I remember it like it was … three years ago.

I was watching the TV show “Lost” while on my laptop (which by the way, was a really dumb way to watch a difficult to comprehend time traveling program. Multi-tasking is not my strong suit.) and casually was poking around the Blogger website. Before I fully understood what the hell I was doing, I had set up a blog that you are reading as we speak. Admittedly, the blog name wasn’t given much thought but it was too late; I had already paid the fee for the rights to the URL.

I’ve spent some time the past week reading some of my early blog posts and many are cringe worthy. I clearly imagined myself to be the King of Wit and pushed the limits on “going off tangent”. But that’s OK, it was a process that needed to play itself out so I could get around to writing in a more concise and well thought out manner. I needed to hone my craft so I could deliver my powerful message to you, the reader … OK, now that was a fun sentence to type. I am pretty damn witty after all.

But seriously, I feel confident declaring that I have come a long way since that dark, cold night in February 2010. While it wasn’t easy, I’ve come to accept that perfection in the garden will never be attainable and to get my panties all up in a bunch just ain’t worth it. There were posts early on threatening to quit writing and threatening to quit gardening alltogether. A little too “woe is me” for my tastes now. After all, we all love the hell out of gardening BECAUSE we know we will never get it all right. I plan to tinker with my plants until they day I die.

What I have learned is how much I enjoy sharing my failures almost as much as my successes out in the yard as a means of education (mostly for you to educate me on what I’ve done wrong) or as a means to say “It’s going to be OK.” Sure beats flipping out and swearing off gardening for life.

Dare I say, I’ve matured.

Photogaphy has also trended in a positive direction. I can’t tell you how many of my early photos had a mailbox in the background, the edge of my car peeking in from the side or maybe a wheelbarrow and dead plant lingering in the back:

And lighting, forget it. The sun beating down meant nothing to me; I would just squint and snap the shot:

Today, I have a better appreciation for exposure to light and even shutter speed. With future photography classes in the works (Thank you Tony Granata) I hope to push my photography skills to the next level.

Enough of the patting on the back. My bad.

Let’s take a stroll back in time and find some interesting factoids from my three short years blogging about all things gardening and whatever else struck my fancy.
          
First sentence ever typed – “I suck at garden design.” (Some things never change)

First post title – “Day 1” (Deep stuff there)

First commenter – My wife (Bless her heart)

Second commenter – My mother (Bless her heart too)

First non family commenter – Leslie at Tranquil Acres of Alexandria

Most overly dramatic blog post – The path. (I have a hard time getting through this one.)

Post with most page views to date –  Spring: The musical post (Some how, over 20,000. Confirms that musical episodes ALWAYS work).

Most comments on a post – “I’m a bad dad” (33 to be exact. I actually still like this one and it was 100% true.)

Most bizarre post – Dig, plant, grow (And it’s not even close. My attempt at Hunter S. Thompson maybe?)

Best post idea that never stuck – Friggin Furious Friday (Thought this could rival Wordless Wednesday.)

Best post title – Cool things to see while you pee

Another post idea I thought could stick but didn’t – What John Ate

Proudest moment – Getting Allan Becker to do a guest post

First photo used in a post (Shocker, it’s an Ornamental Grass):

May there be three more years with even more opportunities to get to know so many great people and to receive invaluable advice from you all.

This is an absolute blast and a true labor of love.

Thank you all for giving me a chance.

John