Hello Again

Hello friends!  It’s been a little while since I’ve been here on the blog.  Ok, more than a “little while”; it’s been a little over a year since my last post.  You may have noticed that some things have changed around here.  First, the name of the blog itself.  “How ‘Bout Them Apples” is a play on a nickname my grandpa gave me when I was a little girl – Apple Dawn.  I’ve been called Apple by those closest to me since childhood, and so when it became evident that a rebrand of the blog was needed – I went back to my roots. 

There are a lot of reasons I chose to change the name, but I suppose the most obvious reason is that the reason for the original name no longer applies.  I’ve typed and retyped and typed again an explanation for the time I’ve been away from this space.  I enjoy writing here and the back and forth I’ve had with so many readers over the years, but about a year ago my life basically fell apart, and I’ve been very reticent to share too many details of what all has transpired because there are a lot of people who have and continue to be impacted by what happened and is happening.  I know I’m not alone in the pain so many have experienced through 2020 and 2021 – whether from Covid lock downs, loss of jobs, loss of friends and family, loss of connection with loved ones, the tumult of the election season and fallout – so many things changed for so many of us that it is hard to wrap the mind around all that has been lost.  For me, the destruction of my world was not brought on by Covid, but certainly exacerbated by it.  I’m not going into details here – it is not appropriate or necessary – but I will say, Arden and I moved back to our home town in July of last year and have been undertaking the enormous task of building a life together – just the two of us.  The last 11 months have been challenging, heart-breaking, fear-inducing and really, really hard.  But I’ve also watched us both rise from the ashes and start to become so much stronger than I could have imagined.  

So, with that said – let’s start again here, you and I.  I plan to get back to the business of writing the things in my heart and on my mind.  I may be a little clunky in the delivery as I reuse these muscles that have lain dormant for the last year – but that’s the thing with muscles, if you use them, they get stronger.  So let’s pump a little literary iron together and see where it takes us.

Cheers!

See ya soon!