True to my prediction last year, during my eleventh year of blogging, I was not as active as in the past. I posted the same number of stories, but I didn’t have time to interact as much with other bloggers as I would have liked.

One reason is that a collection of short stories I wrote was accepted for publication this year but it’s not going to press until 2025, so I spent a lot of energy ensuring the stories are well-written. I also had a long (68-page) “short” story to finish, which I accomplished, as well as a (surprise bonus!) horror story. As if that weren’t enough in addition to my day job for Sea Grant, I am turning my blog-memoir, “Meander North,” into an e-book. It’s almost ready!

For the posts I wrote this year, social media sharing by others continues to be an important factor in their popularity.

Without further ado, here are the top posts from 2023:

1. “How Hallmark’s Rescuing Christmas Movie Made my Tree Ornament Famous” – This post describes a Hallmark movie that was shot in my hometown of Duluth. I was surprised to see a Christmas tree ornament during a major scene in the movie that’s the same as one I have in my own collection. After writing the post, I discovered that the local artist who made the ornament didn’t know it was featured in the movie. She was delighted by the news. I’m not sure if she shared my post on Facebook or if others did, but it got a lot of views through social media accounts other than my own.
2. “Saying Goodbye to my 102-Year-Old Aunt” – This is my tribute to my Aunt Marguerite Pramann, who died this year after a rich life. I suspect this post was shared and accessed by other relatives, which accounts for its popularity, besides the fact that my aunt was an outstanding person.
3. “A Lake Superior Survival Story” – This is another movie review I recently wrote about a true story set on what is now Isle Royale National Park. Many of my friends were unaware of the movie. They commented on it and shared it via Facebook, so it received more interest than usual.

Hmmm. Maybe I should turn this into a movie review blog??

In other news, a notable story from 2019 continues to receive many (1,200) hits through Google searches and social media shares. “The Case of the Headless Bunnies” describes a disturbing sight I happened upon during my dog walks in my neighborhood woods. Several headless rabbits appeared in the same location on different days. I did some research to determine if it was perhaps a natural thing or the workings of a satanic cult! Turns out, it was natural.

Apparently, others have happened upon similar situations and turned to Google for help and found my blog, sharing their insights on social media. I am happy to have put minds to rest on this grisly topic.

I still find things to blog about and plan to continue “Marie’s Meanderings” for yet another year. I appreciate your continued readership.

Happy blogging to all and to all a good night!