Saturday, November 25, 2017

Saturday 9: The Man in Black

Saturday 9: The Man in Black (1971)

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

1) Black is this week's signature color because Friday, November 24, was "Black Friday," when retailers cut their prices and consumers flock to the stores. Did you score any "Black Friday" bargains?

A. Nothing worth writing home about. I think the "bargains" this year were not very good. I did better last year. (I shopped online.)

2) Among the biggest the Black Friday advertisers are Target, Kohl's, Macy's and Best Buy. If you could have a $100 gift card to any one of those stores, which would you choose?  What would you buy?

A. Best Buy, to purchase new ink cartridges for my printer. Those things are expensive.

3) Feasting and football are also popular Thanksgiving weekend pastimes. Do your Thursday-Sunday plans include pigging out or watching a game?

A. We had a rather mild Thanksgiving dinner and we don't watch the ball games.

4) Thanksgiving weekend is a major time for travel. How far did you venture from home for the holiday?

A. I never stepped a foot out the door.

5) This week's song, "Man in Black," is about a singer who refuses to wear bright colors. What color are you wearing as you answer these questions?

A. Dark blue.

6) Johnny Cash first performed this song at Nashville's Vanderbilt University. When were you last on a college campus? What brought you there?

A. In October 2015, we went to Virginia Tech and stood at the memorial for the 32 young people shot in a mass shooting there in 2007. We paid our respects to the dead. We are at war here, an undeclared war against one another, and I wonder when "the people in charge" will wake up.

7) The average American man wears a 10.5 size shoe, the average woman wears a 7.5. Johnny Cash wore a size 13. Are your shoes bigger or smaller than the national average?

A. I wear a size 7 in women's shoes, though I need a wide size because I have big flat boat feet. My husband wears a size 13. My nephew wears a 16!

8) He preferred his coffee very strong. To make sure what he was drank was to his liking, he carried a jar of instant coffee with him and would ladle it into his cup in restaurants. What about you? What's your standard coffee order?

A. I don't drink coffee. It stunts your growth. Although maybe if it stunts your girth I should take it up, but I don't think my ulcers would like it.

9) While in the air force, Cash wrote short stories under the pseudonym "Johnny Dollar." Make up a pen name for yourself.

A. I already use CountryDew on this blog. I have published under the pen name Ida Know a time or two. Also Ida B. Knowing. But I think any other pen name I might wish to use, I shall keep to myself for the moment.

_____________
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.

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Thursday Thirteen

Happy Thanksgiving to my readers in the United States! To the rest of the world, cross your fingers and hope for the best for this nation, which is now in the hands of some of the worst people I've had had the misfortune to read and learn about. May whatever spirit it is that guides our souls turn toward the light - or at least figure out that there is a light.

For Thursday Thirteen, I offer up turkey:






















My favorite turkey.


________
 
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 527th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
 

Monday, November 20, 2017

Boats and Ships

Something we saw a lot of at Virginia Beach that we don't normally see at Myrtle Beach was boats and ships. Everyday we watched cargo and other boats sail across the horizon. It's not a sight we see often, so we enjoyed sitting on our hotel deck and watching them.











Sunday, November 19, 2017

Sunday Stealing: Thanksgiving Thoughts

Sunday Stealing

1.  What made you feel patriotic this year?

A. I love the mountains and the countryside around me.

2 . What do you value most about your life?


A. My husband.

3.  What do you appreciate about your friendships?


A. My friends make me laugh and smile, but mostly they care about me as a person, and they know me as I am and not who they think I should be, and they accept me for those qualities, and do not deride me for the ones I lack.

4.  Name one person who can make you laugh, even months later. Why?


A. My brother.

5.  What is the funniest thing you remember about a Thanksgiving past?


A. My mother made pumpkin pie that did not "set up" one year. We called it pumpkin puddin'.

6.  Do you have any unusual traditions, rituals or habits around Thanksgiving?

A. No.

7.  Name one ancestor that you think about on Thanksgiving and tell us why.

A. I think about my mother and how much she hated the holidays.

8.  Is there a family heirloom at the Thanksgiving table? What its story?


A. No. No story.

9.  What is your favorite part about Thanksgiving Day?

A. Getting it over with.

10. What random act of kindness did you perform or that was done to you this year that makes you feel grateful?

A. I try to take carts from people in handicapped spots when they unload their groceries so they don't have to haul them off to the distant spots that stupid engineers designed so that people who can't walk have to walk a mile to put away a grocery cart. I also appreciate it when someone takes one from me, since I use a handicapped spot myself.

11. What do you appreciate about the change of seasons?


A. I love the beauty of Autumn. The colors of the trees are spectacular even in a "bad" year.

12. Name five things that make you happy about today.


A. (1) Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our anniversary. (2) It's Sunday so if I don't get much accomplished, it's a pass. (3) My husband helped me change the bed this morning, so we have clean sheets. (4) I had hot chocolate to drink. (5) I heard from an old friend.

13. How has the celebration of Thanksgiving today changed from when you were little?


A. It's a lot calmer now.

14. If you could share Thanksgiving dinner today with one person in history who would it be? Why? (Note: it can be a relative)


A. Joan of Arc, because she was Joan of Arc.

15. What is one wish you have for the next generation as they begin to establish their own Thanksgiving traditions?


A. That they do away with it entirely.

__________

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, November 18, 2017

Saturday 9: Son of Preacher Man

Saturday 9: Son of a Preacher Man (1968)

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

1) This song was originally offered to Aretha Franklin, who turned it down. What's the most recent thing that you said "no" to?

A. I can't think of anything off hand. I sure wish I could say "no" to sweets and chocolate, though.

2) Two years later, Aretha recorded "Son of a Preacher Man." What's something you changed your mind about?

A. We used to be Ford people. Now I drive a Toyota. 

3) This song tells the tale of Billy Ray, a young man who could be very persuasive. If we wanted to change your mind about something, would you be more easily swayed by an emotional argument, or with verifiable facts?

A. Facts.

4) If you ordered a "Son of a Preacher Man" in a bar, you'd get a cocktail made with peppermint schnapps, gin and lemonade. When did you last have lemonade? Was it just lemonade, or was it spiked with alcohol?

A. It would have been just lemonade, and I can't remember when I last had any.

5) Dusty had a thing for maps. She admired them artistically and enjoyed using them to take long car trips. Do you use printed maps? Or do you rely on technology, like GPS or Google Maps?

A. We still use printed maps but also use the GPS in the car. It is not the most reliable thing and can take you on some weird trails sometimes. Plus it thinks my driveway is about 300 feet before it really is.

6) As a girl, she attended convent school. There, one of the nuns discouraged Dusty from performing, telling her that if she would do better to be a mother or a librarian. When you were growing up, did the adults in your world encourage your dreams?

A. Heavens no. Well, my teachers did. "You're going to be a writer," they all said. My professors in college were also encouraging. My mother, on the other hand, wanted me to be sure I took secretarial courses because I wouldn't be able to make a living being a writer. I did make a living being a writer for 20 years, though. Maybe not the best living, but it was enough. My father wanted me to work for him but I could not do that. Otherwise, I suppose he expected me to marry.

7) That nun inspired Dusty's first major act of rebellion. In an attempt to make herself look less like a future librarian or housewife, she bleached her hair platinum blonde. In school, were you much of a rebel? Or did you conform to the expectations adults had of you?

A. I had my rebel moments, which always surprised the adults because I was an A student and teacher's pet otherwise. But I was also an A student who occasionally skipped classes.

8) Early in her career, Dusty provided the entertainment at a family summer camp. She appeared on the bill with a clown, a fire-eater and a hypnotist. Have you ever been hypnotized?

A. Yes, I have.

9) Random question: Have you ever played matchmaker to your friends? If yes, did your efforts lead to romance?

A. I don't think I have ever done that. I tend not to meddle in other people's lives if I can help it.


Today is my 34th wedding anniversary. My husband is not the son of a preacher man; he is a beautiful, caring, loving human being. I am lucky to have him and grateful to him for loving me. He says he has no regrets, and I think that is about the best compliment he could give me. We have had our share of troubles and concerns just like everyone has, but we have always managed to weather it all together. Love is not easy; it takes a great deal of work. But we are now on the other side, and heading into our old age together. If I can die with him holding my hand, all will be good.

_____________
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.

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Thursday Thirteen

1. Sometimes Thursdays sneak up on you. When did it become Thursday, you ask? Here it is, and I have nothing ready.

2. My major accomplishment this week: I finished editing a manuscript for a client.

3. My brother's major accomplishment: he killed a big buck and a bear yesterday. Congratulations to him on some mighty fine hunting.

4. My husband's major accomplishment thus far: he killed a buck and sprained his ankle.

5. The GOP's major accomplishment: putting forth a tax plan that would ruin retirees and underinsured people, as well as anyone not wealthy. This is according to Forbes. I don't consider them to be fake news.

6. The Dem's major accomplishment: still existing. Although I must say that last week's wins in Virginia were sweet.

7. I read a book for my book club that was incredibly depressing. It was the kind of book that would validate an alien's reason for destroying the Earth, because there was very little redemption of humanity in the thing.

8. My glass of water is empty, but I can fill it up again. In some parts of the world, people can't say that. Even in some parts of the United States, people can't say that.

9. Husbands are hard to buy things for. Actually, guys in general are hard to buy for. A woman is easy - buy her a piece of jewelry and you're done. But guys? How many hammers can one fellow own?

10. On Saturday I will celebrate my 34th wedding anniversary. Why does it seem like less than two years ago?

11. My office needs a cleaning and a remodeling. For 20 years it has been a news reporter's workspace. But I am no longer a news reporter. Now I want to turn it into a writer's workspace. What's the difference? Beauty. And hopefully less research material.

12. I am a real fiend for tech toys. The other day I bought something called a Boogie Board, which is basically an LED Etch-A-Sketch. You write or draw on it, then click a button, and it disappears. I used it to draw this. I'm not a very good artist but I expect an artist might enjoy this, at least, for a while.

13. I saw pocket transistor radios for sale in one of my Christmas catalogs. I am thinking of buying one for myself. I don't know why, as I can listen to radio stations on my computer and do. I just like the idea of it.

________
 
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 526th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Autumn Color






Monday, November 13, 2017

The Turkeys Fight Again














I don't know what it is in my backyard that makes turkeys want to kill one another, but for the second time two of them went after each other and tried to eat one another's head. What is up with that?

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Sunday Stealing: Simple Life

Sunday Stealing


What are five things you would like to do more often?

A. Write, read, travel, take pictures, practice drawing, and learning to cook healthily.

What is your quote to live by?

A. Not all those who wander are lost. - J. R. R. Tolkien

What was the best thing that happened this week?

A. The Democrats won big in the state elections, and the candidate I was pulling for in the local election also won.

What is something you are stressed about?

A. My health.

What book has influenced your life?

A. All of them, but I think it was Anne of Green Gables that made me want to be a writer.

Share a childhood memory.

A. When I was in second grade, in the first 6 weeks period, I received a B+ in reading. No one received an A, and I had the highest grade. I have always been one to want to know what the heck I did wrong, so I went to the teacher and I asked her why I didn't get an A. "You are the best reader and English student," said Mrs. Wright. She picked up a nearby book. "But when you read," she dropped her head down and looked into the book, "you just read." She then read off something in a monotone. "You don't give it any life." I stood there in a mix of panic and consternation. Nobody had told me I was supposed to offer inflection when I read, and so I was penalized for it. I didn't think that was fair and thought it would have been nice if she'd said something about three weeks prior to my asking. But I took the lesson to heart, and if you ever want to hear someone tell or read a story that includes real life dog-sounds or changing voices for people, I'm your girl.

What fictional character would you most like to be?

A. Gandalf the white, except as a girl. I'm tired of the patriarchy. Blah.

What is something you are proud of?

A. My marriage.

What was the last thing you celebrated?

A. My birthday.

What are weird things you like?

A. I'm a nerd so I like nerd stuff. I like tech toys, superheroines, video games, and staring out the window.

What is your favorite song to sing?

A. I don't really have a favorite, but I suppose American Pie might come close to being my favorite to sing. It is long and I know all the words.

Name three things you do well.

A. Eat, drink, and fart. (And surprise people. I seriously doubt many expected that answer.)

What are your priorities in life?

A. To be happy, to keep my husband happy, and to be kind.

What is something that scares you?

A. Heart palpitations.

Best book you read this year?

A. I reread Black Beauty, the children's classic, earlier in the year. It is a classic for a reason.

 __________

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, November 11, 2017

Saturday 9: Get Down Tonight

Saturday 9: Get Down Tonight (1975)

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

Well, this one's an oldie but goodie, isn't it? Do a little dance . . . I always did like disco.


1) Tonight, KC has three things on his "to-do" list: do a little dance, make a little love and get down. Tell us three things you'd like to accomplish this weekend.

A. Finish editing a manuscript, get the bedding changed, and read the novel I need to finish up for book club.

2) This week's song is considered emblematic of disco, a genre that had as many detractors as fans. Is there a kind of music you simply cannot stand?

A. I don't listen to hip-hop or rap. It's not that I can't stand it, really. I just don't understand it. There are some country music forms that make me shudder, but then there are other country songs that I love.

3) Before becoming a musician, KC, aka Harry Casey, worked in a record store. In those days, record stores were very popular. Peaches, Coconuts, Sam Goody and Tower Records are four store chains that once dotted the landscape but now are gone. Today, if you wanted to purchase a CD, where would you turn?

A. I would probably get it on Amazon; that way it is in my Amazon music on Prime and I can download it instantly onto my computer or smartphone.

4) One of his duties at the record store was unloading the big corrugated shippers filled with LPs. What's the heaviest thing you've lifted lately?

A. I have back problems so I don't lift much. I think the crock pot was the heaviest thing I've lifted in a while. It's 34 years old - we received it as a wedding present - and thus it is sturdy, well-made, and heavy.

5) KC is proud that he's lived his entire life in Miami-Dade County. Do you expect to change your address in the next year or so?

A. No.

6) In 1975, the year this song was popular, former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, never to be seen again. Many theories flourish about what may have happened to him. Is there a famous criminal case that has a hold on your attention?

A. Not really a criminal case, but I like the local legend of the Beale Treasure. The Beale Treasure is supposedly hidden somewhere in my county or an adjacent county, and there is a bunch of codes that supposedly reveal the location of the booty. Great story. You can read about it here. You can find websites that claim to have cracked the code, but nobody's found any treasure.

7) Jaws was the most popular movie of 1975. Are you afraid of sharks?

A. I don't go in the ocean, so no.

8) Actress Angelina Jolie was born in 1975. People magazine once named her "most beautiful." Who is the most beautiful woman you can think of?

A. Elizabeth Taylor comes first to mind, so I will go with her.

9) Random question: A wizard offers you a choice -- would you like your life to stay as it is right now (in terms of your health, your career, your relationships and your finances) for the next 5 years, or would you like to take a chance that the future will be brighter?

A. Aren't we always taking a chance every day that the future will be brighter? How is that any different than regular life? I'll take the chance. It's not any different than where I am now, and the chance of improvement is better than stuck where I am.

_____________
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.

Friday, November 10, 2017

Trying to Draw

I have never considered myself to by a drawing sort of artist. I may be a photography sort of artist, and a writing sort of artist, but "artwork" does not seem to be my thing.

This morning, in a moment of meditation, I thought I'd try to draw something on an LED writer I picked up to use instead of post-it notes.

Here is the item I was drawing:

Yes, a little basket with checkbooks in it. Whoo hoo.

This looks like a basket - maybe - but one would never know what was in it.
I did find it an interesting exercise, much like I find coloring to be helpful to my anxiety. And with the LED board, one little click and my efforts are gone (unless, like this, I take a photo of it).

I should probably stick to coloring books.

Thursday, November 09, 2017

Thursday Thirteen #525

I am one of the many hundreds of thousands of people who have a problem with inflammation. From my reading, some of this is genetic. Some is diet. Some is stress. Some is . . . well, who knows. I have tried anti-inflammatory diets in the past and did not find them helpful. If they made me feel better, it wasn't noticeably so.

While we were at Virginia Beach a few weeks, I noticed I felt better. On the way home, as soon as we topped Afton Mountain outside of Charlottesville and were in a higher altitude, I felt my fingers begin to swell, as if I were retaining fluid. This was, in fact, noticeable.

The question of whether altitude causes inflammation apparently hasn't been scientifically answered (or even studied, from what I can find), but since at least one person has asked the question online, I am not the only one to wonder.

Anyway, I think it is time I return to an anti-inflammatory diet, so here are 13 foods that supposedly make a difference in how you feel.

There are more than 13 foods that help inflammation, of course. These are the ones I can eat. Some, like onions, are probably very good for you, but I have a propensity to develop ulcers and things like onions and peppers tend to not help that.

1. Whole grains: Eat these to gain more fiber, which has been associated with fewer signs of inflammation. They also have a lower glycemic index, for those watching blood sugar levels. My favorite is brown rice.

2. Berries and tart cherries: Fruit in general is high in antioxidants, and berries in particular have anti-inflammatory properties because they contain healthy polyphenols and anthocyanins. I like blueberries. My husband uses cherry juice all the time to keep his gout at bay.

3. Olive oil: This plant-based fat is great for a heart-healthy diet and contains healthy oleic acid. It’s also delicious and fits in well with the Mediterranean diet. This is, for the most part, the only oil I use.

4. Cruciferous vegetables: Vegetables in the cabbage family contain numerous nutrients, including antioxidants, which protect the body from the free radicals which can prompt inflammation. I liked cooked cabbage but I don't eat enough of it. This is a food I need to add.

5. Tomatoes: Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that may reduce inflammation in the lungs and elsewhere in the body. I love tomatoes but don't eat them as often as I should. I also am not sure that hybrid tomatoes really do the job.

6. Leafy greens: Spinach, kale and other dark leafy greens contain an abundance of healthy compounds including vitamin E, calcium, iron, and phytochemicals that help reduce inflammation. I like leafy greens but my husband will only eat kale.

7. Apples: Apples, like most other fruits, contain healthy phytonutrients that help protect against age-related diseases. I used to eat more apples but since my gallbladder surgery, they seem to bother me.

8. Nuts: Walnuts contain omega-3s, almonds and macadamias contain oleic acid, and nearly all nuts contain antioxidants — key ingredients in helping the body fight inflammation. Many nuts and their oils are also considered healthy fats. I like almonds.

9. Ginger and turmeric: These two spices often found in Indian food have anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric contains curcumin, a particularly potent anti-inflammatory compound. If these flavors don’t appeal to you, try supplements. I have tried turmeric supplements and they upset my stomach.

10. Carrots: Carrots are rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene, which helps reduce free radicals in the body. I like carrots, but they are also a bit hard on my stomach since I had my gallbladder removed.

11. Low-fat dairy: Dairy can prompt inflammation in certain sensitive people, but high-quality and low-fat dairy products like good cheese and yogurt are an excellent source of protein, probiotics, and calcium. I eat a lot of non-fat yogurt.

12: Sweet Potatoes: Another healthy carbohydrate, sweet potatoes also contain fiber, antioxidants, and the phytonutrient beta carotene. We have discovered bags of steamed sweet potatoes, which turn out very good.

13: Tea: White, green, and oolong tea in particular contain phytonutrients and flavonoids which help reduce inflammation. I drink black tea every morning, and need to add a cup of green tea in the afternoon.

Another food is fish, but I stopped eating fish several years ago after I developed a severe sore throat every time I ate it. We never could figure out if it was simply shellfish or other fish that was perhaps cooked in shellfish grease, and it made me too sick to try to experiment, so I simply gave up all fish. I miss it but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Here's to healthy eating. The foods from the list came from this website. Check it out for the 7 I left off.

________
 
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 525th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Tuesday, November 07, 2017

Election Day

Today is Election Day here in the U.S.A. It is not a presidential election year, so we are voting for state and local folks.

For the first time in a long time, I have a choice of representation on the ballot in my local supervisors' district. I have a choice in some of the state races - the ones at the top - but not delegate or senator. The incumbents are running unopposed.

I have never missed a vote. Even if I have no choice, I vote anyway. Sometimes I write in names when people are unopposed (because I can). At the very least, it should let the winner know not everyone is happy with his or her performance. Additionally, it means incumbents won't get 100 percent of the vote, not that 100 percent of the registered voters will have voted.

We have rain and it's growing colder by the hour, so I bet the turn out is abysmal. Will we even have a 30 percent turn out of voters? Stay tuned.

When you feel your vote makes no difference, I am not sure what you call it, but I do not call it democracy. In fact, I wear solid black to the voting both, to protest the death of democracy. Not that anybody asks.

Locally, the Republicans have a stranglehold on most of the seats. I expect my county will go Republican; it has for years. Folks seeking lower taxes moved in in the 1990s and brought with them their desires for more government services somehow paid for out of thin air. We've had some real winners on the local governing board in the last 15 years. They represented somebody, but they did not represent me. I was a news reporter at the time and had to keep my opinions to myself.

Why aren't there more people willing to run for office? For one thing, it's not a regular person's game anymore. Unless you're a millionaire plus, you may as well forget it. Even at the local level, you have to spend thousands to get what you're after. For another, the election process has become as vicious as vultures pecking out the eyes of a calf. If you have the least little crack in your life's history, the opposition will break it open until your guts are strewn all over the floor.

Who wants to deal with that?

Twenty years ago, the candidates for the local board ran as independents. And then the political parties crept into it, and all was lost. Once that game started, there has been nothing to do but sit back and watch the dive into divisiveness and derision. No amount of sanity is going to save us now.

So go vote. I vote to honor the women who lived before me, who died so that I might exercise my right to write-in the name of a candidate, even if that person will only receive the single vote I cast. It is your civic duty, even if you're as jaded and as regretful as I am over the way the process is handled today.

Go vote because it is the right thing to do. And don't hesitate to write in Yosemite Sam if you don't like the choice of candidates.