Although I am not the type of blogger (at least not these days) who writes with the intent of drawing a large audience, mostly writing for friends and family, I do occasionally fall prey to curiosity about my readers. After all, I get a number of daily hits beyond the number of people that I know regularly stop by, and I get to wondering how they found me.
Sitemeter is currently disabled due to the IE7 bugginess (someone let me know when that's fixed, kthx) (Edited because it's back up and re-enabled on my blog!), but Typepad also tracks weblog stats for their users and shows the referrer where available, so I did some poking around to see where my last 24 hours worth of visitors came from.
I was somewhat amused to discover that my site is the #1 result on Google when you search for the term non-confrontational. I'm just that non-confrontational apparently.
I also find I have quite a few visitors who stop by looking for recipes (my mom's potato-chip chicken is one that's popular among the google search set, and apparently someone found me on an image search that turned up my uncooked ham and crescent snacks from the time I photoblogged my snack preparation... and there's somehow Hebrew writing involved so yeah... i dunno).
Curiouser and curiouser. So tell me, those of you who have been reading at least semi-regularly, and aren't actual friends or family members, how did you get here?
I found you because a friend of mine on facebook received your posting about your husband's untimely death from a friend of HIS. He said you were a friend of a friend, and asked all of us to pray for you in this difficult time. He put a link to your blog, so here I am. I subscribed so that each time you post I am reminded to pray for peace and healing for you, and to lift you to our heavenly father, who loves you more than you will ever know.
Blessings!
Posted by: Claire | August 07, 2008 at 09:54 PM
I too am a friend of a friend who was sent your blog and I'm deeply sorry for your loss. I check in to see how you are doing and it helps me to keep my own life in a reality check and be incredibly thankful for my husband and family each and every day. I'd be wearing my husband's ring as well if it had happened to me. May God bless you with healing during this very difficult time.
Posted by: Caring Person Who's Never Met You | August 08, 2008 at 04:59 AM
I actually have no idea. Through Typepad back in the day? Through Harvey? I just can't remember.
But I keep up through Bloglines.
Posted by: sarahk | August 08, 2008 at 06:37 AM
Denni and I used to run guns(1) and Bibles to guerrilla missionaries in southeast Asia, sometimes with Cherry and Pablo. It started out as a tense partnership; nobody got along, and quite often someone had to draw a sharp breath and say, "Now, put down the grenade..." Days in the jungle followed by nights sampling the local cultures flew by, and eventually we developed into a tight cadre of ruthless warriors(2), determined to fulfill our mission, no matter what the cost. I've still got the scar where Denni had to dig a bullet out of my calf with a spoon.(3)
As time wore on, we drifted our separate ways, ending up in Arizona and Minnesota.
Wait, that wasn't me...
* * *
(1) "Love is the Gun"-The Violet Burning
(2) Honest. There was nobody named Ruth anywhere near us.
(3) I never got an answer as to why she shot me in the first place, beyond "I missed..."
Posted by: Tom Henderson | August 08, 2008 at 07:35 AM
I think I started reading your blog 3+ yrs ago when I started blogging and looking for fellow Phoenix bloggers. Kept you in Bloglines hoping you'd start up again. ;-)
Posted by: Karen of Scottsdale | August 08, 2008 at 11:09 AM
I got to you through Tom Henderson's blog -- he mentioned your tragedy. I am so sorry.
Kim Spady
www.carepages.com/carepages/keepingupwithcaleb
Posted by: Kim Spady | August 09, 2008 at 11:18 AM
I don't normally comment on comments, but in this case, I have to.
Tom, I think that for the benefit of all concerned, you should decrease the dosage!
;-)
Besides, she shot ME, and that was not a spoon.
Posted by: Pablo | August 10, 2008 at 04:17 PM
SarahK sent me here.
I pop in intermittently
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