Monday, October 20, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Sunday Stealing: Let's Talk Travel
From Sunday Stealing
Let's Talk Travel Meme
01. Ok let’s talk travel, do you like to travel?
A. I used to, but the older I get the more I just want to stay home.
02. Where have you been?
A. Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Spain, and France. I may be missing some states in there.
03. Next place you want to go?
A. I would love to visit England, Scotland, and Ireland. I would also like to take my husband to see the Grand Canyon.
04. What is something you MUST take with you when you travel?
A. My medication.
05. How do you like to travel? (mode of transportation)
A. Car. That will make going to Europe a little difficult, won't it.
06. With someone, or alone?
A. With someone.
07. Do you dance in your car when there are other people with you?
A. Um. I can't stand up in my car. But if you mean, do you sing aloud and move about when a good song comes on, then yes.
08. If you're quiet what does it mean?
A. It means I am thinking, I have nothing to say, or I am tired.
09. Favorite scent?
A. Chocolate chip cookies baking.
10. Favorite store?
A. Any bookstore will do.
11. Say you wanted coffee ... what kind is your favorite?
A. I do not drink coffee.
12. Favorite kind of pizza?
A. The round kind.
13. Do you get embarrassed easily?
A. Yes. This question has my face flaming red.
14. Do you mind people asking you personal questions?
A. Apparently not, since I do these meme things every week.
15. You have a tank of gas, $50, and the day off . . . what do you do?
A. Go home and read a book.
16. Favorite TV show?
A. I have recently enjoyed Masters of Sex, and I am looking forward to the final season of The Newsroom. I also like The Big Bang Theory, Bill Maher, and Survivor, which I have watched from its inception and have no idea why I still turn it on.
17. Song you turn the volume up all the way to listen to?
A. Band on the Run, by McCartney and the Wings. Or anything by the Eagles. Actually, I do that for most songs that were performed in the 1970s.
18. Something you keep in your car?
A. A box of tissues.
19. Highlight of your day?
A. Hugging my husband.
20. Something you do everyday that you wish you didn’t have to do?
A. Household chores of any kind.
21. Do you mind if people just show up at your house unannounced?
A. They generally don't, but I don't mind if they do. I might cringe if the living room is a wreck but you can't worry about stuff like that forever.
22. What do you do when you disagree with someone?
A. Shut up and change the subject.
23. Do you enjoy rain?
A. I like it for a while, but not every day.
24. Who’s your favorite person in the whole world . . . besides me?
A. My husband. He's the best.
Let's Talk Travel Meme
01. Ok let’s talk travel, do you like to travel?
A. I used to, but the older I get the more I just want to stay home.
02. Where have you been?
A. Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Spain, and France. I may be missing some states in there.
03. Next place you want to go?
A. I would love to visit England, Scotland, and Ireland. I would also like to take my husband to see the Grand Canyon.
04. What is something you MUST take with you when you travel?
A. My medication.
05. How do you like to travel? (mode of transportation)
A. Car. That will make going to Europe a little difficult, won't it.
06. With someone, or alone?
A. With someone.
07. Do you dance in your car when there are other people with you?
A. Um. I can't stand up in my car. But if you mean, do you sing aloud and move about when a good song comes on, then yes.
08. If you're quiet what does it mean?
A. It means I am thinking, I have nothing to say, or I am tired.
09. Favorite scent?
A. Chocolate chip cookies baking.
10. Favorite store?
A. Any bookstore will do.
11. Say you wanted coffee ... what kind is your favorite?
A. I do not drink coffee.
12. Favorite kind of pizza?
A. The round kind.
13. Do you get embarrassed easily?
A. Yes. This question has my face flaming red.
14. Do you mind people asking you personal questions?
A. Apparently not, since I do these meme things every week.
15. You have a tank of gas, $50, and the day off . . . what do you do?
A. Go home and read a book.
16. Favorite TV show?
A. I have recently enjoyed Masters of Sex, and I am looking forward to the final season of The Newsroom. I also like The Big Bang Theory, Bill Maher, and Survivor, which I have watched from its inception and have no idea why I still turn it on.
17. Song you turn the volume up all the way to listen to?
A. Band on the Run, by McCartney and the Wings. Or anything by the Eagles. Actually, I do that for most songs that were performed in the 1970s.
18. Something you keep in your car?
A. A box of tissues.
19. Highlight of your day?
A. Hugging my husband.
20. Something you do everyday that you wish you didn’t have to do?
A. Household chores of any kind.
21. Do you mind if people just show up at your house unannounced?
A. They generally don't, but I don't mind if they do. I might cringe if the living room is a wreck but you can't worry about stuff like that forever.
22. What do you do when you disagree with someone?
A. Shut up and change the subject.
23. Do you enjoy rain?
A. I like it for a while, but not every day.
24. Who’s your favorite person in the whole world . . . besides me?
A. My husband. He's the best.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Saturday 9: The Power of Love
Saturday 9: The Power of Love (1985)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this song, Huey explains that you don't need a credit card to find love. What's the last thing you charged?
A. Groceries. I have a great card that gives cash back for everything you buy, and I put the groceries on it and pay it off once a month.
2) This song was written for Back to the Future. At the beginning of the movie, hero Marty McFly traveled around town on his skateboard. Are you good on a skateboard?
A. I broke my foot on a skateboard when I was young, so I would say no.
3) Huey sings lead and his backup group is The News. Was the most recent news you heard bad or good?
A. There's that Ebola stuff in the news. One guy dies from an illness and the nation panics; nearly 10,000 people have been killed by guns since the Newtown shootings, and we can't even talk about it. In state news, the Republican candidate for Virginia senator seems to have run out of cash. Locally, the Town of Fincastle is getting ready to switch over to one-way streets!
4) Huey's mother, Maria, was born in Poland. Who is the first member of your family to be born in the US of A?
A. I am not sure. I've been where I am for at least 8 generations, with relatives who fought in the American Revolution, so it would be one of my many-greats grandparents.
5) Brainy Huey got a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT. Did you take the SAT? How did you do?
A. I did take the SAT. I don't remember the score (it was about 33 years ago!) but I do remember it wasn't as good as it should have been, given that I was an A student who graduated 5th in my class. I didn't test well.
6) This song also hit #1 in Australia, where anzac biscuits are popular. To make them (the recipe is here) you need coconut. Do you have any coconut in your home right now?
A. I despise coconut.
7) Thinking of dessert, would you rather have cookies, cake, pie, ice cream or frozen yogurt?
A. Chocolate cake.
8) We're definitely into autumn now. What will you remember most about Summer 2014?
A. My husband getting his hand caught in a hay baler will definitely be one for the books. He is doing very well now. He still has some mobility issues but the doctor has told him to do whatever he wanted.
9) Tell us your superhero name, as determined by the color of your shirt and an item directly to your right. For example, Sam fights crime as The Gold Kleenex Box!
A. CountryDew fights crime as the Blue Calculator.
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this song, Huey explains that you don't need a credit card to find love. What's the last thing you charged?
A. Groceries. I have a great card that gives cash back for everything you buy, and I put the groceries on it and pay it off once a month.
2) This song was written for Back to the Future. At the beginning of the movie, hero Marty McFly traveled around town on his skateboard. Are you good on a skateboard?
A. I broke my foot on a skateboard when I was young, so I would say no.
3) Huey sings lead and his backup group is The News. Was the most recent news you heard bad or good?
A. There's that Ebola stuff in the news. One guy dies from an illness and the nation panics; nearly 10,000 people have been killed by guns since the Newtown shootings, and we can't even talk about it. In state news, the Republican candidate for Virginia senator seems to have run out of cash. Locally, the Town of Fincastle is getting ready to switch over to one-way streets!
4) Huey's mother, Maria, was born in Poland. Who is the first member of your family to be born in the US of A?
A. I am not sure. I've been where I am for at least 8 generations, with relatives who fought in the American Revolution, so it would be one of my many-greats grandparents.
5) Brainy Huey got a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT. Did you take the SAT? How did you do?
A. I did take the SAT. I don't remember the score (it was about 33 years ago!) but I do remember it wasn't as good as it should have been, given that I was an A student who graduated 5th in my class. I didn't test well.
6) This song also hit #1 in Australia, where anzac biscuits are popular. To make them (the recipe is here) you need coconut. Do you have any coconut in your home right now?
A. I despise coconut.
7) Thinking of dessert, would you rather have cookies, cake, pie, ice cream or frozen yogurt?
A. Chocolate cake.
8) We're definitely into autumn now. What will you remember most about Summer 2014?
A. My husband getting his hand caught in a hay baler will definitely be one for the books. He is doing very well now. He still has some mobility issues but the doctor has told him to do whatever he wanted.
9) Tell us your superhero name, as determined by the color of your shirt and an item directly to your right. For example, Sam fights crime as The Gold Kleenex Box!
A. CountryDew fights crime as the Blue Calculator.
Friday, October 17, 2014
How I Met My Husband
This is the week of the anniversary of the day I met my husband.
The day was much like this one - Autumn in full bloom, the trees bursting with color. It was a Friday and I was a year out of high school, still trying to find myself. It was October 15, 1982. Ronald Reagan was president, nobody knew what a cell phone was, and the Internet wasn't on anybody's mind. People actually carried on conversations in person and did not text, if you can believe it.
A friend suggested we go to the annual Lord Botetourt/James River school football game. The two in-county high schools had a keen rivalry, and there was sure to be folks there we knew.
My husband-to-be was standing under the goal posts in the end zone (I don't think they let you do that anymore), hanging out with his buddies. Somehow or another (prearranged by friends, I think), we ended up standing together.
Conversation was slow. I asked questions about the game even though I knew football and didn't need the answers.
Finally, he asked me if I'd go out with him the next night. I told him I couldn't, as I had plans to celebrate my parents' anniversary.
After the game, I went to Mike's Market, located in what is now Bellacino's. He showed up there, too. My friend suddenly told me she had a ride home, and I should go dancing with this new fellow.
And so I did. We went to the dance hall at the Ramada Inn, which is no longer there (though the hotel still stands at the Hollins exit, and I can't remember what it is now).
We sat and listened to the band, and danced some, but not much (he is not much on dancing) and had our first kiss.
The next day he called me and asked me what I was doing Sunday afternoon. I told him I was taking the Sunday school class to Walden Park off Plantation Road.
He asked if he could come with me. I agreed, and this he did. He didn't complain or anything when one of the kids threw up in the back seat of my mother's car.
And that was how I stopped being single. We were married a year and a month later, when I was 20. He proposed in July 1983 and we married that November.
(Though to be truthful, this was not the first time we'd met. We had ridden the same school bus for a while as children. I remembered him but he did not remember me, which is natural as I was four years younger. Also, he had shown up at our house a few months earlier with the volunteer fire department to help put out a brush fire that started when my father was burning a pile of debris. When I met him that day I was hot and sweaty from trying to help Dad put out the blaze. I don't think he noticed me then, either.)
The day was much like this one - Autumn in full bloom, the trees bursting with color. It was a Friday and I was a year out of high school, still trying to find myself. It was October 15, 1982. Ronald Reagan was president, nobody knew what a cell phone was, and the Internet wasn't on anybody's mind. People actually carried on conversations in person and did not text, if you can believe it.
A friend suggested we go to the annual Lord Botetourt/James River school football game. The two in-county high schools had a keen rivalry, and there was sure to be folks there we knew.
My husband-to-be was standing under the goal posts in the end zone (I don't think they let you do that anymore), hanging out with his buddies. Somehow or another (prearranged by friends, I think), we ended up standing together.
Conversation was slow. I asked questions about the game even though I knew football and didn't need the answers.
Finally, he asked me if I'd go out with him the next night. I told him I couldn't, as I had plans to celebrate my parents' anniversary.
After the game, I went to Mike's Market, located in what is now Bellacino's. He showed up there, too. My friend suddenly told me she had a ride home, and I should go dancing with this new fellow.
And so I did. We went to the dance hall at the Ramada Inn, which is no longer there (though the hotel still stands at the Hollins exit, and I can't remember what it is now).
We sat and listened to the band, and danced some, but not much (he is not much on dancing) and had our first kiss.
The next day he called me and asked me what I was doing Sunday afternoon. I told him I was taking the Sunday school class to Walden Park off Plantation Road.
He asked if he could come with me. I agreed, and this he did. He didn't complain or anything when one of the kids threw up in the back seat of my mother's car.
And that was how I stopped being single. We were married a year and a month later, when I was 20. He proposed in July 1983 and we married that November.
(Though to be truthful, this was not the first time we'd met. We had ridden the same school bus for a while as children. I remembered him but he did not remember me, which is natural as I was four years younger. Also, he had shown up at our house a few months earlier with the volunteer fire department to help put out a brush fire that started when my father was burning a pile of debris. When I met him that day I was hot and sweaty from trying to help Dad put out the blaze. I don't think he noticed me then, either.)
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Thursday Thirteen #365
These are some photos I took yesterday afternoon when I went after the mail. They are shots taken from various locations around the farm.
1. This is from the front yard; it's the view out my office window. The silo off in the distance belongs to my husband's cousins' family.
2. This is the "big hay field" looking back to the west towards our house. The road going up the hill is our driveway.
3. This is part of the farm; the hillside is used for pasture. As you can see, the farm on that side is bifurcated by power lines. And then the road cuts the entire place in half yet again.
4. A closer look at the hillside with a little Autumn color.
5. This is the other part of the hillside, more to the south.
6. The mountain in the background is called Tinker Mountain.
7. Another shot of the woods and our driveway. You can't beat the Blue Ridge Mountains for beauty, regardless of the time of year.
8. A look towards what I believe is North Mountain; that division there where the mountain slopes on the right is called Stone Coal Gap. The next mountain is called Caldwell Mountain. I hope I have that right.
9. This is my father's house, which is about six miles away by car, from the top of one of our fields. Oddly, after 27 years, I just realized that we are actually facing one another on opposing hills; there is vegetation between us that keeps me from seeing the house, plus I think my place is just a bit lower in elevation.
10. The neighbor's barn and cattle as seen from the hayfield. That tiny little house in the far back is where my husband and I first set up housekeeping 31 years ago. Tiny little four-room place, colder than icicles during the winter.
11. A little different angle at the hill where my house is. My house is to the left in the picture.
12. Nice overview shot showing the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west, looking toward Bedford County. That tall mountain in the clouds on the left is the Peaks of Otter. You can see the roof of my house in the woods on the right.
13. A closer shot of the trees.
And an extra picture just because.
Beautiful, isn't it?
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 365th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
1. This is from the front yard; it's the view out my office window. The silo off in the distance belongs to my husband's cousins' family.
2. This is the "big hay field" looking back to the west towards our house. The road going up the hill is our driveway.
3. This is part of the farm; the hillside is used for pasture. As you can see, the farm on that side is bifurcated by power lines. And then the road cuts the entire place in half yet again.
5. This is the other part of the hillside, more to the south.
6. The mountain in the background is called Tinker Mountain.
7. Another shot of the woods and our driveway. You can't beat the Blue Ridge Mountains for beauty, regardless of the time of year.
8. A look towards what I believe is North Mountain; that division there where the mountain slopes on the right is called Stone Coal Gap. The next mountain is called Caldwell Mountain. I hope I have that right.
9. This is my father's house, which is about six miles away by car, from the top of one of our fields. Oddly, after 27 years, I just realized that we are actually facing one another on opposing hills; there is vegetation between us that keeps me from seeing the house, plus I think my place is just a bit lower in elevation.
10. The neighbor's barn and cattle as seen from the hayfield. That tiny little house in the far back is where my husband and I first set up housekeeping 31 years ago. Tiny little four-room place, colder than icicles during the winter.
11. A little different angle at the hill where my house is. My house is to the left in the picture.
12. Nice overview shot showing the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west, looking toward Bedford County. That tall mountain in the clouds on the left is the Peaks of Otter. You can see the roof of my house in the woods on the right.
13. A closer shot of the trees.
And an extra picture just because.
Beautiful, isn't it?
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 365th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
The Fat Groundhog
We have an acorn tree near our shed, and the groundhog likes acorns.
It also lives under the shed. Nothing I put in the hole or around it makes it leave. I once poured mothballs down the hole and later found them in a pile a few feet away from the opening.
I worry about the foundation of the outbuilding.
When we had a dog, which was 15 years ago, we didn't have trouble with things like groundhogs, but this one moved in a few years after the dog died, and it, or its offspring, has been there ever since.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
More Game Camera Pics
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The first one of these photos in this batch is my favorite because it has a raccoon in it. I think the other animal to the rear is a deer.
I always enjoy seeing the different critters. Most of the photos are deer. After you sift through a couple hundred of these shots, the unique ones stand out.
The other interesting thing about game cameras is perspective. These photos always look somewhat surreal to me. The difference between these photos and a photo I might take from the bedroom window (which could be as close, the way the animals look in the window) is that ones I take seem to have personality, while these are more flat.
The difference has to be whatever goes on in my brain and the lack of a brain in the game cameras. Or at least that is what I tell myself. I could be giving my brain too much credit. Maybe they don't look that different to anyone else.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Do Not Go Gentle
Botetourt is fortunate to have its very own local theater, the D. Geraldine Lawson Performing Arts Center.
The community acting crew is known as Attic Productions. They put on five or six plays annually.
Saturday night, my husband and I ventured out to see Do Not Go Gentle, a play by Susan L. Zeder. The Roanoke Times reviewed it here.
Director was Katerina Yancey. I was not familiar with any of the cast this go-round. I thought they did a good job. It is, after all, community theater and I don't expect acting on par with Sandra Bullock or Tom Hanks.
The RT review is rather negative, and I do not agree with it. I greatly enjoyed the play. I think it is a woman's play, and therefore the reviewer was unable to relate to what was going on.
He wasn't able to get the messages. Or rather, the reviewer called the messages "old hat" and dismissed them.
Those messages were that war is bad, killing is bad, violence is bad. That actions of others have consequences that reverberate in places never even considered by those undertaking them. That love endures, despite differences. That pain and suffering are part of life, but so is healing. That art and words matter - that everyone's voice, whatever that voice may be and however those words come out - matters and can and does make a difference, even if that difference goes unnoticed or commented upon.
These are messages that we need to hear time and again, because we certainly, as a society, don't live like that. We live as if lives are small and of no consequence, that only money matters. We live as if human beings are but another commodity to be bought and sold.
This play, at its heart, exploded that. So of course it's not the kind of show that certain folks around here might enjoy. They might actually have to think, and we can't have that.
However, I was teary towards the end, and the messages of this play came through loud and clear to me.
In the show, Lillian is an 84-year-old woman who dies. Her son comes home from Germany with his daughter to attend the funeral. He meets his cousin and they go into the house for an estate sale. The walls have been covered with dramatic and sometimes scary paintings, of planes in battle, children shooting one another, and other visions. We don't see these, but the director rightly allows our imagination to fill in these blanks. The family rifts and secrets come out, and Lillian's fears about the upcoming war (the play is set on the brink of the 1991 Gulf War) are discovered. The play covers a lot of ground in two hours.
The show continues on October 16, 17, and 18. For $12, it's a good way to spend some time, and who knows, you might feel a sting in your heart of hearts, like I did.
The community acting crew is known as Attic Productions. They put on five or six plays annually.
Saturday night, my husband and I ventured out to see Do Not Go Gentle, a play by Susan L. Zeder. The Roanoke Times reviewed it here.
Director was Katerina Yancey. I was not familiar with any of the cast this go-round. I thought they did a good job. It is, after all, community theater and I don't expect acting on par with Sandra Bullock or Tom Hanks.
The RT review is rather negative, and I do not agree with it. I greatly enjoyed the play. I think it is a woman's play, and therefore the reviewer was unable to relate to what was going on.
He wasn't able to get the messages. Or rather, the reviewer called the messages "old hat" and dismissed them.
Those messages were that war is bad, killing is bad, violence is bad. That actions of others have consequences that reverberate in places never even considered by those undertaking them. That love endures, despite differences. That pain and suffering are part of life, but so is healing. That art and words matter - that everyone's voice, whatever that voice may be and however those words come out - matters and can and does make a difference, even if that difference goes unnoticed or commented upon.
These are messages that we need to hear time and again, because we certainly, as a society, don't live like that. We live as if lives are small and of no consequence, that only money matters. We live as if human beings are but another commodity to be bought and sold.
This play, at its heart, exploded that. So of course it's not the kind of show that certain folks around here might enjoy. They might actually have to think, and we can't have that.
However, I was teary towards the end, and the messages of this play came through loud and clear to me.
In the show, Lillian is an 84-year-old woman who dies. Her son comes home from Germany with his daughter to attend the funeral. He meets his cousin and they go into the house for an estate sale. The walls have been covered with dramatic and sometimes scary paintings, of planes in battle, children shooting one another, and other visions. We don't see these, but the director rightly allows our imagination to fill in these blanks. The family rifts and secrets come out, and Lillian's fears about the upcoming war (the play is set on the brink of the 1991 Gulf War) are discovered. The play covers a lot of ground in two hours.
The show continues on October 16, 17, and 18. For $12, it's a good way to spend some time, and who knows, you might feel a sting in your heart of hearts, like I did.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Bear on the Trail Camera
I was incredibly excited when we downloaded the photos off the trail cam yesterday and these pictures of a bear were on there. This is a fairly big bear, too.
When the trail cams pick up animals other than deer, I am always happy. My husband is only interested in bucks, but I find most of the pictures interesting.
Sunday Stealing: Random
From Sunday Stealing
Random Questions
01. Who were you with yesterday?
A. My husband.
02. What woke you up this morning?
A. The clock radio.
03. Where are you?
A. Physically, I am at my desk at home. Mentally I am all over the place.
04. Is tomorrow going to be a good day?
A. I hope so.
05. What’s on your mind RIGHT NOW?
A. Game camera photos, a troubling disagreement with a health care provider, and the pain in my stomach that just will not go away.
06. Do you listen to music every day?
A. Most days I do.
07. Are you a fast typer?
A. I'm a fast typist.
08. What's your favorite type of soda?
A. Root beer.
09. Have you ever won an award?
A. I have won a number of Virginia Press Association awards for my news writing, as well as couple of poetry and short story contests.
10. Are you listening to music right now?
A. Yes. I am listening to Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
11. How long until your birthday?
A. It's next year, now.
12. Do you use ebay to buy or sell?
A. Only infrequently.
13. Who makes you mad?
A. Sometimes everybody on the planet pisses me off.
14. What do you do when you're mad?
A. Sometimes I yell. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I shut up and steam comes out of my ears.
15. Do certain songs make you cry?
A. Some do, yes.
16. Are you usually a happy person?
A. I don't think so.
17. What makes you the happiest?
A. That's a hard question. Being with people I love and yet still having space to do what I want whilst being supported by those who love me makes me happy.
18. Do you believe in yourself?
A. Not really, no. I'm not sure anyone else does, either.
Random Questions
01. Who were you with yesterday?
A. My husband.
02. What woke you up this morning?
A. The clock radio.
03. Where are you?
A. Physically, I am at my desk at home. Mentally I am all over the place.
04. Is tomorrow going to be a good day?
A. I hope so.
05. What’s on your mind RIGHT NOW?
A. Game camera photos, a troubling disagreement with a health care provider, and the pain in my stomach that just will not go away.
06. Do you listen to music every day?
A. Most days I do.
07. Are you a fast typer?
A. I'm a fast typist.
08. What's your favorite type of soda?
A. Root beer.
09. Have you ever won an award?
A. I have won a number of Virginia Press Association awards for my news writing, as well as couple of poetry and short story contests.
10. Are you listening to music right now?
A. Yes. I am listening to Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
11. How long until your birthday?
A. It's next year, now.
12. Do you use ebay to buy or sell?
A. Only infrequently.
13. Who makes you mad?
A. Sometimes everybody on the planet pisses me off.
14. What do you do when you're mad?
A. Sometimes I yell. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I shut up and steam comes out of my ears.
15. Do certain songs make you cry?
A. Some do, yes.
16. Are you usually a happy person?
A. I don't think so.
17. What makes you the happiest?
A. That's a hard question. Being with people I love and yet still having space to do what I want whilst being supported by those who love me makes me happy.
18. Do you believe in yourself?
A. Not really, no. I'm not sure anyone else does, either.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Saturday 9: Single Ladies
Saturday 9: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2008)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) Are the majority of your friends married or single?
A. Married. Most of the single people I know are widowed. It's what happens when you get older.
2) Rings are one of the items most frequently pawned. Have you ever visited a pawn shop, either to sell or to buy?
A. I've gone in them to look, but not to sell or buy. I watch Pawn Stars sometimes on TV. Does that count for anything?
3) Let's say we want to put a ring on it: What's your ring size?
A. I have no idea. I haven't bought a ring in years.
4) Beyonce does commercials for Pepsi. What's the last beverage you drank?
A. A&W root beer.
5) Beyonce also has a clothing line. What are you wearing right now?
A. Um. A Disney nightie and my robe.
6) Speaking of clothes, Sam was changing hers this morning when she unintentionally flashed her neighbor. She didn't realize he was working along the fence that runs under her bedroom window. Tell us one of your most embarrassing moments.
A. In September 2013, the cows were loose. We had taken a Sunday drive and were an hour away when the neighbors called. By the time we arrived, it was a circus, with a crowd of people standing around and police vehicles on the scene. Only one person, however, was trying to put the cows back in the lot. So my husband and I went down to work on that. I was dressed in good clothes and good shoes. One of the cows turned toward me, and I headed in her direction shrieking "ya ya" with my arms flailing to try to get her to go back toward the gate, and I slipped and fell down. The cow almost ran me over. It was kind of dangerous but I was very embarrassed because I fell. I am always embarrassed when I fall down.
7) Rumor has it Beyonce is pregnant again. Coincidentally, Sam needs to check the Babys R Us registry for a shower present. Who will receive the next gift you give?
A. I suppose my husband, on our anniversary in November. Or maybe a friend whose birthday is a bit sooner.
8) But Sam doesn't actually want to go to the shower and is trying to come up a good excuse. Tell us a time you fibbed to get out of doing something.
A. Nothing comes to mind at the moment.
9) When did you last go inside the bank and talk to a teller?
A. Just this week. I made a deposit and I asked about the change-over that is happening soon, since our bank has been sold.
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) Are the majority of your friends married or single?
A. Married. Most of the single people I know are widowed. It's what happens when you get older.
2) Rings are one of the items most frequently pawned. Have you ever visited a pawn shop, either to sell or to buy?
A. I've gone in them to look, but not to sell or buy. I watch Pawn Stars sometimes on TV. Does that count for anything?
3) Let's say we want to put a ring on it: What's your ring size?
A. I have no idea. I haven't bought a ring in years.
4) Beyonce does commercials for Pepsi. What's the last beverage you drank?
A. A&W root beer.
5) Beyonce also has a clothing line. What are you wearing right now?
A. Um. A Disney nightie and my robe.
6) Speaking of clothes, Sam was changing hers this morning when she unintentionally flashed her neighbor. She didn't realize he was working along the fence that runs under her bedroom window. Tell us one of your most embarrassing moments.
A. In September 2013, the cows were loose. We had taken a Sunday drive and were an hour away when the neighbors called. By the time we arrived, it was a circus, with a crowd of people standing around and police vehicles on the scene. Only one person, however, was trying to put the cows back in the lot. So my husband and I went down to work on that. I was dressed in good clothes and good shoes. One of the cows turned toward me, and I headed in her direction shrieking "ya ya" with my arms flailing to try to get her to go back toward the gate, and I slipped and fell down. The cow almost ran me over. It was kind of dangerous but I was very embarrassed because I fell. I am always embarrassed when I fall down.
7) Rumor has it Beyonce is pregnant again. Coincidentally, Sam needs to check the Babys R Us registry for a shower present. Who will receive the next gift you give?
A. I suppose my husband, on our anniversary in November. Or maybe a friend whose birthday is a bit sooner.
8) But Sam doesn't actually want to go to the shower and is trying to come up a good excuse. Tell us a time you fibbed to get out of doing something.
A. Nothing comes to mind at the moment.
9) When did you last go inside the bank and talk to a teller?
A. Just this week. I made a deposit and I asked about the change-over that is happening soon, since our bank has been sold.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Books: Good Faith
Good Faith
By Jane Smiley
Performed by Richard Poe
Copyright 2003
Approximately 13 hours
As I listened to this book, I could easily imagine I was sitting in on negotiations for the demise of one of Botetourt's big farms as developers plotted a golf course and large homes surrounding it.
We have that, of course. It's called Ashley Plantation. It was built in the late 1990s-early 2000s, and construction screeched to a halt there when the economy soured in 2007.
In Good Faith, Joe Stratford is a real estate agent in New Jersey. He's 40 years old, divorced, and has a decent life. He's got $62,000 in the bank and he owns his condo, and he's content.
Then several things happen. One of his developers, Gordon Baldwin, buys up a big estate and farm. Around the same time, a fellow named Marcus Burns moves into the area. Marcus is a big talker, full of big ideas, and full of himself.
Almost everybody likes Marcus. He's a former IRS agent and people trust him. They think he knows things that they don't, because, well, he was in the government. He has big ideas and big theories.
He convinces Joe, Gordon, bankers, and others that they are thinking small in their development of this farm. Gordon's idea is to cut the place into lots, build houses, maybe 100 of them, and sell them. Typical subdivision. But Marcus talks them into setting up a big development company, and creating a golf course with $400,000 homes built around it.
The story is told from Joe's point of view. He sees Marcus as a friend. Joe has an affair with Gordon's daughter, and he's very involved in that family. So the reader goes along with Joe for this part of his life, in all areas. Joe is a good guy. He's you. He's me. He's every man.
The story is not a mystery, but you want to read to the end. You want to know what happens. Does this big idea work? Does it fail? And what happens either way? Whose lives change, and is that change better, or worse?
The story takes place around 1984. The book jacket calls this "a searing indictment of 1980s greed culture" and I would say that is appropriate. Except, of course, that is now our current culture, all the way to its roots, so it's an indictment of our way of life. And it should be, because we're all patsies in this big game being played upon us by the big corporations and the politicians.
Joe is generally a cautious guy but Marcus's talk of making billions - not millions - puts stars in his eyes. Looking back, I could see this kind of thing really happening all over the US as deregulation came into its own - remember the S&L crisis, anyone over the age of 30? Well, this book is a fictionalized tale of how it happened, and it rings true.
This is a tale of the beginning of the fall of the middle class, which did not start in 2007 but back in 1980 with the election of Ronald Reagan and the following loss of regulatory rules on banks, utilities, and other things that should be strongly regulated.
The book's message is deep, buried in character and story, but it's there nevertheless. That's one thing I've always liked about Jane Smiley. Her books always have a message, but it doesn't come up and hit you in the face. You have to think about it.
By Jane Smiley
Performed by Richard Poe
Copyright 2003
Approximately 13 hours
As I listened to this book, I could easily imagine I was sitting in on negotiations for the demise of one of Botetourt's big farms as developers plotted a golf course and large homes surrounding it.
We have that, of course. It's called Ashley Plantation. It was built in the late 1990s-early 2000s, and construction screeched to a halt there when the economy soured in 2007.
In Good Faith, Joe Stratford is a real estate agent in New Jersey. He's 40 years old, divorced, and has a decent life. He's got $62,000 in the bank and he owns his condo, and he's content.
Then several things happen. One of his developers, Gordon Baldwin, buys up a big estate and farm. Around the same time, a fellow named Marcus Burns moves into the area. Marcus is a big talker, full of big ideas, and full of himself.
Almost everybody likes Marcus. He's a former IRS agent and people trust him. They think he knows things that they don't, because, well, he was in the government. He has big ideas and big theories.
He convinces Joe, Gordon, bankers, and others that they are thinking small in their development of this farm. Gordon's idea is to cut the place into lots, build houses, maybe 100 of them, and sell them. Typical subdivision. But Marcus talks them into setting up a big development company, and creating a golf course with $400,000 homes built around it.
The story is told from Joe's point of view. He sees Marcus as a friend. Joe has an affair with Gordon's daughter, and he's very involved in that family. So the reader goes along with Joe for this part of his life, in all areas. Joe is a good guy. He's you. He's me. He's every man.
The story is not a mystery, but you want to read to the end. You want to know what happens. Does this big idea work? Does it fail? And what happens either way? Whose lives change, and is that change better, or worse?
The story takes place around 1984. The book jacket calls this "a searing indictment of 1980s greed culture" and I would say that is appropriate. Except, of course, that is now our current culture, all the way to its roots, so it's an indictment of our way of life. And it should be, because we're all patsies in this big game being played upon us by the big corporations and the politicians.
Joe is generally a cautious guy but Marcus's talk of making billions - not millions - puts stars in his eyes. Looking back, I could see this kind of thing really happening all over the US as deregulation came into its own - remember the S&L crisis, anyone over the age of 30? Well, this book is a fictionalized tale of how it happened, and it rings true.
This is a tale of the beginning of the fall of the middle class, which did not start in 2007 but back in 1980 with the election of Ronald Reagan and the following loss of regulatory rules on banks, utilities, and other things that should be strongly regulated.
The book's message is deep, buried in character and story, but it's there nevertheless. That's one thing I've always liked about Jane Smiley. Her books always have a message, but it doesn't come up and hit you in the face. You have to think about it.
Thursday, October 09, 2014
Thursday Thirteen: Eclectic
1. A 4.25 oz Hershey's Symphony chocolate bar says that a serving is 5 blocks, with "about" three servings per container. To get five blocks, you have to eat a row of four plus one from the next line. In a Hershey's Symphony giant bar (6.8 oz), It says a serving is three blocks with "about" five servings but there are four across the row, so you have to leave one. The blocks are not the same size in the bars. Why can't they make a serving equal one row of blocks, whatever that is? Is this some kind of marketing ploy, knowing that if you have to leave one, you won't, or if you have to break into a second row to finish out a full serving, you will end up eating the rest of the row?
2. Pop Tarts are smaller than they used to be, but the aluminum-like packaging they come in inside the box is still about the size of Pop Tarts of old, so you have a lot of extra space. Did Kellogg's have too many of the bags to begin with, or has some bean counter not realized they're wasting a little cash with the extra packaging?
3. Speaking of packaging, who invented that plastic from hell that no one can get into? It's especially prevalent in the technology industry, where it surrounds everything from SD cards to cords to software, and everything in between.
4. What used to be 16 oz became 12 ozs, and now it's 11.5 ozs. What used to be 12 ozs in chocolate chips is now 11.5 ozs, for example. Did they think we wouldn't notice? I noticed. Didn't anyone else?
5. A dozen eggs still equals 12 eggs, though I would not be at all surprised to walk up to make a purchase and discover they now come in cartons of 10, but for the same price.
6. One of my banks sold itself to another bank, so I have to switch banks soon. I can stay with the new one that's elbowing its way into town, or I can switch elsewhere. When I called my old bank to ask questions, I told the lady who answered that I was very upset that I would not get to write check #10,000 on my account. I'm up to 9,300 and something in my check numbers. That's how long I've been with my current bank that is no longer going to be my bank. I've never switched buildings. First it was Bank of Troutville, then Sovran Bank, then my current bank. Now it will be some other name. I hate change. Sometimes.
7. Yesterday I gave my father a copy of Beth Macy's new book, Factory Man. I had her inscribe it and sign it. The inscription said, "To Loren, a Roanoke businessman with a story of his own."
8. I haven't finished the book. I'm on Chapter 2. I've been slow to start it.
9. Yesterday my backup hard drive had a squeak and then later I couldn't access any of my documents. No lights were on and no information was home. I shut everything down last night, and this morning, all is well. Computers are weird.
10. The other day I had my physical therapist laughing so hard that she literally had to turn her back to me in order to stop giggling and get back to work. And then to keep things a little calmer, we ended up talking about Lord of the Rings and the upcoming Hobbit movie. "Very adult conversation we have in here," she said dryly as I left, and we both cracked up.
11. I reach into a little blue bag and pull out a rune from a little kit I've had for at least a decade. It's called Stones from the Muse and the runes are for the creative journey. This morning I pull out a knapsack. "Some artistic work can only be accomplished through play," says the book interpretation. "Forget the goal for now, and let go of your time schedule. You are right here, right now. Play!" Sounds like good advice to me.
12. Now thoroughly fascinated, even at this dark hour of 7 a.m. in the morning, I reach into my little drawer of "toys" and pull out a deck of Rune Cards. I shuffle, then pick from the top. The card is beautiful, depicting a beach dune covered with greenery, the ocean behind it. It says, "Protection." The accompanying interpretative book says this: "The dunes shift and shift forever, feather grass restless in the wind. Cool your emotions. Follow your path. That is your protection." If you put the two together, it sounds like I need to spend the day at the local playground, sitting on a swing near the sandbox.
13. Last night I dreamed I was dead. No one came to my funeral.
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 364th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
2. Pop Tarts are smaller than they used to be, but the aluminum-like packaging they come in inside the box is still about the size of Pop Tarts of old, so you have a lot of extra space. Did Kellogg's have too many of the bags to begin with, or has some bean counter not realized they're wasting a little cash with the extra packaging?
3. Speaking of packaging, who invented that plastic from hell that no one can get into? It's especially prevalent in the technology industry, where it surrounds everything from SD cards to cords to software, and everything in between.
4. What used to be 16 oz became 12 ozs, and now it's 11.5 ozs. What used to be 12 ozs in chocolate chips is now 11.5 ozs, for example. Did they think we wouldn't notice? I noticed. Didn't anyone else?
5. A dozen eggs still equals 12 eggs, though I would not be at all surprised to walk up to make a purchase and discover they now come in cartons of 10, but for the same price.
6. One of my banks sold itself to another bank, so I have to switch banks soon. I can stay with the new one that's elbowing its way into town, or I can switch elsewhere. When I called my old bank to ask questions, I told the lady who answered that I was very upset that I would not get to write check #10,000 on my account. I'm up to 9,300 and something in my check numbers. That's how long I've been with my current bank that is no longer going to be my bank. I've never switched buildings. First it was Bank of Troutville, then Sovran Bank, then my current bank. Now it will be some other name. I hate change. Sometimes.
7. Yesterday I gave my father a copy of Beth Macy's new book, Factory Man. I had her inscribe it and sign it. The inscription said, "To Loren, a Roanoke businessman with a story of his own."
8. I haven't finished the book. I'm on Chapter 2. I've been slow to start it.
9. Yesterday my backup hard drive had a squeak and then later I couldn't access any of my documents. No lights were on and no information was home. I shut everything down last night, and this morning, all is well. Computers are weird.
10. The other day I had my physical therapist laughing so hard that she literally had to turn her back to me in order to stop giggling and get back to work. And then to keep things a little calmer, we ended up talking about Lord of the Rings and the upcoming Hobbit movie. "Very adult conversation we have in here," she said dryly as I left, and we both cracked up.
11. I reach into a little blue bag and pull out a rune from a little kit I've had for at least a decade. It's called Stones from the Muse and the runes are for the creative journey. This morning I pull out a knapsack. "Some artistic work can only be accomplished through play," says the book interpretation. "Forget the goal for now, and let go of your time schedule. You are right here, right now. Play!" Sounds like good advice to me.
12. Now thoroughly fascinated, even at this dark hour of 7 a.m. in the morning, I reach into my little drawer of "toys" and pull out a deck of Rune Cards. I shuffle, then pick from the top. The card is beautiful, depicting a beach dune covered with greenery, the ocean behind it. It says, "Protection." The accompanying interpretative book says this: "The dunes shift and shift forever, feather grass restless in the wind. Cool your emotions. Follow your path. That is your protection." If you put the two together, it sounds like I need to spend the day at the local playground, sitting on a swing near the sandbox.
13. Last night I dreamed I was dead. No one came to my funeral.
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 364th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
Blood moon
This morning there was a total eclipse of the full moon. We had thunderstorms last night and I fully expected a cloudy sky this morning, but when I hopped out of bed at 6:20 a.m., there were stars twinkling and the moon looking very vampirish.
I stood outside with the camera on a tripod to get these photos, in near total darkness. An owl hooted in the distance. Soon, from someplace close to me, a turkey began calling. Cawl cawl cawl. Very loud, and a little unnerving. Luna, hanging low in the sky, continued to darken with that reddish brown color.
The bear in the backyard some weeks ago came to mind so I did not venture far from the door. But the moon was beautiful, the air still warm but fallish. I could smell the rain-dampened earth and feel that blessings of a new day in a way that staying in the house seldom offers.
As the sky began to turn from black to blue, with the sun slowly rising behind me, ol' Apollo there slipping back into his place in the sky, I watched the colors on the trees begin to show. The rains last night made everything that much brighter, and the colors are changing fast.
A beautiful reminder of the spirit of the world.
Monday, October 06, 2014
The Little Frog
I glanced out the kitchen window and at first I thought someone had placed a rock on the side of my little container in the garden where people sometimes leave things.
Upon further inspection, I discovered it was a frog.
Cute!
It did not seem happy to have its picture taken, however.
As the shade disappeared, so did the frog. He slipped backwards.
I wondered how it got up there in the first place.
The next morning I flipped open the lid, and the frog was inside the box.
I left the lid up, and when I checked back later, froggy was gone.
Sunday, October 05, 2014
Sunday Stealing: Random 20
From Sunday Stealing
Random 20
1. Have you had an argument with anyone recently? If so, do you still have issues with that person?
A. I haven't had an argument in a while. Well, I did tell my husband last night he was grounded, but we didn't argue about it. He just grinned.
2. Are you talking to anyone while filling this in? How about texting/chatting on Facebook?
A. Nope. This has my complete attention. I take that back. My husband called while I was answering the question below. I stopped and spoke with him and then came back to this.
3. Have you done something recently that helped someone else, in any way?
A. I fix dinner every night for my husband. I spent time with my mother-in-law's relatives last week. Hopefully that was helpful.
4. Who was the last person to pay you a compliment?
A. My physical therapist. She said she thought I was courageous.
5. Is there anything that’s happened in the past month, that you wish you could go back in time and change?
A. Not in the past month, unless I could do some sort of speed-healing spell and massive weight loss magic.
6. What colour is your purse/wallet?
A. Brown. It's fall and I switch over to darker colors after summer is over.
7. What’s the closest item to you that’s black?
A. My MS keyboard.
8. Think about what you looked like 5 years ago. How did you look different, compared to the way you look now?
A. I have more gray hair. I have additional scars, and I limp.
9. Before Facebook became popular, did you use any other social networking site, like Bebo or Myspace?
A. No. I blogged, though.
10. Has someone of the opposite sex ever sung to you? If so, how did you respond to it?
A. My father used to sing to me. Or with me. But I've never had a lover sing to me, if that is what you mean. My husband can't carry a tune in a bucket.
11. When did you last hug someone of the opposite sex?
A. This morning.
12. Have you ever seen the film “Casablanca”? Did you like it?
A. I've never seen it.
13. Do you have a relative whose name begins with ‘L’? Tell me about him/her.
A. My brother and father both start their names with that letter. My brother is about 5' 8" tall, he's 48 years old, graying, a little overweight, and he runs a big company. He drives a Lincoln. He comes when I need him and we are, I think, fairly close for adult siblings. He can tell great stories and he is charming.
14. Are you a secretive person?
A. Wouldn't you like to know?
15. When did you last eat?
A. About an hour ago.
16. If you were going to buy a present for a special person, what would you generally choose?
A. I try to find something that matches his/her personality, that I think they would like. Unless they collect frogs. Then I buy a frog.
17. If I’m going to buy you a box of chocolates, which kind should I definitely NOT get?
A. Anything with coconut in it. If you want to make me really happy, get me a box of Cella's Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries.
18. Is there something you generally always ask for help with?
A. I can't figure out percentages to save my life.
19. If you had to give up your phone or your computer, which would it be?
A. The phone. Well, my cellphone. You didn't ask *which* phone and we have a landline. Our cellphone reception is not the best here at the house.
20. Has anyone called you gorgeous/beautiful today?
A. Not yet, but I guess one can always hope.
Random 20
1. Have you had an argument with anyone recently? If so, do you still have issues with that person?
A. I haven't had an argument in a while. Well, I did tell my husband last night he was grounded, but we didn't argue about it. He just grinned.
2. Are you talking to anyone while filling this in? How about texting/chatting on Facebook?
A. Nope. This has my complete attention. I take that back. My husband called while I was answering the question below. I stopped and spoke with him and then came back to this.
3. Have you done something recently that helped someone else, in any way?
A. I fix dinner every night for my husband. I spent time with my mother-in-law's relatives last week. Hopefully that was helpful.
4. Who was the last person to pay you a compliment?
A. My physical therapist. She said she thought I was courageous.
5. Is there anything that’s happened in the past month, that you wish you could go back in time and change?
A. Not in the past month, unless I could do some sort of speed-healing spell and massive weight loss magic.
6. What colour is your purse/wallet?
A. Brown. It's fall and I switch over to darker colors after summer is over.
7. What’s the closest item to you that’s black?
A. My MS keyboard.
8. Think about what you looked like 5 years ago. How did you look different, compared to the way you look now?
A. I have more gray hair. I have additional scars, and I limp.
9. Before Facebook became popular, did you use any other social networking site, like Bebo or Myspace?
A. No. I blogged, though.
10. Has someone of the opposite sex ever sung to you? If so, how did you respond to it?
A. My father used to sing to me. Or with me. But I've never had a lover sing to me, if that is what you mean. My husband can't carry a tune in a bucket.
11. When did you last hug someone of the opposite sex?
A. This morning.
12. Have you ever seen the film “Casablanca”? Did you like it?
A. I've never seen it.
13. Do you have a relative whose name begins with ‘L’? Tell me about him/her.
A. My brother and father both start their names with that letter. My brother is about 5' 8" tall, he's 48 years old, graying, a little overweight, and he runs a big company. He drives a Lincoln. He comes when I need him and we are, I think, fairly close for adult siblings. He can tell great stories and he is charming.
14. Are you a secretive person?
A. Wouldn't you like to know?
15. When did you last eat?
A. About an hour ago.
16. If you were going to buy a present for a special person, what would you generally choose?
A. I try to find something that matches his/her personality, that I think they would like. Unless they collect frogs. Then I buy a frog.
17. If I’m going to buy you a box of chocolates, which kind should I definitely NOT get?
A. Anything with coconut in it. If you want to make me really happy, get me a box of Cella's Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries.
18. Is there something you generally always ask for help with?
A. I can't figure out percentages to save my life.
19. If you had to give up your phone or your computer, which would it be?
A. The phone. Well, my cellphone. You didn't ask *which* phone and we have a landline. Our cellphone reception is not the best here at the house.
20. Has anyone called you gorgeous/beautiful today?
A. Not yet, but I guess one can always hope.
Saturday, October 04, 2014
Saturday 9: Rubber Ducky
Saturday 9: Rubber Ducky (1970)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This song is sung by Muppet Ernie. Who's your favorite Muppet?
A. Kermit got to me with The Rainbow Connection song.
2) Ernie became famous on PBS's Sesame Street. What public television shows do you watch?
A. I like that show Makers. It features a lot of women, like Women in Comedy, Women in Hollywood.
3) When you were a little kid, what was your favorite TV show?
A. Land of the Giants. It lasted for two seasons from 1968 - 1970. It was a sci-fi show (yes, I have always been a geek). Sometimes, I think I am the only person in the world who remembers this show.
I was also a fan of Dark Shadows, which first aired in 1966.
4) On Sesame Street, Ernie frequently teases his best friend Bert by stealing his nose. Do you enjoy practical jokes?
A. Not particularly. However, I am married to a firefighter, and firefighters and police officers are infamous for their practical jokes.
5) Sesame Street creators developed carefree Ernie and serious Bert to show children that different types of people can be good friends. Think about your closest friend. Tell us how you two differ.
A. Hmm. One of us is incredibly dedicated to a job. One of us really loves politics. One of us really enjoys science fiction and fantasy (the other one hates it). One of us is normal weight while the other is obese.
6) Bert and Ernie share a basement apartment on Sesame Street. Tell us about the basement of the building you're in right now.
A. We don't have a basement. We built our house on a slab, which is to say, the flooring site directly on concrete. The hill we are on is nothing but rock.
7) Ernie and Bert were created by Jim Henson. In addition to being an accomplished puppeteer, Mr. Henson was also a talented cartoonist. Can you draw?
A. Not very well.
8) Jim Henson made his first puppets himself using felt, foam rubber, string and rods -- all items that can be purchased at an arts and crafts store. When is the last time you shopped in an arts and crafts store?
A. One of my friends dragged me into one back in the summer. Fortunately we do not have a Hobby Lobby in my area, for I would not have stepped a single toe in that store.
9) When is the last time you took a bath (as opposed to a shower)?
A. A few weeks ago. I much prefer showers to baths, though. However, my physical therapist considers them therapeutic and helpful for some of my current health issues.
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This song is sung by Muppet Ernie. Who's your favorite Muppet?
A. Kermit got to me with The Rainbow Connection song.
2) Ernie became famous on PBS's Sesame Street. What public television shows do you watch?
A. I like that show Makers. It features a lot of women, like Women in Comedy, Women in Hollywood.
3) When you were a little kid, what was your favorite TV show?
A. Land of the Giants. It lasted for two seasons from 1968 - 1970. It was a sci-fi show (yes, I have always been a geek). Sometimes, I think I am the only person in the world who remembers this show.
I was also a fan of Dark Shadows, which first aired in 1966.
4) On Sesame Street, Ernie frequently teases his best friend Bert by stealing his nose. Do you enjoy practical jokes?
A. Not particularly. However, I am married to a firefighter, and firefighters and police officers are infamous for their practical jokes.
5) Sesame Street creators developed carefree Ernie and serious Bert to show children that different types of people can be good friends. Think about your closest friend. Tell us how you two differ.
A. Hmm. One of us is incredibly dedicated to a job. One of us really loves politics. One of us really enjoys science fiction and fantasy (the other one hates it). One of us is normal weight while the other is obese.
6) Bert and Ernie share a basement apartment on Sesame Street. Tell us about the basement of the building you're in right now.
A. We don't have a basement. We built our house on a slab, which is to say, the flooring site directly on concrete. The hill we are on is nothing but rock.
7) Ernie and Bert were created by Jim Henson. In addition to being an accomplished puppeteer, Mr. Henson was also a talented cartoonist. Can you draw?
A. Not very well.
8) Jim Henson made his first puppets himself using felt, foam rubber, string and rods -- all items that can be purchased at an arts and crafts store. When is the last time you shopped in an arts and crafts store?
A. One of my friends dragged me into one back in the summer. Fortunately we do not have a Hobby Lobby in my area, for I would not have stepped a single toe in that store.
9) When is the last time you took a bath (as opposed to a shower)?
A. A few weeks ago. I much prefer showers to baths, though. However, my physical therapist considers them therapeutic and helpful for some of my current health issues.
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