In the ten years I have been writing down my observations, we have moved several times and we have made career changes that resulted in a complete shift in the topics I covered. As a result, the audiences for this blog went through similar changes.
I recall one reader who said, “I really enjoyed your thoughtful comments about business, but it now seems that your attention has turned to other things. I will be saying goodbye because you are no longer writing about topics that engage me.”
When I read his comment, I realized how Bob Dylan felt when his fans complained when he laid aside his acoustic guitar and stopped singing folk music. He had to move on and so did I.
The first phase of this blog covers our life in Lake Monticello, VA and our first steps in creating a new life as retired people. we hosted a lot of deer and I wrote a book about surviving corporate life.
Blogging From Lake Monticello Virginia
The second phase started with our discovery of Floyd Virginia and our immersion in the culture of this tiny mountain town on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Discovering Floyd Virginia – Becoming a Small Town Blogger
The third phase began when we began using the Internet and Social Media to expand our businesses and our circle of friends and business associates. We became aware of vast governmental projects based on half-vast planning and an increasing number of people didn’t notice. Barnum was right.
The Country is in the Best of Hands
The fourth phase starts with the resurrection of the Making Ripples blog by transferring it from TypePad to WordPress. It is easier to update and modify and it is now possible to search the entire blog based on a single word.
This phase will be concerned with sharing useful information that people can use to put harmony in their lives and mitigate the destructive effects of large scale changes in our way of life. If I can share some stable data that will hold off the confusions of 21st Century life, this blog will be serving its current purpose.