Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing
https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/2019/10/countdown.html

1. List 15 things that make you smile.

A. That's a lot of things. Deer outside, seeing my husband happy, holding a baby, writing a good piece, playing a good song, hearing a good song, reading a good book, flowers, chocolate, my friends' voices, an unexpected phone call, a good meal, decent weather, winning a video game, taking a good photo.

2. Name 14 things that make you frown.

A. Can I just say "politics" and leave it at that?

3. List 13 things you see every day.

A. My husband. My computer screen. My cellphone. Books. My camera. Deer. Trees. Grass. Sky. Clouds. Sun. Darkness. My bed.

4. Name 12 things you have always wanted to try.

A. Going into space, visiting the pyramids, visiting the Great Wall of China, touring Scotland, taking a cruise, visiting Alaska, going after my Ph.D., driving over 120 mph., looking through the big telescopes at the universe, using a camera that costs over $10,000, panning for gold, flying a plane.

5. List 11 objects that mean a lot to you.

A. My watch, my wedding band, my computer, my camera, my cellphone, my books (way more than 11 of those), my house, my guitar(s), my staple remover (I call it my "little monster"), my eyeglasses, my Alexa.

6. List 10 places you have been.

A. Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York City, San Francisco, Madrid, Paris, Florida.

7. List 9 of your favorite foods.

A. Chocolate, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, eggs, crackers, popcorn, Smarties, Pop Tarts.

8. Name 8 things you would rather be doing.

A. Sleeping, reading, playing the guitar, watching a good movie, dreaming, taking a shower, shooting photos, talking to my husband.

9. List 7 things you would take to a deserted island.

A. My husband (though he isn't a thing, I guess), packets of vegetable seeds, matches, a book, a signal flare, a satellite cellphone so I could call for help, clothes.

10. List 6 things you wish you never had to do.

A. Clean the toilets, fix dinner, wash dishes, stand in a long line, be angry with someone, listen to political rants

11. Name 5 people that mean the world to you.

A. Husband, brother, father, stepmother, mother-in-law.

12. List 4 of your biggest fears.

A. Being poor and living under a bridge, dying a long slow death, having a loved one die a long slow death (my mother did that and it is awful), losing my mind.

13. Give us 3 words to describe how you feel right now.

A. Tired, old, cranky.

14. Name 2 things you're excited for.

A. I'm nearly finished with my part of writing an entire magazine. I am looking forward to reading a good book.

15. What is 1 thing you want to say to someone?

A. We all put our pants on the same way.

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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: You Made Me Love You

Saturday 9: (Dear Mr. Gable) You Made Me Love You (1938)

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

1) This version of "You Made Me Love You" is the teenaged Judy Garland's fan letter to Clark Gable. Tell us about one of your teen crushes.

A. I thought Shaun Cassidy was hot once, back when he was in The Hardy Boys.

2) Garland sang to this to Gable at a birthday party thrown for him at MGM. Who is the last person you sang "Happy Birthday" to?

A. My father, I think.

3) Thinking of birthdays . . . Judy received an engagement ring from the man who would be her first husband, David Rose, for her 18th birthday. Are you wearing a ring, or any jewelry, as you answer these 9 questions?

A. No. I just came in and usually the first thing off is bra and jewelry. TMI?

4) It's said Judy's favorite dish was steak and kidney pie. If you could have anything at all for dinner tonight, what would you choose?

A. Well, not that. I'd love to have some shrimp, but I've developed an allergy to it.

5) Judy was ambidextrous, writing with her left hand but playing tennis with her right. Are you equally comfortable using your right and left hands? 

A. I am right handed, but I have to use my left for noting the guitar and other instruments, and for typing. So it does work.

6) To relax between takes of her most famous movie, The Wizard of Oz, Judy read comics in the newspaper. Do you still read a printed newspaper? 

A. I do. Several of them, actually.

7) She could also knit. Judy was known to make blankets and caps for the children of crew members on her films. Do you knit?

A. I have tried. I am not very good at it and it is not something that I find calming.

8) In 1938, when this record was popular, the March of Dimes founded. Do you have any dimes in your wallet (or pocket) right now?

A. No. I have some in a piggy bank, though.

9) Random question: Catsup puddle next to your fries, or a drizzle of catsup on your fries?

A. Puddle. My husband drizzles, but I puddle.

___________

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. (#305)

STRESSED

I am so stressed right now that anyone who crosses me will be chewed up and spit out and left for dead along the highway.

You have been warned.

Thursday Thirteen

1. The older I get, the less patience I have with people who put on airs or think they are better than someone else. Take that stuff someplace else. I have no time for it.

2. Everyday is an adventure. This is supposed to be a good thing that keeps you young. I find it tiring.

3. Trying hard to do the right thing is harder than doing the wrong thing. That's why so many people do the wrong thing. It's easier.

4. The easy way, of course, is not usually the best way.

5. There are right ways and wrong ways, and right-of-ways and recourses, but somewhere along the line somebody has to take an exit.

6. I'm thinking it's time for me to make my exit, stage left. My main project has worn me down and I'm ready to end it and move on to another highway.

7. Sometimes I look up and an hour has passed. I don't know where the time went or how it became later than it was. Those are good hours to lose - I must've been doing something I enjoy.

8. Hours that drag by are not generally enjoyable. Those are hours spent in doctors' offices, or caught in traffic, or standing in line at the store.

9. Today we are forecast to have record-breaking heat. I wonder what the trees think of this weather - drought and heat in October. Poor things. I feel badly for them. I really do.

10. I haven't learned a single new song on my new guitar, but I have improved my playing prowess on older stuff that I already knew but had not practiced in a while. Unfortunately, even though this guitar is much lighter than a regular electric guitar, I can only manage about three songs before I have to put it down. But it is getting better. At first I could only manage one song. And my acoustic guitar feels very light when I pick it up now. So maybe some muscles are strengthening.

11. My office needs a good cleaning. I have papers strewn everywhere. I don't mind the clutter, really, because I can find things, but now that I am close to the end of my big project, I'm ready to clear that out of the way.

12. There are so many things going on in the political arena that I am simply closing my eyes and trying not to see the train wreck.

13. Actually, there seems to be a train wreck at the local level, too. We've become a nation that values incompetence and personality over intelligence and skill. No wonder we are where we are. With those kinds of values, we have we deserve.

_________________
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 623rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Skunked!

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. If you could instill one piece of advice in a newborn baby’s mind, what advice would you give?

A. Time is the most valuable thing you have. Give it away wisely.

2. What is the most desirable trait another person can possess?

A. Intelligence.

3. What are you most grateful for?

A. My husband.

4. Is stealing to feed a starving child wrong?

A. It is wrong but not something I would punish.

5. What do you want most?

A. To be content.

6. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

A. Doing the right things correctly.

7. What has life taught you recently?

A. That I am not a nurse.

8. What is the one thing you would most like to change about the world?

A. I would like for kindness and love to be predominate.

9. Where do you find inspiration?

A. Books, music, nature, other people, magazines, lip balm - inspiration is inside of me, it doesn't take much to trigger it sometimes.

10. Can you describe your life in a six word sentence?

A. She married young but lived well.

11. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

A. Because we are creatures who dislike change, and learning implies change. Indeed, one cannot learn something and not change. So if we make a mistake and do not learn from it, then we have no change. But if we make a mistake and learn from it, then change comes.

12. What impact do you want to leave on the world?

A. I'd like to leave intelligent writings, since I have no offspring with which to burden the world.

13. What is the most defining moment of your life thus far?

A. The death of my mother.

14. In the haste of your daily life, what are you not seeing?

A. That I am stronger than I think I am in some ways, but not quite as strong as I think I am in others.

15. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

A. Societal mores teach us that we must obey our corporate masters and be lemmings, one with the crowd. As social beings we need others to like us, so we work the job we hate and yearn for the trip to New Zealand.

16. What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?

A. A good song or a hug.

17. Have you ever regretted something you did not say or do?

A. Yes. I can't imagine living 56 years and not doing that.

18. Has your greatest fear ever come true?

A. Not for me, but it has for others and it wouldn't take much to put me in that position.

19. Why do we think of others the most when they’re gone?

A. Because we miss them.

20. What is your most beloved childhood memory?

A. I don't really have a "most beloved" childhood memory. I remember how much I needed school, though. It was my haven. Thank goodness for books and empathetic teachers.

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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: Shake It Off

Saturday 9: Shake It Off (2014)

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

1) This song makes Crazy Sam want to dance. What song inspires you to get on your feet?

A. Uptown Funk, by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

2) Paul McCartney met Taylor Swift at the SNL 40 Anniversary special and told her he really enjoys playing and singing this song. What's the last song you sang along with?

A. Home, by Sheryl Crow

3) The lyrics tell us Swift "shakes off" nasty gossip and unfair criticism. What about you? Do you worry about what others think of you?

A. I suppose I do, but not as much as I once did. People think I'm kind of crazy anyway, so it's all good.

4) Her parents are big music fans, and were going to name their baby (boy or girl) "Taylor" after their favorite artist, James Taylor. Can you think of a singer that your mom and/or dad really enjoyed?

A. Any of the country music artists of their time. My father liked Merle Haggard and Hank Williams.

5) She grew up on an 11-acre Christmas tree farm. Do you get a fresh tree every year, or do you have an artificial tree, or do you not put up a tree at all?

A. We have an artificial tree.

6) Taylor Swift is 5'10". According to the CDC, the average American woman is 5'4" while men are, on average, 5'9". Are you taller or shorter than average?

A. I am 5' 2" on a good day with the wind at my back.

7) She enjoys good, old fashioned mysteries, especially those by Agatha Christie. Are you currently reading a book for pleasure?

A. I am reading The Lord of Rings trilogy again at the moment.

8) Her brother Austin is a freelance photographer who took the official pictures for her 2008 concert tour. Who took the last photo of you?

A. My brother's girlfriend took photos of me at a poetry reading on Tuesday.

9) Random question: What's your go-to comfy outfit?

A. Blue jeans, T-shirt, and blue thing. Blue thing is a fleece sweater-like thing. I have several blue things, some of which are not even blue, but they are all called "blue thing" after the original one, which I wore until it was nothing but threads.

___________

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.

Do You Need to Sit Down, Dear?

My husband is going to have to have surgery on his ankle.

This falls under the heading of BIG DEAL. He will be off his feet for three months and out of work for about five.

Somebody will have to give him blood thinner shots. The doctor looked at me and said, "You get to do it," when we were in his office Monday.

Yeah, right.

I am not a nurse. I do not deal with this kind of thing well. It stresses me and I can think of 100,000 things that will go wrong and not a single thing that will go right.

Yesterday the pharmacy at Kroger called and said we had a prescription to pick up. I had all my drugs but some of my husband's blood pressure medication is on auto fill, so I assumed that was what it was.

This morning I went in to get it.

The pharmacy tech grabbed a clear bag and tossed it on the counter. It was filled with needles. HUGE needles. Cow-sized needles. LONG needles. Needles from hell.

I knew immediately that this was the blood thinner stuff, even though we don't have the surgery scheduled yet. This little doctor fellow is in quite a hurry to do this, I guess.

The needles lay there. I looked at them. I started turning white. I grabbed the counter.

"Are you alright?" the pharmacy tech asked.

"Um. What are those?" I managed to ask. I clung to the counter, hoping my legs were going to hold me. Little black dots were starting to swim around my eyes.

She told me. Blood thinner.

"You don't look so good," she added. "Do you need to sit down?"

"We don't want that now," I stammered. "We don't even have the surgery scheduled." I paused. "And yes, I need to sit down."

She shrugged and said the prescription would be on file for a year, and pointed toward a bench. I hung on to my little buggy for dear life and rolled it to the bench, where I sat for a few minutes trying to collect myself. I did not pass out but I came awfully close.

I'm supposed to give my husband these shots. With needles that look like they should go into an elephant.

Hell will freeze over before that happens.

Anybody want to volunteer?

Thursday Thirteen

1. Today I have so many things to do, I don't know where to start. So I am starting here, with my Thursday 13 list. So one thing down.

2. Other "to-dos" include paying bills, writing up a roster of the advertisement for the magazine project I'm working on, working on the magazine project, writing an article for another publication, making the bed, doing the dishes, washing clothes, and getting dressed!

3. I have to look at just the next hour - sometimes the next minute - sometimes or I stall out, freaking out over all the stuff I need to be doing but don't particularly want to be doing at that moment.

4. Take a breath and just go down the list, I tell myself. Go make the bed. Go get out of your pajamas.

5. Yesterday I was looking at Facebook and I have started skipping over political posts. Some of the comments on those posts are beyond the pale. Would you talk to your mother like that? Sheesh. If people are very vile I block them, even if I don't know them and would likely never see them again, because I don't want my mind wrapped around their trash.

6. My office looks like a big wind whipped through it. I have papers everywhere.

7. And I have about 20 wild turkeys outside of my office window. I've been seeing them for a while. I think it's a bunch of hatchlings from spring.

8. When I went with my husband to his doctor's appointment earlier this week, I almost fainted when I got off the elevator. I have actually done that before. I don't know what it is with me and elevators, but sometimes they make me lightheaded.

9. There is a poem in every valley, every hollow, every person. But finding it can sometimes be difficult. I'd like to think each poem would be a pretty poem, but in some areas all that one can see is rock and shadow.

10. We are in a drought. I was reading this morning that the water table is dropping and some people are starting to have dry wells. This is not good. Well, it might be good for well drillers, but not for folks who want a shower.

11. I watched the Country Music series by Ken Burns on PBS. I thought it as a little too glib in places, and it could have been twice as long, probably, but you have to stop somewhere. I liked the parts about the Carter family the best.

12. I don't listen to country music. I stopped when I was 9 or 10 - old enough to have a radio in my room and could twist the dial to Adult contemporary. That's what I've listened to since. I like the Eagles, the Doobie Brothers, Elton John, the Bee Gees, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow. I don't know too many new musicians, though I like Pentatonix. I like the song "Uptown Funk," which is by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (I know that because Alexa tells me so every time I ask her to play it.). When my husband and I play Song Quiz on Alexa, we fail miserably on the decades after the 1980s. There are new songs I know when I hear them but my ability to retain the titles and musicians seem to have gone away with my age.

13.  There is nowhere to go where you can lose yourself completely. But I think that's where a lot of folks are trying to get to.

_________________
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 622nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Reading Poetry

Last night I read three of my poems at an event at the Blue Ridge Library. It was called Artistic Hands and Poetic Voices and was held in conjunction with the library, Open Studios Botetourt, and Artemis Journal.

The event was attended by three artists and five poets. About 25 people came, most of them family members of the people reading or showing their art.

I do not like to speak in front of people, although I do when I must. So I was nervous reading my poetry, but I think I did ok.

Me, myself, and I before the reading.

A crowd shot.

Maurice Ferguson, who organized the event, and read poems.

Curt Alderson as the first poem reader. He has a snappy personality.

Me doing my poetry reading. I kept an ink pen in my hand while I talked.

Meet Mrs. Plain Jane

In last week's photos about our trip to Cherry Grove, SC, I noted we went to the guitar store and hinted at a new arrival at the house.

May I introduce to you my newest guitar, Mrs. Plain Jane:

Mrs. Plain Jane is an Epiphone Les Paul Special 1. It's a limited edition electric guitar that I bought simply because it is very lightweight.

I have other electric guitars but I can barely pick them up. This weighs about as much as a regular-sized acoustic guitar.

It was also only $150, which means it's a very cheap throw-away guitar that I can beat on. No bells and whistles, just pickups for sound.

I had forgotten how nice it is to play an electric guitar. The fretboard on this is no "real" Les Paul (those are made by Gibson and cost loads of money and aren't made in China), but it is sufficient for a rockin' rendition of China Grove.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Who was the last person you were in a car with?

A. My invisible friend, Peaches. She rode with me down to check the mail a little while ago.

2. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?

A. My husband has an appointment and I am going with him.

3. Who is your best friend or do you simply have close friends?

A. I have many close friends.

4. Is tomorrow going to be a good day?

A. How should I know? I always hope that tomorrows are good days.

5. Have you ever thrown up in public?

A. Yes, when I was a teenager. It was a long time ago.

6. What’s on your mind right now?

A. Answering these questions.

7. Who was the last person you talked to?

A. My husband.

8. What is the worst subject they teach at school?

A. I liked everything I ever took in school. I don't think there is a "worst subject." That's subjective.

9. Have you seen anyone lately that you don’t get along with?

A. Yes.

10. What is your favourite color top to wear?

A. Anything dark. But I look good in blue.

11. Have you ever been in a car accident?

A. Yes.

12. What’s the closest thing to you that’s green?

A. The grass outside the window, although it's more burned-up brown than green, since we are having a bit of a drought.

13. Where would you like to be right now?

A. With my husband.

14. Is anything bugging you right now?

A. Yes. I seem to be having major procrastination issues today and don't want to do anything.

15. Is life going right for you now?

A. I suppose.

16. Is there someone you care about more than yourself?

A. Yes.

17. What made you laugh today?

A. Nothing, so far.

18. What was the last movie you watched?

A. Welcome to Marwen.

19. What was the last conversation you had about?

A. My husband and I talked about the fact that he was bored.

20. What were you doing at 7:00 this morning?

A. I was still in bed.

21. Do you like your hair long or short?

A. My hair is medium length.

22. Do you like the rain?

A. "And I wonder, still I wonder, who'll stop the rain?"  Yes, I like the rain.

__________
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: The Candy Man

Saturday 9: THE CANDY MAN (1972)

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

1) This song is from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder. The movie was remade as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. Which Wonka did you prefer?

A. The original. While I'm at it, I would like to formally lodge a complaint against Hollywood for lack of original content. I am tired of remakes. New material, please.

2) In the movie, this song is sung by Bill, the candy store shopkeeper. Think about the last counter person you dealt with. We know that he or she likely didn't break into song, but did you two engage in conversation?

A. I always say hello and ask a checkout clerk how his/her day is going. Then I thank them and tell them to have a great day. I guess that is conversation.

3) The lyrics tell us that The Candy Man can make the world taste good. What's the last thing you ate? Was it delicious, or just OK?

A. I had yogurt for dinner. It was not delicious. It wasn't even OK. It just was.
  
4) The most popular recording of this song was by Sammy Davis,  Jr. Sammy was in a horrific car accident when he was 29 years old. His cheek and nose were broken and he lost an eye. That he survived at all left him reflective and after his hospitalization, he converted to Judaism. Do you still worship in the faith you were raised in?

A. I wasn't raised in any faith. I was raised in the church of curse and swear and be non-religious. I think they call it "secular" these days.

5) Sammy was proud of the honorary college degrees he received because he never formally attended school. As a child, he performed on the road with his father and uncle. In addition to depriving him of an education, that lifestyle kept him from kids his own age. He would later describe his childhood as, "in a word, 'lonely.'" Give us a one-word description of your childhood.

A. Hard.
 
6) Because he spent so much of his youth on the road, living on buses, trains and hotel rooms, he loved eventually having his own kitchen and being able to cook his own meals. This weekend, will you spend much time in the kitchen?

A. I sincerely hope not.
 
7) Sammy enjoyed experimenting with clothes and jewelry. What about you? Do you consider yourself conservative in dress or are you fashion forward?

A. I tend to be conservative, dressing mostly in black or blue colors. I always look nice but I prefer to blend in with the wall.

8) When he died, Sammy was in debt to the IRS. Do you handle your own taxes, or do you use the services of an accountant?

A. I do my taxes up to a point and then hand it over to the accountant.
 
9) Random question: If you had to tell nothing but the truth (not even the tiniest white lie) for 24 hours, do you think you'd get yourself in trouble?

A. No, because I'd take the phone off the hook and go read a book so I wouldn't have to talk to anyone. But even if I did not do that, I try to be truthful unless the truth would be very hurtful. I've never seen the point of lying. It is hard enough to remember reality, much less the fantasies people make up to make themselves look better.

___________

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.

Places We Visited

These are a few more places we visited while at Cherry Grove last week. We went on into Myrtle Beach, of course.

This was one of my favorite stops. It's an eatery along the boardwalk in downtown
Myrtle Beach. It is where the music group Alabama got its start.

Always a good place to stop in and check out. Could there be a new guitar in my house? Hmm.

Prestons is an old favorite for meals. A little pricey these days, though.

This was at Broadway at the Beach. The round thing is a Ferris wheel without its cars; they were removed because of Hurricane Dorian. The house is upside down; some kind of amusement thing.

This is a huge mall. It would encompass every mall in Roanoke, I think.

No visit to the beach is complete without a stop at the Bass Pro. 

Thursday Thirteen

For your viewing pleasure, 13 miscellaneous photos from our trip to the beach. All photos taken with a Canon Powershot 3, which is my oldest camera.

This is Cherry Grove pier.

A close-up of Cherry Grove Pier from our balcony.

 

 

This guy paddled on this surfboard for a very long way.

 

I always liked this view, with the bend in the earth.

 

A storm coming in.

 

Almost a full moon over Cherry Grove Pier.

 _________________
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 622nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Birds at the Shore

We saw a lot of birds at the shore.

This mallard was at the Bass Pro Shop. He didn't really look like a happy duck.

This was his mate.

These are pelicans flying across the ocean.

Seagulls

More seagulls. They gathered in great groups at times.

A Few Days by the Sea

Last week we spent several days in Cherry Grove, SC. That's north of North Myrtle Beach, near the North Carolina line. We postponed our trip a few days because of Hurricane Dorian, but after being assured that most of the Myrtle Beach area went undamaged, we headed down last Monday.

 

As you can see, everything looked rather normal. This end of the beach has developed a lot more than we knew, having not been to the shore in nearly a decade. We were surprised. Fortunately, things were not too crowded and we had a nice trip away from home.