Some of my favorite children's books:
1. Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell
2. Misty of Chincoteague, by Marguerite Henry
3. Stormy, Misty's Foal, by Marguerite Henry
4. My Friend Flicka, by Mary O'Hara
5. Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell
6. Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery
7. Any Nancy Drew book, by Carol Keene
8. Any Hardy Boys book, by Frank W. Dixon
9. Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
10. The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien
11. Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
12. Miss Osborne the Mop, by Wilson Gage
13. Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls
What are your favorite children's books?
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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 652nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Showing posts with label Thursday Thirteen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thursday Thirteen. Show all posts
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Thursday Thirteen
Some of my favorite pandemic memes:
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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 652nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
______________
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 652nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, April 09, 2020
Thursday Thirteen
Pictures from past Aprils - and one from today.
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13.
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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 651st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
1.
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| This tom turkey was out front this morning. The wind kept ruffling his feathers (2020) |
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| A redbud from 2019 |
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| A dogwood from 2019. They are not yet in full bloom. |
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| A cardinal from 2018. |
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| A newborn calf in 2017. |
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| A bucolic setting in 2016. The tree to the left is no longer standing; it's an ash that the emerald ash borer killed. We had to cut it down. |
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| A white squirrel from 2015. |
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| A pileated woodpecker from 2014. |
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| Forsythia from 2014. It's already bloomed out and gone this year. |
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| The hayfield full of mustard grass, 2014. |
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| Canadian Geese on the pond, 2014. |
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| We had a little snow on April 4, 2013. The blue spruce in the foreground is another tree that died last year. |
13.
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| A large area of trillium, 2012. The landowner cut trees later that year and the trillium has died out. |
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 651st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, April 02, 2020
Thursday Thirteen
This is my 650th Thursday Thirteen in a row. That means I've been doing this every week for 12.5 years. I don't think I've missed a single week.
Such milestones should be marked with special notations, but all I can think about is how things have changed since the middle of March. This is because of a new virus called Covid-19. The virus has never before been seen in humans, and so we have no immunity to it. It has the capability to kill at least 3% or more of the population while sickening another 70%. In my county, that means about 1,000 people would die and another 23,100 people would be ill. Normally, about 325 people in Botetourt County die each year. So the death toll would triple.
These are things I want to remember about this time:
1. The children are not in school, and parents are home trying to teach when they have no clue how to parent, much less teach.
2. Restaurants are shuttered or are offering "curbside pickup" or delivery for take out. That's every single restaurant in the state, and many throughout the nation.
3. Many other businesses considered "non-essential" are closed or shuttered.
4. People have been told to stay home and not go to work, not to shop, not to be around anyone else.
5. "Social distancing" is the new buzzword. (I personally prefer "physical distancing" because I think "social distancing" has implications that are mentally unhealthy.)
6. Gasoline is down to about $1.60 a gallon, the lowest price it has been in years, but there are few cars on the road because people are not traveling.
7. Gatherings of less than 10 people are ok: more than that, and you're committing a Class 1 misdemeanor in my state.
8. Parks, hiking trails, etc., have closed because people apparently can't keep figure out what "stay six feet away from other people" means.
9. A shortage of critical and necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) is creating issues in large cities due to the Covid-19 crisis.
10. We are watching daily press rallies from #45, and near-daily press conferences from the Virginia governor.
11. People who are cautious are shopping in masks and gloves. Others, who are idiots, are going along as if this is nothing, bumping up against people and some really, really stupid people have been licking toilet seats to prove how stupid they are. Part of me hopes the idiots are right and this does turn out to be "nothing," but they are not right, as the body bag counts in larger communities indicate.
12. Panic buying means no toilet paper or cleaning products, even now, though it has been several weeks since this became a crisis here in the United States.
13. If anything, this proves to me the need for a cohesive, strong unified nation, and a federal government with strength and oversight that regulates well and thoughtfully. Unfortunately, we do not have that at the moment.
_______________
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 650th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Such milestones should be marked with special notations, but all I can think about is how things have changed since the middle of March. This is because of a new virus called Covid-19. The virus has never before been seen in humans, and so we have no immunity to it. It has the capability to kill at least 3% or more of the population while sickening another 70%. In my county, that means about 1,000 people would die and another 23,100 people would be ill. Normally, about 325 people in Botetourt County die each year. So the death toll would triple.
These are things I want to remember about this time:
1. The children are not in school, and parents are home trying to teach when they have no clue how to parent, much less teach.
2. Restaurants are shuttered or are offering "curbside pickup" or delivery for take out. That's every single restaurant in the state, and many throughout the nation.
3. Many other businesses considered "non-essential" are closed or shuttered.
4. People have been told to stay home and not go to work, not to shop, not to be around anyone else.
5. "Social distancing" is the new buzzword. (I personally prefer "physical distancing" because I think "social distancing" has implications that are mentally unhealthy.)
6. Gasoline is down to about $1.60 a gallon, the lowest price it has been in years, but there are few cars on the road because people are not traveling.
7. Gatherings of less than 10 people are ok: more than that, and you're committing a Class 1 misdemeanor in my state.
8. Parks, hiking trails, etc., have closed because people apparently can't keep figure out what "stay six feet away from other people" means.
9. A shortage of critical and necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) is creating issues in large cities due to the Covid-19 crisis.
10. We are watching daily press rallies from #45, and near-daily press conferences from the Virginia governor.
11. People who are cautious are shopping in masks and gloves. Others, who are idiots, are going along as if this is nothing, bumping up against people and some really, really stupid people have been licking toilet seats to prove how stupid they are. Part of me hopes the idiots are right and this does turn out to be "nothing," but they are not right, as the body bag counts in larger communities indicate.
12. Panic buying means no toilet paper or cleaning products, even now, though it has been several weeks since this became a crisis here in the United States.
13. If anything, this proves to me the need for a cohesive, strong unified nation, and a federal government with strength and oversight that regulates well and thoughtfully. Unfortunately, we do not have that at the moment.
_______________
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 650th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Thursday Thirteen
In these days and hours of fury, when we're all trying hard to get along, I thought I might offer up some things I learned from having my husband home for months while he recuperated from surgery.
It was a huge change to our schedule - my schedule - so it took some adapting.
1. Find your own space. If you are a homemaker, for example, find a room or corner or couch or whatever to call your own.
2. If you had a home routine, try to stick to it. If you normally rose at 6 a.m., continue to do that. It helps to keep the rhythm the same if you can.
3. If you are married, learn to be friends again. I am amazed at how many of my married friends are not actually friends with one another.
4. Board games can be very helpful in passing the time.
5. Learn to shut the doors. If one person keeps the TV on all the time, shut the door and drown it out with music. Headphones are also useful.
6. Try to do some things together, like gardening or walks in the woods. While you're out and about, revisit old goals if you've been together a long time. What haven't you done that you can work toward together?
7. Create a key word that means all conversation and everything else must stop if one of you say it. This is a safety word that means, "I'm uncomfortable, things are getting out of hand." Make it a funny word and not something you would normally use. Our key word is "Hassenpfeffer" which reminds us both of a Bugs Bunny skit. Your key word could be anything, even a made-up word. The important thing is that you both honor the "total stop" when one of you says it.
8. If you clean and you're particular about it, do it yourself and don't ask for help. If the other spouse offers to help, give him or her some other chore than the one you're performing. Housework is never-ending and there are always drawers to clean out and straighten, trash to pick up or carry out, cabinets to wipe down. Don't turn down help, just turn it into something else other than what you're doing, unless what you're doing is a two-person job. (And don't complain about how the person does the other assignment, either.)
9. You don't have to spend every minute together simply because you're stuck at home with one another. Give each other space. Let the other person go read a book or watch TV. We all need our personal time.
10. Try not to argue over money. That might become difficult in the days ahead, but remember your relationship is ultimately the most important thing. Try to compromise on priority spending.
11. Let the other person take over a few chores he or she doesn't normally do. Maybe switch off so that one cooks while the other one mows for a change. Shake it up a little bit.
12. Try not to be critical of the way the other person does things. So what if the spouse folds towels differently than you do? They're still folded and put away.
13. Remember to breathe and try not to be too hard on yourself or your partner during this time of change. Despite the efforts to "return to our lives" things will be different from now on. There will be no going back. You may return to your job but you may not have the same people there. Stresses will change, and come and go, but hopefully you have a partner for life. That's the relationship to nurture.
_______________
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 649th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
It was a huge change to our schedule - my schedule - so it took some adapting.
1. Find your own space. If you are a homemaker, for example, find a room or corner or couch or whatever to call your own.
2. If you had a home routine, try to stick to it. If you normally rose at 6 a.m., continue to do that. It helps to keep the rhythm the same if you can.
3. If you are married, learn to be friends again. I am amazed at how many of my married friends are not actually friends with one another.
4. Board games can be very helpful in passing the time.
5. Learn to shut the doors. If one person keeps the TV on all the time, shut the door and drown it out with music. Headphones are also useful.
6. Try to do some things together, like gardening or walks in the woods. While you're out and about, revisit old goals if you've been together a long time. What haven't you done that you can work toward together?
7. Create a key word that means all conversation and everything else must stop if one of you say it. This is a safety word that means, "I'm uncomfortable, things are getting out of hand." Make it a funny word and not something you would normally use. Our key word is "Hassenpfeffer" which reminds us both of a Bugs Bunny skit. Your key word could be anything, even a made-up word. The important thing is that you both honor the "total stop" when one of you says it.
8. If you clean and you're particular about it, do it yourself and don't ask for help. If the other spouse offers to help, give him or her some other chore than the one you're performing. Housework is never-ending and there are always drawers to clean out and straighten, trash to pick up or carry out, cabinets to wipe down. Don't turn down help, just turn it into something else other than what you're doing, unless what you're doing is a two-person job. (And don't complain about how the person does the other assignment, either.)
9. You don't have to spend every minute together simply because you're stuck at home with one another. Give each other space. Let the other person go read a book or watch TV. We all need our personal time.
10. Try not to argue over money. That might become difficult in the days ahead, but remember your relationship is ultimately the most important thing. Try to compromise on priority spending.
11. Let the other person take over a few chores he or she doesn't normally do. Maybe switch off so that one cooks while the other one mows for a change. Shake it up a little bit.
12. Try not to be critical of the way the other person does things. So what if the spouse folds towels differently than you do? They're still folded and put away.
13. Remember to breathe and try not to be too hard on yourself or your partner during this time of change. Despite the efforts to "return to our lives" things will be different from now on. There will be no going back. You may return to your job but you may not have the same people there. Stresses will change, and come and go, but hopefully you have a partner for life. That's the relationship to nurture.
_______________
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 649th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Thursday Thirteen
1. It is hard to write a Thursday 13 when your mind is full of news, which is all bad, and all about a virus that could mutilate your lungs.
2. Since we're all at home, I wonder what we are all doing now. I'm not doing anything much different from what I did before - I live in a rural area and after my husband's surgery in November, we have pretty much been self-isolating since then.
3. My daily routine consists of cleaning the house, reading lots of news, reading or listening to a book, writing a blog post, writing emails, fixing lunch and dinner for my husband (we each do our own breakfast), and generally puttering around.
4. I miss the routine of work from when I had full-time freelancing going on. I had a more regular schedule, I saw more people, and felt like I was generally more involved in the world and more active in society.
5. Yesterday I participated in the Roanoke Valley Day of Giving, because I wanted to do something positive. Handing out dollars is not necessarily the best way to give of myself, but it is one way.
6. Before the coronavirus forced us all to self-quarantine, I had been contemplating where I would like to volunteer my time in an effort to force some change into my routine. I've put that on hold for now. Everything is closed, anyway.
7. I have a calligraphy kit and a jewelry-making kit here. I received both for Christmas in 2018, and didn't get to them because I was called to write my county's 250th anniversary magazine. I think I may have time to pick those kits up now and see if I can develop a new skill.
8. Many learning opportunities abound online, too. Open Culture is a free one-stop shop for learning, if you're into that. You can also spend money on things like Masterclass, The Great Courses, or pretty much anything else.
9. YouTube has videos that can teach you yoga, tai chi, guitar, etc. There is no reason to be bored or to stop learning if you're not sick and in bed.
10. I wonder how much of these changes will become a part of our life in the future. Are these temporary societal structure changes, or will some become permanent?
11. I wonder if businesses will discover they don't need office space. Will we have ghost buildings everywhere, and industrial parks sitting empty?
12. Some things require you to be onsite, though. I can't imagine that everything can be done at home. I can't make a car at my house!
13. I hope everyone is trying to destress during these stressful times. Breathe, visualize something lovely, and let it all go away, if only for a moment. Trying times call for different measures.
Here's a meditation video on youtube. Check it out and feel better all over! It only takes 5 minutes.
_______________
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 648th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
2. Since we're all at home, I wonder what we are all doing now. I'm not doing anything much different from what I did before - I live in a rural area and after my husband's surgery in November, we have pretty much been self-isolating since then.
3. My daily routine consists of cleaning the house, reading lots of news, reading or listening to a book, writing a blog post, writing emails, fixing lunch and dinner for my husband (we each do our own breakfast), and generally puttering around.
4. I miss the routine of work from when I had full-time freelancing going on. I had a more regular schedule, I saw more people, and felt like I was generally more involved in the world and more active in society.
5. Yesterday I participated in the Roanoke Valley Day of Giving, because I wanted to do something positive. Handing out dollars is not necessarily the best way to give of myself, but it is one way.
6. Before the coronavirus forced us all to self-quarantine, I had been contemplating where I would like to volunteer my time in an effort to force some change into my routine. I've put that on hold for now. Everything is closed, anyway.
7. I have a calligraphy kit and a jewelry-making kit here. I received both for Christmas in 2018, and didn't get to them because I was called to write my county's 250th anniversary magazine. I think I may have time to pick those kits up now and see if I can develop a new skill.
8. Many learning opportunities abound online, too. Open Culture is a free one-stop shop for learning, if you're into that. You can also spend money on things like Masterclass, The Great Courses, or pretty much anything else.
9. YouTube has videos that can teach you yoga, tai chi, guitar, etc. There is no reason to be bored or to stop learning if you're not sick and in bed.
10. I wonder how much of these changes will become a part of our life in the future. Are these temporary societal structure changes, or will some become permanent?
11. I wonder if businesses will discover they don't need office space. Will we have ghost buildings everywhere, and industrial parks sitting empty?
12. Some things require you to be onsite, though. I can't imagine that everything can be done at home. I can't make a car at my house!
13. I hope everyone is trying to destress during these stressful times. Breathe, visualize something lovely, and let it all go away, if only for a moment. Trying times call for different measures.
Here's a meditation video on youtube. Check it out and feel better all over! It only takes 5 minutes.
_______________
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 648th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Thursday Thirteen
Thoughts to ponder:
1. Perhaps the universe (or your god, whatever you may believe) has a way of reordering and remaking the world, especially when many things are distressed and distorted.
2. Is this moment in which we live one of those times that requires a remaking?
3. Oddly, as we live in a time when climate change (for whatever reason) has caused and continues to cause many natural disasters, China, which is a place (like the U.S.), which pollutes with thought only for monetary gain, must stop its economy to recover from a virus.
4. The pollution drops. Are those behind the masks breathing better now? Is their vision clearer? Can they see the mountains that were hidden in the smog?
5. We've reached a period of history when discrimination is making a comeback, when ideologies and policies are returning to a past I thought we'd outgrown and left behind, when making "other" a concrete symbol that we may use to bash others is quickly becoming normal.
6. Yet here is this virus that shows that in a moment, without warning, anyone - you, me, your wife, your child - regardless of race, color, or patriotism, can suddenly become discriminated against, segregated, stranded at home. Regardless of whiteness, Westernness, and wealth, you must breathe, and our air is contaminated. If Tom Hanks can't escape, who can?
7. Economies collapse. Does this matter? Does productivity and consumption matter when life hangs in limbo? While we are working our 12-hour days and busy on our tablets, reading our calendars and looking at our watches, the virus knows no time, and illness knows no time. We must stop. We must be at home, perhaps for days or weeks. We must learn again the value of time - real time, the time that matters. The immeasurable time of simply living and being.
8. As this virus closes schools, what happens as the institutions no longer parent, and parents must again be parents? With little ones at home, mothers and fathers must be mom and dad again, not the hamsters on the wheels of their jobs. Will this virus force us to focus on family once more? Will we remember what that feels like? Will we talk at dinner again?
9. As we are forced into social isolation at a time when loneliness has been cited as one of this society's greatest issues and concerns, will we begin to realize how vital our social network is - the real one, where you are hugged and kissed, held and touched? Will we realize how much meaning those gestures really have?
10. We've become so individualized, thinking only of ourselves - yet this virus will force us to think about others. The elderly in the nursing homes. Is that the right way to deal with those we once loved? This is bigger than a single individual or a single country - this is the world crying out, is it not? My fate may be your fate, or all our fates. This could happen to you.
11. Who do we depend upon when the sickness hits? The government? Family? Friends? Facebook? This requires an all-out sense of community and a societal response. We must all wash our hands; if only half the country does it, the other half will suffer, and that suffering will grow outward in torrential waves, splashing over nations like typhoons unstopped.
12. Could this virus be a blessing? Can we learn from this as our great-grandparents learned from the Spanish flu in 1918, or as our elders learned from the World Wars? Are we capable of learning, reorganizing, and doing the work to make the world a better place? (I'm not convinced we are.)
13. The Universe will have its way. What we make of it is up to us. Right now a virus is trying to tell us something. Will we stop to hear?
*These are not all my original thoughts, many came from a FB group on mythology that I follow. I wanted to put the ideas into something that made sense to me. (Cit. F. MORELLI)*
_______________
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 647th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
1. Perhaps the universe (or your god, whatever you may believe) has a way of reordering and remaking the world, especially when many things are distressed and distorted.
2. Is this moment in which we live one of those times that requires a remaking?
3. Oddly, as we live in a time when climate change (for whatever reason) has caused and continues to cause many natural disasters, China, which is a place (like the U.S.), which pollutes with thought only for monetary gain, must stop its economy to recover from a virus.
4. The pollution drops. Are those behind the masks breathing better now? Is their vision clearer? Can they see the mountains that were hidden in the smog?
5. We've reached a period of history when discrimination is making a comeback, when ideologies and policies are returning to a past I thought we'd outgrown and left behind, when making "other" a concrete symbol that we may use to bash others is quickly becoming normal.
6. Yet here is this virus that shows that in a moment, without warning, anyone - you, me, your wife, your child - regardless of race, color, or patriotism, can suddenly become discriminated against, segregated, stranded at home. Regardless of whiteness, Westernness, and wealth, you must breathe, and our air is contaminated. If Tom Hanks can't escape, who can?
7. Economies collapse. Does this matter? Does productivity and consumption matter when life hangs in limbo? While we are working our 12-hour days and busy on our tablets, reading our calendars and looking at our watches, the virus knows no time, and illness knows no time. We must stop. We must be at home, perhaps for days or weeks. We must learn again the value of time - real time, the time that matters. The immeasurable time of simply living and being.
8. As this virus closes schools, what happens as the institutions no longer parent, and parents must again be parents? With little ones at home, mothers and fathers must be mom and dad again, not the hamsters on the wheels of their jobs. Will this virus force us to focus on family once more? Will we remember what that feels like? Will we talk at dinner again?
9. As we are forced into social isolation at a time when loneliness has been cited as one of this society's greatest issues and concerns, will we begin to realize how vital our social network is - the real one, where you are hugged and kissed, held and touched? Will we realize how much meaning those gestures really have?
10. We've become so individualized, thinking only of ourselves - yet this virus will force us to think about others. The elderly in the nursing homes. Is that the right way to deal with those we once loved? This is bigger than a single individual or a single country - this is the world crying out, is it not? My fate may be your fate, or all our fates. This could happen to you.
11. Who do we depend upon when the sickness hits? The government? Family? Friends? Facebook? This requires an all-out sense of community and a societal response. We must all wash our hands; if only half the country does it, the other half will suffer, and that suffering will grow outward in torrential waves, splashing over nations like typhoons unstopped.
12. Could this virus be a blessing? Can we learn from this as our great-grandparents learned from the Spanish flu in 1918, or as our elders learned from the World Wars? Are we capable of learning, reorganizing, and doing the work to make the world a better place? (I'm not convinced we are.)
13. The Universe will have its way. What we make of it is up to us. Right now a virus is trying to tell us something. Will we stop to hear?
*These are not all my original thoughts, many came from a FB group on mythology that I follow. I wanted to put the ideas into something that made sense to me. (Cit. F. MORELLI)*
_______________
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 647th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, March 05, 2020
Thursday Thirteen
1. Reconnected with an old former editor/writer person yesterday. No longer a journalist, but then, it's not a job anymore that people want. Who wants to be "an enemy of the people" simply because you attend a government meeting?
2. I don't mean to offend those who support #45, but couldn't someone take his tweeter away and tell him to shut up while the adults deal with a health crisis?
3. If you're a retail dealer with a loyalty card, can't you tell your clerks not to handle the loyalty card and use the damn scan gun? Sheesh.
4. I recently finished reading a 700-page fantasy book. Fantasy books are always very long. It takes many words to build a world.
5. There is nothing like the smell of books in the library.
6. March came in rather lamb-like. But we will have wind. The wind is always a sure thing.
7. I noticed lots of trees budding while I was out this morning.
8. The days are growing longer but the sunshine seems dim. We have had too many days of cloud clover.
9. Writer's block is not a real thing. That's what I've told myself for years. And years. And years.
10. This is the first year I ever remember turning the air conditioning on in January.
11. I would like to see a shooting star crash in the field near my house. Just a little one. Then I could catch a falling star and put it in my pocket, save it for a rainy day.
12. The times they are a'changin' and people are gonna have to accept it whether they like or not. That goes for me, too.
13. Is it the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, or the Apocalypse, or is it something totally unknown. I go for the latter one. Tomorrows are always unknowns.
_______________
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 646th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
2. I don't mean to offend those who support #45, but couldn't someone take his tweeter away and tell him to shut up while the adults deal with a health crisis?
3. If you're a retail dealer with a loyalty card, can't you tell your clerks not to handle the loyalty card and use the damn scan gun? Sheesh.
4. I recently finished reading a 700-page fantasy book. Fantasy books are always very long. It takes many words to build a world.
5. There is nothing like the smell of books in the library.
6. March came in rather lamb-like. But we will have wind. The wind is always a sure thing.
7. I noticed lots of trees budding while I was out this morning.
8. The days are growing longer but the sunshine seems dim. We have had too many days of cloud clover.
9. Writer's block is not a real thing. That's what I've told myself for years. And years. And years.
10. This is the first year I ever remember turning the air conditioning on in January.
11. I would like to see a shooting star crash in the field near my house. Just a little one. Then I could catch a falling star and put it in my pocket, save it for a rainy day.
12. The times they are a'changin' and people are gonna have to accept it whether they like or not. That goes for me, too.
13. Is it the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, or the Apocalypse, or is it something totally unknown. I go for the latter one. Tomorrows are always unknowns.
_______________
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 646th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Thursday Thirteen #645
Every answer must start with the first letter of your FIRST name. (I stole this from Facebook.)
WEAR - Apron
DRINK - A & W Rootbeer
PLACE - Antarctica
FOOD - Apple
ANIMAL - Aardvark
GIRL’S NAME - Ann
BOY’S NAME - Austin
PROFESSION - Accordion Player
WORD TO DESCRIBE SOMEONE - Astute
SOMETHING IN YOUR HOME - Attic
BODY PART - Abdomen
SOMETHING ON YOUR DESK - Apple iPhone
SOMETHING IN YOUR FRIDGE - Apple Butter
_______________
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 645th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
WEAR - Apron
DRINK - A & W Rootbeer
PLACE - Antarctica
FOOD - Apple
ANIMAL - Aardvark
GIRL’S NAME - Ann
BOY’S NAME - Austin
PROFESSION - Accordion Player
WORD TO DESCRIBE SOMEONE - Astute
SOMETHING IN YOUR HOME - Attic
BODY PART - Abdomen
SOMETHING ON YOUR DESK - Apple iPhone
SOMETHING IN YOUR FRIDGE - Apple Butter
_______________
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 645th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Thursday Thirteen
Virginia is in its legislative session. None of the things I am discussing here have become settled law and may not. Until the governor signs off on it, nothing is a done deal, and even then, it can be undone.
People around here are freaking out because those horrible "ultra liberal" Democrats are in control this session. You'd think demons from hell had risen up and taken over the government the way people are acting. This is crazy thinking and people really need to get a grip on both sides of the aisle. We're all human beings with common causes and common needs. Figure that out and things will go along much more smoothly.
1. For 20 years, Virginia was under Republican leadership. They had an agenda. Now the Democrats are in control and all I hear are Snowflake Republicans crying, "The Democrats have an agenda." Of course they have an agenda. The Republicans had an agenda. Grow up. Learn to compromise.
2. Nothing that has gone forth legislatively to control guns is extreme nor will it impede on anyone's beloved 2nd Amendment rights. When did someone else's right to carry a gun become more important than someone else's right to life? The lines in the declaration are "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness," not "shoot, defend, and fuck the rest of you." I am a gun owner, by the way. I don't feel infringed upon in the least except for when I'm in public and see some crazy scaredy-cat numb-nuts open-carrying his gun, "because he can." Then I feel scared because how am I supposed to know this person's state of mind?
3. The Republicans oppose increasing the minimum wage in this state. According to my own state senator, only 1.3 percent of the Virginia workforce currently makes the Federal Minimum Wage or less (I guess those are restaurant servers, who don't fall under the Federal Minimum Wage), so what is the big deal? If it's that small of a number, why the opposition? It can't affect that many businesses if the number of workers is so small.
4. The Virginia Senate is looking at a tax on gasoline to pay for the roads. This is bad, the Republicans say. They seem to think it better to pay to have your tire fixed when you hit a pothole than it is to pay a small tax to keep up our infrastructure. I'd just as soon pay the gas tax as be inconvenienced by a blown tire or shattered shock absorbers.
5. The state Senate is also looking a "green new deal" - the Republicans apparently are allergic to "green" except for where it concerns money - and this is bad because it could (likely won't) increase the cost of electricity. There are so many "could happens" in the language my state senator uses to talk about this that it makes my head spin. He makes the worst-case scenario sound like it is the only outcome. But it isn't.
6. A tax on plastic bags. This only affects certain localities in Northern Virginia as an immediate tax and apparently other localities (like my rural area) get to decide for themselves as the bill is currently written. I don't have a problem with carrying my own tote bags and used to do that. My only issue with those tote bags is that the baggers load them down so heavily that I can't lift them. I have back problems so I stopped using them since I couldn't keep the baggers from stuffing them full. I would simply go back to using the tote bags and maybe I'd have to ask for help loading them into the car. That would become the grocery store's problem then, unless they can teach their baggers to listen when someone says, "Pack it light."
7. The Republicans also oppose a mandate for sick leave, which requires employers of 15 or more people to let people stay home when they have the flu. Frankly, I'd just as soon people stayed home when they have the flu. I shouldn't have to scan the check-out clerks at the grocery store to see which one is sneezing and coughing so I know who to avoid. People go to work sick because they can't afford to lose the money they are docked if they don't show up. This spreads germs and illnesses and drives up the cost of healthcare. I'm all for letting folks stay home when they're germy. Yuck.
8. My state senator voted against a cancer bill for first responders. Firefighters and first responders are exposed to all types of carcinogens, time after time. This bill looks like it is going through, but no thanks to my representative. I do not appreciate the fact that he attempted to take this away from my husband and his brothers and sisters in the fire departments. Jerk.
9. Another senate bill allows localities to remove, relocate or do what they want with monuments or memorials for war veterans located in its public space, regardless of when it was erected. I think localities should be able to do what they want with their public space so long as it doesn't infringe on someone else's rights. The monuments in many cases are art and if moved should be preserved somewhere, I suppose, like the local museum. We are a very white county and our Civil War monument is an obelisk with inscriptions of the fighting companies. Does it offend our small black population? I don't know. It has never been an issue. It's been there so long I think most people ignore it. I don't like the canon that sits beside it, but then as a pacifist I wouldn't. However, I am not making any noise about it. The courthouse will soon undergo extensive renovations; some of those items may need to be removed anyway for these changes, and maybe then reinstalled - or not. The courthouse renovations are still under study.
10. Removal of the 24-hour waiting period for abortion is something that I applaud and I hope this goes through. I am tired of men legislating the personal lives of women. Do we make them wait 24 hours to get a vasectomy? No. Are there any laws that legislate the personal health care of men like they attempt to do to women? I can't think of a single one that is strictly male-oriented. Can you?
11. There is also the potential for the removal of "informed consent" language regarding abortion, which means that the 14-year-old raped by her uncle or her father can have an abortion without telling her parents. That poor girl is going through a hard enough time without the state's intervention.
12. There is also the possibility of the repeal of a photo ID requirement for voting. I don't have a problem with this, either, because voter fraud is not the big problem that Republicans want it to be. They've spent years trying to infringe upon voting rights and this simply rolls things back to the way they were.
13. There is also an effort in the Virginia House to allow Virginia's 13 electoral college votes to go to the national popular candidate instead of who Virginians vote for. I would like to see a study on this issue, one that ultimately does away with the electoral college. The electoral college was put in place to ensure that only "the right" people are elected. Until there is a national study underway to determine how voting should be best done in this country (fairly, freely, and hopefully one vote per person with mandatory voting), I'm not sure about this particular issue.
I think the verbiage that my Republican House of Delegate and my Republican Senator shared in my local newspaper this week in their "weekly updates" is revealing. That's where I took these items from, and I didn't do follow-up research to see exactly where the bills stand, so I am basically simply arguing against the way they worded these issues.
Their priorities are business, not people. Virginia is known as a great place for business. I'd rather it be known as a great place for people to live. I mean, what is our happiness rating? We're not ranked in the Top 10 and we live next door to West Virginia (and some folks want to join West Virginia), which is ranked at the bottom.
I want to live in a happy place. Can't the best place for business also be the best place for its people?
_______________
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 644th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
People around here are freaking out because those horrible "ultra liberal" Democrats are in control this session. You'd think demons from hell had risen up and taken over the government the way people are acting. This is crazy thinking and people really need to get a grip on both sides of the aisle. We're all human beings with common causes and common needs. Figure that out and things will go along much more smoothly.
1. For 20 years, Virginia was under Republican leadership. They had an agenda. Now the Democrats are in control and all I hear are Snowflake Republicans crying, "The Democrats have an agenda." Of course they have an agenda. The Republicans had an agenda. Grow up. Learn to compromise.
2. Nothing that has gone forth legislatively to control guns is extreme nor will it impede on anyone's beloved 2nd Amendment rights. When did someone else's right to carry a gun become more important than someone else's right to life? The lines in the declaration are "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness," not "shoot, defend, and fuck the rest of you." I am a gun owner, by the way. I don't feel infringed upon in the least except for when I'm in public and see some crazy scaredy-cat numb-nuts open-carrying his gun, "because he can." Then I feel scared because how am I supposed to know this person's state of mind?
3. The Republicans oppose increasing the minimum wage in this state. According to my own state senator, only 1.3 percent of the Virginia workforce currently makes the Federal Minimum Wage or less (I guess those are restaurant servers, who don't fall under the Federal Minimum Wage), so what is the big deal? If it's that small of a number, why the opposition? It can't affect that many businesses if the number of workers is so small.
4. The Virginia Senate is looking at a tax on gasoline to pay for the roads. This is bad, the Republicans say. They seem to think it better to pay to have your tire fixed when you hit a pothole than it is to pay a small tax to keep up our infrastructure. I'd just as soon pay the gas tax as be inconvenienced by a blown tire or shattered shock absorbers.
5. The state Senate is also looking a "green new deal" - the Republicans apparently are allergic to "green" except for where it concerns money - and this is bad because it could (likely won't) increase the cost of electricity. There are so many "could happens" in the language my state senator uses to talk about this that it makes my head spin. He makes the worst-case scenario sound like it is the only outcome. But it isn't.
6. A tax on plastic bags. This only affects certain localities in Northern Virginia as an immediate tax and apparently other localities (like my rural area) get to decide for themselves as the bill is currently written. I don't have a problem with carrying my own tote bags and used to do that. My only issue with those tote bags is that the baggers load them down so heavily that I can't lift them. I have back problems so I stopped using them since I couldn't keep the baggers from stuffing them full. I would simply go back to using the tote bags and maybe I'd have to ask for help loading them into the car. That would become the grocery store's problem then, unless they can teach their baggers to listen when someone says, "Pack it light."
7. The Republicans also oppose a mandate for sick leave, which requires employers of 15 or more people to let people stay home when they have the flu. Frankly, I'd just as soon people stayed home when they have the flu. I shouldn't have to scan the check-out clerks at the grocery store to see which one is sneezing and coughing so I know who to avoid. People go to work sick because they can't afford to lose the money they are docked if they don't show up. This spreads germs and illnesses and drives up the cost of healthcare. I'm all for letting folks stay home when they're germy. Yuck.
8. My state senator voted against a cancer bill for first responders. Firefighters and first responders are exposed to all types of carcinogens, time after time. This bill looks like it is going through, but no thanks to my representative. I do not appreciate the fact that he attempted to take this away from my husband and his brothers and sisters in the fire departments. Jerk.
9. Another senate bill allows localities to remove, relocate or do what they want with monuments or memorials for war veterans located in its public space, regardless of when it was erected. I think localities should be able to do what they want with their public space so long as it doesn't infringe on someone else's rights. The monuments in many cases are art and if moved should be preserved somewhere, I suppose, like the local museum. We are a very white county and our Civil War monument is an obelisk with inscriptions of the fighting companies. Does it offend our small black population? I don't know. It has never been an issue. It's been there so long I think most people ignore it. I don't like the canon that sits beside it, but then as a pacifist I wouldn't. However, I am not making any noise about it. The courthouse will soon undergo extensive renovations; some of those items may need to be removed anyway for these changes, and maybe then reinstalled - or not. The courthouse renovations are still under study.
10. Removal of the 24-hour waiting period for abortion is something that I applaud and I hope this goes through. I am tired of men legislating the personal lives of women. Do we make them wait 24 hours to get a vasectomy? No. Are there any laws that legislate the personal health care of men like they attempt to do to women? I can't think of a single one that is strictly male-oriented. Can you?
11. There is also the potential for the removal of "informed consent" language regarding abortion, which means that the 14-year-old raped by her uncle or her father can have an abortion without telling her parents. That poor girl is going through a hard enough time without the state's intervention.
12. There is also the possibility of the repeal of a photo ID requirement for voting. I don't have a problem with this, either, because voter fraud is not the big problem that Republicans want it to be. They've spent years trying to infringe upon voting rights and this simply rolls things back to the way they were.
13. There is also an effort in the Virginia House to allow Virginia's 13 electoral college votes to go to the national popular candidate instead of who Virginians vote for. I would like to see a study on this issue, one that ultimately does away with the electoral college. The electoral college was put in place to ensure that only "the right" people are elected. Until there is a national study underway to determine how voting should be best done in this country (fairly, freely, and hopefully one vote per person with mandatory voting), I'm not sure about this particular issue.
I think the verbiage that my Republican House of Delegate and my Republican Senator shared in my local newspaper this week in their "weekly updates" is revealing. That's where I took these items from, and I didn't do follow-up research to see exactly where the bills stand, so I am basically simply arguing against the way they worded these issues.
Their priorities are business, not people. Virginia is known as a great place for business. I'd rather it be known as a great place for people to live. I mean, what is our happiness rating? We're not ranked in the Top 10 and we live next door to West Virginia (and some folks want to join West Virginia), which is ranked at the bottom.
I want to live in a happy place. Can't the best place for business also be the best place for its people?
_______________
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 644th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Thursday Thirteen
Things I like:
1. Dreams
2. Guitars
3. Music
4. Reading
5. Writing
6. Talking
7. Hugs
8. Computer games
9. Chocolate
10. Puzzles
11. Newspapers
12. Strong heroines in stories
13. Fantasy
_______________
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 643rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
1. Dreams
2. Guitars
3. Music
4. Reading
5. Writing
6. Talking
7. Hugs
8. Computer games
9. Chocolate
10. Puzzles
11. Newspapers
12. Strong heroines in stories
13. Fantasy
_______________
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 643rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, February 06, 2020
Thursday Thirteen
Right now, we are supposedly in the "Information Age" (1970 - present).
Other ages that you may have heard of include the Age of Enlightenment, the Bronze Age, the Industrial Age, the Victorian Era, etc.
I wonder what people in the future might call this time period. (That's provided humanity manages to last another 1,000 years, something I doubt.) Here are some guesses.
1. The Technological Age
2. The Age of Dictatorships
3. The Age of Ignorance
4. The Age of Me-ism
5. The Dark Times
6. The Doomsday Age
7. The Digital Age
8. The Discombobulated Age
9. The Era of Arrogance
10. The Age of Multimedia
11. The Age of Endless Wars
12. The Bubbleheaded Period
13. The Graceless Age
_______________
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 642nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Other ages that you may have heard of include the Age of Enlightenment, the Bronze Age, the Industrial Age, the Victorian Era, etc.
I wonder what people in the future might call this time period. (That's provided humanity manages to last another 1,000 years, something I doubt.) Here are some guesses.
1. The Technological Age
2. The Age of Dictatorships
3. The Age of Ignorance
4. The Age of Me-ism
5. The Dark Times
6. The Doomsday Age
7. The Digital Age
8. The Discombobulated Age
9. The Era of Arrogance
10. The Age of Multimedia
11. The Age of Endless Wars
12. The Bubbleheaded Period
13. The Graceless Age
_______________
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 642nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Thursday Thirteen
1. Saturday we have big doin's happening in my county. This year, we are 250 years old! The kick-off event is Saturday afternoon and I have been asked to be there.
2. That's because I was responsible for putting out a 100-page magazine that celebrates the county.
3. In other news, my husband continues his recovery from his ankle fusion surgery. He is walking in a boot but not exactly moving fast.
4. In fact, he's reading his third novel. Mind you, this is the third book he's read in the 36 years we've been married!
5. January has been a weird weather month. Too warm, for one thing, for this time of year.
6. I was listening to a history podcast this morning and it was about Auschwitz. The speaker noted that Auschwitz didn't start with gas chambers. It started with "the othering" of people.
7. That's where we are now, in a great divide that has people unable to compromise or reach common ground, not only politically but now personally.
8. You have to sit down and talk in order to understand one another. For example, all of these people protesting proposed gun laws - you do know there are already many, many gun laws in the Virginia Code, don't you? They've all passed the sniff test and nothing being proposed in the current legislative session has been upended in federal courts. You're upset because you're "othering" and not thinking things through. You're not an "other" to me. You're my neighbor. Let's chat.
9. I've been an "other" since the day I was born, I'm afraid. Female = other in the minds of some men. Guess what. We're human beings too, and you wouldn't exist without us.
10. At the supervisors' meeting Tuesday, someone called me the "Dragon Queen of Botetourt." I don't know whether to be honored or offended.
11. Someone else told me to be honored, because no one should fail to take me seriously. I don't misstep often, and I'm usually right when I call someone out.
12. Also the other day, someone told me he didn't trust press people because his father was able to go into a tornado-damaged area by creating a fake press badge. I told him it wasn't my fault his father was a liar and a cheat. That did not go over well. I don't think this person and I will be friends.
13. These days my time is spent looking after my husband and doing our bookkeeping for the 2019 year, which I let slide but now must do so I can get things to the accountant. But soon I will need a project and a change of direction. What will I do, I wonder? My future in my crystal ball looks unclear.
_______________
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 641st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
2. That's because I was responsible for putting out a 100-page magazine that celebrates the county.
3. In other news, my husband continues his recovery from his ankle fusion surgery. He is walking in a boot but not exactly moving fast.
4. In fact, he's reading his third novel. Mind you, this is the third book he's read in the 36 years we've been married!
5. January has been a weird weather month. Too warm, for one thing, for this time of year.
6. I was listening to a history podcast this morning and it was about Auschwitz. The speaker noted that Auschwitz didn't start with gas chambers. It started with "the othering" of people.
7. That's where we are now, in a great divide that has people unable to compromise or reach common ground, not only politically but now personally.
8. You have to sit down and talk in order to understand one another. For example, all of these people protesting proposed gun laws - you do know there are already many, many gun laws in the Virginia Code, don't you? They've all passed the sniff test and nothing being proposed in the current legislative session has been upended in federal courts. You're upset because you're "othering" and not thinking things through. You're not an "other" to me. You're my neighbor. Let's chat.
9. I've been an "other" since the day I was born, I'm afraid. Female = other in the minds of some men. Guess what. We're human beings too, and you wouldn't exist without us.
10. At the supervisors' meeting Tuesday, someone called me the "Dragon Queen of Botetourt." I don't know whether to be honored or offended.
11. Someone else told me to be honored, because no one should fail to take me seriously. I don't misstep often, and I'm usually right when I call someone out.
12. Also the other day, someone told me he didn't trust press people because his father was able to go into a tornado-damaged area by creating a fake press badge. I told him it wasn't my fault his father was a liar and a cheat. That did not go over well. I don't think this person and I will be friends.
13. These days my time is spent looking after my husband and doing our bookkeeping for the 2019 year, which I let slide but now must do so I can get things to the accountant. But soon I will need a project and a change of direction. What will I do, I wonder? My future in my crystal ball looks unclear.
_______________
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 641st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Thursday Thirteen #640
 |
| Not on the list, but should be. |
 |
| Black swan, also not on list but should be |
2. Bluebirds
3. Crows
4. Vultures
5. Turkey buzzards
6. Turkeys
 |
| Turkeys |
8. Bald Eagles
9. Cardinals
10. Blue jays
11. Red-winged blackbird
12. Starling
 |
| Not sure what this little dude is, but he/she sure looks angry. |
Birds I've seen around my house.
_______________
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 640th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
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