1. Name a person you're glad to have in your life.
A. All of my blogging buddies. They give me a sense of community in "these unsettled times."
2. What is something you find comfort in?
A. Playing music.
Me when I was a young
bad-ass guitar player
3. What is your favorite part of the morning?
A. When I sit down to eat breakfast and read the newspaper. (Yes, I still take a print edition of a newspaper.)
4. What is your favorite memory?
A. It is a rather bittersweet memory. I was about 11 years old, and I asked my brother, in all seriousness (a seriousness born of depression even at that young age), what he would have done if I hadn't been born or if I died. His response was, "I would cry until I died." I have never forgotten that. Sometimes when I am feeling really low I remember that he said that and it makes me feel better, because I never want to make my brother cry.
5. Name an accomplishment of which you are proud.
A. I have three college degrees. I am proud of all of them because I worked hard for them. I am also proud of my writing awards from the Virginia Press Association.
6. What is an opportunity for which you are grateful?
A. I am glad I had the opportunity to be a freelance writer and write for many local and state publications. Over my lifetime, I've written and published nearly 5,000 articles and at least 1,000 photos. It did not make me wealthy, but it made me rich in knowledge, connections, and in spirit.
7. What is your favorite song (and why)?
A. I don't have a favorite song. I know probably a 1000 songs or more and sometimes I would rather hear one song over another, depending on my moods, but I don't have a favorite song. That said, I do like to listen to Bread when I need to be calmed.
8. What is a future event that you are excited about?
A. I don't have any future events planned. We are not going on vacation because of Covid, I'm not sure we will have any holidays with anyone, and things look bleak at the moment. I am not excited about the upcoming election because I believe that regardless of outcome, things will not be good. I'm just keeping my head down and hoping that one day I will feel safe going to the bookstore. I am not holding my breath.
9. What is the favorite area in your home?
A. My office. This is where all my creative stuff is. I keep two guitars in here, cameras, my computer, loads of notebooks, coloring books, and other things that I require to keep going.
A little corner of my room of creativity.
10. Name something beautiful you saw today.
A. I saw a doe and her two fawns.
11. What is your guilty pleasure?
A. Eating chocolate, but I no longer feel guilty about it. If I am going to die, I'd just as soon have death by chocolate as death by Covid.
12. What is something you love about a family member?
A. My husband is gentle and loyal. He is a good man.
13. Write about a compliment that made you feel good.
A. I think being asked to write and edit my county's 250th anniversary magazine was a huge compliment to my work and my work ethic. It's really a nice magazine even if I do say so myself. Too bad it has mostly sat in the county administration office because all of the events celebrating my county's 250th birthday were cancelled. But we will try again next year.
14. What is the item that you treasure the most?
A. My wedding ring.
15. Write about your favorite part of nature.
A. I love all of nature - the smell of it, like compost when you kick at the leaves, the taste of salt from the ocean waves, the brilliance of the Blue Ridge Mountains where I live, which at times look like a deep blue ocean going on and on and in Autumn they shine with a million different hues of yellows, reds, oranges, and greens, the animals that move about without worrying about things like politics, and the freedom of no walls.
16. What is a book that you loved reading?
A. I enjoy reading every book I finished. I don't finish them if I don't like them. My favorite book as a child was called Miss Osborne the Mop. I like The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I enjoyed Deborah Harkness's Discovery of Witches books. I enjoyed the Annie books by L. M. Montgomery. I have fun with Jane Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books. I loved Sue Grafton's ABC mystery series.
17. Name a freedom for which you are grateful.
A. I now live in an authoritarian state that has dismissed the rights of its citizens even to life, much less anything else. I am still free to think what I want, though, including the foregoing sentence, and for now, at least, free to write it. Eventually, that will be gone. Maybe I'll be to old to notice when it happens.
18. What is your favorite part of the evening?
A. When I am reading a book while my husband watches TV, unless I happen to tune in to a Melissa Etheridge online concert, in which case that particular event would be my favorite part of that evening.
19. Name one good thing that happened today.
A. I watched a Melissa Etheridge online concert (that was Saturday night).
I am envious of her guitar and her skill
in playing it. Yowza.
20. How do you show gratitude to/for your friends?
A. I help them when they need help, and check in on them. I buy them presents sometimes, if I see something that looks like something they'd be interested in.
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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.
Congratulations on the magazine article and all that you have written. Wow 3 degrees! I am the first in my family to get BA from a University. I enjoyed my visit here tonight!
ReplyDeleteI so wish I had learned to play the guitar.
ReplyDelete#11 - You should try British chocolate - you would love it. Much better than Hersheys.
:o)
Cheers
PM
I enjoyed all of your answers today, especially #4 and #10.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Sunday my friend.
I find comfort in my blogging friends as well. I think it is the normalcy of it and knowing everyone is ok.
ReplyDeleteDeer are so beautiful. I love nature too.
I am planning to do everything I would normally do at the holidays. I am decorating. I decorated for Fall yesterday and I will keep decorating and getting myself into the holiday spirit. We will most likely go to my mom's and also Karl's family unless we get exposed to covid again. We had a case at the school where I work, but I am fine. I was not able to go see my mom Friday though just in case.
You have so many great accomplishments in your life. That is awesome. I am glad your brother's words have stuck with you! Loved your answers! Have a great day!
https://lorisbusylife.blogspot.com/
I didn't want to do this one, at first glance but I am sure glad you did. This was the best yet... I feel I've gotten to know you, and like what I learned... as I read I thought, remember to say that number... and that one and that one. I cried when I read what your brother said, to be loved by family is just a pie in the sky dream for me... it told me of belonging and connection. Your husband, a quiet loyal kind man... the best kind right? I have a lot but nothing supercedes survival of the country as a democracy and human rights that have been trampled... yes mine as a white woman of a certain age are threatened daily by the current gov't's actions. Loved discovery of witches trilogy which was a surprise as that's not my genre. Love hearing my husband as he learns guitar.Leeanna
ReplyDeleteI love your death by chocolate answer--I might have to steal it (since it is Sunday Stealing after all).
ReplyDeleteBlogging Buddies. True ... this can really do more than any other on line Social Media to feel like true community. Instagram comes close but not this close.
ReplyDelete#4 is just absolutely amazing. What a dear, heartfelt response, and I'm sure that it gave you great and continuing comfort.
Feeling "safe going to the bookstore", and that whole anwer. You are in good company to be so concerned. It's a nightmare almost like living in one of the countries in the middle east.
Love that Kryptonite. Oh yes, mine too! And Nature. A great solace in times of stress and foreboding.
The story of your brother's words is so touching. It made ME cry.
ReplyDeleteI hope we never lose our freedom to write and express ourselves....or make music...or read certain books. These are troubling times. I'm trying to believe that there are more good people in the world than rotten ones. What an interesting time to be alive.