Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Four Hundred! And a Question for YOU!

Today, I reached 400 followers here at Ranch Dressing! I know...I know...some of you bloggers who have thousands of followers won't even get out of bed or lay fingers to keys for such a number - but to me, it's a LOT! I am thrilled to have every last one of you!

So, two things:

1. Since I can't make celebratory balloons and confetti rain down upon our heads, I'm going to shower you with a collection of some of the odd comments left on the blog. Well, Spam comments. I get some doozies but I only save the ones that make me giggle. Behold these:


"Are you currently strolling the optimistic talk or have you been mumbling beneath your breath "three more times 'til Friday!"?

(I think that one is soooo mysterious.)


"WARNING WARNING WARNING - CONTINUOUS CRAP WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS WARNING - DO NOT EXPECT ANYTHING BETTER THAN WHAT YOUR POOR EYES HAVE ALLREADY BEEN SUBJECTED TOO!"

(Yes, in all caps like that. And I got it twice. I think someone was trying to warn my readers of something but we'll just pretend like it never happened, m'kay?)


"Having a sexy school girls gizmo in your rest home gives you the extravagance of having choice, freshly baked smart sexy girls whenever you feel like having it."

(That's some kind of sci-fi porn madness right there!)


"A thin cotton sock helps so much to prevent these icky situations!"

From now on, that one is going to be my answer when anyone comes to me for advice - no matter the topic.


"If you continue to behave in this manner, you will end up in the naughty beanbag."

(Okay, you caught me. I heard that last one on the "Super Nanny" TV show.)


Strangely enough, most of my Spam comments are about Ugg boots or sports jerseys. Or penis enlargement methods. I can only gather from this that as a society, we are most obsessed with sports, boom-boom sex and toasty warm feet.


And..........

2. I wonder a lot about my readers. Who are you and where are you from? Do you have blogs of your own and what do you write about? I'd LOVE it if you'd comment and tell me about yourselves and link to your blogs if you have them. I'd love to know!


Until next time,
x's and o's,
Eartha


60 comments:

Unknown said...

Yay!! 400! I'm about 322 behind . One day I will catch up. As you know I'm kimmie from Nashville and my blog is thatgirlinthewheelchair.com. However you may not know that I'm insanely jealous of your nebulous creepy comments. The only spam comments I get are ones promoting black market Louis Vuitton bags. I get the same paragraph long gobblety gook from them daily

tangtangs said...

Congratulations! I'm Danielle, an archivist in LA with a passion for vintage fashion and aesthetics and captivating authors :)

Susie said...

Hello! Hmmmm Spamy! I'm Susie (susieq on instagram) and I live in Los Angeles. I have been collecting vintage since I was little (now 32) and still have a compulsion. I craft and bake and swing dance. This week I am on a STRICT diet of Roger Miller. I have a blog bittersweetsusie.wordpress.com that I haven't been able to give as much time to because of my day job and my freelance job (photography - www.susiedelaney.com ) I LOVE your blog, like, A LOT!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm Amanda. I live in London now, but grew up in Louisiana and the mid-West. I love quirky vintage knick-knacks and collect any number of random things.

bitter69uk said...

Well done, Miss Eartha! I can only dream of those kinds of numbers! You can find my blog Bitterness Personified here

Anonymous said...

Hi Eartha, I'm a vintage loving gal who also lives in a mid century ranch. I do have a blog Retro Fashion Is My Passion. Unfortunately, I haven't posted a lot lately, I think I burnt myself out trying to complete a one year of dressing vintage challenge. Now I don't want to get dressed up at all! Hopefully, the love will return. Congrats on the 400! Your blog is so funny, I love it.

Karen/Small Earth Vintage said...

Happy 400, Eartha--and many more! I can't think of a blog more deserving of hordes of followers. I never know how to answer the where I'm from question. Is it where I was born, where I grew up, where my heart lies, where I am currently? I'll go with where I am now, which also happens to be the place where I've now lived the longest--Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Sara In AZ said...

Yay! for reaching 400! Congrats!!! And well, you probably know more than you ever wanted to know about me don't you!?! :)

Lauren T said...

Hi Eartha! It's LaurenT and ongrats on 400--to me, that is a big number...my blog (www.apronstringsvintage.com) is still mostly followed by my mother-in-law. I love your blog and I'm inspired by your home renovation projects.

Mr. Tiny said...

Are you kidding?!! 400 is the stuff dreams are made of! One day, through honest toil we might reach that lofty peak! Congrats on the 400!!! You know I am one of your biggest fans; I think everything you say is hilarious!

Chad in Dallas said...

Congratulations on 400! I'm a 45 year old Legal Assistant who should have been an artist when I grew up...lol I ran into your blog when I was re-modeling my little 1963 house here in Plano, Texas and soon found out, the circle of friends included Brini Maxwell, Pam Kueber and Margot Potter and have been a follower ever since. I restore old things kind of like Hep Cat does and I love vintage Kitsch. Your blog is so much fun and I can relate to your remodeling stories. I have often wondered about Blogging I am just not that coordinated yet!

Unknown said...

Wow, LaurenT! I would never let my mother-in-law know about my blog ;) You're a good lady ;)
Congrats, Eartha! You've earned every last one of em' through sheer writing genius and authentic storytellin that makes us laugh out loud(no lie with the lol's on your blog). I would read your grocery list if you left it layin around.... I think you should definitely have thousands but sadly, more folks like fashion and vanity more than nostalgia, storytellin and good ol' Americana history. I think you're readers enjoy what the world has to offer more than what they think they can offer the world.

Voodoo Kitten said...

I'm Kristin, a sunny San Diego native living in the rainy Pacific Northwest. I sew, collect vintage, and own 5 cars, (only one of those is modern).

Patricia Lynn said...

Wow, congratulations. That is a huge number in my world. And I never thought to save my spam. I'm going to have to look at it a little more closely - I'm too quick on the delete trigger!

Tami Von Zalez said...

400 wooohoooo *shakes pom poms*

I've yet to make the big time with the weirdo comments and spam (still under the radar) but I recently submitted my sitemap so lawd knows what will befall me.

thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com

undercover caterer said...

Congrats Eartha! I got hip to your blog from Retro Renovation. I'm on a seemingly never-ending quest to renovate and decorate my 1950 mini-ranch. Just got the kitchen done and it's fabulous (it looks like 1950, only new)---which is handy, because I write about food over at www.undercovercaterer.com.

SUZY8-TRACK said...

Congrats on your milestone! Your blog is always such a fun read, and I especially love seeing the renovations on your home and how its progressing!

Natalie said...

Hi Eartha! Congrats on the 400 followers! I have been lurking for awhile and may have commented in the past during you kitchen problems from hell days. My husband and I live in a Ranch Style Home in Dallas with our two pups. We do have a blog that we never post on - life got in the way (http://poctas.blogspot.com/).

And I love, love all the portaits you buy. It's something I would buy if I had more wall space. Ha. We have 30 paint by number dogs on our wall in our dining room - that were painted by people I don't know. It's fun waiting for people's reactions to the overwhelming amount of dog on the wall. ;)

Dana@Mid2Mod said...

Congrats on the 401! You've picked up one more since you posted. You're one of the most talented bloggers around, so I predict 400 more followers in short order!

I'm Dana, blogging from my 1950 ranch home in Fort Worth, Texas. I also help my son-in-law with his vintage/new modern store in Dallas, about which I post often.

I never get interesting spam like yours. What am I doing wrong? :)

Unknown said...

Hello! Congrats on the 400 followers!! I have really enjoyed your blog since finding it several months ago. You're a great story teller, I love your sense of humor and wit, and you have great taste! My husband and I are MCM and tiki fanatics.

My background is all over the map and I have also moved around a lot, but I kind of consider myself to be "from" Franklin, TN because I spent my formative years there. I am an academic-aholic, and have degrees in archaeology, historic preservation and graphic design, respectively. (Long story lol.) I have worked as an archaeologist, preservationist/architectural historian and graphic designer over the last 10 yrs. The greatest irony of this is that after all that(!!), thanks to my husband's business, I now work in the legal field. He has worked in that field for 10 years and finally decided to start his own business and it takes both of us to run it. I do still do some freelance graphic design and historic site reports as time allows. I also buy and sell vintage, focused on MCM items and clothing, as a hobby. :)

Pellibaby said...

I love this blog! I'm Mia from Sandy, UT...

MySpecialAgent said...

I'm P. I currently live in New Mexico, but I'm originally from Mississippi. I write a blog full of my random thoughts and whatnot and adventures in thrift shopping.
Congratulations on your 400 followers!

Kelly said...

Congrats! I'm a vintage decor lover also, from Nashville but living up north now. Loving your blog for a while now.

Garnet said...

My name is Garnet and I'm a 30 year old writer from the Midwest who currently lives in Tucson, AZ and is the founder & president of Arizona Bird Dog Rescue (www.arizonabirddogrescue.org). I also write a blog (although it's been pretty sporadic lately), www.garnetscarabin.com

Not surprisingly, I write a lot of about dogs and a little about food/recipes, food culture, Buddhism, philosophy, and whatever is floating my boat at the moment (right now that would be roasting veggies til the cows come home and make sauces with them in my new lil baby Cuisinart Mini Prep Pro which is a nice vintage-y turquoise!).

Tasha said...

I love reading your blog, congrats on hitting 400! You always have the most interesting stories and anecdotes, you're a great storyteller!

Why do you have such cool spam?! Mine is always the kind written in semi-English pretending to tell me they "thoroughly enjoyed this very informative post. Please see my web site for {insert spammy crap here}". lol

Kelli Davidson said...

Wow! 400 is sooooo impressive. I am about 1/2 way there - Yes, I have a blog called Kelli's Retro Kitchen Arts and some of it is about vintage. I love stuff from my childhood and before - that's why I like reading your blog. I love your "special" comments - I get some strange search engine phrases. Those are always fun to read....

Unknown said...

the professional blogs are a business they have sponsors and contests and give-away's each little button or pay to be on their site, some have more than one blog and they post each day . I shy away from them because I like real people .

Unknown said...

Hi Eartha,

I found you through Retro Renovations, too. Your writing style is down home and funny and I enjoy every bit of it!

I'm a married mom of four and we live in house full of vintage everything. My favorites are the turquoise kitchen, tiki minibar and my creepy, hipster Santa. The kids hate that he lives on the mantel year round : )

Stacey said...

Congrats! I love your blog! Your style keeps me coming back to see what happens next.

I'm Stacey and I am from Florida. I just hot 10 followers on mine and that was a huge deal.

wiilykherr.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I'm Jenny from Ohio. I originally found you on Retro Renovation and have been reading you pretty much since you started your blog, although I don't comment as often as I should. I've followed you through finding the concrete deer, only to have to find a way home for them, finding out that Patsy Cline had been to your house, through the kitchen plumbing/flooring debacle all the way up to your mother's bizarre blood whisperer story. You're one of my all time faves! Congrats on reaching 400!

Rae - Say It Aint So said...

wooo! 400 is so amazing! i would be doing a happy dance too!
oh man, i keep getting spam comments about bear gryyls knifes and genital wart symptoms! do you get them on really old entries too? I have gotten probably 50 recently on a post from summer 2010!

Cat said...

Congratulations on your 400th post! I love your blog. I'm Cathi, raising kids and trying to fix up my 1952 ranch house in Decatur, Ga.

Unknown said...

Don't remember how or when I found you, but you are a hoot! I am a 50ish country gal from Arkansas that loves gardening, crafting and collecting old glassware and such and whatnot. Love your wit and humor! Keep up the fun blogging, you amuse and entertain us!

Sherree said...

I love your blog :-) Hubby and I also live in a mid century ranch, which we are updating as time and finances allow. I have a hard time leaving comments on your posts though; they are just never there :-)
My blog is http://midcenturythriftygal.wordpress.com/

Lisa said...

Congrats, girl! Most deserved, too! Here's hoping the next 400 get wise to how fun this blog is STAT. :)

Librarian Tells All said...

I'm so jealous of your funny spam! Mostly, I just get spam about low interest rate housing loans in the U.K. You know, because I'm TOTALLY buying a flat in London any day now. /wishfulthinking

But I'm getting ahead of myself! I'm Jen from librariantellsall.com. I live in Nashville, and I found you through the handy little Nashville Bloggers Google Doc. Have a happy day, and congrats on reaching 400--I can only dream of reaching that many folks with each post!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I love your blog, but I don't have a blog of my own. I read anything connected with vintage life, and mid century modern.
Susan Uhring
from Pennsylvania

DearHelenHartman said...

Congrats on 400! I do have my own blog but I always forget to check the spam comments. You have inspired me!

jesse.anne.o said...

I think 400 is pretty substantial for a personal blog where you're not hawking sponsors!

I do blog also and I can't even remember where I found you - I'm sure linked so someone else's blog.

Beth said...

Congrats on 400! I just found your blog a few months ago, and it's fantastic. Keep it up, sister.

I live in Northern WI, run a vintage shop on Etsy, and have a blog.

I mostly get porno spam comments (some of which are fun, most of which are gross and involve Bear Grylls) but yesterday there was a hilarious one - a link to an article called "Best Ways to Obtain Your Ex-Boyfriend's Spine."

MmePolaire said...

Hi Eartha!

I'm currently getting spam from christianmingle AND jdate!
Anyway... I am Canadian and live in Washington state. I've been collecting kitsch, postcards, sheet music and vintage clothing since I was a child.
Someday I hope to live in a mid century such as yours! congrats on 400!

Laura said...

Congratulations on your 400th! Of course we've met, Miz Eartha, but I love what you're doing here and I'm clicking through all these friendly ladies' (and gents') names and checking out a list of blogs I wouldn't have found otherwise. Thanks for being neighborly and having us all in for a meet and greet! Since we're going around the room-- I'm 45, a relatively new blogger, writing about raising 4 boys and fixing up a 1939 Cape Cod in the Midwest. Nice to meet you all. :)

Gina said...

Hi ya, I'm Gina and I live a wee bit north in Louisville where I thrift, cook, work, explore, garden, bitch, sleep and live. Among other things. Love Nashville, visit often.

I would be thrilled to have 400 followers. In fact 50 would be nice. I would also love to receive some spam comments because, with the exception of a rare few link-in travellers and Rae, I receive none on most days. At this point I think I would really love to hear about sports, bomm-boom sex and possibly warm feet! ;)

Anyhoo, I love your writing and wit!

Unknown said...

Hi! I just followed too, I have been keeping track of you in the blogs I follow section of my blog. I have a little mid-century modern blog and enjoy everything mid-century and have a good time keeping up with other retro type blogs. Congratulations on the 400 follower. I am pretty far away from that and can appreciate how much hard work went into your number. I will see you round soon!

Pat said...

Congrats on the big 400. I bet you have a lot more than that, though, people who read you all the time but are not "followers" (like me?).
I'm a DC native without a blog. I live near Annapolis now, where I thrift for my odd collections of this and that, among other things. I just love your storytelling; I always smile when I read your posts. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi there I mostly lurk around here and follow your blog, and have to say I love it. I am Virginia and I am from New Hampshire. I don't have a blog, but I have a Live Journal on which I seldom post, and I am on Facebook. Virginia Putnam. Keep on blogging,it's great.

Mombo said...

Hi Eartha! Congratulations! I also found your blog from Retro Renovations. I love your writing style and have to read your emails as soon as I get them. My passion for collecting is anything from the 30's to the 50's...especially lighting, bark cloth, ceramics, well....just all of it. It makes my house happy! I live in Rockland County, just north of NYC. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

lishyloo

i found you through alix or karen i think!

mom of 3

vintage etsy store owner

chutti said...

Congrats on your 400!

I see you on many of my retro online haunts (retro renovation, lotta living, etc) , and always enjoy your style, both visual, and communication wise.

Girl- you a great storyteller, and I would gladly buy a book (paper even!) if you had one. All those I've shared your blog with say the same.

I live just outside San Francisco, and love anything old....people, stuff, habits, whatever. Estate sales, creepy old thrift shops, salvage yards and junque whoring are what me and the hubs refer to as 'going to church'. Somehow renews my faith in humanity to find all those stories in things and breathe new life into them.

You NOTICE things and share them.
Thanks for what you do!

Unknown said...

I adore your blog and since you're in the Nashville I love it all the more (I'm moving there in the fall).

I have two blogs:

One where I try and post pictures of my outfits, but I am so horribly bad at picture taking that I update it much less than I wish I did.

http://penniroyalvintage.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-last-year-was-a-huh-i-know-ihavent.html

And this blog where I try and work out some things and think about poetry. It gets way less hits, probably because of the lack of bad photos.

http://goddessofbadroads.blogspot.com/?zx=7bd8ced113da386f

Jessica said...

Hi!

I'm Jessica and a vintage junkie like you. I love your writing and find myself laughing out load all the time.

My blog is about what i wear each day - sometimes vintagey, sometimes new stuff. It's fun!


Congrats on your milestone!
xoxo
Jessica

SusieQT said...

Wow, 400 followers? That's big time in my book. Your blog is one that I always check; it just makes me smile! Keep up the good work, and thanks for following me back!

http://www.practiceintime.blogspot.com/

Jeanne said...

Congrats on 400!! I've been reading you for a while. I believe I found you through Pam's RR site. I love your writing style and your home. Did you ever do a follow-up on your kitchen? Is it back in one piece?

I'm Jeanne. I live in Michigan. Since I've been an adult, I'm in my 4th home built between 1948-1952, and I've been the second owner in all of them! I guess that's my thing. And they've all been untouched by human remodeling hands (except two of them had 1960 kitchen updates).

I'm single and live with my German Shepherd (or German Shedder as I call her). Dating has been interesting this go-around. I have two grown sons. I work in the advertising/marketing/publishing field, so all things visual, content and communications interest me! I don't have a blog, but I dream of having one. I won't commit until I know I can keep up with it, though. So I will continue to surf all of my favorites - which includes yours! Thanks so much!

Ms. mammoth said...

Hi!

I LOVE your blog. Several times when reading it I have laughed so hard I cried. You are witty and adorable, and I greatly appreciate that your posts are worthy of being READ, not just looked at.

I make handmade toys and accessories out of recycled materials, and sell vintage stuff on Etsy. I am bad at posting regularly, and trying to get better at it, but I have a blog at http://makingmammoths.blogspot.com

-amber

Jacob said...

That's awesome! Big congrats, you deserve it. I hope someday to have a following like you!

Greener Pastures--A City Girl Goes Country said...

Hi Eartha. I found your blog when I Googled "vintage stoves" because I needed to find a brand of stove for a story I'm writing. One blog led to another and I found myself here. Next thing you know, it's almost midnight and I got nothing done! I can't stop reading your stories! You are fabulous! Not only do you love vintage, but I THINK, I can't be sure because I've only been here a couple of hours, but I think it's fair to say that you are a liberal like me, or at least an Obama lover (I got teary-eyed too), as well as an animal lover like me. You might as well throw the old ladies in there too. And you're a writer. Can you be my online BFF?

I have a blog called Greener Pastures--A City Girl Goes Country, plus a new small business called Mad Girl Vintage. I'm working on the website now. I live in an old farmhouse in Jersey on a horse farm. I recently moved back to Jersey after trying Oklahoma and Virginia for eight years because I thought, well, I thought the grass was greener. I'm so happy to have pork roll again. And pizza. And hard rolls. And cannolis. And subs. And bagels. And French fries with mozzerella cheese and brown gravy at the diner at two in the morning.

Ooh, ooh, before I go, I wanted to tell you--this is a funny coincidence--on the back page of this month's Country Living magazine (February) there is a story about Central Camera Company. It's a store in Chicago that sells only camera stuff. They've been in business since 1899and are still doing great. I just read that and then I read what you wrote about trying to find the film. Anyway, good luck on having 400 followers! That is big! I only have 50. I will be back.

www.GreenerPastures--ACityGirlGoesCountry.blogspot.com

letthemwin said...

Hey there, Love your blog and i found you through Uncle Atom's blog almost a year ago. Since then Mr. G and i have bought a cute little mid-century ranch near the neighborhood I grew up in, I have quit my day job to start and online shop through Etsy and yes I have a fledgling little blog. Still working out the kinks on the blog, not as easy as many of you folks make it look.
Diane
Honey Stop The Car Vintage.

cheshirecat666 said...

HA! Dude,I totally know what you mean,I noticed that I had 8000 views on my YouTube channel,I was like DAMN Gina,I'm an internet sensation!

Cut to uber famous YouTuber Shane Dawson complaining about a glitch at YT that showed he only had "30,000 views on the 2 vids I posted this week,I averages a million views a week"

Stacy @ Stacyverb said...

What is my blog about? Hmmm, I frequently ask myself that question! It's about all my crazy projects, and my cats, and fun places my husband and I go, and sometimes food. And often random things.
stacyverb.typepad.com

Rana said...

I have a food blog, kind of an eclectic mix of what we're eating now and things I love to bake.