Happy Birthday, Margene!!!

Heheheh, there's a little hand-eye coordination test this morning...  Click on over with birthday wishes for Margene!!

A week from today, the First Day of Spring, marks three years of "knitorious" blogging.  Technically, it was March 20th, but the "First Day of Spring" sticks in my mind.  I am truly amazed at all that blogging has brought to my life.  I never imagined that I'd meet so many people from all over the globe.  I never imagined that they'd utterly astound me with their compassion and support during crisis.  I never imagined that I'd have the opportunity to meet so many of them in person.  I did suspect that my knitting would show improvement, but never imagined it would be so much or so quickly.  I never imagined that blogging would be so good for my health.

Yes, you read that right, I'm living proof, and I do declare it:  Blogging can be good for your health!!

If it wasn't for blogging, my sister and I wouldn't be celebrating TWO YEARS as EX-SMOKERS with Ann -- because of Ann -- this weekend.  I hadn't laid eyes on Ann, or even spoken with her on the phone two years ago, when I read her fateful post, where there's smoke...  Chords were struck and I practically joined up on-the-spot!  We have so many other things in common, it turns out, that she's become a good friend, too -- and we hardly ever talk about smoking.

If it wasn't for blogging, I'd never have met Cara, either.  She was so generous and supportive of the quit.  She rocked my socks (before we knew the yarn), sending me a wonderful box of goodies -- stir straws, sunflower seeds, Dum-Dums and gum.  She sent me so much, in fact, that I shared the wealth and sent a little on to Ann, rocking her socks, too.  At the time, Cara and Ann had never met -- I don't think either was even much aware of the other's blogging -- and I do rather look at the wonder that is them (and you must agree that, together, they are truly a Wonder) as something I helped to promote, nurture, foster, create.  I like to think of myself as their Fairy Blogmother (as opposed to Frankenstein).

To commemorate the not smoking, I have finally categorized all of the posts having to do with quitting smoking -- the why and how, the cravings, the suffering, what helped, what didn't, the triumphs, a running tally of how many cigarettes I have not smoked and how much money I've saved -- all that into Smokin' (or NOT).  I've been meaning to do that for a year.  Maybe it'll help some folks to commiserate, get through it, know that they're not alone.  I hope so.

Anyway, with two milestone anniversaries, not to mention my brother's birthday (and last year's sort of re-birthday) on St. Patrick's Day, March seems like a good time for a contest.  YAY, presents!

Here's how:  Yesterday's post was my 910th and the comments, as of this writing, number 7940.  What will the numbers be when I sit down to post on the First Day of Spring?  You may enter by comments or email.  If I post everyday between now and then, it will be the 918th post -- and I could, but is it likely?  I rarely post more than once a day -- I could, and I have, but is it likely?  My comments aren't generally in the stratosphere, but when there's a contest involved, anything can happen... Your guesses are as good as mine.  The winner will be drawn at random from all entries with the correct numbers; in the event no one gets both numbers, then it shall be from among the closest(s).  The prize, at the very least, will be Cables Untangled.