Does it seem the older we get, the harder it is to recognize the year’s end? Perhaps we have finally accepted there are fewer years ahead of us than behind? Or maybe, 2025 is a year we are eager to be done with! Regardless, it is odd for me to look at the 2026 calendar. No worries – I’ll get there. Just maybe not this week.
I thought I’d reviews bits of this year: the simple stuff, my blogs and books. I offer a big THANK YOU to YOU, my friends and supporters who follow this blog, even if you just pop in once in awhile. And to you who have connected with my books, even if only one. Writing is a gift to me; and to know that occasionally I write something that gives you meaning feels like a near miracle. Thank you for your connection, compassion and helping me feel seen.
I viewed my blog analytics this morning. I’ve promised before that I will stop blogging when I either run out of interesting content – or my followers drop off. My analytics remind me I’m not there yet. It is hard to believe I am closing in on my tenth year of blogging. A few of you may know that blogging was new to me six years before that when I proposed a blog called Oregon and the Workplace while working at OHSU. As much as I enjoyed that task for the next decade, I have to admit this one is much more creative and fun!
It’s time to identify the most visited blogs for 2025. Here we go!
#1. A Story Hidden in the Mist
This has been the most popular blog each year since I posted it in 2020 and retains the title for most popular blog of all time for my site. It’s the post that occasionally issues big hits in a single day, even though it was published over five years ago – yes, someone shared it someplace. Only yesterday I walked by its subject, the log hoist along the Willamette River between George Rogers Park and River Road, where a few folks were talking about the structure and trying to figure out what it had once been. I explained it to them but forced myself not to go as far as telling them to find my blog. (I might have done that if they weren’t significantly older than me and perhaps less likely to pull their phone out to search while in conversation. Yes, admittedly, I have done that before.)
#2. Boycotting META: Seeking Authentic News Sources
Well now, in a nutshell this tells us a lot about 2025, doesn’t it? I think I’ll leave it at that.
#3. Tips For Reading in the Bath (or how to avoid fines and electrocution)
Boy, I must have been creative in 2020, as this blog continues to reach the top each year since then. If you are looking for a break with a bit of a light-hearted read and missed this, you might check it out. Especially if you are a bath lover, like me.
#4. Worker Safety for Dummies: Or Why We Should Care About NIOSH
Hmm, yes another headline that speaks for 2025. And, I’ll leave it at that, but encourage you to check this out if you missed it back in April. Yep, that kid is sure cute. And no, I did not pose this photo.
#5: Navigating Youth Sports: Balancing Competition With Fun
Another example of some story I read sparking my creative juices. As both a one-time high school and college athlete, and a (long ago) parent with kids in organized sports, I found I had a lot to write about.
I guess I’ll have to see what 2026 has in store for this brain of mine.
And what about my books (you might ask)?
I am enjoying hearing bits about my latest book, A Map of Her Own. I look forward to joining book groups in 2026 discussing several of my books, including this dual timeline work of fiction. And I will repeat the tired message: please consider posting a review if you do read any of my books. Yes, reviews matter.
You can find the audiobook My Music Man on all audiobook platforms (including Spotify, FM Libro, Audible, Apple Books and beyond – at least one listener even found it on their library Hoopla account). And if you do download or purchase the audiobook, make sure you look at the audiobook supplement. Curious what it sounds like? Listen to the first chapter: A Lover of Rivers.
And with that – Happy New Year. I hope you find time to decompress, spend time both alone and with those you love, and get lost in a good book. Let us make 2026 the year of kindness and compassion.
Dede's Books and blog 