I woke up to thunder. The sky was dark and ominous. While writing my morning pages in my journal, there was a cloud burst and rain. My husband and I both ended up in the backyard. He left through the kitchen door, and I went out the bedroom slider, but we ended up together to experience rain.
It was a short-lived rainfall, but then there was that wonderful smell. There’s a word for it:
Petrichor: The distinctive scent which accompanies the first rain after a long warm dry spell.
I wrote about petrichor when I first discovered the word a few years ago. I wrote about it HERE
After a rain where we live there is a rich deep smell from creosote. Every region must have its own distinct petrichor, depending on plant life.
I took a look at what I wrote (link above) and what hit me was how many of the bloggers who I enjoyed reading and interacting with no longer are around. I clicked on their names and to read “page not found” or blogs with no new entries since 2021.
Do you find bloggers you followed have disappeared? Do you think it’s a coincidence it happened through the shutdown years?
Do you think that we should give our readers a warning if we stop blogging? Why or why not?
Moments after the rain.
I love the smell of earth after rain. It is so refreshing.
As to the bloggers who left without telling us- so many. And we do miss them. But it was their choice and no one v can fault them for it. But it would be better if they announced that they are closing their blog.
I agree with loving the smell of earth after rain. I also believe you’re correct that people have the right to move on from blogging. It would be nice to have a heads up, though.
Very true. Recently a very active and popular blogger just deleted her blog suddenly. Everyone was concerned and even emailed her. She just said that it was her choice!
There may have been something in her life that made her rethink all her old posts. At least she responded.
Yes, very right. Maybe it was an impressive decision to be regretted later.
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Thank you for sharing a new word with me…I love the smell you described after a long-overdue rain and now I know what to call it! Petrichor! As to absences from blogging friends…I agree. My head and heart wonder about some who’ve fallen away…and I hope those who’ve dropped off are well and safe. One particular blogger whom I connected with a lot has been inexplicably absent, so I decided to begin including her in my morning loving kindness meditation. Just because. 🥰
Yes, I was excited to discover petrichor. I was googling what the smell was in our Sonoran Desert after rainfall. I discovered the word and that creosote was most pungent. I know people move on from blogging, make changes, but it is also worrisome not knowing why someone disappears.
Agree. We want to wish them well…at least let them know they’re missed. ❤️xo!
Exactly. I’d also like to know they are safe, healthy and alive!
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I love new words and the smell of rain. I had not given the smell of rain any thought and as we havent had a drop since the first week of September I am really looking forward to enjoying the next rain and its smell. Unless of course it snows instead.
The rain was not predicted and was such a nice surprise even though it lasted only for minutes! We have had one snow day a year in the three years we’ve lived here. Nothing like you’ll get, though.
WOW you get a snow day! Our normal winter will have 24ish snow events.
24 snow days! Wow. The first year, it stuck for two days. After that it’s been one snow flurry that hasn’t lasted for the day. Neighbors told us years ago there was six inches of snow. We’re in the hills above Scottsdale at elevation 3,000 feet. A mile down the road they don’t get any snow.
But our snow is usually only 3″ and gone by noon – after the sun comes out. I use a leaf blower for snow removal.
I’ve never heard of a leaf blower for snow removal. I’ll pass the tip on to my husband for future snow days 😊
The snow has to be dry
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Here it’s forest, mulch, pine, just good old dirt and grass plus a bit of wet concrete…I’m sure you remember those smells EA!
I ran into quite a few blogs that didn’t return after Covid and so of course I assume the worst…I am also reading a number now that are contemplating shutting down or have made the official announcement that they are done. Some share the reason, others are more vague…it makes me sad every time because most of these folks are really long-time virtual friends.
Yes, I personally appreciate a warning and would/will do so myself if I make that choice. In fact I was doing my annual “important info for the kids” update last month and added that I would like one of them to put something on the blog if I must stop writing. I have “disappeared” for a few days at a time here and there from commenting and folks like LA will sneak in a remark wondering what was up. It feels good to be appreciated 🙂
Yes, I remember those delicious smells. Or should I say petrichor 😅. It was through Covid that I missed a few bloggers. I do feel invested in them. You’re so right, they are friends. I had two friends from my 20s who disappeared from my life without a word. One was a good friend from high school in Snohomish. We shared a birthday and skied together. The bloggers not giving notice seems much like those two friends IRL. I’m glad you have a plan in place. I should ask my kids to step in too.
I’m always so heartbroken when old blogging disappear. There have been dozens, but one in particular that I can’t forget is a vibrant 30-something breast cancer survivor who disappeared in 2019, shortly after completing life coach training. I think about her often, and can’t help but imagine the worst.
Oh dear! That is so scary to lose a breast cancer survivor as a blogging friend. There was a woman who lived in a tiny town in Newfoundland that I loved reading. She was older and I worry what might have happened to her. I also find bloggers who post regularly and comment on my posts might disappear for a tiny bit and I’ll worry. Then I find out they are traveling from their next posts. Whew!
It’s always such a relief when someone returns after a mysterious absence! I may need to reach out to that old friend via her contact form. I’ve thought about it on-and-off for years, but truly fear a response from her husband or no response at all. The not knowing leaves a little space for hope.
It would be scary to reach out. Even if you do, there is still room for hope.
I love that smell too… and now I have a word for it, thanks! (Don’t you just love learning new words?) Bloggers come and go but I do appreciate a heads up just so I know they are okay. Recently, a blogger who I enjoy wrote that she was shutting down her blog. A few days later, she wrote an “oops” post and said that she decided not to go after all. I think she was feeling momentarily overwhelmed, then realized how much she’d miss her blogging friends.
Yes, I love learning new words. Now if I can hang on to this one and use it in a conversation! That’s so interesting that your blogger friend decided to shut down — and then took it back. Good for her. We can all change our minds!
I love that scent! I had no idea it had a name, so thank you for introducing me to it today.
Many of the bloggers I used to follow have stopped blogging. This thought arises to me from time to time. When will this blogger community begin to thin? It makes me sad just thinking about it. I’m hoping they’ll all notify me before they stop writing. For the time being, I will enjoy all of their (and your) posts. ❤️
My following and who I follow has changed through the years. Just when we think we’ve found our niche, it changes! Isn’t it nice to have a word for the scent after rain?
I love the fresh smell after a rain. I’ve never heard that word. I have wondered about some bloggers who just stop and I think if you have a large following, it might be nice to drop some kind of note out there. I don’t have that kind of following. I was following someone on TikTok and Instagram who just suddenly disappeared and there were a few of us who were wondering what happened to her. I haven’t heard anything and it’s been months. I do know that she posted a couple of times about her crafting helping her through depression, but some of her lasts posts were about her on vacation. You just never know!
I don’t think it matters the size of the audience. You don’t know who may miss you. Interesting that it happens on other formats too!
I love your blog Elizabeth, because you have a wonderful habit of surprising the reader with the direction you’re going. With this one, you introduced a new word to me, which was interesting because it’s so hard to explain smells. I thought maybe you were going to talk about smells or even the weather, but instead, you dived into another interesting topic talking about other bloggers who’ve disappeared. Yes, I can think of a few that I use to follow. It’s such a strange thing, you follow them and you don’t necessarily notice right away, but later it hits you. It’s like you’ve lost a long lost friend. And, yes, yes, I promise when I stop blogging, I will most certainly let readers know. Of course, reader’s may pay me to stop. Ha, ha. 🙂 🙂
Thank you for the nice compliment. This post did take a twist where I didn’t expect it. I was looking for my post in 2021 about petrichor and it hit me how so many of those blogging friends disappeared. I appreciate you’re agreeing to give us advance notice if you stop blogging. I hope you never do!
I love your twists. I’ve noticed it a couple of times and think it’s interesting how you’ve done it. I’m probably cutting back a little next year, but no plans to quit yet. I count on the creative outlet. I would go crazy without having the chance to get instant reaction to something I’ve written.
I don’t plan twists, they happen sometimes. I totally agree with you about wanting instant feedback on writing! I hadn’t thought of it before, but it’s such a wonderful thing as a writer. I am happy I cut back. It gives me more time to read and comment on other people’s blogs.
Yes, I’ve really struggled with keeping up on my blog reading. I feel so bad sometimes, because I see people commenting on mine and I know I’ve been bad going out and reading others. I don’t view it as a reciprocal thing but I still want to be respectful to others. I’m hoping I can get better with that next year.
Five days started to feel like a job to me, rather than a creative way to express myself. But it’s different for everyone.
One positive of five plus days . . . I’m writing shorter. Or at least trying to write shorter.
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I usually let people know if I am even considering stopping my Blog. Obviously, if there are certain people you don’t care about, you can just Unfollow and delete them from Following.
Good point!
Beautiful writing, Elizabeth! Both ending up outside through different doors. 🙂 Petrichor and the staying power of bloggers. Such an interesting combo. I guess some bloggers take root and others are washed away by the rain?
I like that, “washed away by the rain.” I think Ally Bean has a good point that people who stop blogging may not do it as a decision, but spend time doing something else. It may be months later that they realize they haven’t blogged. Thank you for the compliment on my writing 😊
Do you find bloggers you followed have disappeared? Yes and it sometimes breaks my heart.
Do you think it’s a coincidence it happened through the shutdown years? I had the opposite experience, more bloggers I followed posted more often showing up almost too often.
Do you think that we should give our readers a warning if we stop blogging? Why or why not? I’d like it if people wrote a farewell post, but people may not realize that they’re giving up on blogging until months later when they acknowledge they’ve given up. Then, I suppose, it seems awkward to come back to say good-bye.
You make interesting points. A blogger may not make a decision to stop blogging. They may avoid it, get too busy doing something else and it goes by the wayside. That’s probably the case in most instances. Also, during the COVID years you saw people post more. That makes perfect sense!
Oh, I love that smell and the image of you and your husband meeting to experience it together. I’ve found the same thing, bloggers that just disappear. I know sometimes they make announcements, but I don’t think we owe anyone an explanation if we have to step away. Life can be pretty unpredictable.
True. Life is unpredictable. But I think about a couple of the bloggers and worry.