Out With ’21’, In With ’22’

I’m glad 2021 is finally over. And 2022 is here. I always hope a new year brings a fresh start and better things to come. I don’t like wishing years away, but I sincerely hope 2022 treats us better than ’21’. Last year was wicked on many fronts for Canadians.

Before we get too far into ’22’, I’ll write a few lines about my website and where I’m heading this year.

Spent ten days in July out in Powell River, British Columbia, Canada hoping to escape the interior heat. Not a chance. Super hot on the West Coast of British Columbia as well. There was a run of fans and air conditioners in Powell River. Everything was sold out, but we managed to get one. The only other reasonable thing to do was stay near the water. Or the pub. (This view is from the south beach on Savary Island, north of Powell River.)

Despite the extreme weather in many parts of Canada, the hot summer in the Edmonton area, which lasted into fall, was great for gardening. I’ve never picked so many ripe tomatoes off the vine than in the summer of ’21’.

I’m uncertain how productive I’ll be this year. I go in for knee surgery on January 10th (if Covid doesn’t overrun us again). Probably won’t remember my name for a week or two after surgery. I’m in constant pain so this needs to get done. The other knee too.

I already have about five or six stories lined up for 2022. Hopefully I can get one more out before surgery. I don’t think grinding away on a stone maul is in the works after surgery for a while, so I’d like to update you on my progress trying to grind that lump of quartzite into submission. And yes, I’ve made progress. Not much, mind you. But progress nevertheless.

My quartzite maul after about five hours of grinding. At least now you can see the groove. I’m going to switch techniques and work on it for another three hours. Then I’ll write up my results. Stay tuned.

As usual my stories were all over the map in 2021. But I don’t plan to change my approach. If it’s Canadian, and might be of some interest to you, I’ll write about it. This diverse set of stories probably attracts a diverse set of readers. Some stories may be too technical for some of you but students and academics read my work. But no matter what the story, I try to make it informative, entertaining. And Canadian.

Here’s another reason I’m glad 2021 is over. We did a major ‘reno’ to our house which is almost done. It started in July. Getting real tired of the intrusion and mess which comes with any reno. Shown here, our newest open concept bathroom design. Not sure it will catch on…

I’m still thinking about monetizing my website. Most of my content, however, will remain free. I might write some longer, more technical pieces which I will charge for. I have also received a contract offer from a publisher for a historical fiction novel I’ve been working on. But the offer isn’t great, so I may self-publish it on my website and charge accordingly. I just want to recoup some of my costs running this website.

Covid and the size of Canada make it challenging to write stories that represent the entire country. Hopefully in 2022 I’ll be able to travel more and write about many more Canadian places and themes. However, there is another way of getting more diversity and stories from other parts of Canada onto my website. Guest Bloggers. If you read my website menus, you’ll notice my Guest Bloggers menu is empty. Nothing! Not one person has come forward with a Canadian story. If you think you have a good Canadian story, and I know there are some good ones out there, let me know. I’ll set you up as a guest author and let you go at it. If I don’t get any volunteers, you can expect the press gang to show up at your door…

My wife and I managed to get out to the Empress area to the confluence of the Red Deer and South Saskatchewan Rivers. We searched for the elusive Chesterfield House(s). Early 19th century fur trade forts that have yet to be found. Many of you (likely from the Archaeology Societies) are tuning into that story. If Covid simmers down and the knees hold up we may return this spring and do more work. And write another story.

I’ll end with a few basic stats about my website:

In 2021 I’ve had 3,305 visits to my site; all time visits to my site are 5,380;
In 2021 I posted 21 stories and a total of 42 stories since starting;
I’ve written a total of 72,500 words, or ~1,714 words per post;
I have 82 subscribers (Admittedly not Donald Trump numbers but given my content, I’m happy with them).

The top five most viewed stories for 2021 are:

How I lost My Head to History. The story of Anthony Henday… = 202 views;
Stone Tobacco Smoking Pipes… = 122 views;
Just Grinding and Pecking Away…. = 134 views;
At the Junction of the ‘Bad’ and Red Deers Rivers…. = 133 views;
Historic Maps: Alberta Through the Eyes of a Siksika Mapmaker…. = 126 views.

(These stats are liable to change and may be a bit skewed because some stories have been posted for a longer period of time than others.)

These stats suggest you like Canadian factual stories more than my fictional stories (none of which made the top five). Canada and the United States (in that order) led all visitors to my website. But readers from all over the world are checking in, including countries such as Malaysia and Taiwan.

Walls of smoke and flames approaching the City of Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada, 2011. https://news-ca.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/640×360/017.jpg. You have favorite stories. So do I. One of my favorites is the fire ecology story I posted in February, 2021. It’s a timely piece. Global warming combined with our forestry management practices has led to a perfect storm. In the 1970s anthropologists in Alberta were telling us that Indigenous Peoples all over the world (including western Canada) managed their forests with controlled burning, resulting in less frequent and intense fires.

Let me know what you liked in 2021. And maybe what wasn’t so great.

Happy New Year. All the best in 2022.

Stay Safe, EH!

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