The first thing that catches my attention in a blog is the title. This title "Uncommon History" was so unusual that it caught my attention. It's like drinking a cola but not quite, so it's an "un"cola. The same concept applies to the title of this blog. I expected to find common history because the eye ignores prefixes like "un" when reading until I looked more closely at the profile image above. Suddenly, I realized this was a site that features history that is unique in some way.

The title tantalized in an unusual way because I wondered why any one would choose an "un" name. Catchy and different. I have one suggestion though. If the "un" name doesn't grab the reader's attention immediately, I would either suggest choosing a different title for the blog or a jazzy profile image to draw people to it. Though, I really love the parchment paper image. It speaks of dusty shelves filled with archives and journals from the past. It 's a good choce for the profile.

I love the color choices. The theme selected is one of my favorites though I would like to know how the author Patrick G Whalen managed to make all the widgets function properly. I abandoned using this same theme on one of my blogs due to its difficulty in performance. Nice job with the layout. The widgets are well placed and are balanced with the blog's content links. I really like the preview posts displayed magazine style on the front page. The whole site is appealing and aesthetic to the eye. History buffs will be attracted to this site on the theme's merits alone.

Let's take a closer look at some of the content.

The articles displayed on the front page are all interesting to me. I chose on post in particular because the title felt like a human interest story told from the heart. I clicked the link to To Save a Life and started reading. My first impression was correct. This is a human interest story written so well that I beleve Patrick paid attention in English class and that he has a natural gift for writing. Sentence structure is well formed, vocabulary is versatile and fluent and the subject matter is presented fluently and with a voice that speaks to the reader. Wonderful writing talent! The story is worth the read as well. I won't give any clues because this is a "must click and read" kind of story.

I have a strong suggestion to help the SEO of the blog. Change the title and buy a domain to match the title of the blog. This will greatly increase the visibility of your blog Patrick to search engines and seekers. Make it unique to your passion about history and the chosen era. It seems the Civil War is the featured history topic but there is a little mixmastery happening on the blog that works well to give it just enough variety to attract other visitors who might not be history buffs.

Great job all in all. I look forward to reading more of this blog. I'm adding it to my favorites. Give a hand to a creative site worth reading every one! Visit Uncommon History today and learn about this nations history.

The Midnight Writer

Little did I know how much work awaited me to create a proper freelance professional blogging network with versatile content and unique personalities. I fell in love with blogging! After 1 1/2 years of trials and errors, the learning process taught me more than I could relay in one simple blog post. One of the most important tips I learned about becoming a successful blogger involved setting up blogs with unique professional domain names. As of yesterday, the entire set of blogs that I first created in October of 2008 now have their own unique paid domain names. I feel accomplished! Now to tackle the content, the posting techniques, photos, links, advertising and all the facets that will make each of these blogs a success. Stay with me on my quest. We'll learn the ropes in blogging together!

Tax time is a stressful time whether your filing will bring you a refund or you owe taxes on your earnings. Imagine how nice it would be to be able to file for free. This year everyone can file their federal taxes for free at www.eSmartTax.com. You read that correctly. Go ahead and refigure your tax return budget because you can erase the filing fees for your federal taxes. Liberty Tax Service is giving this gift to everyone who uses eSmart Tax, which is an online tax preparation service. All American tax payers have the opportunity to use the free basic edition.

Liberty Tax Service is offering a very special deal on the deluxe edition because all Johnsons file free.

If your last name is Johnson, one of the most common names in America according to the Census Bureau, then take advantage of this special offer. Did you expect to get lucky for having a common last name? You might wonder why this company is making such a unique offer. I'll try to explain. There are over two million Johnson's in America but other names are almost or equally as common. This last name was chosen because it is the surname of eSmart's spokesperson, Daryl Johnson. You can see why he'd favor this one.

I wonder if the name Smith or Jones is any competition for the last name Johnson? Whenever an alias is suggested, these two names are the first suggestions. But Smith and Jones are not working for eSmart.

Mom wanted us to see her for Christmas so we made the decision to go for a job opportunity in LA, visit Mom and some friends & other family on the way. It was our strong belief that we could find temp work on the way and that I would be able to write enough articles to pay the rent, utilities and internet expenses. Well, the universe had other plans for us. This was a journey of unexpected events from which we are just recovering. I personally am just gaining my bearings enough to want to write again on a regular basis. If you look at my blogs you will notice that since November, I haven't written very often at all. I completely ignored some of my blogs but all that is changing steadily. I'm shedding the winter time blues.

Spring is emerging in northern California. My spirits are blooming with the tree blossoms and the daffodils. If you read the post on the highlighted link, you'll read my anecdote about Punxatawney Phil. I'm so glad I'm not back in Pennsylvania right now. The mild winter in California with the early dawning spring is exactly what I needed.  

I'll sum up the outcome of this journey in short form for now. Give me some time to write catch up posts because I have a lot of stories to share. I became very ill with the flu soon after we left Penna. in December and struggled with illness for about three weeks. We dodged snow storms, tornadoes, high winds and pouring rains all the way across the country. The weather this year was about as inhospitable as one could  imagine.  

Our van broke down three times in the first month alone, which stranded us in parking lots and on the roadside. Cephas struggled to fix the van and to keep me warm as I fought to recover from illness. We made money on the way which got spent on motel rooms and auto repairs. The rest went on basic food and gas to continue our journey. Our bills at the house went unpaid so the utilities, the phone, the internet were shut down. Our rent fell into past due status of over a month. The landlord evicted us around Christmas while we were at Mom's in California. We arrived December 24th. Our spirits fell and we did not know what to do. We tried to get the money for the rent but just could not muster it. So we called the landlord and told him to let our family move our things so he could rent the house. Our two sisters and daughter moved our belongings on New Year's Day.  

The rent is still not paid but we are working on it as we live out of our van. We lost about half the belongings we had in our house and that will take some time to recover. Our slate is now clean and we are starting over just trying to figure out what the spirit has in store for our lives now. We are just waiting for answers or for clear guidance. This is a good time to enjoy nature and to get back into the swing of my writing. My spirits are raised much higher. Cephas and I have a positive outlook believing that God has a purpose in all these events. We just need to look with eyes of spirit and accept it. The blooming flowers really make it much easier. Each day is beautiful so we vow to face them one at a time with a smile and hope for the day.

The Midnight Writer

 The first big earthquake in my California experience took place on January 10, 2010 at a magnitude 6.5. It originated 33 miles southwest of the coastal city of Eureka at 4:27 pm. My husband and I were just forty miles from there enjoying the redwoods when we moved to return to Willits due south about 150 miles. We arrived in Willits just as the eartthquake happened. Sitting in a Taco Bell eating our dinner, the table shook and the floor rolled. I lost my balance which made me think I was having a physical problem. Then the second wave struck and we both knew it was a quake. According to reports, the 6.5 quake centered from 13 miles offshore 4 miles deep west of Eureka. Thank God there was no tsunami. Only rattled nerves, buidlings, broken windows and fallen street lights.

The second big quake happened just a few miles from the first one off Humboldt Hill near Arcata. It was 12:20 pm and measured in at 6.0 on the rhicter scale. This quake was less severe than the one three weeks prior because its duration was shorter and the quaking was less violent. It struck off the coast near the same location as the first one about 47 miles northwest of Eureka. An aftershock of 5.0 was predicted within a week. No damage occurred with this one except to my nerves. We were eating dinner in an Arcata restaurant that day when the whole building swayed. I watched a chandelier swing for fifteen minutes after that and felt a vibrating buzzing under my feet. The ground felt electric.

I'm grateful that no one was seriously injured or killed during either one of these quakes. Nowadays, I'm very cautious about where we park to camp and I stay tuned into the earth's vibrations.

The Midnight Writer

Live each day and each moment as if its my last one. That's a good philosophy for any one.

Take time out each day to ponder the magnificence of life and its purpose for you (and me).

Cherish the people in your (my) life and spend valuable time with them as often as possible, even daily if you can. When family or friends live miles apart, use the resources of telephone and internet to stay connected with a daily phone call or email. I am starting an intention list to connect with my relatives and friends on a daily basis. It will take a little discipline because of my busy schedule and because there are so many people in my life to reach. I'm starting one day and one person at a time until I make time for all the people important to me. Tasks are secondary.

Appreciate the people who are with you daily and do not take them for granted. Find some small way every day or several times a day to show them love, appreciation and how much you value them. Do something a little different each time so it will not become routine.

Laugh together. Cry together. Explore life together. Live each moment and make it count.

The Midnight Writer

It was early evening on Christmas Eve when we pulled into the driveway at the house in Willits, California. Mom and our brother Ron were anxiously waiting for us to arrive. We'd been on the road for a month of hardships and trials making our way to them for the holidays. It was close and there were times when we thought we wouldn't make it. We were determined to forge onward through it all to make it so Mom would have a good Christmas. Our brother Kenny passed away spring before last. In their grief they skipped celebrating Christmas last year. We spent the holidays stranded in a broken down van in the Walmart parking lot in Alexandria, Virginia without any contact with friends or family. For us, it was imperative that we spent time with some family at Christmas.

For a couple weeks before we left Pennsylvania, we called Mom almost daily to talk about plans for Christmas. She told us it would take her most of the month and a half to pull out all her stored decorations to get the house all decked out. Mom doubted that she could get as fancy as past years but when we arrived we were delighted to see that she had out done herself...with some help from Ron.

We took lots of photos and some videos to commemorate this special time. I burned some DVD's so they could enjoy the Christmas photos and pictures taken on our last year's travels. I still need to make copies for our other family members. As Cephas and I keep saying, it is a day by day event from this day forward. Do what you can in each day. I know I'll remember the joy we shared with Mom and Ron for the rest of my days. In spite of losing the house, it was a very worthy trip. Oh yeah, we didn't tell Mom about the house until several weeks after Christmas. There was no point in dampening her jolly spirits.

The Midnight Writer

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

May God bless and keep you all.

The Midnight Writer

This is a picture taken in my backyard so you can see our trusty Dodge Tradesman 300 van. The photo below shows the wintery scene from my front porch. You can see the marigolds still blooming on my front banister. I even have new seedlings sprouted within the last week. Now I'm thinking I need to move my pretty flowers indoors before the cold weather sets in for the winter months...which is probably sooner than I thought.

As I've been saying for over a month now...Christmas is Coming. With the advent of snow, the season is creating the mood early so take advantage of the holiday spirit and promote your charities and your sales for Christmas now. The jingle bells are ringing.

Christmas is coming

The sleigh bells are ringing and carolers are singing

As a soft gentle snow blankets the grass

Cookies baking sends an aroma divine

Wafting through the festive house.

It's almost Christmas folks. The calendar says it's October; but Santa's elves have frantically increased their pace in getting toys ready for all the good little boys and girls. Moms and Dads everywhere are making their lists and checking them twice. Those who have been naughty are trying really hard now to be nice.

After all, it's only a little more than two months before Christmas and that's not very much time.

Start counting the stash in your piggy bank and shop for some bargains before the holiday rush when prices will skyrocket and inventory supplies will plummet.  Buy some gifts this month and next so you can miss the holiday rush and madness. You'll be happy because you will find a better inventory that is not depleted because there are too many shoppers looking for the same item.

That's the holiday advice for today. Hurry on over to visit our new blog that we created especially for lovers of the Christmas season. We'll be featuring contests, Santa Letters, tips, recipes, prizes, gift ideas and so much more. We value your feedback so go visit Christmas is Coming and help us develop a site that you will enjoy visiting and using. The information should be helpful to you so we need your feedback.

Remember, get those Christmas cards ready early and buy postage stamps before the price increases. We'll see you at our grand launch of the new blog. Till then, have a safe and hppy holiday season.

The Midnight Writer

Here are the highlights of the summer of 2009:

Traveled Highway 101 from central California to northern California.

Visited the Redwood forest in various locations.

Checked out some beach hotspots.

Camped in the Redwood forest and went hiking.

Traveled to Mount Shasta to visit some old friends.

Attended a rainbow gathering north of Weed, California.

Raised funds for little Gabriel after he drowned Memorial Day for his burial.

Got stranded in a New Mexico mountain for over a month when our transmission went out.

Photo Credit: Mountain Spirit Productions taken by Photo Gent

This beautiful elk with the velvet buttons on his antlers just stood there eating and watching us while we watched him. He showed no fear of humans whatsoever. We were only a few feet off the narrow Highway 101 and he was eating with a young one nearby about twenty feet from the road. There was a herd behind him that seemed oblivious to our presence, but the young calf got curious and wanted to walk towards us so we drove away. We didn't want to see him come out onto the highway. There was a lot of traffic yesterday.

Enjoy one of our rare experiences. Share the photo but please give credit to Photo Gent with a link to our website. Thanks. See you somewhere down the highway on an adventure unknown to us today!

The Midnight Writer