Taking stock & looking forward… and enjoying the quiet of February

As I type the newsletter this month the snow is falling…and just outside my window, the birds are busy at their “table.” I hope moments of peace and beauty are visiting your home this month, too.

Some news about the future of “Notes”

It has been almost a year since I published my first issue of “Notes.” Anniversaries are always a good time to stop and take stock. So before I jump into what I’ve been cooking this month, I wanted to take a minute to share some of my thoughts about the newsletter and its future.

First, a big “Thank you!” to all of you. I hope you have enjoyed the things I have been writing about…and the recipes that I have shared. If you are so inclined, would love to hear back from you (via the comment section) about which issue(s) you particularly enjoyed…or found most helpful. If you have thoughts about things you wish I had talked about (or discussed in more depth), I’d love to hear about that too.

I also want to apologize for the fact that commenting sometimes feels like a bit of an onerous task (because of how the Beehiiv platform is set up). When you try to comment (ie—click the comment button), it is likely that you will be asked to log in. If you have only read the newsletter through the email—or have never commented—you may have never been asked to log in. Clicking the “login” button will trigger an email to you that will provide a “get access” link for the site (all the old posts, comment sections, etc.). This “email access” system is the default. If you wish to switch to “password” access, you may do so by logging in and clicking “manage subscription” on the drop down menu (at the top of the home page). I don’t know if that’s any easier…but it is at least closer to what people might be used to.

The main thing I want to share is that there is a significant change coming to the newsletter. Beginning on April 1, all subscriptions will be converted from annual to monthly when they come up for renewal on their one year anniversary date. This conversion will be done automatically in the billing system, so you won’t have to do anything if you wish to continue your subscription. Annual subscriptions have been $30/year. The monthly rate will be $3. I apologize that this is a slight increase ($6 over the whole year). The difference is mostly to cover the increased Stripe processing fees (since they will process more frequently). If you wish to cancel your subscription (I hope you won’t!), you may do so via the link at the bottom of this email. When you cancel, you will continue to have premium access until the end of your current subscription period.

I am making this change because the newsletter has not attracted the number of subscribers that I had hoped. Consequently, I may need to bring it to an end. I love writing it, but I have to think about the best use of my time when it comes to providing for myself. I realize it takes a while to build an audience, so I am continuing as long as possible. At this point I believe that I will keep writing the newsletter until the end of this calendar year. I do hope to be able to continue past then. My goal is to fulfill my obligation to all those who have purchased annual subscriptions. Once all of the subscriptions have been switched to monthly (about a year from now), I will be able to stop publishing if I need to—without being faced with having to issue a lot of prorated refunds for time remaining on annual subscriptions.

As an aside, I will continue to offer one year gift subscriptions. I can add an option for one month gifts if that would be of interest (let me know!).

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.