Tuesday, April 20, 2010


I Just Don’t Know....

I have never been one to appreciate groups.  I see individuals banding together under banners and signs, tight little clutches of the like-minded, wearing buttons, spouting slogans, and I begin to squirm like my dress is too tight.  Cliques, clubs, and labels?  For me, they represent too small a leap to pigeonholes, boxes and  prisons.    I wrote about this in more detail and with a nod to what might, just perhaps, be the genesis of my awareness of this part of my personality once before, here.
 Visiting some of my favourite blogs recently has cause me to think about this anew.  I find some of them to be so well-organized ... their blogrolls put together with all of the confederated blogs lined up neatly under appropriate headings.  I look over the sections and realize that my little blog really fits nowhere at all.  I sigh.  Although I started this endeavour as an offshoot of my interior design business, I soon found it to be such a delightful escape from that, that I packed my knapsack and began wandering down a multitude of divergent paths.   I soon rediscovered my love of writing, a love ignored for far too long, left to twiddle its rosy thumbs underneath the sketchbooks and fabric swatches atop my cluttered desk, wondering if I would notice it ever again.
So now, even though I sometimes write about interior design, that is certainly not the focus of this blog.  I write about books and the occasional film, but not exclusively.   I write about food and fashion, flowers and birds, Edward and hoot owls and ... crickets.  
But what, pray tell, am I?
Where exactly do I fit?
Does it matter?
Probably not.
If only there was a category for eccentrics.

59 comments:

  1. You, perhaps, see more similarity in the blogging world than I. Nearly all of the blogs I follow are by people who simply talk about their lives, and this means that they're all personally tailored. One of my new ones is a new blog by a guy who's first line goes something like, "This blog is not going to be a pleasant read."

    By the way, I've missed you lately.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The best ones are the ones that don't fit in I think :)
    And I agree about "groups" - I make an effort never to call myself an anything :)
    x

    ReplyDelete
  3. And that's why you are so refreshing and such a delight. Do not worry about it. Continue being who you are.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Heres to your eccentricity, that is why your blog is such a delight.
    XX

    ReplyDelete
  5. You, my dear, fit into MY world as one of the most beautiful and happy places I visit! So, that's your niche..happy-beautiful and appreciated:-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Give me eccentrics any time - they are the people who make life interesting - you don't have to fit into any category - I love your blog and I love hearing about that dog.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi !
    I like your blog exatcly the way it is ! I do as you do, writing about different things.

    xo
    Anci

    ReplyDelete
  8. You certainly are one of a kind, Pamela. And that's a GOOD thing!

    ReplyDelete
  9. The greatest joy and strength in the world to be yourself. A luxury made much easier with a PON getting under your feet.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pamela...you can not change a thing! Your blog is so special and such a joy to read. I always make sure I have set aside time to come and read and read some more. I like to read your posts several times. I always pick something new up each time I do. Like you, I can look too closely at blogs and begin to wonder and then doubt. I like to think of all our friends as 'purists', just doing their thing, being themselves and that's all.
    Once it becomes a business and becomes about numbers I tend to look elsewhere. I can find that in everyday life. Blogs like yours are places where I can go and know that what I get is coming from the heart...and at the end of the day that is what matters, at least to me :)

    Jeanne

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh...why be normal? A psychologist once drew a circle and asked each of my children to show him them in the picture. Each of them, unbeknownst to the other drew a dot just outside the circumference of the ring.
    They know they are happier being on the outside, in control of themselves and their lives, rather than on the inside where you can get sucked into the centre and disappear forever!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I always find you warmly comforting.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dear Pamela, Your weblog does not fit a category and for that I applaud you. I love the fact that it is a cornucopia of wonderful ideas and opinions, creativity and imaginative writing. It, like you, is a one off. A triumph.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ah, eccentrics are what we prefer, surely!
    I don't think many of the blogs I really like fit into any category - wandering minds are where I'm at, and, without wishing to sound the slightest bit disrespectful, you fit in there very well indeed!

    ReplyDelete
  15. You are Pamela, a breath of fresh air in a sea of sameness. You are one of my must visits because I know I will find honest, mature, clever and excellent writing and photographs...any one can take pretty pictures of the wall they just painted or the flower bed they just planted..but you are a true artist...my blog gets downright scary sometimes...but we do it for us and with luck the right people will find us who get us and cheer us along..

    ReplyDelete
  16. The best ones are intelligent changeable, whimsical, and surprising, no conformists please.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Totally get it. I have mostly architecture and design blogs on listed on my ART blog BECAUSE I CAN'T read many art blogs (a bit of photographic memory when it comes to paintings and I don't want to view many so no influences on my work.)

    YOUR blog is on my design and architecture roll. I use to have it under a heading all by itself: ENCHANTING, and then I was afraid it would get lost :-(, can't have that. Perhaps I should go back to that.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You fit under Friends. :)

    I take most delight and inspiration in reading blogs of people that are attuned to what makes them happy, be it pictures of their life, their vintage, their writing, their thoughts, their world around them. It's people I am interested in, not platforms (although clever folk manage to make both synonymous!)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I blog about whatever strikes my fancy at the moment. I hope that, perhaps, it will strike someone else's fancy as well. But that is not completely necessary.I am pretty sure my blog doesn't fit into any particular category, just being myself.... oh, and all the characters from my books and farm family.
    And thank you for visiting us!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Well,what ever you do ..don't change..:)))

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh, Pamela - worry not! You fit in perfectly, in that some of the very best things in life are those that defy categorisation and plough their own lovely furrow. Things would be so dull if we all ticked the same boxes. You write exquisitely - I just love coming here for glimpses of your wonderful view of life, your love of beauty and nature - and darling Edward, of course.

    Your blog is a perfectly delightful one-off. Please don't change a single thing. xoxox

    ReplyDelete
  22. There you have it.
    Love your blog, whatever you call it!
    A bit outside the box is just what I am looking for...


    XX
    Victoria

    ReplyDelete
  23. It doesn't matter... just be yourself like you do already! Suzie xxx

    ReplyDelete
  24. When I am aware that you have a new post, I become anticipatory. I stop myself before delving in, put on some water for tea, settle myself, because I know that you will write something different and unexpected. I find it quite refreshing, Pamela, and hope you continue to do exactly what you are doing.

    ReplyDelete
  25. That is exactly why I am drawn to your blog Pamela. I am intrigued by the unique and the individual and if there is one thing I could be ...it would be eccentric. Alas, I suspect I lack sufficient non-conformity...There is no greater compliment than 'eccentricity' in my opinion. xv

    ReplyDelete
  26. cheers to your being exclusive pamela!

    that is what your readers love about you and your speaking from the heart

    appreciatively
    debra

    ReplyDelete
  27. I appreciate your eccentricity! I don't know a lot of other blogs that are so writing-oriented (although I am certain there are an endless amount out there,) but I always enjoy reading your words and reflections on life. And, while I have my blogroll divided into two broad categories, I feel sometimes it is hard to sum up a blog so concisely! And I don't think that is a bag thing at all.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Dear Pamela
    I would never worry about being 'eccentric'... or not part of a group.. I'm not really a group person either and sometimes struggle with why.. I know in blogland there are so many that tread the same path and it is delightful to know there are blogs to visit that will always have something unique to say... Yours is definitely a breath of fresh air... And interestingly so many of those I admire for their uniqueness are over here telling you the same!!! Thanks for being you Pamela.. a quite talented Pamela too!! xxx Julie

    ReplyDelete
  29. Your own particular expression is what makes you stand out. There are ten gazillion blogs out there and yours is one of the most irresistible.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Eccentric is good, and so is enchanting. Keep it up Pamela!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I like different blogs for different reasons, but here I visit for, as someone else noted, enchantment. Your writing often holds me spellbound. Your blog is delightful Pamela.You weave, with words and illustrations,such beautiful and happy things.

    ReplyDelete
  32. How terribly dreary it would be if all the blogs we know and read were the same. Just keep doing what you're doing - we love you just the way you are! Leigh

    ReplyDelete
  33. Oh Pamela,
    I was thinking exactly the same about my blog. On my header it says 'My home, interiors and garden and, I hardly ever post about those things.... and, mine is very messy. At least you have three columns. Mine is all over the place !.... but, who cares. We are all different and individual and, it's a good job that we are.
    I love your blog and long may you continue in the same vein. XXXX

    ReplyDelete
  34. I don't think of you as being eccentric, Pamela. Rather, someone with a marvellous imagination; an artist who paints pictures with words; a person who looks always for the beauty and mystery of life; and who loves to smile.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Looks like we all agree that you're certainly doing something right! Call it what you will...it works beautifully!

    ReplyDelete
  36. There is a certain certaintude about being all in a group. They seem so confident their way is the only way. It scares the holy hell out of me. Creativity requires solitude and it requires inspiration. It does not require a fan club of clones and nonthinkers.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Dear Pamela, A quick postscript to say that, unfortunately, I am unable to comment or post for the next ten days or so. But, I shall return!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Welcome, you have once again rediscovered the prize of life..."individuality"

    Your blog is a blessing to so many!

    ReplyDelete
  39. You are indeed very special and make a huge diffrerence in this wide world of blogging and sharing....very unique and giving.

    Karena
    Art by Karena

    ReplyDelete
  40. From one eccentric to another: may you continue to find and love the muse that fills your blog with joy and whimsy and originality at its finest!

    ReplyDelete
  41. I love stopping by your blog. I love to read the words you have written and hear the stories you are telling.
    I feel like a child who anxiously awaits the next story.
    I have been touched in so many ways by your beautiful words and hearing about Edward and Apple and all of your adventures.
    Your blog is perfect!...just the way it is!

    ReplyDelete
  42. You are a true individual and your blog is wonderful.
    I started a little group event of my own today, I just had the idea and others jumped on board..but its not really a group becasue I feel abit ike you. But then I have a little voice in my head that says..'If its out there..I should be in'!

    ReplyDelete
  43. I can only echo the other comments, your blog does stand out and it is always a joy to read. It's all positive!
    Thank you for stopping by at mine and for your kind words.
    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  44. Yours is a truly original blog - I never know when I visit what I am going to read about next! You write beautifully descriptive posts and I alwasy enjoy my visits here and if I don't always comment I always read and enjoy - you make me question things and think about them - and I love to read about your adventures with Edward. Don't change anything:)

    ReplyDelete
  45. Continue down divergent paths, or simply give your dog the lead.
    It is OK to wander, I get lost in your blog over a glass of wine all the time.
    Get lost.
    X David
    I am giving away one of my illustrations on my blog that first appeared in Mirabella magazine, take a look.

    ReplyDelete
  46. To paraphrase Monica Dickens (in One Pair of Feet), "She had the enviable air of not belonging to the herd".

    I always stop by here knowing that I will find the unexpected, the original, and that opens a new window in words and art.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Everything you've said in this post is why I delight in your blog. I began my own blog as an offshoot of my professional writing life. Little did I know that I would become a photography addict along the way. I see those blogroll categories, too. Sometimes my blog is under writers; sometimes it's under lifestyle; sometimes photographers, which all leads me to believe that these categories mean very little.

    I hope your blog continues to be exactly what you desire on any given day. That's what keeps us all coming here, my friend! xo

    ReplyDelete
  48. We are so similar in our uniqueness and diversity. Your blog fits into my life perfectly for it covers all the things I love and blog about too. Please keep going down the path that delights you as your uniqueness shines brightly for so many others too. I absolutely love your place and visit as often as I can. Thank you for being you!

    ReplyDelete
  49. I didn't read the comments, but I appreciate your sentiments here very much, and I relate. Please don't ever become part of groups if you don't want to. I'm very much like you, and sometimes I notice the cliques too. Going your own beautiful way is a wonder. And let me say that your format, being consistent, lends a sense of continuity, even if the subjects change. It's a restful thing. Your blog is a haven of rest and beauty. Please don't change a thing, unless you feel it.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Don't ever change your blog and become like one of many "all the same" ones! A visit here is always a gift, something very special to give the day a delightful and different twist. The art is always refreshing as many paintings I'm not familiar with.......your words, well what can I say other than beautiful.

    Would love to share in more of your decorating projects if available, however just the way you are is quite alright with me........and Edward!

    ReplyDelete
  51. But if you fitted into a category you wouldn't be an eccentric...There are enough categories in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  52. ah, Pamela... that is the beauty of eccentricity - it doesn't fit into any category. There is only one of you, and you do a marvelous job of filling up the page all by yourself! Happy spring!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  53. Do you read comments after it has been some time? :)
    I cant remember if I commented earlier.. its been a long while.
    I couldnt access any blog on blogger including my own for a month or two, and missed reading your blog :)

    Two of your recent posts have helped inspire me:

    1. to consciously try let go of fear
    2. to not need to label myself, which has been a relief

    Keep up the uniqueness with an ability to write to inspire people!

    Best wishes

    ReplyDelete
  54. Pamela you are a creative spirit!
    Celebrate the creative you and do not "look " for a place to fit, you are already there, it called;
    " From The House of Edward "

    xoxo :)

    ReplyDelete
  55. This is a very interesting point, Pamela.
    Although your blog is on my blog roll under "beautiful designers", I do have another category called "beautiful blogs to visit". That certainly describes From the House of Edward! Of course like most of us, you (and your delightful blog) can't be easily placed into one category or group.
    I'm not much for groups myself. Too much of a loner!
    xo
    Brooke

    ReplyDelete
  56. No category for eccentrics, please!

    How about a category for people who can't sleep when they're worried about a canine friend in a different time zone and turn on the computer at 3am to see how he's doing?

    That's one we might espouse!

    xx Joan (and the Barkalots)

    ReplyDelete
  57. Ah, I caught you because I had tiptoed downstairs to do the same thing...

    I know you must feel an even more intense connection because of Edward -- we're the same way with our wires when one is ill -- but the feelings extend across all breeds and worlds, don't they!

    J

    ReplyDelete
  58. I have spent my entire life struggling not to be put in a "box", be it positive or negative. I like most those blogs that do not fit neatly into a category. Does anyone's life really sort itself out that neatly? And would I really want mine to? Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete

I love to read your comments! Each and every one! Though I'm always reading your comments, I may not respond in the comment section. If you want to write me directly, you may do so at pamela@pamelaterry.net. Thank you for reading!