February 27th, 2019

I've been writing this blog now for awhile.  The very first post was in October of 2016.  Wow!  Of course I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when I started and no expectations either.  My original thought was just to stay in touch with family and close friends.  If people wanted to read about what was going on in my life and in my little punkin' head, great!  If they didn't, that was fine too.  Reading my blog was never a requirement for being in my life.

I had no idea how long I would stick with this, or what sort of readership I would have but assumed that some people might possible at least take a look at it, now and again.  

I have been very surprised (and frankly pleased) to find that people are reading me.  Lots of people.  In fact, far more people than I actually know are reading me!  How on earth did that happen?

Well of course, anytime something is posted on the internet, that information is thrown out into the universe and nobody knows where it will land.  I certainly never expected to have so many readers (though I'm tickled to bits about it!).  And the biggest surprise was the number of people who I have never met who not only read my blog, but comment on it.  People actually take the time to drop a little note to someone they do not even know!  Wowza!~  That's amazing to me!  And Very cool!

One of the strangers who reads me on the regular is a woman named, MaryEllen Habersang Connell.  I have no idea how she found my blog, but she did and she not only reads the blog on a fairly consistent basis, she often writes little comments to me. Always positive, supportive, nice words.  I began to look forward to reading her comments.

Then one day, as Joy and I were out and about doing what we do, Joy asked me how I knew MaryEllen Habersang Connell. I said, truthfully, that I don't know her.  That she was just a nice lady who reads my blog.  Joy was agog.

It turns out that 40 years and another lifetime ago, MaryEllen and Joy were next door neighbors and good friends!  How cool is that?  Joy and I  marveled over the whole "small world" ness of it.  And everyone assumed that that was the end of that.

Or so we thought.  One of my fairly recent blogposts was about a place called Snook Haven.  It's a local restaurant, music venue, canoe/launch and so forth that is quirky and very Floridian and fun.  MaryEllen commented on my post that it sounded like the sort of place that she and her husband would very much enjoy.  She also asked that if they were to come down to Florida, would I be interested in meeting her?  Well of course I would!  And could Joy come too?  Of course she could!

And that's how it all happened.  MaryEllen and her husband did come to Florida.  They were actually staying about an hour and a half north of us but were willing to make the drive.  They really wanted to check out Snook Haven.  AND they really wanted to meet me.  AND bonus points, they would get to see Joy again for the first time in way too many years.

What a treat!  As it turns out, MaryEllen and her husband, Bruce are the loveliest people. I immediately felt as if I had known them forever.   They smiled over "remember when's" with Joy and caught up with each other's lives, I got to hear stories that I never heard before about my sister (always fun!), and we all talked and laughed and talked and ate and talked some more.

The Connell's are genuine, hard-working, good people who have hearts as big as all outdoors.  They are both interesting and interested. They have lived in a lot of different places and have worked at so many fascinating jobs!  They raised two beautiful sons who now have their own families and no one could be more enchanted with their grandchildren.

As it turns out. they were not actually strangers, but just friends I had never met until yesterday.

I know I know, meeting a stranger is always a gamble, but this one paid off big time. 

​MaryEllen and Bruce!  It was wonderful to meet you both and I hope to see you again soon.  Thank you for Lunch! Next time, I'll buy :)

Good luck with your next adventure! I look forward to hearing about it.