Thursday Thirteen #930

On October 23, 1973, President Richard Nixon agreed to turn over the Watergate tapes to investigators, marking a pivotal moment in the unraveling of his presidency. Below are 13 facts that illuminate the scope and impact of the Watergate scandal.

1. The scandal began with a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972. Five men were arrested, all connected to Nixon’s reelection campaign.

2. The burglars were caught wiretapping phones and stealing documents, suggesting political espionage.

3. Nixon and his aides attempted to obstruct justice, including paying hush money and misleading investigators.

4. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post investigated the story with help from “Deep Throat,” later revealed to be FBI Associate Director Mark Felt.

5. The Senate Watergate Committee was formed in 1973, and its hearings were broadcast live, drawing national attention.

6. The “Saturday Night Massacre” occurred on October 20, 1973, when Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox, prompting resignations of top Justice Department officials.

7. On October 23, 1973, Nixon agreed to release some tapes, which had been secretly recorded in the Oval Office without most staff knowing.

8. The tapes revealed Nixon’s involvement in the cover-up, especially the “smoking gun” tape from June 23, 1972.

9. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in United States v. Nixon (1974) that Nixon had to release the tapes.

10. Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974, becoming the only U.S. president to do so.

11. Gerald Ford became president and controversially pardoned Nixon on September 8, 1974.

12. The scandal led to over 40 government officials being indicted or jailed, including top aides like H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman.

13. The term “Watergate” became a metonym for political scandal and abuse of power.

Sources: 

FBI records, court documents, early reporting from The Washington Post, History.com, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, PBS Frontline, NPR, Constitution Center, National Archives, CNN, Watergate.info. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Brookings Institution and Politico.

*I used the little magic wand on blogger for the first time to insert links. Not impressed.*

*An AI tool helped put this list together*

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 930th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway. 

Thursday Thirteen

1. The other morning, my husband asked Alexa the temperature. She said it was 13 degrees. He argued with her that she was wrong, but she insisted that the temperature was right for this time of year. I asked her if she was using Celsius or Fahrenheit; she said Celsius. I told her to use Fahrenheit from now on. This morning, at 6 a.m., when we asked her the temperature, she said it was 56 degrees and sunny. The sun had not yet risen, and it was quite dark outside with a bit of a breeze. We are blaming the government shutdown, but I don't know.

2. In the late 1970s, I think about 1979, actually, we had snow on October 10. I remember it vividly because that's the earliest snow in my lifetime. It was actually thunder snow. A great big rumble of thunder shook my parents' house, and then it poured snow. Pretty amazing, actually.

3. Another big weather event in my lifetime was the Flood of 1985. This will be the 40th anniversary of that flood, which wiped out not only parts of Roanoke but also communities here in my county, Eagle Rock and Buchanan, both of which lie along the mighty James River. It also flooded anything along Tinker Creek, including an area of the county known as Cloverdale. Here's a video about it:

4. We have had other floods that I remember because they wiped out my grandparents' house. It was located along the Roanoke River. It flooded in 1969, 1972, and 1985, I know, and there were probably minor floods that I don't recall. It was always a stinking, soppy mess. The water never got up into the living area, but it sure wrecked the basement.

5. In 1993 (I think), we had a "dusting" of snow that dumped about 2 feet on us in March of that year. We were without power for 10 days. When the roads finally cleared, about 6 days into this snow dump, I drove to my grandmother's house in Salem to take a shower. That was such a relief after days of heating water on the woodstove.

6. Virginia has all four seasons, distinctly so. I woke up Monday morning to find that Autumn had arrived for sure. But one can tell as spring approaches by the greening of grass, the wisps of green on the willows, and the movement of the animals. Spring seems to be the season that we are getting shortchanged on in recent years; it comes and goes rather more quickly than I recall as a child. Maybe it's just my perception.

7. We have a freeze and frost advisory out for tomorrow morning. That means the persimmons should be ripe this weekend. Persimmons need a frost in order to ripen properly. An unripe persimmon will turn your mouth inside out, but a ripe persimmon doesn't taste too bad.

8.The folktales about weather around here include: the devil is beating his wife (when the sun shines and its raining), snow before 7, stop after 11 (or maybe I have that backwards), and the usual "red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning."

9. We also predict the weather around here by looking at wooly buggers. They are worms that are brown and black, and the amount of brown and black indicates how bad the winter is going to be.

10. My husband predicts the winter based on the number of acorns, hickory nuts, and persimmons on the trees. "Mother Nature takes care of her own," is his comment about that.

11. I say the weather will be bad when there is a ring around the moon.

12. There is also a tale that the number of fogs in August forecast the number of snows we will have. If that's the case, we will be inundated with snow because I remember a lot of fogs this past August. However, the weather service has us in drought conditions now and through the end of the year.

13. As a farmer, my husband stays very interested in the weather. We watch the news at lunch and at dinner so he can see the weather forecast, and I do not ask questions or talk while the weather is on, even if it's a repeat forecast. 

How about you? How's your weather these days?

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 929th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway. 

Thursday Thirteen

My county in Virginia is large. It has three small incorporated towns - Fincastle, Troutville, and Buchanan. Other areas, though, are unincorporated communities that have sprung up over the 250-plus years of settlement of the area by Europeans and other nationalities.

Here are just a few:

1. Cloverdale is located at the southern edge of Botetourt County. It marks the transition into Roanoke County. It’s a key junction for railroads and highways, including US 11 and US 220. The railroad hums through its bones, and the wind carries stories from both sides of the ridge. It once was the site of the Traveltown Motel, a facility that kept loads of children cool in the summer with its swimming pool and fed thousands at its restaurant. The motel was badly damaged in the Flood of '85 and no longer exists.

2. Blue Ridge is a community nestled at the base of the mountains. The area was once home to Blue Ridge Springs, a resort renowned in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for its mineral-rich healing waters. Guests came seeking rest and remedy, drawn by the promise of rejuvenation. The mountains rise like myth behind the schoolyard, and every sunrise feels like a beginning.

3. Nace is a rural crossroad near the Norfolk Southern rail line. The area once had a depot and post office. It’s now marked by silos, farmland, and echoes of rail-town life. The tracks still whisper, and the grain silos stand like sentinels of a slower time.

4. Lithia is named for its mineral springs and was once a resort destination in the late 1800s. The springs were believed to have healing properties and were bottled for sale. Once bottled and sold as tonic, now it lingers in the soil like a memory of cure.

5. Haymakertown is a farming community with deep roots. The area once was defined mostly by Asbury School and a general store, both now gone. It lies between Daleville and Catawba and is near Titan Cement, where industrial presence meets pastoral quiet. The land rolls gently, and every barn seems to hold a secret or a song.

6. Springwood is located along the James River and is known for its fertile bottomlands and historic schoolhouse. It’s a site of frequent flooding and rich agricultural history. The James bends here like a question mark, and the fields remember every flood.

7. Gala is a small community near Eagle Rock. It was once a stop on the railroad and is surrounded by orchards and river bends. It’s quiet now, but its name still carries sweetness. Peach trees once bloomed in rows, and the trains carried sweetness into the world.

8. Spec refers to the Spec Mines area in Jefferson National Forest, once home to iron mining operations in the late 1800s. It’s now a biologically rich forest with trails and cold-water streams. A forgotten forge, where iron was pulled from the earth and memory still clings to the ridgeline.

9. Daleville is a growing residential and commercial hub. It sits along US 220 and Interstate 81 and pretends to host the Greenfield industrial park (which is really in the community called Amsterdam). It was once farmland and is now a commuter’s anchor. Suburban now, it still echoes with farmland ghosts and the ache of displacement.

10. Glen Wilton is a riverside hamlet near the James River. It was once known for its lime kilns and ironworks. It still has a post office and active rail line. The kilns are quiet now, but the rail still sings, and the James keeps its rhythm.

11. Santillane is not really a place, but instead a historic estate near Fincastle. It was the home of Julia Hancock, wife of William Clark. The house still stands, a testament to Federal architecture and layered legacy. Its columns rise like memory, and every stone holds the echo of a woman’s name.

12. Oriskany is nestled near Craig Creek and still has a functioning post office and church. It was once home to a school and is surrounded by forested hollows. A place of quiet continuity and sacred pause, where the creek runs like a hymn.

13. Eagle Rock is located along the James River and US 220. It is named for a cliff formation said to resemble an eagle. The rock watches like an old god, and the river below carries both freight and prayer. It has deep industrial roots as evidenced by the lime kilns that still stand there.

 

*An AI tool helped me compile this list.*

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 928th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

Peanuts! 

1. Peanuts premiered on October 2, 1950, in seven newspapers. Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz had wanted to call it Good Ol’ Charlie Brown, but the syndicate chose Peanuts. He disliked the name, considering it trivial.

2. Schulz wrote, drew, and inked every strip himself for 50 years, producing 17,897 strips.

3. The Little Red-Haired Girl was based on Schulz’s real-life lost love, Donna Johnson.

4.  Inspired by Schulz’s childhood dog Spike, Snoopy debuted on October 4, 1950, and evolved into a master of fantasy. He was a flying ace, lawyer, novelist, and more. Schulz used him to explore escape and imagination. Spike later appeared as Snoopy's brother.

5. Charlie Brown’s father, like Schulz’s own father, was a barber.

6. Schulz introduced Franklin in 1968 after MLK Jr.’s assassination, making him the first Black character in a mainstream comic strip. Woodstock was named after the 1969 music festival, and Peppermint Patty was inspired by a candy Schulz saw in a store.

7. Schulz popularized the term "security blanket" through Linus, though he didn’t coin it.

8. Schulz excluded adults from the strip, believing they’d be “uncomfortable” in the children’s world. In animated specials, the teacher’s “wah-wah” voice was created using a trombone, thanks to composer Vince Guaraldi.

9. By 1999, over 20,000 Peanuts products were being marketed annually.

10. At its peak, Peanuts was published in 2,600 newspapers, in 75 countries, and 21 languages.

11. Lucy’s Psychiatric Booth was inspired by real-life therapy and Schulz’s interest in psychology.

12. Shulz once said, “Charlie Brown must be the one who suffers,” making him a vessel for quiet endurance and emotional truth.

13. Schulz’s last strip ran on February 13, 2000, the day after he died. Scholar Robert Thompson called Peanuts “arguably the longest story ever told by one human being.”

*An AI tool helped me compile this list.*

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 927th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday 13: The Power of 3

 

1. Trinity Power. From the Holy Trinity to the Triple Goddess, the number 3 holds divine symmetry. It speaks of unity in multiplicity, of forces that balance and transcend. For example, Father, Son, Spirit (or Holy Ghost, if you prefer); Maiden, Mother, Crone. The number sanctifies the cycle.

2. "Beginning, Middle, End" are the architecture of narrative, ritual, and memory. Every story, whether whispered or shouted, finds its spine in this triad. It’s how we make sense of time, transformation, and truth.

3. The three acts of setup, confrontation, resolution are the dramatic arc that mirrors life’s own unfolding and can include the call, the struggle, the reckoning. Whether in memoir or myth, this structure gives shape to chaos.

4. The triangle is the most stable shape in geometry. It is used in bridges, pyramids, and sacred symbols. Three points define a plane, and in metaphor, a triangle often reveals hidden tension or divine balance.

5. "Third Time’s the Charm" is a folkloric promise that persistence births magic. The first attempt falters, the second stumbles, but the third, always, sings with possibility.

6. Three wishes are the fairy tale standard: not too few to feel cheated, not too many to tempt ruin. The number 3 here becomes a moral compass, a test of character, a gate to transformation.

7. The Three Fates in Greek myth spin, measure, and cut the thread of life. Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos are the sisters of destiny who remind us that life is woven, not random.

8. The three-point perspective in art adds depth and realism, allowing the viewer to step into the scene. It’s how flatness becomes space, and how vision becomes immersion.

9. The three primary colors are red, yellow, blue. They form the elemental palette from which all hues are born. A triad of creation, echoing fire, sun, and sky.

10. The three dimensions are length, width, height. This is the spatial trinity that defines our physical world. Without the third, we’d be trapped in flatness; with it, we move, build, and belong.

11. Three-part harmony in music is the layering that evokes emotion, memory, and soul. A single voice is pure, but three together become haunting, holy, whole.

12. The three-legged stool is a symbol of balance and interdependence. Remove one leg, and it topples. Keep all three, and it stands firm, just like truth, love, and courage.

13. The "Third Eye" is the seat of intuition and inner sight. Beyond the physical, it perceives patterns, energies, and truths unseen. It can be a spiritual lens for those who seek beyond the veil.

*An AI helped me compile this list.*

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 926th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thurday 13

We are heading into the season of strange things and odd happenings as Autumn approaches. These are the times when the leaves stir without a wind and the wolf howls echo among the hills. So in keeping with the hour, here are 13 legendary witches and sorceresses.

1. Hecate is the Greek goddess of witchcraft, crossroads, and necromancy. She’s often depicted holding torches or keys, guiding souls through shadowed realms. Her presence evokes the power of thresholds and the difference between life and death, seen and unseen.

2. Lilith, in Jewish mythology, was Adam’s first wife who refused to be subservient. Cast out and demonized, she became a symbol of feminine autonomy and rage. Her legend pulses with the ache of exile and the fire of defiance.

3. Morgan le Fay is a powerful enchantress in Arthurian legend, sister to King Arthur and sometimes his adversary. She shifts between healer and saboteur, embodying the tension between loyalty and betrayal. Her magic is woven with grief and ambition.

4. Baba Yaga is a Slavic witch who dwells in a hut that stands on chicken legs, surrounded by a fence of bones. She tests those who seek her, offering wisdom or doom. She’s the wild grandmother of the forest and is terrifying, transformative, and strangely tender.

5. The Witch of Endor is a biblical figure who summoned the prophet Samuel’s spirit for King Saul. Her story is one of forbidden knowledge and divine defiance. She stands as a rare woman in scripture who dares to speak with the dead.

6. Aradia is said to be the daughter of Diana and Lucifer in Italian folklore, sent to teach witchcraft to peasants. Her tale, popularized in 19th-century texts, became a cornerstone of modern Wiccan belief. She’s a mythic liberator cloaked in moonlight.

7. Isobel Gowdie is a Scottish woman who confessed to witchcraft in 1662, describing vivid flights, faerie encounters, and shapeshifting. Her testimony reads like poetry, possibly under duress, but haunting in its detail. She may have been a visionary or scapegoat, or both.

8. La Voisin (Catherine Monvoisin) was a fortune-teller and poisoner in 17th-century France, implicated in dark rituals and aristocratic scandals. Her downfall exposed the shadowy underbelly of Louis XIV’s court. She was both feared and sought after, a dealer in secrets.

9. Tituba was an enslaved woman of Caribbean or Indigenous descent, accused during the Salem witch trials. Her testimony, shaped by coercion and cultural misunderstanding, ignited hysteria. She remains a symbol of racialized fear and silenced truth.

10. The Bell Witch is a spirit said to haunt the Bell family in early 19th-century Tennessee, whispering, striking, and prophesying. Her legend blends ghost story with folk magic, and she’s often portrayed as a voice of reckoning against patriarchal wrongs.

11. Medea is a sorceress of Greek myth who helps Jason win the Golden Fleece. He then betrays her. Her vengeance of infanticide and exile is one of the most harrowing tales in mythology. She is both victim and fury, a woman undone by love and power.

12. Mother Shipton is a 16th-century English prophetess born in a cave, said to have predicted wars, plagues, and the Great Fire of London. Her image was twisted into grotesque caricature, yet her legacy endured. She’s the crone who saw too much.

13. Agnes Sampson was a healer and midwife accused during the North Berwick witch trials in Scotland. Tortured and executed, her story reflects the brutal silencing of wise women. Her name echoes through the centuries as a martyr of knowledge.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 925th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

I am the wife of a retired firefighter. These people go out every day and risk their lives to save people. When you are running away in fear of your life, these people are running in to help you. Whether it's flood, tornado, fire, hurricane, downed powerlines, or a sore toe, when you call 911, these people come.

Today's Thursday Thirteen offers up some numbers. I think you'll see why I have given you these today.  The numbers pertain to the United States and the first sets of numbers were tabulated in 2009. They're probably different now.

1. 3,010 - the number of deaths by fire

2. 1,348,500 - the number of fires


3. 17,050 - the number of civilian injuries caused by fire


4. $12,531,000,000 ($12.5 billion) - property loss by fire

5. 26,534,000 - the total number of calls to 911 for assistance

6. 50 - the average weight of a firefighter's gear (helmet, coat, boots, gloves)

7. 25 - the average weight of a firefighters SCBA gear (oxygen, breathing mask)

8. 75 - the average weight in pounds that a firefighter carries when rushing into a burning building

9. 24 - 30 - the average length in feet of a fire truck

10.  107 - the number of floors in New York City's World Trade Center's largest building



11. 8:50 a.m. on 09/11/2001 - the time an incident command was established by firefighters after a plane flew into the World Trade Center building. The first plane hit at 8:45 a.m.; firefighters were on the scene and entering the building within five minutes of the attack.

12. 9:59 a.m. on 09/11/2001 - the time the first building collapsed at the World Trade Center

13. 343 - the number of firefighters who lost their lives when both towers collapsed on 09/11/2001.

On the anniversary of the 09/11/2001 attack on New York City, please remember the sacrifices of these brave men and women.

Thank you.

*This post originally ran in 2011*

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 924th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

A wild woman's thoughts - 

1. The scent of woodsmoke curling through September’s throat

2. A quilt stitched from fragments of vanished conversations

3. The ache behind a smile when someone says “you’re just like her”

4. A crow’s cry at dawn, half warning, half welcome

5. The way the land remembers me, even when others forget

6. A song that never charted but still haunts the holler

7. The ritual of naming what was lost, aloud, to no one

8. A tin of buttons from dresses no longer worn

9. The silence after a truth is spoken clearly

10. A porch light left on for someone who will never come

11. The word “inheritance” written in ash

12. A shield forged from old blog posts and broken heirlooms

13. A single wildflower blooming where the boundary line used to be

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 923rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday 13

Here are 13 things that happened on August 28.

1. 1609 – Henry Hudson sails into Delaware Bay, becoming the first European to chart its waters—an opening line in a long colonial ledger.

2. 1774 – Elizabeth Ann Bayley is born. She will become the first American-born saint, founding the first Catholic school in the U.S.

3. 1789 – William Herschel discovers Saturn’s moon Enceladus, a frozen world with geysers and a hidden ocean—celestial mystery in motion.

4. 1830 – The American-built locomotive “Tom Thumb” races a horse—and loses due to mechanical failure. Steam dreams stumble.

5. 1833 – Britain’s Slavery Abolition Act receives royal assent, legally ending slavery in most of the British Empire.

6. 1837 – Worcestershire Sauce is first brewed by Lea & Perrins, born of a forgotten recipe and a lucky rediscovery.

7. 1845 – The first issue of Scientific American is published, launching a legacy of curiosity and invention.

8. 1869 – Three men abandon John Wesley Powell’s Grand Canyon expedition, believing the desert safer than the rapids. They vanish.

9. 1917 – Ten suffragists are arrested while picketing the White House, demanding the vote with silent strength.

10. 1955 – Emmett Till is murdered in Mississippi, his story igniting the civil rights movement with unbearable clarity.

11. 1957 – Strom Thurmond begins a 24-hour filibuster against the Civil Rights Act, a last gasp of segregationist resistance.

12. 1963 – Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech, echoing across generations.

13. 1964 – A race riot erupts in North Philadelphia, sparked by deep wounds and police brutality.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 922nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday 13

Things to Be Happy About (August Edition)

1. The smell of fresh-cut grass drifting through an open window on a warm evening.

2. A well-worn book that still surprises you on the third or fourth read.

3. The moment your collage clicks into place, and the colors, textures, and mood all align.

4. A stranger’s unexpected kindness, like holding the door or complimenting your earrings.

5. The first sip of something hot when the house is quiet and the day hasn’t made any demands yet.

6. A memory that makes you laugh out loud, even if no one else would get the joke.

7. The sound of cicadas at dusk, reminding you summer’s still holding on.

8. A blog comment that says “I needed this today.” It's proof your words landed somewhere soft.

9. The feeling of solving a tech glitch without throwing anything. Victory!

10. A fictional character who feels like a friend, especially when the real world feels too loud.

11. The way Botetourt County looks in late summer, golden and green and just a little sleepy.

12. A song that makes you dance in your chair, even if it’s just a shoulder shimmy.

13. Knowing you’re building something meaningful, even if it’s still a secret.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 921st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday 13 #920

A storm isn’t just weather. It’s a teacher that doesn’t ask if you’re paying attention. The wind scribbles warnings in the trees, the light tilts strange, and suddenly the world feels older than you remembered. Somewhere between the first gust and the last drip from the eaves, you realize you’ve learned a few things you didn’t know you knew.

Things a Storm Teaches You

AI Picture

1. How to measure time without a clock.

2. That silence is a prelude, not a void.

3. The difference between watching and truly witnessing.

4. Why dogs pace before the thunder finds them.

5. That power flutters like a candle before it dies.

6. How memory sharpens in the glow of a single flame. 

7.The smell of ozone braided with old stories.

8. That lightning sketches the sky without permission.

 9. The way thunder rolls like a name you almost remember. 

10. That rain on tin is the lullaby even skeptics believe. 

11. How clouds carry mood as heavily as they carry moisture. 

12. That storms don’t borrow metaphors—they earn them. 

13. The comfort of knowing it will pass, and it will return.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 920th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

I took a long time to get both my bachelor's degree and my master's degree. My bachelors took me eight long years to obtain. It came from Hollins College, and two years later, the college changes its name to Hollins University.

I began working on my master's immediately after graduating with my BA, but then decided I needed a break. I went back to it in 2002 and finally finished it in 2012. I took it a class at a time, as I could afford it and as my work and my health allowed. They were long-term goals, and I met them.

So, without further ado, here is what my effort to obtain both degrees taught me.

1. A degree is not a finish line, but a conversation with time. The degree is just a piece of paper, but it represents the culmination of many hours of work.

2. Eight years can be a pilgrimage, not a delay. While I was at the college for a very long time, that allowed me to seek out different professors and also to become personal friends with some of the professors that I saw from year to year. In a way, I became a fixture at the college because I was there off and on so much.

3. Learning is not linear, and neither is becoming. It took me a long time to find my footing when I went back to school. I was an older student at the age of 22 and married. My life experiences were different from my classmates, who were younger (and generally not as dedicated because they weren't paying for their degree, their parents were).

4. Returning to the classroom, especially years later, is its own kind of courage. It was hard to go back for my masters, but the experience was incredibly rewarding. And there was a great change in the way students interacted from 2002 to 2012. In 2002, I made friends of my classmates during breaks. By 2012, everyone veered off into their own little corner to check in on their phones with family and friends. The classroom experience changed in those 10 years.

5. A BA earned in 1993 and an MA in 2012 are not endpoints, but waypoints. They are markers in my life, ways I can remember what happened when. 

6. The voice you find at Hollins may take years to fully claim. Hollins has a strong creative writing program, but it also could be snobbish. Hollins may not be the place for someone who really only wants to write Nancy Drew books or romances. Hollins is the place to write the Great American Novel (think Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard). It took me a while to find myself and make sure my voice was my own, and not the reflection of my professors or some other writer.

7. Education is not just what you study, but what you survive. Hollins had a major flooding event in 1985, my first year there. The Flood of '85 wiped out the school library and classes ended up being cancelled for at least a month. It was an abbreviated semester, for sure. I personally had to survive many surgeries and health issues that forced me drop out for several semesters. Yet I kept going.

8. The institution may change names, but the imprint remains. I was not all that happy with the name change from Hollins College to Hollins University, but I understood it. The college didn't change with the name change, but it has certainly changed over time as the world has changed. One big difference? When I graduated in 1993, the cars around the campus were BMWs and Mercedes. When I graduated in 2012, the cars were Toyotas and SUVs.

9. Some lessons wait patiently until you’re ready to hear them. One of the courses I took, Imaginative Thinking, stuck with me for a long time. But it wasn't until I was in my 40s that I realized what the professors were trying to teach me - that I could be freer in my expression and less controlled.

10. Your story doesn’t need to match anyone else’s syllabus. I did the lessons, but my homework definitely was different, thanks to my age. Some of my professors appreciated having an older and quite dedicated student in class, others, not so much.

11. That persistence is a kind of artistry. Honestly, if anyone had told me I'd stick to working on my BA for eight long years, I'd have said no way. I used to think I didn't do things long term, but that was definitely long term. (And this blog has been here since August 2006, (19 years!) happy birthday, Blue Country Magic!)

12. That time itself can be a teacher. I learned so much about myself during my journey at Hollins. I learned to think, to understand, to be empathetic. I learned to give myself grace when I was ill and do the same for others. And I learned that eventually, with enough patience and dedication, I could do anything.

13. I wasn't late. I was layered. I took a different route, one I never expected, toward my degrees. I hadn't anticipated marrying at 20, getting a two-year AS degree in 1989 (I took classes concurrently at Hollins and Virginia Western Community College, transferring credits back and forth) and finally my BA in 1993. Nor had I predicted that I would spend so much time in the hospital or have so many surgeries. Lots happened to me. It all made me who I am.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 919th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday 13

What Writing Online Has Taught Me

1. Tone is a slippery beast. Even punctuation can steer a reader’s entire interpretation. It's not just about word choice; it’s the undercurrent of mood and intent. Online, it's shaped as much by what you leave unsaid as what you emphasize. White space matters, too.

2. People read with their own story in mind. When I write for this blog, I know I'm not just writing for myself. My words are filtered through however many eyes view it. Every reader brings a unique lens, colored by their past, their mood, their assumptions. What feels universal to me might land as deeply personal to someone else. Or they may not get it at all.

3. Silence is feedback too. A post that gets crickets might still echo in someone’s head. Lack of response doesn’t mean lack of impact. Sometimes quiet is how people process resonance. I know I have read blog posts that I haven't commented on but I have still thought about later.

4. Readers remember how you made them feel, not how clever you were. Cleverness may impress but feeling builds connection. That emotional trace is what lingers. However, I do like to be clever on occasion.

5. Most comments reflect more about the commenter than the content. Engagement is often projection. It can be affirmation, resistance, curiosity, or even loneliness disguised as critique. I comment sometimes just to say, "I was here."

6. “Delete” is underrated as a creative tool. Deletion isn’t failure—it’s refinement. It makes room for clarity, authenticity, and sometimes mercy. Occasionally, a post is just bad and needs to come down.

7. There’s power in a slow, quiet post that doesn’t try to trend. Slowness invites depth. And quiet writing resists the urgency of clickbait culture. Choose intimacy over impact, though I never know how that may land.

8. The internet doesn’t forget, but people do. I try to write about things worth remembering, even if I'm the only one who will remember. The idea of digital permanence can be misleading. Human memory is fallible, selective, and emotional.

9. A typo won’t kill you, but a dishonest tone might. Small errors are forgivable. What readers sense instinctively is whether you’re being real. I try to always be real, but I also know I hold back sometimes.

10. Nostalgia hits harder online. It turns writing into collective memory. When I evoke the past, I am inviting invite others to remember their own.

11. Posting is an act of hope. Every time. Hitting publish is a belief that someone is listening, that words still matter, that connection is possible. I still don't know if anyone will read my posts, but the stats count tells me people do. I am grateful that people find something in my words.

12. The algorithm is not your muse. It does, however, love drama and bullet points. Algorithms reward attention, not integrity. Hopefully my muse brings something deeper, such as truth, curiosity, or joy.

13. Writing for applause is a soul drain. Write for resonance. Resonance isn’t just agreement; it’s that hum beneath the words when someone reads and thinks, “I feel seen.” It’s an emotional echo, a shared vibration between writer and reader, even if they never meet or respond. It means someone else thinks the way I do.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 918th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday 13

 

Fictional Female Journalists/Writers

1. Lois Lane (Superman) – Dives into danger and conspiracy with a voice that says “This needs to be told,” even if no one believes her yet.

2. Murphy Brown (Murphy Brown) – Commanding the newsroom with integrity and dry wit, she made journalism feel like rebellion with credentials.

3. Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City) – Her columns blurred memoir with cultural critique, reminding us the political starts in the personal.

4. Rita Skeeter (Harry Potter) – Sleazy, spectacular, and fully bewitched—she's the cautionary tale every journalist conjures when ethics go poof.

5. Andie Anderson (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) – Her yellow dress got the headlines, but the real story was a smart woman stuck in shallow copy.

6. Bridget Jones (Bridget Jones’s Diary) – Hilariously human behind the scenes of televised fluff. She chronicled her own chaos with brutal charm.

7. Hallie Shea (The Newsroom) – Campaign trail correspondent with fire in her belly and friction in her relationships. A woman navigating truth in the eye of the political storm.

8. Brenda Starr (Brenda Starr, Reporter) – Glamorous, globe-trotting, and never far from a mystery or a romance. She made deadlines look like adventures and high heels look like armor.

9. Michelle Capra (Northern Exposure) – A travel columnist turned small-town observer. She wrestled with editorial pressure, cultural dissonance, and the quiet power of local storytelling.

10. Lee Smith (Civil War) – A hardened war photojournalist who bore witness to America’s unraveling. Her final act was not a shot—it was a sacrifice.

11. Jane Curtin (Saturday Night Live) – Dry, deadpan, and slyly subversive. As the straight woman on Weekend Update, she turned parody into media commentary with a raised eyebrow and perfect timing.

12. Jo March (Little Women) – A scribbler in the attic who became a published author. She wrote with fire, sold stories to skeptical editors, and eventually turned her pen into a golden goose.

13. Vicki Vale (Batman) – Gotham’s photojournalist with a nose for danger and a heart that sees through masks. She chased truth in a city built on secrets—and sometimes fell for one.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 917th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

Some authors feel like old friends. You meet them in a moment of escape, curiosity, or heartbreak, and somehow, they stay with you. Their characters linger, their stories echo, and their voices become part of your own inner dialogue. This week’s Thursday 13 is a tribute to the women writers who’ve shaped my reading life, some for decades, others more recently. They’ve made me laugh, cry, think harder, and feel more deeply.

Here are 13 women whose books have left a lasting mark:

1. Janet Evanovich

With her Stephanie Plum series, Evanovich delivers mystery with a side of chaos and comedy. Her quirky bounty hunter heroine navigates New Jersey’s underbelly with sass, luck, and a rotating cast of romantic entanglements.

2. L.M. Montgomery

The creator of Anne of Green Gables and other books that follow in the series, Montgomery gave the world a red-headed orphan with imagination and grit. Her stories are steeped in nature, nostalgia, and the quiet strength of small-town life.

3. Jennifer Weiner

From Good in Bed to The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits, Weiner writes with humor and heart. Her novels explore modern womanhood with honesty, wit, and a deep understanding of complicated relationships.

4. Lee Smith

A Southern literary treasure, Smith’s Fair and Tender Ladies and Silver Alert, among others, capture the rhythms of Appalachian life. Her characters are flawed, funny, and unforgettable.

5. Louise Penny

Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series is more than mystery, it’s philosophy wrapped in suspense. Her Canadian village of Three Pines is a place of secrets, redemption, and moral reckoning. I have read all of her books and am waiting on the next one to drop in October, called The Black Wolf.

6. Fern Michaels

I’ve been reading Michaels for years, drawn to her blend of mystery and justice. Her Sisterhood series features women who take matters into their own hands, delivering suspense with loyalty and grit.

7. Nora Roberts

Roberts is a storytelling machine. Her novels are immersive, fast-paced, and filled with strong women who know what they want. Titles I've enjoyed include Legacy, Whiskey Beach, The Villa, and the trio of books The Awakening, The Becoming, and The Choice. 

8. Fannie Flagg

Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes is just the beginning. A Redbird Christmas, The Whole Town’s Talking, and The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion are full of Southern charm, humor, and heart. Her stories celebrate community, identity, and the quiet heroism of everyday life.

9. Jane Austen

The original queen of social satire, Austen’s novels still sparkle with wit and insight. Pride and Prejudice and Emma remind us that manners, marriage, and money have always been complicated.

10. Lois Lowry

Lowry’s The Giver and Number the Stars remind me of the power of young adult fiction. Her stories ask big questions about memory, freedom, and what it means to be truly human.

11. Ursula K. Le Guin

Le Guin’s Earthsea and The Left Hand of Darkness are genre-defying masterpieces. She writes fantasy and sci-fi with poetic depth, exploring identity, power, and the boundaries of language and thought.

12. Juliet Marillier

Marillier’s Sevenwaters series is steeped in Celtic mythology and lyrical storytelling. Her heroines are brave, complex, and deeply rooted in the natural and spiritual worlds. I can get lost in these books.

13. Kristin Hannah

Hannah’s novels, such as The Nightingale, Firefly Lane, The Four Winds, and The Women, are emotionally rich and historically grounded. She writes about love and loss with a tenderness that lingers long after the final page.

These women have written me through seasons of change, curiosity, and comfort. Their stories have been companions, provocateurs, and lifelines. If you’ve read any of them or have favorites of your own, I’d love to hear about it. Who are the women writers who’ve shaped your world?

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 916th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.