@theycallmedan offered a challenge to the community: select 3 or more Steemians you follow, and write a post explaining why they matter to you. Well, here I am to jump on that bandwagon. Here is my humble (ha!) effort.

Images below are respectfully torn from the profile pages of the individuals in question.

@generikat

I introduced my partner-in-library-crime to Steemit shortly after I found it, and she has blogged about everything from homesteading hurdles to travel to personal musings to crazy family stories about growing up in an Alaskan logging camp. When the Kat and I tell our occasional library tales, we try to anonymize our descriptions to protect the innocent, the guilty, and the downright weird alike, but we can share a chuckle over our shared knowledge of who exactly we each really mean by our cryptic nicknames.

@scribblingramma

Another Steemian I introduced to the idea of blockchain blogging. She writes somewhat irregularly about quilting, travel, cats, cooking, and whatever the freewrite prompt of the day might be. To be honest, if I didn't know her in person, I probably wouldn't read her material myself, but perhaps this should be a reminder to expand our circles to read more diverse subjects. We can't grow the platform by becoming too insular. I hope the new communities feature doesn't isolate people further.

@myjob

I don't know how I first came across her account, but her stories about commercial fishing from a small boat on the Florida coast intrigued me. She's posted more consistently than I've upvoted her. She's also been responsive to questions and conversation. I appreciate her honesty about the trials and triumphs of living independently.

@dullhawk

Newspaper columnist. Mountain man. Rabblerouser. Cantankerous libertarian purist striving to carve away inconsistencies that get in the way of liberty for all. What more can you ask for? He posts almost daily, and he slays the sacred cows of state religion. He's usually a bit more laconic than the more loquacious ladies above.

The Big Players

I have to offer a nod to @papa-pepper and @meesterboom, but they're hardly minnows in need of recognition. If you're not following them, you're missing out.

Papa-Pepper has done a lot to promote community, and needs no introduction to anyone here, I hope. He writes about homesteading, family, and of course, peppers.

Meester Boom has been throwing his weight behind @steemflagrewards on top of churning out his deranged and vulgar brand of blog comedy and beer reviews.

The Missing

@crowbarmama, @guntotnhippie, and @crowbarkids dropped off the radar shortly after I met the family in person, and I have no idea what happened. Was it a case of a dead computer and lost keys, or did crowbarmama's health problems catch up with her? Does anyone know anything?