I am drafting this post two days ahead of Power Up Day which falls on a Saturday. Not only is it my usual market day, but there are two markets which means I'm going to be pressed for time, and means I'm powering up and posting ahead of 7am and while bread is baking and before I start loading the bakkie (utility) for the market (yes, that's a long sentence; a bit like my day's going to be). On my own. This is my new normal. Doing things solo.

At this point in my life, busy is not just good, it's very good. It's all too easy to dwell on things. And I need to be earning. Which brings me to another point: I may be powering up today, but I may also have to power down. Looking at what I need to cover my monthly expenses - including the unexpected ones - I didn't generate nearly enough in June. July should be different as I do have some work lined up.

The significance of six

I keep on saying:

Because I turned 60 in February, I had every intention that this milestone would determine the amount of Hive I'd be powering up each month until next February.

However, because of moving into a new and totally unwelcome chapter right now, that's mostly gone by the way side. That I have managed to do so this month, is in no small part thanks to the gifts I've received over the last month. I am trying to get back into posting daily, but I admit that the inspiration is just not there. When I do, I shall be keeping my HBD liquid. Just in case I have yet more curved balls to deal with.

Back to Hive Power Up Day business

The Power of Three

From July 2022 - three qualifying redfish that meet my our criteria and the basic PUD criteria (read about it here and below) will get delegations of:

300 HP for 21 days

Each of us will (@lizelle, @coquicoin (herself a recipient of one of my delegations) and me (@fionasfavourites)) will delegate 100HP to the winning accounts for three weeks (21 days).

Hive Power Up Day

For more about why we power up on the first of each month, check out this post from the awesomesauce @traciyork who pulls it all together.

Why I - and now my fellow collaborators - do this

We all have great empathy for noobs and redfish, and that's what lies behind this contribution to #HivePUD. Here's the rundown:

After all the numbers are done and official winners announced -

We delegate 900 HP, shared equally - that's 300HP per account - among three accounts that meet the basic Power Up Day Criteria as well as these additional criteria. They must:

• be less than 6 months old
• have at least two qualifying posts since the previous power up day.
  Posts that qualify must have 200 words or more and exclude posts for Power Up Day, and Actifit.
  As a reminder, the reason I added the second criterion is because -
  Hive is a social blockchain: it's for socialising, ruminating and just generally hanging out.
• have a reputation of less than 61
• have not more than 500 HP in their accounts before they power up - both on the first of the month

What if no accounts qualify?

As I always say, I don't make decisions on my own, so if, as has happened in the past, there are "slim pickings", I will be working via Traci with the @ocd team to make selections and will keep an eye out for those accounts that fall into the Silver Bloggers' league and who have joined that community. If there are no Silver Bloggers who meet the criteria, we will look for accounts that have been identified either as part of the @lovesniper curation initiative or as part of @zakludick's Busy Bees. We will also, because of our declared bias, look for accounts that are either subscribers to the Silver Bloggers Community, or who fit that profile.

Of course, that's not all

Remember that in addition to the delegations, these accounts are added to my fanbase and receive a daily 100% upvote (if my voting power is still more than 90%; if it's not, I do try to pop over, but RL sometimes gets in the way). This is also why I ask @ginabot or my bot F.R.I.D.A.Y to notify me each time they post. If I have an opportunity, I pop over, have a gander and occasionally weigh in on whatever the post may be about. If you haven't had a vote, I then give a manual vote.

Remember, too -

Lightening does strike twice:

If you participate in this #hivepud and you still meet the criteria, you will go into this month's pot again, and stand another chance to receive a second delegation. It's happened before. I promise.

I have you powered up today? Have you?

As I have already said, there's no significance attached to the amount I've powered up. Just that I did. Power up. And here's proof:

Until next time, be well
Fiona
The Sandbag House
McGregor, South Africa

Photo: Selma
Post script

If this post might seem familiar, it's because I'm doing two things:

• re-vamping old recipes. As I do this, I am adding them in a file format that you can download and print. If you download recipes, buy me a coffee. Or better yet, a glass of wine....?
• and "re-capturing" nearly two years' worth of posts.

I blog to the Hive blockchain using a number of decentralised appplications.

• From Wordpress, I use the Exxp Wordpress plugin. If this rocks your socks, click here or on on the image below to sign up.

• Join Hive using this link and then join us in the Silver Bloggers' community.

Original artwork: @artywink

• lastly, graphics are created using partly my own photographs, images available freely available on @hive.blog and Canva.