Thursday Thirteen

Spoiler Alert: This discusses some of Amazon Prime's Fallout, in case you haven't seen all 8 episodes. I don't discuss it in great detail, but if you want to miss any talk of it all, there's your warning.

1. We finished watching Amazon Prime's series, Fallout, on Tuesday night. Fallout is based on a Bethesda video game and is set in the future, where the people who "mattered" in 2070 moved underground to live in vaults while whatever was left the world fended for itself. The story takes place 219 years later, so in the 2300 century.

2. The Wasteland, as the world above the vaults is called, is sandy, without much grass or trees, and lots of remnants of the former civilization still showing. Like many other pieces of dystopian literature and movies, Fallout shows the world after some sort of catastrophic war or bombing as being sandy, dry, covered in radiation, and full of strange animals (and humans) who have adapted to this manmade hellhole.

3. The basics of dystopian literature, movies, and video games make certain assumptions about things like:

• Economic challenges: There’s widespread poverty that the citizens must endure, or there are massive gaps in wealth that create a ruling class of elites and relegate everyone else to a life of scarcity and hardship.
• Environmental damage: Environmental devastation wreaks havoc on the lives and fates of the characters. This destruction might take the form of major weather events, like earthquakes or floods; climate change and its disastrous effects; or the ramifications of pollution, overpopulation, or disregard for the planet and its finite resources.
• Government influence: Typically, there’s either no government overseeing law, order, and civilization, or there’s a domineering government that operates a police state and controls and monitors the lives of all citizens.
• Loss of freedom or individual identity: A dystopian society often robs its citizens of their basic freedoms and/or individualism. It reduces them to sheep who must blindly follow the dictates of a tyrannical and unjust system.
• Propaganda: The existing power structure in a dystopia produces propaganda to keep the citizenry in line. Such propaganda might present a deceptive “everything is fine“ picture of life in order to control the population, or it might incite fear and terror and, thus, generate an excuse to engage in further domination and subjugation.
• Survival: The characters in a dystopian setting are in a fight to survive the oppressive conditions in which they find themselves. They must resort to extreme measures to protect themselves and those around them, which usually means rebelling against the powers that be.
• Technology: Advancements in technology tend to play a key role in controlling or tracking the citizens of a dystopia. Rather than solving problems, technology creates them—damaging relationships, reinforcing hierarchies and power structures, and reducing quality of life.

(If you're paying attention, you might see signs of dystopian society in some of today's events, particularly where it concerns environment, government, propaganda, and technology. I suspect it is why there is more dystopian literature than utopian literature. It's not hard to look around and despair; it is much harder to look around and find hope and love.)

4. I have never played the Fallout video game series all the way through; I have Fallout 4, but I didn't like it. My glasses are too rose-colored, I suppose, to spend the hours required to play that video game. It was not visually pleasing, in other words. 

I have, however, read many dystopian books.

5. One of the first pieces of dystopian literature that I remember reading was Alas Babylon, by Pat Frank. Written in 1959, this book lays out how someone would survive a nuclear crisis in the US after the bombs fell. Of course, this book is older and so it doesn't have many of the technology components a similar book today might have, such as computers and cell phones, but it explored basic survival and outlined the loss of the US government, the devaluation of money (something like sugar and/or salt becomes a more valuable commodity), and tribalism as communities either came together or tore themselves asunder. The book still holds up as it is based on incidents in the Middle East as the ignition for the nuclear war.

6. Another book that had a big impact on me was A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr., also written in 1959. (That must've been a big year for concerns about the future of mankind, as things are now.) The book tracks not one person but technological advances (at a monastery, of all places) through thousands of years, until we blow ourselves up again. In other words, the book takes place after we've blown ourselves up the first time, and the monks have dedicated themselves to saving books and other knowledge because the people who survived the apocalyptic carnage were anti-knowledge, anti-books, and anti-society for a very long time. But human progresses, as it seems to do, and apparently we cannot overcome our demons in favor of our better selves.

7. Margaret Atwood has given us two popular pieces of dystopian literature: A Handmaid's Tale, which is frequently referenced at this time as women lose their reproductive and other basic freedoms, and the Oryx & Crake books, also known as the MaddAddam trilolgy which is not referenced but which, like Fallout, presupposes that the wealthy will make out much better than the rest of us poor sots when something happens. In the trilogy, it is not nuclear war that takes out much of humanity, and creates a different sort of world, but a virus.

8. One of the scariest pieces of dystopian literature I have ever read is A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess. I read it in college, and we watched the movie, too, and it gave me nightmares for months. This book is about a gang of teenagers who terrorize their communities. This book and subsequent movie were full of sexual assault scenes and graphic violence. Like Alas Babylon, it was written before I was born, in 1962, and reflects the Cold War hype and propaganda people were living under at that time.

9. We've moved past the year 1984, but the book of the same name by George Orwell is still relevant and quite dystopian. In this book, humanity has moved onward technologically, and people lose their agency to Big Brother, who oversees their every move and even their thoughts. The government in 1984 is a totalitarian one, which means no individual freedom, the authority of the state/government is absolute, there are no political parties (or elections, or democracy, or any of the things some Americans and other people cherish) and that authority/government controls everything a person does. At least it's not all sand and there is grass and trees.

10. The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is another dystopian book, albeit one that offers nicer surroundings than Fallout. In The Giver, people live in an authoritarian-type of society. The authorities determine who will work in what job, and how the people will live. The book centers around a young boy who takes exception to this lifestyle. However, for the most part, people are portrayed as content in their surroundings and with their work, which is tailored to their skill and intelligence levels. Perhaps this is more a meritocracy run by authoritarian types. This book won the Newberry Award in 1994. It was made into a movie in 2014.

11. Another version of a post-apocalyptic world can be found in The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Published in 2008, the book trilogy follows the tale of Katniss as she first works in one of the poorer lands left over after war, and then participates in the "death games" put on to entertain the more entitled masses in the capital city. She eventually leads an insurrection against the tyrannical government that supports the death games. Bad government seems to lead to all sorts of problems, doesn't it?

12.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, written in 1953, follows a fireman whose job is to burn books, not put out fires. Because of the censorship of books, this future society has increased interest in technology and entertainment—and an inability to think freely and creatively. Once again, government control is the problem in this dystopian future.

13. And finally, I'll mention some dystopian movies: the Mad Max movies in the 1980s (more sand), Blade Runner, The Matrix movies at the turn of the century (technology issues), Logan's Run (1976), Wall-E in 2008 (climate issues), and the Planet of the Apes movies (1970s and remakes). There are many, many more that I haven't seen.

As oppressive regimes across the globe work to control their populations—and we see our own government in the U.S. putting kids in cages and eroding privacies and rights we’ve taken for granted—we glimpse where we may be headed. It's no wonder dystopian fiction far outweighs utopian stories, because in reality, most of us never have our happy ever-after.

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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 858th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

1. We've been having very warm weather for April - a few days it has been 80 degrees! It's not supposed to be that warm until the end of June.

2. We have a lovely sky this morning; baby blue with fluffy marshmallow clouds. The clouds have a hint of pink to them as the sun is still rising as I write this. A line of clouds cover the top of the mountains in the distance.

3. We've been having trouble with vultures again. This time they apparently killed a six-week old calf. We don't expect them to attack a calf that old, just the newborns, so this was a surprise. Or maybe something else killed the calf? My husband thinks not, though.

4. I feel bad for the momma cows when they lose their babies that young. By the time we haul the calves off to the market, the mommas have weaned them so they don't miss them too much. But they do miss their new babies when they don't make it. Their milk hasn't dried up like it has with the older ones.

5. I like to watch the calves when the mamma cows leave them all with one cow. She is the babysitter of the day; she generally lays down and has 4 or 5 calves around her. The other mammas wander off to eat or drink water while she looks after all the young ones. I find it amazing what nature can do.

6. I've seen deer do the same thing; one mamma will have 3 young ones with her, but if you look you'll see the other mothers not so far away. I think at a certain age the little ones can't be trusted to be left alone because they'll roam. Kids are kids, no matter what kind of mammal.

7. I am certain the raccoon I saw on Monday was a mom with new babies. She acted like she was starving and I'm sure if she had a full litter of kits, she probably is quite hungry. I understand raccoon babies eat a lot.

8. We did not have much of a spring. We went straight from winter to summer. The redbuds came out briefly and the dogwoods barely bloomed around here. The trees grew leaves instead of blossom. I fear for the fruit crops. If they did like the dogwoods and didn't bloom, apple and peach prices will be out of reach this summer.

9. I don't care if climate change is a political hot button; anyone can see that the weather is different. We have more wind than we used to, for one thing. Earlier and hotter springs. What difference does it make whether it's created by man or not? Shouldn't eradicating pollution be a good thing regardless? Who wants to breathe in all of that bad air? After all, it's not good for children. Or their mothers and fathers.

10. We have a little birdseed left so we are still filling the feeders. The cowbirds have been hitting it recently. I saw a pair of cardinals out there yesterday. The female was much bigger than the male. He's pretty, with his red feathers, but she could take him out in a fight, I think.

11. When I was watching the eagles in California, I noted that the female eagle was bigger than the male. I wonder if that's a given in most bird species, that the female is larger than the male. A search says it varies by species.

12. My irises are not blooming; other people's are, though. Mine are quite old. I planted them over 30 years ago and have not done anything to them since then. They may need to be separated. I brought them over from my parents' farm. My mother was fond of irises. Some of hers came from my great aunt, so I am sitting on generations of irises here. Sometimes mine bloom later than other people's and I look for that to happen this year. Maybe because they are older stock?

13. And thus endeth the foray into nature for the Thursday Thirteen. Enjoy the sunshine!

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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 857th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

1. Some weeks Thursday creeps up on me and here I am, with nothing to write. Then I have to do what I'm doing today - just fly off the cuff and hope something comes to me.

2. A book I listened to recently split a character in two and gave her two parallel lives. This was a nod to the theory of the multiverse. Listening to a book that utilizes this was a bit difficult, but not impossible. (The book was Maybe In Another Life, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, if you're interested.)

3. As I understand multiverse theory, and this may be incorrect, I am not looking it up, what happens is that with every decision you make, because there's a choice, the "you" in another multiverse makes a different choice. That splits into a new universe where that person continues on. 

4. While this seems like it may be possible, if you follow it through, that means every micro-nano-second of your life, you're splitting into pieces and creating new universes, because don't we make decisions practically every second?

5. Much of what we do is habit - but it's a still choice as to whether you wash your hair the same way, or not. So, theoretically every little second there would be a split, ad infinitum, on and on, because each one of those splits would go on to make decisions and create new universes, too, while you're still creating new universes.

6. As Sheldon said in The Big Bang Theory, in one of those universes I am probably a clown. As in the kind that dresses up in a suit with a big nose, not the snarky somewhat sarcastic person I actually am sometimes.

7. I have often wondered where my life would have gone had I made different choices along the way. What if I had not decided to go to the high school football game where I met my husband? Most likely he would have met someone else and he would be married to another woman.

8. And me? Maybe I would have gone on to become a college professor, or a lawyer, or maybe none of those things. Maybe I would have met some other man and married him. Maybe I'd be a bag woman living under a bridge. I have no way of knowing.

9. Isn't this what fiction is, sort of? We fall into a different world when we read fiction, a whole other universe, so to speak, even if the fiction is not fantasy or science fiction. It's still a fictional world with fictional characters. 

10. Or is the writer subconsciously channeling a life being led by some alternative person created by some decision made when he or she was five years old? Are we aware on some level that we're creating different worlds - or are we losing parts of ourselves in this process? Shouldn't there be a gain and a loss to even things out?

11. Fortunately for me, I am no quantum theorist, I just know about this because I read a lot and I've seen it come up in various things. They talked about it some in The Big Bang Theory, too. I wonder how many people know more science from watching that show. I know I do. I just hope it's good science.

12.  Maybe ghosts are actually other universes that somehow bisect with our own, some place where there's a thin veil and the worlds cross over. 

13. And then there's the concept of time. I doubt it would be the same in each universe, so in some universes maybe it would be pre-industrial times, and in others maybe it would simply be hunter-gather land. Some would have to be in the future, wouldn't they? Or not. I don't know.

Weird things to think about. I should read a book about it sometime when I have time.

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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 856th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen #855

Here is a list of 13 sites of historic significance in Botetourt County, VA.

1. Anderson House - A historic home located in Haymakertown, known for its architectural significance. It was built about 1828, and is a two-story, central-passage-plan dwelling with an unusual asymmetrical four-bay principal facade. A two-story brick west wing and a single-story frame ell, were added in 1969. Also on the property are a contributing early 19th-century meat house, a small frame, early 20th-century barn, and the site of a 19th-century mill pond.

2. Annandale - A historic property on Gilmore Mill Rd., showcasing early American architecture. It is also known as Alpine Farms. It was built in 1835, and is a two-story, Greek Revival-style brick dwelling with a deck-on-hip roof. It has a one-story, three-bay, wooden front porch with tapering square columns.

3. Bessemer Archaeological Site (44 BO 26) - An important archaeological site at the confluence of the James River with Craig Creek. The area is a prehistoric Native American site, first excavated in 1977 prior to the construction of Virginia Route 220 through the area, and again in 1987 when the roadway was widened. It included pit hearths, evidence of a large (20 meter by 6 meter) rectangular building, stone tools, and pottery sherds. Human burial sites were also identified, as was the location of portions of a palisade that probably surrounded the settlement.

4. Blue Ridge Hall - A historic building in Fincastle, recognized for its contribution to the cultural heritage of the area. The structure served as a historic stagecoach hotel as it was located on the historic main road down the Shenandoah Valley. The house is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior, and a 20th-century Colonial Revival porch across the front. It was built about 1836 and is a well-preserved example of a Federal style antebellum house, later used as a tavern and stagecoach stop.

5. Bowyer-Holladay House - A historic residence along U.S. Route 220, noted for its unique design and historical importance. The site is located in The Botetourt Center at Greenfield industrial park. The site consists of the ruins of an Early Republic/Federal Style two-story brick house with a limestone lined cellar in a rear-centered ell configuration. The house was part of the plantation complex commonly referred to as the "Holladay Place." In addition to the ruins of the main house, a log structure with an early timber and modern frame addition survives 25 feet north of the bulkhead entrance to the limestone cellar.

6. Breckinridge Mill - A historic mill west of Fincastle, representing the industrial history of the county. The mill was built about 1822 and is a 3+1⁄2-story, brick structure. The mill was converted to apartments in 1977. Associated with the mill are two contributing wood-frame, late 19th-century sheds. Also associated with the mill is the miller's or Howell house. It was built about 1900, and is a two-story, Queen Anne style frame structure with a T-plan and gabled roof. The mill was built for James Breckinridge (1763-1833) and replaced an earlier mill erected by him in 1804. 

7. Buchanan Historic District - A significant area in Buchanan, featuring Main St. and its intersection with U.S. Route 11. It encompasses 277 contributing buildings, 5 contributing sites, and 4 contributing structures in Buchanan and Pattonsburg on both sides of the James River. They include commercial, transportation-related, domestic, religious, and industrial resources associated with the community's development from the late-18th century through the late-20th century. Notable buildings include the Pattonsburg Mill (1838), Buchanan Presbyterian Church (1845), Trinity Episcopal Church (1842), Hotel Botetourt (1851), Sorrell House (1850), James Evans Mason Lodge (1884), Virginia Can Company complex (1903), "Oak Hill" (1840), Town Hall Municipal Building, Bank of Buchanan, Ransone's Drugstore, Buchanan Theatre (1919), and Buchanan High School (1928). The contributing sites include the James River & Kanawha Canal project site, Johnston-Boyd Cemetery (1835–1906), and Mountain View Cemetery (1854). The contributing structures include the Stone Arch Tunnel (1870s).

8. Callie Furnace - A historic furnace site north of Glen Wilton, showcasing the region’s industrial past. It was built as a hot-blast charcoal furnace around 1873–1874, and subsequently enlarged and converted into a coke furnace. In 1883, the stack was raised an additional five feet, and a tuyere was added. Callie Furnace went out of blast in 1884.

Botetourt County Courthouse

9. Fincastle Historic District - The county seat, with many historical structures dating back to the 1770s. It encompasses nine contributing buildings in the central business district of Fincastle. The district resources portray an excellent example of a typical small 19th century town. The buildings include examples of Late Victorian, Greek Revival, and Gothic Revival styles. Notable buildings include the Botetourt County Courthouse (1845, rebuilt 1970 and currently in the process of being torn down and a new structure underway) and jail, Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church, St. Mark's Episcopal Church (1837), the Peck House, Selander House (c. 1800), Ammen House (c. 1826), and Kyle House (1832).

The Town of Fincastle from Godwin Cemetery

10. Nininger’s Mill (Tinker Mill) - A historic mill in Daleville, reflecting the agricultural heritage of the county. The mill was built about 1847, and is a three-story, brick structure with a gable roof. Wood-frame additions added in the 20th century, are found on the north and east walls. Also on the property is a contributing simple one-story, wood-frame late 19th-century house. The mill was converted to a restaurant in 1980. It is currently empty.

11. Phoenix Bridge - A notable bridge near Eagle Rock, part of the county’s transportation history. It was built in 1887 by the Phoenix Bridge Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. It consists of rolled wrought iron "Phoenix post" compression members and round and rectangular tension rods with pinned joints. It includes a cast panel embellished with anthemions and garlands, small urn-like finials, and quatrefoils and trefoils.

The Phoenix Bridge

12. Roaring Run Furnace - An old furnace at Roaring Run, representing the iron industry’s history in the area. It was built about 1832 and reflects the national and statewide economics of the iron industry during the 19th century.

13. Santillane - A historic home in Fincastle, exemplifying the architectural trends of the time. It was built in 1795, and consists of a two-story high, three bay by four bay, main block with a one-story, rear kitchen wing. It is constructed of brick and is in the Greek Revival style. The house has a shallow hipped roof and tetrastyle two-story front portico dated to the early 20th century. Also on the property is a contributing stone spring house. The house stands on a tract purchased by Colonel George Hancock (1754–1820) in 1795. The kitchen wing may date to his period of ownership. Hancock's daughter, Judith aka Julia, married William Clark, of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition.

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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 855th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

1. I've been having trouble managing my time this week. Time has not been on my side! Instead, it's playing rough house with me, and I feel like a pinball in a machine. Whiz! Bing!

2. This morning I was supposed to see my doctor, but she called me early (I was in the shower, shampoo all over my hair, and I almost didn't answer the phone, but I did) to reschedule to a telehealth appointment because her whole staff is out with Covid. She only gave me about 15 minutes to finish up and dress before the telehealth appointment, so I still had wet hair when I saw her over the phone. This was just a check-in that I have to do every three months for one of the drugs I take, so it was no big deal.

3. That gave me extra time and I was glad of that because I hadn't written a Thursday Thirteen yet and had no clue what I would write about. I still don't know, but I am writing anyway.

4. If I could turn back time, I would go way back to when I was about 20, and I would immediately start an exercise program. I hated exercising and still hate exercising, but I can see that it is an important component to good health.

5. Time after time I have attempted to lose weight, and I can manage a few pounds off, but I truly think that my hormones are so screwed up from all the drugs I was given when we were trying for a child that things in my body simply don't work like they should. 

6. I was reading an article earlier this week that said in a little while, the clocks will all need to be moved up a second because the spin of the earth has slowed. Does anybody really know what time it is anyway? Aren't we making it up as we go along? Why do we let those little hands on a clock dictate what we're supposed to be doing and when?

7. Most days I have too much time on my hands, and I find myself trying to fill the time with mundane chores, video games, or playing guitar. I need to be writing but apparently, I'm just not cut out to do that. Maybe being a news reporter is my best gig.

8. Yesterday, I worked on the bookkeeping to fill my time. The bookkeeping is not a favorite thing to do, but it must be done, and I'm trying to do better with it and keep it current. I'm not quite current yet, but I'm closer than I was.

9. The times they are a'changing from the looks of things. I see things going on that terrify me - and I wonder what people are thinking when I watch a youtube video and some guy says, "If Trump wants to be a dictator, that's fine by me, I think we need one of those." Do they understand what they are suggesting? Do they not realize how much loss of freedom that would entail? Do they not realize that if we give one man that much power, he could control everything and take all we own and call it his? How can they think that way?

10. If I could, I would put time in a bottle and then store it somewhere until someone smarter than me figures out how to fix things. Life feels pretty broken for a lot of people, but I think that too many people, me included, are seeing on the bottom of the glass and aren't realizing that they need a change in point of view. If you have enough - a roof over your head, food, a job, and a little left over to go to dinner once in a while, you're doing pretty good in a country that has systematically set out to ensure that the money rolls to the top of the food chain, leaving the rest of fighting it out for the dredges.

11. Time waits for no one, and neither do the vultures. We lost another calf to the vultures over the Easter weekend. We didn't get there in time. The vultures are mean and vicious and they swoop in and before you can take 20 steps, the little calf is gone. We can't do anything about them because they're a protected species. But you can bet I'd sure like to find some way to deter them from the farm. They don't seem to be afraid of anything.

12. There are all sorts of references to songs about time in this Thursday Thirteen. Not in every entry, but in most. How many titles can you find?

13. Now that I have Thursday Thirteen done, what shall I do with my time? It's about time I have the time of my life, isn't it?

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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 854th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen books I've read this year. (I've read more than 13, but this is Thursday Thirteen.) I read a variety of things, from young adult to mystery to science fiction. I'm a little behind on my fantasy so far.

1. A Wolf Called Wander, by Rosanne Parry. A story told from the wolf's perspective as it flees its home and searches for another. It reminded me of Pax.

2. The Pecan Man, by Cassie Dandridge Selleck. A story about race, along the lines of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Very intriguing and timely story.

3. City of Girls, by Elizabeth Gilbert. A book set in the 1940s in New York, about the theater and women.

4. Murder at the Taffy Shop, by Maddie Day. A mystery. I must not have been overly impressed because I don't remember much about the book.

5. This is How You Lose the Time War, by Max Gladstone. This was a great SF novella about two time-travelers who work for opposing forces to keep their versions of the timeline in play so that they have the outcome they want.

6. The End of Her, by Shari LaPena. A couple has new children, their lives are sort of perfect, in walks a stranger. Perfect no more.

7. Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett. A family splits apart; some of the children have to live part time in Virginia and part-time in California. Covers decades. Patchett is one of those authors I am supposed to adore, like Barbara Kingsolver, and I keep reading her waiting for that to happen.

8. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo. This was a sweet story about a little China toy and how it is lost and found again.

9. Educated, by Tara Westover. Probably one of my top reads so far this year. This memoir relays how a woman was homeschooled and how she overcame certain things to obtain her Ph.D.

10. The Girl in the Castle, by James Patterson & Emily Raymond. This book surprised me. It was about a young woman who seemingly time traveled in her mind while her body stayed put. It was actually about mental illness. Very well done. I wasn't expecting much out of it, but it has stuck with me.

11. Dirty Thirty, by Janet Evanovich. Will she or won't she? Stephanie Plum gets involved in one of the better plots in this series and has a cliffhanger at the end involving her relationships with Morelli and Ranger. No spoiler!

12. Talking to My Angels, by Melissa Etheridge. This is Melissa Etheridge's second book. The first half is a rehash, for the most part, about her childhood (and I don't care what she says in the book, she isn't over that like she thinks she is). The latter part is about her search for Spirit and briefly, the death of her son during Covid. This is one of the few times I've read a book by someone I thought I liked and/or admired and found that I didn't like her as much after I finished. I am not sure why that was.

13. The People We Keep, by Allison Larkin. This book is about a young girl who is tossed away by her family, and her efforts to live by her art (music) and maintain some sort of sanity. It was very well done, and I highly recommend it. It made me tear up at the end and I don't normally do that.

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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 853rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

I have been watching the eagles nest at Big Bear Valley for a while now. The two eagles there, named Jackie (female) and Shadow (male), had a clutch of three eggs, which I understand is somewhat rare. They usually only have two eggs per year. These two eagles usually lay eggs from January to March. The pair has successfully raised a couple of offspring, but their eggs do not always hatch.

That is the case this year. The three eggs are now far past the point of viability. The eagles continue to sit on the eggs. I find this sad, but instinct will eventually move them on. Maybe next year. The camera is on the nest 24/7, 365 days a year. It goes down a while in the summer when the nest is not used when the camera crew cleans the lens and makes repairs but otherwise is on all the time. It's a nice view even when the eagles aren't there.

Anyway, here are some facts about this fascinating bird.

1. Grip Strength: An eagle’s grip is up to 10 times stronger than that of a human.

2. Diversity: There are over 60 species of eagles, mostly found in Asia and Africa.

3. Nesting Heights: Some eagles, like the Golden Eagle, build their nests atop high cliffs.

4. Symbolism: Eagles are symbols of freedom and peace, often depicted on state flags. The bald eagle is one of the national symbols of the United States and The Philippine eagle is the national bird of the Philippines and is an endangered species.

5. Eagle Eyesight: An eagle’s eyesight is up to 8 times stronger than a human’s.

6. Bald Eagles: The term “bald” in Bald Eagle comes from an old English word meaning "white-headed."

7. Hooked Beak: Their beaks are perfectly designed for hunting and tearing through flesh.

8. Lifespan: Eagles can live 20-30 years in the wild, and even longer in captivity.

9. Eagle Beaks: With age, an eagle’s beak can warp and bend, making it hard to feed.

10. Conservation: January 10th is recognized as Save the Eagles Day.

11. Fish-eagles are often found in coastal areas and are known for their fishing prowess.

12. Buzzard-eagles are smaller and often mistaken for hawks.

13. Large eagles can lift prey weighing up to around 5 lbs. I've seen the eagles in Big Bear bring in sticks that looked to weigh at least that much.

🦅

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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 852nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

Things my parents said . . .

1. Because I said so.

2. If you swallow your gum, it will stay in your stomach for 7 years.

3. If you swallow a watermelon seed, it will grow in your stomach.

4. Keep making that face and it will freeze like that.

5. I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it.

6. I have eyes in the back of my head.

7. You can't swim for 30 minutes after eating.

8. If you sit too close to the TV, you'll go blind.

9. I'm just going to the store for one thing. (Comes back 3 hours later.)

10. Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about.

11. Wipe that smile off your face or I'll wipe it off for you.

12. Do as I say, not as I do.

13. I hope your kids turn out just like you, so you'll know what it feels like.

Did your parents say things like this?

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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 851st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen #850

1. I have been doing a Thursday Thirteen for 16 years and 4 months. To my knowledge, I have not missed a week. That's 850 weeks of thinking about the number 13 on Thursdays. I've been late on some days, but I haven't missed.

2. It took me almost two months to read Democracy Awakening, by Heather Cox Richardson. I do not remember when it last took me so long to finish a book. I would read parts of it, and then mull over the chapter for days, reflecting on it. I have put the book in my "never discard" section. I will reread it again. There are few books that I read over, but this one deserves a second or third look. It wraps the events of today into the events of the past, and in a strange way makes what is happening now make sense, in a warped and dismaying sort of way. It means, I suppose, that eventually someone like the former guy was inevitable.

3. People are complaining about prices of basically everything. They complain about having to pay taxes. They complain about immigrants and blame everyone but themselves for the mess we're in. I blame myself, although I have no idea what I might have done differently.

4. I am, after all, a product of my environment. And what would we have expected to become of a country founded by profiteers seeking to make more money from the goods of this land? It is what its makers set out to make it - a capitalist paradise, where the wicked and mean move to the top, and the rest sink to the bottom. Most of us are the rest, sunk at the bottom. A sort of sour milk, perhaps, with inedible gunk floating on top.

5. "I will not be a foot soldier in a war I do not understand." I heard some version of this today in a book I am listening to. I began to wonder if those of us who vote are only foot soldiers. And do we understand the war? I think not. I think most of us, myself including, have no idea what is really going on.

6. There have always been strange things at work in my life. Strange people who lead me around, strange men who wanted more than I cared to give, strange women who belittled and did not befriend. I have seen clouds part when I shouted at the sky. I do not have any power, and am powerless, yet sometimes I can part the clouds. Imagine that.

7. Someone gave me a guitar a while back, then asked for it back in what I thought was a loan. I expected to receive it back. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the person had given the guitar to someone else. I did not think it was his to give. He apparently thought otherwise. Some people do not give freely, if ever. They only make loans. And the repayments are generally unexpected and the interest rate incredibly high.

8. I think that applies to the current Republican nominee for the office of president. He does not give freely, if at all. He takes. And takes. He is the Great Pretender. I do not pretend to understand him or his cult. I have yet to find someone who can explain it to me.

9. I have a mental illness. It is called depression. The doctors label it dysthymia, but it is not always mild, nor do I always function well. Sometimes, it weighs me down so much that I all I see is the silhouette of gravel, I am so low to the ground.

10. We are going to play with Runes now. Runes are small stones with pictures on them. I have a set called "Stones from the Muse." Once, when life was giving me a very difficult time, I drew the Chaos rock 5 times in a row. Let's see what we draw in the next three.

11. *Amulet - Honor. It is time to stand and trust my instincts. Do not let anyone quash my internal, intuitive voice. Make my own art. This is interesting, as I only last night had a discussion, well, more like a bitter espousing of emotion, about how I feel unsupported in my writing.

12. *Tadpole - Transformation. (It looks like a sperm, just saying.) By recognizing change in my art, I will transform myself. 

13. *Egg - Potential.  The life of an artist is the tension between what is and what could be. Am I ready to take my art to a fuller, deeper place of creation?

Interestingly, I don't recall ever drawing those three runes before. Ever.

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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 850th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

Here are some memes I've collected in recent years.

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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 849th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Thursday Thirteen

1. "Line on the mirror, lines on her face. She pretended not to notice; she was caught up in the race." Those lines from the Eagles song, Life in the Fast Lane, haunt me when I look in the mirror now. My face is starting to show my age. There are lines. I never snorted lines, though.

2. My husband said the lines on his face remind him of this: "Every time that I look in the mirror, all these lines on my face getting clearer," which are the opening lines from Dream On, by Aerosmith.

3. My voice is finally starting to come back, though it still sounds a little croaky. It has more volume now. My doctor diagnosed this as tracheal bronchitis, which is something I used to get a lot when I was a child. It means that my last sinus infection tied in with my asthma, I think.

4. A younger person yesterday was asking me, "What happened?" She was talking about the rise of the former guy, which she rightly called a cult, and all of the fear exhibited by people who support him. I explained that it started under Reagan and coalesced after 9/11 (she would have been about 3 years old then), which is when I first felt the fear and anger radiating off of people in the grocery store. It would rise and ebb, but it never went completely away. Now people think rude and crude are acceptable behaviors, and manners belong only to the "woke" (whatever that is), and meanness is their creed. The cruelty is the point for them. I apologized to her for not leaving her a better world.

5. She also fears the loss of her rights. Women's rights. I think it's a very real concern. It has been in my lifetime that women could have credit cards in their own names. Or inherit property in their own names without having to split it with their children, in this state, anyway. The recent ruling in Alabama about embryos being "humans" chilled her. The loss of abortion rights was a blow to women who want autonomy over their own bodies. These are scary times, but all times are scary, and every generation seems to think they're the ones who are going to get live through the Second Coming. I've read old newspapers and books. Nothing much has changed for centuries.

6. Speaking of women's rights, I'm having an issue with a banking institution that thinks they need more ID than the State of Virginia or the US government. And I've been a customer for years and years. They're about to lose my business. I have a Real ID. That should be enough. I've been angry about this for days.

7. What do you do with your coins? Banks no longer take them in rolls. You have to drop them in some machine and then they take a percentage of the total. That doesn't seem right. A roll of 50 pennies is 50 cents. The bank should give me 50 cents for 50 cents, not 48 cents for 50 cents.

8. I am supposed to be eating for heart health, digestive health, lung health, and nail and skin health, and for fat loss health. I cannot figure out how to do this. Or maybe I just don't want to.

9. A new medication that I was given says on the directions not to take it within 4 hours of any other medicine. I am on medication that I take every 4 hours, so I haven't started the new medication because I can't figure out when I am supposed to take it.

10. When I was at college, I found the atmosphere invigorating, enlightening, and occasionally frightening. But the experience, which lasted 8 years because I was going part-time, was the best thing I ever did for myself. I met wonderful, strong, encouraging women who think like I do, and I made a few friends. I grew into myself. I was happy in classes; I love to learn. I missed out on the bonding because I was an older student and didn't live in the dorms, but I was still young enough to fit in. I remember one evening when we were taking a break during a 3-hour class and some of the young women were talking to me. One of them noticed my wedding ring. "Oh my God, you're married!" she cried, and they all wanted to know what it was like, being married. This was back before cell phones, when people really talked to one another.

11. Another friend tells me she has determined that social media/the Internet is evil. She says it is harming young people, who can't tell the difference anymore between real life and life online, and in general adding to the fascist line of populist thinking that has brought such a twist into the political realm. I can't disagree. I liked the Internet better when it was monitored bulletin boards and email. I liked the closed nature of AOL when it first went live, because if you had a problem, you could report it. Now if someone chases after you or is inappropriate, there isn't much to be done about it.

12. I haven't chewed my nails in three years, but they still are thin and brittle. There are lines and ridges from where I damaged them by chewing on them. I will never have pretty nails. But they look better than they did.

13. It's been two years since my husband gave up chewing tobacco. He eats a lot of sugar free candy instead, which probably isn't good for him, but I don't miss the chewing tobacco. That stuff smelled bad, and it made a mess everywhere he went. It trailed after him like the dust on Pig Pen in the Peanuts comics. No, I don't miss having to sweep up particles of tobacco around the trash can every morning.

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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 848th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.