Premise: A philanthropist awards you $80,000 with the stipulation that you must spend half on yourself and half for the benefit of others.
1. Of the $40,000 you must spend on yourself:
a. First you throw yourself a lavish birthday party. Tell us about it.
A. My lavish birthday party would include a complete takeover of The Hotel Roanoke, and I'd invite all the Saturday 9ers and Sunday Stealers to come, because you know, why not, and I'd pay their expenses to get to me. I'd also invite all of my friends. We'd have a flowing chocolate bar and lots of cake.
b. Then you take off on a cruise. Where are you headed?
A. My cruise would be to Alaska.
2. Of the $40,000 you must spend for the benefit of others:
a. Who would be on your gift list? What would buy them?
A. I would give a little something to all of the Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing players, I'd get my husband something nice, I'd buy something pretty for my friends. Maybe some local art.
b. Which charities would you support?
A. My alma mater, the local fire department, and the local food pantry. I've about given up on national charities, I swear they spend more money than I donate trying to get me to give them more money.
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Answer these questions with anything from a single word to a paragraph or two. It's up to you.
A is for Age.
A. I am of an age when I am now old. Some might even call me elderly, although I prefer "older person," myself. I'm old enough to know better, and old enough not to care so much.
B is for your Booze of choice.
A. My beverage of choice would be an A&W root beer.
C is for Career.
A. I worked as a freelance news writer for about 40 years. Some of that time I was on staff, but most of it I worked freelance, writing as many as 30 articles a month. It was not great pay but I did, heard, and saw many things I'd not otherwise have.
D is for your Dog's name.
A. My last dog's name was Ginger. We had her for 17 years. We got her in 1984 and she died in 2001.
E is for Everyday Essentials.
A. I need lotion, powder, toothpaste, and mouthwash every day.
F is for your Favorite Food.
A. My favorite food is chocolate. I am a confirmed chocoholic.
G is for your favorite Game.
A. My favorite game is a video game called Skyrim, which I haven't played in years, but it is still my favorite video game of all time.
H is for your Hometown.
A. My hometown is the community in which I still live.
I is for an Instrument you play.
A. I play guitar.
J is for your favorite Jam or Jelly flavor.
A. My favorite jelly is Welch's Grape Jelly.
K is for Kids.
A. I do not have any kids.
L is for the Last show or movie your watched.
A. The last show I watched was an episode of JAG.
M is for your Most prized possession.
A. My most prized possession is my wedding band.
N is for the Name of your first crush.
A. My first crush's name was Jamie.
O is for what you Observe from your window.
A. From my window, I see oak trees in the pasture, a mock orange tree, grass that's a little greener than it has been because we had a small shot of rain, threatening skies, and a fence,
P is for Phobias.
A. I am not afraid of much, really. I will ask my husband to kill spiders and snakes if he's here, but if he's not, I'll do it myself. I'm not afraid of heights although at my age, they're not the smartest thing for me to indulge in.
Q is for your favorite Quote.
A. Not all those who wander are lost - J.R.R. Tolkien
R is for Regret.
A. Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention.
S is for Sweets.
A. We'll just go with chocolate again here.
T is for the Time you wake up.
A. I am generally up by 6:30 though sometimes I sleep until 7 or so.
U is for Underwear.
A. I wear it.
V is for your favorite Vegetable.
A. Does anyone really have a favorite vegetable? I like peas, green beans, and broccoli.
W is for your Worst habit.
A. My worst habit is engaging mouth before brain sometimes.
X is for X-rays.
A. I just had some for my shoulder about a month ago.
Y is for your Yummiest recipe.
A. That would be for fudge.
Z is for your Zodiac sign.
A. I am a Gemini through and through.
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1. ROCK STAR NAME (current pet and first car)? Example: If you have a dog named Max and your first car was a Chevy Malibu, your rock star name would be Max Malibu.
A. Cow Camry. That doesn't sound very rock star-ish, however.
2. RACECAR DRIVER NAME (the first names of your grandfathers)?
A. Eugene Lewis
3. SOAP OPERA NAME (your middle name, town you were born in)?
A. Virginia Jeanne. (That's not the town, but some things people don't need to know. It's also backwards.)
4. WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM NAME (your parents' middle names)?
A. Marie O'Dell (Also not accurate, but names in the family.)
5. ROMANCE AUTHOR NAME (favorite flower, favorite season/holiday)?
A. Iris Autumn.
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1) If you could attend a 4th of July fireworks display anywhere in the United States, where would you choose?
A. I think I'd go to New York. I've watched the Macy's fireworks on TV and they look spectacular.
2) What book are you currently reading?
A. Band of Sisters, by Lauren Willig. It's about a group of women from Smith College who go to France during World War I to help out burned out villages.
3) What have you been listening to?
A. I have been listening to music by Melissa Etheridge.
4) What shows or movies have you been watching?
A. We recently finished up all the seasons of Downton Abbey. I confess I was sorry to see that end. We started on JAG for now. We also watch Jimmy Kimmel's Password, and Deadliest Catch. We were watching Brilliant Minds but that's finished up its season and wasn't renewed. Hopefully new shows will soon be here.
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I LOVE TO: listen to music, write stuff, and read.
I SOMETIMES: see bears, raccoons, deer, wild turkeys, and other animals.
I FEAR: losing my mind and not realizing it.
I MISS: the things and relationships I never had.
I CRAVE: chocolate.
I CHERISH: friendships.
I AM IMPATIENT WHEN: doctors keep you waiting.
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A. Bug killer. Something has bitten me on my finger, and I now have a red, swollen place on it. Whatever it was, I want it out of my house!
2. Dollar Tree or Dollar General, or poundstretcher/99p store?
A. Greeting cards and wrapping paper.
3. Best Buy or any other electronics/appliance store?
A. A Mac notebook.
4. Book/music store?
A. Let's go big. A nice gold trimmed black Les Paul Custom guitar for me from the music store, please. One like Melissa Etheridge plays.
Ain't that just the prettiest guitar?
Bonus question! Where do you want to stop for lunch?
A. I love a good sweet and sour chicken dish. How about Chinese?
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1. Would you rather have every traffic light turn green or always get the best parking spot? (Kwizgiver)
A. Oh, a green light all the time would be wonderful!
2. What's the most difficult thing you have ever done? (Gold in the Clouds)
A. The most difficult thing I have ever done was trying to care for my mother when she had cancer. I did the best I could. I know it wasn't perfect, but it was my best under the circumstances.
3. What information do you know that you are proud of/happy about, but others say, "Who cares?" (Roger)
A. I am fairly accomplished. I can play several instruments, I have three college degrees, I've been published thousands of times; none of that matters to some people.
4. What mystery do you wish you knew the answer to? (Myra/Mevely)
A. The answer to the Beale Treasure mystery. The Beale Treasure is one of Virginia’s most enduring legends. It's a blend of frontier lore, cryptographic obsession, and Appalachian mystery. According to an 1885 pamphlet, a man named Thomas J. Beale supposedly buried a massive hoard of gold and silver in Bedford County in the 1820s, leaving behind three coded messages said to reveal its location and heirs. Only one cipher has ever been solved, and no historical record proves Beale even existed, which fuels the long-running debate over whether the whole thing is a genuine puzzle or an elaborate 19th‑century hoax. Even so, the unsolved ciphers and the idea of treasure hidden in the Blue Ridge keep the story alive.
5. What small, ordinary thing brings you disproportionate joy? (Country Dew)
A. Baby animals. I love seeing newborn calves, fawns, puppies, little kittens, and human babies. They are so tiny and fun.
A. I go to bed around 10 p.m. and wake up anytime between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. these days. When I was a news reporter, my schedule was uneven because sometimes meetings ran late.
7. What is your favorite sleeping position? (Lisa)
A. My personal Utopia would be a home that runs on calm, not chaos. Not minimalist, not cluttered. Just ordered enough that nothing nags at me. A place where paperwork behaves itself, bills arrive cleanly, clearly, and without hidden fees, no one tries to make me pay a credit‑card surcharge, appliances don’t break at the worst possible moment, the water is always cold, clear, and Brita‑perfect, I can sit down to write without a single digital tool fighting me. It’s a world where technology behaves, bureaucracy is minimal, I don’t have to apologize for my preferences, I trust my instincts without second‑guessing, I'm not carrying the emotional residue of other people’s decisions. My utopia would include Wordle paths that are rare and satisfying, dragons in fiction, not in my inbox, babies that smell good and don’t cry, sandwiches exactly the way I like them, dusty‑colored clothes that flatter without effort, Monty Python humor landing exactly when I need it. (Run away! Run away more!)
9. Imagine that you have a machine that can create any new invention for you based on your description. What you ask the machine to create, and why? (Plastic Mancunian)
A. I would invent a small, plain-looking box that grants an unlimited number of wishes. It wouldn't have a genie inside; it would grant wishes all on its own. I would create it so that certain issues could be resolved.
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A. Kid Rock, Adam Sandler, and that bald-headed guy Rick on Pawn Stars.
2. What do you label yourself as?
A. A person who is female, intelligent, loyal, kind, curious, and prudent.
3. You can only have one sandwich for the rest of your life. You have every sandwich-making ingredient known to man at your disposal. What sandwich do you make?
A. My sandwich would be a ham, cheese, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with mayonnaise and mustard.
4. An angel provides you with a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. What's it gonna be?
A. I do not drink alcohol, so one bottle of a really nice, excellent brandy would do me for the rest of my life.
5. Have you ever built a snowman?
A. Of course I have built a snowman. I live in Virginia where it snows two feet one day and then the temperature raises to 50 degrees the next and then the wind blows hard.
6. If you could ask your future self a question, what would it be?
A. What did you do with your precious self as you grew older, and are you happy with the result?
7. Have you ever baked your own birthday cake?
A. I have indeed baked my own birthday cake. And tomorrow happens to be my birthday! But I do not plan to bake a cake this year.
8. Which are cooler: dinosaurs or dragons?
A. Dragons, definitely. In fact, I sent my husband out for dragon powder this morning. (It was actually Orgain protein powder, but he somehow read it as "dragon powder." I would question that except when I was rereading the list, I read it as "organ grinder" so obviously my handwriting needs improvement.)
9. What do you like about babies?
A. Babies are cuddly and they smell good.
10. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. What's the first rule you put in place?
A. Love one another.
INSTEAD OF STEALING, LET'S BUILD OUR OWN MEME. Think of a question you'd like to ask and insert it here. If we get at least four good ones, we'll do our own DIY meme in a week or two.
Q. What’s a song you love that would surprise people who know you?
Q. What’s a small, ordinary thing that brings you disproportionate joy?
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1. Dropping your ice cream in the street is not the end of the world.
2. Chocolate tastes so good!
3. Sometimes, putting others first is a pain in the ass.
4. Sunsets are breathtaking, really.
5. Well, maybe there is a multiverse and somewhere in one there is a me that is completely different.
6. This week, my plans include checking out an event about data centers and electricity. Whoo!
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A. A former news hound, I am grateful for the 1st freedom enumerated in the U.S. Constitution in the Bill of Rights. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." It's number one for a reason.
2) What book are you currently reading?
A. Witch Upon a Star, by Angela M. Sanders. I've not been in the mood for heavy reading, and these light romantasies have been just the thing to keep my mind occupied while not forcing me to overthink about the book.
3) What have you been listening to?
A. Whatever Alexa decides to play for me.
4) What shows or movies have you been watching?
A. We've been watching Hacks, Sheriff Country, Deadliest Catch, Homestead Rescue, etc.
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A. Neither. Although if I have to choose, I choose Coke.
2. Cappuccino or coffee?
A. Neither. I don't drink coffee at all so I have no idea what the difference is.
3. Chocolate or vanilla?
A. Chocolate!
4. Hot tea or iced tea?
A. Hot tea.
5. Dinner for two or a party?
A. Dinner for two.
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1. Is there anyone whose home you enter without knocking? Does anyone (who doesn't live with you) have permission to enter your home without knocking?
A. My husband goes into his parents' house without knocking, but I knock. No one enters my home without knocking.
2. Tell us about a school trip you took.
A. When I was in sixth grade, my class went to Williamsburg. We bunked together in various rooms, and we toured the historic area. I was entranced with the shrubbery maze at the Governor's Mansion.
3. Name three things within arm's reach right now (but they can't relate to your phone, computer or laptop).
A. Within arm's reach, you will find a glass of water, a pair of binoculars, and a stapler.
4. Weather permitting, do you dry your clothes outdoors on a clothesline?
A. I do not use an outdoor clothesline because of my allergies. Pollen gathers on the clothing and makes me sick. If I dried clothing outside, I'd have to run it through the dryer just to get the pollen off before I could wear it.
5. If every flower in the world only bloomed in one color, what color would you like to see?
A. Lavender.
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A. No. I do not drink alcohol and haven't since I was about 20. The last alcoholic drink I had was wine in 2012, when my college professor brought in blackberry wine to celebrate our last class when I was working on my master's degree.
2. Eat sushi?
A. I have never eaten sushi and since I have developed an allergy to fish, I doubt I ever do.
3. Go shopping with friends?
A. I went shopping with my husband and he is my friend, so I suppose so.
4. Eat an entire box of cookies by yourself?
A. I do not recall eating an entire box of cookies by myself. My husband helped.
5. Dye your hair?
A. I haven't died my hair in 30 years. I guess that's a "no" answer as well.
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1) Has anyone ever told you they would love you forever?
A. My husband told me he would love me forever in our wedding vows, and I told him the same. That was over 42 years ago.
2) Who is the last person you were in the car with?
A. My husband.
3) Do you have big plans for tomorrow (Monday)?
A. My plans for Monday include physical therapy for my shoulder.
4) How long do you typically spend in the shower?
A. I try to limit my shower time to 5 minutes and used to have a timer for that, but it broke and now I don't time them. My guess is they've snuck up to 10 minutes. That warm water sure feels good.
5) What were you doing at 7 AM yesterday (Saturday)?
A. I was awake and drinking a cup of hot chocolate while reading the news on my computer. I have discovered I can manage a cup of hot chocolate once a week. It's a good change from water.
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1) Are you the sort of person who can nap or sleep anywhere, any time?
A. I can fall asleep in the recliner sometimes watching TV, but I'm not much of a nap person. That might change as I age.
2) Have you ever walked in your sleep?
A. I have walked in my sleep. The last time I know that I did it, my father-in-law had passed away, and I got up and started looking in the closet for my husband's suit because I thought it was in the cleaners. My husband woke up and then woke me up and told me I'd told him I was looking for his suit.
3) Do you chat with your Uber/Lyft/taxi driver?
A. I have never been in any of those types of vehicles.
4) Do you remember what you did on Valentine's Day?
A. I don't think we did much of anything on Valentine's Day.
5) How many laptops have you owned over your lifetime?
A. Four, I think. I have never liked laptops. I don't like the keyboards on them, and I don't like the track ball thing, and I don't like the screens. However, as I got older and my handwriting, was already practically illegible, worsened, I found that I needed to use a keyboard to take notes at meetings and such. That was before you could just record a meeting on your cell phone and run it through a transcriber. Or use an iPad because they hadn't been invented yet. I am so old.
6) How many countries have you visited?
A. I have visited four countries, counting the one I live in.
7) Did you/will you go to work today?
A. I am retired. However, I do housework every day.
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A. I had to give that a try to see, but no, I cannot do that.
2. What foreign language did you study in school? How much of it do you still remember?
A. I had three years of Spanish and one year of Latin. I remember very little of it. I keep thinking I should return to the Spanish so I can become fluent in it again. When you don't use things like that, they disappear.
3. What recipe did you most recently prepare? Where did you get the recipe and how did it turn out?
A. I hate to cook and I've had a shoulder impingement, so I've not really done much "recipe" cooking of late. I guess the last thing I made was a version of K&W's baked spaghetti. K&W was cafeteria chain, and we liked to eat there. Alas, it has gone out of business, taking its baked spaghetti with it. Their baked spaghetti did not have tomato sauce in it so I could eat it even with stomach ulcers. When we make it at home, we leave out the onions. The recipe makes a good 13" pan full of baked spaghetti and I have discovered it freezes well if you wrap it up in wax paper first.
4. What song have you listened to over and over and over again?
A. When I learn a song on the guitar, I tend to listen to it over and over again to try to get the chords and rhythm right. I don't recall the last song I did that with. It was easier before Amazon messed with Alexa so that now when you ask for a specific song, sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't. Before I could play a song continually until I had it in my head. The last song I really remember doing that with was Comfortably Numb, by Pink Floyd, which I've now since forgotten.
5. Are there currently any pets in your household? Are you considering adding another?
A. There are no pets in the house. There are about 40 cows and two bulls in the pasture fields, though. We also have a nice bit of wildlife that includes deer, bear, turkey, coyotes, and now a bobcat!
6. As an adult, have you ever performed with a drama group? (Student productions don't count.)
A. I have never performed with a drama group as an adult. I have, however, been involved in drama but that was not theater.
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PS: This is my 630th Sunday Stealing. That's 12.12 years of doing Sunday Stealing.
A. We have been watching Sheriff Country. We were watching Brilliant Minds, but it seems to have been removed from the schedule. When we can't find anything else to watch, we watch Downton Abbey.
A. Audio: What are you listening to?
A. I am listening to The Black Wolf, by Louise Penny.
B. Book: What are you reading?
A. I am reading Mary Johnston: Memoirs.
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1. Is your phone Apple or Android? What about your laptop?
A. I have an iPhone. My laptop is a Dell, though not a very good one.
2. Can you say "thank you" in more than one language?
A. Gracias.
3. What do you draw when you doodle?
A. I draw lines, doodles, loops, sometimes little people.
4. Which do you enjoy more, Scrabble or bowling?
A. Scrabble. I haven't been bowling in at least 35 years.
5. Can you juggle?
A. I cannot juggle, unless you are talking about multitasking. In that case, I juggle the laundry, a phone call, and a word processing program all at once sometimes.
6. Have you ever worn pajamas in public?
A. I do not recall ever wearing pajamas in public, except at the hospital when I had to walk up and down hallways with my little IV thing attached to me.
7. Was your best subject in school the one you enjoyed the most?
A. My best subject was always English, followed by history, and I enjoyed them both.
8. When you're offered the senior discount before you ask for it, are you offended or grateful?
A. I would love to have every senior discount available, but I am seldom offered them.
9. Do you agree that with age comes wisdom?
A. No, because I know some older folks who obviously never learned a thing.
10. Do you consider Sunday the first day of the week or the last day of the weekend?
A. This is a good question. It has always puzzled me that Sunday is the first day of the week on the calendar but it's the day everyone goes to church, which is supposed to be the Sabbath. Monday always seemed like it should be the first day of the week to me.
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