Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Butting Heads

I caught these two young bucks going head to head outside my window the other day. I think they were more playing than fighting, and it didn't last long.

Monday, September 11, 2017

Remembering the 343

 
For the 343 firefighters who died on 09/11/2001 in New York City.
 
Firefighters do a job that most people wouldn't dream of doing. They risk their lives every single time they go to work. When you are running away in fear, they are putting on their hats and heading off to face down whatever it is you are afraid of. Tornadoes, hurricanes, fire, flood, derecho winds, downed power lines or a terrorist attack do not halt these dedicated people. They go forward when the rest of us would hang back.

Like other public servants, emergency service workers have been attacked by various political sectors in recent years. How anyone can deny these brave men and women a livelihood in exchange for running into a burning structure is beyond me.

On this anniversary of the attack on New York City, please remember the sacrifices of firefighters and other emergency services workers. They go where no one else dares to go.

You might want to say thank you to them, too. You never know when the life they save might be yours.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Sunday Stealing: Let's Pretend

Sunday Stealing: Let's Pretend

1. What is your middle name?

A. Puddin' 'n' 'tane. Ask me again, I'll tell you the same.

2. What is your favorite color?

A. Answer me these questions three, 'er the other side ye see. Blue. No. Green.



3. What’s your lucky number?

A. Eight. No, six. Damn.

4. Do you have any pets?

A. I have 70 cows. Moo. Moo. Moo.

5. Where are you from?

A. I am from the green banks of Ireland,
from kettles filled with 'taters
and Celtic blues sung softly to the stars.

I am from the cabins of Virginia settlers,
folks who ventured to a new world
with only a Bible and a banjo.

I am from mothers with fey dreams
who know you're dying long before you do,
and from fathers who drink first,
fight later, and leave bloody prints
on the shores of their wives' beaches.

I am from a reverend who owned
whore houses and from grandparents
who set the West Virginia woods afire
while they made love.

I am from Mother Mary and the Mother Goddess
and Jesus Christ on a stick. I'm from the Shenandoah,
the slow-moving creek, oak trees and blackberries,
peaches and wine.

I am from the fires of World Wars and from spindles
that made thread, and needles that wheedled
thread into cloth that shone like gold.

From all this and more, am I; I am from black dresses,
red hair, cancers and heartache, from tombstones
and graves and moonshine whiskey
made from copper pipes.

My line stops with me; my womb yawns
like an empty cavern, barren and fruitless,
nothing will come forth to let another know
the necessity of the past,
to make it her own, to say to her,
"This is where you're from."

6. How tall are you?

A. Five foot two, eyes of blue, and she's only 22! (Not.)

7. What shoe size are you?

A. 7W

8. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

A. I have no idea. Mostly they are sneakers.

9. What was your last dream about?

A. Something to do with ripe tomatoes and dragons.

10. What talents do you have?

A. I can see the future and offer up information that is wise and correct, but no one listens to me, for I am the reincarnation of Cassandra, forever offering up accurate prophecy that no one believes.

11. Are you psychic in any way?

A. I knew you were going to ask that question.

12. Favorite song?

A. Polk Salad Annie.



13. Favorite movie?

A. The Lord of the Rings trilogy.



14. Are you religious?

A. I am spiritual.

15. Have you ever been to the hospital?

A. Many times over.

16. Have you ever been in trouble with the law?

A. Not really.

17. Have you ever met any celebrities?

A. Lots of politicians.

17. What color socks are you wearing?

A. White. I think I have a red neck, too.

18. Have you ever been famous?

A. I suppose by some I was considered a local celebrity when I was writing for the newspaper. Lots of folks knew my byline, anyway.

20. Would you like to be a big celebrity?

A. Not now, no. Well, I wouldn't mind being a well-known author.

21. What type of music do you like?

A. Adult Contemporary.

22. How many pillows do you sleep with?

A. Four, plus my hsuband's two, so six.

23. What position do you usually sleep in?

A. I sleep on my back now, but before my last surgery I slept on my side.

24. How big is your house?

A. Big enough.

25. What do you typically have for breakfast?

A. A protein bar.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.


Saturday, September 09, 2017

Saturday 9: Sign of the Times

Saturday 9: Sign of the Times (2017)

. . . because Cat recommended Harry Styles

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Harry sings, "We don't talk enough, we should open up before it's all too much." When you have something serious on your mind, who do you share it with?

A. My husband, usually. I also have a few friends I talk to. And sometimes I use Eliza. Ever used Eliza? Here's a link. Check her out. She was the first computer therapist. If that doesn't work, then I bitch in my journal. Sometimes I might even share something serious with the world by writing it on this blog.

2) As a kid, Harry wanted to be a lawyer because he can see "both sides." Are you good at seeing both sides of an argument?

A. I am. It comes from being a news reporter, from training, and from just being me. I had to learn to keep myself out of situations, stand back and watch, and not form an opinion. Of course, I usually had an opinion - kind of hard to live in the world without one - but I kept it to myself and out of my work.

3) He can't decide which is favorite color -- orange or blue. Help Harry out: which of those colors do you prefer?

A. Blue.

4) Harry says he prefers older women, but would never go out with someone older than his mother. Do you think age disparity matters in romance?

A. To a point. I have a friend in her late 50s who has a husband in his early 80s; she's kind of stuck being a nurse now. But when he was 50 and she was 30, it didn't seem like such a big deal. My husband and I are only four years apart; I don't think that matters at all.

5) He admits to a big crush on Adele, who is six years older than he is. Who are you crushing on right now? (It doesn't have to be a celebrity.)

A. I have a girl crush on Wonder Woman from the movie. And maybe one on Supergirl on the CW.

6) It makes Harry's skin crawl when he sees people use their teeth to open bottles. What creeps you out?

A. Snakes. Actually, being in public any more is kind of creepy. People are so angry at everything. And they have germs. Germs creep me out.

7) When he's on the road, his go-to food is tacos. Do you like Mexican food?

A. No, I do not.

8) Harry has never smoked. Have you ever been a smoker? If you quit, how did you successfully kick the habit?

A. Never smoked, so never had a habit to kick. I do wish they had chocolate patches like they do nicotine patches. It would help.

9) Random Question: As she pulls out of her parking space, an elderly woman in an old car scrapes an expensive car. Then she drives away. You witness the whole thing. Do you make a note of her license plate and leave it for the owner of the expensive car? Or do you just mind your own business?

A. That's a tough question. I think I'd write down the license plate, if I were quick enough to think to get it, and then examine the damage. If it doesn't look to bad (a little ding) I would probably go on my way and mind my own business. But if it looked serious (fender is off), I hope I would hang around and tell the person that I saw what happened and give the number. Failing the hanging around part, I hope I would leave a note. But you never know how you're really going to respond to such things. I mean, I might be having a really bad day and be in a hurry or something. That shouldn't impact "doing the right thing" but it does.

_____________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.


Thursday, September 07, 2017

Thursday Thirteen

These questions rolled across my Facebook page this morning. So I thought I'd answer them here for today's TT so I wouldn't have to think so hard early in the morning.

1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth?

A. My medication and some water.

2. Where was your profile pic taken?

A. That is a crop from photo taken in 2012 during the county artists' tour. One of my former teachers from college is on the other side of me. A Hollins student who was helping the professor took the photo with my camera.

3. Worst pain you've ever experienced?


A. Surgical pain.

4. Favorite place you've traveled to?

A. Williamsburg, Virginia, as an adult. When I was 12 I saw the Grand Canyon and was quite transfixed by that. I would like to take my husband to see it.

5. Which of your Facebook friends live closest to you?

A. My husband's cousins live right across the road.

6. When was the last time you cried?

A. About two weeks ago when I had a reaction to some medication that made me sick.

7. Who took your profile photo?

A. See above. I don't know the name.

8. Who was the last person you took a picture with?

A. I generally do not have my picture taken with people, so I don't recall. Probably with my husband somewhere.

9. What's your favorite season?

A. It's a tie between Autumn and Spring.

10. If you could have any career, what would it be?

A. I'd just like to be a multi-millionaire and forego the career, at this point in my life.

11. Do you think relationships are ever worth it?

A. Of course. All of them are, even the bad ones. If you don't learn something from a bad relationship, that one is on you.

12. If you could talk to ANYONE right now who would it be?

A. Someone from the year 9595.

13. Are you a good influence?

A. I hope so. I mean, I don't go torching houses or causing trouble. I don't drink or smoke. Somebody reads my words and I hope sometimes they are influential.

And, because this is not the best TT ever, here's a picture of a fawn:



_________
 
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 516th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Wednesday, September 06, 2017

Yes, I've Been Taking a Little Unannounced Break

My apologies to my regular readers for the lack of daily posts. I've been recharging those ol' brain cells.

I also kind of ran out of things to say that weren't political, and I wasn't keen on writing about politics. I feel that edge coming back, though, so don't go too far away from me.

After all, there are statues to talk about, and immigration laws, and hurricanes, and who-knows-what-else. It changes daily, the topics unfolding in this fast-charged world. 

However, before I tackle such weighty issues, I must get over an ear infection and a bit of drama with a new medication that created a problem, so I can be sure my head is on straight and things are working properly. (Yeah, yeah, who says my head was ever on straight?)

Memes are another matter entirely - so yes, I have been doing those. Though Thursday 13, which comes tomorrow, can be hard and as of this moment - 7 p.m. on Wednesday night - I've no topic.

Sometimes it is hard to write about 13 things.

Anywho, I thought I'd let the world know I'm still around, just not quite in the best of form. Ear aches make it hard to think, as do the headaches and sore throat that go along with them. I'll be back at it full speed soon, though.

I promise.

Sunday, September 03, 2017

Sunday Stealing: Back to School

Sunday Stealing: Back to School

1. What kind of school did you attend (Big? Small? Public? Private? Specialty? One-room schoolhouse?)

A. I attended public schools. Living in a relatively rural area, these structures and teachings were probably considered "quaint" by my city cousins, but I seem to have had a better education than many people I know. At least I know how to think for myself. By most standards, the school system would be considered small. My high school graduating class was just over 200 kids.

2. What did you wear to school (uniform? dress code? Whatever you wanted?)


A. Whatever we wanted, for the most part. My mother made me wear dresses until 7th grade, at which point I discovered blue jeans and never looked back.
Me around 1977.


3.  How did you get to school?


A. I rode a bus until I learned to drive.

4. Who was your favorite teacher?  Why?


A. I loved most of my teachers as I tended to be a "teachers pet" in that I was a good student, made As, and didn't cause (too much) trouble. I also treated them like human beings. I still see a few of my high school teachers and have lunch once or twice a year with my old high school math teacher.

5. What was your favorite subject? Why?


A. English, because I liked to read and write and I was good at it.

6. What was your least favorite subject? Why?


A. Gym. I hated gym with every fiber of my being. I am a brainy couch potato, not an athlete. I used to get out of it as much as I could. If I could get another teacher to write me a note excusing me from gym so I could go do something for her, I would.

7. Did you belong to any clubs?


A. I belonged to the Honor Society, the Spanish club, band (which wasn't exactly a club, it was a class but we also had a jazz band of which I partook), the debate team for a short time, and something else that had to do with public speaking and oration but I forget the name of it.

8. Were you a picky reader?


A. No. I read everything, and still do.

9.  What did you do in your free time?


A. I lived on a farm, so my free time was frequently filled with chores, which included feeding livestock, carrying in firewood, caring for my brother, cleaning the house, and occasionally fixing dinner. (Can you imagine kids today doing that stuff?)

10.  Did you get good grades?


A. I was a straight-A student except for gym. I received Bs in gym and it was irksome because it kept me off the Straight A honor roll and because it lowered my GPA so that I graduated 5th in my class instead of as valedictorian.


11.  Did you like/participate in sports?

A. No. Band, though, is a sport if you are in the marching band, which I was, and so I attended many football and basketball games.

Me with my flute.

12.  Did you have a boyfriend/girlfriend in high school?

A. Yes.

13.  When did you get your driver’s license?


A. I received my driver's license the day after I turned 16.

14.  What kind of kid were you?  (Popular? Class clown? Shy?  A nerd?  Teacher’s pet?)


A. I was a nerd but I don't think that word was around yet. Or if it was, it wasn't a compliment.

15. Who were your heroes?


A. My teachers were my heroes for putting up with the things that went on and for noticing me and giving me much-needed attention.


Ms. T., my math teacher, who put up with me. Photo taken about two years ago when we had lunch.

16. Were you ever bullied?


A. Yes.

17. Did you learn how to touch type?


A. Yes. I guess that means without looking at the keyboard. I never look at the keyboard.

18. Who was your best friend?  (Are you still friends today?)


A. I had several close friends, none of whom I see today. I played in a dance band, playing Top 40 music (which meant disco at that time) and we were all close friends then, but as soon as we graduated - really before that, when the band broke up - we drifted apart. I have one other friend, a year younger than I, with whom I stay in touch. I saw her for the first time in 30 years this past year.

19. What is one thing you regret about high school?


A. Nothing that I care to speak of.

20. What were you most proud about?


A. That I was a good student in spite of myself.

Bonus:  Did you like high school?

A. I didn't hate it.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday, September 02, 2017

Saturday 9: 9 to 5

Saturday 9:  9 to 5 (1980)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song begins with the clacking of a typewriter. Did you ever learn to touch type -- beginning with your fingers on "the home row" -- or do you hunt and peck?

A. I learned to type in high school. At one time I typed 110 wpm. A typing test I just took on Bing (type in "typing test" and it should be the first thing that comes up), says I type 84 wpm (better than 98% of the scores). So I've declined a bit but then I am no longer 18. That's still pretty speedy.

2) Much of the video for this song revolves around the office coffee room. Are you enjoying a beverage as you answer these 9 questions?

A. I have a glass of water in front of me. That's mostly all I drink.

3) This week's artist, Dolly Parton, loves telling the story of how she once lost a Dolly Parton lookalike contest. What contest or sweepstakes have you entered lately?

A. Does playing the lottery count?

4) Dolly is one smart blonde. Early in her career she set up a company so she could retain the publishing rights for all her songs. Two alone -- "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You" -- made her a multi-millionaire because they have been recorded so many times. Do you have a good head for business?

A. Apparently not, since I am not a multi-millionaire.

5) Dolly is a crusader for childhood literacy and her organization, Dolly's Imagination Library, has donated more than 10 million books all over the country. What's the last book you read?

A. I'm reading Fire Is Your Water by Jim Minnick at the moment.

6) This weekend may offer a golden opportunity for napping and sleeping in. Do you snore?

A. My husband says I have "kitty cat" snores. I think that means I purr.

7) Labor Day was introduced to celebrate the achievements of the American worker. How many different employers have you had?

A. I can come up with at least 10, and since I have at times worked for those companies that hire you out for six weeks or whatever, I'm sure it is many more than that.

8) Will you be attending a Labor Day picnic or barbecue?

A. Not that I am aware of.

9) Labor Day traditionally marks the beginning of the new school year. When she was a kid, Samantha was crazy for her brand new box of 96 Crayola Crayons. It even had a sharpener in the back! What do you remember about preparing to go back to school? If you're a parent with school-age kids, are they ready?

A. I always loved going back to school. Such a relief it was to be back in the classroom and learning. I remember new notebooks. I still have a thing about notebooks and have to stay out of the stores during the school sales or I will come home with two or three 25 cent notebooks. I have more now than I will ever use. But they have to be in perfect condition or I won't write in them. If they get torn or bent, or have something spilled on them, I must have a new notebook.
_____________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.



Thursday, August 31, 2017

Thursday Thirteen #515

1. I've been having trouble with my blog - notices of "Failed to get post option from server." I also am having issues with their new "smallest" print option and sometimes my print turns out so tiny no one can see it. First time in a long while I've had blogger issues. Why can't they just leave well enough alone?

2. If you don't follow Bloom County on Facebook, I urge you to do so. Today Berkley Breathed posted a cartoon that went like this: the newspaper has done away with the personals, and instead are posting "offensionals," where you can go and post the thing that has offended you today for "$5 per posted umbrage." But down the hall, you can post gratitudonals - and they're free. Which line do you want to stand in today?

3. While I find many things offensive, I tend to overlook them. I am not offended by race, sex, gender issues, etc. I am offended more by "stupid" than anything else, and I'm afraid there is a lot of that going around.

4.  I've been a Game of Thrones fans from the beginning; this most recent season, that ended Sunday, seems to be setting up the final season with great clarity. I hope I am wrong in what has turned out to be a rather predictable way of moving toward a final destination, even with the grand fighting and dragons and all. Storytelling is an art and with this series I always want more than the mundane. To have the show end with Jon Snow on the Iron Throne after a sky fight between him and the Night King with both on dragons seems predictable. Now, having everybody die and the land full of zombies because the Night King wins is not so predictable. That's not what I want to happen but it is actually the better story line.

5. Sometimes when I read the rantings of trolls on Facebook, and see people walking around in a daze at the grocery store, cell phone in hand and oblivious to what is going on around them, I think maybe the White Walkers are already here. But that sounds more like a statement for the offensionals than the gratitudonals, doesn't it?

6. My mail box surprised me yesterday with a copy of Packing a Suitcase for the Afterlife, a poetry chapbook by my fellow blogger Colleen Redman over at Loose Leaf Notes. It's a nice book, with a slick cover and good quality innards. I haven't had time to read it yet but I am eager to settle in with it.



7. I've known Colleen for 10 years, but we have never met in person. We live about two hours from each other. Her book, by the way, is available on Amazon. Go Colleen!

8. The Internet brings people like Colleen and me together, but it also has contributed to the political rift we are having in the United States. It allows people who don't know one another to lash out and call names and create a general overall tenor of dismay and distress. It lets people say things they wouldn't normally say in public - it has created a total loss of moral control and a complete dismantling of personal etiquette in some circles.

9. Last weekend I had a bad reaction to some medication that I've been taking for a few years. There was a change in the generic manufacturer's name; that was the only difference. I went back to the stuff I had been taking and have not had any problem. You can't tell me generics are all alike. They aren't.

10. I recently learned to Skype. Yes, I am behind the times in my technology these days. There once was  a time when I was always ahead of the curve; I could write DOS programs and even created my own text games in the 1980s. But now, like the change in cars, the stuff in computers is so different that I can't change my own oil anymore. (I have figured out, though, that behind the Windows façade still lie DOS commands, if you know how to find them. But that is getting harder to do.)

11. Language matters. People take it for granted but it is what tears us apart or brings us together. It is the difference between hurt and hate and healing and love. A good demonstration of this is the Black Lives Matter statement, which seems to bring out a lot of ire in many people while others acknowledge its truth. Yesterday in my local newspaper, a writer compared All Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter to firefighting. To a firefighter, all houses matter, but at certain times it is the burning house that matters. With racism still alive and well in this country, we have a burning house (or two or three or a thousand) that needs attention.

12. I have studied linguistics all of my life without realizing that was what I was doing. Every English class, every poetry course, every novel-writing class - it was all about the words, the language, the nuances, the rhythm of life. Have we as a country lost our words? When thousands of instruments play, it's a racket, but when they fall in tune, time, and rhythm, and begin to speak as one, we have a song. Right now I think we have thousands of voices yelling and screaming, and no song.

13. Maybe we all just need to stop and sing America the Beautiful. This land is your land or I'd like to teach the world to sing.

Sending money today to the American Red Cross for the folks in Texas. I've been in a flood, as has most of the old-timers in my area, and I know how difficult it can be to recover. We've been having a drought for most of the summer. The weather is fickle, I know, and maybe you don't believe in climate change. I, however, believe in clean air and I don't see where it hurts to force manufacturers to keep the environment safe, regardless of your stand on the issue. I'd rather pay a bit more for my electricity and be able to breathe and see the mountains than pay less and go to an early grave.

_________
 
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 515th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Monday, August 28, 2017

When Turkeys Fight

Last week, around 7:50 a.m., I heard a racket on the other end of the house. At first I thought it was the washing machine, but I quickly realized it was not that. I went into the kitchen and heard a sound as if something was trying to climb through the stove venting into the house. I went to the door to look.

Two tom turkeys were deadlocked together, having a nasty fight, and caught in between my heat pump and the house. They'd stomped on the stove vent, ruined my water gauge, turned over and broke several flower pots, and were turning purple in the head as they tried to kill one another.

I screamed at them to "shoo" and "get away from my damn heat pump," mostly because I was afraid they were going to pull wiring loose. They finally moved away from the heat pump, but they continued to fight. I yelled some more and they paid me no attention.

The birds come up my chest and are huge. I had no intention of trying to separate them, so I did what people normally do nowadays.

I picked up my camera.

This was about as close as I dared get.

I shall eat you, you fowl bird.

Let's dance. Put on your red shoes!

Definitely not love.

Turkey waltz?

I am going to eat your face! Forsooth!

Let me have a taste of your upper beak.

Which turkey shall prevail?

Standoff.

There shall only be one Major Tom in this crowd!

A rally and a come back.

Give up, or I shall eat your face again!

Yes, we are taller than the heat pump.

Do I hear someone screaming, "No, stay away from the heat pump!" while I eat your face?


If I can't beat you one way, I shall body slam you into this garage door.


As if! I am going to eat your face again!

Maybe we should make tracks?

The devastation from the fight.
 
Thus endeth the rain gauge. The gnome survived.

The flower pot looked a bit worse for wear.

Most of it was salvageable.

Turkey feathers everywhere.