Guess who is celebrating a 10th blogiversary this month?
Two bloggers I happily follow have bragging rights to 10-years’ blogging. They are faithful commenters on my blog too. Drum roll please for. . .
Marie Washington who blogs about writing and life at El Space:
Pam Wight, author of the āroughwightingā blog, which you can find here
Congratulations, Marie and Pam!
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This month, Plain and Fancy is also celebrating a Ten-Year Anniversary. Since February 2013, I’ve blogged regularly at marianbeaman.com.
Because I have been writing about marriage in My Checkered Life: A Marriage Memoir, my blog milestone led me down memory lane, recalling early wedding anniversaries we celebrated through thick and thin.
The early years were mostly āthin,ā our fifth anniversary celebrated with a $10.00 lamp from a Jacksonville antique shop. I have held onto it for fifty years, its 60-watt bulb emitting a fuzzy glow from under an old-fashioned cloth lampshade with fleur de lis next to the table and chairs in our kitchen.
By the 10th anniversary, we were a little more financially fit and sprung for a schoolhouse clock, I believe costing about $150.00. With a soothing tick-tock, the clock has enjoyed pride of place above the kitchen table. (The fruity floral plates were added later.)
Tenth Anniversary Gift: Schoolhouse Clock with floral plates from Czech Republic
It occurs to me that these gifts, lamp and clock, are symbolic of light and time.
LIGHT. . .TIME
It’s true, isnāt it, that relationships of any kind, marital or otherwise, need seasoning, which the warmth of light and the passage of time can offer. Reversing the lament of Percy Bysshe Shelley, life and time and love can replace grief with joy, delight, and light.
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Precious metals, special objects, even common ones often mark important milestones of all sorts.
My Checkered Life: A Marriage Memoir marks a few anniversaries, not the early ones, but those more recent, anniversaries with a number āfiveā in front of them. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 38, highlighting the meaning of the word “Compensation.”
from Ch. 38Ā Ā A Wedding Anniversary Meditation: CompensationĀ Ā
My husband and I live independently, on a street with moms or dads pushing baby carriages, runners in athletic gear straining for mile-markers, and retirees savoring a mid-morning stroll. As we go through our day indoors, we joke that we now live in “Assisted Living,” helping each other with laundry, meals, and errands. The āHelpā works both ways in our marriage. We compensate for one anotherās weaknesses with our own strengths. John Milton asserts that the complementary aspect of marriage makes for a ācheerful and apt conversation,ā according to one of his tracts on marriage and divorce.
Take a lesson from the animal kingdom. Zoologists know that herds of African wildebeests and zebras migrate together because their strengths compensate for their weaknesses, making them more compatible and less vulnerable to attack. Wildebeests (also called gnus) have poor eyesight, but they have a keen sense of smell, whereas zebras have good eyesight and a poor sense of smell.
Each species has its unique set of qualities to benefit the other. Traveling together, they can fend off enemies who threaten their survival. Like the yin-yang symbol, the two breeds of animals are complementary. Rather like in a good marriage. . .
In our marriage, Iām the āwildebeest.ā struggling with poor eyesight, yet I have bionic ears (thanks to my motherās genes).
Cliff is hearing impaired but sharp eyed, a good thing, because he is a visual artist. Like compensation, the word accommodation, another hefty ā-tionā word, is a first cousin to compensation and, practiced often, a boon to harmony. . . .
Snag a copy ofĀ My Checkered Life: A Marriage Memoir this week. Pre-order it now on Amazon. E-Book will be available very soon.
You can also discover family secrets in my first memoir, Mennonite Daughter, The Story of a Plain Girl,Ā also on Amazon.
Are you celebrating a special milestone event this year?
Do you remember any milestone gifts: birthday, graduation, wedding?
Good morning, Marian! Congratulations on your blog anniversary, your book, and your long and happy marriage with all of its adjustments and “compensations.”
I don’t think we’ve ever had anniversary gifts that match the years on the chart. š
Good morning, Merril, number one again today! We’ve never tried to give anniversary gifts matching the years on the chart either, especially the precious stones.
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Thanks for the shoutout! And happy blogoversary, Marian! I need to contemplate writing a blogoversary post. š
L. Marie, I’m happy to highlight your special achievement today.
For a while now, I’m pondering the spelling — is it “blogoversary” or “blogiversary”? I’ve seen it spelled both ways. Hmmm! š
I don’t think either is really a word so I would say use whichever. šš
Okay, you just gave me license to get creative with spelling. I agree with you! š
Hello Marian,
Fantastic! I really enjoyed this article,.I can tell that this book is totally different from your first book. It is full of encouragement and inspiration to stay the course youāve chosen. .
I like you clock in the kitchen, and the lamp brings back memories even to me.
I look forward to buying a copy of your book as an EBook on amazon.
All the best and Happy 10th anniversary.
Shalom shalom
Thanks for all the good wishes, Pat. I am proofing the e-book files as we speak. How the heck those silly mistakes sneak in there is baffling. I suspect you know the feeling.
What you’ll find in the e-book is all the photos and illustrations in color. Plus, the price is more economical, a boon to writers, like you, who read many, many books. š
Wow-Happy Blogiversary to Marie and Pam and to you too! What a great post. I really enjoyed the excerpt from your book and can relate!
Good morning, Kimberly, and thanks for all the good wishes here. I’m glad you can relate to the yin and yang of marriage along with compensation too. š
Thanks for the congrats, Kimberly. I was flabbergasted to see Marian’s post and realize I’ve been blogging for ten years. Yikes – kind of like how my husband loses count on our wedding anniversaries. I can attest (as an early reader) that Marian’s book is a winner – so many insights, anecdotes, and advice.
Hey, Pam. Was this a surprise? I read on your blog earlier this year that you were celebrated your tenth anniversary. These days you are doing it in style, enjoying a warmer clime. Again, CONGRATULATIONS!
Oh no, I did?? Darn – my memory is about as good as my eyesight at night. :-0
As you know I started my blog the same year as you, but in early January–and forgot to take note of that this year. But I’m enjoying pondering the Shelley poem and recalling that I did a study of his poetry the year I lived in Spain — for an English lit class I took over there (so I would have one class in English, taught by a prof from England! But I digress. We are celebrating the birth of a new grandchild, this time of the female gender and we couldn’t be happier after five sweet and smart and energetic grandsons. Five to one: I think she will hold her own. She has a good feisty spirit, at least when it comes to nursing!
Double Congratulations to you, Melodie: Your blog anniversary this year AND the birth of your first grand-daughter. You will obviously delight in buying dresses and hair bows instead of the boy togs you’ve been used to.
READERS, here is a link to Melodie’s most recent post: https://findingharmonyblog.com/2023/02/20/when-you-are-painfully-shy/
Wonderful news on the birth of your granddaughter, Melodie. I must add that between my two children, I have six grandkids – five boys and one girl. And my oh my, the one-only granddaughter is happily spoiled by both sets of grandparents. š Enjoy!
Happy Anniversary, Marian. And many more to come! š
Thanks for the good wishes, much appreciated! š
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Congrats to Pam!!!
Congrats to you too. Plaudits all around! š
We are all high-fiving each other. Much fun. SO many thanks for celebrating our blogoversaries, Marian. In truth, I had no idea I’d reached 10 years. I DO know how fantastic your new memoir is, though. It’s a winner, for sure. <3
It’s good to hear your praise here. Yesterday I received my e-book files for approval. So many errors–I blush to say. At least I can make revisions before it goes live. When will I ever learn that it’s hard (make that impossible) to reach perfection in this business. Thanks for tuning in! š
As my last blog post attested, publishing makes you wonder if you should publish. Until you hear from readers and how they love your work – and then it’s all worth it. By the way – I love your work!
Congrats Marian on the completion of your second book, the success of your 10 year BLOG and your long-standing marriage.
Thanks for the good wishes, Carolyn, one of my favorite Southern friends! š
Congratulations to all on 10 years – blogging for that long is a great exercise in perseverance!
Thanks, Barbara. We long-time bloggers (you included of course) have laid a course of long-time blogging friendship over the years. The support we give each other is immense and immensely appreciated. And I must add, Marian’s new book would be a GREAT one for you to review. It’s fabulous.
Pam, I am in the queue to be an interviewee on Barb’s blog. Thanks for commenting often here. You’re a delight! š
Yay! And yay, Barbara. Can’t wait to read it. xo
You absolutely know the part about perseverance, blogging as you do so regularly. . . and often. Thanks, Barbara! š
Congratulations on your tenth blogiversary! I find that amazing. Loved your thoughts on marriage. My husband and I have just celebrated our 20th anniversary, and what you’ve written is so true when the marriage is a good one.
So very true, Linda. Your comment reminds me of the beginning of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina where we read, āAll happy families are the same; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” I believe that theory is probably true of marriages too. Thanks for stopping by and commenting today. š
Congratulations to your blogging milestone. Though I have yet to meet Marie, Pamela is one of my favorites.
I smiled at your description of how you can Cliff navigate life’s daily challenges with a combination of his excellent eyesight and your acute hearingātruly a real-life example of how we support each other in a marriage. Our superpower is the ability to laugh and find humor in just about everything. Unfortunately, neither of us have your hearing, and we have a daily contest to see who can say “what” the most. š
Your lamp made me think of my parents, Paul and Virginia, two of the most thrifty people one could ever meet. Besides all of the photos you might expect to see at a 50th anniversary celebration, we put out things like their original toaster, which they still faithfully used each day.
I laughed when I read, “We have a daily contest to see who can say ‘what’ the most.” Sometimes I catch myself saying “What” when I actually heard what was said but was distracted and not really listening.
Thanks too for sharing memories of your parents Paul and Virginia. š
HI Marian. I wondered if you received my question regarding my upcoming blog post. I wanted to include you. I used your contact form to write you yesterday.
Apparently, my contact form is not working. Can you send the question another way? (I’ll have to check on my website link.) Thanks for the alert!
THANK you, Pete, and I’m so grateful to Marian for noting that I’ve blogged for 10 years. I would have guessed five! Truly, time goes so fast, and for those of us happily married, years fly by like hours. My husband is hearing-impaired, and I have night blindness, so I repeat for him everything said to us in social settings, and he drives us at night. Win/Win. <3 BTW, Marian's new memoir is terrific. You will enjoy it, I have no doubt. And I'm guessing when your wife reads it, she will nod knowingly many times. š
Marian ā CONGRATULATIONS on your tenth blogging anniversary. That’s quite an accomplishment and milestone. And though I’m sure I’ve missed a few of your posts, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the ones I’ve made it for!
Laurie, you are a constant benevolent presence on this blog. I doubt that you’ve missed many posts, even when you’ve been super busy writing, publishing, and promoting your books. Huge thanks! š
Congratulations! Obviously you deserve diamonds [plural] for this accomplishment. Did you think you’d be here for this long? More importantly, do you think you’ll be here for another 10 years?!! š š
Questions, questions, and YES I’ll answer them, Ally! I knew I liked blogging the moment I found friendships here online, but I didn’t know how long I’d last.
I won’t project too far into the future, but I do plan to stay at “plain and fancy” for a while longer, perhaps posting less often though, maybe ever two weeks. We’ll see!
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Congratulations! I just celebrated 11 years and I had no idea I had so much to say. Maybe it wasn’t all worth reading, but I’ve enjoyed the journey. I think you have too. I plan on you being here for another 10 or more! Hugs!
I adore your writing style and all the quirky humor on display. Of course, it’s obvious you enjoy blogging–along with tea drinking. Thanks, Jenn! š
Marian, I started blogging in March 2012, so a year before you did! My writer friend, Dora Dueck, suggested it as a way to hone my writing skills and it took off from there. I restricted myself to once a month and have done so for eleven years now! How time flies! I remember discovering your blog through Shirley Showalter and have enjoyed it ever since. Congratulations on you ten year anniversary! Your posts are always bright and colorful and they cheer me up!
I’m glad my posts have cheered you up. I can say the same for yours, evoking (as they often do) your family history with its precious artifacts. Thank you, Elfrieda! š
Congratulations, Marian! Time goes so quickly.
That’s true. Ten years’ blogging sounds exhausting, but we do it one post at a time. Thanks, Jill! š
I love the lamp from all those years ago. Sometimes those inexpensive gifts are the most special.
I think I treasure the lamp because it shows me how far we’ve come. Yes, inexpensive and memorable, Darlene. š
Happy blogiversary, Marian! I so agree with you about the strength and weakness partnership in marriage. I expect the partnership grows even stronger as we get older. The only milestone gift I can identify is a sterling silver cup for my baptism. There is a ring of big dents around the bottom, which, my mother informed me, I made banging the cup against my highchair tray when I wanted more juice.
Apparently, you have always known your own mind and you have always been persistence. The dented silver cup is testament to that fact. Thanks for sharing this, Liz!
I actually gasped out loud when I began reading this post, scrolled down, and then saw that I was part of your celebration. WOW YIPPEE THANK YOU and WONDERFUL. I’m not good with anniversaries, except for our wedding, of course. And yes, we were on a shoestring; I told my guy to forego the engagement ring, and instead we bought an antique ruby ring (well, the ruby and gold are new, but it was set in an antique Victorian setting in this neat unique jewelry store). On our first anniversary, my guy bought the smaller ring that fit on one side of the ruby ring, and on our second anniversary he bought the second matching smaller ring that fit on the other side. (Hard to describe). I find that slow thoughtful gifts like this mean more than fast flashy ones. Like your lamp and clock. Light and time – essential in a long marriage.
Pam, I love that you upgraded your original ring, adding stones year by year. I’m glad you were surprised by the mention here. You are supportive of other bloggers–and so original in your postings. Enjoy your remaining time away to re-charge. You absolutely deserve it.
By the way, today I mailed books to other authors who endorsed my book. I’m holding yours in reserve to enjoy when you return in March. ((( )))
Hi Marian, congratulations on your book and blog anniversary. I am looking forward to reading your latest book soon. I need to get it from Amazon as they are the only book seller that delivers to my country now. I love that list of years and gifts. My hubby owes me some china and I know just the antique shop to find it in – smile!
You can tell your husband that this blog post authorizes you to acquire some more fine China. Ha!
About my book: I spotted errors (ouch!) in both the print book and the e-book, so it’s best to wait anyway. Amazon offers My Checkered Life: a Marriage Memoir now in pre-order. I invite you to pre-order as it boosts my book’s standing among millions of others, as you well know. The book will be available April 6. Thanks, dear Robbie! š
Great, Iām going over to pre-order now š
Huge thanks! You may be the very First! Apparently Amazon has not yet uploaded my book cover image though I have prodded my publisher to urge them to make visible.
It’s congratulations all round, ladies and double for you Marian congrats on your book and anniversary too…Love the lamp!
Thanks for noticing–and commenting here, Carol! š
Happy to read about this milestone. It is a wonderful thing to come to feel I know someone so well when we’ve never even met.
You put into perfect words how I feel about so many wonderful women I’ve gotten to know over these 10 years, including you. Sometimes I fantasize about all of us getting to know each other face to face in a super-duper writers’ retreat. On second thought, it may be better to meet each other one on one. Thanks for the sentiment, Arlene! š
I think that would be so fun! Who knows what might happen someday.
Hi Marian. I can relate to your animal comparison. My husband has macular degeneration and I do the bulk of the driving, reading mail and emails etc. to him. On the other hand, he knows when and how to cheer me up and make me laugh. We’re coming up on 35 years. From your chart, it looks like I need an emerald haha. A big congratulations on 10 years!!! That is truly impressive. I’m also glad to hear the book is here! š
I can relate to your husband’s eye problems. I have the same diagnosis and am able to keep up most of my normal activities because I get injections every 7 weeks.
Being able to make your partner laugh is invaluable, worth its weight in gold; you can tell your husband I said so! Yes, Melanie, you need an emerald and roses. Some roses too! š
I will tell him Marian, lol. š I am sorry to hear that you face the same issues with sight. That is good news that the shots help you with most of your normal activities, but I know it’s a challenge. Have a wonderful weekend!!!! ā„
Great! I’m so glad to have vision in the foreseeable future–pun intended. š
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Congratulations, Marian! You are such an inspiration and your writing is delightful. Keep it up. Looking forward to reading your new book.
Lorrie, you snuck in there when I wasn’t looking. I appreciate your encouragement here. Thanks for being in my cheering section. My new book is available for pre-order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/My-Checkered-Life-Marriage-Memoir/dp/1733585222/ref=sr_1_1?
But also I’m thinking of have a small reception when the book launches in early April. If so, you would definitely be included. I appreciate your support–and your friendship!