Crooked Creek now has 500 followers!
Pictures by Pixabay
Celebrate
Tag: Followers
Milestone
Crooked Creek blog now has 400 followers!
This is a milestone of which I am very proud. There are blogs with thousands, but Crooked Creek is a more intimate blog and I appreciate each follower. I also appreciate all the comments and participation of readers. THANK YOU!
CELEBRATION!
Today Crooked Creek has 300 followers!
Other bloggers have many more, in the thousands even, but this is a sweet milestone for me. Thank you readers and followers for your interest and your encouragement. It has kept me going when there were times I wondered if I would continue.
Thank you! Sue
Update
Another Year – Post #216
Just to catch up from last year’s post https://crookedcreek.live/2018/02/08/thanks/ Crooked Creek now has 263 followers. One year ago it was only 120. We welcome each and every new follower and say, “Thanks” once again to all readers.
It is also significant (to me at least) that I am preparing infusion number 302 for administration tonight. I want once again to express my sincere gratitude to all those who donate plasma that makes this treatment possible. https://crookedcreek.live/2018/02/08/thanks/
Quiz Results 2
Update
Several more readers have weighed in on the Quiz of August 2. Surprisingly these additional answers skewed the results in two ways. First some readers do favor serious topics and eschew longer posts. Also, some of the last respondents follow other blogs. This will be the last update on the quiz.
Thank you to each who participated.
https://crookedcreek.live/2018/08/02/anniversary-month/
Other News
Crooked Creek now has 201 followers! Welcome to each of you!
Theme graphic in title by Pixabay
Blog Anniversary
Two Years!
Crooked Creek, the blog, began two years ago this month. Giving birth to this site was traumatic in so many ways but the biggest pain was the technology. Writing became easier along the way and the aggravation of the WordPress platform less challenging to deal with.
You readers and followers (190 to date) have made all the efforts worthwhile for me. I am grateful for each of you and for your comments along the way. Now, I am going to ask you for another favor. Would you please scan the True/False questions below and give me your answers to as many as you consider important? I will not publish your answers. They are for my instruction only.
Directions: In the comments section enter the question number and your answer as “true” or “false” to reflect your opinion.
- I prefer serious rather than lighter subjects.
- Posts would be just as interesting without photos or graphics.
- It would be better if posts were published on a regular schedule.
- I don’t read posts much on weekends.
- Longer posts are less interesting/inviting to read.
- I follow other bloggers.
Thank You!
Your opinions will be helpful going forward in year #3.
“I need someone who believes that the sun will rise again but who does not fear my darkness. Someone who can point out the rocks in my way without making me a child by carrying me. Someone who can stand in thunder and watch the lightning and believe in a rainbow.” Joe Mahoney
Theme graphic in title by Pixabay
150
Another Milestone!
As of yesterday Crooked Creek has 150 followers. This is the point at which I had planned to update the blog to a new look. But, I couldn’t wait, so that was completed a few days ago.
Thank you to all readers and followers. I appreciate each of you. I also appreciate other bloggers who I follow. Some have been recommended here and I will continue to do that from time to time as well as perhaps reblog with the writer’s permission.
Please continue to let me know what you like, make suggestions for topics and tell me when I’m out of line! I appreciate each of you.
FOR YOU!
Theme graphic in title by Pixabay
Thanks
Thank You Readers
As of today Crooked Creek has 120 followers! While I am happy about the numbers, I am a little skeptical. It seems likely that some (or many) of these “followers” signed up but do not actually read many posts. I suppose my doubt comes from the dearth of feedback. Regardless, I appreciate each follower/reader, each comment and “like.”
A couple of folks have told me that they cannot “like” a post without signing up for WordPress. This is up to you of course, but I don’t believe that it would be obligatory in any way to do so. Many “likes” now come from other bloggers because they are already a part of WordPress. If you have questions, please communicate them to me and I will try to find the answers. suebmattingly@gmail.com
Thank You Donors
While concentrating on gratitude, I want to also thank all the people in the US and around the globe who donate blood and plasma. We are all very familiar with the Red Cross and the crucial need for blood during times of disaster and war. What many do not realize unless personally impacted is that very vital components of plasma also play a role in saving or sustaining life.
If you will pardon the very personal account of some of my medical history I want to share with you how donated antibodies withdrawn from donor plasma have kept me safe for almost seven years. In 2011 I was hospitalized and very ill. At that time I learned that I had some serious hematological issues. There is no need to go into a lot of detail and I won’t bore you with the long names of two significant diagnoses that resulted. It is enough to say that I have a primary immune deficiency because I am no longer able to manufacture my own antibodies to fight off infections. That’s where the gratitude comes in.
The immunologist immediately began a treatment with IV antibodies (immunoglobulin) available through donated blood plasma. I responded fairly well to continued monthly treatment as evidenced by a rise in antibodies in my blood but soon these treatments had to be terminated because of serious reactions. For the following year and a half, I was at risk of and sick with infections due to the lack of antibodies. In the spring of 2013 before my 70th birthday, I was put on weekly self-administered subcutaneous (as opposed to IV) infusions of the same type of human antibodies. My antibody level immediately began to rise and it has been in the normal range for a long time now, allowing me to live with much less risk.
#250
This is on my mind because tonight as I began to document the required infusion information in my log I noted that this is infusion number 250. These years passed quickly and easily for me. All I have to do to maintain the ability to fight infection is invest a couple of hours weekly and endure 3 needle sticks in my abdomen or upper thighs. A piece of cake!
This would not be possible without the altruism of thousands upon thousands of plasma donors. Many of you are already blood and/or plasma donors, as are many of my friends and family and I appreciate each of you so very much. Some of you, perhaps, may not have been aware of all the other crucial needs for blood components. Lives are not only being saved in emergencies, but lives are being preserved for patients from birth (remember the so-called “bubble boy?”) through older adults. Immune deficiency is only one of those conditions, but I hope that my account of this diagnosis has been informative and might lead to more donors.
Sometimes we hear so much of inhumanity and selfishness that it would be easy to forget that there are altruistic people who give not only their time and money to help others through charities but some give even their blood, tissue and organs. Each Thursday evening when I assemble the supplies for my infusion, I am mindful of those who made it possible.
If you are interested in further information on this particular subject you may reference:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26174901
or
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2935641/
Theme photo in title & graphic by Pixabay
Year One
Year One on Crooked Creek
On August 30, 2016, Crooked Creek, the blog, was first published. At that time I invited some friends and family to check it out. Good friends and family members did just that and I am so grateful for each one. In addition, readers who I did not and still, do not know are reading as a result of referrals or by chance. I am so honored to have each of you onboard and I thought you might be interested in some of the statistics that have been collected over the past year.
Statistics
WordPress, the foundation I use (rent) for Crooked Creek, provides very detailed stats and I find these helpful as I write and post, but I will provide just a few here because they are probably less important to you.
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- As of this date last year I had posted six times and had received 24 comments on those posts
- The most popular day was August 24 with 17 visitors and 49 views.
- July was the month with the most likes (35)
- People from 28 different countries have read the blog
- As of today there are 73 followers
Since this is my first blog, I do not know if these statistics are good or average or poor, but I am pleased nevertheless. I like to write, I love to share ideas, thoughts, questions, and stories and there would be little satisfaction without you, the reader. Another aspect of blogging that the stats do not reflect is the hard work and frustration involved. There are things the platform will not allow, changes that need to be made that are impossible and elements that I still do not understand. Some of the mishaps and mistakes are obvious to you and some are not, perhaps, e.g., I accidentally lost the photos of the last twenty or so posts. Some could be replaced and some were deleted permanently from my photo files so that revision of the posts was required.
Obviously, it is worth the effort for me since we are now over one year in existence and this is post #51. I appreciate each of you and take seriously the time you take to read and comment on Crooked Creek. There is more to come!
Thank You, Dear Readers!
Crooked Creek by Sue Mattingly 