Thursday Thirteen

For today, I offer up a study of light (or perhaps: scenes from my life).

1.

Remnants of a beech tree.

2.

A six-point buck caught in the fading sun.

3.

The Godwin Cemetery in Fincastle.

4.
Sunrise over the Peaks of Otter this morning (7:20 a.m.).

5.

The Town of Fincastle from Cemetery Hill at Godwin Cemetery.

6.

Fincastle Methodist Church at Godwin Cemetery.

7.

Most of my husband's relatives are buried here, including his grandparents.

8.

My husband's family farm.

9.

Aunt Jenny's house on the other side of the farm.

10.

The old chicken coop as seen through the oak trees.

11.

Light on leaves.

12.

More light on leaves.

13.

A squirrel that barked at me for a very long time.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 112!

In the year 12525 (A rough draft of some fiction)

A historian in 12525 puzzled over over what few remnants of relics from the year 2009 he could find:

"He tweeted this response..."
The historian read that and scratched his head. He had seen several references to this type of speech or writing in this stack of ancient scribbles. Tweeted?

He wondered if it was possible if humans 10,000 years ago were kin to birds and thus talked in some kind of bird language. Based on the number of tweets referenced, he thought this highly likely.

"His classmates left messages for him on his FB page."

He'd seen the FB initialization several times before. More head scratching. He believed this to be a reference to something he'd seen called a "Facebook." This, he thought, must be some kind of scrap book or photo album. It might even reference the little boxes.

Those little boxes puzzled him, and turned to a set of photos. Picture after picture showed a single skeleton sitting before a flat boxes. The photos were taken at a recently uncovered archaeological site. The dig had produced a large structure that had been buried for centuries in rubble. It had yielded dozens of rooms with the same scenario: people sitting before movable little boxes. Other had small little boxes in their hands. Some folks lay on bed-like structures in front of still another kind of box.

It had to be some kind of worship ceremony, he decided. This box must be an altar. He made copious notes in preparation for a paper on religion in the year 2000.

This was part of his paper:

"Early mankind worshipped constantly at the base of some kind of box, which was named for the deity being worshipped. Humans in 2000 worshipped an entire pantheon of deities who went by the names of Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, e-Machine, and Apple. Handheld worship boxes carried names such as Blackberry, Razar, iPhone, Sprint and Nokia. A third type of box, similar to the first, carried the names of RCA, Zenith, Samsung, Sony, Sharp and Mitsubishi."

After looking at the way the skeletons were poised and cuddling various boxes, he wrote this:

"Apple and Blackberry appear to be very highly regarded gods; since these are named after foods this makes sense. Sustenance based worship is of course representative of survival and it is only natural that these gods would be considered foremost in the pantheon."

Since so many of the folks were in the large building, he determined that everyone must have been inside worshipping at a given hour. The structure could have been some sort of church, he surmised, and the folks laying down and looking at boxes were invalids receiving healing. He bent over his paper and surmised that RCA, Zenith, etc. were the healing gods of the year 2000.

The disaster that buried the building must have taken everyone at once and given no warning, for few people had risen from their worship to leave, he thought. That lent itself to a very sophisticated weaponry, the kind outlawed in the Human Rights Code of 10528.

He went back to his paper.

"Lack of communication, because humans used sounds akin to bird language (calling it "tweets" in written language) along with an intense focus on worship of great number of gods who were symbolized by boxes, obviously led to this civilization's demise."

A little frost upon the pumpkin

A creek by the road in early Autumn

Old buildings

These are images I grew up with; both of these buildings are on my father's property.

The first is the barn where he stored hay and where the horses and ponies stayed when I was young.

The second is used now for storage but it once was an old cannery, and thus a place of employment for many women in the early 1900s.

Autumn makes an appearance

Eek

Making Changes

First I decided to stop reading fiction. I made this decision while we were at the beach and I was ravenously devouring books.

During this period I was also thinking about what I would like to write. I thought I might return to my fantasy novel, and then I read a fantasy by someone else that touched on some of the themes of my book. I thought she did it better than I ever would, and my decision wavered.

So I thought, I shall not read any fiction for awhile. I have stories in me, I just know I do, but maybe they are drowning in other people's thoughts. Maybe if I don't read fiction for a while (the time was not specified) I would clear my head and find some kernel in my brains that I could develop into my own story.

But a reader cannot simply NOT read, so after we returned home on September 5, I turned to nonfiction. I have read a lot of magazines, blogs, online newspapers, etc. and listened to nonfiction books on tape in the car. Sometimes I think maybe I'd better take up counted cross stitch or something because TV at night is certainly very bad, but I haven't done that - yet.

On September 10 I decided it was time to do something about my weight. I am obese, which is just another word for fat. How I got here is a long story, one that began in 1983 when I started on birth control pills when I married. That put on 10 pounds; then our efforts to have a baby failed, which made me depressed, and that combined with the infertility drugs added more pounds, then after six surgeries came the hysterectomy at the tender age of 29 and the Premarin, which added even MORE pounds (I no longer take that but still take a plant-based estrogen called Estrace, though in tiny amounts, which I suspect doesn't help).

And of course I never learned to exercise and eat properly growing up; my mother did not fix us breakfast or attend to the food groups; my grandmother thought macaroni and cheese was one of the basic requirements of life, and no one in my family exercised. So it's a family thing; my brother, my aunt, my uncles, we all struggle with our weight. Genetics and poor familial habits, I guess.

So anyway, September found me not reading fiction and dieting. I have lost four pounds (which is sometimes five but I seem to keep regaining that one). One of the first nonfiction books I listened to was one of Dr. Atkins' books, because I know from past experience that limiting my carbs works a lot better than, say, a low fat diet, at least for me.

My exercise habits, alas, have suffered. I need to be walking every day if only for my blood pressure, which has decided to climb back up in spite of my medication and the loss of four little pounds. I have found it difficult to exercise for two reasons: my feet still trouble me (I have plantar fasciitis and a heel spur) and some mornings my chest hurts. I have a hiatal hernia and am pretty sure that is the chest pain but I have enough of a hypochondriac in me that it makes me anxious because of course I worry that it is my heart hurting. And who can exercise if you worry that if you start to sweat you will drop over dead? Which might be alright if I thought someone would find me quickly but that is not the case. It could be many hours before I am missed.

Another reason for my lack of exercise, though, is this blasted computer. This blog. Facebook. All of the great things to read online.

For at least a decade (maybe longer), I have turned the alarm off at 6 a.m., climbed from my bed, put on my robe, and stumbled into my office beside the bedroom and turned on the computer. Then I go make my morning decaf tea with a little drop of honey and return to the computer to read my email. For a few years (yes, really, years) I did this and then exercised, because if I don't exercise first thing I simply don't do it.

But in the last several months (probably since I lost my main client, but I am not sure of that) I have instead found myself reading things on the computer, writing a blog entry (as I am doing this morning), piddling on Facebook, or simply playing Spider Solitaire until I look at the clock and think, golly, I need to get a bath and get dressed or I will never get anything done today. And then I think, oh, I haven't exercised, I will do it at 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. or whatever, and of course I rarely do.

So it is time for another change. This is the last morning I stumble to the computer. Instead my plan is to keep away from the computer until after I've showered, which will occur after I've walked on the treadmill or done some other exercise. This is necessary for my overall health and well being and it is time I stop dilly-dallying around with something so vital and take care of it. Otherwise I will not live to see 50 and that's only four years away.

Having said that, if you see me online before 8 a.m. from now on, please gently remind me I am supposed to be doing something else, won't you?

Thursday Thirteen

Random 13 today.

1. Yesterday I met Lenora at A Journal of Days. This very striking and handsome woman introduced herself to me in the library after overhearing my conversation with the staff genealogist. I was looking for information about a small diary that came into my possession this week and she had read my blog entry about it and guessed my identity. I was thrilled to meet her. Her blog is a fun and thought-provoking read. There is now only one other person on my Botetourt bloggers' list whom I have yet to meet.

2. Whitening strips make my teeth ache. I bought a box to try and daresay I wasted my money. I couldn't stand them on for more than 10 minutes. Apparently I have very sensitive teeth.

3. Last night was the first night for running the heat in the house; the temperature dropped below 40. I was hoping to go to October 15 before turning it on; I missed it by one day.

4. I am offering a course on "The Business of Freelancing" through the county Parks & Rec Department on October 24. It is at the Fincastle Library from 9 - 12:30 and costs $50. I already have about 20 pages of handouts and am working on more. I want to be sure participants get their money's worth.

5. I love my husband so much it hurts sometimes.

6. No fiction reading for me since September 10. I am hoping that if I empty my brain of other people's stories, my own story will find its way in and I will begin writing it. I don't know how much longer I can hold out on not reading a story, though. Not reading is hard work when you're an avid reader.

7. Nonfiction books on tape in the car and reading magazines and other nonfiction instead of fiction are now filling this strange period of my life. Maybe it will make me smarter.

8. I have struggled with exercise in recent weeks.

9. My blood pressure has become an issue again. Nobody told me blood pressure meds could work for a while and then ... not.

10. My car will be in the repair shop for several days next week, thanks to my October 4 accident wherein I backed into my husband's motorcycle. The damage estimates for both vehicles came to over $1,500. The motorcycle has yet to be fixed. What a lot of money to pay out for one careless mistake.

11. Good news on the work front; I picked up a new client yesterday.

12. I despise MS Office 2007. I have spent much of my time since July trying to learn this new interface. MS Office 2003 worked fine; why does Microsoft have to keep changing things? (Answer: so you'll have to spend money to buy the new product, that's why.) Not only have I found it difficult and less than intuitive, the changes I make to the normal template, particularly in paragraph spacing, simply will not hold. I have to change this every frickin time I open a new document. It is really irritating. Who designated a space between every paragraph and after every hard return should be the default, anyway?

13. Photo editing software that I actually like is hard to find. I've downloaded several of the free ones; so far I like Picasso the best of those but it has its limitations. I bought The Print Shop Deluxe a few weeks ago because it was on sale for next to nothing but it seems unwieldy to use.


Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 111!

An incredible find

A while back someone I know the next county over called me and told me he had found a small notebook at an auction.

It appeared to be a diary of a teenage girl, he said. He could not find a name of the writer but told me that the diarist mentioned folks by my last name quite a lot, so he wanted me to have the little notebook.

I picked it up yesterday. The notebook bears the date "1904" in pencil. It is a corporate hand-out of some kind, with a light brown cover. It is inscribed:
F.W. Brown, Dealer In Hardware, Cutlery, Plows, Farm Implemen (torn here), Paints, Oils, Glass, Putty, Re (torn here), Twines, Leather, Carpenters' Tools, Pipe and Fittings, Plumbers' Supplies, Etc., 11 Jefferson Street, Roanoke, VA. See Back Cover.

On the back it says:
McCormick Harvesting Machines, Steam Engines, Threshing Machines, Saw Mills, Engineers' Supplies

For me, history buff that I am, that would have been enough, really, to have found a small notebook that shows such a diverse hardware store from the early 1900s.

But inside? Oh wow.

Last night I read the little diary out loud to my husband. It is about 80 small pages, the paper being a little under 3" x 6", to the reading only took about a half-hour.

I believe the young woman's name is Carrie, but I don't know her last name. She lives with an aunt, an uncle and her brother, Grover. Her parents are both dead but it does not say how or when they died.

The little diary goes from September 28, 1904 to January 13, 1905. This is when she runs out of notebook and actually turns the diary to write up the side of the page.

She wrote it all in pencil and it is remarkably legible.

The family lives somewhere close to where I sit writing this blog. She talks about Fincastle, Trinity, and Woodland (which is less than a mile from me). She goes to the fair; she agonizes over her work, her relationship with her aunt (which apparently is not very good) and her brother's long absence when he leaves for Craig and Alleghany Counties to visit family.

She apparently is not a very good cook for she mentions failed recipes on several occasions, noting that some of her creations are completely inedible.

She writes about her efforts to be Christian (apparently this is very hard for her) and she is sick a lot with headaches and a pain in her chest. Apparently she is not bedridden for she talks about carrying water from the spring and visiting folks on occasion.

A song she wrote has found its way somewhere via an advertisement in a magazine, but it appears the folks she sent it to want money from her to do something else with it. Perhaps some kind of publication scam? She also replies to ad in a magazine that asks for someone to write letters. She hears back but must send in a dollar, which she does not have. She says she will not reply to any more advertisements in magazines after this.

During one entry she notes it is her birthday, and she is now 20 years old. She is also penniless. At Christmas she says all she wants is a writing tablet, which she does not get.

Best of all for us, one of the people she talks about seeing at Christmas is Guy Firebaugh. This is my husband' great-grandfather.

She mentions many other Firebaughs as well, all of whom must be great-aunts and uncles.

I will work this week to see if I can find an older relative who might know a little more. Perhaps I can learn this young woman's identity. If nothing else, this little diary has brought a piece of my husband's great-grandfather's life into his.

This has been the most incredible find.

A word to renters

In the local daily yesterday, the pet columnist wrote about getting her cat declawed. What irked me was her nonchalant attitude toward her landlord.

This "mean" landlord had a no pet policy so the writer was forced, she said, to get her cat declawed in hopes of keeping the landlord from finding out she had a pet.

What part of "no pets" do people not understand? How was her breaking the rules the landlord's fault? She obviously lied about the cat to get in the place and then was unhappy because the landlord eventually found out about the cat and asked her to leave, in spite of the declawing. I'd have asked her to leave, too.

I have been a landlord through no fault of my own for about 10 years now. It is not a job I am particularly happy to have, but I deal with it.

Being a landlord means dealing with people who have absolutely no concern for your property. This is the house I grew up in. It is a valuable asset. I don't want to see it destroyed.

When I say "no pets" or even "one outside pet" or no smoking or don't park your car atop the septic tank, it is said for a reason.

Pets are hard on a place. They pee on the floor, they scratch things. They stink. But most important for me, I am highly allergic to them and when a renter has a pet in there and leaves, I have to hire someone to clear the place out because it will make me sick. It costs me money.

People who rent seem to have no regard for their landlord. This is a generalized and sweeping statement, I know, but it has been the truth so far in my experience with renters. Either they let the place fall down around them and don't call if the roof leaks or they call every time they need a light bulb changed, and they do that at 11 p.m. at night.

I guess renters make generalized and sweeping statements about landlords, as in, they're all bad and it's okay to try to outsmart them. But this is untrue as well.

My little old farmhouse is currently available to rent. I am a good landlord. If something breaks, I fix it. I do that within days, not in months. If you're late on the rent, I'm understanding until it becomes a monthly habit. I pay to have the house sprayed for bugs and rodents to be sure you're living in a clean environment (if the renter is a pig who doesn't know what a trash can is for I can't do much about that except ask them to leave).

I do ask my renters not to smoke inside. I prefer no pets but have given up trying to enforce that policy so I will allow a small animal with a $200 non-refundable deposit. Actually, at the moment if a no-smoking, no pet person wanted to rent the house right now, I might even cut a little off the monthly rent.

But don't lie to me because I'm your landlord. Don't tell me you have no pets and then bring in a dog. And certainly, don't blame me because you disobey the rules and have your cat declawed. In no way is that the landlord's fault. Look at yourself for that, dearie.



This house is for rent. It can be your home for $750 a month. Wonderful, caring landlord comes free.

Pictures of the Sky

Books: Positioning, The Battle for Your Mind

Positioning
The Battle for Your Mind
by Jack Trout & Al Ries
narrated by Bob Askey
Audiobook
Copyright 1989

This book is about advertising and how to jockey a product into the "number one" position.

Since this edition is pre-Internet, it doesn't even address the bombardment of advertisements folks are inundated with today.

The premise in this 1989 edition is that people are overwhelmed with too much information, particularly in advertising. There used to be three TV stations. Now there are 300. There are too many companies and products, too many choices.

It makes everyone scream and no one really hears.

So the idea is to get in the mind of the buyer and figure out how to make him/her want your product.

It was fun to listen to discussions of products that no longer exist (remember Nuprin?) and to better understand how some products have become number one and things one cannot do without.

In one of the last sections the authors talk about how to position yourself in your career. They advise you to "get on a horse and ride it" to success. In other words, find a strong and forward-moving company and become indepensible.

I think I will take a closer look at marketing theory; it is not something I have studied but I think it is something I could benefit from.

Changing the Rules

Back in September, I went before the county Planning Commission to talk about an ordinance change they were proposing.

I had urged county officials to take a look at the county's home occupation ordinance. It had come to my attention through my work with the newspaper that this ordinance essentially made criminals out of folks who were doing eBay or other Internet businesses out of their home.

In other words, it was against the county's ordinances to sell stuff, even online. Even if you never bothered a single person because you carried your stuff to the post office, or better yet, just drop shipped it and never saw the product, you were still breaking the county's law.

About the time I was suggesting to county officials that they change this, a friend applied for a permit to sell over the Internet and was denied. I helped her contact her county supervisor to complain and she set about officially making the request for changes. It is always better if a citizen other than a representative of the press can be involved.

Anyway, it took county officials about five months to review the ordinance and offer up suggested changes. By this time I was no longer writing much for the local paper so I wasn't able to follow the story for my readers. However, being a self-employed business person who works from home I had a keen interest in any changes the county might want to make to this particular ordinance.

Some of the suggested changes did not suit me; they seemed punitive or unfair or unclear, so I wrote up a list of things that I thought were wrong and offered suggestions of my own and trotted off to the public hearing.

A few other folks talked but offered no solutions to their complaints and were vague about what they thought was wrong with the ordinance. My list was fairly long and was, frankly, a reworking of the entire offered document. I offered a solution to every objection. My changes were so many that the Planning Commission took no action but instead scheduled a work session on my proposed changes. They met two nights later.

The planning staff offered up a new version of the document at the work session. This one addressed just about every issue and concern I had raised, either by changing wording, clarifying, or eliminating various sentences.

In particular, the section about Internet business was stronger and more clear, as was a section on allowed personal services (such as, say, a beauty parlor or a tutor or dare I say, a writer?). At least now a person could sell on eBay without being convicted of a misdemeanor if caught. Although that person needs to have a home occupation permit and a business per county ordinances if they are to be legal.

The Planning Commission approved this document, and it went to a second public hearing before the Board of Supervisors a few day later. It passed without much ado and no additional changes.

Which goes to show, one person can indeed have an impact and an influence on important things.

Thursday Thirteen

Today, I offer up 13 things I have purchased recently.

1. Weatherstripping. My husband built this house for us (really, with his own two hands!) in 1987. The windows really need to be replaced but that's expensive. So we bought weatherstripping in hopes of tightening them up.

2. A chuck roast. I purchased this yesterday at the supermarket, which had them marked down dramatically (from $12.30 to $6.70). We will have it on Saturday.

3. A candy bar. Okay, okay. I shouldn't be eating them at all. I had gone since September 10 without one while I try to diet. I've lost four pounds. It was a bad, but very tasty, reward.

4. Decaf Irish breakfast tea. I have a hard time finding this around here but ran across some in Roanoke at Ukrop's. Unfortunately that store is going out of business, so this may be the last of decaf Irish breakfast tea for a while.

5. A domain name. I am not in the habit of spending $10 for domains, but I recently made a purchase. When the site is active I'll share. I also renewed my husband's website, Septic Tank Advisor. Amazing.

6. Shoe inserts. These aren't for me but for my husband, who has started having trouble with his heel spur again. I will share that back in September when I was at the beach I bought inserts that have been very helpful for my plantar faciitis. You can find them online at happyfeet.net. Check them out if you have that particular problem. The website says it is also good for heel spurs, Morton's neuroma and other feet issues.

7. Copy paper. Because that is what I use in the printer.

8. The Print Shop Deluxe Version 23. I found this on sale for nearly nothing at Best Buy and bought it in hopes of using it as a photo editor. It is okay but not quite what I was looking for. It will do for a while.

9. Entrepreneur magazine. I don't normally buy this, but I saw it in the store and thought hey, maybe there's a new career for me in between those pages. There wasn't, but it was an interesting magazine.

10. Extra sugar free gum. I don't like to chew this but it's been helpful with my diet.

11. Christmas presents. Yes, I do my shopping early.

12. Lunch. Well, I do have to eat, don't I?

13. Flounder. It's my new and improved "eat fish" effort.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 110!

Deer don't like cats

Yesterday afternoon I saw a black cat in the back yard.

I always pay attention to black cats; I know it is silly but I always believe it to be a sign from my mother. Whether it is a good sign or a bad sign I don't know, but I usually perceive it as a warning to be on my toes.



The cat vanished to one side of the house. A few minutes later I looked up and saw a small buck, a doe and two smaller deers, this year's fawns, I think. browsing and eating the acorns that have fallen amongst the gravel in the driveway.

The buck suddenly dashed to the side of the house and I moved to see what had sent him running in that direction.



He started chasing the cat; he was quickly joined by the doe. The two fawns stopped eating and stamped their feet.



The cat raced around the house and vanished into the nearby field.

I did not know deer don't like cats, but my husband said he has seen them chase cats like that before.

I know they're just things, but...

Woe.

Just a few hours ago, I headed out to run an errand for my husband. He was in the midst of trying to stop the air flow in our leaking windows (which need replaced after 25 years) and required some additional items for this massive weather-stripping project.

I hustled to apply my make up on and comb my hair so I could drive to Daleville and back. I had a number of activities to take care of myself, and my lengthy to-do list was on my mind.

I raised the garage door and began backing out.

I glanced in the rear view mirror just in time to see something there that shouldn't have been, but not quickly enough.

CRUNCH.

I stopped the Camry immediately; the door was at the garage door entrance and it was all I could do to slip out. I called out my husband's name as I exited the car.

My husband's motorcycle, his most precious baby, lay on its side in the gravel driveway.

He came running from the front of the house and dropped to his knees beside it, looking crushed. My heart broke because he loves his motorcycle. I had ruined it.

I helped him lift the bike; we found a broken signal light, a broken clutch thing, scratches.

My Camry sustained damage on the back bumper, which is a solid piece that goes all the way around the car. The driver's side is completely staved in and the whole bumper will have to be replaced.

Several thousand dollars in damage, all because he didn't put the motorcycle away and I didn't see it when I backed up. The Camry has a spoiler on it and I have trouble seeing things that are low to the ground behind it. What caught my eye just before I hit the bike was a reflection on the side mirror, I think.

I accept the blame for not looking, though surely he has just a little responsibility for leaving it out and in the driveway, doesn't he?

Insurance will fix the car with a deductible. My husband says the motorcycle's damage is not bad enough to submit to the insurance company.

What an unlucky start to the day.

Books: The Audacity of Hope

Warning: I get a little political in this post.

The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama
Abridged
Copyright 2006
Read by the author

Bill Maher on his HBO show last night said, "Obama's no liberal," and I have always thought that.

Listening to this tape only confirmed my suspicions. Obama's politics are center-right; he is a Democrat in name only. But truly there are very few true democrats in politics these days. The charade of two parties can end any time now, as far as I'm concerned.

All of which makes the current debacle on health care even more ludicrous as I listen to the catcalls of socialism, etc. that the far right tosses about against one who is essentially one of their own. It's like the right hand slapping the left.

The Audacity of Hope makes it clear that Obama is a centrist at best; he likes free trade and capitalism, adores corporations and loves the comfy lifestyle of someone who makes more money in a year than I will ever see in my lifetime.

Even so, if some of Obama's policies and changes were to pass, the lower middle class, if there is such a thing (really that would be the working class, a term not used in the U.S., and it would include pretty much everybody who makes under, oh, I don't know, let's say $100,000 a year, that is to say, most people), could breath a little easier. Some of the very poor in this country might live a little longer. But it sure seems to me like most folks don't really want poor people, so who cares, eh?

Obama's book talks about health care and how it should change, educational changes, etc., all of which might improve the current status quo. Had he stuck to his original health care ideas and come up with better names for things he might have been more successful; as it is, it looks like what is snaking through Congress will only help the corporations; once again the little guy has been thoroughly forgotten and left for dead.

Our president is well-spoken, and his arguments, center as they are, in theory likely would make sense to people on both sides if either were inclined to listen, which, obviously, they aren't. The book veers off on a long treatise on the treatment of blacks; I daresay some of this would send some white folks I know into an apoplectic fit (I originally misspelled that "apopolitical fit," which is probably appropriate, too), but the short version of his theory is that if blacks are raised above the poverty level everyone else in that category would also benefit, and that is hard to argue with.

He equivocates on some stances as he searches to understand both sides. While this is admirable, I am not sure it will lead to much change in the long run. Finding that "happy medium" is a great goal but it seems next to impossible in the current political climate.

There is also a moral aspect - as in right and wrong - about his ideas that rings true and which is a relief to someone like me, that is to say, a person who sees nothing but immorality in capitalism and the free market because let's face it, not everybody has boots with straps to pull themselves up with. Sometimes folks just have bad luck, and our health care system is set up to bankrupt people, not help them, and corporations can beat a whip across the back of its workers without condemnation, and products can fail or even kill people and the corporations still win. Regular folks have no recourse and I am tired of feeling like I'm just being swept along in a tide of BS that I can't swim out of.

So I can see why Obama the mighty orator was received and anointed as he was, even though I did not agree at the time and still think Hillary Clinton was a better choice. I understand that desire for change, the hope for something better, that brought him into the White House.

If you want to know more about what the man who is our president is thinking, then this is a good book for some insight. It was written prior to his presidential run, although I think he was certainly thinking about it when it was written.

Thursday Thirteen

The MegaMillions jackpot is supposed to be $105 million for Friday night's draw. Today I give you 13 things I think I might do if I won the money.

I figure half would go in federal and state taxes, so I am assuming I only have $52.5 million to play with. Of course, my husband might have other ideas, but some of these are things I know he would likely do so hopefully I have taken that into consideration.

1. Set up a trust fund for myself so there would be interest to live on - $4 million

2. Set up a trust fund for local indigent and poor requests - $10 million

3. Build and furnish a library in Daleville - $2 million

4. Give money to local churches with congregations that actually do something besides build bigger buildings and brainwash people into thinking that such ostentatious efforts are charitable - $5.2 million

5. Give to campaigns - $100,000

6. Buy an RV and travel the United States - $290,000

7. Purchase Camp Fincastle (435 acres) and build a new house on it - $7.5 million (most of that is for the land; it's expensive here)

8. Purchase the in-law's farm (300 acres) so they can retire - $4.5 million

9. Put my nephew Emory through medical school - $125,000

10. Set up trust funds for my niece and two other nephews - $375,000

11. Establish a trust fund for other relatives - $1 million

12. Establish a grant for older women who are returning to school at my alma mater, Hollins University - $1 million

13. Establish a lobby for "regular people" so that somebody in congress might actually listen to their very real issues - $15 million

Apparently, $52 million will not change the world. But I would certainly take a stab at it.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 109!

A letter to myself: if I could change things

Dear Anita,

Here you are, age eight or so. What a young thing! Your whole life is ahead of you and you have no idea what you will accomplish or what you will face.

First, let me tell you that you will grow up to marry a wonderful man. Of all the things in your life, this is absolutely the best. Together you will face several hardships, the most challenging being your inability to have a baby of your own. I hate to break such news to you now but perhaps it is better that you do not long for what you will never have. Instead you will find comfort in your husband's nephews and your brother's children. While it is not the same it will be fulfilling enough, I promise.

With that foreknowledge, I urge you to consider a career as a teacher. I think you will find that quite satisfactory and it will make many things in your life much easier. This is not the career path that I chose, not at all, and it is too late now for me to consider it. I am old and set in my ways; you, however, still have time to move forward and will not find the school setting completely foreign, as I do now when I return to those hallowed halls.

Alternatively, study law. You would make a good lawyer one day. Consider being an estate lawyer; you relate well to older people and this would be a good career path for you.

I know you love to read and write and hope to make writing your career; I beg you, don't do it! The future holds changes you cannot imagine and that way lies only heartache. Turn from it and pursue something else. You can write as a hobby and that will be enough, trust me. In this, (and perhaps only this) your parents are right.

Complete your education, all the way through college, and let nothing and no one stand in your way. You're a smart young lady even at the age of eight, and your brains (so far) do not diminish. Sometimes I think you're too smart, one of those people who know so much that functioning becomes problematic. Don't let that happen to you - keep your feet on the ground and your mind on reality. Tend to gardens so that you connect with the earth. It is very important.

I firmly believe that you and the man I love are destined to be together, and with that thought in mind the changes I am suggesting are with the knowledge that you will always be loved and be with him. Perhaps you will marry at a later date, though, like after you have finished college.

Other things you must do:

1. Exercise. I know you don't like to sweat, but I am afraid you will end up looking like a blimp. I did not exercise much when I was young and I regret it very much now. So go one, move that body!

2. Take up yoga, tai chi or other eastern activities. Don't worry that your family will think you are strange; find some books in the library on these types of activities and study them. Your family will always think you are strange regardless of what you do, so you may as well stop trying so hard for their approval and take care of yourself. I so wish that I had done that.

3. Find your spiritual self. This may be in the organized religions or it may be in something else, like Buddhism, or it may be your own personal beliefs. This may be hard for you until you turn 18 because of your surroundings; I know your parents eschew religion in all forms and things do not go well in your teens when you will begin pursuing these matters. Take heart and stand strong. You will need and want this anchor later in life.

4. Learn to cook. And I mean more than mashed potatoes and chicken. You will find great satisfaction in this skill if you can master it. I did not, and it is something I regret. Apparently I am now too old to figure it out.

5. Do not stop playing the guitar. Yes, I know you don't play now but you will soon, trust me. Take your piano lessons to heart and don't give them up too soon. Your music will be a fine companion for you all of your life if you don't let it slip through your hands.

I wish I had received this letter, read it and took it to heart when I was of an age to make some changes. What a difference it might have made!

If you do not follow my advice, let me tell you what is in store for you. You will marry at age 20 (the best part of your life, but that's awfully young to be married!). Your education will be received in fits and starts and you will be 30 years old when you finally receive your degree. Constant striving to please others will take a toll on your body; you will gain weight, you will be out of shape, heart disease is in your future.

I beg you, young Anita, take the better road.

Your loving older self,
Anita

Just waiting on a friend

Yesterday was a local bloggers meet-up day at Frank's Pizza on Alt. US 220. The event had been arranged by Diane over at Blue Ridge Gal.

The day proved terribly rainy and nasty. I had a sore throat and hadn't felt well for several days, but I had promised I would go. A promise made is a promise kept as far as I am concerned, and since my allergy issues didn't have me abed (and I knew I had nothing contagious) I went off to meet the other bloggers.

Diane was waiting when I arrived. Just Diane. No one else showed, which was too bad for them.

Diane looked spiffy at the bloggers meet-up.

Undaunted, we had pizza and laughs and chats and just generally enjoyed each other's company for an hour or so.

She had brought two items for door prizes, a great set of baskets and a lovely little bouquet of flowers. She insisted I take them home with me, since my name would have been the only one in the drawing.



Don't these look lovely on my mantle? Just what I needed for my Autumn decor!



One of the smaller baskets I have already put to use as a holder for my various notepads by my desk telephone. I am always reaching for something to write on and keep a lot of paper laying around. It now looks nice and neat!

Thanks Diane!

She says she is going to do another bloggers meet-up in October. I hope this time some of you can make it.

Photo editing software

I am curious as to what photo-editing software folks are using, and why you like it.

I lost mine when I purchased a new computer in July; the old won't run on MS Vista.

Please post your recommendations in the comments!

Books: The Shakespeare Stealer

The Shakespeare Stealer
by Gary Blackwood
216 pages
Copyright 1998

In The Shakespeare Stealer, author Gary Blackwood gives us Widge, an orphaned boy, as hero.

Widge has had a tough life, growing up in the orphanage. He hopes things will be better when Dr. Bright takes him away. Dr. Bright has invented a new type of writing called charactery (shorthand) and he urges Widge to learn it. It takes the boy a long time to get it down, but he does.

Dr. Bright, who is also a minister, sends Widge to neighboring churches on Sunday to take down the serms, which Bright then steals. Widge has no misgivings about this; he knows it is a theft but he is doing what he is told.

One night a shadowy figure arrives and asks Dr. Bright about his charactery. When Dr. Bright tells him that Widge is the only person who has actually learned to use it, the man, called Falconer, gives Bright 10 pounds in exchange for the boy.

Widge learns later that he is now owned by Mr. Bass. Mr. Bass is a thespian, and he wants Widge to go to London with Falconer and steal Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Copyright laws are not in place at this time, and so Shakespeare has to keep his plays in his own playhouse. Once someone else gets them, his profits decline.

Widge attempts to get the play in one hearing but cannot. He tells Falconer he needs to hear the play a second time. Then Widge loses his writing tablet. He is terrified of Falconer, but circumstances and a quick wit give him an out. He finds himself adopted by the play troupe and he becomes one of them.

This is an intriguing story. The narrative voice is very good, and while some of the details of life in the 1500s were a little sketchy, they were easily forgiven. It is a young adult book, after all.

A very good historical novel for anyone of any age.

Reminder! Local Bloggers Meet Up

It's tomorrow!

Don't forget!

Diana, the Blue Ridge Gal, is hosting a local bloggers meet up for September 26 at 12 p.m. at Franks Pizza on Alt. US 220. That's near the BAC and the pharmacy and across the street from the Eye Care place.We had a local bloggers meet up in April and it was quite fun, so I do hope you will plan to attend if you're in the area.
Expect good food, lots of laughs, and a chance to put a face to the blogs you read regularly.

Hope to see you there!

Thursday Thirteen: I love Hollins

My alma mater is Hollins University, though it was Hollins College when I received my diploma in 1993.


The administration building at Hollins University.

Here are 13 reasons why I love this school:

1. Women who are going places start at Hollins. Never was there a truer motto. Hollins gave me a sense of self, a feeling of strength, and a sense of personhood.

2. Attending classes bestowed upon me a sense of worth that I sorely lacked.



3. The campus is truly lovely. A visit to campus will restore my spirits quicker than Prozac.



4. Professor Jeanne Larsen. Jeanne took me under her wing for much of the time I was there and fostered my writing. (You can see a picture of her here.)



5. The library. Hollins has a great library, although it is now in a different building than it was when I attended school. The picture of above is where the old library stood; now it is a museum.



6. They only ask for money once a year!



7. I have fond memories of my time on campus, even though I was not a traditional student.



8. The Horizon program, Hollins' route for non-traditional age women. I was 22 years old when I entered this program; actually a bit young for it, but that is how I went in nevertheless. I was able to work and go to school part time.



9. It took me eight years to obtain my four-year diploma, so I have spent a lot of time on campus.




10. They offer many events to the public. If I were inclined I could spend some time on campus every week at some free event or another.



11. Completing my B.A. in English gave me a sense of purpose and pleasure that nothing else has matched (excepting maybe my marriage).

12. The writing courses at Hollins taught me how to refine my writing abilities. While I often suspect I am a disappointment since I haven't written a book, I know that I am a better writer for having attended the college.

13. Hollins has fostered some famous people: Ann Compton ’69, who was (is?) chief Washington correspondent for abcnews.com. She has covered every president since Gerald Ford and has reported on seven presidential campaigns. Sally Mann ’74, M.A. ’75 was named “America’s Best Photographer” by Time magazine in 2001. Writer Annie Dillard ’67, M.A. ’68 won the Pulitzer Prize for Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Lee Smith ’67 is widely known for her novels and short stories, including Me and My Baby View the Eclipse, Fair and Tender Ladies, Oral History, The Devil’s Dream, and The Last Girls. Not to mention Betty Branch, whom I wrote about yesterday.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 108!

Now Showing: Betty Branch

Last night I had occasion to attend an event by the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge at Hollins University.

The event included a tour of the The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum in the Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center.

Local artist Betty Branch has a showing at the museum that runs into November. Betty Branch: Through The Crow's Eye, a Retrospective, shows off some of this fine artist's work.

My husband has always admired her because she created the Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Roanoke. It is a fine piece of sculpture, one that rends my heart every time I look at it. Photos of the memorial can be seen on her website here.

The sculptures on display at Hollins are quite haunting and beautifully detailed.


I think the one above is my favorite. It is called Out of the Box.



The sculputures above are called Fire Dancer II and Fire Dancer III

The next sculptures show why this showing is called Through the Crow's Eye.



The above is located outside the museum and is a birdbath. I apologize for not getting the name of the piece.



Above is a more detailed shot of the birdbath.



These crow sculpture were in the museum, and again I apologize for not getting the names of the pieces.



The above shows a poem Branch wrote that shows on the wall with this sculpture. I wasn't able to get it all in the camera.

The musuem is open to the public. Branch's work will be showing through November 21, 2009.

The Fincastle Festival

On Saturday, I woke up in a mood so foul I am sure that birds fled the area around the house out of fear of my blackness.

The reasons for my poor state of mind shall remain unmentioned, but suffice it to say that it would take a great deal of sunshine indeed to lighten the dark scowl from my face. And no amount of cold cream was going to ease the lines in my eyes and forehead.

I was in this poor frame of mind when I ventured to Fincastle to see what they are now calling "Heritage Days." I went in hopes the blue skies might cure me.

For over 30 years, up until about 2003, I suppose, Historic Fincastle Inc., (HFI) a preservation group, put on a festival. The Fincastle Festival was actually one of the first festivals around, and it was a big deal indeed. Thousands of people attended. Crafters and vendors number in the hundreds. The art show was lauded up and down the east coast.

But that was long ago. The festival waned in the 1990s, in part because neighboring localities began putting on their own affairs. Salem had the audacity to launch her festival on the exact same weekend, which cut into Fincastle's festival attendance significantly. Salem, after all, is much closer for folks in Roanoke. So to Salem they went.

The Fincastle Festival was holding its own in 1998 and 1999, when I was president of HFI. The organization was struggling at that time. Its membership was failing, as organizations sometimes do, and most of the volunteers were older and tired.

Money raised from the Fincastle Festival went to historic restoration projects around the town. Funds saved many of the quaint buildings in Fincastle, including the Early Cabin, which HFI now operates as a kind of town museum, the Hayth Hotel complex, which a friend now owns and operates as rental apartments, the Blacksmith Shop at Wysong Park (and the park itself, both of which were restored primarily by the Wysong family with assistance from HFI), the Old Jail Building, the Douglas building, located across the street from the Botetourt County Courthouse, and the Helms-Ayers House, among others.


The Douglas Building


The Early Cabin

But the organization had not done much that was noteworthy for about 10 years when I took over the helm. The group needed a project then and apparently still do. It has been a long time since I have heard anything exciting about the organization.

Anyway, the festival in 1999 was not as grand as it had been in the past and I was eager to make it a better event. We needed more volunteers to help out, so I attempted to bring in other supporters, including the Botetourt Chamber of Commerce. However, the HFI Board of Directors ultimately decided they wanted to stay in charge of the event.

Personal matters came to the forefront and after two years I left my post as president and shortly thereafter the entire organization to deal with these issues. The organization eventually went off more or less in the direction I had urged, creating a separate "festival" arm of HFI and hiring a director.

But the festival was proving burdensome and eventually they dropped it in favor of other fundraising efforts. I did not return to the organization, in part because the group changed its focus. I am not sure what they are actually raising money for these days.

In any event, on Saturday I headed to town with memories of past festivals in my brain and my mood as black as a midnight under a cloudy, rainy sky.

After walking a ways, I discovered I had left my memory card for my camera in the computer at home and I didn't have a spare. I had hoped to at least take pictures for this blog, but alas, that was not to be.

This did nothing to help my mood.

I headed up Roanoke Street and found about four artists selling their work. Around the corner on Main Street were another five or six. I think all together there were about 25 vendors scattered about the town.

Walking around Fincastle is difficult for many people. It is hilly and the HFI folks would do well to place things a little closer together next time. People don't want to walk that far for a few things, particularly with nothing in between to draw their attention to something other than the long trudge up a steep hill. I considered it my exercise for the day.

I saw a few people I knew, including a dear friend, a fellow writer, and one of my old professors at Hollins. She put an arm around me and said, "Is it true they fired you from The Fincastle Herald?"

I had to explain that I had been freelancing for the newspaper all along; it only looked like I was on staff because I wrote so much for them, and that they had cut their freelancing budget. She waved away my explanation. "It doesn't matter, you're still not writing for them, and it shows. The paper is terrible," she said.

While I was happy to hear I am missed, I was very concerned about the rumor of my being "fired" when that is not at all what happened. It would be more accurate, though still not correct, to say I was laid off. Anyway, obviously this conversation did not exactly make me feel any better as I wondered who else was thinking that I had been fired. I have a reputation to consider, after all.

I trudged around the block, apparently missing a good deal of activity around the Courthouse, and eventually headed toward my car. I ran into Mrs. Roanoke RnR in the parking lot; she has a much better synopsis of the Heritage Day event on her website, which I urge you to check out for a less bleak outlook. I told her I thought the event was sad, and in comparison to other years, it was.

She, however, enjoyed her day and I am very glad that she did. I have enjoyed reading her blog entries about the day. My foul mood had so colored my landscape that I had forgotten how charming Fincastle can be so I have been pleased to see it again through her eyes.

Sugar Substitutes

Part of my problem with dieting is I crave the sweet stuff. I am a sugar addict.

I like colas. I like sweet foods. Cakes, pies, cookies, chocolate. I try very hard not to eat them and behave myself and act like an adult but, raised as I was with no dietary guidance, it is sometimes difficult to know what is the correct choice. Generally speaking, not eating it is the correct choice, but it is not the choice I like.

What I crave is sucrose, apparently. White table sugar. Yum, yum. According to Wikipedia, there are lots of different kinds of sugars. White refined sugar is probably the worst, but I imagine all of it is suspect.

I do not drink diet drinks because of aspartame. Here is a pro-aspartame website. It will tell you how safe it is.

I lately have been chewing sugar free gum with it in it, though, something I need to stop doing.

Here is a website that tells you how terrible this drug is. It lists 92 different problems that aspartame can cause, including MS, lupus, cancer, vision problems, and death.

Personally, I think this is a loathsome chemical, foisted on the public, oddly enough, by Donald Rumsfield (check this FDA site for some interesting comments about this). Call me a biased liberal, but I feel sure that anything Rumsfield had a hand in simply cannot be good for me.

The 'net is full of reports about asparatame and the illnesses is reportedly causes. Just type it in.

I know when I drink a soft drink with aspartame, it makes me lightheaded and I feel funny. It makes my limbs tingle after I've been drinking it for any period of time, kind of a neuropathy, or something. So I don't drink diet drinks. (I don't notice the same effect from chewing gum, however.)

The government says aspartame does no harm. Since I tend to believe little the government tells me, I guess you can figure what I think about this. I think the stuff is poison.

Excuse me while I throw out my gum since I seem to have forgotten this until now.

Then there is saccharin. This sweetener drug has been around well over 100 years but it is supposed to cause cancer. I don't like the aftertaste and don't use that, either.

Saccharin is only on the market because in 1977 Congress overrode the FDA and forced it to approve it. Check it out at this FDA website. Trust those folks on Capital Hill, yes?

I have tried fructose, and found it wanting. This is also found in most foods as high fructose corn syrup, although Wikipedia is quick to point out there are differences between fructose and high fructose corn syrup.

Splenda is sucralose, and it leaves a taste like chlorine in my mouth. I couldn't figure this out until I looked up stuff about it, and discovered it is sugar turned into a chemical that is, guess what, chlorine. Go to http://splenda.com for the corporate smiley site about it if you want the Disney spiel.

This sweetener also supposedly causes thymus problems and possibly cancer and other problems. It has become quite popular at a very alarming rate. At least it is alarming to me.

There are books about the toxicity of sucralose, and many websites. Just type it in a search engine and be amazed.

I once tried Stevia and it sent shivers all through my body. I have hesitated to try it again. However, of all sweeteners (other than white table sugar), this is the one that I think is the best to use.

Stevia is about 300 times sweeter than sugar. It supposedly has been used for 1000 years in Paraguay. The FDA cracked down on it in 1995, supposedly at the behest of the sugar industry, and Monsanto (Monsanto is a giant food company that apparently exists to make money from foods, regardless of the potential for poison, for anyone who doesn't know that, which I suspect is many Americans).

Stevia is now widely available in the U.S. Information on side effects is conflicting and it depends on who sponsored the research, of course. Research by the aspartame companies shows it is bad; stevia sellers say it is good. I would not use Truvia, which is a sweetener derivative of stevia.

One notation found that stevia makes your body process sugar a lot quicker. At http://sweetleaf.com there is some information, but it is a corporate site and doesn't say much. It does say there have been 1000 tests and it's found to be safe.

Japan apparently has banned most sweeteners except for stevia and sugar.

Craving sweets has been time consuming for me while I try to look all this up. Mostly what I found on things other than stevia is very alarming. I hope it makes others think, too, because indeed these are chemicals. Why should we add chemicals to our bodies?