My Creative Outlet

I used to write long e-mails to my friends about the feral cats. I saved all those sent e-mails because they were my online journal, so to speak. Unfortunately, my Internet service provider decided to delete them one day with no warning. The reason I was given was that they had decided to free up some space. My bad luck. I had not made any back-up files, and my friends had deleted my e-mails. With the exception of a few e-mails, my feral cat journal was lost forever. Needless to say, I was upset with my Internet service provider, especially when they told me they could not recover the deleted material. Right, I thought, there is a difference between could not and would not. Anyway, by sheer luck, since they had been saved elsewhere, I did manage to scrounge some e-mails from my former Internet provider. But I kicked myself for not having made back-up copies of everything.

After my loss, while I still continued to send e-mails about the cats and assorted wildlife, I also started writing in an old-fashioned journal. Honestly, I like the feel of a pen in my hands. Plus, the journal itself is a tangible object, which won't disappear with one click of the mouse.

As for blogs, I first heard about them on The View, where they used to mention Rosie O'Donnell's blog, and that was my first blogging experience. You will probably laugh at this, but I was unaware that anyone could create a blog for free, until I watched the movie Julie & Julia. When my nephew told me about blogspot, And a Cat Named Ponzo was created almost immediately.

There were many reasons why I created my blog. I no longer feel compelled to phone someone, either a family member or a friend, whenever I see a red raccoon, black bear, brown bat, etc., because I can now run to my computer and blog about it instead. I also no longer feel compelled to write long e-mails to friends who may not even read them. You might say the final straw for me was when I sent someone a detailed e-mail regarding Ponzo's strong will to live, and the response I got was that maybe I should put him to sleep. (By the way, I hate that euphemism. I also dislike being told I should do something, especially when it comes in the form of unsolicited advice.) However, these days people do not have time to read lengthy things, I am told. Everything seems to be abbreviated. Tweeted. LOL

Nonetheless, I have grown attached to my blog, since it is my creative outlet, where I can post my photos and quotations by Emerson, Thoreau, Mark Twain, and others. Who is my targeted audience? Myself, apparently. And a Cat Named Ponzo happens to be my online journal of whatever I feel like posting on any given day, as long as it somehow pertains to my cats, feral cats, my dog, wildlife on my property, or myself. I have no rules set in stone for this blog. As for making back-up copies, nope, I still have not done that. I think I should put that on my long to-do list, right after raking my leaves, which means maybe I shall get around to it after Thanksgiving Day. This year. Yeah, right.