Whole Lotta Linking Going On

Thought for the day:  Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing better than to put it into your fruit salad.

Well, how's about that? The high-spirited Dianne, who appropriately enough writes the blog In High Spirits, shared another award with me, and this one is all about superlatives. The 7 X 7 award requires a blogger to slog through previous posts and then provide an oh-so-helpful link to the ones deemed worthy of some superlative label or another. Alas, there are some grievous omissions. No category for most likely to make you snort a beverage out your nose, and nothing for post with the most references to smelly body functions. Ditto nothing for most inspirational, informative, or inane, so I really had to dig to find something even vaguely up to snuff for the lofty designations which are included.

Once I provide the links for my seven most hunky dory posts, I have the honor of sending seven other bloggers searching through their archives to tag seven of their best posts. And then they pass the award to seven others. And so on.

Easy, right? Kinda. I've only been blogging since the tail end of February, so my archives are a lot slimmer than some of yours. Still, it took some time to read through my slim pickings and make the decisions. But it was fun, and I think this is a great way to direct newer followers to some of that (ahem) superlative stuff that happened before they got here.

Hmm, okay, the first category is Most Beautiful.

But beauty's in the eyes of the beholder, right?

• Most Beautiful-  With a Little Help From a Friend is about volunteering at a soup kitchen. I don't know that it's exactly beautiful, but the reaction to it was. Oh yeah, you want a link, huh?
• Most Popular- According to the stats, On Doggies and Doggles received the most hits, by far. It's about Military Working Dogs. link
• Most Controversial- My stuff doesn't generate much in the way of controversy, but American History and an Unlikely Hero came the closest. It's about today's educational system. link
• Most Helpful- Well, gee, aren't I always helpful? I mean, where else can you learn about the saga of Jimmy Carter and the killer rabbit, about JFK and the jelly doughnut , or about Wrong Way Corrigan? (Not to mention disgusting foods, jobs, beauty products and book titles?) Seriously, I suppose the post Understanding Autism: A Long Way to Go was the most helpful in that it raised awareness of this heartbreaking condition. link
• Most Surprisingly Successful- Rhymes with Dreams got a lot of hits, too, if you trust the stats counter. It's kind of a mixed bag post, where I answer questions for another award, relate a story about my immigrant grandparents, and talk about memes. link
• Most Underrated- When our blogs first launch, we all write posts that end up with a grand total of zero comments. Maybe even zero reads. One of my early languishers was Luck o' the Irish. What makes it special is a recipe for corning your own beef. Not hard to do, but definitely worth the effort. link
• Most Pride Worthy- This is another tough one, but I'll pick Remembrance, which is about the meaning of Memorial Day. link

So, there ya have it. If, perchance, any of you do take the time to venture back to any of those earlier posts, please make any comments you'd like to make about them on THIS post, rather than on the earlier one.

The next order of business is to pass this superlative award on to seven superlative bloggers. Natch, if you don't give a diddle about seizing  this golden opportunity to entice your followers to read some of your earlier gems, fuhgetaboutit. No hard feelings. In no particular order, I tag

• Murrmurrs. I just discovered Murr at the beginning of September, but am already a big fan of her blog. And obviously, a big lazy fan. It'd be a real time-saver for me if she earmarks some of her earlier posts.
• Visiting Reality. I love this lady's special brand of reality, and although I've already read every one of her posts, maybe you haven't. Linda has a most delightful no-holds-barred sense of humor and a razor-sharp wit.
• Empty Nest Insider. Julie has a quiet, thoughtful approach, and the most disarming way of looking at things. Her insights are both charming and amusing.
• Starting Over, Accepting Changes- Maybe. Arleen always comes up with enjoyable posts and comments. Lots of reminiscing, and lots of quiet humor. Smart lady.  
• The Feathered Nest. Delores is the most prolific writer of all. She maintains three blogs, and they're all terrific. No telling what she might write about, but it's always good.
• Going Gently. John  lives in a small village in Wales and writes about village life, his menagerie of critters, his work as a nurse, and life in general. Always worth a read.
• The Scottish Scribbler. And last, but certainly not least, is Rory, who writes about everyday things both profound and hilarious. He has a unique outlook on life, and the ability to touch your heart with his words. And with his music.

It's inevitable that not all of those seven people will choose to follow through on this award, and that's okay. If anyone else would like to claim it, go for it. It's a great opportunity to shine light on some of  your older posts. Take a snapshot of it, so to speak.

                                       Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.