Le Penseur, 2008I was recently asked by flwrjane to go back in time and show you my 6th post. I'm not usually up for these sorts of activities, but I do have a tendency toward nostalgia. So I traveled back to the beginning of my blog.
It wasn't always my blog. It used to be our blog. Chez Danisse was my husband's idea. He even came up with the funny name. He wanted to document our experience with our first kitchen garden.
I wasn't very interested in using a blog for this documentation. It seemed cold. I preferred real photographs, the type you could hold in your hand, and a gardening journal, one with pages made of paper. Then I changed my mind. It was a good decision. It turns out I really enjoy this space.
Thank you, Chris.
In the beginning, we both posted. Chris had more time back then. We were living in Point Reyes Station, CA. Life was very different.
I've decided to deviate from the original request and show you our first written posts (two prior posts were simply photographs).
Chris:
Pt. Reyes Test Kitchen: Radishes and Beets
Denise:
but i thought you loved my dirty roots...
I won't tag anyone, but feel free to place a link to your first post in the comments section.
These posts were fun to read, Denise. My first real post, which includes a photo of my all-time favorite vintage kitchen, is here.
ReplyDeleteI, too, find this fun. Not long ago, when I read your first posts, I noted "chioggia beets" in my garden journal, so I can remember to put them in next year. I've only ever grown bull's blood.
ReplyDeleteI am so much more addicted to handheld technology than I was when I wrote this.
P.S. I've been staring at your new fish for way longer than I ought to admit.
ReplyDeleteThis is an impressive start to a blog! I really enjoyed hearing your's and your husband's voice. Definitely a good tag to follow up on.
ReplyDeleteJessica, I hope you enjoyed going back to #1. It seems we began our blogs during the same summer. It must have been in the air. I agree, wonderful kitchen!
ReplyDeleteShae, Chioggia beets are the best, and pretty too. I think I'm still back where you were when you wrote that post "I can have only one relationship at a time." Nice gopher story ;)
Just wait until you learn how to feed the fish...uh oh.
alexandria, Thank you. It was fun to revisit that time in our lives.
Thank you. I loved both posts and the stories behind them.
ReplyDeleteNow I have to go further back in time to read more.
I tried clicking on your fish this morning, but all i did was make it disappear for a heartbeat,
i thought, omg, I've killed her fish!
flwrjane, click in the "pond" versus right on the fish and you'll leave little bits of fish food and then the fish will eat it. Yes, I'm acting as though I am 3 years old, but it is fun.
ReplyDeleteI just fed the fish! (That's not bologna, is it?) So cool. I won't overfeed it, though . . .
ReplyDeleteit was fun to see where you started and how your blog has evolved. i stated my lbog back in 2006, as a follow up to a static website. what started as a place for family and friends has become mostly a place for photography. here's my first post.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am impressed that that was your first entry! Far better than my humble beginning, which out of pride, I won't share a link to. So interesting to hear how your blog started, I always find myself wondering what made people commit to sharing like this, and how they started, what they envisioned, and how it is blossoming. Oh, and I too, have been mesmerized by your fish. :)
ReplyDeleteit's wonderful to see how in synch you two were / are. It is special to build something together. This blog is a special place. Never cold. Never static. Your personality always comes through magically.
ReplyDeleteha! so funny to see your history! my first post was just a test if i remember correctly. i don't really know - it was SIX years ago now... sigh
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful! Glad you persevered with the writing :) Makes me want to immediately look at my first post.
ReplyDeletei love knowing when/ why different bloggers started their blogs. funny how it evolves into something else and how that space can be really meaningful too. glad you're here!
ReplyDeleteNoel and I tried to do a collaborative blog at first (not on 990 Square, it had a different home) but it didn't work. We wanted to write about different things, and he didn't want to write as often as I did. Now I think he just like being a contributor on 990 Square--sometimes photographer, sometimes sous chef!
ReplyDeleteShae, Oh yes, it is definitely bologna.
ReplyDeleteLucy, I love Grandpa looking out to sea in 1887! What a treasure.
Tumbleweed Woman, I think a self portrait is an excellent beginning. I do love that little fish. It's kind of crazy...
Amelia, I like the quote in your first post. Sometimes I feel like a lion or wolf when I dine alone. It is fun to build something together. We don't share the blog or the garden anymore. It's a little sad. I think we need a new project. I'll be informing Chris this evening.
Lisa, I went back. It was June 2004 and you thought you'd be the only one reading your blog. Things sure do change.
Raina, Did you go back and look? I know about the pooping sheep--ha!
Katrina, Thank you. I went back to your #1. Love your use of "snidbits" :)
Beth, I do use a Chris photograph every now and again and he does play sous chef sometimes, so maybe he is still involved. Okay, I feel better now. I like your first post on 990--clear, concise, and friendly. You knew what you wanted.
ReplyDeletethis is a beautiful photo!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy all of your posts very much and have recently begun to read your blog from the beginning. My husband was walking by the desk as I was reading one evening and was drawn in by that little fish. And then the kids figured out how to feed it and it mesmerized us for quite some time. They, by the fish. Me, by your words.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post. I am always amazed at how blogging evolves. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteDenise - sorry for this belated visit. You very kindly visited my Paris blog many days back . . . and I have just gotten around to finishing that Paris chapter. In May, my garden seems to take up all of my time! Funny that you mention a garden journal in this post, because that has been my resolution for the week. I've been gardening for four years now, and am just realizing how much I FORGET from year to year.
ReplyDeleteI'm off to read your linked posts, now.
I loved reading your first posts... And that's a wonderful photo of your penseur.
ReplyDeleteI've always been inspired by the love and respect you and Chris share for each other. It's a wonderful thing - and I love that you can share it here with us, too.
love,
-maria
ps: we're off for a walk around the neighborhood while the sun is out. I'll come back to read the other posts I've missed and, of course, feed the fish.
i am so glad you followed this tag. i loved reading you and your husbands words.
ReplyDeletecan i admit, your fish is fascinating to me. : )
This was really great idea. It's amazing to see how the blog has deloped and I didn't know it was your husband's idea and that the blog was for both of you. You make me wish I had a grden so I could pickle my home grown veg. Two wonderful posts, beautifully written, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteElisabelle, Thank you. It is one of my favorite photographs of Chris.
ReplyDeletecounting dandelions, It seems a few people are finding my little fish pretty entertaining. Me too. I really like that you've gone back to the beginning. What a nice compliment. Thank you for reading.
Velva, Thank you. I always enjoy learning how people evolve creatively--artists, authors, designers, etc.
Bee, A garden seems like a lovely use of your time. I'm sure you'll find a journal useful. There are so many little things learned while gardening. It's difficult to commit them all to memory. Enjoy!
Maria, Thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed your nice stroll in the sun. I know my fish enjoyed eating. He asked me to thank you. We are always happy to see you.
Christina, I thank you. My fish thanks you. He likes attention...
Vanessa, Thanks. I miss pickling my own vegetables too. I guess we'll both have to visit our farmers markets if we want to do any pickling this year. I think I need some pickled cucumbers, carrots, and maybe some beets.
it's fun to go back in time....I am such a nostalgic type :)
ReplyDeletelove Point Reyes....one of my favorite places....lots of beautiful views and great memories :)
you were so lucky to live there.
M., Yes, tapping into memory has always appealed to me. PR is a beautiful place and living there was quite an experience. Thanks for reading.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you didn't like the idea at the time, but isn't it fun now to have these memories captured? It's like a journal or diary, only on a computer screen, and public.
ReplyDeleteHere's my first post:
http://outsideoslo.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/a-legacy-and-a-lineage/
D, Yes, it is so nice to have now! Your first post is a lovely introduction to your blog. I'm sure you've enjoyed exploring the culture of your ancestry. It's something that has always interested me.
ReplyDeletewowza - your garden looked like is was really successful! the posts were fun to read, as is your blog, i am so intrigued!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rachel. It really was a spectacular garden.
ReplyDelete