Liebster Blog Award

I am humbled and honored to have been awarded the Liebster Blog Award by Sherrie Spangler, a quilt artist and journalist who recently settled in the Pacific Northwest. Although she began her blog as a way to keep in touch with other fabric artists, she soon started "weaving in threads about colorful places, people, food, wildlife, and anything else that might bring color into your world." Her blog was one of the first I began following; I admire her quality of writing, beautiful photography, variety of topics, creativity, and of course her bold use of color. Sherrie says "I'm trying to embrace the rain and gray this year instead of hating it." For those of you who do not live in the Pacific Northwest, this is a very big deal! Her blog, Sherrie Loves Color may be found at: http://sherriequilt.blogspot.com/

This award is given to bloggers who inspire you and have less than 200 followers. The Liebster Award takes its name from the German word meaning Beloved, Dearest or Favorite. In nominating me, Sherrie said: "Sometimes her posts make me laugh, sometimes cry, but mostly they bring me peace." Thank you Sherrie, that is exactly what I try to do.

As part of the tradition it is passed along to 5 bloggers that have motivated and inspired.

To accept the award you must:
1. Link back to the person who gave it to you and thank them.
2. Post the award to your blog.
3. Give the award to 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you appreciate and value.
4. Leave a comment on the 5 blogs to let them know that they have been offered this award.

Here are my 5 of my favorites:

1. "Confessions of a Tumbleweed" http://truckingtumbleweed.blogspot.com/ Stacy and her husband are professional truckers and as owner-operators, they pretty much live on the road. As she says: "I am the bookkeeper, navigator and chief radio button-pusher." Mostly, she is bright, quick-witted, and hilarious, finding humor in such things as surviving all those restrooms she visits (minus the cooties, of course...) She also writes a column for the Douglas Budget in Douglas, Wyoming and has written for Pilot Travel Center's Challenge Magazine. I love her blog because I get a "trucker's eye view" of this country, she shows me places and things I might never otherwise see, and she makes me laugh every single time!

2. Kathie at "Kathie's Poet Tree" http://kathiespoettree.blogspot.com/ Kathie recently moved from Sycamore Canyon in Tucson, AZ to Andover, MA. The beauty of nature inspires her art, poetry, and photography. I believe that she and I are soul mates as naturalists, artists, and writers. Kathie says that as a child, "I ran wild like an Indian through the woods and daily climbed trees, played in streams, or gamboled over pasture like a little lamb. Nature awed and inspired me and when my heart was broken I would run to her for comfort." I find a true connection to the natural world through her writing and photography.

3. Susannah of " Wanderin' Weeta (With Waterfowl and Weeds) " http://wanderinweeta.blogspot.com/
 Susannah is a nature blogger, from Delta, the Lower Fraser Valley, BC, Canada, is over 65, a lover of birds, green stuff, multi-legged beasties, and the critters that squirm, slither and scramble on those beaches. Again, she and I have quite a bit in common! I love her blog because she covers a whole lot of nature stuff as she wanders about her unique part of the world.

4. Marian of "Elderwomansblog" http://elderwoman.blogspot.com/
She runs a women's group and a writer's circle, is active in her local community, grows organic vegetables, goes for long walks, reads a lot and loves to dance. Having lived and worked on three continents, she now spends most of her time in a tiny, eighteenth century cottage near the sea in Devon, England, where she lives a simple lifestyle and practices everything she preaches (...well, tries to, anyway). I find her "occasional thoughts on green and conscious ageing, simple living, green spirituality, loving the earth ... and life in general" to be wonderful food for thought and much contemplation on living fully no matter your age.

5. Bronwen of "A Snail's Eye View" http://snailseyeview.blogspot.com/
 lives in Tablelands, Far North Queensland, Australia. Hers is a delightful occasional blog about natural history, travel, books and writing ... and anything else that catches her attention. I especially enjoy learning of the plants and animals of Australia and her special brand of humor brings joy to my days.

As others have said, it is difficult choose only five, because there are many bloggers who continually inspire me. I hope you enjoy getting to meet them.