Tuesday, September 15, 2015

On links and such...

Image from Saturday's Pantry Post

I thought I'd address the subject of links after a blog reader left a comment in Sunday's post about a link in Saturday's Pantry post.  I was quite taken back by how angry she was that I had put in a link to the Economic Collapse Blog.

For one thing, I don't recall ever having someone angry that I put in a link.  Most readers have been upset when I mention a blog, website, etc. and don't put in a link!

As for the content of that particular link, that blog is one of the best known and most respected for the financial and economic research the blogger does.  I put the link to that particular post because the blogger lives in the world of "impending doom" and wrote about the lack of fear he has for whatever occurs in the world for God is in control.

He is an excellent picture of someone whose gift is quite unusual.  One has to have a gift from God to do what he does and have peace!

The reader was angry because I sent you... my readers... to a website that has a 9/11 conspiracy theory in it.  I will say that it is not the post that I highlighted for you but it really goes beyond that.

For a blogger cannot blog for more than say... five minutes... if they have to worry how every reader will respond to their links.  It is the Internet.  There are all kinds of opinions on the Internet. I have regular readers who probably don't appreciate me sending you to Mormon pantry websites but understand they contain some of the best stocking up info on the World Wide Web.

Just recently I followed a link from a favorite (and well known) Christian blogger whose link was to one particular Instagram post.  I was curious about the young actress so I clicked to see her public Instagram account.  Oh, my.  The first photo I saw was of a model with a see through dress that showed a whole lot of flesh.

What did I do?  Did I write the blogger and complain?  No.  I clicked off the link.  For I realized the intent of the Christian blogger was to have her readers see the link for which they were sent. 

So I would ask anyone who doesn't like a link for which I send you to just not read it.  Click it off.  Perhaps be annoyed personally but realize there are readers who want to read the contents.

Which brings me to my final say about the whole thing.  This link was on the Saturday post.  Where all such links usually are.  These links are for the Pantry People.  They know who they are.  You know who you are.  There are even readers who only read the Saturday posts.

The Pantry People see life a little differently than the rest.  They respond differently.  They read all the bad news and perhaps watch it on TV but they respond in their own way.

They cannot control the world but they do have control of their kitchens!

Pantry People are by default do-ers.  They seek God's wisdom and read His Word but they put their concerns into the act of stocking their pantries.  They cannot change the world but they can create a warm and cozy atmosphere in their homes as a refuge from all that bad news. 

Some are able to keep a very deep pantry.  Others, like myself, enjoy having a few extra items here and there.  Pantry People are my Kinfolk, they are "my people".

So take it as a warning here, every once in awhile a link on Saturday may take you to an article that talks about TEOTWAWKI along with links about stocking up and such. 

But the rest of the week we will talk about books and tea time and pumpkin spice lattes and a Maine Coon kitty.  Who is rather in a snit at the moment because I removed her from the office chair to write a blog post.  Such is life in a fallen world.

23 comments:

Lee Ann said...

I appreciate your links because most of them I've never heard of. Keep up the good work!

lynneinMN said...

a heartening 'good grief', with a chuckle. Grab that beautiful kitty of yours, and snuggle :-). love all your posts, for what its worth, and will continue to read them wholeheartedly. Thank You for all you do, and for providing us a glimpse into your world (my fave posts are those!) Have a great day!! Lynne in MN

Anonymous said...

So sorry you had to have such a negative comment, but look at all the appreciative comments. It is a wonderful thing to have the peace of God in this world of uncertainty and turmoil. I appreciate all your helpful posts and encourage you to continue with what you are doing to teach us. You are a blessing to me and to many others. Thank you, Sharon D.

Annabel said...

Heavens I loved that post and the link! Which, by the way, I am featuring tomorrow on a post I have just written. I thought it was so good! Please don't be discouraged by someone like that. Keep going. It was a great post and good helpful link. Some people are just rude. xxx

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I don't understand the 'offense' and anger from some people. If I don't like something I just don't read it. If it becomes a pattern with a blogger then I may stop reading their post. I am adult enough to realize that we don't all have to agree on every thing in order to learn something from each other, or to be friends.

I really loved that post you linked too, and read a few other of their linked to posts. I don't mind reading (though I didn't even see that) about conspiracies. I like to think about possibilities and I have a few of my own conspiracy ideas, though not regarding 9/11.

Deanna

eyelandgirl said...

I seldom comment and for that I apologize, but I felt it was important to let you know that your links are appreciated! Please keep doing what you do so well. The internet is such a vast and unregulated place, readers must be willing to absorb what is valuable to them and "spit out the bones" when needed.

Jane said...

Oh, my! I think everyone should just read the linked articles if they want to and let others do the same. Why lambaste you? I don't always agree with other's points of view but I do think it's interesting to see what others think about things. Isn't that how we learn - and possibly how we refine our thoughts about things? Of course, I also enjoy the photos of your gorgeous Maine Coon kitty!

cecile chappell said...

Like my Grandfather used to say.. God Willing Tomorrow Will Be Another Day. He would tell me that to explain that whatever heartaches or problems today bring tomorrow may be brighter. I love the way you took the high road. Love your comments and you. Miss Victoria, too!

Anonymous said...

*sigh* it was me who left the comment and I assure you I put a lot of thought into not offending you or hurting you because you are someone whose blog I like reading. I even deleted a comment I started writing on the actual day you posted the link because I did not want to hurt you. But the next day post about your gifts made me post that comment. Evidently I failed in not hurting you, but I want to assure you that I was not angry at you for posting that link, more like disappointed.

You have no way of believing what I say or my intent, so I will just say it. I have been reading for years. I have a lot of respect for what you post and read a lot of your recommendations for movies and books. I like how you take evident pleasure in simple things like your red kitchen and books and walking in nature and so on. I have also deepened my pantry because of you and keep things like a hospitality pantry. So I when you posted that link I automatically clicked on the link. That post you linked I liked, but one of the suggestions from that blog was the 911 conspiracy theory post and to say I was taken aback and shocked was putting it mildly. They basically think the government staged it. It was kind of shocking that someone actually believed that and I would only question someone's sanity ( not yours but the blogger of the Economic collapse blog).

The next day's post was random and clarified you like listening to rather interesting pod casts. Some people can handle the crazy and spit the bones out. You have that gift evidently. I do not. I avoid such people and podcasts. Many people in my family were affected by cults and people claiming to "know" things which others can't see and so I have a visceral reaction to it. Please know I was not angry with you, more surprised. There is a thin line between sane and crazy and I have always avoided the doomsday prophets of the world, even people who say so in the name of the Lord. That is how I differentiate between a person like Billy Graham and a charlatan like Harold Camping.

May I please suggest a disclaimer when you link to controversial blogs if I may. I apologize for hurting you, it was not my intent. I actually like much of your writing, just that I do not have your gift of discernment and I avoid the crazy. Hope this clarifies some. Going back to lurkdom now.

Pat
Pat

Morning's Minion said...

My husband and I grew up in Vermont farming country--rural, with only a small general store in the immediate area. Grocery shopping there for most families in the 1950's meant driving to a larger town and 'stocking up'--this might happen once or twice per month. We had pantries--the physical space just off an old farmhouse kitchen, the shelves in the 'cellar way'--storage in a cool dry place for apples, potatoes and onions through the winter.
When we were building and selling homes in Wyoming we designed a pantry into each floor plan.
We keep a stocked pantry not through a sense of impending doom [though there is certainly that to consider] but out of long habits of frugality and the choice not to be running to the store every few days.
Re links--or posts--that offend--we don't need to linger where we are not comfortable--nor do we need to take it upon ourselves to reprove the one posting the link!

Anonymous said...

No worries!!! Help must be appreciated. We will not always agree or approve of everyones methods or ideas, that , however does not mean there is not good offered!!! Kinda like life, and kinda like people must take the good and throw out the bad!! Thankful you try to help folks :-)!!! tammy

Ann said...

Great post! We need to be reminded that we should not be so thin-skinned. Take the information that is available that we can use and ignore the stuff that's not relevant to us and carry on. I love your posts and have learned a lot from them -- links and all. Thank you for your guidance in preparing for whatever may come our way.

Anonymous said...

I don't know why you needed to 'out' a commenter and not have simply replied to her in the comments.

Rachel H said...

I enjoy all your posts. I read the pantry posts, but I'm not one to do a lot of stocking up. I was reading a book about Sacagawea, and the book said her father, a chief, did not allow his people to put back too much for the winter. They ate too much and became lazy. That's how I feel, the more we have, the more we eat. Making it to the next shopping day on what we have is more my style. But you encourage people to think outside the box, and that is a good thing.

Anonymous said...

This is a comment directed towards Pat. It was kind of you to offer up more explanation and to clarify that you did not mean to offend anyone by your original comment. I guess my comment to you would be to ask why you were so offended by the link to the website that had the 9-11 post. Surely you know that governments have, throughout the ages, sometimes done things that are wrong, and become infiltrated by people with evil intent. Would you hesitate to call Adolph Hitler evil? And yet he was the ruler of Germany, and horrible, world-changing events happened during his reign. Sometimes governments do what is right, sometimes they don't. In the case of the 9-11 event, some people have what they would consider legitimate questions about the events that unfolded that day. That does not make them crazy. Like others have said, the Web is a big place. Given the experience you have had in your family with cults, etc., you should view exposure to viewpoints different from your own as a good thing and as a gift, because by becoming more educated about what people are thinking and saying about any given subject, you actually come away stronger, and more able to separate the truth from the fiction. Just a thought.....

suzanne said...

Miss Brenda, I appreciate that you addressed the person's distaste for your link, and I also appreciate that same person coming back to explain his/her reasoning. After reading that person's explanation and apology, I think I must tell that person that it's okay to disagree with some things. As long as the things we disagree on, or see differently, are not biblical truths that God has ordained, then the rest is debatable. I try to stay positive and accepting, and sometimes I have to ignore what I don't agree with. The internet can be a great disperser of God's word, and it can also be the evil one's tool. Miss Brenda, I think your blog is based in biblical truth and a force for good! Let us all show forgiveness to each other for missteps.

Jill said...

I AM so sorry you had to go through that...if you don't like it don't read it is my theory!!! Jill

tealady said...

OH MY HOW DARE YOU... oh that's right she could have clicked off the link. Now that she think's she got her 5 minutes of fame life goes on.That's the beauty of freedom of choice.

Lynn said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mdoe37 said...

I did go back and read the blog that was linked. Edgy, absolutely. Good read. But, yes, I'm apparently one of those who can spit out bones. Its not like the guy can reach through the screen and grab you by the collar and haul you into the den.

If one is that fearful, easily persuaded or whatever, maybe the internet isn't a good place period.

(as an aside, I have some bouts with insomnia and listen to the radio to try and fall asleep. that guy ain't got nuttin' on Coast to Coast radio overnight. )

Rock on Brenda!

Anonymous said...

I think, Brenda, that often people who see things so differently may not understand some things that others do...and I mean, such as I have a very smart engineer husband who used to inspect bldgs (yep for the govt)...so from his background and experience he sees things I would NEVER be able to see. And yes, he wishes others understood more of simple physics, and such when viewing such things as the 9-11 event. It was not an accident. He sees quite a few different scenarios...yet, not saying who all is to blame...but there are some out there who well might know just those facts. It is not wrong to have questions, nor to see things from a different perspective. And for whatever reasons, GOD does not give us all the same ability to see the same things...from the very important life changing events down to how to make the best meal on the planet!! I am sorry you were upset. It is not easy to word things just so on a blog...so time has taught me. I do not have a blog...cause my "skin" is quite thin...so I admire those who can do so. Sometimes I understand other people best when I can see them and watch the body language for clues!! And you cannot do that with a blog. We, like the commentor, are all affected by our life's experiences too...and that varies between people. I am not able to keep much extra on hand (with such a tiny apt) but it is my nature to keep some things...and I do appreciate your trying to help others the best you can. NO ONE can be sure exactly what someone will come across on another blog or website...as adults we would hope we could all just muster though and ignore what is of no use...like shaking the chaff away in the wind!!And use the good stuff!! Keep on writing dear...it will all be ok.
Your coupon buddy in WA...heh, Elizabeth

becky said...

I love the Blog economic collapse blog and read him everyday. I enjoy stocking my pantry and wish you would write more often about it:) The links I click onto throughout other womens blogs are clicked off if I don't like them. Good grief. Thank you for your blog
Becky

Anonymous said...

I love your blog, especially your pantry posts...You have been an inspiration to so many here who comment. I, too, along with so many other people have a certain 'sense' about the time in which we live and the need to stock up...