5 P.E.I. blogs to check out this weekend

Do you have some time to read this weekend? Sure you do — you're reading this, after all. 

Here are a few blogs written by Islanders you might want to check out/support/see if you've been mentioned in. 

1. He used to be on TV   

Did you know former Canada AM weather and sports anchor Jeff Hutcheson lives on P.E.I. now? He married Islander Heather Campbell about a decade ago and commuted back and forth to Toronto until the iconic CTV show was abruptly cancelled in 2016.

Hutcheson started his blog I Used to Be on TV the following week, originally to try to stay connected with the Canada AM audience, "or at least my version of what happened," he said. 

I've got over 40 years of TV memories jammed in my brain somewhere, and every now and then, one of them pops out.— Jeff Hutcheson

"I went to Google and typed in 'how do you start a blog?' and I was off to the races," Hutcheson says. 

"It was actually very cathartic for me in the months that followed," he reflects. His first posts are mostly about the show and his co-workers, but he also talks about other things like golfing (he's a fanatic) tuna fishing and adjusting to retired life.

His blog boasts about 500 followers and Wordpress statistics show about 350,000 views since the blog began, he says. 

"My blog [post] about taking a retirement trip to Cabot Links had over 25,000 views in three days (that's what happens when 'Capers' share!)," Hutcheson says. Another humorous post describes how Hutcheson was required to be fingerprinted to prove he was not a sex offender.  

As he get further away from being a "working guy," Hutcheson says he plans to comment a bit more on what he sees on local and national TV.

"And I've got over 40 years of TV memories jammed in my brain somewhere, and every now and then, one of them pops out because of the relevance to it of something happening today," he says. Hutcheson has also begun hosting travel tours for Tierra Tours.

2. Diary of a Squirrel 

Jenni Zelin began her webcomic blog Diary of a Squirrel in 2015 "primarily to amuse myself and deal with everyday life stressors creatively, and I hope it provides amusement and stress relief for others," she says.

Zelin has a lot of fun blogging and says she's met a "wonderful and supportive community of online cartoonists, webcomic creators, and squirrels."

She's also had opportunities to have international guest cartoonists for her blog, do guest cartoons for others and participate in collaborative projects.

Her blog contains some "naughty language," she warns, and is rated PG-13. 

Zelin follows many other webcomic blogs that provide her inspiration to keep writing, drawing and posting. "I also follow some food blogs, such as eatthelove.com, for its impressive variety of chicken wing recipes," Zelin adds.

3. He'll mumble for ya

John MacKenzie began his poetry blog Mumblin Jack in 2013 as a vehicle to promote his album of spoken poetry. Its tag line is "I'll mumble for ya (and apparently, lament all yer lost loves, too).

MacKenzie, from Charlottetown, posts one to three times a month on a wide variety of topics — sharing his original poetry, as well as musings on the challenges of writing poetry, and even silly photos with captions about a hat knitted by a friend. 

He declined to be interviewed for this article but did say he thinks the blog has about 100 subscribers. 

This poem, about the death of a street person in Charlottetown, I found especially melancholy and moving.

4. Young, Wild and Tidy

Islander Kailea Switzer started her blog Young, Wild and Tidy in 2015 as a creative outlet.

"Growing up, I was constantly writing poems and songs to express my many overflowing emotions, but as I got older, I felt like that part of me was getting more and more disconnected," she says.  

"I never would have imagined how much my blog would change my life — it has been filled with unexpected gifts. For example, the blog gave me the courage and platform to create and sell planners, as well as to leave my secure job and embark on self-employment," Switzer says.

"It became a vehicle to help me write and process my feelings about moving away from P.E.I. and on the whole, to practice courageous vulnerability and to allow myself to be seen," she says. 

Even though she's lived far away in California the last few years, her blog has allowed her to stay close to her family, Switzer says.

"I think my blog provides a window into my inner world, and perhaps this can lead to others feeling more comfortable to share themselves with me," she says. She's moving back to P.E.I. in June, so expect to see the Island featured in the blog. 

According to Wordpress stats, the blog has had more than 13,000 visitors to date.

5. Vegan with a side of rap

Tracey Leigh of Charlottetown started her blog Made by Tracey Leigh a couple of years ago after friends repeatedly asked her for recipes after she made them dinner. The blog shares her simple, original vegan recipes and includes detailed instructions and photos.

Leigh began cooking alternative meals, primarily plant-based, at just 15. "This was almost 20 years ago, and access to this type of food, and at the time blogs in general, was much more scarce," Leigh says. 

"Old-fashioned mentality is that vegan food is for 'hippies' and is boring or unappetizing, so I try to create content that disputes this," she says. 

She illustrates the blog herself with rapper illustrations that are puns on her recipes, like Soy Division and Wrap Queen. She also includes nutrition information "so folks can learn about some of the benefits" of a plant-based diet. 

Since beginning the blog, Leigh has pursued education in holistic nutrition and is studying at Holland College.

Leigh's blog averages 25 to 50 views a day and has had more than 2,000 unique visitors in the past year, she says.  

"When I am not a full-time student with two part-time jobs, I hope to be able to commit more time toward making the site more visible," Leigh says.

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