthed my children in another, and enjoying my middle years in a third. Now I wonder where I belong, who my people are, and how I can reach them…

After almost two years of blogging and three hundred posts I’ve discovered something I never expected, my people are right here, a click away, on my computer screen.

I thought when I became a blogger that I’d be reading a few blogs, but I’m following a whole bunch of them, and there’s a genuine connection and a friendship between us which is something I never expected, especially as we’ve never met each other, and some of these bloggers live so far away that it’s tomorrow in their homes, while I’m still drinking my breakfast coffee today.

And now during this season of gift giving, I’ve been honored with gifts from my peers. I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by Jane, of nichepoetryandprose and the The Liebster Award by Melissa of HappyKidsHappyMom.

The Versatile Blogger Award is a way to show others how much you appreciate their blogs and to make other bloggers aware of some really extraordinary work

The Liebster Blog Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. “Liebster” is German and it means “Dearest” or “Beloved.” But, at the same time it can also mean “Favorite.”

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To receive a blog award, especially one from your peers, is to me, the most wonderful gift of all, because it means the hours I’ve spent alone, writing for I know not whom has been recognized by fellow writers.

Oh god imagine if I was still only getting those nasty spam comments, such as:

“Nice to be visiting your weblog once more, it has been months for me. Properly this post that i’ve been waited for so long. I want this post to total my assignment in the college, and it has identical topic together with your write-up. Thanks, excellent share.”

or this:

He seems at little nervous.The teacher tested us in English.I fear that he drinks too much.She teaches foreign students Chinese.My mouth is watering.I think you have the Wrong number.He is a smart boy.They celebrated his birthday with a dance party.Oh you are kidding me.I have to transfer to No.

I thank you both most sincerely and with much humility, because you are both professional writers.

Jane, who is also a biologist wrote on her blog:   “I am the recipient of an artsnb Creations Grant for poetry.  The grant is to cover a six month period starting May 1, 2012 and is to write a poetry manuscript on ‘growing and gathering local foods’. ”

 Melissa wrote: “I’ve been a reporter (television, print and online) for 13 years, and a freelance writer for many of those years. ”

Awards always come with rules, such as thanking the blogger who gave it to you, passing it to other bloggers, telling something about yourself etcetera. I feel that all the bloggers I follow have already been given awards and several times already, so because this is the season of “gift-giving” it will give me great pleasure to give my blogging buddies a *G*I*F*T* with a single rule:  I have not personally met any of these wonderful people.

Firstly I’d like to thank my two buddies who gave me the awards.

1. This is for Melissa who has shared many stories and photos of her kids.  [I didn’t take the photo. I just know it’s taken in India]

2. Jane’s posts usually include a photo, a poem and a sketch.  It’s so interesting to see the bird and animal footprints in the snow, or at the bird feeder, or their burrow in the snow… Here are a couple of my photos

3 pm on Christmas day. Those aren’t dogs in the path – they are coyotes and that woman found herself too close to them.

We found this snake skin lying in the path

3.  Betty, of What Gives 365 you were my first blogging buddy.

Roses

For 365 days you told us about caring, unselfish people all over the world who are doing something to help strangers.

Thank you for your generosity to those strangers.

The best way I know to thank someone is with flowers – I saw this arrangement of roses in a flower shop in South Africa when we were there last year.

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Charles, of Mostly Bright Ideas you were my second blogging buddy. You can always make me laugh with your hilarious and carefully, crafted posts.   You wondered whether they have your favorite gelato at the GROM ice cream store in Malibu? Salivate no more….

Here it is: pistachio.

I photographed it through the glass so there’s a reflection, but I think you can still see the generous spoonful I bought for you.

Enjoy.

Heck, I even remembered to bring a napkin.

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3. The next blogger is the winner of  my Reader Appreciation award.

The Reader Appreciation award recognizes your blog’s top reader by the number of comments posted.

Priya of Partial View, you were my top reader. I thank you for your continued interest in what I write, and how you notice everything, even the smallest little details I share.

Your posts make us think, but also give hope, and inspiration, and I love your photos, particularly your shots of flowers, and the views of the people living in your colorful country.

Earlier this year you included a photo of an Indian mail box in one of your wonderful slide shows.

“That’s a mail box?” I asked you.

“Yes,” you said, “Why do you ask? Don’t all mailboxes look like that?”

United States mail boxes

I’m glad to show you these three mailboxes (above) which are a block away from my home.

Where I grew up pillar boxes were painted red like this one.

I found this lovely old-fashioned “British-style” mailbox in a tourist neighborhood in Cape Town when I was there in March 2011.