My stat tracker doesn’t give me much information. Many people use google reader or show up as “unknown,” but often it does tell me the city a reader is “visiting” my site from, as well as the length of time they’re on the site. Sometimes, I can surmise from the various search terms people use to find the blog, how long they read, and their city whether or not I know this person (and I can often figure out who they are).
But it’s just killing me, so I’m throwing out a public appeal to the repeat readers from Omaha, NE and Gurnee, IL…is that you, Helen-Louise? Is that you, Chad or Derek? If so, give me a holla. I’d love to HEAR from you all.
I hope this hasn’t thoroughly freaked out all of you other people. Especially you in Houston, TX, I see you. And you over there in Alberta, I see you, too. I see all. Muah-ah-ah-ah….
July 4, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Oh Crap!! So now you know I hit your site about 50 times (on a slow day). How embarrassing!!
July 4, 2008 at 10:49 pm
I am indeed, a lurker. Love to read what you do there,in the most I consider the most beatiful part of Mexico. Robin
July 4, 2008 at 10:52 pm
oops, bad editing on that. sorry! robin
July 4, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Another lurker here. We DID meet once or twice a couple of years ago. On the Fat Cat and again at the Luna Blue Bash. So I sort of feel like I know you a little. Love your stories about all the little normal things in your life. You are SO cool… I wanna be like you when I grow up, except I’m already older than you so it ain’t going to happen
July 5, 2008 at 9:22 am
Vanessa: You love me, I know it. I love you, too.
Robin: Hey, thanks for saying hi! I lurk on a lot of blogs, too.
Jo: Thank you…I’m sure I would know you if I saw you, I’m not good with names, but good with faces. Thanks for popping up to say hello. BTW, I am SO not cool, just ask my friends. I am a supreme high dork, but that makes life much more fun. Next time you’re in town be sure to look me up.
July 5, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Yep, I’m the lurker from Omaha and, as you can tell, I read you religiously. I won’t stop; you can’t make me (Okay, maybe you can. Please don’t. Okay?) I kept telling myself that as soon as my life got half as interesting as yours (i.e. when I finish this book, publish it, win a National Book Award, a Pulitzer prize) I’d come out of the shadows. I’m a poor sneak. Anyway, hi.
July 5, 2008 at 3:38 pm
OH. MY. GOD. I can’t believe that WORKED!! Hi, Helen!! I haven’t talked to you in YEARS…missed you so much. How about let’s keep in touch this time, I think it’s my fault we lost touch last time. Love you, woman!
July 5, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Lurking in Saskatoon. I am such a leach, gathering info on Mexico for my intended relocation and retirement. enjoy your blog. thanx
July 6, 2008 at 1:01 am
Lurker from Round Lake IL, not Gurnee but close enough(about 10 min.). LOVE, LOVE, your blog.
July 6, 2008 at 8:50 am
Soooooo- does it make you crave a Hamburger every time you see Hamburg on your stats? Do you hate me for it???
Hugs
Joana
July 6, 2008 at 8:53 am
Daniel: Welcome, I will be posting some hopefully helpful things for you soon, in a response to questions another person emailed me.
Velvet: Hello! And here I thought the Round Lake, IL person I saw was one of my cousins…I’m from the area, did you know that?
Joana: Nope, it makes me crave Joana, not a hamburger.
July 6, 2008 at 9:05 am
Wow, cool tracking device you have there. And now you see how often I check to see if you’ve posted something new. *blush* Though some of the Bell Buckle visits would be from James…
July 6, 2008 at 10:11 am
Lurker from Missouri. Your blog is one of my favs. Found you through your buddies Wayne & Kelly. Now of course I read most of the buddies.
July 6, 2008 at 10:50 am
Hey! you are welcome to visit the west coast of Canada anytime you want to pay me back for reading your blog!! I don’t always comment but you always stir up an emotion with your entries. Love ya!
July 6, 2008 at 10:56 am
Julie: Yours comes in from Tullahoma, is that possible?
Hi, Tina and Bev! I sure want everyone to know that this blog was posted to try to see if my friend Helen-Louise was the person visiting from Omaha…I don’t mind if I have lurkers who don’t comment often, in fact, I love lurkers. Thanks for visiting!
July 6, 2008 at 11:14 am
Yes, Heather, that’s quite possible. My tech advisor says that that makes sense. Tullahoma is the thriving metropolis about a half hour south of us, the place where I had all my high school jobs, and where my mother works.
July 6, 2008 at 12:32 pm
sigh… i’m a lurker! you caught me. ;o) I’m Trina from Idaho. graphic designer. my husband and I travel to isla mujeres every year for 15 days. love your blog!
July 6, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Yep! I eventually discovered by reading your blog that you are in fact from the area….Zion, Gurnee, Antioch, Local H, Tom Morello, etc.. We are just wrapping up Summer Fest and The Taste over here, but I’m sure you knew that.
Greetings from Lake County!
July 6, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Heather, how in the heck did you ever manage to relocate to Akumal, anyway? I first started going there in the 70s when I saw the most gorgeous photo of a lagoon in Mexico on the front cover of a Sunset publication called Mexico. The photo was, of course, of Akumal. I finally made it there and now it is my favorite place to snorel of anywhere I’ve ever been. Saw some amazing and LARGE fish out at the edge of the reef. Anyway, I am a gringa Spanish teacher in Seattle. I love reading all the women in Mexico and Central America blogs to continually feed my addiction for knowledge about that part of the world. I did some dissertation research with the women weavers of jipi japa over in Becal, Campeche. Gotta run, but thanks for inviting comments from all the lurkers. “-) Robin
July 6, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I got nothing special… you know who I am and from whence I come… maybe I should investigate my blog stats… nah, it would just be depressing…
July 7, 2008 at 7:06 am
Yep another lurker from Omaha.
Isn’t technology wonderful !
July 7, 2008 at 9:20 am
Yep, another lurker … from Wisconsin. Love your blog. Glad to learn I’m not the only one that checks several times a day for updates **blush** Heather, you rock. You make me laugh a lot, cry a little, but most of all you make me jealous! Thanks for keeping up with the blog.
Sarah
July 8, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Trina: Hi! Thanks for coming out from the shandows.
Robin: I’m in Playa del Carmen, but I do visit Akumal as often as possible. You’ve piqued my interest with the women weavers of Campeche, now I’ll have to do some research. Thanks!
Char: I don’t see your town showing up in my stats nearly as often as I’d like.
Tom: Wow, there are TWO people who live in Omaha?! Haha.
Sarah: Your name sounds familiar to me…do we know each other in “real” life? Thanks for the compliments on my blog, it means a lot to me.
July 8, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Heather, I had to come back and read this entry today because there was something sooo familiar about it. I finally figured it out. Romper Room. Does anyone remember it? At the very end the lady had a great big looking glass and she would say “I see you Billy” “Hi there Jane” and so on.
July 8, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Of COURSE I remember Romper Room…Miss Sally and her magic mirror…when she would say, “And I see Heather,” I would SCREAM with delight. “Mommy, she saw me, Miss Sally saw me!!”
July 8, 2008 at 2:46 pm
it doesn’t show me checking daily??
July 8, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Yup…another lurker here
North of Boston. LOVE your site. You are living my dream!! Only been to Playa twice….but sooo fell in love. PLEASE keep entertaining us. — expect to see you on the best seller list on of these days. You are a fabulous writer!!!!
July 8, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Heather, do a search for Becal, Campeche—just 6k over the border of Yucatan, going south. Hacendados enslaved most of the town at the turn of the century and the whole town was used in the production of what became knows as Panama Hats. Large Quintas grew jipijapa palm, originally brought up from Guatemala, for the production. The town has about 2,000 hand dug caves that are (well some are still) used to weave the palm that has to be woven in a humid environment. Wonderful, wonderful people there! Hey, how’s the stomach?? Robin
July 9, 2008 at 8:15 am
Lurker for Minnesota. While searching for information on Isla Mujeres (getting married there next March and have never been) I keep going from one site to another. Love your site!
July 9, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Lurker from Medicine Hat Ab Canada. We travel to Mexico for 1 month most winters. We will be in Acapulco in 2009. Retiring in 2 years and will be wintering down Mexico way. Enjoy reading about day to day life on several Mexican blogs. [Including yours and Wayne's]
Mike
July 10, 2008 at 10:46 am
Heather you have quite a memory (or maybe I just have one of those names - couldn’t be so lucky to have married a Brown or a Beckwith!) Yep, you helped me with transportation last Christmas. We stayed at Mimi Del Mar and we spoke on Christmas Day about our departure the following day. I remember being so stressed having forgotten about making contact until the very end, and lo and behold, you answered the phone on Christmas Day. Talk about being impressed with your dedication! We’ll be there again this Christmas for 10 days at Playa Palms. I’ll be in touch again for the trans.