Whistle Pig

This groundhog is one of many that hangs out at the house. Nothing seems to scare them off. I know where the hole is and I've put mothballs down it and other smelly things but nothing deters the groundhog.

This one looks quite indignant in the last picture because I opened the door and scared him. As you can see, he did not run far - only to the trash cans. One of his hidey holes is near there.

They live under our small outbuilding and I feel sure one day the thing is going to fall in because the ground beneath has all been dug out by these creatures.

I know animals have a place in the ecosystem, but I would like it if this one would find a home somewhere else.

Sunday Stealing: Let's Not Be Difficult

From Sunday Stealing

Let's Not Be Difficult


1. Do you like your movies and books to be more lighthearted or serious?

A. It depends on my mood. Sometimes you want to laugh, sometimes you want to cry.
 
2. What’s more important, first impressions or lasting impact?

A. Lasting impact. First impressions can be wrong, if the other party is open-minded enough to afford the other a second chance and another opportunity to acquit oneself in a more appropriate manner. That said, I think many people lose out on what might have been good friendships because of poor first impressions.

3. Order these areas of psychological health from what you need the least improvement into what you need the most improvement in: physical, emotional, social, intellectual, environmental, spiritual

A. Intellectual, environmental, social, spiritual, physical, emotional
 
4. Do you react appropriately to things and control your feelings?

A. I certainly hope so. I am sure, though, that I have my moments. Don't we all? I mean, come on, KG, why are you asking all of these questions? :::sob:::
 
5. Do you have stable relationships?

A. I've been married for 32 years. I have friendships that have lasted as long. So I would say yes.
 
6. Do you need to be in a relationship to feel good about yourself?

A. No, but a relationship is nice to have.
 
7. Which is the clearest and most concise, your thoughts, your speech or your writing? Which is the least clear and concise?

A. My thoughts, my writing, and my speech. The latter would be the answer to the second query.
 
8. Are you always trying to learn new things?

A. Yes. Today I learned that Windows 8.1 really is as bad as I thought it was, and I can hardly wait for Windows 10 to come out.
 
9. Do you feel at peace?

A. I am content at the moment.
 
10. Do you have strong morals and ethics that you believe in and adhere to?

A. Yes.
 
11. Do you think of the needs of all humanity or just the needs of yourself and those you know?

A. I tend to think of the needs of all, and we are doing a pitiful job of taking care of one another.
 
12. Do you recycle?

A. Yes.
 
13. Are you active in your community?

A. I was when I was well.
 
14. Are you sensitive to the needs of others?

A. I try to be.
 
15. Do you dress up to go out?

A. Yes.
 
16. What could make you lose respect for someone?

A. Finding out that they have chosen to be a misinformed or uninformed idiot.
 
17. If you won $1,000 every week until you die, would you still go to work?

A. No.

18. What trend has been getting on your nerves lately?

A. It would be nice if people would stop shooting one another. I hate that this has become so commonplace that the headlines scarcely cause alarm in the United States.

19. Do you forgive yourself when you make a mistake?

A. Not until I've had 40 lashes and worn a hair shirt for three months.
 
20. Is ignorance really bliss?

A. Ignorance may be bliss, but it does not make for good economic policy, nor is it any way to lead the House of Representatives in the United States Congress.
 
21. What can be described as ‘even better than the real thing’?

A. Well, let's see. Coca Cola is the real thing. It used to have real cocaine in it, I understand, so I suppose that means cocaine would be better than the real thing.

22. What’s in your wallet right now?

A. A couple dollars, a receipt for a brand new Dell computer tower (with Windows 8.1 on it, which as stated aforesaid, sucks), and some change.
 
23. Do you write letters that you never send?

A. Yes.
 
24. Do you ever get the feeling people are laughing at you?

A. I just laugh with them, so it doesn't matter.
 
25. Who’s the one person you’d like to drop a house on?

A. Oh my.  Could we put all the GOP candidates in a cluster and let it fall on them, forcing the Grand Old Party to start over, this time perhaps with people who do not make them look like a bunch of old white guys from the 1950s who are hell-bent on segregation and dehumanizing women and poor people? I honestly would like to see them field a decent candidate, not a clown.

________

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

Saturday 9: Bubbly

Saturday 9: Bubbly (2007)

... because Jodi suggested Colbie Caillat
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Singer Colbie Caillat says this song was inspired by a trip to "the beach and having a wonderful day with a person you like." Have you been to the beach yet this summer?

A. No, I have not. At the moment I have no plans to go.

2)  Are you careful about applying sunscreen?

A. Not particularly, unless I am at the beach, which I am not. For this reason, I end up with a "farmer's tan" nearly every year.

3) Colbie made her TV debut in a 2009 episode of Saturday Night Live. Are you a big SNL fan?

A. I haven't watched it in years.

4) "Bubbly" is often a synonym for champagne. When's the last time you enjoyed a glass of bubbly?

A. Probably in the late 1980s at someone's wedding.

5) Colbie sang the National Anthem at the third game of the Red Sox/Cardinals World Series in 2013. How is your favorite baseball team doing so far this season?

A. I don't have a favorite baseball team.

6) In 2005, Ms. Caillat tried out for Season 4 of American Idol but was eliminated very early in the process, before she could even audition for Simon, Paula and Randy. The winner that year was Carrie Underwood. Are you a Carrie Underwood fan?

A. Apparently not, since I can't think of anything she sings.

7) In 2007, when "Bubbly" was popular, actress Yvonne deCarlo died. She was best known as Lily on The Munsters. If you had to choose (and yes, this Saturday you have to), would you rather hang out with Lily Munster or Morticia Addams?

A. Hmm. Tough choice. And you're not playing by the rules of no rules there, Sam, making a rule that one must choose. But I will be good and say Morticia Addams. 

8) In 2007, MySpace was faced with a serious challenge from Facebook, and it's obvious which social network won. Did you have a MySpace account? If so, do you still post to it?

A. I never had a MySpace account.

9) Random question: Which have you had longer, your ironing board or your plunger?

A. My ironing board. It's the one I bought when I married.

________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

What to do, What to do

My Dell Inspiron 545 desktop, which I purchased in early 2009, recently developed a problem starting.

I like to shut my computer down every night and not leave it running all the time. I noticed about 10 days ago that it wasn't turning on right away when I pushed the button. After I hit it a second or third time, though, the computer would boot up.

Then Sunday it wouldn't power up for the longest time. Finally, after one desperate plea, it powered up. I went online to the Dell site and chatted with an agent, who suggested I needed a new power button. This comes in a front panel called a bezel. It was $18 so I ordered it.

My husband and I last night installed the new part. The computer powered right up. But this morning it took a few hits on the button again, and this afternoon when I returned from an outing, it took quite a number of pushes before the computer kicked on. The problem is not fixed.

Best Buy will look at the computer for free but the fellow on the phone said it was probably either the power supply or the motherboard. While the GeekSquad won't charge me to look at the computer and make a diagnosis, to fix it would cost labor plus parts, with a low estimate of $150, probably more.

I can purchase a new Dell tower for anywhere from $325 to $600. But Windows 10 comes out July 29. The new tower would have Windows 8.1 on it and I'd have to do an upgrade.

So do I purchase a new tower and not do much to it until I do the Windows 10 upgrade? Or do I keep fiddling with this older computer? I wasn't planning on a computer purchase this year, but it would be kind of nice to have a new one. Do I wait and see if on Sunday there's a sale on computers with Windows 8.1?

Generally my rule with computers has been if you have to start messing with it because something is wrong, replace the thing and be done with it. I've tried fixing them in the past and it simply eats money. I've already wasted $20 trying to fix this one.

Then there is disposal. What do you do with an old computer? The last ones I gave to Goodwill didn't work because I removed the hard drives. Those I gave to my husband and told him to use them for target practice. I don't want my old hard drive getting out into the public, reused on reconditioned computer where some smart kid can figure out what used to be on the thing.

Six years out of a computer is not bad. I wish they lasted 10 or 15 years, but that is asking too much with technological changes. I've been very happy with this tower and this set-up; it has worked for me. I like having a desktop and am not keen to switch to a laptop for my permanent work space.

So what do I do? Fix the old one, or buy something new and spend all the time it will take to set it up, reinstall programs, probably have unexpected expenditures on software because something won't work, or what?

The Leaf and the Butterfly

Thursday Thirteen

Country Mouse

I don't know how to . . .

1. use a toll booth on a freeway.

2. use the subway.

3. dress like I am not a tourist.

4. hail a cab.

5. drive in more than four lanes of traffic.

6. use public buses.

I do know how to . . .

7. pull a calf from it's mother when it's having trouble being born.

8. fetch eggs from the henhouse.

9. start a fire with next to nothing.

10. drive a tractor.

11. bale hay.

12. plant a garden.

13. name wildflowers, trees, birds, and other wildlife.


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 404th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Growing Up

A Bird

The One Where I Weigh in on Marriage

In my local paper today, a "pastor" wrote about his opposition to same-sex marriage.

No big surprise there.

But one paragraph caught my eye:

To call a same-sex union marriage is an affront to a holy God. God considers marriage, ethnicity and life as sacred. Marriage is far more than male and female becoming one physically, but the result is a child. Marriage that cannot produce children naturally is a counterfeit, a secular impostor claiming sacred status. (emphasis mine)

Note that this fellow is saying that ANY marriage that doesn't produce children is counterfeit. Unworthy. Not holy, even if that initial ceremony was performed in a church by a minister, with both parties avowing their love before their God.

As a happily married woman of 32 years, one who lives in a union that produced no children because of medical reasons, I say this:

Go fornicate with yourself, you venomous toad.

This idiot has denigrated me, my husband, and my marriage. He has spat upon the marriage of every childless couple in this country. He has negated the marriage of every older person to another - because I assure you, there aren't many 60-year-olds having children.

He has insulted my father's second marriage, one that is bringing him much comfort in his later years.

This imbecile is talking about same-sex marriage, but he doesn't stop there. His paragraph goes on to include all marriages that do not produce children, so he's including me in his rant.

So I am ranting back. What makes this pea-brain think he is the authority on anything, much less my marriage? I don't even know this person and he has insulted my integrity. He reads from a different Bible than I, for mine advocates love and forgiveness, not mass judgments.

It also doesn't define marriage like we do today. What we have today is a human interpretation of the words, but the words themselves aren't actually in the Bible.

So there, fool.

Incidentally, I have no problem with same-sex marriage. I don't have a problem with old folks having nuptials. I don't have a problem with two people marrying and not having children.

I do have a problem with people whose intelligence is lower than a snake belly being in places of leadership, such as a pulpit (or Congress).

What is wrong with these religious zealots that they can't live their own lives, and leave the rest of us alone?

Sunday Stealing: I Want to be Famous

From Sunday Stealing

I Want To Be Famous Meme


1. Would you like to be famous? In what way?

A. I wouldn't mind being J.K. Rowling famous.
 
2. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?

A. I used to when I was interviewing powerful and important people for my work.
 
3. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?

A. Writing a good piece, reading, playing the guitar, taking a nice walk, and going to dinner with my husband.
 
4. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?

A. I sang to myself Saturday (Elvis, thank you Saturday 9). I sang to someone else on Thursday.
 
5. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?

A. The body.
 
6. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?

A. I suspect it will be slow and agonizing and not at all pretty. Most human deaths aren't. We are nicer to animals than we are to the humans we love. We end an animal's suffering but make our loved ones suffer to the bitter end.
 
7. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

A. My husband.
 
8. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

A. I would not have been afraid of my maternal grandfather.
 
9. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

A. The ability to instantly lose a lot of weight.
 
10. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?

A. Why I procrastinate.
 
11. What does friendship mean to you?

A. It means having someone to be there for, and who is there for me, regardless of whatever is going on.
 
12. What roles do love and affection play in your life?

A. They're pretty high on my list of important things to have.
 
13. When did you last laugh?

A. Saturday.
 
14. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

A. I'm a mid-day person.
 
15. Seen anything weird lately?

A. Just my face in the mirror.

Saturday 9: Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Saturday 9: Crazy Little Thing Called Love (1980)

... because Diana suggested Queen

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this video, Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury is wearing a leather jacket. Do you have a leather jacket?

A. I have one but I don't wear it anymore.

2) There's a statue of Freddie in Switzerland. There's another statue of him above the Dominion Theater in London. Tell us about a statue or memorial in your town.

A.  We have an obelisk monument at the county courthouse. It was dedicated October 27, 1904 and put up by the Botetourt Monument Association.

The monument is unusual in that on one side it says this:
“To the women of Botetourt in remembrance of their constant encouragement, steadfast devotion, tender in ministrations and unfailing providence and care, during the war and in the dark reconstruction years.” Most of these Civil War memorials do not honor the women, from what I understand.

The other side lists “the deeds and services of the twelve volunteer companies … that went to the war from Botetourt County.” It is “in memory of our brave and loyal officers and enlisted men who were killed in battle and who died from wounds and disease, during the war, and of our faithful comrades who have died since the war.”

Since I live here and have ancestors who died in the War Between the States, I don't have a problem with it. It is a memorial for the dead, nothing more, though I realize others may differ in opinion, and perhaps rightly so. I do have a problem with the flags that people put out by it, but not with the memorial itself.

3) Mercury said this song was inspired by Elvis Presley. What's your favorite Elvis song?

A. Wise men say only fools rush in. But I can't help falling in love with you.

4) This song was covered by the animated Alvin and the Chipmunks. Do you still watch cartoons?

A. I haven't in a while. As an adult, I watched Captain Planet and the Planteers and a show called Reboot, which was quite original. As a child, I watched Bugs Bunny, Underdog, Bullwinkle, and all of the other cartoons that '70s children viewed.

5) The members of Queen met while attending Ealing Art College in London. Are you still in touch with the friends you had in your late teens and early 20s?

A. Facebook has made this much easier. When we had our 30th high school reunion, most of my classmates found one another on Facebook. So while we are not exactly in touch, we're Facebook friends. Some of them I have blocked, some I never "friended" in the first place. However, one of my closest friendships dates back to 1983; we worked together when I was 20 and we still meet monthly for lunch and usually talk once a week on the phone. We are not Facebook friends.

6) During Queen's hey day in the 1980s, Mercury stayed in shape with tennis and swimming. Are you more accomplished on the court or in the pool?

A. I'm more accomplished with the eating of chocolate chip cookies. Can you eat those while you're playing badminton?

7) In 1980, when this song was popular, Brooke Shields made a jeans commercial where she said, "Nothing comes between me and Calvins." It actually only aired for a short time because so many viewers called and complained about it. Have you ever called or emailed to protest something you saw on TV?

A. I wrote a letter protesting the cancellation of Cagney & Lacey and another in support of a second season of Designing Women. Does that count?

8) 1980 is also the year the Post-It note was introduced. What's the last Post-It you wrote?

A. An address for someone to whom I need to send a sympathy card.

9) Random question: Do you blush easily?

A. Not as easily as I did when I was younger. But I do blush.


________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

Diesel Engine

Saturday while we were in Blue Ridge awaiting the arrival of the J 611 steam engine, a diesel engine pulling a load of hazardous materials cars came chugging through.

My husband, who is a battalion chief with a city fire department, grimaced as he watched the cars go by. "Wouldn't be nothing left of us if one of those derailed right now," he muttered.

Fortunately, nothing happened, and I and many other photographers who were standing around lived to await the steam engine. I noticed they also took pictures of the diesel.

I like trains. As machines, they have beautiful lines and are lovely to look at. I am not sure what draws me to them, but I love to watch them glide along the tracks.

Interestingly, I also like the forlorn look of train tracks as they make their way along the sides of mountains and down valleys. The sight calls out to my heart.

Thursday Thirteen

1. The other night I dreamed I took a home tour in Fincastle. When I reached the end, I forgot where I parked my car. I backtracked, found my car, climbed in, and continued to drive around LOOKING FOR IT! Finally I realized what I was doing and had a good laugh at myself . . . woke up chuckling.

2. My electricity has gone off at least one time every day this week. What's up with that?

3. I shut a door Tuesday. Will another open?

4. So far I have seen three fawns running around the house. They play together like little dogs.

5. Junk on my desk: checkbooks, old newspapers, numerous yellow pads, a RoadScholar catalogue, two Kindles, and a Nook. That's just the beginning of it.

6. One of the oldest books in my collection is a tiny little thin "Dell Purse Book" that I paid 35 cents for a very long time ago. It is called The Book of Dreams: a guide to the mystic meaning of your dreams. It says it is abridged from Zadkiel's Book of Dreams & Fortune Telling.

7. I found a copy of Zadkiels's Book of Dreams and have it here in my collection. Unfortunately, I can't put my hands on it and am not sure exactly where it is. But I always know where the little tiny old pamphlet, now yellowed with age, rests.

8. A friend read the Tarot for me for my birthday. The cards told a story relating to business and finance, and that I needed to be on my guard against people trying to waste my time. The cards described me as cynical and someone who has difficulty with conflict and who doesn't deal well with difficult people. Nor do I trust men and I have had a difficult life.

9. Even though I am well into middle-age and almost old, there are many things I do not know.

10. The clouds have beauty even when they are dark and brooding.

11. I have clutter but haven't figured out how to rid myself of it. I am not a fan of Goodwill as I have read reports about how much the CEO makes and how the company treats its employees that makes me not want to hand items over to it. It is, though, the nearest place for getting rid of old clothes and other things. I'm too rural for a yard sale.

12. Craigslist scares me. I know some one reading this is thinking, "she should sell that stuff on craigslist." I have dealt with craigslist with other things, and I find it a dreadful way to do business. You don't know who you're dealing with and how they might retaliate. The world has become too scary for shy folk like me.

13. I really need a candy bar, preferably a Milky Way Midnight.


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 403rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Hungry Buck

She Gives the Little One a Kiss

Here Comes the 611!

The N&W J class 611 is a steam engine that is the only one of its kind left in existence.

It is one of 14 built between 1941 and 1950.

The newly restored engine is housed at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. It has been making a few rounds on tracks in the state since it arrived here last month.

This weekend it, it made passenger runs from Roanoke to Lynchburg and back.

We went to Blue Ridge Saturday to see it come through. We were, actually, in "Webster," as the sign says, at the Webster Brick Plant.

Lots of folks with cameras were there to take photos. I don't know when I will ever get to see a steam engine run again, so I was glad we took this rare opportunity to see her chug along.

Sunday Stealing: Mash Up

From Sunday Stealing

Mash Up Meme


1. What’s overdue for a good cleaning?

A. My clothes closet.
 
2. What’s overdue for some kind of professional examination, service, maintenance, or upkeep?

A. Apparently my whole body.

3. Who’s overdue for a phone call or letter to you?

A. No one that I am aware of.
 
4. What’s overdue for an appearance in your neighborhood?

A. A UFO. 

5. Who’s overdue for a good comeuppance?

A. No one I know personally - or at least no one I will say. Out in the world, I think any of the reality stars probably could use "a good comeuppance." 

6. What’s a gross food you like anyway?

A. Fried green tomatoes. 

7. Who’s an unlikeable person you like anyway?

A. Well, half the country dislikes Barack Obama for reasons I don't understand; he's more Republican than Democrat. So I will go with him. 

8. What’s an unpleasant task you enjoy performing anyway?

A. Folding clothes.
 
9. What’s a dumb song you enjoy anyway?

A. Puff the Magic Dragon 

10. What’s a lousy restaurant you frequent anyway?

A. If it is a lousy restaurant I don't go there. So I have no answer to this question.

11. What's your favorite Sci-fi film/program etc?

A. Science fiction would be Star Wars. Fantasy would be The Lord of the Rings + The Hobbit.

12. Have you ever had a proper Tarot reading?

A. As opposed to an improper one? What is that, one where you are forced to disrobe when a card is turned over? But yes, I have had Tarot readings by real people (as opposed to say, tarot.com, which I also like). For entertainment purposes only.

13. Have you ever used the phrase "back in my time" to someone younger than you?

A. I am more likely to say, "when I was younger," or perhaps "back in my day," both of which mean the same thing. And yes, I have said those phrases. But not "back in my time."

14. Have you ever done something really unbelievable, only to have no one around to see it?

A. Yes. But it was so unbelievable that I can't talk about it.

15. If you were famous would you want a statue or a building named after you?

A. If I were simply famous and not rich, neither. If I had plenty of money and could make a massive donation, I wouldn't mind having a library or a college building named after me. I don't care about a statue.

Saturday 9: Hungry

Saturday 9: Hungry (1966)
... because it's 4th of July

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Are you eating anything as you respond to these questions?

A. I have a glass of water but that's it for the moment.

2) Paul Revere and the Raiders performed in Revolutionary garb. Have you ever worked at a job that required you to wear a uniform?

A. I have not. I wouldn't mind it. I hate having to find something to wear every day. Seems like a waste of brain cells.

3) The "Paul Revere" of Raiders fame was born Paul Revere Dick in Boise, Idaho. What else is Idaho known for?

A. 'Taters. What's 'taters, Precious? What's 'taters? You know, po-ta-toes. Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew. (Sorry, couldn't help myself, Lord of the Rings movie fans will get it.)

4) The original Paul Revere was a silversmith by trade,  known for making church bells. Can you hear church bells from your home?

A. No. I hear cows mooing, turkeys gobbling, and birds chirping, with one mocking bird in particular singing his little heart out and a cardinal going "we-choo." But no church bells. Mother Nature gives me sounds every day that are just as pretty as any bell.

5) In April, 1775, Paul Revere literally rode into history when he galloped into the night, spreading the word that "the British are coming." Name another Revolutionary War-era hero.

A. Colonel William Preston, once of Botetourt County, Virginia (home to several Revolutionary War Heroes), lived in the area at a farm he named Greenfield Plantation in 1761. William Preston moved his living quarters from Greenfield to Drapers Meadows in 1774, but retained control of the Botetourt property.

He represented Botetourt County in Virginia’s House of Burgess in the 1760s, before there was a United States. He was a pioneer and a soldier who defended the Virginia frontier before and during the Revolutionary War. He served as a Colonel in the militia.

He was also one of the 13 signers of the Fincastle Resolutions, a document which predates the Declaration of Independence. It was written in January 1775 and promised resistance until death against Britain in order to preserve certain liberties.

He was also a founding trustee of Liberty Hall in 1776. The college later became Washington & Lee University.

His son John, also a Revolutionary War soldier and a Botetourt County statesman, became owner of the Greenfield farm after Preston and his wife died. The Preston family owned Greenfield through seven generations and sold the land in the late 20th century. Botetourt County now owns 922 acres of the property and has attempted to turn it into an industrial park.

As an aside, Greenfield bordered property owned by my husband's 6th-great grandfather.

6) Historians tell us that Revere's famous "midnight ride" actually took place between 9:00 and 10:00 PM. When is your usual bedtime?

A. Anywhere from 9:30 PM to 10:00 PM. It's a big night if I'm still up at 10:15 PM any more.

7) Earlier this year, officials from Boston's Museum of Fine Arts uncovered a time capsule buried in 1795 by Paul Revere and Gov. Sam Adams. It included coins and newspapers. If you were to bury a time capsule that reflects American life in 2015, what would it include?

A. Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing memes, a cell phone, a copy of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, pictures of major cities with a Google view of men in ties and women in skirts hurrying and not speaking to one another, pictures of homeless people and prisons, a Coca Cola can, a bottle of water, pictures of The Rolling Stones from the 1960s and now, one each of the different quarters of the various states, and a copy of the U.S. Constitution. 

8) Will you attend a fireworks display during the 4th of July weekend?

A. Depends on the weather. At the moment we have rain.

9) What's your preferred way to celebrate Independence Day -- a parade, a picnic, or both?

A. Actually, I prefer to stay home, read a book, and have some one else cook dinner. I have covered enough parades as a news reporter to have had my fill of them, regardless of holiday, and picnics are for ants.