Vampituity Turns 15

 

Boat sail in Croatia by Rachel Medanic

I meet with a friend once a month to share and give perspective. One of her last comments to me recently was, "Congratulations on hitting 'Publish!' " The comment wasn't about anything here, but on the journey to 'press Publish,' this has been my digital ship at sea for the past 15 years. 

This blog predates social media and was my form of public expression in the beginning. Now, there is simply much more to consume out there. The world is more sober than it was 15 years ago and our needs for beauty, reflection, humor, baking as art and all the other things on top of that you may have come here to experience--- are more desperate.

Releasing or Relapsing?

As I contemplate my own ambiguity as to whether I might come back and write again beyond today, I see that my creations have run wild here. Wrapped in the cloak of "a personal blog," this space has allowed me to share anything creative.

I am not sure I truly believe the data (which only goes back 12 years), but allowing for some of the countries that have sent traffic here as a means for other nefarious web activity, this blog has:

• Hosted visits from people in more than 100 countries 
• It has shared 1,100 photos for you to enjoy. 

Even I find that a little remarkable. It has always been hard to keep going but as I discover more that writing is meeting my own needs, I'm able to manage the isolation of ...hitting Publish here. 

Mendocino Sunset by Rachel Medanic

Energy Changes Form

What I've also had to embrace is, there is a lot of upkeep on the horizon. By the end of 2020, I will have 3 digital properties to maintain (assuming I contribute regularly to each), including this one. This is in addition to social sites I also use to share. The time and energy I have invested here is morphing and changing form. New things are emerging and much of this rolls up into several life "Bucket List" items I intend to address in this incarnation. I'll be back to forward you to them once they are baked- for sure.

Pine Fogset by Rachel Medanic

The Last Piece

As is traditional to this space, I try to accompany each entry with music or some form of edible art. To honor the Jewish New Year this month (Rosh Hashanah) and the harvest of the Fall Equinox, I reworked Honey Apple Cake and loaded it up with meaningful foods for those of us who want to eat for ritual and bake in deeper connection to the land.

Instead of photographing the first piece of the cake, I chose to photograph the last to honor the falling away of the old year and of the many souls who are following as the veil thins and we head into Samhain season. Many new souls coming in too - don't forget to invest in them!

Equinox Honey Apple Cake + Spatula Fashion Show

Here is what I changed about that recipe to give it the foods of Fall it's appropriate to celebrate and be thankful for:

• I replaced one cup of flour with cornmeal, walnuts, and coconut
• I removed 1/3 to 1/2 of the granular sugars it calls for
• I didn't ice it all at but instead recommend you eat your slice warm and with marscarpone on it

Thank you

So what do you do, in the middle (and I do mean...middle {sorry for the spoiler alert}) of a global pandemic and you suddenly realize halfway through the weekend that it is the 15th anniversary of your personal blog? First you contemplate what a blog's Quinceañera might look like. Then your idea floats away in favor of instead saying thank you to everyone who has left comments or those folks who've made remarks in person for what's been shared. 

I'm not sure if I'll be back here to post or if I'll just use this space to let you know what new creative things have arrived. It's been fun, thanks for following!

~