I recently added a new category, “Gayla’s Gardens” to the site archive. I’m sorry about the title, I know it’s lame. Just reading that back makes me think it should be displayed in Mistral and accompanied by a photo of me sporting matching floral-patterned knee pads, apron, gloves and a GIANT smile. I’d be wearing a floral-patterned dress too.
I decided to do this because I was having trouble locating old posts about the gardens and figured readers might also prefer the option of searching by posts that are more specifically about my personal gardening spaces, of which there are three. All three are bundled into one category rather than separating into three more categories. I have to admit that I am not quite done archiving since there are literally thousands of pages to search through on this site.
And while I’m at it I will also admit that there are lots and lots of old articles that have never been archived, period. Because I suck.
P.S. I started a Twitter account a while back that can be followed if you are into that sort of thing. It updates my feed and I occasionally write to say “Just planted the peas” and exciting things like that.
no worries, we all suck. I have a pile of short stories to score (written by my 7th graders) that is literally one foot tall, but I have spring fever and can barely stand to look at them.
Nothing like some honest self-evaluation! But I prefer being out in my garden enjoying spring rather than sitting in front of my computer, too.
You absolutely don’t suck, Gayla. You are the first place I turn to when I want information on plants, and sometimes, the process of looking through old articles beats the product of finding exactly what I’m looking for.
Your site holds a wealth of useful information, no matter how you categorize it. :)
No way do you suck, Gayla. Aphids suck. Hmmmm. I wonder where I read that.
I’m a perpetual organizer seeking the perfect archiving system so I can quickly and easily find my own resources (and just stuff, in general) so I appreciate your efforts.
And even if I can’t find the specific item I’m searching for on your site right away (but usually I can), I stumble across other useful and enjoyable items. I really don’t mind the side-trips. It’s all good. It’s all about gardening.
Ciao Gayla-
Don’t beat yourself up too badly. Organization can be time-consuming and tedious, definitely not at the top of the list of fun things to do.
I really suck at photo re-naming, uploading/downloading, whatever it is to photobucket, and organizing into some sort of easy-to-find-again album. I’ve spent several rainy days doing this exact thing and have finally gotten a seriously thick binder full of photos of last year’s tomatoes, just last year’s tomatoes, nothing else, no flowers, no basil, no nothing.
The important thing to remember is that you recognized an unmet need and you dove in to address it, even though it’s not maybe your forte. That’s courageous.
Yea, cut yourself some slack lady! Maybe someone who is here regularly can send you suggestions. Its a great way to entice readers to participate and keep coming back!
Hi Gayla,
I love love love your website. So please dont talk about this sucks, etc. I saw your “Recreating Eden” and bookmarked your site straight away. I am an “old” lady of 58, and this year for the very first time, I committed to having serious fun on my balcony. I am loving it, but I am buying too many garden magazines, and theres just too much information in there which just doesnt mean much to me. Your site is totally awesome. Thanks, Gayla.
PLEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEE Gayle! I really really really want to see THAT picture of you! I think a photo shoot is in order. Of course the giant smile would be hard with your tongue so firmly in your cheek…