Perspectives and AI

A few weeks ago while Googling my blog, I stumbled upon two reviews by members of Tea Forum [an online Tea Knowledge & Friendship group that I'm not a member of].  The reviews were written in July and November of 2020 in response to the question, "What are your favorite tea/teaware blogs"?  The reviews pertaining to my blog were quite thought provoking to me.  

The first member said she liked reading my blog because I was a non-internet tea-drinker of the classic older American type, who normally live in an almost completely offline tea-world.  Instead of being exclusively about tea, it is about her family, friends, and tea.  More time is spent on teahouses than on tealeaves... 

The second post was in response to the first post written by a fellow member:  Your post inspired me to try the relevant tea leaf blog.  I find that it is a very personal blog - so personal that reading it made me feel uncomfortable in the same way as if I had read someone's private diary without their permission.  

Wow!  I never thought of my blog as a private diary but I have likened it to a journal of sorts where I've recorded experiences/events with photos to capture memories.  I've never shared private/personal thoughts that I'd be uncomfortable with someone else reading.  As a teen I kept diaries that locked with a key for those kind of things [which I disposed of long ago].   

It prompted me to look up definitions of diaries and journals.  Long story short, they may overlap, but they aren't the same.  A diary is a type of journal but a journal isn't always a diary.

I know blogs aren't as popular now as they were when I began blogging in 2012.  Many blogs that I used to follow don't even exist anymore.  Reader comments are scarce, bordering non-existent these days and there've been times when I've considered abandoning my blog as well.  A post is very time consuming if it includes any research or photos, and time is usually in short supply.  

My blog, however, is just as important to me as anybody who reads it [if not more so] and I've never been driven by how many followers I have.  I eliminated the followers box on the sidebar of my blog early on in my blogging days.   My family and I have referred back to the blog many times over the years looking up outings and events, and it's been invaluable when making Shutterfly photo albums because it's so easy to forget dates and details.   

On Christmas Eve this year my son was wondering what he wore last year so he wouldn't wear it again this year, to which my grandson replied, check the Relevant Tea Leaf blog.  ;-)

 ~ Christmas Eve 2024 ~

Christmas Eve 2025 [below].  As a side note, Jeremy is my only child who is a tea drinker.  He received three tins of tea this year that he specifically asked for.  I haven't given up on the other two kids.   ;-)

I make no apologies if some feel they are reading my private diary without permission.  It's a public blog so no permission is necessary.  Readers can take it or leave it, but it'll be one form of legacy I'll leave behind that will express my passion for tea, hospitality, family, and faith [not in that particular order].   

AI is the big thing in technology these days.  I'm not a techy person so no worries about my posts and pictures being authentic. To be truthful, I'm very skeptical of AI.  My granddaughter, Brooke, is techy and shared these pictures with me on Christmas Eve that she generated through the AI app on her iPhone.  It made me feel like I don't ever want to believe anything on Facebook again because I won't know if photos are legit or AI altered.

The photo below is a photo that was taken of me in 2018 when I first started working at the Whitney, and a photo of my dad in the early 1990's, and an AI photo generated from the two photos to make one.  It's incredible, yet scary at the same time!

 It even has wrinkles and a finger print on the side to make it look old and authentic.

The second photo was taken of my son Steve on his birthday this year and his six-month-old baby picture.  Brooke, with the AI app, turned it into a picture of him holding himself!  She also did one of of my daughter with a recent picture of her and one when she was 5 years old [not shown].

I like the AI smile she put on his baby picture that wasn't the same as the original.

On this last day of 2025 I hope your reflections of this past year reveal God's faithfulness in the good times as well as the difficult times, and may we look forward to the New Year as a blank book with new chapters, keeping in mind the front windshield is much larger than the rearview mirror for a reason!