Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

A - Ambition: Write a book.

B - Birthday: Too old for birthdays now.

C - Computer: Dell with a newly upgraded SSD hard drive and 2 TB extra storage disk.

D - Dream: World peace.

E - Exercise: I live a sedentary life.

F - Favorite Food: Chocolate.

G - Garden: We had cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, loofas, watermelon, kale, radishes, and green peppers this year.

H - Hobby: Playing guitar.

I - Idol: I don't know that I have one. Maybe Melissa Etheridge.

J - Job: I was a news reporter and photographer.

K - Kids: Baby goats are cute.

L - Location: Virginia, Mother of Presidents.

M - Military: My father and uncles served.

N - Name or Nickname: Sweetie Pie is what my husband calls me.

O - Optimist or Pessimist: Pessimist.

P - Pets: None. I'm hyper allergic.

Q - Quote: "Well, I didn't vote for you." - Peasant Woman to King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

R - Reads: Anything I can. Currently working on the latest edition of The Atlantic, a Stuart Woods book, and an Elizabeth Stout novel.

S - School: Got my masters degree just before I turned 50.

T - Travel: Always wanted to see the pyramids, but don't expect it will happen.

U - Unfulfilled ambition: To be abducted by an alien.

V - Vacation spot: Williamsburg, VA

W - Wardrobe: I wear a lot of jeans and t-shirts.

X - X-tra facts about me: I am shy, not stuck up.

Y - Years online: Geez. At least 30, I guess. I was dialing into bulletin boards as soon as I learned about them and was one of the first AOL users because it had an 800 number that allowed me to call in at no cost, and I could go from there. That would have been 1993.

Z - Zodiac sign: Gemini

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Do you decorate for Autumn?

A. Not really. I take away the fake springish flowers and replace them with autumn ones. That's about it.

2. How often do you clean out your closets?

A. Not often enough.

3. When is the last time you planned a surprise for someone?

A. Working on that now.

4. Are there foods you really don’t like?

A. Coconut. 

5. What is something you recently learned?

A. That we have hidden populations all over the place. Not just immigrants, but disabled folks, different folks, women, children - all invisible to the populace as a whole. All considered things to be bargained with, or done away with, or used for power and gain. I think I knew this, deep down, but it has become a reality of fact for me in recent days.

6. Name items you’re most likely to buy at a convenience store.

A. I don't normally shop in convenience stores, but I might buy a candy bar or a bottle of water there.

7. Do you believe in the paranormal?

A. Yes.

8. How would you describe your spirituality?

A. Eclectic.

9. Do you make plans far in advance?

A. No.

10. Do you like being scared for fun?

A. No.

11. What has been difficult for you lately?

A. I seem at odds with myself and have lost my purpose. Even though it has been 10 years since I last wrote for The Herald, I miss my work there. I miss my old life. I have also been having great amounts of physical pain, and that makes it difficult to get through the day.

12. Have you ever written or read fanfiction?

A. Yes on both counts.

13. What type of wall art do you have in your home?

A. I have some P. Buckley Moss photos and some local artists' works.

14. Are you more likely to be private or overshare?

A. I probably do a bit of both, and probably at the wrong time on each count.

15. What have you recently learned to live without?

A. New stuff.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. October reading & writing goals and plans . . . were nonexistent.

2. Something I did that totally paid off . . . was allowing my husband to be generous.

3. I want to see this make a comeback . . . that would be print, as in newspapers and books.

4. Generational traits I really value . . . include fortitude, loyalty, sense of humor, and ability to love.

5. Changes I’d like to see in my daily environment . . . include less dust, a re-do of my office, and a re-do of my husband's office.

6. Favorite soup dishes . . . are basically chicken with rice.

7. Start with the best part or save the best for last . . . or do a little bit of both, depending on the circumstances.

8. The most chaotic part of my daily life . . . is the waking up part.

9. If I could only eat 10 things, I’d pick . . . watermelon, peas, chicken, chocolate, green beans, peaches, grapes, bread, cashews, and potatoes.

10. What Autumn feels like where I live . . . is like the final stages of a long hug from a loving friend.

11. The teacher who would be most proud of me . . . is my high school math teacher.

12. My go to Halloween snacks & treats . . . are not on my mind because we have no trick-or-treaters.

13. 10 ways my life is great right now . . . include (1) I am breathing, (2) I have a comfortable bed, (3) my brother loves me, (4) my husband loves me, (5) my friends love me, (6) I have a good doctor, (7) I have a computer, (8) I have good books to read, (9) I have my cognitive functions, (10) I am still standing upright.

14. A perfect day indoors looks like . . . sitting in a chair with a good book and no worries.

15. Pumpkin spice . . . is enjoyed by other people. I'm not a fan.

__________

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. Write about the best decision you ever made. How did you make it? Was it reasoning or gut instinct?

A. The best decision I ever made was to marry my husband. It was a heart response. I knew I wanted to be with him after the first month we dated. He was/is kind, gentle, loving, steady, and loyal. 

2. What ONE thing would you change about your life? How would your life be different?

A. I would have not gone into newspaper writing and instead found some other creative writing outlet that paid better and offered a pension. Something in advertising, maybe, or public relations with a college. Hopefully, I would have made more money and financially would be better off.

3. What is the hardest thing you have ever done? Why was it hard for you? What did you learn?

A. It took me 8 years to obtain my bachelor's degree. I really wanted it, but I could not afford to go to school full time, so I worked (often full time, sometimes part-time) and went to school part time. I also was ill a lot and occasionally had to drop out to have surgery and recovery time. I learned that I could do anything if I wanted it badly enough.

4. What is your greatest hope for your future? What steps can you take to make it happen?

A. At this point, I just hope for good days and that the United States remains a democracy and doesn't become part of an Axis of Evil.

5. If you could time travel, what would you tell your teenage self?

A. Read more.

6. Write about the most glorious moment in your life so far.

A. I guess my wedding, followed by obtaining my masters degree, would be my most glorious moments. My wedding was a drawn-out affair that my mother created, and my graduation for my masters was a highlight of my life. It was something I did all on my own, and I celebrated it with those I loved.

7. Write about a moment you felt brave.

A. I went up in a hot air balloon in the 1980s. My husband would not go; he stayed with the chase team, but I climbed in the basket and off we went. It was amazing.

8.  What made you happy today?

A. Cheese was on sale for $2.99 a pack!

9. What do you dislike most about growing up?

A. Chores.

10. Write about ten activities you love the most and why you love them.

A. I am not going to write about 10 activities. That is an essay or a memoir, not a question for a meme! I will write about one activity. I love to read because it transports me to another world, place, and/or time and takes me away from my current cares and woes.

11. Do you have an embarrassing moment that still makes you cringe? Write about it in as much detail as you feel comfortable!

A. There was that time I introduced my mother-in-law to someone at a funeral and told her the wrong name.

 
12. What has been your best trip so far?

A. It's probably a tie between vacations to Williamsburg, Charleston, SC, and Myrtle Beach, SC.

 13. Write a list of 5 things (physical or personality-wise) you love about yourself, and why they make you unique.

A. I have a good (if sarcastic) sense of humor, I'm intelligent and intellectually curious, I like music, and I do okay with writing.

14. Discuss 5 things you wish others knew about you.

A. I don't know that people know (1) how much pain I live with, (2) how much emotional energy I spend on others, (3) what a perfectionist I am, (4) how dark my thoughts can be, and (5) that I want the best for everyone, no matter who they are, so long as their best doesn't hurt anyone else.

15. Is social media a blessing or a curse?

A. Oh, it's a curse. No doubt about that.

__________

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. Are there any fall-specific hobbies or crafts you enjoy pursuing?

A. Not really, although I do seem to take more pictures in the fall. So perhaps photography?

2. Do you have any favorite fall-inspired recipes you like to cook or bake?

A. No. I am not a pumpkin fan.

3. Are you a fan of Halloween? If so, what's been your favorite costume?

A. I love Halloween. I haven't been in a costume in many years, though. The last time I dressed up, I was a witch. I went to Fincastle, where they have (had?) a children's Halloween parade and stood on the corner and handed out candy. That is the only time as an adult that I have dressed up. In my youth, I remember those awful plastic masks that generally broke after the first house, and it always seemed to be cold. I also dressed as a hobo a few times.

4. Do you have any childhood memories related to the autumn season?

A. Just going to school. I loved school, loved being in school, loved buying notebooks and pencils. I loved my teachers, usually. School was a safe place, aside from bullies and idiots.

5. What kind of outdoor activities do you enjoy during the autumn months?

A. Walking is nice.

6. Do you look forward to 'sweata weatha'? What is your favorite go-to outfit for Fall?

A. I don't have a favorite outfit for any season.

7. Are you a fan of pumpkin or apple flavored treats or beverages?

A. Not particularly. I like apple cider ok, but no one else does.

8. Which fall scents do you find most appealing?

A. None of them. They all make me sneeze.

9. Do you like to visit apple orchards or pumpkin patches or corn mazes?

A. No. I'm allergic to such places.

10. Have you ever participated in or attended a fall festival or harvest fair?

A. Fincastle has a festival every September (it had a 10-year hiatus in the 2000s). I used to help with the volunteer fire department at that, and then I was president of the organization that ran it for two years, so I helped with lots of parts of it then.

11. What's your favorite thing about autumn?

A. The colorful leaves.

12. Are you more of a cider or hot chocolate person when it comes to fall beverages?

A. I just drink water these days, so neither.

13. What's your ideal way to spend a crisp autumn evening?

A. Curled up in a chair with a book. That's pretty much my ideal way of spending most evenings.

14. Do you like to dress up for Halloween? What's your favorite costume or what costume do you plan for this year? Do you like to make your own costume?

A. I don't dress up for Halloween.

15. Are you a football fan? What's your favorite team?

A. I don't watch football, though we do root for the Virginia Cavaliers (University of Virginia).

__________

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. Name the last song you heard.

A. The Last Worthless Evening, by Don Henley

2. What was the last food you ate?

A. I had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch.

3. What was the last drink you had?

A. Water. I only drink water.

4. Can you give the last line in a book/newspaper or magazine you read?

A. "In doing so, she truly became, as a newspaper stated during the Pacific trip, "a woman who has made the world her personal study."' - p. 221, The First Lady of World War II: Eleanor Roosevelt's Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back

"Still, it's unclear if any other Republican would have support from the House majority to lead the party." - The Roanoke Times, "McCarthy's last-ditch plan to keep the government open collapses, making a shutdown almost certain"

5. What was the last movie you saw?

A. The Replacements.

6. What was the name of the last tv-show you watched?

A. The Voice.

7. What is the last news you read about your hometown?

A. "Assault charge against Botetourt County supervisor is dismissed." - The Roanoke Times

8. Show the last photo you took with your phone, with a little explanation.

The black spot is a black bear. Took
the photo Thursday. It's in my
nephew's driveway.

9. Name the last video you watched on youtube.

A. Stevie Nicks singing Landslide.

10. What was the last thing you brought in the supermarket?

A. Sugar free hard candies for my husband.

11. When was the last time you were on an airplane?

A. 1993.

12. When was the last long drive in a car?

A. September 2019.

13. What was the last telephone conversation you had about, and who did you speak to?

A. I talked to my husband about what he was doing on a septic tank installation job, and when he thought he might be home for dinner.

14. What was the last letter you wrote about, and who did you write it to?

A. I wrote a letter to my aunt wishing her a happy birthday.

15. Name the last concert you attended.

A. The last music concert I attended was Elton John. I also saw Jeff Dunham in concert. 

__________

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. What you did you do today?

A. On the day that I am answering these questions, I have suffered from jaw pain, made the bed, emptied the dishwasher, washed two loads of laundry and put them away, played video games, read the newspaper, read a magazine, talked on the phone with two of my friends and my chiropractor (who called to check on me, some of my doctors are fantastic), texted several people, sorted through paperwork, and tried to have a quiet day, since I am not feeling all that great.

2. What are the must-sees in your area?

A. The Mill Mountain Star, Roaring Run falls, McAfee's Knob, the Taubman Museum, the Hollins University campus, the Town of Fincastle, the old kilns in Eagle Rock, and cemeteries. Dead people are great to visit with. They don't have much to say.

The Taubman

The Roanoke Star
(when I was growing up,
 it was the Mill Mountain Star,
 so I still call it that.)

Hollins University campus

3. What is your favorite quote?

A. Not all those who wander are lost - J.R.R. Tolkien

4. What was the last thing you cooked or ate?

A. Chicken salad, which I made myself.

5. What is something you learned from your grandparents?

A. Always have a rag bag ready to put old towels, sheets, and clothes in.

6. What makes you happy?

A. Hugs and kisses from my husband, being safe at home, reading a book, playing music, writing.

The Governor's Palace
in Williamsburg

7. What is your best travel memory?

A. We had a good time in Williamsburg. I'll go with that.

8. What’s the weather like today?

A. It's a nice day today, sunny, a little breeze, not too hot or cold.

9. Share an interesting fact that you’ve learned.

A. If Thursday/Friday was the Rapture, an awful lot of people aren't living Christian lives. LMAO.

10. What is your favorite book, movie or band?

A. My favorite book and movie would have the same name, so we'll toss those and say my favorite book is . . . um . . . anything by David Sedaris. My favorite movie is Under the Tuscan Sun. My favorite band is Fleetwood Mac.

11. Write your favorite poem or haiku?

A. My favorite poem is Satan Says, by Sharon Olds.

12. What is a local festival or tradition from your area?

A. On New Year's Eve in the Town of Fincastle, people gather in the courthouse square. This tradition involves a bugle, bells, and a shotgun. You can learn about it here. 

13. What was the best thing you learned in school?

A. How to read and write.

__________

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. What is your favorite book?

A. We all know it's Lord of the Rings. If we throw that one out, then it would be Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery.

2. Are you afraid of the dark?

A. Not usually, no. 

3. Are you mean?

A. I certainly hope not, but I am sure I can be if circumstances warrant it. I would not be surprised if there aren't people out there who think I am mean.

4. Is cheating ever OK?

A. I think it depends on the circumstances. It's like speeding. Sometimes you have to drive over the speed limit (like if you have someone in the car having an emergency). Generally speaking, cheating is not ok.

5. Can you keep white shoes white?

A. I have a pair that I have worn for 4 years almost every day that were in great shape, except the stitches fell apart on the side finally. They were white sneakers.

6. Are you currently bored?

A. I'm almost always bored.

7. Would you change your name?

A. I might use a pen name sometime.

8. Do you like the subway?

A. The only time I was ever on a subway was when I was in high school and on a trip to Spain and France. I didn't dislike it, but I wouldn't know if it is something I like or not now.

9. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?

A. My friend Teresa.

10. Dumbest lie you’ve ever told?

A. I don't generally lie, so I can't think of anything. When I was a teenager, I generally did not tell my parents where I really was and would say I was at so-and-so's house. So maybe those kind of lies.

11. Do you sleep with your door open or closed?

A. The house is locked up. The door to the bedroom is open.

12. Favorite month?

A. June.

13. Dark, milk, or white chocolate?

A. Milk chocolate, these days.

14. Tea or coffee?

A. I don't drink either. I only drink water.

15. Night or day?

A. They both have their merits. Easier to see during the day, easier to hide at night.

__________

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. What’s the best beach or lake day you can remember?

A. In the 1990s, we went to Myrtle Beach courtesy of my father, who allowed us to use his condo. It was the first time we'd had a vacation and had extra money, so we were able to do things like ride the race cars, go the amusement park, see Ripley's Believe It or Not, etc., without worry. It is the only time I think we've ever had a vacation and not worried about what we were spending.

2. Describe your ideal picnic lunch.

A. I haven't been on a picnic in 30 years. But a good one would be watermelon, chicken salad sandwiches, potato chips, and iced tea or root beer.

3. What flowers are in your bouquet?

A. Irises.

4. Name some silly ways to pass the time during a snowstorm.

A. Looking at youtube videos, watching a funny movie, making faces at one another.

5. What is the most beautiful house you’ve ever visited?

A. The Biltmore in Asheville, NC.

6. What is the best place you ever dined?

A. There used to be a French restaurant in Roanoke, 40 years ago. La Maison, I think it was called.

7. How many layers to your ice cream sandwich?

A. I don't eat ice cream.

8. Names some pretty things which are faux patent leather.

A. Couches, pocketbooks, shoes.

9. What is the best way to eat chocolate?

A. Put it in your mouth and let it melt there.

10. Describe your unicorn’s special magic.

A. My unicorn has the ability to grant wishes! And fly!

11. List all the fruits in your fruit salad.

A. White grapes, pears, peaches, whatever is in Del Monte Fruit Cocktail.

12. Describe the soil, grass, trees, flowers and rocks in your magical forest.

A. The soil is a deep, loamy brown and it smells like a day after a rain when you step on the blue-bladed grass. The flowers are tall - taller than I - and they laugh as I walk by. The trees sway and whisper to one another; sometimes I hear them giggling in the breeze. Their leaves are a hunter green color, always. The rocks are multi-colored, like rainbows, and they move but only if you're not watching. They don't go very far for they are slower than the old tortoise that lives in the pond.

13. The lyrics which move you the most are:

Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and gray
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul

Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy, linen land

Now, I understand what you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now.

14. What are the best sauces in the world?

A. Is ketchup a sauce?

15. Write a haiku about nature.

Dark clouds, skies open

Rain falls to water brown grass

Drought fears disappear.

__________

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. Did you ever have a commercial you really liked?

A. This one from 2018 is a good one.

2. How did you learn to ride a bicycle?

A. My bicycle was blue, and it had training wheels. My father took me out in the street and showed me how to ride it, first with the training wheels. Then he took those off and said he'd be right beside me and of course he let me go and I rode off.

3. How did you celebrate your 21st birthday?

A. I don't remember. I was already married, and I don't recall it mattering very much.

4. What fascinated you as a child?

A. Reading. I read everything. Newspapers. Magazines. Cereal boxes. Junk mail. Books of all kinds. Encyclopedias. The dictionary. 

5. What was one of your favorite playground games?

A. I was never a fan of playgrounds. I was one of the last picked because I was not athletic and not good at physical games.

6. What things matter most to you in life?

A. Other people. Justice and equality for all. Reading, writing, music. Friendship. The stuff you can't touch or put a price tag on.

 

7. If you had to go back in time and start a brand-new career, what would it be?

A. I would be a college professor.

8. What do people get wrong about you?

A. They think I'm stuck up when I'm really just shy and introverted.

9. Do you believe that people can change? Why or why not?

A. Some people can change. Some can't. It depends upon the person, what it is that needs to be changed, and whether or not they want to change.

10. What is some of the best advice your mother ever gave you?

A. Wear clean underwear when you go out.

11. If you could see into the future, what would you want to find out?

A. How humanity finally does itself in. Do we all die from climate change? Destroy ourselves with bombs? Is the earth destroyed by a large asteroid hit?

12. How has your life turned out differently than you imagined it would?

A. I thought I would have children but could not. I also thought I would "be somebody" (whatever that means), but I am not. 

13. What is the longest project you have ever worked on?

A. This blog has been going on since 2006, although I started blogging around 2002. That was with AOL Journals, though, and not here on blogspot.

14. What have been some of your favorite restaurants through the years?

A. Most of them no longer exist. The Oasis, I think it was, in Myrtle Beach was a favorite for many years. Great seafood (before I developed a seafood allergy). I was sad when we returned to find it had closed permanently.

15. What is one of the best shows you've ever been to?

A. I loved seeing Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville in 1989. That is probably my favorite.

__________

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. If animals could talk, which one do you think would complain the most about their day?

A. A horse or an ox that works on a farm. "I had to pull that plow for miles today and it was 94 degrees out! And I didn't get enough water. And he used the whip twice because I stumbled over uneven ground. And the hay tastes blah."

2. What do you think cats dream about during their epic naps?

A. Chasing squirrels.

3. If squirrels organized an Olympics, what events would they have?

A. High wire walking, jumping, hiding things, and sunbathing.

4. Do you think penguins ever get jealous of birds that can fly?

A. No.

5. If animals had their own social media, what kind of posts would we see from them?

A. Cow: It's so dang hot today. I still can't believe he fenced us out of the pond and makes us drink from that feed trough. I want to lie in the water! It is moooey hot under the trees! I udderly do not understand how this little bit of shade is supposed to help. Also, flies.

6. What would be the title of the autobiography of a lazy house cat?

A. Livin' the Life of Reily

7. If you had to choose an animal to be your personal bodyguard, which one would you pick?

A. A big dog.

8. Do you think dogs secretly judge us for not being able to sniff out everything they can?

A. No.

9. If animals could wear clothes, which animal would have the best fashion sense?

A. Cats.

10. If a group of owls started a band, what would their music style be?

A. They'd play bluegrass so they could whooop it up.

11. What do dolphins think when people swim with them?

A. They think they are dolphins and are out for a swim with people.

12. What do you think squirrels gossip about when they chatter to each other in the trees?

A. Where they hid the nuts.

13. If elephants played hide-and-seek, where do you think they'd hide?

A. Behind skinny trees.

14. What do you imagine a llama would say if you asked it about the meaning of life?

A. It would be all spit and tongue.

15. If you could swap places with any animal for a day, which one would it be, and why?

A. I would swap places with a lion so I could see a different land and be supple and strong in movement.

__________

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.