I am finding this format easy to use. Today I added a link to my navigation which goes to my Amazon Storefront. I unfortunately messed up my entire Amazon associate account so that I have not earned anything for about a year. No idea what I did, but it is connected with becoming an “influencer” in their network.

Like the Medium website, Substack allows for a limited customization of its format. So I changed the title fonts and looked at different styles for the home page. Not ready for those since I have three posts, and one coming. I will look into other edits once I have a body of work.

Because it drops, newsletter-style, into your email I am spacing out the posts. One maybe two a week, or every two weeks, depending on how people respond to the frequencies.

Latest post:

I noticed Dee Nash from Red Dirt Ramblings is changing her format to Substack, now (since 2025); and she mentions the hope of creating a blogging style community like in the “old days” for garden blogging.

I was hoping for that, too, but we’ll see. Substack certainly is set up for it.

In the next month I am going to experiment and try out creating a podcast recording for the gardening newsletter.

• • Visit Ohio’s Beautiful Public Gardens
  • 10 Best Perennials for Anyone’s Garden
  • Hungarian Braided Coffee Cake
  • Calla Lilies for an Elegant Winter Wedding Theme
  • Ilona’s Favorite Chocolate Desserts
  • My 5 Finger Shoe Review
  • Franz Liszt And Romantic Mania

Obviously not all those are garden related, but you may find one or two to be of interest.

My Garden Journal

On the Home Garden Companion, the focus has turned to the Southern Garden experience. Discovering new plants for the garden, as well as adjusting to completely new conditions are the topics for now:

Why Can’t I Grow Things Here?

What happens when you start out in a new place? Well, for me, there has been a whole lot of failure….

Substack Start and Southern gardening

This introduces my Substack newsletter/post and gives a garden report (like in the old days)

The Main Site: Ilona’s Garden

I did a few new posts in Ilona’s Garden:

Loropetalum in Atlanta

Benches in the Garden

Top Shrubs to Grow in Atlanta

10 Tips for Your Front Yard

That is the latest work, while there might be more to be discovered since it has been a long time since updating the reporting on my Webwork!

I am muddling through learning a new platform: Substack. At first, it seemed to be something like blogging. Now, however it seems more like a newsletter -which is how the posts are sometimes described.

Which is it?

As in the days when first blogging, it is likely that it will evolve over time. Right now, I am writing short essays, but since podcasts and video are available, I will soon try out that. I may replace the newsletter from Mailchimp with it. I have never gotten used to using those styles of communication.

So-visit my Substack and subscribe for free, or try out supporting me through it. All the information is on the site.

Easy to subscribe-for free!

This article will be under construction for awhile. This first paragraphis to simply announce it…while following sections of this article will be updated as I learn my way around Substack.

I know I have started and then departed many new things in the past couple of years. But I have a strong intuition that Substack will be different. I has possibilities for podcasts, which highly interest me. It also seems to be a good fit for my blogging style of writing. Wish me the best, won’t you? And maybe we can become a community on the site. I named my gardening topic endeavor, “Peace in the Garden” which harkens back to when I first started Ilona’s Garden Journal on Blogger.

Here’s where you can follow along the journey:

Here is that first video, which I invite you to not only watch, but to comment…whether on what I had to say or improvement suggestions for the video.

The products I bought in the last two months, besides the new phone:

• Lighting -backlighting strip
• Mini wireless microphones
• Tripod
• Gimbal

Besides that list I have my working wishlist, which curates the gizmos that I will be purchasing soon. I put together a little graphic from my Amazon store as a “mood board/ideaboard” to keep me on track. Maybe my choices will interest you. The main criteria is economical (that is, within my limited budget), in tandem with the best results as reported by trusted Youtubers ( like Think Media)

Let me explain that graphic. The top three I already purchased:

• Insta360 Flow Gimbal for stabilization and other features;
• Tripod that is tall enough for stable video that is face height or from a distance
• Mini microphones that plug in directly to the phone

The remaining two are on my list of what to buy next. The phone case will replace the simply protective one I now have. Why? It is specially constructed to work with filters that I hope to get (not listed in this collection). They screw onto the case to securely hold them in place. I really want to get a filter called “Cinebloom” and maybe an Anamorphic Lens. I decided I wanted the Shiftcam brand, but Moment is just as good. I had a hard time deciding between the two, actually.

And the other thingy with the circle framework? Well, that is to hold the phone on different surfaces so I can take perspective shots of different types. Again, there are all sorts of things like this, some with arms and clamps, etc. But I thought the vacuum suction type would work best for what I envision.

Ilona’s Youtube Studio

My sunroom, which is where I am presently shooting “talking head” content, was used as a guest room over the holidays, which means I must set it up again for creating film. There really isn’t any studio yet, but it looks cozy and comfy, don’t you think?

Yes, I’m Serious This Time

I have determined to tackle this challenge of making a series of videos that culminate in an opus of work. Doesn’t that sound grand! But for someone who has never liked the camera much and feels awkward with video, that is saying a lot. I am not the person who is photographing every moment…. not even many moments. But that is now something for which I am intentionally taking aim (little pun… a very little pun…)

So, if you want to support my efforts and give me encouragement that are ways to do that….

• Subscribe to my channel, and/or give likes to the videos
• Use my Amazon links for your own purchases (it won’t cost you anything, but I might get a commission).
• You could donate directly through my paypal link.

Right now, I am paying for my own expenses which are considerable, with hosting fees coming due this year, etc. I really love creating, but I am feeling the financial pinch at the moment.

Which is why I am working hard on building the Amazon affiliate connection. I will likely report on some of the progress on that in the future.

To sum up here is my latest effort on my “Chalkboard” talk channel:

https://youtu.be/jKd3MIkXobU

I filmed a new video this past summer, and finally posting it today. The video update shares my journey and where the channel is expected to go this year, 2026. I intended to post it in the fall, but had to stay longer in Ohio than expected… then the holidays… and that last little bit of editing and finalizing delayed the output.

Which made me angry with myself. Not that I could do much differently, but I was supposed to start creating much more! At least I am publishing this in January.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKd3MIkXobU

Take a look and give comments- is there anything you like or something that you would like me to change up? I was experimenting a bit, and that will continue as I try to find my style and my audience. I do like the colors in my “studio” which is actually the sunroom. Nice bright light.

This is money that paid for my hosting and theme on my sites. Which was reinvested in apps and equipment that is necessary for being online. In other words, I was running a hobby, not a business, but at least my retired husband didn’t have to underwrite it.

Now, in 2026, I am not sure what has happened to the small commissions I had from Amazon. I used to make the $10.00 payout every month or two. But now, there are no sales and haven’t been for many months. Not even many clicks.

I joined their “influencer” program around the time everything dried up, but I can’t seem to make a connection in the two events.

I thought the influencer was separate from the associates program. I still don’t understand how it works…

But I am scrambling to re-activate this part of my income, because I really like blogging and writing for the sites I have spent so many years creating. Hosting fees come up again this year. So I will try to post products that I use and like for my readers. And hopefully they will want to support me through patronizing my effort.

Here is one for today!

I found a beautiful wooden boar bristle brush that is quite reasonably priced. The issue isn’t with wanting to shop on Amazon or with the value of the products.

 

I fell in love with this set. It is so pretty and the natural bristles are gentle on the hair. The comb is a plus!

Trying to Rebuild

Trying to rebuild is difficult when ignorant of the downward cause. I went into my Amazon account and re-entered my sites. I made sure I was plastering the labels for my posts and links with the “I am an affiliate with Amazon and may earn a commission” alert.

But I don’t seem to have hardly any clicks- although there was one last month… and unsure how that happened.

In the meantime, I have been rebuilding the Christmas site, updating posts on other site (Ilona’s Garden, and My Reflecting Pool)

I’ve been moving the Hubpages posts onto my own sites.

And trying to post on Social media. Whew! Haven’t been sleeping much….

I Deserved Some Attrition

Because of my health problems, family dramas, and house moving… big reasons by any measure, I had ceased working online for intents and purposes.

So, I knew that eventually I would have to make up for lost time. But the depth of the drop surprised me.

This year averages 76% less than last year, in Adsense, and last years was usually a good 50% less than the year before. (Comparisons as reported by analytics.)

Hubpages went to pennies a month. And no Amazon share at all ( Hubpages management had steadily reduced that in previous years, not allowing more than a couple links that had to be shared income, anyway). I had accepted lots of this diminishing return as just part of the changes that were common in the internet space.

I am wondering if AI has anything at all to do with the present 2026 preciptitous drop. However, I have no way of understanding if, when, or how that may be the case.

The Silver Lining

The silver lining is not financial in nature, it isn’t a solution to what has happened, but it is a diversion of focus. For years I felt as if I should write a book, or two, – or more. But as I always seemed to be, I was stumped by my lack of understanding. I didn’t know how to start.

Well, nothing was taking first priority except the need to look for other ways to grow and be creative. I bought a program, “Scrivener”. Actually this is my second purchase, but I had started with the version which was so old it couldn’t even be updated…. even if I remembered which computer it had been on and which email I might have used some twenty or so years ago.

So I bought a new version and have promptly hunkered down to learn it.

Yes, It’s Hard

Not having used a word processor very much… only blog editors, I had a world of things to learn. a newbie again. But the years of learning platforms, html, and editor programs in graphics, etc, somehow have helped the learning pathways kick in.

So, I am writing a book. The old fashioned way, even though there are ads and videos everywhere on using AI.But I want to do this from the heart.

Continuing to rebuild a Business

In the meantime, I will continue to try to figure out how to earn from the hours, days, and years of content I have placed online so far.

News on that front will make its way to this blog.

I must apologize to those who read this, that it has been a dirge to the funeral of my online income.

Another Amazon link for those who wish to save money on shipping:

Sign up for Prime free trial

Think of this as a recipe index for the food and cooking related pages made by Ilona1, from all my sites. It doesn’t matter how or where they are published, just how yummy they will be once you cook them up in your kitchen.

Hungarian foods,  Favorite Desserts, Christmas dinners, whatever tried and tested recipes I post on here are for you to enjoy and now you can find them all quickly!

Just bookmark this food recipe collection for when you want quick access to certain recipes I have posted. This page is in progress… I am constantly updating and curating my work for you, my readers.

All recipes are what I consider the best recipes in my collection. These have come from family, friends, magazines, and favorite cookbooks over the years.

I guarantee you will love the Christmas cookie collection- those are the very “best of the best “of many recipes which I have been baking for years. Rich, buttery, and truly special.

cookies

Christmas Cookie Collection

• My Best Ever Christmas Cookie Recipes
  All my family favorites packed into this one page. Guaranteed delicious, I have baked them since I was a young wife and mother more than thirty years ago. Christmas cookies must be special – and these are!
• Starring Your Favorite Spice Cookies
  The smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, allspice, mace and molasses fills the air when you bake these well loved cookies. The crunch, the chewiness, or melting softness when dunked in your coffee, it tastes like Christmas and brings memories to…

My Favorite Cookbook – Good HouseKeeping Cookbook

Of all the cookbooks I’ve used over the years, the Good Housekeeping has been my best loved one due to the fact that the recipes always come out well, and they are excellent in providing a broad range of great flavors. It is the first cookbook I go to to find a really good recipe for something I want to make.

The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook: America’s Bestselling Step-by-Step Cookbook, with More Than 1,400 Recipes

All the best recipes for home cooking AND company. Well illustrated and easy to follow instructions.Buy Now

Great Food Collections

Discover the Recipes Throughout my Pages

Good collections of recipes curated and posted are brought together here for easy access. Instead of repeating the many individual posts, I am listing the collections that are in digestible portions on my sites. Indexes of relevant themes are on some sites, but let’s start with one that attempts to corral them all.

• Ilona’s Best Recipes Collection On My Reflecting Pool I have the largest list, many of the items are individual pages.

Amazing Recipe Books

Pioneer Woman Cookbook is a best seller because of its appeal to cooks of all levels. Guaranteed delicious and foolproof. Buy Now

Compiled Cooks Cookbook

I collect the magazines which I have bought from time to time through the years.

The recipes are always clearly written, well-chosen, and the reviews and tips are the so helpful they truly improve your cooking abilities. This is the cookbook, with 2,000 entries.

Organize Your Own Recipes

I create recipe binders and notebooks that are customizable and personalizable on Zazzle. They may suit you for your own kitchen or as gifts.

Hungarian folk art design cookbook binder

Hungarian Kitchen Folkart Deer 3 Ring Binder

Maroon and Navy Floral Recipe Card
by ilonagarden A recipe card can be inserted in a gift, included with a buffet, or any other way you wish to share a hard copy of a favorite recipe dish.

Fresh and Healthy

• Fattoush salad
• Spinach salad
• Hungarian cucumber salad
• Italian Panzanella Salad with Chicken
• Squash Blossoms

Featuring Herbs and Spices

Before trying a new flavor, we like to know a bit about the spices. More often, after coming across new health findings about a spice, curiosity and a new desire to cook with those ingredients brings us into a whole new world of delightful dishes.

• Recipes With Health Giving Turmeric 
• Cardamon Spice