A little late, but I’ve turned Two!

Birthdays are like cats. The more you have the more likely your furniture smells like wee.

Land’s sakes. If you don’t pay attention you’ll miss just about anything, won’t you. Like my own blog’s birthday.

Docaitta.com turned towards a third year on January 4, 2013. I know, it was a week ago, but last Friday was rather hectic. Busy at work and also the potential of a 1.5 hour drive in snow at the end of the day. So my mind was turned elsewhere.

That’s no excuse. But I still want to mark the occasion in some manner. So I write to you today.

Two years ago last Friday on January 4, 2011 I said greetings to the world. I didn’t know exactly what this blog would be about, just that I wanted to start one.

I started at zero “page views” on that (probably) cold day. At the end of the year I had reached 50,000.

As of 6:00am AST today, January 11, 2013, my count is 173,856 individual page views. I am humbled that so many people have an interest in what I think and have to say. Thank you.

The last two years have been interesting, with lots of changes – some you know about and some you don’t. I guess the biggest is trying to sell this house. Still on the market. Hopefully soon…

This is my first post. I guess it’s best summed up as a tentative hand out into the unknown. http://www.docaitta.com/2011/01/greetings-for-2011.html

It’s funny but after a while you seem to find your sea legs, or perhaps a better definition is that you find your “voice”. The real you, and your passions, seem to spew forth regardless of your best attempts to suppress them!

If you’ve ever written a blog you’ll know what I mean. I started out “stilted”, went through some stages (one of which was giving a lot of background info on my posts), until I have become the voice of authority.

Me, as a voice of authority! Actually, what I do write comes from one of two places, either personal experience or a lot of research. I’m just not as blatant about it now.

To celebrate I thought I would look back and give you the top five recipes that you, my readers, have looked at and/or searched out over the past two years.

I look forward to many, many more years of our conversation. I hope you do too.

So the top five are (from web page hits):

Always a requirement – graduated mixing bowls.

Number 5. Object of Necessity 3: Traditional Mixing Bowls

http://www.docaitta.com/2011/02/object-of-necessity-3-traditional.html

I still haven't gotten around to making these. I did buy the cutters...

Number 4. To do list: Make Animal Crackers

http://www.docaitta.com/2011/12/to-do-list-make-animal-crackers.html

This meat and sauce is the Nova Scotia variety of donair.

Number 3. Homemade Donair Pizza – even the meat!

http://www.docaitta.com/2011/03/recipe-homemade-donair-pizza-even-meat.html

This recipe caused a 1,200 spike in my page views in 36 hours.

Number 2. Maritime Molasses Brown Bread

http://www.docaitta.com/2012/01/recipe-maritime-molasses-brown-bread.html

This recipe has been reproduced on at least one other blog.
Someone from Alaska also contacted me after seeing it to ask if my mustard
recipes could be published in their community newspaper. Schweet.

And your Number 1 all-time favourite, 

Homemade Dijon Mustard

http://www.docaitta.com/2011/02/recipe-homemade-dijon-mustard.html

For Dijon recipe no. 2 look here.

http://www.docaitta.com/2012/09/recipe-homemade-dijon-mustard-no-2.html

So what do I want for my birthday? 
That's easy. You. Or more of you, to be precise. I love preaching, but after a while it's nice if the congregation talks back. That's what the comments section is for...

I've had some excellent comments, but would love you hear from you more than I do. I promise, if it's something to answer back about I will, and quickly. Give it a try. It won't hurt. Much.

Thanks for your faith in me over the last two years. I promise I will do everything in my power to continue to earn it and bring you more interesting, necessary and some down-right wacky recipes and gardening tips over the years to come!

The next year will be an adventure – for sure.

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