Monday, December 14, 2009

Something About You

Alright, enough about me....tell me something about ya'll! What do you all do for a living? Now, I know what several of my more vocal readers do (but you guys can still tell us), but what about the rest of ya'll? You can write in anonymously, I don't care. I'm just curious about the demographics; are my readers mostly blue-collar or white or about equal? God knows I've told ya'll all kinds of stuff about me, so c'mon, let's hear it!
And also, you may have noticed I changed a few colors and such; is the blog easy to read or do some of you have trouble? Is the font large enough? Do ya'll think I need to change anything to make it easier to read?

*Level 42 / this is an oldie but I love this song

18 comments:

HermitJim said...

In my opinion, everything is good the way it is on the blog! Easy to read, and colors are good!

About me...? Not much to tell, really. Just an old retired guy, living with my two cats, getting ready to move (hopefully) from the city to the country where I hope to build a small cabin. There is where I want to spend the rest of my time, surrounded by nature!

Kinda boring, huh?

Ed said...

Born and raised a farm boy in Iowa. In fact as I have blogged about before, I am pretty much Genetically Iowan. Grew up partly during the farm crisis of the early 80's which is why I went on to become an mechanical engineer. Perhaps someday I will go back to farming when/if my parents retire.

Kathy said...

I've read your blog for a long while now. I can't remember how I got into it but I love to read about your life. The blog is nice, easy to read and very interesting. I enjoy your stories about the railroad man. I'd love more on your dog and your yard.

I'm currently unemployed. The company I worked as office manager for closed its doors a little over a year ago. I live in MN with my husband of 35 years. We have two grown sons that live close by. I don't have a blog but I find myself caught up in lots of reading of blogs. I love to garden, fish and spend time outdoors. Thanks for letting me read about your life.

Anonymous said...

Annie,

I'm afraid if you stay away from the working world too long you'll discover ways to make do and enjoy life a little more. We can't have that when the rest of us still have jobs we have to go to!! I envy your independence and courage to work as a contractor. You still control your fate to some degree, a characteristic that made this country great. I'm afraid we are on the verge of giving that freedom away without a second thought.

Spent the past weekend at my cabin, took the in-laws and aunt to the Guntersville Lodge for lunch(good and inexpensive). Look forward to spending more time there this summer when I finally get my pink slip, I mean walking papers.

Take care and God bless,

Barry

Richard said...

I'm currently unemployed....no wait, some call that retired. I was in the dirty collar business and still get my collar dirty whenever I can. Raised in Iowa on a farm, then 20 years in the Navy, then had to go to work for a living in both white and blue collar jobs. Liked the blue a lot better. I'm not good at playing the white collar games.

Anna said...

Well my husband was laid off about 6 weeks ago (he's a carpenter) so I've been working my butt off (and getting crap for pay). My main job is teaching in a special ed classroom. I work with middle school kids with emotional and learning disabilities. They are the kids labeled the "bad kids" and have lots of behavioral issues. I also clean at my local hospital. Sanitizing patient rooms, the OR, etc. And then I clean houses and maintain salt water aquariums on the side. If I had a choice, I would be doing non of that, saying home with some kids (non yet) and playing on our land.
I think the blog looks great. I love your new header.

ErinFromIowa said...

Retired. Live in Iowa. Mom to three lovely daughters. Grandma to one smart boy. Currently striving to enjoy the holidays in a meaningful fashion.

MamaHen said...

Hey Jim! thanks and no, I don't think that's boring! hope you are able to move soon.

Hey Ed! that's interesting; i don't guess i realized that your parents still farmed.

Hey Kathy! great to hear from you and thanks! I'll try to post some more on Lika and the yard although I hate to show my yard sometimes cause it looks so bad!
Hopefully you can find some more work if that's what you are looking for. I enjoy fishing too but just don't take time to go.
thanks for your interest in reading!

Hey Barry! well, i tell ya, if I can get this house near completed and start making some money on my own, I may not go back!
I'm afraid you may be somewhat right about people throwing away that freedom; in a way they already have by loading theirselves up with so much debt.
Ya'll must come by if you're up here for Christmas!! I'd be happy to see you and your family! you know I don't get many visitors.
I hope getting your walking papers is a good thing for you. Give you more time for yourself.

Hey Richard! Knew you were retired from the Navy! I got 2 Navy guys that read here.
I don't think I would do well in a white collar job anymore either.

Hey AD! Dang girl! I hate to hear you're having to work so much! that's just overload! hopefully your husband will find work soon and maybe you can slack up some. construction here is so bad right now; just nothing out there.
oh, thanks about the header; i like it too.

Hey Erin! wow, i got a Iowa following! for some reason I had it in my head that you were younger than me!
I know what you mean about the holidays, I am striving for the same thing.

Frugal Canadian Hermit said...

Annie, your site looks good from here the way it is. As for myself, I am an oilfield truck driver and sometimes equipment opertator. And way back, horse breaker, rodeo cowboy, ranch hand, log loader, slasher(power saw operator), water jack(sceismic drillers helper), construction laboror, but that was so long ago, I forgot everything, and I'm sure there a lot of other things I can't even remember. I guess that it all boils down to me wearing some kind of a blue collar. There's nothing wrong with that I guess.

Island Rider said...

I like the new header a lot, especially the pics of your cat and dog. About me? I have a Master's Degree in history, work as a historian for our county government, supervise a team of seventeen that work at four different museums and one historical archive. Two departments that work with deliquent and dependent children got thrown into the mix just to keep me on my toes. I have lived in Florida all my life with all my homes within a half hour of where I live now on an island on the west coast at the base of the Skyway Bridge. (Not including four years in college when I went north to South Carolina). I have two boys, both grown, one out of the house, one to go. My husband and I have been married twenty eight years, we were junior high sweethearts. I like to horseback ride, write, fuse glass, felt, ride on the back of my husband's motorcycle and garden. Above all, I am a Christian seeking to honor God with my life, but not always doing a great job at it!

MamaHen said...

Hey Mark! thanks!
no, there is absolutely nothing wrong with those jobs! I love blue collar guys and I have worked with many that have about as long a list of jobs as you do. I dated a bullrider once; well, he was a former bullrider by the time I knew him!

Hey IR! that's pretty cool! I always wanted to build exhibits for museums; like for natural history and such.

Anonymous said...

I’ve been reading your blog for awhile, can’t remember when I started, but I know I found you at the elusive Ron’s site, at Hickory Hills.
I was intrigued that a woman was giving him advice on pouring concrete. Then I found out you were building your own home and I was hooked.
Bottom line though, I like the way you write.
As for me, I’m 53, married to the sweetest guy on earth for 30+ years, living in a rural area of TX. On 3 acres in an old 1930’s farmhouse. No kids, by choice.
Debt free too, btw. I retired early, from a career as a microscopic assembler/solder tech in the Missile/Defense industry. Worked in factories all my adult life, even
though I have a degree in Library Science. I went where the money was.
I’m an atheist living in the bible belt, but I don’t say a word when the post master hands me Christmas stamps with the Virgin Mary on them, and prayer in schools
is not my concern, I just pay my taxes and move on. The folks around here are good people, for the most part.
My husband and I do all our own work around the homestead. If it gets built, we build it. We have a huge garden that sometimes thrives and sometimes fails in
our persnickety TX. Weather. We have chickens for eggs and bug patrol, but haven’t ventured into meat animals yet. We do eat our excess roosters.
I can as much of our produce as possible. I make soap. Like you, I enjoy working with stained glass, seeing as how soldering was my profession.
My next project will be learning to make wine. I’m fairly new to reading blogs and since I don’t have one of my own I rarely leave a comment.
I thought I’d de-lurk today, since you indicated you had an interest in who your readers are and what they do in their lives.
Your house is wonderful, btw. Thank you for sharing with us.
Oh, and your pottery is lovely, I wish I had your talent!
v.

MamaHen said...

Hey V.! wish you had my talent? heck, sounds like you got plenty of your own, woman! lol!
Oh, I'm so happy you wrote in! and all that is very interesting; that's great that you and your husband work together so. I envy your soap making and chickens! maybe I can get some chickens soon. Don't let not having a blog keep you from commenting now; that makes no difference.
thank you for all your kinds words and for letting me hear from you.

Robbyn said...

We love your site just like it is!

I've worn a bunch of hats in my life, and neither I nor Jack are employed in anything we used to do...we were both laid off of our old higher paying and better benefit jobs. Now we prefer to think of ourselves as incognito back-to-the-land wannabees...and we're trying to get There. Our pay-the-bills jobs right now are in security...something neither of us ever saw ourselves doing. I'm a frustrated former art major/english major/literature major who would love to one day finish college, which would sadly require me to narrow my interests down to one at a time ;-) Mostly, job one throughout the years has been "Mom," and now as the chef-and-main-squeeze-in-residence for my sweet soulmate/hubby. So really, I don't care WHAT I do as long as I can be with the man and we can act like a couple of kids and keep learning about anything we want, as if we're really young...though we're not :)

MamaHen said...

Hey Robbyn! sounds like ya'll are doing well tho; you got each other and that's the main thing. I hope ya'll are able to find some land soon.

Omelay said...

currently blue collar. i get to work under the open sky whenever i want. my job doesn't know that i have a degree. i am sure that the people that work there would look at me differently. i like it better this way.

MamaHen said...

Hey karl! you think they would? all the guys i work with know i have a degree but i don't think they treat me any different. oh, they tease me some but that's it.

Jenn said...

Hey Annie.

I'm a CAD Drafter, I put the buildings on paper to see that they will go up as planned (that even sometimes works without sparks between the architect and the builder!)

I studied architecture but didn't finish a degree, consider myself very lucky to have found a niche in drafting. I'm currently employed at an Interior designer's office. It's more fun than architecture - it's like drawing dollhouses, all trim and finish!

I'm a native Michigander, transplanted to the low desert of Phoenix, Az. I miss the green and love it when you show photos of your landscape.

A husband, two dogs,and a garden round out my portrait.

I hope to someday get back into clay crafting... slab work and tiles.

Meanwhile I'm enjoying watching your house evolve.