🎂 💥 POL: Eight Years on the Hive Blockchain! 💥 🎂

One of the fascinating aspects, to me, of these "virtual worlds," is they have a property which makes them historically unique.   At least in theory ...

And, what is that?

They will always be around, continually kept running by people operating nodes all over the world.   We read sometimes, e.g. the way I have ended my posts for a long time, that we can refer to this property as the Hive blockchain being immutable.

We have, then, the opportunity to write down whatever thoughts come to us and know they will "live" far beyond our time.   At least in theory ... 😉

So, with that in mind and always appreciating what this represented, I am now going to write something down, for my future reference and the benefit of those who came after me.   Who knows?   There might even be another reader or two who will find it to be of some interest. 🤷‍♂️

^{Source:   Built on image created by starline on Freepik}

Eight years is not really all that long, unless you are talking "crypto time."   In which case, it is a very long time.   So, kudos to the Steem Hive blockchain, that it is still around and humming right along.

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Over the years, one of my favorite aspects of engaging on the Hive blockchain was receiving these "milepost" awards from @hivebuzz:

^{Source:   HiveBuzz Personal Awards from the team of Witness @arcange}

In the past, I have always written these anniversary posts to coincide with when I began writing.

^{Source:   The "Genesis Block" of @roleerob's Steem Hive blockchain "journey"}

Here is where it all began.   Since it is my "official" anniversary, this is the time of the year in which I may write future anniversary posts, if sufficiently inspired.   As I am today ...

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With that, I will just touch on some IRL highlights and a quick overview of my crypto investing.

Highlights of Life in 2025...

In my Steem Hive introduction in 2018, I informed my readers I had previously pledged to never have any presence online.   Well, I obviously changed my mind, in backing my investment.

Having now divested myself of my Hive assets, I spend a lot more time these days IRL than in the "virtual worlds" of crypto.   A decision I have never regretted making.

At home ...

Pick one of these ...

"There is no place like home!"

"My garden is my happy place!"

... or choose one of your own.   For @roleerob and his family, there is very little more satisfying than the good, clean (dirty?), honest work of gardening.

^{Source:   Collage of my own pictures}

Men have been involved with it, in one way or another, since the beginning of time.   While deemed by some to be pretty good with words, I do not feel adequate to express fully what it means to me.

For 2025, here is what we are growing, along with the number of types in parenthesis, if more than one:

• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Grapes (2)
• Tomatoes (4)
• Basil
• Carrots
• Cucumbers (2)
• Peas (2)
• Peppers (2)
• Beets (2)
• Lettuce (2)
• Dill
• Squash, Zucchini
• Pumpkins
• Red Potatoes

A "fun fact," for new things we have tried this year?   In the upper right picture, you will see we are growing some red potatoes in our newest, "state of the art" raised garden bed - a box from Amazon!

We are really excited to see what the yield will be.   They sure have done very well in there! 👍

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On the road again ...

There is nothing which soothes my soul more than being up in the high country.   Blessed with a family who has expressed their desire to experience for themselves some of my past escapades, rather than just hearing the stories, this desire has evolved to become an annual "Adventures with Dad!"

^{Source:   Collage of my own pictures}

From the wild life to the wild flowers, up in "mountain majesty" country, I'll leave it to my readers to decide if ...

"A picture is worth a thousand words!"

... is true or not.   After all, I would certainly not want to be guilty of straining their attention span too much. 😉

Money Flows Where Treated Best ...

This simple phrase, for this investor, speaks volumes.   One can spend all their investing lives gaining a deeper appreciation for why I just wrote that.   Although I took a little bit of a run at it long ago, I won't be saying any more on this introductory statement now.

For the purposes of this post, just suffice it to say it undergirds most of how I think and what I do, when it comes to investing my own hard-earned dollars.

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Investing Outside Hive

Overall and for a variety of reasons I will not get into in this post, I have been slowing, steadily winding down my investment in crypto.   Much has changed since I (foolishly?) decided to "jump in" to investing in it, starting in August 2017.   Not a lot of it, in my view, for the better.

There are 3 remaining groupings of what I am still managing:

• Still HODLing "blue chip" assets
• As one cannot (by design) "escape" from choosing to invest in some smart contracts, I check on my "locked" / "sacrificed" / ?...? funds from time to time, to see whether the original promise is getting even remotely closer to being realized ...
• Inside the essential "circles of trust" concept behind most crypto investments, I still have some investments in a couple of communities which have never let me down.   Out of both loyalty and a residual desire to have some reliable income streams to show for all of these years, I am still involved.

The objective has always been to put my principal to work in "money making money."   Which would ideally result in the preservation of my principal, while providing some yield I could begin to withdraw for achieving some savings goals IRL.

What a "roller coaster ride" some of these investments have proven to be over time!   These experiences have definitely reinforced that investing in crypto is not for the ... "faint of heart."

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Investing Inside Hive

How is it going, for those still faithfully laboring away on and investing in the Hive blockchain?

<sup>Comment :   3 April 2025

Comment :   24 July 2025

Comment :   3 August 2025

Today :   29 August 2025
Primary source:   Hive webpage on CoinMarketCap</sup>

Having long since left the "echo chambers" of the Hive blockchain, I have no idea (well ... actually ... I might have one ...) what the "big boys" are saying today.   This above is what the global markets are saying.

While I have made my position clear in the past, on my own investment in Hive, I have also sincerely and consistently stated that I do not mind being proven wrong, for the sake of those who are still faithfully laboring away.   I will be happy for them.

Closing Thoughts

My "journey" through this "virtual world" on the Hive blockchain began via motivation as an investor. While that has ended, I may surprise some people with letting them know I still glance through my feed fairly regularly. Although not often, I have even commented here and there.

Why?

I have a genuine interest in seeing how others are doing.   And what they are thinking.   Especially those of the OG community with whom I have some fond memories of engaging.

With that, onward and upward.   However you are doing and wherever you may be in this big, wide world, all the best, to each of you, for a better tomorrow!

Respectfully,
Blogger @roleerob

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“Immutably enshrined” in the Hive blockchain on Friday, 29 August 2025!
🌲 No trees were harmed in the publishing of this post! 🌲

Distributed to the communities in which I was most active, with rewards

burned

.
(In support of those faithfully continuing to add content, I am
doing my small part to increase the value of HIVE ...)

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Edit (ongoing ...)

For any who open this post, with any questions along the lines of "where is @roleerob?" or "why did @roleerob decide to leave?"  Anyone choosing to follow this last link will find details to the answer.  I am an investor, first and foremost.

Read what you will find above, in this post, then look at this continuation of the trend below:

<sup>Today :   10 October 2025

Today :   17 October 2025

Today :   5 November 2025</sup>

And ask yourself two questions:

1.  Will this continue?  Or, will it ever turn around?
2.  Why?

The record is clear, on how I answered these questions.