One Riot, One Ranger

Daily Prompt: All about Me
Explain why you chose your blog’s title and what it means to you.

I considered starting a blog for years, but I had always heard that a blog needed to be about only One Thing – like raising chickens, or succeeding in the art world, or traveling on a shoe-string.  You were supposed to find the niche that would focus the unexpressed voice of some part of the public, raise awareness of some issue, or start a new trend.

I could not think of my One Thing.  I tried to think of one category that would cover all the little aspects of my life.

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On a long car trip, I asked my husband for input – he is good at distilling matters into essentials.  He reminded me of a phrase our youngest daughter used when she was about 7 – we had gone camping down on the Rio Grande, and she wrote about it in her school journal – “My mom and dad took me to the edge of Texas.”  We always loved that phrase. and he tweaked it into “The Edge of Textiles.”

I liked it, but I thought, I’m not really “on the edge” of anything – I’m not “cutting edge,”  “on the fringe,” or “dancing around the edge”  – I am more “snack dab in the middle,”  “in over my head,” and “lost in the stacks.”  Try to give that a positive connotation and you might even say “deep in the heart.”

Once I had the blog name, Textile Ranger was a natural choice.  The Texas Rangers have a long, colorful history of enforcing the law in Texas.  They are known for traveling alone, widely and unpredictably, doing whatever it takes to handle a situation.*  Since I have a “home on the range,” and have been a park ranger,  it seemed like an apt name.

Since I started blogging, I have found lots of blogs that are about way more than One Thing.  I love reading about people’s multiple interests and areas of knowledge.  I’m glad I can give up worrying about that, but I’m also glad I took the time to find the name that felt perfect to me.

*There are different versions of  a story in which a town has sent for help to forestall a mob scene.  When the mayor meets the train on which help is to arrive, only one Ranger steps off.  The mayor says in dismay, “Where are the others?  Why only one Ranger?”  and the Ranger says, ” Hell, you’ve only got one riot.”

Category : Textile Tangents
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