Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What’s the coolest item you’ve found at a garage sale, flea market, etc?

A. My dog Ginger, back in 1984. She lived for 17 years.

Ginger facing down a raccoon. She's the black dog on the left.

2. Describe how your day went yesterday.

A. I did a lot of laundry, listened to an audiobook, watched the weather forecast, and cheered when I learned my old high school girls' basketball team won the state.

3. Do you have issues with people entering your personal space? What do you do when your personal space is violated?

A. Yes I have issues. When my space is violated, I move.

4. What is the one meal recipe you think you’ve mastered?

A. Boiling water.

5. If you could take back something you did to someone, what would it be?

A. I'd have never given that silly boy some melted asphalt and told him it was black licorice.

6. Would you describe yourself as spiritual, religious, or something else?

A. Spiritual.

7. Did you ever receive detention in school? What sort of kid were you in school – bookworm, smart kid, troublemaker, quiet … etc.

A. I was a smart and quiet kid (graduated 5th in the class) who once found herself in "in school" detention, which basically meant I went to study hall and did nothing. This was for skipping band class, which was my last class of the day. After I became a junior and had a car it was easy to slip out and go home and miss that class. I just happened to get caught once.

8. When’s the last time you ran a mile? How often do you exercise?

A. I walk an average of 6,000 to 7,000 steps a day. I don't run anywhere, but I try to get in that many steps every day, with at least 15 minutes of moderate activity on my Fitbit.

9. What would you say to your 16-year-old self, and why?

A. Try the escargot.

10. What are you avoiding?

A. Taking a shower, at the moment.

11. Describe a “Hah! I told you so” moment you had recently.

A. I have them all the time and they are usually directed at my husband. They come by the bushel basketful, so no point in digging a single one out.

12. What’s more important, where you live or what you do for a living? Why?

A. I think they are equally important. I don't know why, I just do.

13. Swear words: Are you pro or con? Why?

A. I am pro swear words, you dirty-sided flea-bitten bottom feeder. Mess with me and I shall fart in your general direction.

14. Paper or plastic? Do you prefer to pack your own groceries?

A. I took my own bags for a long time, but mostly I get the plastic ones. I reuse them in other trash cans at home or take them back for recycling.

15. Do you have a shoe fetish? How often do you buy new shoes? Do you ever get rid of a pair of shoes?

A. I do not have a shoe fetish. I buy new shoes once or twice a year. I get rid of shoes every time I clear out the closet.

__________

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 9: On and On

On and On (1977)

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here. (Good song.)

1) This song describes the plight of "poor ol' Jimmy," who caught his girlfriend kissing someone else. Have you ever spied on a romantic partner?

A. No.

2) In this song, Stephen Bishop sings that he "smiles when he feels like dying." When did you recently put on a happy face, even though you really weren't all that happy?

A. Christmas.

3) Stephen Bishop always wanted to be a musician, and as a child he began playing the clarinet. Did you take lessons -- dance, art, music -- as a child? If yes, did you take them because you enjoyed them, or because your parents made you take them?

A. I took piano lessons and then took band lessons. I took them for both reasons. I enjoyed them sometimes but not always. The piano teacher and I (Hello Mrs. Arrington, you angel you) had a disagreement about what I learned. I wanted to learn contemporary music and she thought I should be learning classical music. She became so angry with me the day I told her I didn't want to learn that old stuff.

4) When he was 12, inspired by The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, he switched to the guitar and began writing songs. Tell us about someone or something that influenced your career path.

A. My English professor at the community college, Maggie McDaniel, insisted I should go to Hollins College. She wasn't the only one, but hers was the voice I actually heard. So I enrolled in the college's adult studies department and after 8 long, illness-filled years, I received my bachelor's degree. Then later I went back and obtained my masters in 2012.

5) Stephen Bishop attended Will C. Crawford High School in San Diego. This school requires students complete 20 hours of community service every year. Tell us about an organization, cause or campaign you volunteered for, either as a student or an adult.

A. I served in the ladies auxiliary of the local fire department for a while. My husband was a volunteer there (and a paid firefighter in the city). We had to raise funds for new equipment every year and they did that with BBQ dinners. I sat for hours washing potatoes, cutting out bad spots on them, and then greasing them up and wrapping them in foil so they could be baked.

6) In 1977, when this song was popular, Seattle Slew won racing's Triple Crown. Sam's mother has always been afraid of horses. Is there an animal you're uncomfortable with?

A. I am allergic to most animals, so they make me uncomfortable because they make me ill. And I really do not like snakes.

7) Also in 1977, moviegoers waited in line for hours to see Star Wars. What's the longest line you waited in recently?

A. Probably one at the grocery store. I don't wait in lines except for that. There is very little I want to see, do, or eat that is worth standing in a line for, but I do have to buy groceries.

8) The mini-series Roots first aired in 1977. Today Americans are spending more time and money than ever to research ancestry. How far back can you trace your family tree?

A. My aunt has traced my maternal line back to the 1500s on Ancestry. I don't know how accurate that is. I have used primary sources to trace some lines back as far as the 1700s.

9) Random question: It's often said that nobody's perfect. How about you? What quality keeps you from being perfect?

A. Perfectionism.

_____________
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.

Sometimes All You Have Is a Picture of a Cow

These are my neighbor's cows. Ours are on the other side of the farm where I can't see them unless I go hunting for them.

Thursday Thirteen

Today is International Women's Day, so I thought I'd list 13 notable women from my area. Some are no longer with us; some are.

1. Lucy Breckinridge. Lucy Breckinridge lived during the Civil War and penned a record of her day to day life on Grove Hill Plantation, located just outside of Fincastle, VA. Her diary is one of the best-known volumes about women's life during this period of American History. You can read a little more about her and the book here.

2. Martha Louisa Cocke. This woman, also known as Matty Cocke, was born in 1855 in Botetourt County. Her father, Charles Lewis Cocke, was superintendent of the Female Seminary at Botetourt Springs, a facility which later became Hollins College and then Hollins University. Cocke helped her father administer the college and she taught English, French, German and Math. She was named President of the Institute on May 4, 1901, and was Virginia's first female college president. The school was renamed Hollins College in 1911, under Matty Cocke's stewardship.

3. Mary Johnston. She was a popular writer in the early 20th century. Her most famous novel was To Have and To Hold, which was also made into movies. She was also a suffragist and was the first woman to address the Virginia General Assembly.

4. Lucy Addison. She was an African American educator and has a school named after her in Roanoke, VA (Addison Aerospace Magnet Middle School).  She taught in the Roanoke City Public Schools for 31 years and in 1917 she was named principal of Harrison School, which was the largest state accredited school for African Americans in Virginia to have a female principal. She was also a community activist.

5. Judge Mary R. Painter. Judge Painter presided over traffic court in Botetourt County, VA and was well known to locals as being tough on those who broke the law. Her court was one to avoid. She served from 1934 to 1967 and the only Judge of the County Court for 33 years. She was also the first and only woman in Virginia to hold this position. (Disclaimer: I am a cousin of this woman.)

6. Sharon McCrumb. McCrumb is a best selling author who lives not far from me. She is the author of at least 27 books.

7. P. Buckley Moss. Moss is a famous artist whose museum headquarters is about an hour's drive from me and she lives about an hour from me in the other direction. She is known for colorful landscapes and old-timey looking paintings and offers limited edition prints. (I own several.)

8. Ann Compton. Compton is a former news reporter and White House correspondent for ABC. She graduated from Hollins College and went to work for local station of WDBJ7.

9. Jeanne Larsen. Larsen is a professor at Hollins University (unless she's retired and I'm not aware of it, which is entirely possible). She has published several novels, poems, books of poetry, and essays. She was my favorite undergraduate professor.

10.  Amanda Cockrell. Cockrell is another of my professors at Hollins University, where she established the MFA in Children's Literature Program. She is the author of 12 novels, including a young adult book named one of the best children's books in 2011.

11. Cathryn Hankla. Hankla is another professor at Hollins University (yes, there is a theme here, Hollins is my alma mater) who has published 14 books, many of them poetry.

12. Nancy Dahlstrom is a retired Hollins University professor and artist who lives in Botetourt County, VA.

13. Me. I'm not necessarily notable or important, but I live here and have contributed a great deal to my community through my writing for various local publications (over 10,000 articles in 35 years) and through my work with historic preservation and rural planning and growth. Since I retired I am not as well-known as I used to be, since my name isn't in the paper every week, but I still have the ear of well-placed people and am often asked to advise on various and sundry subjects.

_______

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 540th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

A Lot of Bull

This is Mr. Socks. That is what I decided to call him after I saw his muddied legs.

Mr. Socks is the newest addition to our cattle herd.

He is young, Mr. Socks is.

This is Bull. He was Bull 2 but we sold Bull 1. So now he is just Bull.

Bull is getting bigger. He is a little older than Mr. Socks.



Even though Bull is not very old, either, I wouldn't want to cross him.

Surreal Sky

Thursday night the lights went out while a wind storm raged around us. The moon was full but the sky cloudy. With the lights gone, I could see an orange glow to the south, probably Roanoke. I tried to take photos to show the surreal surroundings, but I don't think I succeeded.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: Art Historic

Classical: If you were an Olympian god, what would you be known for?

A. I would be known for giving good advice and then not being heard. I think that's the myth of Cassandra - already been done.

Byzantine: Do you prefer gold or silver accessories?

A. Silver (or white gold)

Medieval: Are you religious?

A. I am spiritual. Make of it what you will.

Gothic: What is your favourite historic building?

A. My local courthouse. It was allegedly designed by Thomas Jefferson.

Renaissance: Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt enlightened or changed?

A. Yes.

Baroque: Do you enjoy the finer things in life?

A. Yes.

Rococo: Is your bedroom full of trinkets and pictures? If so, which pictures adorn your walls?

A. I have one picture on the wall, and very few "trinkets" in the bedroom. I try to keep it as dust-free as possible.

Neoclassicism: If something came back into fashion, what do you hope it would be?

A. Civility and manners.

Romanticism: Do you often see things in a positive light?

A. Not really, no. Gee, is it dark in here?

Pre-Raphaelite: Which book would you like to see turned into a film?

A. The Idiot's Guide to Losing Weight.

Impressionism: Do you look for details or take everything in at once?

A. I do both. I'm good that way.

Art Nouveau: When were you last at the theatre?

A. As in the "theatre" as opposed to a movie theater? It has been a few years.

Surrealism: Why does the porcupine think it's a duck?

A. Because it is quackers.

Pop Art: Do you enjoy pop culture?

A. Yes.

Contemporary: What did you do today?

A. I came home to my house to find the electricity on (I'm writing this on Saturday) after being without it for 21.5 hours, and proceeded to empty the refrigerator and clean it out, catch up on correspondence (including Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing) and test out multiple electric items to see what fried when the substation down the road blew up on Thursday night. It was an amazing sight to see the substation explode, but it was also amazing and scary to be in a house not far from it when it did. The lights went crazy, with lights that were off trying to come on, and we lost several surge protectors, an air purifier, and a transformer to the power recliner. I watched the air purifier turn into something from Ghostbusters as it lit up and developed an electric glow all around it. Scary stuff.

__________

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 9: Is There Life Out There?

Is There Life Out There? (1992)

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

1) This song is about a woman who married at 20. It's estimated that the average American groom is 2.5 years older than his bride. Why do you suppose that is?

A. I always thought it was because it took men at least four more years than women to reach the same mental maturity. (I married at 20, and my husband was 24.)

2) A 2014 study shows the bigger the age gap in a marriage, the more likely the couple is to divorce. What do you think is the reason for most divorces?

A. Money or adultery.

3) Reba's second marriage recently ended. Statistics show that second marriages are more likely than first marriages to wind up in divorce. Why do you suppose that is?

A. Because once you've been divorced, you know how to do it the second time around. Also, I think partners are less trusting in second marriages, particularly if the person was cheating on spouse A with spouse B.

4) This week's featured artist, Reba McEntire, was discovered when she sang The National Anthem at an Oklahoma City rodeo. Have you ever been to the rodeo?

A. A very long time ago (at least four decades).

5) Reba dropped out of Southeastern Oklahoma State University to go to Nashville and pursue a recording career. In that way, she's like the woman she sings about in this week's song. "She's done what she should, should she do what she dares?" Do you ever regret a risk or opportunity you didn't take?

A. All the time.

6) Reba's heroine is "dying to try something foolish, do something crazy, or just get away." Does that sound like you? What would you do, just for yourself, if time and money were no object?

A. If time and money were no object, I would hire a private jet and travel.

7) Reba recently became a spokesperson for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Whose chicken do you eat most often: Popeye's, Church's, Chick-fil-A or KFC?

A. I don't eat at any of those restaurants.

8) In 2001, Reba starred in her own sitcom. On the show, her character is first an administrative assistant and then a real estate agent. Have you ever tried your hand at either of those occupations? If not, which do you think you would be a better fit for you?

A. I have been what used to be called a secretary, which I think today is often referred to as an administrative assistant. I hated it. I wouldn't make a very good real estate agent, either.

9) Random question: Which of these super powers would you rather have -- extraordinary strength or invisibility?

A. Invisibility.

_____________

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 Thirteen

The other night we went to a little talk about the mountains in my county. I decided to look and see how many there were. To my surprise, we have 58 different "peaks" here! Some we share with adjoining counties, and in those cases the county lines run along the summits. Here is a google map that you can enlarge that shows the names of major mountains.

Anyway, these are the most interesting names of 13 of those "peaks" (and the ones I consider real mountains, more or less). They are not in any particular order.

1. Apple Orchard Mountain - so named, we were told, because at 4,225 feet it is the highest elevation in the county, and the trees up there are twisted and old, thus looking like apple trees.

Apple Orchard Mountain (listofjohn)

2. Sugarloaf Mountain, elevation 3,626 feet.

3. North Mountain (we actually have two "North Mountains" in this county - one which borders Rockbridge County to the north and the one I can see out my front window, which is more west).

Tinker Mountain, which I didn't list here, and North Mountain from our farm.

4. Wildcat Mountain

5. Bald Knob

6. Purgatory Mountain (always thought that one would be a cool name for a book)



Purgatory Mountain from Roanoke.com

7. Bearwallow Mountain

8. Rathole Mountain

9. The Knob

10. Iron Ore Mountain

11. Sulphur Ridge

12. Gully Mountain

13. Chestnut Mountain


_______

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 540th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

The Appalachians

The other night my husband and I attended an event at the library about the mountains of our area.

We live in the Appalachian chain, which extends along the eastern part of the United States. We live in what is called the Valley and Ridge area in Virginia, located between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Alleghany Mountain chains.

The Appalachian Mountains first formed roughly 500 million years ago. They formed when Africa hit the North American eastern coast and things sort of slowly (like over a million years) smashed up. This created the mountains, which once reached elevations similar to those of the Alps and the Rocky Mountains. Then they began to erode. The Appalachian mountains were a barrier to east-west travel, as the mountains create a series of alternating ridgelines and valleys oriented in opposition to most highways and railroads running east-west.

That means that for a long time, the area where I live was the wild west (1700-1800s).

Anyway, to my east is the Blue Ridge Mountains, and to my west are the Alleghenies. Out my office window, which faces west, I see North Mountain, Caldwell Mountain, and Price Mountain. Tinker Mountain is also visible, though it is a bit to my south.

I have always called our mountains the Blue Ridge Mountains even though the Alleghenies are what I see every day. Blue Ridge just sounds more romantic, doesn't it?

 

A topographic view of the James River

A simple version of the areas of Virginia.

This is what the world looked like when things smashed together.

A topography map that shows our property.

Same map without my pointing anything out.

The same map except not close up. You can see Tinker to the southwest but not the
other mountains.
 

One of the fascinating facts about the Appalachian chain is that it actually goes all the way to Scotland. It runs under the ocean. Maybe that is why so many Scots-Irish folk settled here. It looks like home.

A nice generic shot of our farm with North Mountain in the background.

Let's Talk Guns

As a retired newspaper reporter, my tendency is to investigate things before actually making up my mind.

Many indicators have convinced me that we need stricter gun control (not a ban, but stricter laws). Mental illness of shooters may be a problem, but other nations have mental illness and they don't have these dramatic shooting incidents in schools, theaters, and concerts. Besides, statistically, black women in the United States have less access to mental health services than any other group, while white males have more access to mental health services than any other group, and I've yet to see a black woman turn up as the shooter at one of these events. So there is that.

Other nations do not have guns and they do not have shootings like we have. Guns may not kill people but the availability of guns make it easy for people to kill others with guns. I have to go through more hoops to obtain certain prescriptions than I do to buy a gun. I have to go through more paperwork to keep and maintain my driver's license. I have to send my county money every year in order to continue to work as a freelance writer and editor. I have to have insurance on everything.

So I don't really get why guns are so sacred here - they have become like a worshipped object (as has money) and that flies in the face of not only my own moral code but also the Christian one that folks like to work themselves up over. This falls under Exodus 20:23, in case you're wondering. It only mentions gods made of silver and gold but I think anything metal, wood, etc., counts. So money and guns should not be our gods, but they do appear to be items that many worship.

I'm also not interested in turning this nation into a police state, with officers everywhere. Children should be in learning institutions, not prisons, and I'm not sure what the difference between a well-defended school and a prison is, except that the kids can leave at the end of the day. Most teachers don't want to be armed. I respect their right to not have to carry a weapon.

Other arguments that I would refute are: you own guns to protect your family (if you're that scared, you need therapy, you're also lacking empathy for others, and the things should be locked up in a safe anyway so you don't have time to get them in a break-in), and you own guns because of some abstract idea that you are going to gun down the government boys when they come after you. I have news for you. If the government really wants you, no amount of weaponry is going to save you. You're just going to end up dead.

We already have gun laws. You can't own a tank, can you? Or an air-to-ground missile launcher. Or many other items available to the military.

Anyway, I wanted to know what the difference is between these AR-15 semi-automatic weapons and my husband's hunting rifle was, so we went to a local gun shop so I could see for myself.

My husband hunts with a .270 caliber rifle. It is a semi-automatic. He was under the impression that under Virginia law he could only have a magazine for his gun that holds four bullets, but I can't find that anywhere in the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries rules. But anyway, that is all his magazines hold, so he can have 5 bullets, one in the chamber and four in the magazine, before he has to either reload the magazine or insert another magazine. I don't know if he could purchase larger ones for it, but he seldom needs more than one shot to make his kill anyway.

His .270 is a heavy long rifle. I can hardly lift it. I most certainly couldn't aim it with any accuracy and I'd have to put it down after a round because of the recoil. The recoil means that if I were to pull the trigger and shoot the rifle, my shoulder would probably be bruised if not dislocated. I'm not strong enough to handle this gun.

In contrast, a .22 rifle, which I have of my own, is smaller, and it is also a semi-automatic. However, it is a rifle and requires time to aim and shoot. It also must be held at the shoulder, and while it doesn't have much kick, there is some. It also doesn't do the damage a larger bullet can, although a .22 could certainly kill if aimed at the head or heart. But it's still a rifle, with length and weight. I haven't shot it in a while but I have very good aim, when I take my time. I don't usually kill with it although I have shot two groundhogs and a snake in my lifetime. One of the groundhogs was after the dog and the other groundhog was after me (I think that one was sick). The snake was, well, a snake. Usually I chop their heads off with a hoe but I couldn't find the hoe.

So I am not standing here with no blood on my hands. I have used a rifle to kill something. I hated it each time (even the snake) but I live in a rural area, and sometimes stuff happens.

Anyway, at the gun shop we checked out the AR-15. This gun is at least as light as the .22, if not lighter. We could have purchased magazines up to 30 rounds at the shop we visited, and I imagine more are available. I did not shoot the gun, but my husband, who has fired one, says it has as much or less recoil than my .22 rifle. Additionally, because of the lack of recoil, the AR-15 can be held down at the side, and a person could strafe a crowd without aiming and be sure of inflicting major damage to a vast amount of people. Let's be honest, you can click a trigger many, many times in the space of second with your index finger.

Because the gun is light, someone could run with it, and because it is smaller than my .22 in length, it is more easily concealed (say, beneath a coat). The bullets in an AR-15 can kill and maim because they use .223 caliber and up. You have to hunt deer with a .223 and higher caliber bullet, so the bullets for this gun (and similarly made guns) are made to kill.

After reviewing this gun and holding it, moving around with it, and understanding more about its use, I agree that this is a weapon that should not be in the public's hands. It is too easy to use, and anyone with no skills can obtain one because of our lax background checks, conceal it, walk into a crowded space, and fire. It also is not a sporting rifle, and frankly someone who uses this gun to hunt with is not a sportsman. This weapon takes no skill, and hunting should challenge the sportsman.

I know people will argue that a pistol could do the same kind of killing in a crowd, but I held a pistol also. It requires more control than the AR-15, plus a pistol with the same or similar caliber bullets would have a recoil that would preclude strafing in a mass of people, unless you have wrists the size of baseball bats or something.

This AR-15 gun and guns like it were once banned, and our legislators let that ban slip away. That was a mistake. That ban should be reinstituted.


My solution to this problem would be to ban assault rifles and then institute a voluntary buyback program for folks who have guns and would like to be rid of them. Note I said voluntary. The rest should be voluntarily registered. After all, if you have nothing to hide, what's the problem?

Then I would require additional insurance on gun owners. That means we would be paying more insurance but I would rather do that than see another innocent soul lost.

Background checks should be uniform nationwide and the process should require a waiting period. Women have to wait to have abortions; young male dudes should have to wait to get their gun. I can't think of a single reason why I would need to go in and purchase a gun and have it within 20 minutes, aside from the convenience of not having to return again. I have to keep making trip after trip to the drug store because they can't figure out when they can actually give me my prescriptions, so if I can be double inconvenienced over something I have to have to survive, then surely everyone can be slightly inconvenienced over something they don't need.

Parents should be held responsible for any injuries caused by their children if they own guns. I don't care how much they lock them up, some smart kid can find a way into a space to obtain what they want.

Notice none of this takes away your guns. It might inconvenience you a little bit, but if your convenience is worth more than a life, then you have something seriously wrong with your thinking. To me, this is simply a sensible way of dealing with a horrific problem.

None of this would stop what is going on immediately, but I think it might slow it down and eventually halt it. Maybe we could return to a nation with some sanity about us. Wouldn't that be a welcome change.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What is more difficult for you, looking into someone’s eyes when you are telling someone how you feel, or looking into someone’s eyes when they are telling you how they feel?

A. I never really thought about it. I don't often tell people how I really feel (husband excepted).

2. Think of the last time you were REALLY angry.  WHY were you angry?  Do you still feel the same way?

A. This would be a political answer with the date being November 2016. And yes, I still feel the same way.

3. You are on a flight from Honolulu to Chicago non-stop. There is a fire in the back of the plane.  You have enough time to make one phone call. Who do you call?  What do you tell them?

A. I would call my husband and tell him I love him.

4. You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live.  Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? What do you do with your remaining days? Would you be afraid?

A. Of course I would be afraid. I would talk to my husband and things would move forward from there. As I have no real "bucket list" of items I want to fulfill, I would just like for those last days to be calm and happy.

5. You can have one of the following two things: love or trust.  Which do you choose?  Why?

A. Trust. I couldn't love someone I couldn't trust.

6. You are walking down the street on your way to work.  There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street.  Your boss has told you that if you are late just one more time you are fired. Do you take the time to save the dog’s life?  Why? Why not?

A. I would try to save the dog because life is more important than a job. I mean, that make actually simply be making a phone call to the police and then making a run for my job, but I would make some kind of effort.

7. Would you rather be hurt by the one you trust the most or the one you love the most?

A. That would be the same person.

8. Your best friend confesses that he/she has feelings for you more than just friendship.  He/she is falling in love with you.  What do you (or did you) say?

A. At this point in my life I would have to remind him/her that I am happily married, and hope that we could still be friends. But I expect the relationship/friendship would end, just because of lost expectations.

9. Think of the last person you know who died.  You have the chance to give them 1 hour more of life back, but you have to give up one year of yours.  Do you do it?  Why? Or Why not?

A. I'm not even going to answer this.

10. Are you the kind of friend that you would want to have as a friend?

A. Most of the time. I try to be, anyway.

11.  Does love = sex?

A. No. And it doesn't work the other way around, either.

12. Your boss tells your co-worker that they have to let them go because of work shortage, and they are the newest employee. You have been there much longer. Your co-worker has a family to support and no other means of income.  Do you go to your boss and offer to leave the company?  Why or Why not.

A. Under my current circumstances, I might make that offer, since it is just my husband and me. It would depend a lot on how dependent we were on my salary at that particular time.

13. When was the last time you told someone HONESTLY how you felt regardless of how difficult it was for you to say?  What did you have to tell the person?

A. I am always honest with my husband, and the last thing I told him was I would have preferred being asked about installing a water softener instead of being told we were going to do it after he'd already bought it.

14. What would be (or what was) harder for you to tell a member of the opposite/same sex – you love them or that you do not love them back.

A. I guess that I didn't love them back, if the person loved me.
__________

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.