Who me?

My long-time friend Grace, who has a lovely blog herself, has nominated me for a Rockin' Girl Blogger "award." I so appreciate her kind words about my blog and my friendship. Now, I have the difficult task of picking 5 nominees of my own, from among the many I read and admire. I have decided to consider some of the newer blogs which did not yet exist, or of which I was unaware, back when I made my Thinking Blogger Award nominations. All of these blogs "rock" in my opinion, but for different reasons. Many of my favorite blogs are gentle and thoughtful, rather than edgy, so the word "rock" may seem inappropriate. However, these all have impact and charm and intelligence, and so, to me, they totally rock!

Lesley, of An English Country Garden, has so much depth in her narratives about her gardens and her life in the rural England. Her posts are punctuated with her own photos of her gardens, as well as images of fine art and excerpts of well-written articles. She informs and inspires through what she chooses to include in her blog (for film buffs, her Film Diary is a must-read also.)

Catherine Mary, of ::atelier::, provides an oasis of elegant, zen-like calm in the blogging world. She uses lovely images and alternates between sparse, stream-lined prose, and lovely stream-of-consciousness insights. Reading this blog, so full contemplation and imagery, is part of my morning ritual. Like my coffee, and a barefoot walk through the gardens, I wouldn't miss it!

Robbin at Cedar Chest of Dreams is a new blogging friend. Her site is an interesting, eclectic blend of subjects: Native American wisdom and memories, intertwined with daydreams and everyday worries. The way she writes reminds me of listening in as someone "thinks out loud." She is sharing her life experience, her moments of wisdom, humor and doubt, seeming to trust that readers will find something meaningful in her words. I always do!

I've known Lizzie at Kindred Spirits through email groups for several years and am always amazed by her gift as a storyteller. When she shares a story from her life, you are likely to find yourself chuckling or sniffling at the end; often both at the same time. Blogging has brought a more visual element to her stories, which are now accompanied by pretty images. Her ideas about decorating, crafting and human nature are lovely and insightful.

Katie, aka

Simple Katie, doesn't post quite as often as some of the bloggers whose writing I read each morning, but when she does it is just right: a glimpse of home-canned food, images from the garden, her thoughts on living simply. Even the look of the blog, recently "face-lifted", is simple, uncluttered, and just right.

In case you're curious (as I was) this all started when Roberta decided to start something! I had to track her down, reading backward through nominated blogs. I started by checking the blogger who had nominated Grace, then the one who had nominated that blogger, and so on, back to the beginning. On the way, I found some great blogs to read. I'll be back to visit some of them soon! Fun idea, Roberta!