I found this over at Sweet Virginia Breeze and thought I'd play along. It's a holiday Saturday and I'm tired from cleaning house, but wanted to put up a post! It's an alphabet meme.
A. Age: 47
B. Bed: queen
C. Chore you dislike: cleaning the toilets
D. Dogs: None at the moment, but I had oodles (and poodles!) growing up and one as an adult.
E. Essential start of your day: a cup of tea, a walk on the treadmill, a shower.
F. Favorite color: purple
G. Gold or silver: silver
H. Height: Apparently I'm shrinking, but the last check was 5' 2". Very short.
I. Instruments you play: It's been a while so I might not be very good at these any more, but in my time I have played piano, guitar, flute, banjo, mandolin, saxophone, piccolo, dobro, dulcimer.
J. Job title: freelance writer, college student, homemaker
K. Kids: None
L. Live: Southwest Virginia
M. Mom's name: Mom!
N. Nicknames: None that I will admit to.
O. Overnight hospital stays: Age 5 to remove a large mole, 6 times for operations for "female trouble," culminating in a hysterectomy at the tender age of 29, once for e-coli, once for chest pains, once to remove a lodged piece of hot dog from my esophagus. The last three were spent in the ER but I was there for almost 24 hours each time.
P. Pet peeves: people who say they are going to do something and then do not.
Q. Quote from a movie: "What's taters, Precious? What's taters?"
R. Righty or lefty: Righty
S. Siblings: One brother
T. Time you wake up: The alarm goes off at 6 a.m. every morning.
U. Underwear: Yes. Eewww if you don't.
V. Vegetables you don't like: rhubarb, okra, chives, rutabagas
W. What makes you run late: very little. I'm generally early.
X. X-rays you've had: Dental x-rays, MRI, arm, legs, esophagus - lots. It's a wonder I don't glow.
Y. Yummy food you make: chocolate lush from my grandmother's secret recipe
Z. Zoo animal favorites: lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!
Showing posts with label Miscellaneous. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miscellaneous. Show all posts
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Prevent Child Abuse
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month in the United States.
The statistics are sobering.
Every 84 minutes in this country, a child is abused or neglected.
Every 8 days, a child dies from abuse or neglect, often at the hands of a parent. In Virginia, every 6 days a child under the age of 19 is murdered.
Every 5 hours, a Virginia child witnesses an act of domestic violence.
In Virginia, over the most recent one-year period for which information is available, 48,915 reports of child abuse were filed with Social Services. Over 6,200 of those reports were substantiated, meaning there was plenty of evidence to support a determination of abuse. Maybe not so bad, you think, but that means the rest were marginal enough to cause concern to somebody.
Also:
• 55.31% of the maltreatment was due to physical neglect, a failure to provide food, clothing, shelter or supervision to the child to the extent that the child’s health was endangered.
• 25.86% of the maltreatment was due to physical abuse.
• 13.39% of the maltreatment was due to sexual abuse.
• 2.05% of the maltreatment was due to medical neglect.
• 2.10% of the maltreatment was due to mental abuse/neglect.
Of those reports, 65 % of the victims were white. Thirty-two percent were black.
In 2010, 44 children died from abuse in Virginia. Of those 44, 40 were aged four or younger.
Child abuse costs the United States $258 million per day.
What constitutes child abuse?
• non-accidental physical or mental injury, including, but not limited to a child who is with his parent during the manufacture or sale of certain drugs.
• neglect or refusal to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, emotional nurturing, or health care.
• abandonment.
• failure to provide adequate supervision in relation to the child’s age and level of development.
• committing or allowing to be committed any illegal sexual act upon a child including incest, rape, fondling, indecent exposure, prostitution, or allows a child to be used in any sexually explicit visual material.
• knowingly leaving a child alone in the same dwelling with a person who is not related to the child by blood or marriage and who is required to register as a violent sexual offender.
Child abuse is not usually just one physical attack or just one instance of failure to meet a child’s most basic needs. Usually child abuse is a pattern of behavior which takes place over a period of time. The longer child abuse continues, the more serious it becomes, and the more difficult it is to stop.
Isn't it time we stop this madness?
The statistics are sobering.
Every 84 minutes in this country, a child is abused or neglected.
Every 8 days, a child dies from abuse or neglect, often at the hands of a parent. In Virginia, every 6 days a child under the age of 19 is murdered.
Every 5 hours, a Virginia child witnesses an act of domestic violence.
In Virginia, over the most recent one-year period for which information is available, 48,915 reports of child abuse were filed with Social Services. Over 6,200 of those reports were substantiated, meaning there was plenty of evidence to support a determination of abuse. Maybe not so bad, you think, but that means the rest were marginal enough to cause concern to somebody.
Also:
• 55.31% of the maltreatment was due to physical neglect, a failure to provide food, clothing, shelter or supervision to the child to the extent that the child’s health was endangered.
• 25.86% of the maltreatment was due to physical abuse.
• 13.39% of the maltreatment was due to sexual abuse.
• 2.05% of the maltreatment was due to medical neglect.
• 2.10% of the maltreatment was due to mental abuse/neglect.
Of those reports, 65 % of the victims were white. Thirty-two percent were black.
In 2010, 44 children died from abuse in Virginia. Of those 44, 40 were aged four or younger.
Child abuse costs the United States $258 million per day.
What constitutes child abuse?
• non-accidental physical or mental injury, including, but not limited to a child who is with his parent during the manufacture or sale of certain drugs.
• neglect or refusal to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, emotional nurturing, or health care.
• abandonment.
• failure to provide adequate supervision in relation to the child’s age and level of development.
• committing or allowing to be committed any illegal sexual act upon a child including incest, rape, fondling, indecent exposure, prostitution, or allows a child to be used in any sexually explicit visual material.
• knowingly leaving a child alone in the same dwelling with a person who is not related to the child by blood or marriage and who is required to register as a violent sexual offender.
Child abuse is not usually just one physical attack or just one instance of failure to meet a child’s most basic needs. Usually child abuse is a pattern of behavior which takes place over a period of time. The longer child abuse continues, the more serious it becomes, and the more difficult it is to stop.
Isn't it time we stop this madness?
Friday, April 08, 2011
The Giant Hands
On April 1 in Daleville, two gigantic hands appeared on the horizon above the Botetourt Commons.
As of yesterday, when I finally had my camera with me and could stop and take a photo, the truck advertising the "giant killing service" and the hands remained.
I believe this was the product of Mark Cline, who created the Foamhenge display near Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County. I knew he was looking in the area because he had contacted a friend of mine who has road frontage on US 220 but ultimately went with the location near Kroger.
I thought this was a great prank, but I wonder how many people even noticed? It received a little publicity but not as much as I would have thought. So many people are so intent on what they are doing and where they are going - intent on themselves - that they don't pay much attention to what is going on around them.
At least one other local blogger pointed it out, though. Way to go, Tanya!
Anyway, I wanted to share it with you all, my gentle readers, and I hope you get a good laugh!
As of yesterday, when I finally had my camera with me and could stop and take a photo, the truck advertising the "giant killing service" and the hands remained.
I believe this was the product of Mark Cline, who created the Foamhenge display near Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County. I knew he was looking in the area because he had contacted a friend of mine who has road frontage on US 220 but ultimately went with the location near Kroger.
I thought this was a great prank, but I wonder how many people even noticed? It received a little publicity but not as much as I would have thought. So many people are so intent on what they are doing and where they are going - intent on themselves - that they don't pay much attention to what is going on around them.
At least one other local blogger pointed it out, though. Way to go, Tanya!
Anyway, I wanted to share it with you all, my gentle readers, and I hope you get a good laugh!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Do It In Style
I am always very honored when people think enough of my blog to link to it or mention it on their own blogs in some fashion or another. It is the highest compliment.
Apparently I am to list seven things that contribute to my personal style. So here we go.
1. I'm eclectic reader and if it's written down, I likely will look at.
2. I've been up in a hot air balloon and buzzed Botetourt from a small airplane. I will sometimes try something even if it scares the beejesus out of me.
3. When I was about 10 years old, I looked up from the local newspaper I was reading and informed my mother that one day I would write for said newspaper. And do it better. And I did.
4. Jack of all trades, master of none. That seems to be my lifestyle. I know a lot about a great many things, and have done a good deal, but, aside from writing, I've mastered very little.
5. When I was in elementary school, I thought I'd go for my Ph.D. I'm still working on that. Even when I am not back at college, I am a student of learning.
6. Blue jeans with a t-shirt has always been my favorite outfit. It still is.
7. Sometimes I still bite my fingernails. I will go for months and not touch them, and then wham, there they are. Back in my mouth.
****************************************************************************************
If you would like this award, please feel free to take it. If you're reading my blog, obviously you're stylish, too!
In the meantime, I will pass this along to a few of my favorites. Colleen's blog would be on this list if she hadn't sent me the award!
The Blue Ridge Gal is another local blogger whose work I enjoy. I don't think she accepts awards, but go check her out if you haven't. She puts up photos and video and changes her blog look about as often I change my clothes!
Lenora over at Journal of Days offers up a unique way to look at your world: a daily diary in three sentences. I love it!
Writers might want to check out Peevish Pen; Becky takes on writing spammers and reminds us of the simpler life on the farm.
If you haven't seen Shenandoah Gateway Farm, check it out for an interesting look at farming and working in a library.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Meme for Nothing
Picked up this meme off of Facebook and thought, why not?
1.You can ONLY answer Yes or No!
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you & Asks!
Now, here's what you're supposed to do... Copy and paste, delete my answers, type in your answers & tag as many of your friends as you'd like to. I don't tag anyone but if you want to play along, feel free.
Marched in a protest? No
Slept past 5 pm? No.
Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes
Held a snake? Yes
Ran a red light? Yes
Been given detention in school? Yes
Totaled your car/motorbike in an accident? Yes
Been fired from a job? Yes
Eaten your kid's Halloween candy? No
Sang karaoke? No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes
Kissed in the rain? Yes
Cross dressed? No
Sang in the shower? Yes
Sat on a rooftop? Yes
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? No
Broken a bone? yes
Shaved your head? No
Played a prank on someone? Yes
Felt like killing someone? Yes
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? Yes
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? Yes
Been in a band? Yes
Shot a gun? Yes
Donated Blood? Yes
Eaten alligator meat? No
Eaten cheesecake? Yes
Worry about the future? Yes
Believe in love? Yes
Like to cuddle? Yes
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? Yes
Talk in your sleep? Yes
Daydream? Yes
Laughed until you peed your pants? Yes
Spend too much time on Facebook? Yes
Play a musical instrument? Yes
Been to Canada? No
Been to Mexico? No
Been to Europe? Yes
Been to China? No
Been skinny dipping? No
Gone sky diving? No
Killed an animal without hunting? Yes
Gone snowmobiling? No
Been on TV? Yes
Dated someone longer than you should have? Yes
Given the wrong person a second chance? Yes
Adopted a stray animal? Yes
Climbed a mountain? No
Taken to the hospital in an ambulance? Yes
Been bungee jumping? No
Knitted? Yes
Miss someone every day? Yes
Speak a second language? Yes
Passed out when not drinking? Yes
1.You can ONLY answer Yes or No!
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you & Asks!
Now, here's what you're supposed to do... Copy and paste, delete my answers, type in your answers & tag as many of your friends as you'd like to. I don't tag anyone but if you want to play along, feel free.
Marched in a protest? No
Slept past 5 pm? No.
Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes
Held a snake? Yes
Ran a red light? Yes
Been given detention in school? Yes
Totaled your car/motorbike in an accident? Yes
Been fired from a job? Yes
Eaten your kid's Halloween candy? No
Sang karaoke? No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes
Kissed in the rain? Yes
Cross dressed? No
Sang in the shower? Yes
Sat on a rooftop? Yes
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? No
Broken a bone? yes
Shaved your head? No
Played a prank on someone? Yes
Felt like killing someone? Yes
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? Yes
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? Yes
Been in a band? Yes
Shot a gun? Yes
Donated Blood? Yes
Eaten alligator meat? No
Eaten cheesecake? Yes
Worry about the future? Yes
Believe in love? Yes
Like to cuddle? Yes
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? Yes
Talk in your sleep? Yes
Daydream? Yes
Laughed until you peed your pants? Yes
Spend too much time on Facebook? Yes
Play a musical instrument? Yes
Been to Canada? No
Been to Mexico? No
Been to Europe? Yes
Been to China? No
Been skinny dipping? No
Gone sky diving? No
Killed an animal without hunting? Yes
Gone snowmobiling? No
Been on TV? Yes
Dated someone longer than you should have? Yes
Given the wrong person a second chance? Yes
Adopted a stray animal? Yes
Climbed a mountain? No
Taken to the hospital in an ambulance? Yes
Been bungee jumping? No
Knitted? Yes
Miss someone every day? Yes
Speak a second language? Yes
Passed out when not drinking? Yes
Friday, November 26, 2010
More Than Six Books
Thought I'd play this little meme today. I swiped it from a Facebook friend.
INSTRUCTIONS: Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Copy this into your NOTES (or your blog). Bold those books you've read in their entirety (I put them in red instead), italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt. Tag other book nerds. Tag me as well so I can see your responses!
1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series – JK Rowling (all)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman (all)
10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch – George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams (all)
26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
34 Emma – Jane Austen
35 Persuasion – Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Berniere
39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne
41 Animal Farm – George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding
50 Atonement – Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel
52 Dune – Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
72 Dracula – Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses – James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal – Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession – AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94 Watership Down – Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
.
INSTRUCTIONS: Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Copy this into your NOTES (or your blog). Bold those books you've read in their entirety (I put them in red instead), italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt. Tag other book nerds. Tag me as well so I can see your responses!
1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series – JK Rowling (all)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman (all)
10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch – George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams (all)
26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
34 Emma – Jane Austen
35 Persuasion – Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Berniere
39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne
41 Animal Farm – George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding
50 Atonement – Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel
52 Dune – Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
72 Dracula – Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses – James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal – Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession – AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94 Watership Down – Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
.
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Poop Scoop?
I received an email from someone purporting to belong to a "fashion" community. The email said "I saw your septic tank advisor blog and was impressed by it. Please join our community to talk about fashion."
Um. My septic tank advisor blog, which is really my husband's on my account, is just an aggregate blog with links to news articles about septic tanks. It has no original content. It definitely doesn't talk about clothes. It links to articles about septic tank regulations, new productions, and problems people have with solid waste disposal.
So what does that have to do with fashion? Am I supposed to give fashion tips on porta-potties? The best apparel for bathroom visits? Don't wear heels so your knees won't be too high when you sit down? Wear skirts with no hose or panties for fastest relief? Watch your zipper, skipper, or you'll lose your you-know-what in the zip-up?
Sheesh.
Um. My septic tank advisor blog, which is really my husband's on my account, is just an aggregate blog with links to news articles about septic tanks. It has no original content. It definitely doesn't talk about clothes. It links to articles about septic tank regulations, new productions, and problems people have with solid waste disposal.
So what does that have to do with fashion? Am I supposed to give fashion tips on porta-potties? The best apparel for bathroom visits? Don't wear heels so your knees won't be too high when you sit down? Wear skirts with no hose or panties for fastest relief? Watch your zipper, skipper, or you'll lose your you-know-what in the zip-up?
Sheesh.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
My Ficus Tree
This is my ficus tree.
I received it when it was a very small plant in an arrangement in 1989. I was in the hospital for surgery and the law firm where I worked sent it.
I transplanted the 10" little tree and it has grown too big for my house. I have decided it is one of the 50 Things I should let go.
I moved it to the garage several years ago because it no longer fit in the corner where I had it. It is very difficult to kill and it needs very little care and attention. It seems to thrive on neglect, actually.
It would look great in an office or in a larger home with high ceilings. Surely you have a corner where you could use a tree, don't you?
Offering it for sale is my first course of action. If anyone is interested in buying it, please email me.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
It saddens me that as a nation we need a month to draw attention to the plight of abused children, but we do.
Most people deny that children are abused. It happens "someplace else." People do not realize (or maybe they don't care?) that it is happening to their child's best friend or the kid next door. They may even be abusing their own child but because "that is the way I was brought up" they think is is perfectly okay.
It is NOT okay.
Child sex abuse is one of the most abhorrent crimes on the planet. Yet look at these statistics:
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18.
1 in 5 children are solicited sexually while on the internet.
Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under.
An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today.
Even within the walls of their own homes, children are at risk for sexual abuse
Shocked? You should be. Those are horrible numbers. Break it down. One in four girls. In a classroom of 20 girls, that's five children. In a classroom of 24 boys, that is four boys. That's 9 kids in a group of 44. And those are the ones that are reported. If most kids never tell, just imagine how much horror is taking place in this country AT THIS VERY MOMENT.
Want more numbers?
30-40% of victims are abused by a family member.
Another 50% are abused by someone outside of the family whom they know and trust.
Approximately 40% are abused by older or larger children whom they know.
Therefore, only 10% are abused by strangers.
Sexual abuse can occur at all ages, probably younger than you think
The median age for reported abuse is 9 years old.
More than 20% of children are sexually abused before the age of 8.
Nearly 50% of all victims of forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling are children under 12.
Most children don't tell even if they have been asked.
Virginia has over 1.8 million children. Over 13 percent of those live in poverty (more than 1 in 10). In a classroom of 30 children, at least 3 are living in poverty.
In 2006, Virginia had 56,360 total referrals for child abuse and neglect. Of those, 29,141 reports were referred for investigation.
In 2006, 6,828 children were substantiated or indicated as abused or neglected in Virginia, a rate of 3.8 per 1,000 children, representing a 5.5% increase from 2005. Of these children, 4,204 were neglected, 1,904 were physically abused, and 950 were sexually abused.
In 2006, 20 children in Virginia died as a result of abuse or neglect.
In 2006, 7,843 children in Virginia lived apart from their families in out-of-home care, compared with 7,022 children in 2005. In 2006, 24.9% of the children living apart from their families were age 5 or younger, and 26.9% were 16 or older.
The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) reported an estimated 1,760 child fatalities in 2007. This translates to a rate of 2.35 children per 100,000 children in the general population (or one child in Botetourt County - is that acceptable?). NCANDS defines "child fatality" as the death of a child caused by an injury resulting from abuse or neglect, or where abuse or neglect was a contributing factor.
Research indicates that very young children (ages 3 and younger) are the most frequent victims of child fatalities.
Children are not objects. They are not things parents own. They are people, human beings in their own right.
Love them, discipline them, raise them, but don't abuse them.
It is never okay to hurt a child.
Most people deny that children are abused. It happens "someplace else." People do not realize (or maybe they don't care?) that it is happening to their child's best friend or the kid next door. They may even be abusing their own child but because "that is the way I was brought up" they think is is perfectly okay.
It is NOT okay.
Child sex abuse is one of the most abhorrent crimes on the planet. Yet look at these statistics:
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18.
1 in 5 children are solicited sexually while on the internet.
Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under.
An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today.
Even within the walls of their own homes, children are at risk for sexual abuse
Shocked? You should be. Those are horrible numbers. Break it down. One in four girls. In a classroom of 20 girls, that's five children. In a classroom of 24 boys, that is four boys. That's 9 kids in a group of 44. And those are the ones that are reported. If most kids never tell, just imagine how much horror is taking place in this country AT THIS VERY MOMENT.
Want more numbers?
30-40% of victims are abused by a family member.
Another 50% are abused by someone outside of the family whom they know and trust.
Approximately 40% are abused by older or larger children whom they know.
Therefore, only 10% are abused by strangers.
Sexual abuse can occur at all ages, probably younger than you think
The median age for reported abuse is 9 years old.
More than 20% of children are sexually abused before the age of 8.
Nearly 50% of all victims of forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling are children under 12.
Most children don't tell even if they have been asked.
Virginia has over 1.8 million children. Over 13 percent of those live in poverty (more than 1 in 10). In a classroom of 30 children, at least 3 are living in poverty.
In 2006, Virginia had 56,360 total referrals for child abuse and neglect. Of those, 29,141 reports were referred for investigation.
In 2006, 6,828 children were substantiated or indicated as abused or neglected in Virginia, a rate of 3.8 per 1,000 children, representing a 5.5% increase from 2005. Of these children, 4,204 were neglected, 1,904 were physically abused, and 950 were sexually abused.
In 2006, 20 children in Virginia died as a result of abuse or neglect.
In 2006, 7,843 children in Virginia lived apart from their families in out-of-home care, compared with 7,022 children in 2005. In 2006, 24.9% of the children living apart from their families were age 5 or younger, and 26.9% were 16 or older.
The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) reported an estimated 1,760 child fatalities in 2007. This translates to a rate of 2.35 children per 100,000 children in the general population (or one child in Botetourt County - is that acceptable?). NCANDS defines "child fatality" as the death of a child caused by an injury resulting from abuse or neglect, or where abuse or neglect was a contributing factor.
Research indicates that very young children (ages 3 and younger) are the most frequent victims of child fatalities.
Children are not objects. They are not things parents own. They are people, human beings in their own right.
Love them, discipline them, raise them, but don't abuse them.
It is never okay to hurt a child.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Passion Potion #5
Sometimes I do the free things at tarot.com. They are, well, free, for one thing. Occasionally interesting.
The most recent free one was a numerology thing. This is what the sample report gave me. I wonder what folks who know me would say to this?
***********
Your Hidden Passion Number is 5
You love travel, change, and new challenges. You are highly adaptable and versatile. You have a talent for languages, and are generally good with words. Writing, promotion, and public relations work suit you perfectly.
You are sensual and a bit impulsive. You love to satisfy your senses, which can get you into trouble. Overindulgence in food, drink, sex, and drugs are common among people with too many 5s -- six or more.
You are resourceful and original. You have a good sense of humor and a quick tongue.
Your desire for freedom is extremely strong and it will take effort and discipline to stick with whatever it is you started. There is a tendency to give up a project or situation prematurely.
You may be interested in too many things, which can make it hard for you to apply yourself to one area successfully.
You are very unconventional.
Commitment in relationships and your work is fundamental to your happiness. You may have a tendency to wander from person to person, job to job, making depth of relationship or deep expertise difficult.
*************
I would argue that being married for 26 years makes that last part, at least with regards to person to person, a little, um, wrong. It takes a lot of work to stay married that long.
Also, I have been freelancing since 1994, which is a long time. But, freelancing is kind of a "jack of all trades and master of none" type of job, so I think there is a bit of truth there.
As for the rest of it... well, I can't argue with much of it.
The most recent free one was a numerology thing. This is what the sample report gave me. I wonder what folks who know me would say to this?
***********
Your Hidden Passion Number is 5
You love travel, change, and new challenges. You are highly adaptable and versatile. You have a talent for languages, and are generally good with words. Writing, promotion, and public relations work suit you perfectly.
You are sensual and a bit impulsive. You love to satisfy your senses, which can get you into trouble. Overindulgence in food, drink, sex, and drugs are common among people with too many 5s -- six or more.
You are resourceful and original. You have a good sense of humor and a quick tongue.
Your desire for freedom is extremely strong and it will take effort and discipline to stick with whatever it is you started. There is a tendency to give up a project or situation prematurely.
You may be interested in too many things, which can make it hard for you to apply yourself to one area successfully.
You are very unconventional.
Commitment in relationships and your work is fundamental to your happiness. You may have a tendency to wander from person to person, job to job, making depth of relationship or deep expertise difficult.
*************
I would argue that being married for 26 years makes that last part, at least with regards to person to person, a little, um, wrong. It takes a lot of work to stay married that long.
Also, I have been freelancing since 1994, which is a long time. But, freelancing is kind of a "jack of all trades and master of none" type of job, so I think there is a bit of truth there.
As for the rest of it... well, I can't argue with much of it.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
What would you do?
One of the radio stations is running a contest. If you hear your name and call in, you get on the "payroll" and win $50. You receive an additional $50 for every hour that goes by and the person whose name is called does not respond within the allotted 10 minutes.
This is a game that rewards you for someone else's bit of misfortune. Because the person whose name is called doesn't listen to the radio station or can't get to the phone or whatever, you receive more money.
I started wondering what someone would do if they were the person who was winning and the next name called out belonged to someone they knew?
Would you hope they don't call in, thereby missing out on $50?
Would you call your friend and tell them to call in right away and get the money, which means you would not get another $50?
If your friend was well off, would it matter as to how you responded?
What if it was someone who had lost their job? Would the circumstances matter?
And what difference does it make if you know the person or not?
This is a game that rewards you for someone else's bit of misfortune. Because the person whose name is called doesn't listen to the radio station or can't get to the phone or whatever, you receive more money.
I started wondering what someone would do if they were the person who was winning and the next name called out belonged to someone they knew?
Would you hope they don't call in, thereby missing out on $50?
Would you call your friend and tell them to call in right away and get the money, which means you would not get another $50?
If your friend was well off, would it matter as to how you responded?
What if it was someone who had lost their job? Would the circumstances matter?
And what difference does it make if you know the person or not?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
In the year 12525 (A rough draft of some fiction)
A historian in 12525 puzzled over over what few remnants of relics from the year 2009 he could find:
"He tweeted this response..."
The historian read that and scratched his head. He had seen several references to this type of speech or writing in this stack of ancient scribbles. Tweeted?
He wondered if it was possible if humans 10,000 years ago were kin to birds and thus talked in some kind of bird language. Based on the number of tweets referenced, he thought this highly likely.
"His classmates left messages for him on his FB page."
He'd seen the FB initialization several times before. More head scratching. He believed this to be a reference to something he'd seen called a "Facebook." This, he thought, must be some kind of scrap book or photo album. It might even reference the little boxes.
Those little boxes puzzled him, and turned to a set of photos. Picture after picture showed a single skeleton sitting before a flat boxes. The photos were taken at a recently uncovered archaeological site. The dig had produced a large structure that had been buried for centuries in rubble. It had yielded dozens of rooms with the same scenario: people sitting before movable little boxes. Other had small little boxes in their hands. Some folks lay on bed-like structures in front of still another kind of box.
It had to be some kind of worship ceremony, he decided. This box must be an altar. He made copious notes in preparation for a paper on religion in the year 2000.
This was part of his paper:
"Early mankind worshipped constantly at the base of some kind of box, which was named for the deity being worshipped. Humans in 2000 worshipped an entire pantheon of deities who went by the names of Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, e-Machine, and Apple. Handheld worship boxes carried names such as Blackberry, Razar, iPhone, Sprint and Nokia. A third type of box, similar to the first, carried the names of RCA, Zenith, Samsung, Sony, Sharp and Mitsubishi."
After looking at the way the skeletons were poised and cuddling various boxes, he wrote this:
"Apple and Blackberry appear to be very highly regarded gods; since these are named after foods this makes sense. Sustenance based worship is of course representative of survival and it is only natural that these gods would be considered foremost in the pantheon."
Since so many of the folks were in the large building, he determined that everyone must have been inside worshipping at a given hour. The structure could have been some sort of church, he surmised, and the folks laying down and looking at boxes were invalids receiving healing. He bent over his paper and surmised that RCA, Zenith, etc. were the healing gods of the year 2000.
The disaster that buried the building must have taken everyone at once and given no warning, for few people had risen from their worship to leave, he thought. That lent itself to a very sophisticated weaponry, the kind outlawed in the Human Rights Code of 10528.
He went back to his paper.
"Lack of communication, because humans used sounds akin to bird language (calling it "tweets" in written language) along with an intense focus on worship of great number of gods who were symbolized by boxes, obviously led to this civilization's demise."
"He tweeted this response..."
The historian read that and scratched his head. He had seen several references to this type of speech or writing in this stack of ancient scribbles. Tweeted?
He wondered if it was possible if humans 10,000 years ago were kin to birds and thus talked in some kind of bird language. Based on the number of tweets referenced, he thought this highly likely.
"His classmates left messages for him on his FB page."
He'd seen the FB initialization several times before. More head scratching. He believed this to be a reference to something he'd seen called a "Facebook." This, he thought, must be some kind of scrap book or photo album. It might even reference the little boxes.
Those little boxes puzzled him, and turned to a set of photos. Picture after picture showed a single skeleton sitting before a flat boxes. The photos were taken at a recently uncovered archaeological site. The dig had produced a large structure that had been buried for centuries in rubble. It had yielded dozens of rooms with the same scenario: people sitting before movable little boxes. Other had small little boxes in their hands. Some folks lay on bed-like structures in front of still another kind of box.
It had to be some kind of worship ceremony, he decided. This box must be an altar. He made copious notes in preparation for a paper on religion in the year 2000.
This was part of his paper:
"Early mankind worshipped constantly at the base of some kind of box, which was named for the deity being worshipped. Humans in 2000 worshipped an entire pantheon of deities who went by the names of Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, e-Machine, and Apple. Handheld worship boxes carried names such as Blackberry, Razar, iPhone, Sprint and Nokia. A third type of box, similar to the first, carried the names of RCA, Zenith, Samsung, Sony, Sharp and Mitsubishi."
After looking at the way the skeletons were poised and cuddling various boxes, he wrote this:
"Apple and Blackberry appear to be very highly regarded gods; since these are named after foods this makes sense. Sustenance based worship is of course representative of survival and it is only natural that these gods would be considered foremost in the pantheon."
Since so many of the folks were in the large building, he determined that everyone must have been inside worshipping at a given hour. The structure could have been some sort of church, he surmised, and the folks laying down and looking at boxes were invalids receiving healing. He bent over his paper and surmised that RCA, Zenith, etc. were the healing gods of the year 2000.
The disaster that buried the building must have taken everyone at once and given no warning, for few people had risen from their worship to leave, he thought. That lent itself to a very sophisticated weaponry, the kind outlawed in the Human Rights Code of 10528.
He went back to his paper.
"Lack of communication, because humans used sounds akin to bird language (calling it "tweets" in written language) along with an intense focus on worship of great number of gods who were symbolized by boxes, obviously led to this civilization's demise."
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Just waiting on a friend
Yesterday was a local bloggers meet-up day at Frank's Pizza on Alt. US 220. The event had been arranged by Diane over at Blue Ridge Gal.
The day proved terribly rainy and nasty. I had a sore throat and hadn't felt well for several days, but I had promised I would go. A promise made is a promise kept as far as I am concerned, and since my allergy issues didn't have me abed (and I knew I had nothing contagious) I went off to meet the other bloggers.
Diane was waiting when I arrived. Just Diane. No one else showed, which was too bad for them.
Diane looked spiffy at the bloggers meet-up.
Undaunted, we had pizza and laughs and chats and just generally enjoyed each other's company for an hour or so.
She had brought two items for door prizes, a great set of baskets and a lovely little bouquet of flowers. She insisted I take them home with me, since my name would have been the only one in the drawing.
Don't these look lovely on my mantle? Just what I needed for my Autumn decor!
One of the smaller baskets I have already put to use as a holder for my various notepads by my desk telephone. I am always reaching for something to write on and keep a lot of paper laying around. It now looks nice and neat!
Thanks Diane!
She says she is going to do another bloggers meet-up in October. I hope this time some of you can make it.
The day proved terribly rainy and nasty. I had a sore throat and hadn't felt well for several days, but I had promised I would go. A promise made is a promise kept as far as I am concerned, and since my allergy issues didn't have me abed (and I knew I had nothing contagious) I went off to meet the other bloggers.
Diane was waiting when I arrived. Just Diane. No one else showed, which was too bad for them.
Diane looked spiffy at the bloggers meet-up.
Undaunted, we had pizza and laughs and chats and just generally enjoyed each other's company for an hour or so.
She had brought two items for door prizes, a great set of baskets and a lovely little bouquet of flowers. She insisted I take them home with me, since my name would have been the only one in the drawing.
Don't these look lovely on my mantle? Just what I needed for my Autumn decor!
One of the smaller baskets I have already put to use as a holder for my various notepads by my desk telephone. I am always reaching for something to write on and keep a lot of paper laying around. It now looks nice and neat!
Thanks Diane!
She says she is going to do another bloggers meet-up in October. I hope this time some of you can make it.
Photo editing software
I am curious as to what photo-editing software folks are using, and why you like it.
I lost mine when I purchased a new computer in July; the old won't run on MS Vista.
Please post your recommendations in the comments!
I lost mine when I purchased a new computer in July; the old won't run on MS Vista.
Please post your recommendations in the comments!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Reminder! Local Bloggers Meet Up
It's tomorrow!
Don't forget!
Diana, the Blue Ridge Gal, is hosting a local bloggers meet up for September 26 at 12 p.m. at Franks Pizza on Alt. US 220. That's near the BAC and the pharmacy and across the street from the Eye Care place.We had a local bloggers meet up in April and it was quite fun, so I do hope you will plan to attend if you're in the area.
Expect good food, lots of laughs, and a chance to put a face to the blogs you read regularly.
Hope to see you there!
Don't forget!
Diana, the Blue Ridge Gal, is hosting a local bloggers meet up for September 26 at 12 p.m. at Franks Pizza on Alt. US 220. That's near the BAC and the pharmacy and across the street from the Eye Care place.We had a local bloggers meet up in April and it was quite fun, so I do hope you will plan to attend if you're in the area.
Expect good food, lots of laughs, and a chance to put a face to the blogs you read regularly.
Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Now Showing: Betty Branch
Last night I had occasion to attend an event by the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge at Hollins University.
The event included a tour of the The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum in the Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center.
Local artist Betty Branch has a showing at the museum that runs into November. Betty Branch: Through The Crow's Eye, a Retrospective, shows off some of this fine artist's work.
My husband has always admired her because she created the Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Roanoke. It is a fine piece of sculpture, one that rends my heart every time I look at it. Photos of the memorial can be seen on her website here.
The sculptures on display at Hollins are quite haunting and beautifully detailed.
I think the one above is my favorite. It is called Out of the Box.
The sculputures above are called Fire Dancer II and Fire Dancer III
The next sculptures show why this showing is called Through the Crow's Eye.
The above is located outside the museum and is a birdbath. I apologize for not getting the name of the piece.
Above is a more detailed shot of the birdbath.
These crow sculpture were in the museum, and again I apologize for not getting the names of the pieces.
The above shows a poem Branch wrote that shows on the wall with this sculpture. I wasn't able to get it all in the camera.
The musuem is open to the public. Branch's work will be showing through November 21, 2009.
The event included a tour of the The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum in the Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center.
Local artist Betty Branch has a showing at the museum that runs into November. Betty Branch: Through The Crow's Eye, a Retrospective, shows off some of this fine artist's work.
My husband has always admired her because she created the Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Roanoke. It is a fine piece of sculpture, one that rends my heart every time I look at it. Photos of the memorial can be seen on her website here.
The sculptures on display at Hollins are quite haunting and beautifully detailed.
I think the one above is my favorite. It is called Out of the Box.
The sculputures above are called Fire Dancer II and Fire Dancer III
The next sculptures show why this showing is called Through the Crow's Eye.
The above is located outside the museum and is a birdbath. I apologize for not getting the name of the piece.
Above is a more detailed shot of the birdbath.
These crow sculpture were in the museum, and again I apologize for not getting the names of the pieces.
The above shows a poem Branch wrote that shows on the wall with this sculpture. I wasn't able to get it all in the camera.
The musuem is open to the public. Branch's work will be showing through November 21, 2009.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Getting to know you
Swiped this from an email. You know the drill. Do it if you want!
1. What is your occupation right now? Flopping flounder. No, not really. I am a freelance writer. I just feel like a flopping flounder sometimes.
2. What color are your socks right now? I am barefoot.
3. What are you listening to right now? The coffee pot percolating
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Almonds
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? James
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes, very much
8. How old are you today? 46
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? I don't have a favorite, but I like to watch ice skating and women's tennis sometimes.
10. What is your favorite drink? Water
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? I've highlighted it, does that count?
12. Favorite food? Chocolate
13. What is the last movie you watched? The Secret Life of Bees
14. Favorite day of the year? My birthday
15. How do you vent anger? I don't, I keep it inside.
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? A stuffed dog.
17. What is your favorite season? Autumn.
18. Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries. But I like cherries too.
19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? No.
20. Who is the most likely to respond? Does not apply.
21. Who is least likely to respond? I have no idea.
22. Where do you live? Southwest Virginia on a farm.
23. When was the last time you cried? Sometime in May.
24. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes, old pillows and a tie.
25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? Not applicable
26. What did you do last night? Attended a writing seminar (I filled this out Wednesday morning).
27. What are you most afraid of? Living in a box under an interstate overpass.
28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese.
29. Favorite breed of dog? Poodle.
30. Favorite day of the week? Sunday.
31. How many states have you lived in? One.
32. Diamonds or pearls? Oh, give me diamonds.
33 . What is your favorite flower? Iris. But I like most flowers.
1. What is your occupation right now? Flopping flounder. No, not really. I am a freelance writer. I just feel like a flopping flounder sometimes.
2. What color are your socks right now? I am barefoot.
3. What are you listening to right now? The coffee pot percolating
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Almonds
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? James
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes, very much
8. How old are you today? 46
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? I don't have a favorite, but I like to watch ice skating and women's tennis sometimes.
10. What is your favorite drink? Water
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? I've highlighted it, does that count?
12. Favorite food? Chocolate
13. What is the last movie you watched? The Secret Life of Bees
14. Favorite day of the year? My birthday
15. How do you vent anger? I don't, I keep it inside.
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? A stuffed dog.
17. What is your favorite season? Autumn.
18. Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries. But I like cherries too.
19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? No.
20. Who is the most likely to respond? Does not apply.
21. Who is least likely to respond? I have no idea.
22. Where do you live? Southwest Virginia on a farm.
23. When was the last time you cried? Sometime in May.
24. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes, old pillows and a tie.
25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? Not applicable
26. What did you do last night? Attended a writing seminar (I filled this out Wednesday morning).
27. What are you most afraid of? Living in a box under an interstate overpass.
28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese.
29. Favorite breed of dog? Poodle.
30. Favorite day of the week? Sunday.
31. How many states have you lived in? One.
32. Diamonds or pearls? Oh, give me diamonds.
33 . What is your favorite flower? Iris. But I like most flowers.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Local Bloggers Meet Up
Diana, formerly of Blue Ridge Gal, now of Snappy Finger, has scheduled a local bloggers meet up for September 26 at 12 p.m. at Franks Pizza on Alt. US 220. That's near the BAC and the pharmacy and across the street from the Eye Care place.
We had a local bloggers meet up in April and it was quite fun, so I do hope you will plan to attend if you're in the area.
Expect good food, lots of laughs, and a chance to put a face to the blogs you read regularly.
Do come.
We had a local bloggers meet up in April and it was quite fun, so I do hope you will plan to attend if you're in the area.
Expect good food, lots of laughs, and a chance to put a face to the blogs you read regularly.
Do come.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Kreativ Blogger Award!
Amy over at The Virginia Scribe gave me a Kreativ Blogger Award.
The Kreativ Award states that I need to list seven things about myself that people might find interesting. Amy listed 10 so I will try to match her. This may only be things you don't know about me, however.
Here goes:
1. I have an Associate Degree in General Studies from Virginia Western. I graduated with honor from the 2-year college in 1989. I actually had been eligible to graduate for a few years and no one told me. I thought I was still a few classes short when I transferred to Hollins.
2. I mixed up a soy protein shake once and added fresh blueberries and kiwi fruit in it and it made my throat swell up. To my knowledge I am not allergic to any of the three but the combination apparently was too much for me.
3. I once had a white poodle named Major. He died when I was 17; he was chasing my car and keeled over. My brother saw him die; I didn't find out about
it until I returned home. This was before cell phones.
4. I keep my fingernails clipped extremely short so that I won't bite them. They drive me crazy once they hit a certain length, which is to say, any length at all.
5. I hate to argue.
6. My favorite name is "Susan." I have no idea why. I just think it is a lovely name.
7. When I fiddle with tarot cards online or elsewhere, the Hermit card ALWAYS comes up. Apparently I like and need my solitude.
8. I try really hard not to eat chocolate after 2 p.m.
9. I hate to sweat unless I can immediately take a bath. Then it is not so bad.
10. I have a crooked toe on my right foot. It used to be straight, though. I am not sure why it is crooked now.
I am not going to award this to anyone; if you want the award, take it, and if you list things about yourself, let me know!
The Kreativ Award states that I need to list seven things about myself that people might find interesting. Amy listed 10 so I will try to match her. This may only be things you don't know about me, however.
Here goes:
1. I have an Associate Degree in General Studies from Virginia Western. I graduated with honor from the 2-year college in 1989. I actually had been eligible to graduate for a few years and no one told me. I thought I was still a few classes short when I transferred to Hollins.
2. I mixed up a soy protein shake once and added fresh blueberries and kiwi fruit in it and it made my throat swell up. To my knowledge I am not allergic to any of the three but the combination apparently was too much for me.
3. I once had a white poodle named Major. He died when I was 17; he was chasing my car and keeled over. My brother saw him die; I didn't find out about
it until I returned home. This was before cell phones.
4. I keep my fingernails clipped extremely short so that I won't bite them. They drive me crazy once they hit a certain length, which is to say, any length at all.
5. I hate to argue.
6. My favorite name is "Susan." I have no idea why. I just think it is a lovely name.
7. When I fiddle with tarot cards online or elsewhere, the Hermit card ALWAYS comes up. Apparently I like and need my solitude.
8. I try really hard not to eat chocolate after 2 p.m.
9. I hate to sweat unless I can immediately take a bath. Then it is not so bad.
10. I have a crooked toe on my right foot. It used to be straight, though. I am not sure why it is crooked now.
I am not going to award this to anyone; if you want the award, take it, and if you list things about yourself, let me know!
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Happy anniversary, an award and post no. 991
Three years ago today, I started started this blog. I had no idea what I wanted to do with it except use it as a different venue for writing other than newspaper articles. A creative outlet, as it were.
I knew this anniversary was coming up and I had hoped this would be post 1,000 but I am a few short. So I am celebrating with post number 991. I guess next week I will hit 1,000.
Stopping this blog is not an option. I enjoy writing it, even if sometimes I scratch my head over what to put on here. I have made many friends and have met in person some wonderful ladies I would not have met otherwise. Or maybe I would have - like does attract like. At any rate, I wish to thank you, dear reader, whoever you are. I know many of you don't leave comments and I hope that I don't disappoint you when you visit.
Amy Tate over at The Virginia Scribe earlier this week honored me and my blog with the Premios Dardos Award. This is "an award for bloggers who distinguish themselves for showing cultural values, ethics, great and fun writing skills, as well as individual values, through their creative writing."
I am very grateful to her for nominating my blog for this award. I met Amy in person at a Roanoke Pen Women meeting in June. She is a delightful soul and I wish her much success in her publishing endeavors.
Amy nominated several other blogs I read for the award, blogs that I would have elected to nominate as well. For example, I would have nominated my friend Becky over at Peevish Pen.
At least one blog I would nominate (The Blue Ridge Gal), doesn't accept awards. So I am going to suggest that you, dear reader, slip over to read her blog and also landuvmilknhoney, Loose Leaf Notes and the Blue Ridge Blue Collar Girl, which are three blogs I think worthy of this award. But most of the blogs listed on my blog are good reading.
If you read my blog and would like this award because you think your work meets the qualifications, please accept it and let me know that you have done so. I would like to read your work too, if I don't already!
And as for me, I will be busy thinking about tomorrow, and my next Thursday Thirteen.
I knew this anniversary was coming up and I had hoped this would be post 1,000 but I am a few short. So I am celebrating with post number 991. I guess next week I will hit 1,000.
Stopping this blog is not an option. I enjoy writing it, even if sometimes I scratch my head over what to put on here. I have made many friends and have met in person some wonderful ladies I would not have met otherwise. Or maybe I would have - like does attract like. At any rate, I wish to thank you, dear reader, whoever you are. I know many of you don't leave comments and I hope that I don't disappoint you when you visit.
Amy Tate over at The Virginia Scribe earlier this week honored me and my blog with the Premios Dardos Award. This is "an award for bloggers who distinguish themselves for showing cultural values, ethics, great and fun writing skills, as well as individual values, through their creative writing."
I am very grateful to her for nominating my blog for this award. I met Amy in person at a Roanoke Pen Women meeting in June. She is a delightful soul and I wish her much success in her publishing endeavors.
Amy nominated several other blogs I read for the award, blogs that I would have elected to nominate as well. For example, I would have nominated my friend Becky over at Peevish Pen.
At least one blog I would nominate (The Blue Ridge Gal), doesn't accept awards. So I am going to suggest that you, dear reader, slip over to read her blog and also landuvmilknhoney, Loose Leaf Notes and the Blue Ridge Blue Collar Girl, which are three blogs I think worthy of this award. But most of the blogs listed on my blog are good reading.
If you read my blog and would like this award because you think your work meets the qualifications, please accept it and let me know that you have done so. I would like to read your work too, if I don't already!
And as for me, I will be busy thinking about tomorrow, and my next Thursday Thirteen.
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