16 years of blogging?

It seems hard to believe, but I started this blog -- which was actually my second effort at blogging (get it?) -- in December 2005. We have just passed this site's 16th anniversary.

I still had a kid in grade school in 2005. In the years that followed all five of my children have graduated from college and gotten married. Three of my five children have children of their own at this point; Long Suffering Spouse and I have been blessed with 10 grandchildren so far. I have chronicled some of these events here.

I have no doubt written some things in the course of those years that I would disagree with today. Thinking people modify their opinions and revise their views as new information becomes available. As they (hopefully) grow in wisdom and experience. My wife or my children or grandchildren might wince if they were ever to read through the archives here in any depth. Certainly there have been occasions were I have griped about this child, or that one, or written some things that might have been embarrassing for them. Then.

Then again, this has been an anonymous blog. So the members of my family did not know what I wrote about them when I wrote it. If they ever do read it -- perhaps when I am gone -- they may enjoy it. I hope so. Even when they see where I have occasionally exaggerated for comic effect or narrative clarity. Or given Long Suffering Spouse the most cutting lines.

In my writing I have always tried to avoid saying anything that would embarrass me if read from the pulpit at church. I think that's a good rule for anyone who writes, online or off. In the course of 16 years I may have been better at it some times than others.

My first blog was created when Older Daughter was studying in Spain, during her junior year of college. I found it convenient to create a Blogger account (a different one than the ones I use now) in order to leave comments on the blog that Older Daughter created while she was overseas. At some point, probably because my comments on her blog became too lengthy, I created a blog of my own. Things sort of evolved from there.

So, in a way, this is all her fault.

Sorry. Inside family joke: Older Daughter feels that she is blamed for everything. Which is absolutely not true. I blame her siblings for things, too. Sometimes I even blame myself... probably nowhere near as often as I should... but such is life.

Anyway, Older Daughter came back from Spain and at some point thereafter I started this blog without telling anyone at all.

And I was shocked to find that I had no readers. Hmmmmm.

From those inauspicious beginnings, I actually built something of an audience. I was totally geeked in 2007 to welcome my "20,000th visitor" -- 20,000 page views seemed like a lot to me, then. At my peak I probably had two or three dozen regular visitors, most of them generous with their comments. It was a little community.

But time marches on. Some readers moved on with their lives. Some passed away. By 2013 I stopped posting as much. From 136 posts in 2013, to 40 in 2014, to 20 in 2015. In 2020 I did not post at all. (I was too busy, I suppose, hoarding toilet paper.)

And I was shocked to find that I'd lost the little audience I'd had. Hmmmm.

Actually, last month I had 1,957 page views here, according to Blogger. That would have thrilled me in 2007. Perhaps the Blogger counting system is more generous than the old Sitemeter. But I doubt they are that different. But the 40 or 50 or 60 daily visitors I have now don't give me that same 'community' vibe I had here in 2007 through about 2012.

At this point, 16 years in, what I've got here is inventory -- 1,982 published posts and counting. Maybe I can yet build something on or from this.

Seems to me to be worth a try. After all... 16 years... I've had this site open now for about a quarter of my life.

Happy Blogaversary to me.