We have 80 different apple trees on our property.
They are a sight to behold when they are all laden with fruit….
These are pictures from 2009 and 2010:
Ginger gold
Red Delicious
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I was out in the orchard today checking on the 2012 crop.
Noticed they are about ready to go through their thinning process :
I took this picture this afternoon.
If you look really closely, there are larger apples as well as little tiny ones.
Just to give you an idea, the larger ones are about the size of a quarter…the smaller apples will drop off in the next week or two so that the tree will pour it’s energy into the apples that remain.
I’ve been blogging since 2007.
Hard to believe.
Noticed on my counter this morning there have been over 300,000 hits, whatever that means 
During this time my wife and I have become friends with people literally from around the globe.
I’ve met 4 of you in person, in some cases more than once.
A handful of you are also friends on face book, so that has added another dimension to our interactions.
I have been very intentional from the very beginning to include my wife in all of my interactions on line. We share the same e-mail address, same Face book account, etc. Most of us have heard accounts of people running off with someone they “met” on line. Unfortunately that sort of thing happens in a broken world.
and I don’t want it to ever happen to me….
If you think it could never happen to you, then the slide has already been greased.
Every so often, I will meet another blogger and really “click”…a genuine friendship will begins to form… (like an apple) but then one day, when I log on to visit their blog… poof..they are gone, no notice..just gone….like those small apples that will fall off during thinning.
Even though I know it’s a natural and healthy process, it leaves me a little sad….
That happened again this week.
Blogging friend dropped off the radar.
I was tempted to feel like Puff the Magic Dragon..
Remember the song?
the little boy sudden stops coming to visit…
Fortunately for me,
I am surrounded by several loving nurturing relationships…..both on-line as well as in person.
I thought about the apple tree and its ability to only grow so many apples in a season…
There’s a reason for that.
Even those of us that tend to be more social than others can only maintain and invest in a limited number of relationships.
I used to think there was no limit to the number of friendships I could stay current with.
Not any more
Those of us that blog, blog for different reasons….
If you’re a blogger, why do you blog?
If you’re not a blogger but enjoy reading blog posts..what do you get out of it?
Is it possible to have genuine friendships with people and never meet them in person?
Do you have any friendships that started on line and matured into something significant in your life?
DM
Tags: Christianity, family, friendship, Life, loneliness, love, personal, relationships, self esteem, spirituality
May 28, 2012 at 7:40 pm |
Thanks for sharing, and God bless you. I have yet to meet any of my followers. But hopefully, I will be able to get to know them in person in the future. If not, then we will see each other in heaven someday. The people who have commented on my blog have, indeed, been a blessing to me, and their posts have inspired me as well.
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Scott, Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. DM
May 28, 2012 at 7:48 pm |
I blog because I’m so grateful for the life I have. I possess the ability, desire, and grammar to blog, so something much bigger than I is at work here. Good things happen in my life when I feel and express that gratitude.
As for real friendships, they’re only as genuine as the people behind them. That said, I think it is possible to develop a relationship with someone online but only to a certain depth. At some point it becomes a projection of what you’d like them to be, until flesh meets flesh.
Finally, I met Richard through Yahoo personals 7.5 years ago. Yes, it’s developed into something quite significant.
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I heard just recently that 1 in 5 relationships today started on line. congrat’s on 7.5 yrs and thanks for taking the time to say Hi! DM
May 28, 2012 at 7:49 pm |
Well, DM, if you and Mrs. DM (who, in my mind, always has a sunshiny smile) suddenly– “poof”–disappeared, I for one would miss you as well as your beautiful misty-field photographs and other apple, farm, beauty, and Life posts.
Sorting things out is one of the main reasons I blog..figure if I put what I’m thinking out there for others to read, and get some in-put in the process, it helps me clarify some of the stuff that’s rumbling around in my head. thanks for the well wishes 
DM
I unfortunately have not yet been blogging long enough to answer your questions other than why I write here, which is mainly so that I am writing somewhere, sorting things out, and for the company sometimes. Have a happy week! ~ Lily
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And if you go “poof” I will miss you too!
May 29, 2012 at 11:20 am |
Interesting thoughts!
I initially started blogging because I enjoy writing and it seemed like a fun experiment. Now, several months later, I have developed a few new friendships, have been keeping in touch more effectively with friends and family from afar and I still am enjoying writing.
I like the online relationships, though I really don’t have it all figured out. It is interesting to learn more about people, no matter where they are. I think they are genuine, but I have never met any of these people… And they definitely weren’t why I started blogging. But, they are a definite perk!
May 30, 2012 at 1:05 pm |
I follow your blog because I love being included in your world! I haven’t yet given up my dream of moving somewhere more rural and less Brooklyn…still dream of having chickens..and miss the NICENESS of my midwest (Ohio) roots. And I like the way you think. I just started blogging on a website internal to Weight Watchers- appropriate for me right now since losing weight has become something of a major preoccupation to me…and I find that DOing blogging also helps me sort things out. And it’s also a place where I can get support as I try to change my life to include being healthier..I’ve simetimes wished I could make that blog more public, but that would involve opening the closed door of self-conscious overweight people up, and that would take away some of the freedom there. So I’ll have to settle for “overcommenting” on other people’s blogs for now… and hope you continue to tolerate me….;-)
June 1, 2012 at 9:36 pm |
hello from roanoke college in southwest virginia–i have about 30 environmental studies college students, a handful of whom apparently check in on your site fairly often–as do I : that will make more sense if you check out the roanoke college garden website/blog–you will see that the kids have been building a heritage orchard here–and they have quietly been learning from you. So this week i had a dozen or so of them camping at our young orchard (which is about 20 minutes from our campus)–and your blog came up in discussion around the campfire in an evening–that you are a good role model and a smart orchardist, etc. So your ears were probably burning.
so… my kiddos today specifically added your blog to our lists of blogs we sort of officially follow. They and I will be putting some various new info on about our own little orchard in a few days now–you may be interested. part of our campfire discussion was actually about your unidentified heritage apple–the kids always love a detective tale–and they were paying attention.
doc
DM
just thought you should know that we are here–even if we are quiet
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Thank you for the shout out! Your comment made my day.
June 4, 2012 at 5:09 pm |
Hey DM! It’s been ages since I’ve blogged. Almost that long since I’ve read blogs. You know a bunch of what’s happening in our lives! After over a half year of upheaval, I am very much looking forward to the luxury of both blogging and reading them again. And, even as I write this, I SHOULD be packing! I definitely hope you and Mrs. DM don’t drop off our radar! Blessings.
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Good morning Grace…we’re thinking about a western trip this fall..you’re on the radar…and a possible over night if it works on your end. DM
June 14, 2012 at 8:07 am |
I started blogging for myself – as a journal/diary. I then opened it up to others, but intending to stay completely anonymous. I then formed several friendships and began to open up. When the purpose of that blog had really been reached, I started another one just because I like to write. As time went on, I found I had less and less time to write. Facebook serves a purpose for me now because I can go to one site, catch up with most everyone, and write in 2-3 sentences. I still read blogs pretty regularly, especially yours!
I think friendships can form online, sometimes more intimately than in person. Sometimes it is easier to say things in writing to someone you’ve never really met. That can be both a good and bad thing.
I think it is dangerous when your spouse doesn’t have access to your online persona. My husband and I keep each other informed of the other’s on-goings online. It is best to keep those things transparent and we do.