Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Name 5 people you admire and why.

A. My husband, because he is courageous, kind, fair, and loving (and he's mine).

     My brother, because he is steadfast, honorable, and decent (and he's the best brother ever).

     Hillary Clinton, because she is intelligent, humorous, and steadfast. She has put up with more shit than any person should have and still manages to get up every day. (And she should have been president. I can guarantee we wouldn't have the shit-show we have now if she had been.)

     Oprah Winfrey, who managed to overcome a traumatic upbringing and move on to entertain and enlighten millions.

     Diane Sawyer, who has been a great journalist and role model.

          

2. When was the last time you did something adventurous?

A. I went to the doctor Wednesday. Leaving the house anymore is a dangerous journey into the unknown.

3. You felt you got older when my mother passed away.

4. What one thing that could happen today would make you extremely happy?

A. A vaccine for the coronavirus.

5. An experience you don’t want to go through again.

A. Having my husband disabled from surgery and unable to walk. I'd also not like to have him run a body part through farm machinery again.

6. One decision you made that changed your life completely.

A. I left a job at a law firm.

7. How do you participate in saving the earth?

A. I recycle, we farm and spent $$$$$ fencing the cattle out of the stream and pond. This required drilling a well, purchasing a generator, running miles of water line, etc. to keep them watered at troughs. That was the biggest thing we have done, was fencing the cattle out of the tributaries. It was a very big project and a very big deal. We won a conservation award for it.

8. A gift you would like to get on your next birthday?

A. Just a chocolate cake would be fine.

9. Things you miss about your childhood?

A. Not much. I miss being smaller in size.

10. The greatest invention?

A. Agriculture.

11. Your favorite super hero.

A. Wonder Woman, although I also like Supergirl and Stargirl, currently closing out its first season on the CW, has been pretty interesting. It's kind of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (also a favorite superhero), but not. And I can't forget Xena: Warrior Princess.

12. Your views about veganism.

A. I don't have any. To each her own.

13. If you could be anything else in the world, what would you be?

A. A sequoia tree.

14. How did you parents meet?

A. Catching nightcrawlers under the mulberry tree in my grandparents backyard.

15. Your morning routine.

A. I get up, make a cup of tea, and stupidly read the news. I need to stop doing that because these days that's a guaranteed way to either become incredibly anxious, pissed, or depressed.

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Sunday Stealing #345

Sunday Stealing

Pick a book

Guide to Fiction Writing, by Phyllis A. Whitney. This book was written in 1982.

1.  Why did you pick the book?

A. I read it many years ago and refer to it occasionally when I (ahem) consider my (non) career as a fiction writer. I was looking through it just yesterday.

2.  What did you think about the book?

A. I loved this book. It is no longer in print, but it is a great how-to guide for creating setting, character, and plot.

3.  What do you know about the author?

A. Phyllis A. Whitney lived from 1903 to 1908. She died at the age of 104. She wrote 76 books in her lifetime. I read many Phyllis A. Whitney books when I was young, beginning from about the age of 9 or 10. She wrote gothic romances, for the most part. Part mystery, part love story, part ghost story. Thunder Heights, written in 1960, was the first book of hers I read (probably one my mother had). Her work had quite an influence on me until it was scribbled out of my head by my university professors, who honestly had no idea who she was because they were aiming for "literary" writing. I would be quite happy writing like Phyllis Whitney or Janet Evanovich, I think. Maybe I'll get off my butt one day.

4.  What’s the most memorable scene?

A. Since this is a "how to" book, there really isn't a memorable scene. Her instructions on how to put together a "book notebook" are enlightening, though. They never taught that at college.

5.  How did the book make you feel?

A. It made me feel like I could write a book, too. At least, it did the first time I read it.

6.  How do you feel about the way the story was told?

A. It was laid out well for a how-to book.

7.  Which parts of the book stood out to you?

A. The parts about making a "book notebook."

8.  Which specific parts of the protagonist can you relate to?

A. No protagonist, really, except the "you" who would one day be a writer, too (or not).

9.  Which character did you relate to the most?

A. Not really applicable.

10. Share a line or passage from the book.

A. This is my favorite line from the book, because it is so true. It is a truism I've not seen in any other writing book, especially those written by men. "Men writers who are married to non-working wives- that is, wives who stay at home- have a certain advantage. Every writer needs a wife!- someone to stand guard, to cook meals, to deal with the immediate problems of house and children, and keep them out of their husband's hair. It's more difficult for women writers, who have to do all these chores plus their writing." 

I made a living writing while being a wife, holding down part-time jobs, and going to school. Talk about a juggling act. I honestly have never seen this addressed like this in any other writing book, and I've read scads of them.

11. What did you think about the ending?

A. It ends like this: "This is a book about writing. I hope it's a book that you will mark up and use . . I hope as well that you've found in it some of the encouragement we all  need to keep us going. I have been where you are, and you will be where I (published) - if you never give up. Whatever sort of writing you do, don't let anyone put you down."

For a how-to book, it ends as it should - with optimism and encouragement.

12. Is the story plot driven or character driven?

A. That doesn't really apply to this book.

13. If the book was made into a movie, what changes or decisions would you hope for?

A. Again, it doesn't really apply, but I suspect this author's life might make a good story. http://phyllisawhitney.com/About%20Phyllis%20A.%20Whitney.htm

14. How did the book change you?

A. It made me rethink how I went about putting together a story, even nonfiction.

15. If the book is part of a series, how does it stand on its own?

A. It is not part of a series and it stands on it own.

I probably did not pick the best book for these questions, but I am in the midst of trying to reconnect with a part of myself I've lost.

This was a piece of the search.

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Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What's your favorite movie from your childhood and why?

A. Grease is the first one I think of.

2. What is home to you?

A. The place where I feel safe.

3. Do you get emotionally invested in stories? (I'm asking about movies, books, tv shows, whatever medium you like your stories in.)

A. Yes, if it is a good story.

4. What is the most physical damage you've ever received without needing medical intervention (so no stitches or splints or anything)?

A. When I was very small, I fell and cracked my head open on a cement floor.

5. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

A. A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood. On a good day, with the wind at his back, he'd really go for it and do about 700 pounds.

6. Do you have any obsessions? Like Tv shows, or cats or something. Not addictions.

A. I think I might be a bit addicted to video games. But not TV or cats.

7. What question or questions would you like God to answer?

A. The Universe will reveal herself to me in good time, but in the meantime, if she would tell me how to be a better person, I would appreciate it.

8. Do you bite your nails?

A. I do, although since the pandemic I have made a major effort to stop. I am constantly cutting them to keep them short so I can resist the urge to put them in my mouth.

9. What do you like about the place you live? (I mean your housing, apt, house, mobile home, etc.)

A. I live in the house that my husband built for us, with his own bare hands. We acted as our own contractor and while I worked during the day, on his days off from the firehouse, he built our house, and I would come home and help if there was some small chore I could manage.

10. What do you like about the city or town where you live?

A. It's not crowded.

11. Is there one place you have visited that you wish you could live there?

A. I wouldn't mind living near Charlottesville. Not in town, but somewhere a little closer. It's about a two-hour drive from here, give or take 15 minutes.

12. What's your favorite cookie to snack on?

A. A Keebler striped graham cookie or a homemade chocolate chip cookie.

13. Are you a Apple person or PC type person and why?

A. I have always used PCs, so I have stuck with them. I have an iPhone, but it has not been enough to convince me to switch to a MAC. 

14. What's your favorite things about the zoo?

A. I don't go to zoos. I think they are cruel, although the ones that are keeping species alive may serve a purpose.

15. Did you grow up in the country, city or small town and what did you like about it (or hate about it if you didn’t like it?)

A. I grew up in the country and still live there. The biggest problem when I was growing up was that everything was so far away, but now that is not the case. The city has sprawled in this direction and I can reach a grocery store in a 15-minute drive now, as opposed to a 30-minute one.

16. What kinds of things were you into and do when you were growing up?

A. I was into many of the same things I'm into now - reading, writing, video games. Loved English, wasn't thrilled with math though I made As even in Trig (thank you, Tina). I liked learning and I still do.

17. Do you enjoy receiving letters or postcards more, and why?

A. I haven't received either one in forever. I do get birthday and holiday cards still, but I haven't had a personal letter or postcard in a long time, although I did recently receive a card of encouragement from a friend. Greatly appreciated that.

18. Do or did you know any of your great-grandparents? Tell me about them.

A. My maternal great-grandfather was still alive when I was very young, but I do not remember him.

19. Do you like to be outdoors? What is your favorite thing to do there?

A. I am not an outdoors girl. My favorite thing to do outside is sit and watch the stars.

20. Have you ever broken a bone or been badly injured?

A. I broke my wrist when I was in the 7th grade, and I messed up my left ankle when I was in my early 30s. I stepped in a forgotten post hole. And then a few days later, I drank bad water and had e-coli. That was not a good week.

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Sunday Stealing: Movies

Sunday Stealing

1. Last movie you watched: Green Book

2. Last movie you watched in a theater: Wonder Woman

3. Film you’ve always wanted to watch, but haven’t: Crazy Rich Asians

4. Favorite movie soundtrack: Forrest Gump

5. Your favorite movie duo: Aragorn and Legolas from The Lord of the Rings. (What, you thought I'd say Batman and Robin?)

6. Movie you like because of its story: Under the Tuscan Sun

7. A film that disappointed you: The Hobbit. It was nowhere near as good as The Lord of the Rings.

8. Favorite scene from a movie: The ending of The Lord of the Rings, Return of the King, when Aragorn, now king of Gondor, tells the Hobbits, "My friends, you bow to no one," and he bows down to them, as does the rest of the people there. I always cry at that scene, even though I've seen it at least 20 times.

9. Your guilty pleasure movie: Dirty Dancing.

10. A movie you keep going back to: Steel Magnolias.

11. A quote you admire from your favorite movie: "It is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of love and kindness." - Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings.

12. A movie based on a true story: Green Book.

13. Your favorite actor/actress: I don't really have one.

14. A sequel you’re not a fan of: I thought the last Shrek movie was poorly done.

15. A film you know by heart: The Lord of the Rings (all 12+ hours of it).

16. Your favorite opening scene: I can't think of one.

17. A film that was based on a book and was executed well: The Lord of the Rings.

18. A comedy film: Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

19. TV series you’re binging on now: Stargirl.

20. A TV series you think is underrated: Supergirl. Up until this last season, when it became a bit convoluted, it has had very good writing.

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Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Have you ever had a vacation ruined by the weather or did you just work around it?

A. We have had several vacations interrupted by hurricanes when we were at Myrtle Beach, SC. We evacuated and came home. It's rather hard to work around hurricanes and severe flooding.

2. What small changes do you feel people could make to give the planet a fighting chance against global warming?

A. Drive less (that seemed to help while we were all in lockdown), recycle (although I think the US recycling attempts are abysmal), try to purchase things without so much packaging.

3. Are you adversely affect by the weather, such as SAD?

A. Yes. I also get headaches with thunderstorms.

4. How is the weather where you are and have you seen drastic changes in it during your life time?

A. We have much more wind now than I recall as a child, and summer comes earlier. Right now it is hot and humid.

5. Do you think we can stop global warming or is it too late?

A. It's probably too late. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't eliminate pollution as much as possible. Who wants to breathe dirty air? I mean, besides #45, who keeps taking away the regulations on businesses.

6. What could you do for an hour or so today that you would really enjoy doing?

A. Read.

7. What could you do for an hour today that might improve your life in the future?

A. I have some financial figuring to contemplate with my husband later in the day.

8. What could you do for an hour today that could strengthen or improve a skill you would like to be able to rely on?

A. Read.

9. What could you do for an hour today that would make your living space more pleasant to live in?

A. Clean up my husband's office, but I think that would take more than an hour.

10. What could you do for an hour today that would improve your relationships with loved ones?

A. Call somebody.

11. Do you like, dislike, or pay no attention to the wind?

A. I am not a fan of wind. I don't mind a gentle breeze, but strong winds are scary.

12. Do you have allergies or sinus made worse by the wind?

A. I have allergies and the wind doesn't help.

13. Have you ever been caught in a big wind (not a hurricane or tornado)?

A. Yes. In 2012, we had a derecho wind come through here. Many folks lost power for about 10 days,  trees blew over, all sorts of things.

14. When was the last time you flew a kite?

A. Maybe 30 years ago.

15. Would you like to have the power of flight?

A. Not particularly.

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Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. If you could be a Muppet, which would you be?

A. I don't really know my Muppets that well, but I think I'd be the Cookie Monster because I always want cookies! And chocolate. Is there a chocolate-loving Muppet?

2. Why is a chicken crossing the road in the first place?

A. Because the grass was greener over there.

3. What's your favorite muscle?

A. My brain. Is that a muscle?

4. Cheerios or Rice Krispies?

A. Either one.

5. Is summer ever going to get here?

A. It is officially here.

6. Have you ever had a utility turned off by mistake or some other reason besides weather or nonpayment?

A. Ours went off for 48 hours when the substation blew up down the street. Does that count as "some other reason," I wonder?

7. What was your "last day" of something?

A. My last day of working for someone else (wherein I received a W-2) was around 2002.

8. If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which one would you choose?

A. Star Trek: Voyager.

9. Did you have any type of class trip, band trip, etc in high school? Where did you go, what did you do?

A. We had a band trip to Bristol, VA one year for a band competition. While we were waiting to compete, a tornado came through. It was the first time I'd ever been in such severe weather. The tornado passed within a mile or less of where the competition was being held.

10. Do your feet smell?

A. I assume so. I don't go around smelling them on a regular basis.

11. Do you know how to french braid?

A. No.

12. Two guys are walking down the street. One drops his hat and reaches down to pick it up, the other kicks him in the ass. Do you laugh?

A. I think I need more information to answer that question. Is it obvious they are friends? Is the person who fell hurt? 

13. You wake up one morning and dogs are meowing and cats are meowing - what are fish, elephants and crocodiles doing?

A. Swimming, trumpeting, and chomping.

14. You are going to your high school reunion. What award are you going to win?

A. I have no idea.

15. You find yourself stranded on a deserted island. Soon you find a laptop with a lifelong battery & internet connection, then you find a cave with an endless supply of food and a spring of fresh water. A cruise ship comes along to save you - do you get on it?

A. Yes. And I take the laptop with me.

16. How many shortcuts do you have on your desktop?

A. 42, which also happens to be the answer to the meaning of life.

17. I offer you a pie . . . the most delicious pie you have ever seen. You either have to eat the entire thing in one sitting or allow me to slam it into your face, which do you choose?

A. I guess I'd eat the entire thing in one sitting, as I don't want to be slammed into the face with anything.

18. Are you a pen stealer?

A. Not intentionally.

19. A dude from China comes up and offers you German chocolate cake, French fries and a Boston cream pie . . . what color is your car?

A. White.

20. Sometimes you just have to tap your foot to your favorite song - which tv series season finale are you watching?

A. The last one I watched was Supergirl, so I'll go with that one.

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Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. If you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes who would it be and why?

A. I would like to spend a day in my husband's shoes, so I could get to know him even better than I do and understand his impulses and his thought processes in a way I cannot simply by observing.

2. Which celebrity gets on your nerves the most, and why?

A. I'm not a fan of Adam Sandler, because he's so misogynistic.

3. If you were going to bury a time capsule, what would you put in it?

A. A copy of The New York Times, Time magazine, Reader's Digest magazine, a huge flash drive with everything I could think of downloaded on it, including photos from all over the world and space, and a personal note.

4. What is your saddest memory?

A. My grandmother's funeral, mostly because my brother did not come.

5. Would you rather be in your pajamas or a suit all day?

A. I am forever in blue jeans, babe.

6. What’s the strangest place you’ve ever gone potty?

A. Out in the woods.

7. How old were you went you had your first kiss?

A. I have no idea. Second grade maybe? How old is that? Seven?

8. Do you have any strange or unique phobias?

A. Can't say that I do, really, unless being afraid of the rise of stupid could be called a phobia.

9. If you could bring back one toy from your childhood, what would it be?

A. Johnny West dolls.

10. If you could be any Disney villain, which would you be?

A. Cruella DeVille (she's the only one I can think of).

11. If your life was a novel, what would the title be?

A. Nevertheless, She Persisted.

12. What do you need more of in your life?

A. Hugs, money, and self-discipline.

13. What are your top 3 quotes?

A. Not all those who wander are lost.  - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring.
     Be Strong, Speak True, Choose Only Love - Melissa Etheridge
     Let the world burn through you. Throw the prism light, white hot, on paper. - Ray Bradbury

14. What do you want people to remember about you?

A. That I did my best and was a good person. 

15. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made?

A. I have often thought that leaving a job I had a law office in 1985 was a particularly bad mistake, because we would have been more financially secure if I had stayed there. But had I stayed, I'd probably never have finished college or pursued writing, so I am not sure it was a mistake, in the end.


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Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. How many gravy boats do you have in your kitchen?

A. None.

2. Do the clothes in your laundry basket need ironing?

A. No. I do not buy clothes that need ironing. Ironing is a big waste of time.

3. What is the last thing you wallpapered?

A. It was either the bathroom or the kitchen and it was over 20 years ago and both are long gone. Wallpaper is evil. I will never wallpaper anything again.

4.  Wooden floors or carpet?

A. Wooden floors.

5.  Why do we put out guest towels if no one is supposed to use them?

A. I don't put out guest towels. I put out towels and expect people to use them.

6.  If your spatula could talk, what would it say about your duvet?

A. I broke my spatula the other day. It's dead. It doesn't say anything about anything anymore. That's what happens if you talk around me about my duvet. Who knows what all is buried on this farm?

7.  Have you replaced the batteries in your smoke alarms this year?

A. My smoke alarms are 30+ years old and tied to the electrical system, which I think is stupid because that means if the power goes out we have no alarms.

8. If you could put thyme in a bottle, what is the first thing that you'd like to do?

A. Smell it, I guess, since thyme is a spice or herb or something.

 

9. Do eggs really crack or do they merely have a nervous breakdown?

A. They crack and then they are thrown into a bowl and beaten until they are all gooey and yellow.

10. Why are you whipping the butter? What did it ever do to you?

A. I don't whip butter. I take an axe to the butter and use it on the bread.

11. Do your spoons spoon in the drawer? Have you ever noticed? And more importantly, if wooden spoons spoon do they get splinters?

A. I only have one wooden spoon, so I only worried about what it did with the spatula, but since I broke the spatula I no longer have to worry about that. As for my other spoons, they may spoon all they want. They can even have little spoons if they so desire.

12. You hear: "Dumpling, my Dumpling, come hither." The candles are lit, the fondue is dipping, the Godiva is pouring, the scallions are steaming and the music is playing.....but wait, the windows are open.  Why did you close them?

A. I don't even know how to answer that. But my windows are always closed because I'm allergic to everything outside of the house.

13.  Do you need a recipe to cook or are you a bohemian chef?

A. It depends on what it is. I make meatloaf without a recipe and it never comes out the same way twice but it's always good.

14. Is your pot black?

A. The one I pee in is almond colored. The ones in the kitchen are shiny.

15. What is the sexiest spice or condiment in your cabinet?  What makes it so?

A. Paprika. It's just so . . . pappy and rika gettin' it on on the low down.

________________
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Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

* Would you rather work in a group or work alone?  Alone.

* Would you rather be stuck on an island alone or with someone who talks incessantly?  Alone.

* Would you rather be too hot or too cold? Too cold. I can always put on a sweater.

* When you’re old, would you rather die before or after your spouse? Before.

* Would you rather have a cook or a maid? A cook who doubles as a maid.

* Would you rather be the youngest or the oldest sibling? I am the oldest sibling, so I will stick with that.

* Would you rather get rich through hard work or through winning the lottery? Winning the lottery is a nice dream, but most people get what they need through work.

* Would you rather have a 10-hour dinner with a headstrong politician from an opposing party, or attend a 10-hour concert for a music group you detest? I go with the music group.

* Would you rather be an Olympic gold medalist or a Nobel Peace Prize winner? A Nobel Peace Prize winner.

* Would you rather have a desk job or an outdoor job? A desk job.

* Would you rather live at the top of a tall NYC apartment building or at the top of a mountain? Top of a mountain.

* Would you rather have Rambo or The Terminator on your side? Um. Neither, really.

* Would you rather be proposed to in private or in front of family and friends? I was proposed to in a restaurant and everyone clapped when I said yes.

* Would you rather have to sew all your clothes or grow your own food? Grow my food.

* Would you rather hear the good news or the bad news first? I'd rather go read a fantasy and forget the news.

* Would you rather be your own boss or work for someone else? My own boss.

* Would you rather have nosy neighbors or noisy neighbors? No neighbors.

* Would you rather be on a survival reality show or dating game show? Survival reality show, except for Naked and Afraid. I like my clothes.

* Would you rather be too busy or be bored? Too busy.

* Would you rather watch the big game at home or live at the stadium? At home with a book.

* Would you rather spend the day with your favorite athlete or you favorite movie star? Movie star, I guess. I don't have a favorite of either one, really.

* Would you rather live where it is constantly winter or where it is constantly summer? Constantly summer so long as there are cool days in there.

* Would you rather travel the US and see the sights in a motor home or by plane? By motor home.

* Would you rather be a little late or way too early? A little early.

* Would you rather have an unlimited gift certificate to a restaurant or a clothing store? A clothing store.

* Would you rather date someone you met online or go on a blind date? I've been married too long for this to matter.

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Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What do you think is the greatest television show of all time?

A. MASH. I honestly think that show covers so much of life and human relations that there is nothing that tops it as a commentary upon humanity.

2. Would you rather win a Nobel Prize or an Academy Award?

A. I would rather win a Pulitzer. But of the two, a Nobel Prize although I can't imagine what I'd get one for.

3. What one food would you banish from this earth if you could?

A. None of them. There are many I do not even know of, and I suspect all of the natural foods have medicinal properties. That said, I imagine Cheetos and that yellow-orange crap on them is something we could all do without.

4. What’s the scariest story you’ve ever heard?

A. November 9, 2016 - A con man was elected president of the United States.

5. Who is the most famous person you have ever met?

A. I have met many of Virginia's governors during my work as a government reporter, including Tim Kaine and Mark Warner who are now our state senators. 

6. What’s something you’ve done that most people wouldn’t know or guess about you?

A. I don't know. Most things I've written about over the last 14 years of this blog. I've been up in a hot air balloon, I've flown over the county in a small plane. But perhaps people do not know that I have suffered from depression for most of my life. I don't talk about it or wallow in it, I deal with it as best I can. My doctor currently has it diagnosed as dysthymia, which means chronic low-grade depression that doesn't go away. Maybe sometime I will write more about it.

7. You’re strapped in a rocket ship about to go to the moon. Are you thrilled? Or terrified?

A. I would be thrilled. I loved watching the SpaceX ship go up yesterday afternoon! Two men left the earth! Good choice, given the state of things.

8. What is the correct way for toilet paper to sit on the roll?

A. I don't care which way it goes on the roller. I don't even care if it is on a roller, so long as it is available.

9. Talk about a mistake you made, or something you regret.

A. I regret not keeping up with my music more. I let it go because I didn't have an outlet for it, really. I mean, when you're playing your guitar and your husband comes in and ignores you and turns on the television, it doesn't exactly engender a desire to continue to play.

10. What would be the best gift I could give you?

A. Your time.

11. What makes you feel better when you’re sad or stressed?

A. Music or reading.

12. What is the most romantic movie you’ve ever seen?

A. Dirty Dancing or the Titanic. I can't decide between those two.

13. What is the worst date you’ve ever been on?

A. I haven't been on a date in 37 years.

14. What is the glue that keeps couples together?

A. Trust.

15.  What was your first crush?

A. My first crush would have been a "who" not a "what," but in any event, I think it was a boy named Jamie in second grade.

16. When did your parents talk to you about the birds and the bees?

A. I don't know that they ever did, actually. My grandmother did that.

17. What is your greatest achievement?

A. I guess it would be an accumulation of all the words I've written over the years about my community for the local papers.

18. Were you close to your parents growing up?

A. No. My father was busy making money and my mother was miserable and unhappy. Neither had any time to raise children. I should not have been born. I used to consider myself a poster child for why abortion should be legal. It wasn't when I was born.

19. What was the most life-changing event you’ve ever experienced?

A. Probably my gallbladder surgery since the doctor messed that up and created an abdominal issue that I've been fighting for the last seven years.

20. Have you ever had a falling out with a friend? What happened?

A. I have had misunderstandings with friends. Usually I apologize and that's the end of it. I am always the one who apologizes even if I wasn't the one in the wrong. I can't recall a single time someone has hurt me and come to me and said, "I'm sorry."

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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.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

A. Since that was my husband, I certainly hope so.

2. What’s the closest thing to you that’s red?

A. A Webster's Dictionary (yes, I have real dictionaries on my desk)

3. Did you meet someone new today?

A. I'm still doing the physical separation thing, so not in person. I did meet a distant cousin while trying to straighten out some misinformation on a Find A Grave site, though.

4. What are you craving right now?

A. Peace of mind.

5. What comes to mind when I say, “cabbage”?

A. Green.

6. What does your last text say?

A. "Now that I have your number, here is my cell phone. Call or text any time."

7. Do you bite into your ice cream, or just lick it?

A. I don't eat ice cream.

8. Do you like your hair?

A. At the moment, I am still sporting a Covid Cut. It is not bad but I am ready for a real haircut. I don't see that happening any time soon, though.

9. Do you like yourself?

A. Nope.

10. Do you like cottage cheese?

A. Nope.

11. What are you listening to right now?

A. The Sound of Silence. Real silence, not the song. The kind of silence where the only thing you hear is the click of the keyboard as you type.

12. Is there anything sparkly in the room where you are?

A. The keys on my guitars are shiny. That's about as sparkly as it gets in here. I'm not a sparkly kind of girl.

13. How many countries have you visited?

A. Four. The United States, England (layover on a plane, doesn't really count), Spain, and France.

14. Are you sarcastic?

A. Who me? Never.

15. Have you ever crawled through a window?

A. When I was about 9 years old, I became trapped in the bathroom at my grandparents' house. The door jammed shut. The only way to get me out was for my grandfather to climb up on a ladder and pull me through the window. I was hysterical by the time he got me out of there.

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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.