Missing the Milestone

I had a vague realization the other morning that a significant anniversary approached, marking five years of The Zeiger Family Homestead Blog. I began mulling over something pithy, meaningful, perhaps even witty to say on the subject the day it rolled around.

Then I checked, and realized that it had all ready rolled around—right over me.

On August 28, 2009, I posted our first essay, Introducing the Zeiger Family Homestead Blog. Inauspiciously, it turned out I had very little to say on that particular day.

Unfortunately, I had agreed to coordinate the debut of our blog with another blog I’d agreed to write for. The founders of that effort experienced delays in getting off the ground; I champed at the bit, and started early, but didn’t want to compromise the material I’d agreed to post on that other blog first. As such, the first few posts became a 21st century version of the old stage cue, “vamp till ready.”

Perhaps appropriately, that ended up being a long, unpleasant lesson in the importance of independence. I think this blog’s quality improved markedly after I left that other one. In fact, I’m still posting material salvaged from that partnership.

I understand why I missed the anniversary. I had blogged for a year previous to starting this blog. We struck out on our own after the host site we’d used proved unreliable. Yet another lesson on independence . . . . I’d started that blog in early September, so that’s what sticks in my mind.

I’m not too worried about missing this anniversary. It’s a rather arbitrary milestone, and not one that needs to be lingered over by any means. I do find it hard to believe that this blog has been publishing for five years, though! We’ve told a lot of stories, left much unsaid, and hopefully will have a lot more to say in the future.

Maybe in another five years, I’ll have my act together and note the ten year anniversary when, or before it comes? Stay tuned.