Can I help you find something? Searches that led to my website

I recently had my website redesigned & moved to a new server, and along with that change came a new service that counts website visitors and gives other information…like where in the world they’re located and what they typed into a search box to find me.

I have to admit…this last bit of trivia fascinates me. Most people find my website because they searched my name or the title of one of my books. And plenty find my list of Authors Who Skype when they search for “free author Skype visit” and variations on that. But some of the other search terms amuse me to no end. People have landed on my site by searching for all of the following:

mouse tracks under the snow (This made me smile – and I hope the person found out about OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW!)

girls can spit (I have no idea…but I love that someone searched for this)

background information on Kate Messner (Do you suppose they want to have me fingerprinted, too?)

dedication to pi (Wait…pi…or pie?  I am very dedicated to pie.)

Messner aquarium (We used to have a fish tank. Does that count?)

Miranda mink (This is what we named the mink that visited us on the icy lake one winter. Is there another Miranda mink??)

Notes on eli the good by silas house, like certain notes on each chapter (Cheat on your book reports much?)

silent kiss poems (I’ve never written a silent kiss poem…but now I kind of want to.)

“someone should have told me” (Sorry…the list of things I wish someone had told me is too long to blog about.)

Kate Messner Day (Really? I had no idea! What month is it in? I think there should be ice cream.)

and finally…

Is is safe to kayak with alligators in Florida?

I suspect the person who Googled this question was trying to decide whether or not to go on an Everglades kayak excursion like this one my daughter and I took last year. I smiled, imagining maybe a mom and dad arguing over whether it was a good idea. “But Lucy…the alligators will be right there!”  When my daughter and I went, we had a wonderful time. It felt safe (we didn’t get eaten or anything), and the guides were fantastic. I hope they decided yes.