Hello and welcome to a new week on the blog. I am in rather a pensive mood today and I want to share a few thoughts with you about the future of the blog.
The Librain…… retired is now in its sixth year and I am so pleased that it still attracts quite a number of visitors. It was started as a way to occupy myself when I became mostly housebound through illness and I have continued to write since I had the stroke in 2019. I am sure that the rediscovery of my ability to think and write reasonably clearly has a lot to do with maintaining the blog. More recently, WordPress quite drastically changed its structures and I had to force myself to learn a complicated new system. I hope that this has been successful.
On the other hand, there have been some negative impacts. I can be quite a driven person. At the beginning, I decided to write a post on every week day and I kept that going for a long time. This was rather difficult to achieve as, because my day to day life is so limited, I had to search around for something to write about. Eventually, I had to drop the posts down to three per week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That has been manageable most of the time. On occasion, when my illness has become overwhelming, I have taken breaks of up to a week, but I have tried to keep those to a minimum.
Another issue for me has been subject matter. Simply, I don’t want to write long complaining or moaning posts about my illness or the difficult issues surrounding our family life. Over the years, I have vented on here from time to time and everyone has been supportive and kind, but I don’t want the blog to be a negative moanfest! So, I have tried to write as positively as I can about more trivial matters, mainly books and reading, clothing and accessories, and the curiosities that I find whilst wandering around the web.
One thing that this has led to is that my passion for scarves and costume jewellery has become rather overwhelming. The lovely, positive responses that I have had to my scarf posts here and elsewhere have resulted in my spending on these luxuries getting a bit out of hand. Nothing too over the top, I must hasten to say, but rather it’s a bit silly when I can’t wear any of these items out of the house. I sometimes feel very foolish that I own this wonderful Hermès collection, but I can only wear the scarves in the house or for medical appointments!
So, I am in a bit of a dilemma. I need to think about whether I should continue with the blog and also decide its purpose. Perhaps I also need some deeper thoughts about my own future and purpose. I don’t really know.
I would really appreciate some responses.
Love and best wishes,
Anne
💕💗💖💗💕
The Librain
The Librain......retired 
Hi! I’m an early bird retired from corporate America and I also appreciate Hermes’ craftsmanship. With my lifestyle changed from business meals and gala weekends, I enjoyed my stay-at-home schedule and freedom to Do-What-I-Love and Love-What-I-Do. For my Hermes passion, I am very selective on my purchase/selection to ensure I will use them all the time and avoid clutter at home. I always remind myself to enjoy what I have in the present. Your WP sharing is much appreciated and as part of my research and brainstorming before purchasing. It is hard to have good control with Hermes purchases. I know. My response after reading your recent post is to let it be and relax. Don’t pressure yourself. Post on WP when you feel like it. The WP reminder allows me to see new posts when available, so I’m not missing out.
By the way, I wear my scarf of the day when taking my parents to their doctor appointments from time to time. I am happy to do that and sometimes I might brighten people’s day (e.g medical staff & parents, etc.) with some colors or fun patterns.
Best wishes to you.
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I first stumbled on your site several months back when I discovered Hermes scarves and was looking for more info. Yes I’m a middle aged woman who only learned about them now. In February I didnt know about them and now I’m the proud owner of 28. It probably goes without saying that I can be obsessive/compulsive in my hobbies. And maybe it goes without saying that I’m a mess. Yes I love your analyses of the scarves, but I find myself popping into your site every few days not to see scarf content but to see how you are doing. I find comfort knowing that there are people out there (you) who, like me, dont lead glamorous lives but who can still love the silly frivolities in life. Yeah my bank account is yelling at me so I need to find a way to appreciate what I have, rather than wanting to acquire more more and more. I’ll be interested to see how you can do the same and maybe be an inspiration for me (on top of what you already are).
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Hi
I have been reading your blog for years and share your love of scarves and nice things. I agree with the thoughts above. I hope you keep blogging as I would miss you. But you must do what is best for you. Maybe just blog when you feel like it?
All the best
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Good afternoon – I don’t think you should discontinue your blog. It’s probably a creative outlet for you and a hobby. You should write when you feel like it, when you have something to say. You still read books and can comment on them. Re the scarves, you love them and should showcase them when you want. You don’t have to buy anything new, just show the ones you have in different ways. If you read MaiTai’s blog, I don’t believe she’s acquired any new lovelies but shows her collection with a different outfit or tied a different way. I hope you don’t mine me saying this, but you shouldn’t give up your hobbies and creative outlets which are uplifting.
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Hi. I just recently found your website, and to my surprise discovered that our scarf tastes are the same and that our collections are to a large extent overlapping. as an historian/archaologist I also see similarities in our interests of both Books, ancient history and the stories behind the scarves designs, and I truly like your writing style. Though I love to find a kindred spirit online and would very much like your blog to continue I appreciate your reflextions but hope that you find a Way to continue doing things that give you joy and calmness – and in a pace that is comfortable and not overwhelming for you. Best whishes for you and your family
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