Blogland Tour

The Blogland Tour is like an old-fashioned chain letter--but with blog posts. Three questions are given to each blogger, and so far, answers have been intriguing and different.

I was invited by my friend Kitty, 

the author of Kitty's Kozy Kitchen. Have you tried any of Kitty's recipes? If not, be sure and visit her. She is one of the best cooks I know. And, she always gives great decorating advice and has an eye for selecting paint colors. Thank you for inviting me, Kitty!

I invited Jain at A Quiet Life to take the next Blogland Tour.

Jain is the brainchild behind The Novel Bakers and is a talented cook and food stylist.

Some friends come into your life and change it; Jain is one of those friends. I had fallen into a food rut. I worked all the time and never stopped a moment to breathe. After I met her and began reading her blog, I rediscovered the joy of cooking real food. Her photographs inspired me to really take time to look at the world: wind stirring a lace curtain; the pungent smell of fresh lavender; the ever-changing magic of sunlight. Just slowing down made all the difference.

And, her recipes are divine.

Photo Credit: Jain Moon

Photo Credit: Jain Moon

The Tour

Question 1: What am I working on now?

I'm working on several projects: picnic week (September 8th) with the Novel Bakers; cookbook reviews; my adventures with DIY landscape lighting; and never-ending home remodeling.

 Question 2: How does my work differ from others in this genre?

Well, I've been asked this question on book tours, and I never have a satisfactory answer.

You see, not all readers will have the same experience when they visit a blog. A reader might connect with my penchant for cooking "one pot meals," and we'll be soul mates.

 Or a reader might stop by when I'm having a bad kitchen day; we may or may not be soul mates.
:-0

I have many such days.

It seems to me that uniqueness doesn't come from inventing recipes that call for rare

ingredients. Individuality doesn't come from posting about groundbreaking DIY projects. No, it comes from a blogger's voice--that indescribable quality of being that shines on the page. 

If you ask 10 bloggers to bake a pie, you'll get 10 different pies.

Ask those same bloggers to paint a room, and chances are they will pick 10 different colors.

So really, the topics may be the same, but all bloggers are unique. 

Question #3: Why do I write?

Someone once asked the late Louis Armstrong to define jazz.

"If you've got to ask," he said, "Then you'll never know."

Some people run 2 miles a day.

I write.

I'm pretty much obsessed with words. Writing is how I process my life and the world.

Question #4: How does my writing process work?

The blogging process reminds me of an extended conversation with the girls. Over cake and coffee, we share recipes, discuss how to make the best pie crust, how to arrange furniture in a difficult room, how to grow parsley from seed. I've learned about paint colors, gardening, tart making, tablescaping.
I've also made many friends along the way.
We are all connected by our words and images.

Thanks for visiting.

Shared at Metamorphosis Monday.