I got a tour of the farm on Saturday. It’s bigger than I was expecting although I think if I laid out all the photos that Ben has taken over the years, I should have probably realized its actual size. We got to talking about the blog and how many followers we have now and I thought I’d do a Stats Update.
We have 12, 672 followers. Of course I don’t really know what this means on a day-to-day basis except that at some point in the past 12 years, since Dale started up the Trail Baboon, 12,672 folks have hit the Follow Trail Baboon button. One of the things I do know is that having all these followers does NOT mean that 12K folks are reading the trail every day.
Most days we have somewhere between 200-240 views from 60-70 visitors – that includes us. The average number of views is 2.46 to 3.25. The average number of comments the last couple of years is 50. Sunday is the slowest day on the Trail. And for reasons that pass understanding, Wednesday is typically the busiest. I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise to anyone that the days that generate the most comments are book days, music days and food days.
Over the years we’ve had visitors from 202 countries. Pretty remarkable since Google says there are currently 193 countries in the world! US has the highest number of visitors, followed by India, the UK, Canada and then Spain. The countries with the least are Gabon, Sint Maarten and Chad (just 1 visitor each).
The Trail is a more subdued space these days, but relatively stable. Our least busy year was 2016, when Dale was cutting back and preparing to retire from the Trail. 2021 was the most active year since baboons took control. One of the most interesting things I discovered while researching the stats is how many of us kept the blog going while Dale was on sabbatical the summer of 2015 and then during 2016 when he was tapering off. This is not meant as a heavy-handed hint – although any pieces would be happily accepted by me and Renee – just an interesting phase of our history.
Any fun memories to go along with the Stats on this Memorial Day?
Trail Baboon 
Memorial Days are usually pretty mellow in my household. We put the flag out and that’s about it. Not a lot of veterans in my family and those who were are long gone uncles or grandparents.
I think we need to start a blog marketing campaign in Chad. See if we can double or triple the number of followers there.
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Regarding your statistics.
The email I receive every day from The Trail is usually one of the first things I read every day. But I seldom click over to the website. If your statistics could capture how long a recipient spends on the message before deleting, I think you’d find a larger percentage of your 12,000 are really appreciating your content, but just do not feel the need to comment or read more of the comments by others. In my case, it is usually a music related post that causes me to click the comment button.
Please keep lighting the Trail for us!
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Thanks for dropping in today. Are you a late great morning show/Dale Connolly devotee or did you find us another way?
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And are you the Jeff who was interested in the Michael Cooney music?
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Yes, Barbara.
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I am on wet patio. Thunder crackling around me. Rain dripping around me. Thinking about hydraulics, how water gets to top of 65 foot tall trees in front of me, trying to remember what I read years ago about very surprising fact that water makes it to top of sequoias. It’s either that or feel guilty.
I do often think about those who dropped out. PBS has a special on in June about Roy Orbison, which reminds me of his niece up north.
Moondogs season is supposed to start today, local summer college players team. Been looking forward to today since Christmas when my daughter gave me season tickets. Game will certainly not be played alas.
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What team is the Moondogs? Must be baseball?
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All across the country towns of various sizes support baseball teams made of college players who are sent to develop their skills. Most players stay with host families. The Moondogs play teams from Wilmar, St. Cloud, Rochester, Duluth, Waterloo, Bismark, and others. I can see the stadium from my patio. Tickets here run from about $10 – 8 per game. Do not know what the season tickets cost. It is just fun to sit there on a summer evening cheering for your team, not that you care much. With teams so close lots of fans will go to games in other ballparks. With a season ticket you can get a pass for other places. My daughter and family do that, now only really her and her husband because both kids are camp counselors.
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Osmosis.
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Tis the force that drives the water, but still to treach up there . . .
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If there is a country named Chad, should not there be one named Bill?
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Or if there are countries and states named Georgia, Virginia, and Carolina(s), why no place named Jacquelina. There is the River Clyde after all.
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Population: 1.
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But with a beautful handmade flag, only one in existence.
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And the only knitted flag.
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Rise and Shine Baboons,
I cannot think of much to say except that I so appreciate our little community here. It has been such an unexpected pleasure in my life. It just blows me away that other people want to ready what we have to say.
I must start writing some posts again, but I keep thinking of topics, then I forget the ideas. I have to make some notes of these ideas. I recently wrote something like,”that is a blog post on its own,” then immediately forgot what it was.
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I have the same thing going on, Jacque – I think I’ll remember it for later, and then POOF, it’s gone. Have to write something down…
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That is why I have pads of paper with a pen in every room of the house.
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Yep, I keep notes on my phone about things I should include in the blog.
Or things that would be totally separate blogs.
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It’s an interesting notion that people from around the glove have stumbled onto the blog one way or another. Fenton probably accounts for the lion’s share of activity from Spain, is my guess, and possibly his sister for some of the clicks from the UK. Which, of course, brings Steve to mind. His 80th birthday is coming up on the 12th of June, if I remember correctly. I recall the gathering at Minnehaha Falls in a surprise birthday party for him, with a fairly large group of baboons present, some of whom we rarely hear from anymore. tim had lured Steve there under some pretext or another. Something to do with wanting photographic advice?
That brings me to Memorial Day, just to give you yet another sample of the stream-of-consciousness activity that goes on in my head. First Edith, and then Steve, departed forever, and are now among those were remember on this day, though I’m sure it’s not limited to that. Makes me wonder when, or if, Molly is contemplating a “celebration of life” sort of event; has anybody heard?
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Another tip of the hat to Memorial Day from me (this time with fewer typos, I hope). A glimpse from a bygone era and show that we’ve all witnessed, with a spirited band of musicians, several of whom have since passed, but thankfully, most of them are still around. Those shows so much fun!
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So many of the early performers on the Prairie Home Companion Show in that clip. Off the top of my head, here are the ones I can identify: Bill Hinkley, Judy Larson, Cal Hand, Rich Dworski, Tom Keith, Garrison Keillor, Adam Granger, Butch Thompson, Bob Douglas, Mary Dushane, Peter Ostroushko, Dakota Dave Hull, Charlie Maguire. I know I’m missing several but their names escape me at the moment, and a couple I simply have no idea who they are (like to woman dancing in the white pants.)
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I’m glad PJ remembered that surprise birthday party for Steve at M’haha. I just looked up the tree cutting party at Steve’s which was July 14 of 2012 (!).
I’m also glad for the intrepid band of baboons – regulars, semi-regulars, occasional, lurkers, lapsed.. you name it. There have been many over the years since Dale posted the first blog entry in 2009. (The Trail Baboon started in June of 2010, I think).
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I’ve always enjoyed the blog. I used to have more time to participate and if I missed some, I’d spend time catching up and reading all the posts and comments. It got to be too much after awhile and I stopped. I always intended to come back. I regret that it took so long.
This is turning out to be another busy summer for me too. If I miss a few days, I will be back. In June there are graduation parties for my niece and nephew. Also a group of friends is going to Jackson Browne on June 14. I’m working in July for other staff who want vacations but I hope I don’t work too much. In early August I’m going to the Festival of Sail in Two Harbors, sometimes called the Tall Ships Festival. It will be exciting and we’re really looking forward to it.
VS, you and Renee do a phenomenal job keeping this all going. I miss Dale and some of the other original Baboons who aren’t here now for one reason or other. Still, you’re doing a great job and the blog sounds (reads?) much as it did at the beginning. I remember we also had a lot of recipe sharing and created Kitchen Congress. That was fun too. I always enjoyed tim’s descriptions of cooking. Steve had some really good recipes too, as well as Joanne. I have a copy of Linda’s non-Amish curry and a 5-minute chocolate cake in a mug from Alanna (not sure if I spelled it correctly. Sorry, Alanna, if you’re lurking somewhere). Really fun stuff and I’m glad you’re all such a welcoming bunch.
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I will be considering the possible reasons for your choice all day, Linda!
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The original conversation appears in this post.
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OH! Yes! I remember now! I just re-read that entire post and it was worth it but I fell off my chair!
She does have a lovely voice and the song has been in my head all day… thanks for the ear worm!
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I may not show up as often as I used to, but gosh I am glad you are all in my world.
Besides, if it weren’t for Baboons how would I have known to go vote for mini donut ice cream so I could then buy it at my local grocer?… gosh I wish they’d bring that flavor back.
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Finished planting tonight. Whew! Big sigh.
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Good for you, Ben. I was wondering when the “weather” rolled in – briefly – how much it affected you. Apparently not too much.
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No weather here. Very windy, but that’s all.
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Oops, spoke too soon, a little shower coming through.
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Earlier today it was sounding pretty grim in the forecasts, but it seems only the western part of Minnesota was significantly affected..
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