Blogging Pass Along - Why We Write



I don't know why I chose this photo for this post -
other than I don't have a lot of others to include that are relevant.

A few days ago, new-found blogger friend Terryn Drieling at Faith Family and Beef tapped me to participate in this Blogging Pass Along to provide readers with some insight into how/why I write. I hadn't really given thought to a lot of these questions beforehand so I surprised myself when I sat down and started thinking about my motivation to blog and the process by which I create content.

Thanks for including me, Terryn!

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What are you working on relative to writing?
Right now in the hopper, I have a post about working from home, a Chipotle post [because they, unfortunately, supply a never-ending stream of anger inspiration], a wrap up post about my Alaskan vacation [that was more than a month ago], two recipe posts and a rodeo post. Those are in addition to 101 in 1001 updates and Wordless Wednesdays. Since my blog addresses agriculture, rodeo, K-state and my life in general, my post topics are often sporadic and all over the board. Some may view this as a setback because I might push away readers who only care about agriculture when I post about rodeo and cooking but I hope that it gives people a glimpse at my many different interests and this blog also provides me with a place to catalog thoughts and events I think are important.

What makes your work different from others' work in the same genre?
Well, I don't think I am anything special. I am a small blog and I enjoy writing about my opinions of agriculture and providing fact-based information. That being said, I am not afraid to dole out the truth and lay on the sarcasm, so maybe that differentiates me. I think my real-life marriage blog posts make me a bit different too because I don't sugarcoat it!

How does your writing process work?
It has started to take me a lot longer to develop content that it used to - when I first started blogging, about five years ago, I would think of something, pound it out and post it in the same day. I didn't put a lot of thought into the meaning behind it or the value to my readers and I definitely didn't put any effort into SEO. Now, I might think of an idea and write out a few paragraphs to begin with but not finish the post for a week or more. Instead of focusing on the quantity of content, I am focusing a lot more on quality; I may only post once or twice a week but those posts are planned and not just filler [most of the time]. I think this development happened during grad school when I became a much better writer and learned that every word must have a purpose and value.


If I'm not at a rodeo, I prefer to be in the saddle
 taking care of cattle alongside my family.

Why do you write what you do?
Five years ago, this blog started out as a way to answer consumer questions about agriculture [and it still holds that primary objective]. Over time I added in rodeo and K-State because I am extremely passionate about those topics, too. I strive to be a reliable, trust-worthy source on animal welfare, livestock and rodeo because there is far too much misinformation floating around. If we, as bloggers and advocates, don't tell our story loudly and often, HSUS and Peta will do it for us.

Now that you know a little bit more about me and why I write, I am passing this along to a couple of bloggers I follow:

Melissa at Born to Pharm, has a unique story to tell. She and her husband are farmers and raise cattle here in Kansas but she's also a board-certified pharmacist. You can imagine how important the health of their cattle is in addition to her family's own health!

Jessie at Ranching with Rhinestones is a fabulous gal. She's a rancher/rancher's daughter from Nevada and is currently working on her PhD at Texas Tech - this gal knows meat and how to safely prepare it! She blogs about her faith, ranching and life and is dang good at it!

Hope you enjoyed learning some more about my blogging origins and I highly encourage you to check out the two lovely ladies listed above. They are experts in their respective fields and offer unique perspectives on farming, ranching and being a working woman!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

 

The Next 101 in 1001

So, earlier this week we examined my inability to do simple math calculations like figuring out the end date for 1001 days. Today, I start the next chapter and get to work on my next 101 in 101. This list will be permanently hosted by the 101 in 1001 tab but I wanted to share it here first. Give it a read - what do you think?

Start date: January 30, 2014
End date: October 26, 2016

Healthy Living
Complete 30-day shred
Workout 3x/week for 3 months
Workout 3x/week for 6 months
Run 10 - 5Ks

Ten more 10Ks - no problem, right?

Run 3 - half marathons (yes, you read that correctly)
Go to the damn dentist
Get Lasik surgery
Give up soda for a month

Spiritual Growth/Paying it Forward and Marriage (because, clearly, these go hand-in-hand)
Tithe 10% of every paycheck for 6 months
Read the Bible from front to back (Old and New Testament) - Sharita showed me this great guide
Attend church regularly for a year (2x per month is regular for us since we're gone so much)
Pray out loud
Pray for strangers
Give until it hurts
Give a homeless person all the cash in my pocket (*note to self: start carrying cash)
Pay for next person's meal
Donate hair to Locks of Love
Read a marriage strengthening book with the Ninja
Finish our engagement, wedding and honeymoon scrapbook
Volunteer in my community 5 times
Donate to the foodbank

Learning New Skills and Trying New Things
Learn the basic of fitting a steer
Learn to change the oil in my truck
Take piano lessons
Teach myself one nice hair up-do for weddings and special occasions
Try 5 new foods
Take an online history course

Nurturing Relationships
Visit 5 [more] friends who don't live in Kansas
Engage in 3 father/daughter activities
Plan 3 mother/daughter things
Attend 5 more of little sister's events
Go out on 10 girl's nights
Go to a concert with little brother
Plan a tailgate
Host a dinner party
Write 20 thank you notes (handwritten)
Friendship photoshoot - rock the dress, KSU pride
Send Christmas cards at least one year

Domestication and DYI
Try one new recipe per week for 8 weeks
Complete two separate full-day sessions of cooking to fill the freezer
Make a perfect omelet (not a scromlet)
Make homemade bread without a bread maker
Learn basic sewing machine skills
Make a set of curtains using the sewing machine
Make some decorative pillows
Refurbish a dresser (or two)
Learn to make Grandma Buzzard's divinity candy, chicken n' noodles and other select recipes
Make and freeze/store my own salsa and red sauce
Plant a garden every year (if location permits)
Create a really cool DYI/craft project from scratch
Make/create 3 Christmas/birthday gifts
Make a cheesecake and an angel food cake from scratch

Financial Improvement
Save 10% of every paycheck for 6 months
Triple the amount of $$ in my 401(k)
Have zero credit card debt
Cut my student loan debt in 1/2
Take the Dave Ramsey finance course with the Ninja
Create a family budget and stick to it - evaluate and adjust after 3 months
Once every six months (for entirety of the 1001 days), complete a no-shopping month

Organized and Decorated Home
Frame and hang B.S. and M.S. degrees (as soon as my M.S. diploma arrives...)
The next time we move, organize and purge unneeded items
Organize and clean office so that it's functional for two people
Buy and hang wedding photos and select Kansas photography for the walls
Hang either a photo collage or cross collage on one of the walls

Adventures
Go whitewater rafting
Go rock climbing, hiking etc
Travel internationally
Go camping
Visit 5 states I've never been to before
Take a yearly family vacation
Meet someone famous
Go to an amusement park
Go pheasant hunting

Motivatated Thinking, Career and Writing/Blogging/Social Media
Write six chapters for my book
Have an article or blog post picked up by Huffington Post or similar outlet
Get a RT from someone famous - Peta doesn't count (been there, done that)
Make a 'Recipes' section on the blog and post 50 recipes
Blog at least once per week for an entire year
Fill a journal

Thanks for the nifty journal, Target. Oh, and of course what's a journal without a purple K-State pen?

Meet 5 social media friends IRL
Get 1,000 likes on Buzzard's Beat Facebook page
Speak on behalf of agriculture 3x
Get Twitter verified

I want that little checkmark

Stuff Just For Me
Read one book per month - revise and update book list to reflect what I've read
Add 10 more books to our library (an actual printed copy)
Buy myself a designer handbag
Create a coffee-table book out of my travel photos
Go to another K-State football bowl game
Check off some more concerts on my old soul music bucket list
Attend the KSU basketball game when they retire Jacob Pullen's jersey
Write myself a letter to open in 5 years
Go vegetarian for two weeks - blog about the exhaustion
Buy a barrel saddle
Finish Friday on the barrels - exhibition and enter at a rodeo

Friday, the soon-to-be barrel horse

Start another young horse on barrels
Get inked
Buy a new [to me] Chevy
Eat mind-blowing steak at 3 premier steakhouses
Beat the Ninja at Scrabble 3 times (this will be a miracle)
Go to an away KSU or Chiefs football game, or away KSU b-ball game or away KSU baseball game
Make a new list when this one expires

 

Do we have any common goals? Am I crazy?

 

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch Changing

Here - listen to this while you read. It will be stuck in your head all day.


I've had a few changes in the past week or month or so. I've lost count of the time.

First -- see that badge over there --->  I'm on Facebook now. If you've got a hankering, head on over and g"Like". If nard feelings. When I hit 200 likes on Facebook I'm having a giveaway! Whoopee!

Secondly, I also added an option in the sidebar to have my blogs emailed directly to you if you're not into the whole online reader thing. I'm all about options. You're welcome.

Thirdly, it's time for a 101 in 1001 update! Didn't see that coming did ya?

I'll start with the goals I have accomplished since the last update.

Accomplished Goals

 --Eat a salad - a vegetable one -- THIS SUCKED. But I have proof..

At Olive Garden, I had what Melissa calls, "the Cadillac of salads" - well I like Benz' and this Cadillac was horrible. I thought I was going to yack at the table. My Aussie friends thought it was funny until they realized I was serious.

-- Wear heels everyday for 1 week - also quite painful but successful. Made me feel very fancy! Even bought horse feed while wearing a pair! I took a picture but of course have been unable to locate it for proof.

-- Coordinate a tailgate for one of the following teams: KSU, KC Royals, Ohio State Buckeyes or the KC Chiefs -- Big party during the KSU vs. OSU game. Lots of fun was had - actually, we had ALL the fun!

K-State won - Big XII Champs!

 
-- Organize and go on a mother/daughter day with Diana & Madie  - did this shortly after Christmas. My credit card yelled at me later.

-- Pay off my small credit cards - Maurices, Victoria's Secret - this felt really good.

-- Call /visit my grandparents once/month for 12 months- just for the record, I plan to continue talking my grandparents' ears off any chance I get.

-- Become a lifetime member of the K-State Alumni Association -- BOOM!

I am far more jacked about it than the Ninja is - this was our joint graduation gift this summer when both defended in June. Success! Two Masters of BS in the house!

-- NOT have a baby before I'm 27  - I turn 21+6 in 3 months so it's safe to say I accomplished this one

-- Spend under $10 on a meal & give a $10 tip - on my way back from Tampa I had a hotdog at a fancy bar/grill. It was by far the cheapest thing on the menu and there was college basketball to be watched so I went for it. My waiter's face lit up when he saw the tip. I've been there before (5 years at the Hut) and I know how good it feels to see a big tip. Pass it on waiter man.

-- Memorize a verse from the Bible every week for ten weeks - here they are taped up on my bathroom mirror.

-- Bake and decorate a birthday cake for a loved one or friend - I did this for a friend this past summer but forgot to take a picture and document it.

-- Celebrate our 1 and 2 year wedding anniversaries in a unique way - I told you here about our first anniversary and here about our second. The Ninja is the bomb.

 Goals in progress (there are a lot of these so I didn't list them all):

-- Run 5- 5K’s for Beef or Breast Cancer - 1) Winter Runderland 5K   I can't find the picture of me running but I wore one of my breast cancer t-shirts. Don't ever let anyone tell you running a 5K is easy. It sucks. I got out of bed the next morning and fell on the floor. Legs = jello.

That's me in the pink - didn't finish last and most importantly didn't walk once!

-- Attend 6 of Kristy’s sporting events/school events/4-H stuff  (3/6)- (Bourbon Co. hog show, Bourbon Co. beef show, Woodson County Beef preview show)

-- Visit 5 friends who have moved away -- Mandy, Iowa; Kelly's wedding, Minnesota;

-- Learn to do my own taxes - just started getting everything together for this and am actually excited!

-- Frame and hang my Bachelor's and (eventually) Master's degrees  -- I have the frames, I am just waiting on the dang MS to come in the mail!

-- Donate 25,000 grains of free rice through Freerice.com (7270) 

So that's about it! As I said, there are a lot of goals that are in progress so if you're interested you can see the whole list here.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~ 

Blogiversary - The Big 3 and A Freebie!

Three years ago this coming Sunday, I started a blog with this post about one of my favorite agriculture traditions.

And boy oh boy, I had no idea the things that would come of this little ole blog.

Over the past 3 years and almost 300 posts, I have learned far more about blogging and social media than I ever imagined possible. I have gained followers from all walks of life and from all over the world. I have found friendships with people I have never met but feel like I've known a lifetime. This blog prompted my signing up for, and eventual addiction to, Twitter (@brandibuzzard). It has also sparked a journey that led me to my career today, so without any more insightful crap mushy memories, here's a list of things that have come of this blog:

- The development of my writing skills which led to freelancing opportunities with:
    -- Farm Talk
    -- Grass and Grain
    -- DRIVE magazine
    -- SwineWeb.com
- Master's of Beef Advocacy Blog of the Month - August 2010
- Blogging on these other sites - YPC Beef Blog, Food For Thought 
- Social Media Coordinator for NCBA's Young Producer's Council (which led to):
- Co-Chair Communications Committee NCBA YPC
- Featured twice in articles by Chuck Jolley in Drover's Cattle Network -- October 2009 and March 2012
- Featured in a BEEF Magazine article by Jamie Purfeest in the October 2011 issue
- Because of my vocal advocacy of agriculture on this blog and Twitter I was an invited to speak about agvocacy at the Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA) Conference in Adelaide, South Australia in November 2011. There were a lot of different demographics and ideals in the room but I think everyone benefited from the experience.
- The freelancing and blogging experience led to a job with K-State Research and Extension incorporating several of my favorite things into one amazing experience: K-State, agriculture, writing, social media - whammo. Perfect.

The Hardcore Stats

My top 5 all-time posts are:
1. Temple Grandin - HBO Biopic: 4570 views - A post announcing the release of the Emmy award winning film about Dr. Grandin's early years
2. Buzzard's fly, they don't ski: 3469 views - This post was about Ninja and I getting engaged so while I would like to think that 3500 people were concerned with our lives, I am assuming some other search term like "buzzards flying" brought them to that post.
3. Who Are We to Judge Horsemeat: 1791 views - A post about how American's don't set the tone for what other countries eat and we shouldn't condemn those that don't rely solely on beef, pork or chicken.
4. Grillin' Ain't BBQ'in: 1149 views - A surprisingly popular post about how the terms grilling and bbqing are often interchanged and misused.
5. In Honor of Pigs and Pork: 847 views - Again, a post which garnered a lot of attention for some unknown reason. This contains a lot of factual information about pork. It was written during Pork Month.

Where y'all be coming from?

The top ten countries that visit Buzzard's Beat are:
1. United States
2.  Russia (surprising)
3. Australia (not surprising)
4. Canada
5. United Kingdom
6. Germany
7. Netherlands
8. France
9. India
10. Brazil  

Whatcha lookin' for?

The 10 most popular search terms used to find this blog since its inception:
1. Temple Grandin
2. Buzzard
3. Turkey Buzzard (thanks Sharita)
4. Buzzards
5. Horse meat (which I'll not be eating)
6. Fiji (probably stems from posts of this nature)
7. BBQ
8. Buzzards Beat (hooray you remembered my url!)
9. Mini pigs (whaaat?)
10. Trevor Brazile (hahahaha - I love me some Trevor Brazile)
Those that didn't make the top 10 but are still funny were: vet (uh, no), great American desert, school lunch policy, 80s girl, article on global warming and my personal favorite: bone in cow heart (twice!).

Ok - so now to the part that you all really came to the blog for....

A friend of mine makes western jewelry with copper and silver. It's gorgeous - her company is called Silo Silver and you can find her on Facebook. She has generously helped me out with a pair of these gorgeous feather earrings with turquoise and copper to giveaway to one lucky reader. For the fellas, you may not think they'll look good on you but what about that lucky lady in your life???

Enter by following the instructions on the easy peasy Rafflecopter thing - (Sheridan introduced me to these and they make giveaways so much easier). Entries will close on Halloween - then I'll announce the winner the next day! It'll be a spooky surprise, but not really spooky.

****This giveaway is now closed - the Rafflecopter widget has been removed****

Thanks so much for your loyal readership over the past three years. It's been quite a journey and I've loved it and hope to be able to continue sharing my opinions, sarcasm and passion with you for years to come (did I say years? yikes).

Until next year (kidding, I'll post again before then),
~ Buzzard ~

p.s. the picture above is from my Instagram feed - here is my shameless plug. Follow me - @brandibuzzard!