Although we’re a household of modest means, we’ve created a rather rich life for ourselves here in the country. However, we have by no means done it alone; through the years we’ve been the beneficiary of much assistance in many forms and from many sources. From monetary donations to informative tips, from in-kind gifts to the more conventional and institutional forms of aid, we’ve been blessed to receive enough to keep the fires burning and the engine moving forward.
This is a season in which everyone beseeches us to give more, I know, and I hate to add to that din, but still… I’m coming to the end of my ability to store media here on this WordPress platform, and if I were to delete the old pics in order to post new ones, they would disappear from the blog. Which I don’t really want (selfishly I rely on this online journal to remember our personal history; this, for me, is our family scrapbook), so I’m hoping to raise $300 in order to boost my storage space enough to last well into the next decade. If you’ve enjoyed any of these 550 plus posts and you’ve passed up the tip jar icon thus far, I hope you might consider leaving a small tip – just a dollar or two – on your next visit. Santa, as I hear it, has been investing all of his resources into tuba and bass-related paraphernalia as well as more mundane purchases such as heating oil and liability insurance, and so he would welcome a little help if anyone is so inclined.
There may be a reason I’ve never been very good at business. I hate asking. My pitch, although colorful and perhaps touching at times, is anything but over-confident. Most folks have a limit for the self-loathing and needless self-deprecation of others. I know I do. And all that self-doubting business doesn’t necessarily inspire philanthropic support.
That being said, there are a couple of things I can say with complete confidence: firstly, this blog brings enjoyment to many readers, and secondly, my son is in love with all things that resound in the bass clef. These things I know.
The bottom line? I hope you’ll consider leaving a small tip for The Hillhouse in the jar over the holiday season.
Maybe think of it as buying me a cup of coffee, or Elihu a cup of his favorite peppermint tea. But regardless of whether you hit the tip jar on the way out or not – I still offer you a sincere thanks for your audience here; you must know that that in of itself has far more value to me. Only thing is, this modest blog – despite the advertisement for disposable adult underwear that accompanies it (gasp – is that honestly my demographic now??) – sees not a penny of that revenue, contrary to what some readers have come to believe.
Again, thanks for coming along with us on our adventures here. Tips or no tips, we couldn’t wish for better friends.
Post Script: Thanks for the personal emails, messages and Facebook responses, your input is most welcome, but I wanted to be clear that I’m in need of proprietary WordPress storage – which costs $299. I have hard drive storage for all my images, but they must be stored on the WP platform in order to show up here in the online posts. Also, I want to thank our friends for making such generous contributions in such short order! (Honestly, just a dollar or two would suffice!) We’ll let you know our progress… xo
The Hillhouse 