TIME GOES BY BLOG
This blog is mainly for those who followed Ronni Bennett's 12+ years of writing Time Goes By.
After a lengthy, brave fight with pancreatic cancer, she died in late October 2020 and left her blog to her good friend, Autumn. Ronni told all of her readers that:
“Arrangements are being made for this blog to remain just where it is online for at least five years after I've died. If anything is different, my friend Autumn, who is handling everything following my death, will let you know via this blog. So when she posts information, it will show up in your email subscription just as you receive it now.”
Unfortunately, Autumn posted only three times since Ronnie's death. She is not going to post. I have not ever met Autumn or corresponded with her and she has rebuffed my attempt to email her. With the help of Joared (https://joared-along.blogspot.com/), and some of her fellow bloggers, they found the above quote in one of her previous posts (that's a LOT of digging through almost daily blogs).
Ronni lived in my condo complex and we became close when we were both involved in The Village concept (nonprofit group to help people remain in their homes with a little help). Being two very strong willed ladies, we parted ways when she refused to do things the majority of "members" voted to do. Dictatorships rarely work and the Village crumbled. Only to be resurrected in 2019 as WLLO Village, where I volunteer and am a paying member.
Apparently "Autumn" (we don't think this is her real name) has been a flake in dealing with the selling of her condo, her car and all of her belongings (those fabulous hats went to Goodwill). Many people emailed her via Ronni's blog but they have not been answered to date.
I've spent a few hours online trying to figure out if we could revive Time Goes By.
From the US NEWS + World Report:
"I don't think you can ironclad final-care wishes," sums up Howard Krooks, who practices elder law in Boca Raton, Fla. "I think you can state what you want but then [you have to] cross your fingers.
At the time Ronnie made that announcement I thought it wasn't going to work. Dying people want to see their pet projects survive and friends make promises they often can't or don't want to keep. I'm not faulting either of them. It's just the nature of humans in that situation. Ronnie's blog had a very narrow, topic specific theme and Ronnie had the writing talent, background and discipline to build up a following. Not everyone would have the discipline to keep that going. Autumn might have figured that out or had health issues of her own get in the way. Or maybe she didn't want to live in the shadow of her friend if she had the talent and passion to build her own blog with her own mission statement. We'll probably never know. To me, it's enough that she posted any obituary and gave Ronnie's readers closure.
ReplyDeleteI agree. A blog is usually a VERY personal project. "Autumn" probably feels a bit guilty for not keeping the blog going. It was probably difficult for her to just be the Executor and deal with personal property. Grief affects each person differently.
DeleteI have missed Ronnie's blog everyday and when she died I felt I had lost a friend - she put an enormous amount of work into her blog - almost a full time job but so informative and fun (loved her Saturday blog) I read her entire blog after I started following her for 6 years - what a life. Maybe Autumn - who lived on the East Coast resented the fact that Ronnie's brother who lived there was of no help and she had to come there to settle everything for Ronnie - that is an enormous task - she also had a son near by who she had only recently been in contact with - I don't think anyone could replace Ronnie - she and her outlook were unique - it's sad, though, the way Autumn ended it...Mary Ellen
ReplyDeleteI especially loved the Saturday blog also!!!
DeleteIt would have been better closure for all her readers if someone could just post that the blog will no longer be written and how to go in and save all of the posts. I have a feeling it won't be Autumn
TGB not continuing as you report here is most unfortunate given Ronni's wishes otherwise. (Note: her name is spelled without the "e", a matter about which she was sensitive and noted on TGB.) As for my activities you mention here -- I, accidentally encountered information I found unclear as to who Autumn was which did result in my researching a bit more though I spent very limited time doing so, reaching no definitive conclusion. Coincidentally, others who accessed TGB only through their RSS feed since they don't have blogs contacted me, concerned with information they received from the TGB host, Typepad, about changes there that would result in their no longer receiving the blog. I have made some effort to obtain an answer to their question from Typepad and suggested they might want to follow up with the host, too. The matter has become complicated by the question of when, or if ever, Autumn was going to reactivate TGB as she wrote there in December. JB subsequently provided information that Autumn would not continue the blog. What remains unknown to me is if existing TGB content will continue to be hosted by Typepad on the internet with the usual URL just as Ronni said she had arranged. But, I still haven't been able to learn how any RSS feed may be affected. I await a response from Typepad as those TGB readers may, too. I, also, like to think Autumn will eventually provide an update with some clarification to the TGB blogging community about the blog's future with or without her. I see no useful purpose in speculating further about what Autumn's plans are or why she has handled the matter as she has. She wrote she was only a child when she first knew Ronni who was an adult and their close relationship developed from that point forward, probably much deeper, I think, than just as a friend. I continue to feel sympathy for her loss and whatever challenges emotionally and otherwise she may be experiencing resolving Ronni's estate.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the correction in spelling her name properly. It's been changed now. Ronni's blog WAS pretty much a full time job. And a full time passion. The shoes are probably too big to fill.
DeleteRonni's blog was always the first thing I read. Her passing was deeply mourned. I wondered what was going. Thanks for the clarification.
ReplyDelete