Thursday Thireteen #485

Thirteen pictures that have nothing in common except I took them.

A secret glen of trillium.

Bear running through alfalfa.

A calf.

An orange rose.

Sunrise through forsythia.

A January rainbow.

Canadian Goose.

Fence.

Our house from afar, in Autumn.

A black swan that found its way to the pond.

Rose after rain.



Fawn.

Turkey.

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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 485th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

A Big Wind Came Through

So today this happened:

The cedar tree split in two.

Half of it fell across the driveway. Good thing I wasn't going anywhere.

Poor tree.

Removal begins. Good thing we have a backhoe.

More work.

There it goes.



He's pulling it away, off to a brush pile.

Sunday Stealing: Cool Guy Questions

Sunday Stealing: The Cool Guy Questions


1.) When was the first time you ever swore or said something profane?

A. The first time? I've been swearing for at least 40 years or longer.

2.) Have you ever had unrequited feelings for someone?/Have you ever been friendzoned?

A. I don't know what friendzoned means. Have I ever loved someone and had that person not love me back? Yes.

3.) What's a false assumption a lot of people have about you?

A. That I am snobbish and stuck up when I'm really just introverted and a little shy.

4.) Have you ever questioned your sexuality?

A. Can't say that I have, no.

5.) If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be and why?

A. The person who invented gunpowder, and then I'd explain to him/her what her invention ultimately leads to, and then send the person back into time to never invent the stuff.

6.) What did you do on December 12th last year?

A. I had a swollen ankle. I went to the bank, fixed my mother-in-law's computer, and noted that I had a pain level of 4 in my abdomen.

7.) When was the last time you truthfully told someone you hated them?

A. I have an actual date for this answer, but I decline to reveal it at this time.

8.) What is your opinion on this song? What about this song?

A. No clue. The link I followed was dead. But I like music.

9.) In less than four sentences, describe the entire plot of the last book you read.

A. Young girl is sent away from home to live with spinster aunts. She is spunky, gets into trouble, and is generally a creative and curious person. She grows up and goes to school, and things get better for her. (The book was Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.)

10.) Describe the appearance of the most untrustworthy person you can think of (they can be a person you've met or a made up person). Are they male or female or neither? What about their appearance makes them untrustworthy?

A. He is dressed in black, carrying a Bible in one hand and a fistful of dollars in the other. His charisma is unfathomable and people instantly like him. He is untrustworthy because of the lies he tells that keep others poor and downtrodden while he makes himself wealthy.

11.) What is the most cringe-worthy thing you've ever seen?

A. A cow that had been struck by lightning. You really don't want details.

12.) What is your biggest regret?

A. I quit a job in 1985 for stupid reasons, and even though I went on to college and finished up my degree, I think financially it was a bad move.

13.) Do you have any cousins? When was the last time you saw them?

A. I have many, many cousins. I last saw them at a funeral. That seems to be when I see family anymore.

14.) Describe the worst birthday you've ever had.

A. Nothing really stands out.

15.) When was the last time someone provoked you to the point of violence?

A. November 9, 2016. I ripped the newspaper to shreds, then placed the remains in a pan and threw a match on it. Do not do that. It flames up very quickly.

16.) OH NO!!!! Someone has gotten you to drink a truth potion and now you have to truthfully answer every question you are asked!!! What's the worst possible question someone could ask you?

A. I can't tell you, because then I'd have to kill you, but it concerns a possible homicide. I used to be a journalist; I have been privy to many, many things.

17.) Describe, in detail, your first serious relationship. Describe how it ended.

A. My first serious relationship began at a football game, underneath the goal posts, and ended with a ring on my finger and this morning, 33 years later, a kiss that has to hold me until he returns home.

18.) Introduce your best friend. Tell the story of how you met.

A. I have several close friends. My longest-running friendship is 33 years old (not my husband). We met when I went to apply for a job at a law firm in 1983 (incidentally, the same job I regret quitting in 1985). She interviewed me for the position, hired me, and we became fast friends. We still talk on the phone about once a week and have lunch frequently. We are both intellectuals, highly read, and we have in-depth conversations that would probably be the envy of many a professor at a university. We discuss everything from the stars to religions to politics to health. We have many discussions about books.

19.) To the introduced friend, has our interviewee lied in any of these questions? Are you surprised by any of these answers?

A. I would think the answer would be no to both of those. I do not generally lie. I may not tell all I know, but I don't lie.

20.) To finish up, what is your biggest irrational fear and how did you get it?

A. I am a bit OCD and I constantly worry about leaving things on, like the curling iron or the coffee pot. I have eliminated much of that by purchasing auto-off appliances. I am also not a fan of snakes; when I was about 8 years old I was playing around in a brush pile and suddenly found myself covered in baby snakes. I remember screaming and running to my mother, and when my father came home he burned the brush pile. I guess either no snake bit me or they were not poisonous, since I am still here. I have other snake stories, too, but that is good enough for now.


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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: Brokenhearted

Saturday 9: Brokenhearted (2012)

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

1) This song is about a girl who is eager and anxious for her new lover to call. Do you owe anyone a call? An email? A text?

A. Not that I am aware of.

2) The lyrics are peppered with the informal English exclamation, "cheerio!" What pops into your head when you close your eyes and think of England?

A. Big Ben. And that makes me think of the song England Swings.

3) This week's artist, Karmin, is a husband/wife duo who met at college, and that meeting changed the course of their lives and careers. Think of someone who has had a huge impact on your life. Did you know, as soon as you met, that this was going to be a life-changing relationship?

A. I knew that with my husband, and most recently (last five years), I knew it when I met a friend. We locked eyes and I swear something electric passed through us. It was two more years before we actually became friends, but I knew the moment we met that at some point we would be pals. And now we are. We talk on the phone almost every day.

4) Though she sings about consuming tequila, the female side of Karmin, Amy, is a big proponent of healthy eating. She recommends organic foods that are free of pesticides, hormones, food coloring and added sugar. Think about your most recent meal. Was it a good example of "healthy eating?"

A. It was a Lean Cuisine. I strongly suspect that is not healthy eating, but it is better than a Milky Way bar.

5) Husband Nick has his own Twitter account (@NickKarmin), but he doesn't use it often. His last tweet was back in August. What's the last thing you posted to social media? (No, your blog doesn't count.)

A. A comment on Facebook about whether or not some of these "alt" government accounts are real. Some of them are using British spellings in their language, so another former journalist and I were discussing the implications of this.

6) Karmin performed "Brokenhearted" live on Dancing with the Stars. DWTS is  very big business for ABC-TV. So many people vote for their favorite couples each week that their phone and text systems often overload. Have you ever voted for a contestant on American Idol, DWTS, The Voice, etc.?

A. No. I seldom watched any of those shows.

7)  In 2012, the year"Brokenhearted" was popular, the average cost for a gallon of gas was $3.91. In 2016, it had dropped to $2.40. When it's time to fill up your tank, do you shop around for the lowest price/gal.? Are you brand loyal and always return to the same station, regardless of price? Or do you just buy gas from the nearest station when you're running low?

A. I buy from the same station - which is Kroger - because (a) the gas is usually cheaper there and I get $$ off because of all of my prescription purchases and (b) it is the station nearest to me.

8) In 2012, the Space Shuttle Endeavor was retired and placed on permanent display at the California Science Center, a Los Angeles museum dedicated to encouraging excitement and enthusiasm about air and space travel. Let's say you had a long weekend to spend in Los Angeles. Would you go out of your way to see The Endeavor? What else would you like to do during your time in the City of Angels?

A. Oh yes, I would love to see The Endeavor. I am a big space fan. In fact, today (January 28) is the 30th anniversary of the explosion of Challenger, and I knew that without looking it up (Columbia exploded on February 1, 2003). I followed the New Horizons probe through its journey to Pluto. NASA is one of the websites I visit frequently. As for other things, I am not familiar enough with Los Angeles to really know what is there. TripAdvisor recommends Universal Studios; that might be fun.

9) While we're thinking about aviation ... Statistics show that it's still a predominantly male field, and less than 10% of commercial pilots are women. Would you be nervous flying with a woman pilot?

A. I would not be nervous at all.

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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.  

Time Keeps On Slipping

The kitchen clock stopped
at 7:42 a.m. while I was in the other room
being spooked by a shadow in the mirror.

I wait now for the phone call
because I know someone died,
stopping time.

And if the message goes unheeded
I shall return to the mirror
peer into the glass.

In there, I will see infinity
my eyes looking in
looking out again.

My doppelganger trapped
beyond my reach and grasp,
a smile crinkling around her eyes.

Death behind us, infinity too
its darkness reflecting back
in and out, in and out.

The over-ripe banana in the trash
sends an odor wafting to my nose,
sending me back to the kitchen.

The clock still sits at 7:42.
Then the battery, with one last twinge of energy
moves the minute hand.

Thursday Thirteen

1. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. ~ Albert Einstein

2. Surrealism had a great effect on me because then I realised that the imagery in my mind wasn't insanity. Surrealism to me is reality. ~ John Lennon

3. 'Hamlet' is one of the most dangerous things ever set down on paper. All the big, unknowable questions like what it is to be a human being; the difference between sanity and insanity; the meaning of life and death; what's real and not real. All these subjects can literally drive you mad. ~ Michael Sheen

4. Bunch together a group of people deliberately chosen for strong religious feelings, and you have a practical guarantee of dark morbidities expressed in crime, perversion, and insanity. ~ H. P. Lovecraft

5. Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtasked. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

6. Insanity is knowing that what you're doing is completely idiotic, but still, somehow, you just can't stop it. ~ Elizabeth Wurtzel

7. Human beings have speculated about the relationship between inspiration and insanity for centuries. ~ Patty Duke

8. Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

9. The personal ego already has a strong element of dysfunction, but the collective ego is, frequently, even more dysfunctional, to the point of absolute insanity. ~ Eckhart Tolle

10. The process of writing and directing drives you to such extremes that it's natural to feel an affinity with insanity. I approach that madness as something dangerous, and I'm afraid, but also I want to go to it, to see what's there, to embrace it. I don't know why, but I'm drawn. ~ Dario Argento

11. What a fine line there is between artistry and insanity. There's no formula for it, and I think a lot of people when they're around you - even those closest to you - when you're in that whirl of creativity and you're grabbing those things out of the air, there's no rational process. ~ Ronnie Dunn

12. There's a fine line between genius and insanity, as we all know. ~ Mackenzie Phillips

13. Sometimes you have to exercise your insanity, to really make it strong. ~ Flula Borg

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/insanity_4.html
Questions for you: Do you agree with these quotes (or any of them)? Do you think creativity is a type of insanity? Are there different types of insanity? Can one be insane and not be mentally ill?

What say you? What else might you have to say on this topic?

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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 484nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Sometimes I Go Insane

My brain hangs up on crazy thoughts trying to learn what life has wrought.
The day's plan's out of hand and there's no one to understand.
I still remember I was a fool when I was a child back in high school.
I believed in country, law and rule; I hoped for something grand.

Now I've learned evil always wins. The good has lost, we start again.
I have no idea where we begin to bring out the best in men.

Now for 40 years I've stood by watching while the people cry
and wondering how to create change.
I never thought it'd come to this: a lying ass, a tiny fist and me sitting here making up a list
of the things that are now deranged.

Did you listen when the people spoke? Have you been sleeping, have we woke
to find that giants seldom dream?
Have the inmates all been set free? And have we lost our sanity?
What it is, is what will be and all we can do is scream.

We can shout it out from the high roof tops, spin in the streets like wayward tops
but no one really hears a thing.
So when we set out on a victory march, that's really just a creative arch
We walk so stiff, we're filled with starch
Yet we'll make our voices ring.

And we'll be shouting, hell yes, we'll take no more. We're here to fight and settle the score.
We'll pull our hearts out of the drawer, or this will be the day that we sigh.
Or maybe this is now the hour we die.

I met a friend who pulled me close, but it turned out she was just a ghost
She whispered, run, head for the coast.
And I could not comply.
The people I thought were truly good were not from my neighborhood
We all did the best we could
And now we say goodbye.

Sunday Stealing: Icebreaker

Sunday Stealing: The Icebreaker Questions

1. Are you loud, outgoing or shy?

A. I'm an introvert, which is frequently mistaken for shy (or stuck up, depending on who is watching). Mostly I'm quiet and prefer to watch and wait.

2. What’s coming up where you’ll see an old friend?

A. Unfortunately, nothing that I am aware of.

3. Are you easy to get along with?

A. I like to think so, but you may need to ask my friends or my husband to know for sure.

4. Have you ever given up on someone, but then gone back to them?

A. Yes.

5. Who was the last person that you had a deep conversation with?

A. Last week was full of deep conversations with two of my friends.

6. Are you okay with being in a big crowd?

A. No. I have been known to have a panic attack in a department store.

7. Do you believe in luck and/or miracles?

A. I think some people do have better fortune than others, but I don't know if that is luck or circumstance.

8. What good thing happened during the summer? (It’s good to think about summer when you are freezing your butt off in January.)

A. We had homegrown tomatoes.

9. Do you think there is life on other planets?

A. Sure. We'll never know in my lifetime, so what does it matter?

10. Who was your first crush on?

A. A boy named Jamie. Not the James I married, though.

11. What are your bad habits?

A. I bite my nails and I am emotional eater.

12. What’s your favorite part of your daily routine?

A. The part where I feel like I've accomplished something.

13. Other than your significant other, who are you most comfortable with?

A. I have several friends I enjoy spending time with.

14. Has an ex ever told you that they regret breaking up?

A. No.

15. Why should your celebrity crush drop everything to be with you?

A. I don't have a celebrity crush.

16. What would be the hardest to give up and why? Books. TV. Music.

A. Books. I already watch very little TV and while I love music and listen to it, as I age I find I listen to it less. But I still like to read.

17. Do you believe in second chances?

A. Depends on what the person did to need the second chance.

18. What would you like to do next in your life?

A. Be a stronger, healthy, and more independent person.

19. What’s the meanest thing that anyone has ever said to you?

A. A family member called me white trash and said that the reason I couldn't have children was because God hated me just for being born.

20. What’s the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to you?

A. People compliment me on my writing and on my resilience. I appreciate both sentiments.

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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.

I Am Woman

To honor the women who are marching today in support of human rights.