… or “How I Do The Challenge“.

The Daily Challenge that WordPress.com issued the other day for all us bloggers out here.

Write up a mid-year “State of My Year” post.

Like the State of the Union. Or the State of the State. Or something.

Okay, a day or two late, several dollars short.

But then, you all know I am a procrastinator. (Procrastination, I am your Queen and My Name is Holly, and I am a Procrastinator)

But better late than never, I say.

Well, lets see. I have written a blog entry every day since June 24th, 2012 when I started this whole thing. Haven’t missed a day yet. That’s something, right?

And during the month of April, for another challenge … NaPoWriMo … I wrote a bit of poetry each day in addition to my regular post. That was fun. All about heartbreak and grief.

But then that’s what this blog thing was all about. Doing fun things to distract myself recover from the pain of heartbreak.

As for hits, July is shaping up as the second highest number of hits from folks reading … ever.  But unless someone reloads this or another page 200 times, July won’t be the top month. That honor was from last August.

As for my photography luck … capturing pictures for the blog here … I was thinking today how I hadn’t heard the Red Tailed Hawk recently. No sooner had I thought that and it started making its distinctive loud screech outside.

No, Holly. Don’t jump up.

Louder sounds. Lots and lots of louder sounds. Close louder sounds.

Holly jumps up. Runs to door for picture.

Total silence.

So my luck is holding there.

I leaned out the second story window this morning to see one huge Momma Deer and two spotted Baby Deer … munching on the overgrown non-lawn around my house. Perfect for a shot, right?

Can they sense my thoughts? No sooner had I thought that thought and they ran off into the woods.

Seems my luck is consistent there as well.

So I decided to be creative here. I changed picture at top. Again.

At the one year anniversary … June 24th of this year … I went from the black and white default picture to full color. You know. Year of mourning. That kind of thing.

But I didn’t like it all that much. So for the time being I made some adjustments.

Old:

New:

Same picture, only the little images are straight and big (no obvious joke there) and now my eye is really, really on you.

I am going to close with a post that the author Kristan Higgins wrote in her comments today … I so want to be her when I grow up. Talented author. Funny. I Love Lucy moments.

Oh wait, that would mean I will have to grow up, doesn’t it?

At any rate … enjoy:

Just had to pay my property taxes, and if that wasn’t scary enough, the lady behind me had a BIRD on her shoulder! I started my terror-babbling: “Does it fly? Can it? Will it peck me?”

“Not unless she’s scared.”

“Oh, great. Well, I’m the one who’s scared, bird phobia, I guess you can tell that, but I’m not going to look away in case it flies at my head.”

Began laughing maniacally, threw my check at the tax collector and practically crawled out of the town hall, ignoring the concerned looks of other taxpayers and staff.

Extremely dignified, let me tell you.

Yep. Definitely my hero. Bird stories and everything.

I’m guessing she didn’t get a picture either.