Repurposing Can Spark Joy: My *New* Standing Desk + 3 Nosy Blogging Questions For You

/ Ally Bean

With a hat tip to Marie Kondo who probably wouldn’t approve of my approach to clutter but would be kind about not saying so, this post goes out to procrastinators and frugalistas everywhere.

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Last week when I said nothing was going on here, I lied. In fact the story was staring me straight in the face, but I didn’t see it at the time.

You see, and the photos below will confirm, the story is that I’ve created a new better version of my homemade standing desk. The one on which my computer, Keyzia, sits while I write my posts.

In an effort to make my back love me again in the fall of 2022 I gave up sitting at a desk and thus began my quest to figure out a way to make my favorite current desk, a sturdy Pottery Barn number, into a modern-ish standing desk.

Granted I could buy an official real deal standing desk but I am frugal. And creative. And never sure how much longer I’ll be writing this blog, meaning that at some point I’ll no longer need a standing desk so why spend the money?

I got the idea for what you’ll see below from an Ikea hack website where someone had bought a small Ikea bench that they put on top of their Ikea desk to create a standing desk.

That is practical and cute as can be, thought I.

Then in a flash of money-saving insight I realized two things:

  1. We had a wooden bench [from Ballard Design] sitting in the garage waiting for me to get around to phoning St. Vincent de Paul for pickup [with other furniture of course];  and
  2. I’d kept that wooden bench stored in the basement for years, even though it never sparked joy within me, because it was sturdy and I bought it at the outlet store for a decent price.

Therefore instead of buying anything new, like from Ikea, I used what we already had here, repurposing the Ballard Design wooden bench by placing it on the sturdy Pottery Barn desk to make the perfect riser for my sweet Keyzia.

Thus Keyzia no longer rocks down to Electric Avenue while sitting precariously on a pile of World Book Encyclopedias covered in a tablecloth. We’re both happy about this improvement.

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BEFORE: my messy desk-type situation

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BEFORE: close up of where Keyzia sat

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BEFORE: the stack of World Books hidden under the tablecloth

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AFTER: a wooden bench soon to be turned into a standing desk component

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AFTER: bench on top of desk elevating Keyzia to a comfortable height

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AFTER: a standing desk with a tidy desktop because baskets sitting on lower shelf of bench encourage me to put my paper notes in one place

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3 NOSY BLOGGING QUESTIONS

When it comes to writing blog posts do you use a desktop computer like I do? OR, more likely, do you use a laptop or a tablet or a phone? OR, quite possibly, a combination of all of the aforementioned?

When you’re at home working on your blog where do you write? Like at a desk? At a table? Plopped down on a comfy chair or bed? Standing at the kitchen counter? Other spot?

Thinking ahead, how much longer will you be writing your current blog? When you end it will you walk away from blogging entirely OR start a new blog, maybe on a different platform?

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258 thoughts on “Repurposing Can Spark Joy: My *New* Standing Desk + 3 Nosy Blogging Questions For You”

  1. Clever you! I can’t imagine using a standing desk, but I must say you’ve created a fine one for yourself. It’s always interesting to me how old, hidden away ‘things’ can suddenly take on new life and end up being the perfect solution to a perplexing problem.

    As you probably gathered, I always work at a desk, and I always write on my PC. I never use my phone for anything related to blogs: neither reading nor writing. I have an iPad that I carry with me while traveling, but otherwise I’m right here, with my sweet bottom plopped in a favorite chair.

    As to your final question, I have no idea how long I’ll be blogging. I’ve never thought about it. The only change I’ve made in the years I’ve been at it is to add a second blog. It seemed both crazy and the perfect solution at the time, and I’ve not regretted it. I suppose there might come a time when I give it up, but I can’t imagine the circumstances, other than blindness or death. Otherwise? Excelsior!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Linda, you’ve described what happened here perfectly: an “old, hidden away ‘things’ can suddenly take on new life and end up being the perfect solution to a perplexing problem.”

      I knew you had a desk you sat at when you wrote your blog posts. Like you I have an iPad that I use when away from home but it takes me twice the time to write on it.

      My last question is because in this last year I’ve been watching as bloggers fade away from their blogs. Sometimes just gone, other times switching to a different platform. Your second blog is wonderful, I admire how you keep both going.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. I love creativity in every way, even desk arrangements.
    In answer to your writing questions, I haven’t sat (or stood) at a desk for that for years. My laptop and I write on the couch, or the back deck, or the front porch, or wherever I am. I haven’t written a post for my blog for a while though. I’m taking a unintended period of dormancy there, for unknown reasons. I’ll reengage someday…
    And right now, I’m writing this on my phone while on a ski vacation in your beautiful country. (Killington, VT)

    Liked by 2 people

    • Arlene, thanks for the compliment. I solved a problem and that makes me [and my lower back] happy.

      I know many people, maybe most people [?], use a laptop when writing blog posts so that you can be anywhere when you write. You’re wise to take a rest from blogging if that is what you feel you need to do so that you come back refreshed.

      Happy skiing! Your vacation sounds delightful.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Well done, you!

    I sit at a desk and type on my iMac when writing my increasingly infrequent blog posts. As for when my last post will be . . . who can say? 

    Maybe my last one was my last one.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Great standing desk solution! Looks great, Ally and fantastic re-purposing.
    I used a fancy standing desk (it was adjustable through three planes and could probably finish the laundry if programmed correctly) the last three years before I retired but at home I use a standard desk.
    I write from anywhere and will use either my laptop or phone. I got into the habit of doing short blogging bursts from my phone as a brain break while still working, and I still do that.
    I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be blogging. I started in 2012 and changed the focus of this blog to photography about seven years ago. I don’t think I would change platforms as I understand that the others on offer are not terrific or aren’t suited to my approach. Great questions.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette, oh I adore your description of your former standing desk’s abilities. I’m laughing out loud here. Thank you.

      I know many people use a laptop or are comfortable using their phones when blogging. I can understand how for you using the phone like you did makes good sense.

      I started this blog in 2011 and it’s changed over the years, as have my bloggy friends. I wonder about the other platforms, too. I’m seeing a few bloggers jump into Substack or Medium, but I don’t know if I have it in me at this point to wrestle with a different system.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. A very nice set-up, Ally. It feels so good to repurpose, doesn’t it? Especially when the end result is so attractive. I use my laptop on the dining room table because there is more sunlight in here. I cannot stand still in one spot or my sciatica will flare up. It’s weird, but I can sit or walk just fine. Not sure how much longer I will write my blog but I doubt highly I would start a new one.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Barbara, it does feel good to repurpose something that was here all along. Somehow I feel victorious.

      Interesting about how standing still causes your sciatica to flare, I never thought about that before. I just find that when I stand my lower back says “thank you” so I keep doing it. I don’t know if I’d start a new blog either. Just kind of musing with that question.

      Liked by 1 person

    • I’d say brilliant: there’s a need that has been ignored to the detriment of the back, and there were old, unwanted items that spent their days gathering dust, creating even more work (dusting) and taking up space. And now there’s brilliant repurposing, a happy back, a pretty workspace! I’d say a trifecta.

      I feel more comfortable creating quote-images on my PC, and battling with the scheduling capability on a PC. I’m still trying to find my way around WordPress, I’m a little lost and confused, a little less so on a PC. But the rest, on a handheld.

      Liked by 1 person

      • EW, a trifecta you say? I like that assessment. Heck I’d be happy with a daily double!

        I know WP is confusing. I’ve been here since 2011 and have seen many changes, always aimed at making it more difficult to use: if/when you get the hang of it they change it. I don’t know anything about PCs to even suggest a way for you to understand WP better.

        Like


  7. You are making me reconsider a standing desk! I can get one at work, but all of my coworkers that have one never seem to use it – they are always sitting. I blog on a desktop, well it’s actually a laptop plugged into two screens with a keyboard. I can’t imagine only having one screen anymore, two is so much easier to do my accounting work. And I think I’ll stop blogging when my youngest leaves the house because what else will I write about as a mommy blogger? Maybe I’ll be a grammy blogger by that point 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Colleen, I realize that a standing desk isn’t for everyone but for me it works. Sitting in front of a screen I hunched over and my back didn’t like it. I do have a mat I stand which makes for a nicer surface than the wooden floor. And I don’t stand knees locked into place like a solder at attention, I wiggle while I type so it’s exercise. 😁

      Your reason for ending your blog makes sense to me. Maybe at that point you’ll want to start a new blog about a different topic. I can see myself doing that at some point.

      Like

  8. Love the new standing desk, Ally — very creative! Here are my answers to your excellent questions.

    1. I prefer to blog from my laptop but when my phone is more convenient (like right now), I will use that.

    2. Chiropracters around the world will be horrified, but I often blog from my bed.

    3. I used to publish a blog post every six days, but now just three times a month to honour my linkup commitments with blogging friends. I entered this world for the writing, but stayed for the friendships!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, thanks. I like my new inexpensive standing desk, too.

      I am shocked, SHOCKED I say, that you use a laptop to write whilst lounging in bed. Ha! I’m not coordinated enough to do that, but if it works for you, go for it.

      I was a daily blogger at one point, but like you decided to cut back to a more manageable schedule. I agree with you, I continue blogging for the connections, more than the writing experience anymore.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Frugality always brings me joy. I love this Ally Bean! My biggest takeaway is that you found something that allows for the perfect height for you to comfortably write since the “desk” does not move. Plus you have all the nifty storage still available.

    I only write on my laptop. I don’t do tiny, one finger keyboards unless I am giving a one word reply. I would love to have a place like your desk for the laptop, as I now sit on the couch to write. Even though I walk each day, I feel like a slug sitting to write. One of the best parts of my old job was that we used a rolling upright combo computer/work station contraption since we had to go room by room. I loved that thing.

    I am not setting limits on when to pull the plug and have always expected to keep the blog live rather I write more or less- which realistically means not writing at all. My issue with other platforms is that monetary requirement for one, but I also do not want to ask readers to move to another site. My select group of buddies means a lot to me here. If WP actually does force me to pay at some point that would likely mean I close the blog. I would have to ponder what to do then. I choose not to expect that change and so just keep on doing what I’m doing now.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, this new desk configuration is perfect for my height and my bifocals and for me to be a bit tidier on my desk. I don’t usually shout my own praises, but this time I did it!

      I know of those rolling computer work stations, having seen them in medical facilities. I bet you could buy one online… for a price, probably hefty. I saw many versions of standing desks available when I looked into buying one.

      I hadn’t thought of the financial cost of changing blogging platforms, I’m more concerned about asking bloggy friends to follow me elsewhere. Like you, it’s the engagement with readers that make blogging interesting. I will admit though, that I wonder sometimes how much longer I can show up here with something to say. Guess we’ll find out together, won’t we?

      Liked by 1 person

      • I read a few folks here that also write on Substack. Not free for them to write, but not required for readers to necessarily pay so that’s nice.I think it’s a very valid question, the consideration of literally running out of things to say. I also think that is often based on the format of a blog. Some folks will use their blog as a daily journal so that could ideally go on forever! Those are fine, but… my favorites are those blogs that are willing to take on deeper topics or blogs that are formatted to get readers involved in discussion and encourage that among their readers. There is a skill to that, which I think you have AB. Perhaps, when you are on a break in the future and you really feel no interest in coming back that will be the time to let the blog go?

        Liked by 1 person

        • I follow a few bloggers on Substack, too. None are asking me to pay anything, like some authors and journalists are, so that’s good. I have mixed feelings about that platform.

          You’re right if you write exclusively about your daily life then [presumably] you have endless blog fodder, but I’ve never leaned into the daily journal approach to blogging. I try to find one catalyst, either something that happened to me or something I read about, then jibber-jabber about it. People do love to discuss things. 😉

          Good point about how this blog will eventually end. I’ll take a break, have nothing more to share here, then wander off into the sunset. Not going to overthink the answer to this question.

          Liked by 1 person

  10. Ahhh… so you’re a lefty! What a brilliant use of already-owned stuff repurposed into a new and exciting “career”! Love it.

    I had/have a desktop. It died. After my husband died, I used his. It is dead, as well. I had a laptop that I used for a reasonable amount of time until I basically broke it – thought it still works and I really need to get stuff out of it.

    Now, I work from this current laptop, sitting on a comfy lazyboy in my living room by the gas fireplace. I do have a desktop that I would love to set up in an office-like environment so I can get out of the habit of having a laptop on my lap.

    As for how long I plan to blog? No clue. I might still need to use a computer whether I do or not, though!

    I, too, saw that Ikea hack and think I would like to have the option of up or down. My knees don’t like it when I stand for too long!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dale, when it comes to mousing I’m a lefty, but I write with my righthand. Long story about why summarized into: I was in a car accident that screwed with my right rotator cuff and during my recovery I started using the mouse with my left hand and never stopped.

      Your setup sounds like a cozy approach to writing blog posts. I find it charming. I like my desktop better than my laptop, so this standing situation works for me. I’m not sure how my knees feel about it, but so far they’re onboard.

      Liked by 1 person

      • That is interesting – not that you ended up with a screwed up rotator cuff, but that you kept up using the mouse with the left hand! I imagine it was all hard and backwards at the beginning and having conquered it, why give it up?

        I would definitely need a mat under my feet were I to work standing up. It is cozy, I won’t lie… I miss my old set up in my previous house. I had an office with the desktop and looked out the window when I desired. Yes, I can still look out the window now, but it’s not the same.

        Liked by 1 person

        • It was kind of a mental nightmare to start mousing with my left hand, but it’s great now. I stand up very straight and balanced in front of the screen when I’m writing: lefty mouses, righty writes on paper.

          I have a mat I stand on, so that helps cushion my knees and because the mat has raised edges and a bump in the middle I move around on it. Dance even, like I am now.

          Liked by 1 person

          • I can well imagine! I just go to turn off the water with my left hand and I always go in the wrong direction! I imagine once you’d gotten the knack for it, you developped a new way of working.

            Yes, a mat is a necessity. And I would definitely dance around, as well 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

  11. Oh, very nicely done! I love your DIY standing desk. It looks so tidy too! My desk gets to be so messy in no time at all. 

    I use a great big desk with drawers on one side, room for my big printer on the other side and above the desktop a shelf bookended with cabinets on either side. I write at my desk , and do all my photo processing at my desk, and I use two monitors. I want to downsize the desk but, don’t want to give up my two monitors.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. You know I love thrifting and making old things new again so this is just…perfection. What a happy little setup.

    I blog mostly on my laptop but occasionally on my desktop (quite rarely on my phone). I don’t know how long I’ll blog. I just started in 2021 so I’m a newbie and since my second blog is very fresh (Sept 2023), I hope to keep it going for at least a few more years? No end date in mind, but I also don’t see myself blogging for decades or anything?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Elisabeth, I knew you’d approve of this hack. Not everyone appreciates repurposing things, but for me this is wonderful. And the price is right.

      I knew you were relatively new to blogging. I’ve enjoyed both your blogs, but take your point about ending things after a few years. Blogging can suck you into the blog-o-sphere vortex and take over your life if you aren’t vigilant. On the other hand as long as it’s fun, keep going.

      Like

  13. I have long appreciated and used a large monitor screen to my left in conjunction with my laptop in front of me for computer/internet stuff. Especially with regards to working on my music scores as the big screen is 100% easier to view said work!

    What perfect use of those encyclopedias, Ms Bean. 🙂 I, too, worked with a make shift arrangement on my small kitchen table desk for many years. I realized I really needed the ‘stand-up’ component, tho.
    And, after long consideration, I requested a standing desk for my b-day last year and got a Jarvis by Fully ***on sale***. Sorry can’t find the link to the actual model I have, but there are many styles, price ranges and types to choose from.
    I love it, especially the curved desk top feature in front.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. You found a solution that looks good and saved a piece of furniture,win/win. My morning ritual (on non-tennis days) is to sit on my comfy sofa, drinking coffee, reading blogs and making comments from my laptop. Sometimes I visit my list of ‘draft blogs’ and write a bit, depending on the mood. I use my phone to make comments when I am out and about, but until I can compose and rewrite with voice comands, I won’t be using it to create blog posts.

    After seven years of blogging, I am still comfortable posting two times per month, but that could change at any time, depending on our circumstances. We are facing a lot of changes this year that may send my blog in a new direction, or it could be ‘lights out’. We’ll see.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Suzanne, your morning ritual sounds delightful. I know many people use laptops for blogging and it makes sense. Much more flexible than my office scenario.

      I’m with you about not writing any blog posts on a phone at this point. Plus how would my fingers get their daily workout if I didn’t use a keyboard? They’d get pudgy.

      I know how you feel about the future of your blog. I have a similar approach to blogging. A lot depends on how much you want to share with the world as your life changes. I get that.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. I do any and all “complicated’ computer stuff on an iMac (BTW – make that old iMac last as long as possible – I had to buy a new one last year and the new ones suck – big time) sitting at a desk which is not really a desk in my opinion because it has only one center drawer. Depending on where I move to I really want an L-shaped desk with drawers including a file drawer so I can get rid of all these peripheral storage units, like the regulation file cabinet.

    I have never mastered the use of a laptop despite having access to one for decades. I hate them. I am, this very minute sitting at the ‘dining’ table (the only table in the apartment) doing minor stuff – reading email, blogs etc. I used to use my iPad for this sort of thing but typing on an iPad, even with an external keyboard is a bigger PITA than typing on a laptop. I can’t imagine doing anything ‘complicated’ on my phone. I use the desktop or the laptop for long text conversations – just easier – since I rarely leave home it’s easier. Despite having a mobile phone for over 20 years I am very new to texting. So – I am a dedicated desktop computer user.

    As for blogging – I’ve been at it for over 20 years on just about every platform that has ever existed – I just do it for myself – somewhere to write odd stuff that crosses my mind. I expect I’ll just keep toddling on as long as I’m sentient.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Grace, the sentient one, thanks for making me smile this morning. I love Keyzia so I’m going to stick with her for as long as I can. We’re buddies, ‘ya know? I like your plans for a new desk configuration and hope it happens soon for you.

      I’ve never taken to laptop computers either. I find them frustrating to look at and the keyboards never work for me, so I’m with you there. We may be the only 2 people in blogland who don’t lean into them.

      I like short texts but none of that long stuff that gets me confused about who is saying what to whom. Just get to a point, then email anything more you need to say. 🤨

      Liked by 1 person

      • Like most young people, my daughter (39 y/o) uses her phone for everything and hates email. On the rare occasion I need to send her important or complex information I text her that I am sending an email! 😂 I have a friend that texts rather than calls and we will be “talking’ for a half hour or more – so even using this damnable laptop to text is easier than on a phone…

        Liked by 1 person

  16. That is a really nice wooden bench and it blends right in. My laptop plugs into a large monitor on my (sitting) desk, which is where I prefer to work. (The oversized monitor is very helpful when it comes to spreadsheets.) Before the pandemic, the laptop went with me to baseball, basketball, and soccer practices and I’d try and work/ blog there, but as my kid and my back got older, both preferred that I get my steps in and not sit at the field. At home, the pets make sure I don’t sit too long–I’ve thrown/ chased the cat off my desk about 4 times while typing the comment alone. As for blogging…like you, I have no idea. I still have stories to tell. I just wish I had more hours in the day to tell them.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Autumn, obviously the blending in part was by accident but it pleases me, an interior designer wannabe.

      I like how you’re able to have the best of all worlds with a laptop AND an oversized monitor. That seems like a wonderful way to compute, even with feline interference.

      I don’t think I could ever take a laptop with me to sporting events and stay focused on the screen. I get why you’re walking now, getting steps in, whilst enjoying your son’s activities.

      You’ve nailed it, as long as there are stories to tell, or things to ponder, blogging is a good place to share those things. So who knows how much longer I’ll be blogging…

      Liked by 1 person

  17. The thing I like most about your standing desk with a tidy desktop is the symmetry, so comforting. I’m approaching my 11th year blogging and am wont to consider the status quo or making changes.

    Blogging methods? I always use a laptop but sometimes begin recording my thoughts on a regular, paper tablet, old-school. You’ll see soon. . . .

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marian, I hadn’t thought about it but you’re right. This is a symmetrical arrangement that does make me feel centered when I’m writing here. Maybe that’s why it’s sparking so much joy in me.

      I scribble notes all the time, preferring to write longhand rather than using any computer-y way of taking them. I learned how to write in elementary school, might as well use what I learned!

      Liked by 1 person

  18. So much to love here, Ally! Thanks for the soundtrack…’rock on down…Electric Avenue’ indeed. Hilarious! I’ll need to circle back later to enjoy comments from others but to answer your questions du jour…I really prefer my desktop but now I’m feeling amiss because I haven’t named my machine and set-up. (I need to catch up on the “Keyzia” story!) I can blog elsewhere, but I like my set-up and appreciate all the time and attention and BASKETS in yours. Looking good! As to the ‘how long’? Gosh…such a good question. Forever? Or I might disappear tomorrow. Ya never know. I don’t like being too planful and whilst stuff is fun and enjoyable and I have the time, I’ll be here. 🥰😉🥰

    Liked by 1 person

    • Victoria, you’re the first commenter to mention “rock down to Electric Avenue”! It’s kind of an obscure reference but it bounced into my brain as I was writing this.

      I’m most comfortable with a desktop arrangement when I’m writing anything lengthy like blog posts. The iPad is nice, but that’s more for chitty chatty writing. I like the baskets, too. Thanks for noticing.

      Yep, I’m with you, while blogging is fun and enjoyable I’ll stick with it, but should it become a burden I’m outta here. I’ve been doing this most years since 2004 so we’ll see.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Neat standing desk! My answers to your nosy questions:

    1. I use a desktop computer (a Mac Mini I bought a year ago) almost exculsively. Occasionally I use my laptop, but I haven’t turned it on in a couple of months.

    2. I have a worktable where all my computer stuff is. I do have a tray table that I occasionally work at (when I use my laptop), but that’s uncommon anymore.

    3. I don’t plan on quitting until I can’t blog anymore, which will hopefully mean when I die and they set me on fire.

    Liked by 1 person

    • John, there are a few of us who cling to our desktop computers! I’m like you, I haven’t turned on my laptop in months, not sure where it is, come to think of it.

      Your plan for when to quit blogging makes me smile. You’re onto something, as long as you’re able to write, why stop?

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Well done! I’ve often thought of using a standing desk, but that’s as far as I get.

    I miss my desktop computer every now and then. I have a laptop, but using its keyboard for any length of time strains my neck and shoulders. I have a wireless keyboard, but it often lags. I hate that.

    I write my posts from wherever I happen to feel like doing it: sometimes at my desk in the office; sometimes on the couch or in the recliner in the living room; sometimes at the table in the kitchen. I have no idea how much longer I’ll be doing it, though. It will be 19 years this summer, and I’ve had some fallow periods, but I keep picking back up. We’ll see.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Nance, I looked into buying a real standing desk but balked at the price so this repurposed deal makes me happy.

      I’ve never done well with a laptop. I’d hate it if my wireless keyboard lagged, that’d drive me bonkers. But having the ability to write anywhere you wanted to be in your house, would be nice.

      I started my first blog in spring 2004 so I’m right there with you about being a longtime blogger. On one hand I’m accustomed to thinking about writing for my blog, but on the other hand I don’t know how many more stories I have to tell. We’ll see, is right.

      Like

  21. I plan to blog till I can.
    You are very innovative and have made an excellent standing desk.
    I use my phone for blogging and can do it sitting, lying down in bed or even while walking.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. I love how you named your computer. I can’t believe I haven’t named mine since I name my cars. 🤣 (I spend more time with my computer than I ever do with my car)

    I love the concept of a standing desk! In fact, I might do something like this eventually, especially since I have back pain and think it is caused by my desk chair. I also want to get a walking pad this winter, and a standing desk would be ideal for that…

    To answer your questions…

    I always write my blog on a laptop. I can’t get used to using my phone to write a blog post. It feels strange to me for some reason. As if I’m not actually writing. 🤣.

    I write from my desk in Anna’s old room. My desk is under a window, so I get some sunlight in the winter. Yes, I am exactly like a plant. 😊

    I’m not sure how long I’ll keep blogging. I feel like I will know when I am ready to stop. Rita has me thinking about switching to Substack simply because I’m tired of paying for WordPress. Aside from that, I have no plans to quit. I enjoy both writing and being part of the community.

    I love your creative standing desk, my friend. Great post, as always. ❤️

    Liked by 3 people

  24. Very innovative, Ally. I believe sitting is the new smoking (someone else’s quote) and I find I have to keep moving/stretching/standing to prevent accumulating more aches and pains. Now I wonder what happened to all of our family Encyclopedia Brittanica editions from yesteryear. 😊 Answers: a quality MacBook; I have taken over the kitchen table – fireplace/coffee/great lighting/good chair/filing cabinet; I visit blogs often – always writing/photography projects – I still want to keep my options open re my blog for a myriad of reasons – ‘I’ll do me’. Always fun to watch you reinventing/evolving/having fun with life, Ally.💕Erica

    Liked by 1 person

    • Erica/Erika, I’ve not heard that sitting is the new smoking, but for me standing feels better than sitting. Not always, but often. When we cleared out my mother’s house I saved our World Books for no reason, never expecting to use them like I did for a few years. The bench is better.

      I like the flexibility that comes from using a laptop but have never taken to them. Of course the one I have is probably 10 y.o. and they may have improved in the last decade.

      I look forward to seeing what you do next with your blog, should you get back to it. That is the wonderful thing about blogging, life first, blog later.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Hi Ally, I like my kitchen area, yet the children are over often for sleepovers and then I find a quiet place somewhere else to write, if I even have a quiet moment.😊 I am also curious to see where you are going with your blog, not that you need to go anywhere. You are always fun to visit, from the moment I first met you. Ergo, your frequent loyal visitors…💕Erica.

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  25. I once fashioned a standing desk using old sophomore English textbooks (which were about encyclopedia-volume sized) and plywood. I liked it a lot, and was my solution to school budgets that certainly didn’t have funds to purchase a standing desk for me. I love your solution, as I’d always rather reuse than buy something new. Creative solutions are generally more satisfying than just shelling out money, aren’t they?

    As for writing, I most often sit at our dining table with my laptop, which is tucked into our living room’s corner window. Sitting at a table is much better for my back than sitting on the couch with my computer, and I love the view from the table. Squirrels and birds and “our” rabbit keep me company. Since TBI, I often write first drafts by hand now, on paper, to limit screen time. 

    I’m currently on my 5th iteration of a blog, the first one that’s not on WordPress. Clearly, when a focus or platform isn’t working for me, I’m open to change. Writing is the constant, though. I’ve been writing regularly since I was a teenager, in one way or another. I expect I’ll do that until I die. I hope so.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Rita, your standing desk sounds about as useful and slightly wobbly as the one I created before this current iteration. I agree that this creative solution to a standing desk pleases me to no end.

      I’d like to be able to look out onto nature or the street out front of the house, but this configuration requires me to look into a wall. Interesting about how you’re writing more by hand now.

      I’ve had a few “starter blogs” before this one. I didn’t like how I came across in them so I moved on like you did. I agree it comes down to being open to change and wanting a place to share your writing. So happy to know you’re happy with your new blogging home.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. My computer is named Fred…actually all of them have been named Fred…it is in honor of a geek I knew in school…he didn’t seem to understand simple statements, but spout gibberish at him and he’d be off to the races in his responses. I’ve now had NINE (good lord, something is wrong with me) blogs….going back to the first junk on the net in the 80’s…when we used glorified word processors to go online through a phone dialup…horrible noises those things used to make. I’ve now completely forgotten what I was responding to…oh well.

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    • suze hartline [whose name spellcheck changed to “sure hardline”], Fred is a wonderful name for a computer. I had one named Pete back in the day and he was about as basic as someone Pete should be.

      I used screechy dialup when we first got internet at home in the ’90s, but by the time I started blogging in 2004 our ISP was slow, but quiet. It used to take 15 minutes to upload one photo. Oy vey.

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  28. Wonderful repurposing there. Marie would be proud. I don’t think my bad knee would tolerate a standing desk gut long but I do like the idea…
    As for blogging, I’ve given up my computer due to slow internet speed and post entirely from my phone now. It’s quicker and much more convenient. I can blog from anywhere at anytime. That suits me. When will I give it up? When I cease to enjoy it… or more likely, when my readers do.
    😉

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Keyzia is a Biblical name – who knew? Guess I need a Book of Job refresher. You may (okay, ARE) the first person I know who names their computer, but I’m all about bringing life to inanimate objects so good on you. Also, I love the way you stacked the WB encyclopedias looking like a giant game of Jenga. I only understand “spark joy” after this past Christmas Eve, when our pastor somehow wove Marie Kondo into the Christmas story. As to your nosy questions, what kind of bloggers are we if not brutally honest when cornered? By and large I use my laptop at the kitchen table, because a) I can also enjoy the company of my wife, and b) I don’t have to trudge upstairs to my home office, where I would connect to a larger screen and wireless keyboard like you do. Life In A Word will last another year/year-and-a-half, at least until I can claim 500 posts. At that time I’ll assess the state-of-the-(blogosphere)-union to see if the world is still as it always were. I’m a little nervous about the impact of AI (tho’ if it’s good writing who cares if it’s live or Memorex, right?) Until then, let the dance continue.

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    • Dave, you’re the first to mention the source of Keyzia’s name. She was the second of three daughters of Job. And people think I didn’t learn anything in Sunday School as a child! 😉

      Am intrigued how your pastor combined Marie Kondo with Christmas, but yay. The things you learn in church. See paragraph above.

      I understand why you sit at the kitchen table using a laptop when you write. Our home study is on the first floor so I can pop in and out easily. I hadn’t thought about the impact that AI will have on personal blogging. I don’t plan on worrying about it, but you’re right it is going to be a variable to consider when considering the end of my/your blog.

      Like

  30. My Mac Book, which I plug into a large monitor, all left over from my graphic designer days, is 14 years old and still works like a charm except for the fact that it is this old and WordPress and just about everywhere else online won’t allow me to log in. So I still write the first draft of my blog on my computer using an old, and still working, version of Office. I prepare any images using an old, and still working, version of Photoshop. Then I email it all to myself and pick it up on my iPad where I use the Jetpack app to publish the blog. It sounds tedious but I have been doing it this way for about 3 years and have turned it into a fine art. And I purchased a good quality used office chair with lumbar support and started doing yoga in the same room to deal with my back issues. We do what we must to make it work.

    As far as future blogging goes, this will be the only one. When I no longer enjoy it, or run out of things to say, that will be it.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jenn, your process for getting your blog posts put together sounds sensible to me. I think we all find ways to work around the limits computers foist on us and the ways in which blogging platforms toy with us. I’ve never used Jetpack to publish anything. It’s on my iPad but not on Keyzia where I write blog posts, so I don’t know much about it.

      I wonder if this will be my last blog. I’m still enjoying writing it so I’m here, but…?

      Liked by 1 person

  31. Ally, you are so creative and resourceful! What an amazing transformation. Love it!

    As you know, I am no longer a blogger, but I often think about returning to blogging. I have things to say! 🙂

    When I blogged, I typed on a laptop, slouched down on a recliner. Comfort is important to me.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laurie, thanks for the compliment. I’m pleased with how this new configuration is working out and how I didn’t spend money to make it happen.

      I know you’ve put blogging aside… for the moment perhaps? That’s one of the cool things about writing a personal blog, you can do it when you want to.

      I can envision you and your laptop, getting all cozy together.

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  32. What a cool idea. The bench fits perfectly. I just built a day bed for the wife using lots of treasures found at the Restore (retail face of Habitat for Humanity). To your Q&A section. I write most blogs using a iPad, my other blog, now gone, I wrote primarily on my phone. Nearly all blogging is done from the comfort of my recliner, but I don’t like to recline I have an ottoman – weird right? Longevity! I feel that topic or purpose will evolve with time. As long as I enjoy the comradery and don’t feel as if the blog has become a “job” it will continue. The issue I had with the other blog was I always looked at the moments as content and missed out on the moments.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Danny, obviously it was kismet that allowed this bench to fit perfectly on top of the desk, no planning involved.

      I have an iPad and occasionally use it to comment, but have yet to write a whole blog post on it. I prefer an ottoman to a recliner’s reclining function so I understand that, oddly enough.

      Fascinating meta observation on your part about how looking for moments stole the moments from you. That’s a profoundly true realization.

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  33. I think your new set up looks much better and safer than the prior one. I use a MacBook Air and I sit at a little table next to the window in the Casita. I can watch the birds and not hear my husband, whose office is next to the kitchen. He’s on the phone all day and very loud. My back was hurting so my daughter sent me a link to a laptop stand. Now my laptop is at the right height. I had my 10-year anniversary on my blog yesterday. I enjoy blogging but cut back the number of days. I have a second blog that I’ve quit working on called SoCalSwimHistory. I was asked to write bios and history of swimming in Southern California when I was a swim mom. I’m no longer in So Cal and my swimmers have grown up, so I’m leaving that blog up, but not adding to it.

    Liked by 1 person

    • E.A. Wickham, this setup is INFINITELY more stable than my previous one that always kind of made me angsty. I’d like to be able to look outside as I blog, but that’s not going to happen with this configuration. If I ever get back to using a laptop I’ll look into a stand.

      Congratulations on keeping a blog going for a decade. I understand why you’re no longer writing for your other blog, but the one you have going now should keep you busy and engaged. I enjoy reading what you have to say.

      Liked by 1 person

  34. Such a creative solution to a problem. Your desk is so much bigger than home desk, though! I think my entire desk is the width of your bench, so I’m not sure that I can replicate your life hack.

    I write on my laptop. I don’t even own a desktop anymore and I don’t truly understand how to use our tablet because it’s an Apple product and I’m totally a PC girl. I write my blog at my desk or dining room table. Occasionally I’ll try to work on the couch, but it’s not very comfortable for me. I’ll keep blogging until I am too enfeebled to do so or I die. LOL. Even if no one is reading, I’ll keep writing!

    Liked by 1 person

    • NGS, years ago we splurged on this Pottery Barn desk because of all the file drawer space. It’s been a good investment but it is large.

      Many commenters use laptops like you do. If I was using one I’d probably be at the kitchen table, so I could see outside into nature. Like you I couldn’t be on the couch I’m sure of that.

      I like knowing you figure that you’ll be blogging forever. It makes me smile.

      Like

  35. Ally, I am impressed by the construction skills employed here. Well played. This reminded me of what I did when presented with the opportunity to buy a standing desk to use at work. One of my co-workers already was using one, and he seemed to like it for a number of reasons. Still, I sometimes liked to work quite closely to my monitors depending upon the task at hand. Sooooo, I looked around the office and found a number of books that looked like they needed to find a new purpose in life, along with a small stool which was conveniently looking for a reason to live as well. Ta-da! The standing desk test run was ready to go. Ultimately, I did get the standing desk apparatus, which of course still allowed me to return my keyboard to Earth when I felt like leaning into work once more. At home, I’m at a big desk with a laptop and two large monitors…same set-up I had when working from home. On and off again from blogging for the last 15 years or so, my guess is I’ll be reading others’ work at this point more so than generating my own posts. It is a fun hobby, but for me it is hard to carve out a block of time on a regular basis. Yet, the real reward in blogging for me was always and will continue to be supporting others’ content. I love the WP community.🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • Bruce, that’s a wonderful way to determine if a standing desk was for you. I know that a real deal standing desk would allow me to stand and to sit, but considering I prefer standing to sitting this configuration works for m.

      I’ve never had more than one screen in front of me but another commenter mentioned doing that. I can see in certain situations it might be useful for me. Food for thought.

      I started my first blog in March 2004 so I’m with you being a longtime blogger. For me it has become a habit to engage with people in blogland almost every day. I like to write, but like you I enjoy reading and commenting on what other bloggers feel like saying. However we all have time constraints, so I do what I can and don’t sweat what I miss.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Ally, I’ve been using two monitors for about five years now, and computing is so much more enjoyable. Two screens “up” at a time works out so well for me…no matter what the task might be. I doubt I could ever go back to a solo view!👀

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  36. Well done! As a fellow frugalista, (never heard that term before, love it, adopting it fully, giving it my last name and everything) I approve. I sit at a desk where my desktop computer is to write my posts, which, I don’t know that I’ll stop doing anytime soon. Until I run out of things to talk about, I guess. A standing desk, if I might go back to that topic a moment, sounds tiring. How do you do it? Or do you not spend a ton of time at the computer each day? I spend most of mine here, so I could see myself needing a sit break frequently.

    Liked by 1 person

  37. That looks amazing! I love the set up and I’m sure your back does too. I blog with my laptop and from a recliner. Once in a while I sit at the kitchen table but only if I have to since that position encourages me to hunch. The answer to your blogging question is: I don’t know. I suspect Typepad will go belly up and then I’ll need to decide whether to start writing on my WordPress blog, my blogger one or none at all.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, thank you! I admit I’m pleased with how this standing desk turned out. I cannot sit on anything like a recliner and use my iPad or my ancient laptop. Somehow I can never see what’s on the screen, a definite downside to blogging.

      Good point about ending a blog when the platform goes belly up. I don’t especially want to learn a new way to publish my flapdoodle and twaddle, so that might be the end for me, too.

      Like

  38. My current desk does not work for me, but there are so many things ahead of it on the get it sorted list, that it will not be banished for some time yet. A friend got one of those desks you can adjust from sitting to standing and, to the best of my knowledge, never uses it in anything other than the sitting position. I’ve not engaged her in why that is as I suspect she feels guilty enough as it is, but I am curious, that I cannot deny.

    Your solution is – therefore – even more an excellent choice.

    I use a desktop at a less than ideal (sitting) desk. I’m too used to a full sized keyboard now, although I did happily use a laptop for a number of years. When it died, I never found one anywhere like as good or as robust as it, so I reverted back to a desktop. But it was a compromise purchase, so I also use a tablet for zoom calls which isn’t great for the bits when I want to interact on the chat, but the thought of adding yet one more keyboard…

    I plan to keep on writing, although I am looking at other platforms (Medium and Substack in particular), but no plan to end my blog yet.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, I’ve seen those desktop standing desk devices that allow you to both sit and stand. It looks complicated to me, but then I don’t change the levels of the racks inside the dishwasher without swearing so I may not be a good source of information about how gadgets move up and down.

      I like my old desktop computer because the keyboard is large enough to make it easy to type. I have an iPad but don’t use in conjunction with Keyzia. I don’t know if I could successfully utilize two keyboards, so I hear ‘ya.

      I know a few bloggers who’ve gone to Medium or Substack. I don’t have it in me at the moment to learn a new platform. Seems daunting to me.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Wynne, many commenters have said that they use a laptop at the kitchen table. If I had a laptop I liked I might try that. I use this desk/computer for blogging and researching and shopping online. Z-D uses it as an adjunct to his laptop that he uses for work.

      Liked by 1 person

  40. Excellent solution to your need for a standing desk! AND you got to use a bench you’ve been harboring for years. Win/win!

    I write my blog and everything else on my laptop. Most of the time I’m in a living room chair, or sitting on the bed, but I’ve also written sitting next to a campfire, or in my car, or out on the deck, or at airport gates. Right now I’m in a chair in the living room, writing this comment while watching a female red-bellied woodpecker eat suet right outside my window during a beautiful snowstorm. Can’t be it! 

    I started writing this blog when I went back to grad school at age 50, in September of 2006. I didn’t know what a blog was, but I was getting a degree in “Information” aka as Library, and another older student hosted blogs…and he asked me if I wanted to write a blog. It started out as written accounts of what it’s like to go back to school at 50, at the university where both parents graduated, with a bunch of 20 something grad students. I look back at those posts once in awhile and I think my writing was better than, before images came along.

    When I stop? What will I do? I don’t know. Sometimes I think I’m tired of writing and you all are tired of reading about my back yard and my dog and my truck safety issues and my night photography, and my camping. But if we ever start traveling again there will be new fodder. Since covid there’s just been one thing after another for us, and I keep hoping the current thing will clear up before another thing comes along to keep us home!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dawn, you said it, this standing desk is a win/win. I don’t think I could use a laptop out in public, but might be able to deal with one sitting at the kitchen table. I have a tortured relationship with laptops. Hence my Keyzia.

      I didn’t know how you got into blogging and your reason makes sense. I cannot imagine what it was like to go back to college at age 50. Good golly. I earned a masters degree while in my 20s and that was difficult enough. Like you I learned about blogs via academic channels, before they became mainstream.

      I feel the same way as you do. We intended on starting to travel more when Z-D retired [sort of] in the fall of 2022, but have yet to do so for a variety of reasons. I get it.

      Liked by 1 person

  41. I love a good repurposed anything. I follow a Tiktoc woman who repurposes just about anything and it’s fascinating to me, though I’ll likely never do any of them. Nice work, Ally Bean.

    I upload photos from my iPad onto my blog, but then I write the rest on a desktop, so I can do ‘real’ typing, instead of one finger. I don’t have plans to end my blog. I picture myself slowly fading away, like I did from online message boards, back in the day.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bijoux, I stumbled over this idea and it instantly resonated. The new standing desk is doing a great job of keeping my computer stable and I’m smiling ear-to-ear about my frugality. 

      I understand about typing on a real keyboard. I have an iPad with an attached keyboard but it is so small and hard to see. I like Keyzia better, feel like I’m actually writing something of value. A couple of other commenters have suggested the same blog ending as yours… just gone.

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  43. I may have said before that I have an “office” in the kitchen and that is where I do all my typing including the blog on a big screen monitor. I can’t imagine doing things like that on my phone. It’s way too small for me. Sometimes I’ll do a post from the studio on my laptop. I just got a new desk and perhaps should have considered getting a standing one but didn’t. I love your repurposing project. Are you a lefty? Have you mentioned that before?

    Like

    • Janet, I remember that you work at the table in the kitchen. Didn’t know it was on a big screen monitor but I get that. I couldn’t use my to blog either. But people do.

      I like that my repurposed standing desk can easily be reconverted to its normal self should we want to do that. I’m only a lefty when mousing, I write and eat with my right hand. 

      Liked by 1 person

  44. I haven’t blogged for about four months, and I haven’t missed it. Can’t say for sure that I’m entirely done, but it’s starting to look that way. Maybe eight years is my expiration date. I still spend hours everyday writing—essays, articles, the early scribblings of book #3. Usually, I sit at the big solid desk I’ve had for 40+ years; sometimes I take my laptop and sit in a recliner. I’m really lusting after a standing desk, and may try to devise some portable bench or table I can plop on top of my desk. Thanks for sharing your photos. You’ve given me some great ideas, Ally.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, I suspect that your lack of interest in blogging is how many bloggers know it’s time to move on. Maybe you’ll start a different blog that’ll spark your interest? I know I’m seeing that happen.

      Your solid desk sounds delightful and meaningful and sturdy enough to hold a bench or some other sort of riser. I tell you, when I read the Ikea hack a lightbulb went off in my mind and this was the result. Good luck finding some way to make it happen for you.

      Liked by 1 person

  45. Applause on your creativity and frugality. 👏 I use a Mac laptop and usually sit in a comfy chair. I have a blog issue this year because I’ll be running out of space in the media library. Sincere there is no one single click to trash an old post and the attached photos, I either have to take on the daunting task of finding and deleting the accompanying photos one at a time, or I’ll call it quits because I don’t want to double the cost. I’ve been doing this for 14 years and thoroughly enjoy the community, but we’ll see as I get ever closer to decision time. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Judy, thanks for the compliment. I am pleased with how much sturdier this arrangement is than my previous World Book stack of books.

      I wish I knew a faster, easier way for you to handle your media overload dumping project, but I don’t. I agree it’ll take time and a very organized approach to doing what will need to be done to free up space. Maybe a new fresh blog, with a different title, is the way to go? Reimagine your blog and keep going there with all the space you need.

      Liked by 1 person

  46. Nicely done, you!

    I always blog on my desktop. I respond to comments either there or from my iPad. I have no idea how anyone writes and posts on their phone.

    I am currently in my office at my computer. My monitor sits on top of a dictionary that was in our donate pile until I noticed that it was the right thickness to raise the screen to a more comfortable height. Not very attractive, but effective.

    At one time I put together a combination of boxes and books to create a standing desk. I thought I’d try it out before investing in something more permanent and less rickety. I’m back to sitting on my butt now although a desk that can be raised and lowered easily is intriguing. I don’t think I’d want to stand 100% of the time.

    I’ll keep blogging as long as I enjoy it. I’ve met so many wonderful people through it. As long as I don’t have to stick with a schedule or write about anything of great consequence, I’m good.

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    • Janis, we approach blogging the same way. I couldn’t use my phone to blog, but a few commenters here do that. I’m impressed with them, truth be told.

      There’s something perfect about putting your computer on a dictionary. Like maybe by osmosis your blog posts would write themselves. As if. However buying a proper desk that can be raised and lowered is a good choice, too.

      I agree with you that as long as I enjoy blogging I’ll hang around. I don’t want it to become a slog that I feel like I have to do. I like the community so if nothing else I’ll continue on, for a while longer.

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  48. That is perfect! I don’t think I could stand for a long time in one spot. I considered one of those kneeling chairs but never pulled the trigger on it. I always type anything of substance on a desktop. I’m not fast on a cell and my Kindle is tedious too. As for how long I’ll be blogging? As long as it gives me joy. I’d prefer to announce my ending as some bloggers I follow just disappear. I always wondered if something (other than they lost interest) happened to them. One particularly good writer was in her mid to upper 80s and I tried to track her down but couldn’t. She may have died.

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  49. Your standing desk setup is very cute! I love making things work like that. You’ve got it set up just how YOU want it, and you probably couldn’t buy a desk that would suit you better. 

    I use a laptop and my iPad for blogging and art and everything else. I’m almost to the point where I could just use my iPad. I have a Magic Keyboard for it, which makes all the difference. I have a very basic sit to stand desk from Costco that was $137 on sale. I have to admit that it’s mostly in the sitting position. But I like knowing that I have the option to stand!

    The thought of you not blogging nearly made me cry! I enjoy your blog so much! I’ve paid for my blog until March 2026. It’s expensive. I don’t know if I’ll continue after that or if I’ll switch to a free platform. Maybe some new brilliant blogging platform will be invented by then!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Michelle, I hadn’t thought of that but you’re right. This setup works perfectly for me and a store-bought *real* standing desk would require me adjusting to it. Phooey on that idea!

      I’m not good with laptops but I do like my iPad and use it for commenting on blogs or doing research [or playing games]. It’s fun to use, but also older now so who knows how much longer it’ll work.

      Thanks for the compliment about this blog. I enjoy writing it so I’ll be around a while longer, but I also realize that there will come a time when it is over. I just don’t know when that’ll be. I’ll try to hang on until we get to March 2026, how’s that?

      Liked by 1 person

  50. Way to repurpose and revive items you already owned! Your office looks great. 

    When it comes to writing blog posts do you use a desktop computer like I do? OR, more likely, do you use a laptop or a tablet or a phone? OR, quite possibly, a combination of all of the aforementioned? Desktop with a monitor shared between my home computer and my work computer. I have a toggle switch to go between the two and a workstation that can be switched from sitting to standing easily. 

    When you’re at home working on your blog where do you write? Like at a desk? At a table? Plopped down on a comfy chair or bed? Standing at the kitchen counter? Other spot? Same answer as question above. 

    Thinking ahead, how much longer will you be writing your current blog? When you end it will you walk away from blogging entirely OR start a new blog, maybe on a different platform? I haven’t pondered those questions before. I have blogged on Blogger when I first started blogging. While WP has it’s issues, it is easier to connect with a blogging community in WP than it was in Blogger. I do have blogging buddies in both platforms though which I appreciate. 

    Liked by 1 person

    • Shelley, thanks for the compliment. Reusing stuff makes me and our budget happy. It’s that frugalista thing.

      You’ve got it going on with your computer setup. I’m impressed with how you can go between computers and heights. Clever.

      I started on Blogger, too. I know a few people there yet, but most of my blogging connections are through WP now. And a few bloggers are switching to Substack. Not sure it’s for me, but they like it.

      Liked by 1 person

  51. Oh wow, what a great idea! I love repurposing things. During the early days of the pandemic, my husband made a stand desk on our bed using an overturned Rubbermaid storage container atop a step aerobics riser. It wasn’t ideal but it worked for a while. What a time that was, whew.

    I use a laptop to write my blog, and usually I am at the desk in my office, where I can shut my door in case my next-door neighbour decides to pop by. I cannot hear a thing from my office, Ally. Not a thing. In the early mornings, when I typically read blogs (except today, it’s afternoon now, I’m catching up post-vacation), I read blogs on my laptop at the kitchen island with 100000 cups of coffee. I cannot read blogs on my phone, it gives me a headache. I like big fonts and I cannot lie.

    I’ll probably continue writing my blog until I die or until wordpress dies, one of the two. My friend Laura went on to substack but I’m not sure I want to make that leap. I like our community so I think I’ll keep going until I don’t. So not to worry, Boyhouse readers, there will be Rex content and discussions of Costco for years to come.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Nicole, yes about the early pandemic months. What a time! I like how your husband improvised and made a standing desk. With enough objects anyone can make a standing desk out of something.

      I wish I liked laptops better. I could see me sitting at the kitchen countertop, drinking coffee, grooving on blogs. I’m with you about not using your phone. I just couldn’t with the phone I have now.

      I like your idea of what your future and forever blog will feature. Rex and Costco are perennial faves. I don’t know about Substack. A few bloggers I know like it there, but it sounds like a whole new learning curve to conquer. Am I up for that? I dunno.

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  52. Clever solution, Ally. 

    This is where my rush to get things decluttered and cleaned up bites me in the butt sometimes. I just donated a comforter that two days later I realized I could still use. *sigh*

    I blog using a laptop at my desk in the world’s most uncomfortable chair. I really should do something about it one of these days.

    I’ve given zero thought to ending my blog – although given my tendency to ignore it a lot – I can see me just forgetting about it one day. Not likely, but it could happen. But purposefully just walking away? No, I don’t think I could do that.

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    • Gigi, there’s something to be said for procrastination. I learned that lesson with this standing desk. I’m sorry about your comforter.

      I don’t do well with laptops and then add an uncomfortable chair, and you sound bereft.

      Blog endings often just happen. I see that happen often enough. It’s an interesting idea to contemplate, how do these blogs end… in a bang or a whisper?

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  53. Nicely done, Ally. Reusing stuff is always a good thing.

    1 & 2) When writing, I use one of two laptops. Sometimes on my desk. Sometimes on a pillow on my lap, in a comfy chair.

    3) No crystal ball. I will continue blogging as long as it’s fun and as long as the community support remains. I came from a different platform. WordPress has issues, but I think it’s still the best place to be.

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  54. I love, love, LOVE desktop computers with nice big monitors and I’ll sing it shamelessly from rooftops! 🎵🎶 The smaller the screen and the less traditional keyboard-y the situation, the less happy I am. I’d sooner give myself a colonoscopy than type an entire blog post on a phone. If I receive a text that inspires a response longer than 2 sentences, I type it in an email (at my beloved desktop computer) and then text the person back with “I responded by email.” I have no intention of ever quitting blogging. Of course, if desktops go away and laptops follow, and all I’m left with is a phone, I’ll quit blogging in a second.
    Nice setup. I hope your back pain disappears soon!

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    • The Travel Architect, you and I are kindred spirits. I feel the same way about big monitors and traditional keyboards. Ditto about trying to write a blog post on a phone. I could not do that.

      I do the same thing as you. I’ll email you anything lengthy, while using texts for short things like: “at restaurant early, sitting at bar on the left.” THAT’S what texting is meant for, imho.

      I follow your reasoning about why you’d stop blogging. Me too. My back feels better at this standing desk so I’m happy with my frugal solution.

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  55. A brilliant solution, dear Watson!
    I must confess that the location of your computer eludes me, based on these photographs. I only see the peripherals. (Lefty, are you?)
    I do have a standup desk (built as such – I think it might be in a blog post somewhere), but I have an engineering chair so I can alternate between sitting and standing, which works best for my physical issues.
    I use a laptop connected to peripherals, including an elevated external monitor (I use both monitors together). My writing is now done often in the computer, but I used to frequently compose longhand. Much less now.
    I love blogging and will probably continue indefinitely, as long as people read (and distant cousins find me). I started a book review blog on my author page. If I do migrate, it would probably be to something like Substack.

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    • Eilene, my new desk and computer are in our home office, up against a wall. There are French doors to my right, an old bookcase to my left, and two wicker accent chairs behind me that are in front of a large window that looks out into the yard. It’s cosy and eclectic in this room.

      A few other commenters have mentioned having more than one monitor. I’ve never thought of that before but I can see how it’d be useful.

      I know a few bloggers who have gone to Substack and one who is contemplating it. I have mixed feelings about Substack and know at this point I don’t want to mess around with another platform. WP is difficult enough.

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  56. Who knows how long the blogging will last. Life changes quickly. Two years ago, I couldn’t contemplate an end to blogging at all. Now it is losing its appeal, for me. I wonder where I am going with it and its real purpose.
    As for your standing desk iterations, I love both versions. The wooden bench is a beautiful timber piece I would gladly pinch it I lived nearby and trade it for another less stylish variety. Plus, I do like the idea of putting notes and paperwork in the keyboard baskets too. Organized you- Marie would be pleased.
    Does you feel any better physically by standing at the desk rather than sitting?

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    • Amanda, you ask the questions all longtime bloggers ask eventually. Where am I going? What is the purpose of this anyhow? Existential angst, anyone?

      My new standing desk iteration turned out better than I’d anticipated, the old bench fits perfectly and looks pretty to boot. The baskets allow me to be more organized than ever before and for once this space looks tidy.

      I feel much better physically since I started standing instead of sitting in front of the computer. I wiggle around when I’m standing, fidget even, unlike when I sat perfectly still in a chair. Thanks for asking.

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  57. Ally, one of the things I HAD looked forward to was less time in front of a monitor because of all things, my knees hurt after so many hours of sitting. I’m tall. Sometimes, in the Spring or Fall I’ll go to my bedroom where I have a laptop elevated on, of all things, an ironing board atop a large family Bible that my grandmother gave me many years ago. It works well, except it is over a vent, so in the Summer, the cold air blows and in the Winter, on bitter cold days, it is too cold that close to the wall. (I wonder what they pumped into my house when I had whole-house insulation done in 2017 as it’s not toasty like they promised.) I have to find a workable option for when I’m not at work where I have to be near the phone, but for now I’m at the kitchen table. Whatever works for you is the way to go, especially if you get relief from any pain.

    I have not used a desktop computer since 2009. It is still downstairs on the computer hutch plugged into the modem and an old printer. I have worked on a laptop since buying my first laptop in 2009, the one that’s in my bedroom now. I’ve never untethered any of the laptops which is why they probably have lasted so long. I am using a Windows 7 laptop right now and have a spare Windows 7 laptop. Quite laughable is that my boss bought me a Windows 10 laptop – it is a Dell. I prefer HP and told the computer guy that – he ordered a Dell. I had issues with two Dell desktops. I know you have a Mac. I don’t really care for the Dell, so I have it plugged in and do updates/virus scans, but don’t use it. One day I will take everything off the Windows 7 and move it there … someday. We use Windows 10 at work, so I’m already familiar with Office 365.

    On February 11th, it will be my 11th year blog anniversary. My first four and one-half years, I only had a handful of friends that subscribed and only two commented … so since 2017, it has been a nice ride. I plan to stay “at it” for a long time and I mentioned to you before, possibly rebrand it down the road if/when I’m not walking as much (hopefully not for a while).

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    • Linda, I like the sound of your ironing board/Bible elevated standing desk. It makes me smile. You’re nothing if not creative.

      I don’t do well with laptops regardless of the make. They frustrate me and often I cannot see the screen. Z-D uses one with ease, like you do. I see that you have a plan for how to use the ones you have to your best advantage. Good job.

      I knew you’d been blogging a long time. I like your idea of re-branding your blog. That might be a smart move down the line. Some bloggers I follow who’ve been at this forever have started new blogs with new names. Just started over and I gotta say there’s an appeal to that. 🤔

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      • It’s not really a good look Ally and I should maybe use a tablecloth, but it is the perfect height. My Windows 7 laptop has a 17-inch screen and the Windows 10 is a 19-inch screen – I really should use it as it would be kinder to my eyes. I use a wireless keyboard with both laptop which I like better than hunching over the laptop keyboard, even though I only use the big one for virus updates.

        I got new glasses last year and cannot wear them in front of the computer screen or reading, so I have been wearing my outside polarized lenses glasses – they are the same prescription. I returned to the eye doctor to see if they were the wrong prescription – she said “no, you have to find your viewing spot” which makes no sense since I’ve worn progressive lenses for a while and never had a problem. I think it is because the glasses have a slight curve to the frame. I don’t feel like I can concentrate with them on.

        I meant to tell you that after I mentioned “Walking and Whatnot” as a possible rebranding, I hopped online to see if anyone used that name as I would reserve the name with WP. There are several variations, including a dog walking business and a Hiking and Whatnot, but no blogs. My domain renewal comes due soon, so I should spring for another name to have in reserve.

        Liked by 1 person

        • I like larger screens on computers so that I can see clearly what is up there on the screen without squinting. I know that some pairs of glasses I’ve had have been better than others. The progressive part was either in the perfect spot OR in the absolute wrong spot so that I had to move the glasses around on my nose to see what I was looking at. Good luck with yours.

          If you know a name you’d like for a future blog and can find it, that’s amazingly wonderful. Just about anything I’ve ever tried to find is taken at this point. Walking and Whatnot would be a delightful name for your blog.

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          • I will probably keep this pair of glasses as a spare and not for in the car. I wore contacts for decades and only stopped when I started working from home. About 20 years ago, suddenly I had to hold things far away and the contact lens practitioner experimented with different strengths of readers – none worked. So we tried out “monovision” contacts – one eye for distance, one eye for close-up and that was perfect. I’m not keen on returning to contact lenses though. My eyes are bad – I’ve worn glasses since my 7th birthday.

            I was going to look into reserving the name today. At work we had a consult with a new IT guy. He remoted into my Windows 7 laptop and asked why I was not using Windows 10? I said I had a big-screen Windows 10 laptop, easier on my eyes, but don’t like the computer especially and it was a pain to transfer everything on this one (there is a lot and I assume I could copy it on a flash drive, but still). So, that is my next project … I had wanted to declutter my table first … I’m not happy about this. My only other option where there is a plug is on the butcher block and it’s dark over there. I will have to come up with creative options pronto.

            I am going to look tomorrow before Walking and Whatnot gets snagged by someone else.

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            • I know of the monovision contacts but never tried them. By the time they came on the market I’d stopped wearing contacts. I like my glasses.

              Best of luck getting your preferred domain name and on figuring out your computer system configurations. I don’t enjoy messing around with what goes on inside my computers, just want to use them to write and research.

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              • My boss at that time needed bifocals and got bifocal contact lenses and they did not work so well. The contact lenses moved around in her eyes, so it was blurry looking at the screen. So I knew not to go that route.

                I am going to do it over the weekend. I have to go and see if it is available with “and” or an ampersand and go from there. Nope, I don’t messing with inside-the-computer stuff either. I bought a 128GB flash drive a few years ago in anticipation of backing up the Win 7 and perhaps moving it to the new computer. Always something to do it seems.

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  58. This is an excellent hack, Ally! Way to repurpose that bench! A very elegant and practical and sturdy solution.

    Your third question immediately raised a stress response for some reason. Why must there be an end?!?!?! I think that indicates that, current blog block aside, I am quite attached to my blog and blogging. I do sometimes think about changing my blog name, though, not that I have any idea what I’d change it to.

    I write my posts on a laptop, usually in my office. I have a desk in my office, but I prefer to sit in the comfy chair in the corner. Sometimes I write blog comments while walking on the treadmill (I have a desk attachment for the treadmill).

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  59. Now for my next trick, I will magically produce a set of encyclopedias before your eyes. 🤣

    1. Desktop computer all the way for serious writing. I own a laptop, but the keys are too sensitive. That’s my bedtime device. I break the sleeping rules by reading in bed with it until my eyes get heavy.

    2. Give me a sturdy desk and a comfortable chair and I’m as happy as a clam. Note to self—Are clams really that happy?

    3. I started a blog something like four and a half years ago. I didn’t even know if I’d last a month, and I’m amazed I’m still here. A good part of it are the friendships I’ve made. I’ve taken some well timed breaks, and I usually only write a post once a month now, but I violated that rule this month.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Pete, oh this made me laugh out loud. Yes, yes, that’s exactly what I’ll do next. You know I’m a magician!

      Those of us who favor desktop computers are adamant about them. I know I prefer mine to any other device, can’t imagine trying to write on a phone. I didn’t know how long I’d be writing this blog when I created it. I’d had blogs before, starter blogs as I call them, and knew that a lot depended on the little corner of the blogosphere you ended up in. Friendly bloggers make it worth continuing.

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  60. I love your standing desk! I had one just like it and it worked great, and then a friend gifted me a real one, so I swapped to that, but both were fine. Mine was on a storage tote, so if I did want to sit, I just moved it and then sat. It was fine!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Kyria, your standing desk configuration sounds like it was more versatile than mine. I’ve committed to standing here, always. Which is fine by me. We all adapt, don’t we?

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    • Venus, phones are not my friends, but I know many commenters have said they use theirs to write. I am in awe. Good answer about how long you’ll be blogging. Leave it up to the WP gods to decide your fate.

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  62. You left out the most old-fashioned way of all. I often sit on a high stool and write by hand at my kitchen island. Or I write at my desktop computer. I have a laptop, but I seldom use it. I thought I would. Without a standing desk, I try to remember to stand up and walk around every so often. I should do that more often.

    I like your thrifty, imaginative solution.

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    • Nicki, you’re right. Your old-fashioned way is good too. I scribble notes on scraps of paper which are now going into those baskets in the AFTER photos. Like you I rarely use my laptop, I thought it’d be great, but it annoys me and I cannot clearly see the screen. The thing about standing to write is that I naturally wiggle around unlike when I sit in a chair, so I think of it as exercise! 😉

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  63. I have no idea how long I’ll continue this blog. (I haven’t touched my “writer” blog in two years.) I write exclusively on a laptop. I sit in a recliner with an adjustable table to put my laptop at the right height. Oh, and there’s usually a cat in my lap.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, I know I’d find it difficult to have two blogs, keeping up with one is enough for me. Your writing setup sounds perfect, especially that adjustable table. I don’t use a laptop but I have an iPad that might work on one.

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  64. First off, Ally, when working, I was the first person in the region that utilized a sit/stand unit at my desk due to back/neck issues. I also became an ergonomic assessor for staff, but will not go into that for fear of boredom.

    Anyhoo…I now have a shiny Macbook Air laptop that I purchased a few months ago. If you read my blog post about this, you know the story. Between that laptop and a new iPhone, never having used Apple before, it was a frustrating switch at first. Now, I love them both. Still learning, but far more comfortable.

    I have three places where I use my laptop. At the kitchen table (where I am at this moment), on a high kitchen counter (it’s like having a standing desk), or a sit/stand unit in the office/cat room that I use on occasion. There’s no TV in the cat room, so I utilize the space when I need to wholly concentrate. It all works, but I have cut back on blogging a bit because it still affects my back and neck when I’m too glued to the laptop. That’s why you see my on Threads a bit more often these days, even though I keep saying I’ll be back to regular blogging soon. I have to let go of that.

    I hope your new setup works well for you and hope you keep blogging for a bit to keep us all entertained.

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    • Mary, at your workplace you were the ergonomic assessor? And you were the first to use a standing desk option? You are a trailblazer. I think that’s cool beans.

      I like how you’ve identified the places in your home where you use your laptop and know why you use each space as you do. I understand why you’re not blogging like you used to, but would miss you if you left entirely.

      I have an Apple laptop that is probably 10 years old and I never liked it. I do okay with an iMac and the iPhone, but that darned laptop was my nemesis. That being said should I get a new one [someday] you give me hope that we might become friends.

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      • The MacBook is nowhere near as frustrating as when I had a desktop years ago loaded with Windows Vista. I had so many issues with Vista and the conflicting software that was loaded onto it that I was ready to buy a sledgehammer. The MacBook is a walk in the park in comparison.

        I almost wasn’t a trailblazer with the sit/stand unit because I had to buy from a contracted agency for $700. You can get these units now for about $100. I felt like I was buying a toilet seat.

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        • I know that I like the idea of a MacBook but am anchored to my Keyzia right now. If we were to travel I’d want one, but so far that hasn’t happened.

          What a price reduction. Of course, prices always amaze me. I’m a frugalista!

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  65. Always use my laptop. If I’m writing or doing any other ‘concentrating’ task, I sit at the dining room table, where I can spread out, often lighting a candle and playing music that’s appropriate to my mood. For more relaxed activities, like reading blogs, or casual computering, I sit in a variety of comfy chairs around the house. Plan to keep writing for a while. But, 3.5 years in, I realize that I desperately need to revamp my website and I cringe at figuring out how to tackle that. So I avoid it.

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    • Gwen, I know many people are able to use laptops wherever they are. I like that you create ambiance when you concentrate to write at your dining room table. I have music in this home office, but haven’t lit a candle in here in years. Suddenly I feel as if I should.

      I don’t envy you the task of revamping your website. I did that a few years back and it was stressful, but ultimately worth it. Nothing nicer than a snazzy-looking blog! Good luck.

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  66. I love(!) your homemade repurposed out of the box (or desk) reimagined standing desk! That is creative. I struck an inbetween of sitting and standing and sort one of those computer holder for my laptop the raises it to a work-stool height that I sort of lean against.
    To answer your nosy questions: 1. Depends on what I’m working on. You know I have various outlets. Personal blog, Semi-professioinal blog, and speaking. The personnel blog almost always is written on a tablet while perched in my recliner, often with an old movie on the TV. The others, most always on the laptop in the office, although proof-reading and editing is fair game anywhere on anything. And I’ll probably keep doing all or some of the above for as long as I have ideas to share, some even worth sharing.

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    • Micheal, one thing I’ve learned from this post is that everyone has their own ways of making sure their computer is at the right height for them.

      Your recliner/laptop scenario seems to be a popular one among bloggers. I know that I do better proofreading and editing in our home office, there’s something about the formality of it that focuses me on the task at hand.

      Made me smile with your last quip. I wonder the same thing about some of things I write here.

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  67. Ally, this is an inventive way to repurpose disused furniture and the bench is just perfect. I was slightly worried about the precarious pile of encyclopaedias as a table for your beloved computer! My brother has a standing computer, a store-bought one, at his company and I gave it quick try but just didn’t like it. Where I write depends on what I am writing! Blogging, usually on my computer (sitting in comfy chair!) in my studio, creative fiction, usually tucked into bed early in the morning either on my iPad or the old-fashioned way of pen and paper!😀 Your final question is one I just cannot even start to answer – I’m here for now! Enough said! 😀

    A great post and I like how you started it – the answer of what to write was literally staring you in the face – you just hadn’t seen it! That is so typical and I will see if this works for me too! xx

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    • Annika, in truth I wasn’t comfortable with the computer on the stack of encyclopedias so once I realized I could use this old sturdy bench instead, I was keen to try this configuration. And it worked! 😳

      Almost everyone who blogs has mentioned a comfy spot whilst writing. I like standing but the room I’m standing in is cozy and eclectic and fuels my creativity. You’re the second person to mention writing with a pen and paper as well as composing on a computer.

      I was kind of surprised when I realized that I was literally staring at something that might be of interest to other people. I bet we all do that, overlook things that we could be writing about.

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      • Ally, I’m really surprised so few write by hand anymore and out of so many lovely comments I’m only the second to mention this! I like the freedom it gives me to immediately change words, see those amendments, play back and forth a bit !

        I love this sound of your eclectic inspiring room – and surely this deserves a post of its own! 😀

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        • I wonder about it too, why so few of us write by hand anymore. No answer, just something to contemplate.

          Maybe someday I’ll write a post that is a tour of this home office. Thanks for the suggestion.

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  68. Well done on repurposing that bench. I love the look and the added space for baskets to organize. I sat on a yoga ball at my desktop for years, because my PT husband thought it was best for my back. He did get me a decent office chair for Christmas a few years ago though and my back has been fine.

    I prefer to write my posts at my desktop, because my laptop doesn’t correct spelling errors anymore. I do use my laptop when I need to keep an eye on tots, or I want to be part of a kitchen vibe happening with my kids. Mostly, I prefer my desktop in my study. I don’t know when I will sign off for good on my blog. I think once I do that, I’ll just be done. I don’t imagine I’ll try to start something elsewhere. That sounds daunting.

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    • Ernie, it was a joyful realization when I realized I could put baskets on the shelf below the top of the bench. I didn’t see that opportunity coming when I put the bench on top of the desk. But then, it dawned on me. Darned useful, those baskets.

      Another desktop writer. There are a few of us around. I’ve never done well with laptop computers, they frustrate me, but I can understand why you use one in certain situations.

      I get what you’re saying about starting anew with a different blog. I don’t know what my answer is to the last question, but I suspect it’ll be whatever is easiest to do in the moment.

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  69. Glad you figured out what to do for your desk! That’s great!

    I usually work on my laptop, which is pretty much on my computer table. Everything I do is usually on the laptop. I know many people use their phones. I prefer to write on a laptop–especially novels and other writing projects. I also keep a notebook handy. When I am stuck on a scene, sometimes writing in the notebook helps me to push past the stuck point.

    I’m not sure how long I will keep up the blog. I never had an ending date in mind.

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    • L. Marie, thanks. I like my new standing desk configuration and I like how it cost me nothing.

      I couldn’t write on a phone, I need to see a bigger picture both literally and figuratively. Phones are puny. I like how you keep a notebook handy. I do that when I’m reading the news, but not when I’m feeling creative… and I don’t know why that is.

      I don’t have an ending date in mind for this blog, either. Just kind of musing on what will be eventually and thought I’d ask other bloggers.

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  70. First of all, good on you Ally, for repurposing an existing bench and desk, thereby saving money and space in the landfill. Now to answer your questions: 1) I write my blog posts on a laptop. 2) I used to use an adjustable sit/stand desk in my home office to work on my blog, but since I retired, my husband has taken over the office, so I sit at the table or occasionally plop down somewhere else. 3) When I decide to end this blog, I presume it will be because I’m tired of blogging altogether. I do not anticipate starting another blog. That said, never say never!

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    • Christie, I feel good about my homemade standing desk. It was such a lightbulb moment when I realized the Ikea hack would work for me too.

      I think most people write on a laptop. I’m sorry you lost access to your adjustable desk, although plopping down wherever has its charms too. And you’re retired so not a horrible inconvenience.

      I think like you do, too. When I’m done with blogging I’ll be done with it, say *goodbye* and move on. Of course, we’ll see what actually happens.

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  71. Oh, I like that you shopped from within your home and arrived at a delightful solution! I’m a hobby blogger and my only goal is to make the world a better place one blog post at a time! Keep rockin’ out your very agreeable posts!

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    • Awakening Wonders, you’re right I did shop within our home! The bench, while useful, never exactly called to me even though I bought it. Now I love it. I like your blogging goal, there’s always something good to be said for just making the world a better place.

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  72. I use a desktop computer, because I like the size of the screen. It’s in the family room of our house now that my kids are grown and gone, but when they lived at home, I kept it upstairs, in the “loft” area outside our bedroom. As to how much longer I’ll be blogging, I honestly don’t know. I find I don’t have as much time for it anymore, but if I quit, I’ll miss the creative outlet and the blogging friends I’ve made. So for now, I just post much less than I used to. 

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    • Ann, I’ve thought about setting up my Keyzia in the TV room but never did anything more than think about. Now she is at home one her bench so I doubt that I’ll try it, still I like your idea.

      The when to end your blog question is food for thought that I muse on occasionally. I like how it keeps my brain clicking to write and engage here, but like you I have less time, and some weeks inclination, to spend doing it. We’ll see how it goes for both of us.

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  73. Ally, I have a dedicated office space where I sit and write posts on my PC. On occasion,I’ll edit a post on my phone in bed during the middle of the night. (Living on the edge!) I have no idea how long I plan on keeping Wayward Sparkles, but certainly through 2024. Glad you were able to create a standing desk from what you had on hand. Also, sooooo…I’m missing the “F” book of the Encyclopedia Set from my childhood. Any chance you’d be willing to sell just your “F” book to me? 😀 Mona

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    • Mona, a few other commenters are like you, like me, with a specific space in a home office using a desktop computer, but we are the exceptions. Ain’t we special?

      The standing desk has worked like a charm, so I’m sticking with it until I *retire* from blogging. My “F” isn’t for sale, but Half Price Books usually has sets of old encyclopedias for sale so you might find your new “F” there. 🤷‍♀️

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  74. Keyzia looks quite proud with her vantage point. As for my own blogging, I write on my unnamed laptop from my couch but usually read on my phone until my eyes can’t take it. I have no plans for my blogging future other than one day at a time, sort of like my future in general. Last year I wasn’t feeling it and took a two-month hiatus. Now I’m not working, so I have more time. Will I go back to work? Maybe.

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    • Crystal, I’m sure you’re right that Keyzia is proud of her new roost. Your approach seems to be a popular one, write on a laptop while sitting in a comfy place, read/reply on a phone. I don’t know when I’ll end this blog and like you take it one day, or one post, at a time. Blogging does fill my hours in what I’d describe as a valuable way, but with work… I dunno.

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  77. Your new setup looks spiffy with a capital S. I use a laptop, but I have it on my desk connected to an external keyboard and wireless mouse. So it’s really a laptop acting as a desktop. But I do like that I can disconnect and sit on the couch with it if I want. I work in our guest bedroom which doubles as my office. More and more I think about closing down blog operations, but something prevents me from doing so…. – Marty

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    • Marty, I like how you described this as Spiffy. That is my decorating style in a nutshell. I can see the advantages to having a laptop that you can take around with you, but have yet to find one that works for me while in the meantime I have good old Keyzia.

      I’m sure I’d miss the people I’ve connected with in blogland but I also realize at a certain point I’ll be over blogging with nothing more to share. Hope you stick around a little longer, like 10 more years!

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  78. The bench is such a simple cure and looks wonderful. Stop writing my blog? Never. A different platform? No, ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.’ I write at a desk and a table, shifting between the two where ever hubby isn’t. I need silence to write and to read.

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    • Jennie, thanks. The bench has made all the difference for me now that I can comfortably stand and write. I don’t know that I could take on a new platform, either. So you’re going to blog forever! Made me smile with that idea. Write on, sister. 😉

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      • You’re welcome, Ally. I can see how the bench made all the difference. I have to blog forever because there is so much to tell about children and teaching. Really. I know…I need to write that book.

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  79. I love the fact that your computer is named Keyzia. I did not know this. Then again, I was not reading you in 2019. My loss.

    Great job MacGyver-ing yourself a standing desk!

    1. When it comes to writing blog posts do you use a desktop computer like I do? OR, more likely, do you use a laptop or a tablet or a phone? OR, quite possibly, a combination of all of the aforementioned?

      • 100% laptop. I might like or respond to a comment on my phone, but I can’t imagine doing anything more in-depth than that!

    2. When you’re at home working on your blog where do you write? Like at a desk? At a table? Plopped down on a comfy chair or bed? Standing at the kitchen counter? Other spot?

      • At home, usually in a recliner or (as I am right now) a loveseat. At work…which, yes, does happen sometimes…I’m at a desk.

    3. Thinking ahead, how much longer will you be writing your current blog? When you end it will you walk away from blogging entirely OR start a new blog, maybe on a different platform?

      • Forever. You can’t quit me that easily!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mark, Z-D said the same thing that I’d MacGyver-ed my standing desk. I hadn’t thought of it like that but true. [I once saw Richard Dean Anderson in person and he was very handsome, my goodness to the gracious!]

      Just about everyone uses a laptop. I like knowing you’re able to get comfortable in your spot when you blog, more formal at a desk when you work.

      Many people have said they intend to keep blogging forever. I do understand that. Once you get used to writing and reading blogs, it’s a habit. I know I’m in that habit.

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  80. Firstly, clever you! The bench is a far superior prop than a stack of books and so tidy!

    Now, to answer your questions: 1. I use a laptop connected to a large monitor and write my blog on the WP website. I’ve used the Jetpack app on my phone or iPad in emergency situations, like to let people know I was okay after a hurricane came through. Generally though I prefer to work at my desk with the large monitor and laptop. I feel more in control.

    2. I have a small computer desk that we bought at an unfinished wood furniture store years ago. My husband finished it for me 😊 It has a retractable tray for my keyboard and mouse. Sometimes I use the tray as a desk when I need to write by hand because it’s the perfect height for that. I do miss the desk I had in my office when I was employed. Sadly my room is much too small for a proper desk.

    3. Good question. I really can’t imagine ending my blog. Obviously I’ve been writing a lot less lately, but I like having the blog available to me when I feel inspired. I’ve written on other platforms but, aside from the occasional technical problems with WP, I don’t feel like moving my blog. I suppose if I were dependent on writing for a livelihood, I’d feel differently about it. Fortunately, I don’t need to write for $$ 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marie, you’ve summed up precisely the difference between the stack of books and the bench. Bench much better. Sturdy.

      I’ve never used Jetpack but I know many people do. I like anything that allows me to use a larger screen so I’ve never had a need to use Jetpack.

      A retractable tray for my keyboard and mouse does sounds like a nice feature on your desk. In a perfect world that’s what I’d have, but in the meantime this will suffice.

      Many commenters have said the same thing as you, that they’ll keep blogging where they are. Excellent point about making money off a blog, that’s an entirely different scenario. Like you, I blog for fun not for $$.

      Liked by 1 person

  81. I passed on your clever solution to your standing desk. A friend wants one for work and doesn’t think her boss will buy a whole new desk. but her husband is a clever wood worker and could make her a bench-like topper to just the right proportions for her. So, if she follows through, I think you’ve come up with something helpful for a lot of people.

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  82. That is wonderfully clever. I like it, a lot. I use a desktop computer (two — the old one built in 2007 and running Windows 7 holds all of my photos) and I sit at a desk. I’m up and down quite a bit, doing chores or running out to the art studio (after waiting for paint to dry) in between whatever I’m doing at the computer so haven’t yet felt the need to have a standing desk. I’ve looked into it and if I keep blogging and photographing things, maybe someday M will build one for me (because he’s frugal, too). Having just come back to regular blogging, I’m not sure what my future blogging career (heh) holds. I have been eying the dwindling space I have for images and when that runs out, I’ll likely move to a new blog. I’m too economical to pay for additional space.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Robin, if you’re getting up and down between sitting spells I think that’s healthy. I found that once I sat down I was glued into place, so standing keeps me moving/swaying/wiggling around. I don’t know what I’d do if I filled my media storage, but starting a new blog, a fresh start, has an appeal to it. That might be fun once you got past the frustration of learning a new template and [maybe?] platform.

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  83. Well look at you! This is a great setup and I think Marie K would approve!! And like you, I love shopping for things IN my own home; it’s amazing the things you can find to repurpose in another area.

    I use a Mac laptop and I almost always write at my desk. I don’t know that I’ll ever quit my blog, as my children would be so disappointed; they enjoy it thoroughly.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Suz, I hope Marie Kondo would approve, I don’t know why exactly I want her approval though. I’m just pleased to have not spent a small fortune on a real standing desk when I like my current desk so much.

      It’s encouraging to know your children enjoy your blog as much as we readers do. You’ve found your blogging tribe so, of course, you’ll never quit.

      Liked by 1 person

  86. Ally you’re a mind reader in more ways than one. I’ve been considering a standing desk for a while (love that you made one work with a pile of books & a table cloth) & seeing your lovely new/old standing bench desk I have no excuse to put off creating one any longer.

    I’ve been questioning if the time is write to move my blog to Substack (which I read on a lot and find more user friendly). I haven’t written on my blog since December so perhaps that’s an indication to try a new avenue. I can’t procrastinate any longer, well…I can, because there’s a standing desk to create & then I’ll need a niche for the new blog and then I’ll need to compose the perfect first post which could take quite some time but I also have to have lunch…oh dear…

    Liked by 1 person

    • Rae Cod, I appreciate your enthusiasm about my new standing desk configuration. The stack of World Books worked okay, but was wobbly. This new configuration with the bench is solid and just the right height for me. Also can’t beat the price.

      I’m beginning to read a few more blogs on Substack. They all look sharp which is refreshing and the few I’ve found are well-written, but more in-depth than the ones I currently read. That’s appealing to me, too.

      BUT I don’t know if I have it in me to start over again AND I don’t know if I’d keep this blog going like it is now while starting a different blog intended to be part of a different niche. SOMEHOW it seems too complicated to even contemplate… may I join you for lunch?

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  87. Great job repurposing! It’s always satisfying to come up with a brilliant transformation like that! As for me – a laptop – often at my dining room or kitchen table – or on the sofa. My table has recently been taken over by my plants though! Can’t write a thing on my phone or a tablet. I’m quite sure my neck and shoulder arthritis is caused by years at my desktop at the wrong angle! Finally I hope to just keep blogging until I forget how! I enjoyed your post.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lillie, thank you. I’m happy with my new standing desk configuration both because it is safer than the stack of World Books and because it didn’t cost a penny to create it which plays into my frugal nature.

      I could never write on my phone, I have used my tablet but it took 3x as long to do it. Most commenters use a laptop, something I’ve never got the hang of. I understand about sitting in front of a computer at the wrong angle, that does hurt a body.

      Your answer to how long to keep blogging is perfect. I’m smiling here. Yep, that’s about the size of it… until the mind goes awol and you can’t remember how.

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  89. Very creative idea! I don’t have a desk. I blog on my phone. If I had a desk, maybe I would blog on my laptop. Or not. I’m used to my phone. I write my books on my laptop though. I type at my kitchen table when I do, or at my son’s desk.

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