Thursday Thirteen

Today, a little local history:

The Cavalier Burger was one of Daleville's first "fast food" places. It started about 1972. The building is still there, but now it is a pet grooming facility. We always laughed about the "chicken shakes" you could purchase at the Cavalier Burger.

This is what Fincastle looked like before the trees all grew up, probably in the 1980s or earlier.

This is a barn floating down the James River during the Flood of 1985. The flood wiped out the communities of Eagle Rock and Cloverdale and the Town of Buchanan.

The second Botetourt County Courthouse, which burned in 1970.

The "old jail" structure and water tower beside the courthouse. The courthouse would be off to the right of the photo. 

The county's first real strip mall, built approximately 1986. It was anchored by Winn-Dixie, which remained until about 1998 or so, and a Peoples Drug Store, which turned into something else and ultimately ended up a CVS. This mall still stands but it houses a Dollar General Market and few other small things.

The community of Eagle Rock, circa 1895. The town had several hotels and was a bustling area with mills and a tourist trade. President Grover Cleveland fished in the James River nearby.

The James River and Kanawha Canal was the brainchild of George Washington, who started it, sort of, but did not live to see it through. The canal was supposed to go all the way up the James and eventually connect with the Ohio River to the west. It ends in Eagle Rock. By the time the last lock was built, railroads were becoming the thing, and eventually the tow-path along the river was bought up and turned into a rail line.

The Roanoke Hollins Stockyard, circa 1970, has been around for about 60+ years.

The Breckinridge Mill is a reminder that long ago, local mills ground flour and such products came from local farms, not far away.

The City of Roanoke, known as Big Lick long before the railroad came, would never have become a prosperous railroad town if some Botetourt County folks hadn't had the initiative to encourage the railroad to "go that-away" instead of taking other routes.

The state bought out and removed the Truckstop at Exit 150 on Interstate 81 about 10 years ago. The truckstop started around 1962.  This picture was taken in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

This is a document signed by Patrick Henry. It and many like it, signed by other founders of Virginia and the United States, can be found in the Botetourt County Courthouse, where they are preserved, protected, and kept under lock and key by the county clerk.

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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 667th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Eagle Takes Flight

I lucked into this photo Just happened to spy an eagle in a tree on the farm and had my camera with me. He took flight as I was setting up the camera and I clicked.

Please Mr. Please

Here's my version of Please Mr. Please, by Olivia Newton-John.

I made it to the end of the song before I realized I hadn't worked out how to end it. So there's a little note to that effect in the video. Keepin' it real, I guess.

The Last American

Yesterday, my nearby town lost one of its great characters. Because I value his family's privacy, I will only refer to him as Bobby, but everyone who is local will know of whom I speak, and at the end is a video that will identify him fully.

Bobby was 90, as best I can tell, when he passed away. He served as the town's mayor several times. He was great friends with everyone, and as far as I know, he hadn't an enemy in the world.

I met him when I was 20 years old. I worked at a law office in town, and Bobby was friends with my boss. But it was because I was "James Arthur's" wife that my acceptance was immediate. Bobby also was old friends with my father-in-law, Jimmy, and I heard many tales about their adventures at hunting camp, a secret place somewhere over on Bald Mountain in Craig County.

Bobby was the kind of guy who had a story for everything - because he'd done so much. He greeted me with a hug whenever I saw him and would immediately ask about my husband and the rest of the family. As time passed, he wanted to know about my nephews, too. He never forgot to ask about them.

Bobby lived in my nearby town all of his life. He was born in 1930, and he lived in the small community before the time of vehicles, before telephones, before, well, most things that we now take for granted.

He grew up in an America that doesn't exist anymore. He grew up in a time when all he needed to know took place within walking distance of his house, and if he needed to know more, he read the newspaper (and didn't proclaim it "fake news" if he disliked what he read). 

Around 2005, Bobby wrote a book about his life, a memoir, if you will, of simpler times. Copies may still be available at the Botetourt County Historic Society. I cannot find my copy, which makes me sad because I'd like to quote from it. If he signed it for me, I may have put it away with my other autographed books, and they're in a closet that I can't reach. 

His book held so many stories, though! For example, his father rescued a young black child during the winter, and the boy grew up with Bobby (who was white). There was something about skunks. And a story about a coffin. The hunting stories, too, seemed to always elicit gales of laughter from the men as they stood around talking and reminiscing.

Bobby attended school in town, spent a year at Greenbrier Military School, and then volunteered for the Army. 

According to a Roanoke Times story from 2005, he also worked for the Atomic Energy Commission. The paper reports that Bobby said this: 

"I witnessed the first H-bomb explosion in the middle of the Pacific in 1952," . . . "I was 40 miles away at sea, and you couldn't look at it with the naked eye. It was humongous, something you just can't describe. That island where they detonated the bomb is no more."

Later, Bobby worked as a deputy clerk for the Botetourt County Circuit Court and then went on to work for Appalachian Power. He didn't lay lines - he negotiated rights of way. He was still working for Appalachian the last time I spoke to him, which was last summer, even though he officially "retired" in 1993.

The book Bobby wrote came about because he had all of those stories in his head and putting them on paper seemed like the thing to do.

He also wrote letters to the editor of the local newspapers. Here's one from 2018:

I once belonged to the NRA back when it was what I considered a hunting organization. When it became more political, I dropped out. I tried to explain to the calls I got from NRA my feelings, then and only then was I left alone (no more calls). I was told by several friends and NRA members, "once the anti-gun people get their feet in the door, we would all lose our guns." I simply cannot buy into that theory.
I would suggest we outlaw automatic weapons and bump stocks, have a buy-back system, give them all to the military and very special units of law enforcement, we could avoid a lot of mass killings. In addition to the above, we should keep arms out of the hands of the mentally unstable that show any signs of aggression. This should help keep the peace.
We certainly cannot continue to allow people to be slaughtered, most especially our precious children. Arming teachers is not a feasible idea.
Raising age limits from 18 to 21 to purchase automatic weapons is only showboating at best.
NRA, please become a hunting organization again. I will gladly rejoin.
BOBBY _____
FINCASTLE

I thought the world of Bobby. I know there are hundreds of people who can write a better description of Bobby than I can, people who were closer to him and knew him better. To me, though, he was, first and foremost, a decent and kind human being. Given the things that are going on today, I think he was probably among the best people I have ever known. I consider his America to be gone with him now, and we are faced with new problems and villains to overcome, and a totally different country. I hope Bobby will look down and give us guidance as we make tough choices.

Here is part one of a talk with Bobby, part of the Virginia History Exchange. There are four parts, and the rest can be viewed there if desired.

Sunday Stealing #345

Sunday Stealing

Pick a book

Guide to Fiction Writing, by Phyllis A. Whitney. This book was written in 1982.

1.  Why did you pick the book?

A. I read it many years ago and refer to it occasionally when I (ahem) consider my (non) career as a fiction writer. I was looking through it just yesterday.

2.  What did you think about the book?

A. I loved this book. It is no longer in print, but it is a great how-to guide for creating setting, character, and plot.

3.  What do you know about the author?

A. Phyllis A. Whitney lived from 1903 to 1908. She died at the age of 104. She wrote 76 books in her lifetime. I read many Phyllis A. Whitney books when I was young, beginning from about the age of 9 or 10. She wrote gothic romances, for the most part. Part mystery, part love story, part ghost story. Thunder Heights, written in 1960, was the first book of hers I read (probably one my mother had). Her work had quite an influence on me until it was scribbled out of my head by my university professors, who honestly had no idea who she was because they were aiming for "literary" writing. I would be quite happy writing like Phyllis Whitney or Janet Evanovich, I think. Maybe I'll get off my butt one day.

4.  What’s the most memorable scene?

A. Since this is a "how to" book, there really isn't a memorable scene. Her instructions on how to put together a "book notebook" are enlightening, though. They never taught that at college.

5.  How did the book make you feel?

A. It made me feel like I could write a book, too. At least, it did the first time I read it.

6.  How do you feel about the way the story was told?

A. It was laid out well for a how-to book.

7.  Which parts of the book stood out to you?

A. The parts about making a "book notebook."

8.  Which specific parts of the protagonist can you relate to?

A. No protagonist, really, except the "you" who would one day be a writer, too (or not).

9.  Which character did you relate to the most?

A. Not really applicable.

10. Share a line or passage from the book.

A. This is my favorite line from the book, because it is so true. It is a truism I've not seen in any other writing book, especially those written by men. "Men writers who are married to non-working wives- that is, wives who stay at home- have a certain advantage. Every writer needs a wife!- someone to stand guard, to cook meals, to deal with the immediate problems of house and children, and keep them out of their husband's hair. It's more difficult for women writers, who have to do all these chores plus their writing." 

I made a living writing while being a wife, holding down part-time jobs, and going to school. Talk about a juggling act. I honestly have never seen this addressed like this in any other writing book, and I've read scads of them.

11. What did you think about the ending?

A. It ends like this: "This is a book about writing. I hope it's a book that you will mark up and use . . I hope as well that you've found in it some of the encouragement we all  need to keep us going. I have been where you are, and you will be where I (published) - if you never give up. Whatever sort of writing you do, don't let anyone put you down."

For a how-to book, it ends as it should - with optimism and encouragement.

12. Is the story plot driven or character driven?

A. That doesn't really apply to this book.

13. If the book was made into a movie, what changes or decisions would you hope for?

A. Again, it doesn't really apply, but I suspect this author's life might make a good story. http://phyllisawhitney.com/About%20Phyllis%20A.%20Whitney.htm

14. How did the book change you?

A. It made me rethink how I went about putting together a story, even nonfiction.

15. If the book is part of a series, how does it stand on its own?

A. It is not part of a series and it stands on it own.

I probably did not pick the best book for these questions, but I am in the midst of trying to reconnect with a part of myself I've lost.

This was a piece of the search.

________________
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 Love Boat

Saturday 9: The Love Boat (1977)

 

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

1) The Love Boat ran from 1977 to 1987. It was in the Top 10 for seven of those 10 seasons. Are you familiar with the show? Were you a fan?

A. I watched it, especially when it first came on, as it was on the only channel we could receive on the television. I don't remember watching it much after I married and left home. I did not consider it "must see TV."

2) Every week, viewers followed The Pacific Princess as she set sail to a glamorous destination. Have you ever taken a cruise? If so, where did you go?

A. I have never been on a cruise.

3) Gavin MacLeod played Captain Steubing. Born Allan See, he came up with the stage name by combining the first name of a fictional character he admired, and the last name of a teacher who influenced him. Using his formula, give yourself a stage name. For example, Sam would be Hermione Hart (Hermione from Harry Potter; Hart for her Kindergarten teacher).

A. Stephanie Larsen.

4) After the series ended, Fred Grandy (aka "Gopher") went on to become a Congressman from Iowa and then CEO of Goodwill Industries. If you had a bag of gently-used items to donate, where would you take them?

A. Before the Pandemic, I took things to the Rescue Mission, which helps homeless folks in the city. I haven't donated anything lately except books, which I dropped off on the back porch of the local library.

 

5) Ted Lange is best known for his role as the ship's bartender, Isaac. But he began his career performing the classics, and appeared at Colorado Shakespearean Festival and London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Let's class up this joint. Give us a little Shakespeare.

A. Song of the Witches: “Double, double toil and trouble”

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

(from Macbeth)

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and caldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the caldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,

Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and caldron bubble.

Cool it with a baboon's blood,

Then the charm is firm and good.

Notes: Macbeth: IV.i 10-19; 35-38

6) Bernie Kopell played the ship's doctor, Adam Bricker. Kopell first appeared on TV in 1961 and was a regular on Get Smart and That Girl, and he's still acting today. But Love Boat was, by far, his favorite role. Working on the show was "absolute heaven" because he was paid to travel the world and meet his acting idols, like Oscar winners Greer Garson, Joan Fontaine and Eva Marie Saint, who appeared on the show. When you think of the best job you have ever had, what made it so good: the pay, the location, the people you met, or the work itself?

A. The best job I ever had was as a freelance news writer. I worked from home long before that was ever a thing, I met thousands of people, I educated the public so I was a teacher of sorts, and I absolutely loved the work. I loved the intricacies of government as I became a well-known local government reporter. I loved seeing how the mechanics of politics worked, and how limited local government is by rules written by idiots in the state's House of Delegates and Senate, as well as the nutcases at the federal levels of Congress. I enjoyed trying to explain this to the public, although given the state of things today, I must have done a poor job of it because nobody still understands how it is all supposed to work. I estimate that I wrote over 7,500 articles, give or take a few, during my time writing for local publications, and published about 3,000 photos. At one point, I was churning out over 30 articles a month. I still miss it, but not enough to go to a board meeting now and risk exposing myself to Covid-45.

7) Lauren Tewes played Cruise Director Julie McCoy. Today she lives in Seattle, appearing in local theater and -- between acting assignments -- working as a chef for a catering service. Have you hosted dinner for more than 8 people? If yes, do you remember what you served?

A. We had Thanksgiving at my house in 1989, which was the year my parents' house burned down. So I had my parents over, my brother and his wife, my in-laws, and my sister-in-law and her husband. I fixed the turkey and some side dishes. My sister-in-law brought sweet potatoes. That was the largest dinner I have ever hosted. I've had many open houses at Christmas, but those weren't actual meals.

8) For the first nine seasons, the theme was sung by Jack Jones. The Grammy-winning singer says one of his career highlights playing Sky Masterson onstage in Guys and Dolls. In his late 50s at the time, had had to go outside his comfort zone, dancing and acting as well as singing before a live audience. Tell us about something new you tried recently.

A. For the past six weeks or so, I have been videotaping guitar performances and putting them up once a week on my blog. They are unlisted on my youtube channel, but if you look under "music" in the stuff I write about section of my blog, they will all come up and you can reach them via the links here. The song I posted on July 14 was one I wrote. This has been very difficult for me, because I have a public speaking fear that the camera instills when I hit "record," so I've been trying to push myself to do these to get over that. Also, I think my voice sounds bad and I hate the way I look, so lots about this is out of my comfort zone.

9) Random question  -- Which would you rather receive as a gift: one $500 wristwatch, or five $100 wristwatches?

A. Probably the $100 wristwatches. I wear a cheap Timex anyway. I don't think I've ever paid more than $100 for a watch. I have one from my university that I bought on a whim (needs a battery), but mostly I wear an Indiglo Timex and have for years. I get the gold and silver stretch bands. I used to wear a Waltham "moon and stars" watch that I loved, but I lost it and could never find a replacement. Waltham makes junk now, but they used to make really fine watches.

Great questions, Sam!

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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.

Thursday Thirteen

Here are 13 books about writing. There are countless books on writing. These are some I have read.

1. Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert

2. Writing the Natural Way, by Gabriel Rico

3. The Writing Diet, by Julia Cameron

4. Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg

5. Steering the Craft, by Ursula Le Guinn

6. On Writing Well, by William Zinsser

7. The Elements of Style, by Strunk & White

8. On Becoming a Novelist, by John Gardner

9. Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott

10. If You Want to Write, by Brenda Ueland

11. The Widening Stream: The Seven Stages of Creativity, by David Ulrich

12. Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft, by Janet Burroway

13. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, by Christopher Vogler

My favorites of these would be If You Want to Write, The Writing Diet, and Steering the Craft. But there are as many books out there telling a person how to write as there are ways to actually write a sentence.

There is no one right way to write. The only truism is that if you don't write, then you aren't writing. You can still be a writer and not write. You can live creatively and not write. But if you don't write, you aren't writing.

That's it. That's the most important thing.

Any books inspire you? Feel free to list them, I'm always looking for more to read.

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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 666th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

I Miss School

I miss college. I miss the atmosphere, the ideas, the notion that there is a world where positive change is possible.

I hate living in this new world that evil has created, the one where everyone is angry, people are dying, and the life is being sucked out of everyone by a bully who thinks he can become the dictator of the USA.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending 45 minutes with one of my former professors in a webinar, along with many other Hollins students (most, I am sure, were former students of hers), and it was 45 minutes of bliss - the kind of relaxation I haven't felt in months (years?).

I felt at home. How nice to have a conversation about writing, about ideas, about creativity. A conversation that did not involve politics, stupid flags, police states, or the cost of pork and other meats. How beautiful to see the sparkle in my old professor's eye as she talked about her creative process, her work habits. How amazing to hear the solemn joy in her voice as she read one of her poems to us. How utterly decadent to spend 45 minutes doing something I loved, instead of the things I must do (like laundry).

How wonderful a campus is, where you can mention Rilke or Descartes, or talk about Sisyphus, and somebody knows what you're talking about. It's a place where ideas go to find their owners, because people on campus are creative learners, who want to learn, and they are seekers of truths and knowledge. They value knowledge and learning. They don't think that opinion is the same as fact; they understand the difference.

God, I miss college.

Chasing the Comet

Somewhere up in the sky is Comet Neowise.

It's about 3 miles across and it won't be back for about 7,000 years. It looks nice through binoculars. We've seen it a few times now. 

I spent several hours yesterday going over my camera settings so I could try - again - to photograph this comet.

We could see it with our naked eye when we first went out, a streak or smudge on the dark sky, just below the Big Dipper.

And while I was able to get the Big Dipper, finally, the comet vanished, even through binoculars, as the heat and humidity sent steam and mist rising into the upper atmosphere and blocked the view.

Night photography is not my strong suit. I spent years learning to photograph the moon, and I can do that now with decent results. But the stars? Until last night, I'd not even been able to get a star.

I guess there is progress there, in that I was able to get the Big Dipper before cloud cover rolled in and shuttered the entire sky.

But dang, I want to see that comet on my camera.

Fire and Rain

This is my version of Fire and Rain, by James Taylor. The music strumming pattern is much different than what you would hear on the record; it's my own arrangement. The sound is off a little in this video, too.

How Does the Garden Grow?

We haven't planted a garden in a few years, but this year, given the pandemic and utter weirdness going on in 2020, we planted a small one.

It's about the size of a pickup truck.

It has zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, peas, cucumbers, and tomatoes in it. The tomatoes are still green.

I froze six quarts of green beans this morning. We've been eating squash for dinner nearly every day. I made two loaves of zucchini bread and froze one of them. I haven't found a way to freeze squash that actually works and I don't can (no pressure cooker), so we just eat squash or give it to my mother-in-law. Sometimes I make a casserole and freeze half of that, but we aren't rolling in enough squash yet for me to consider casseroles.

A very long time ago, we had a huge garden, and I did the canning and freezing and putting stuff up crap. It was incredibly time consuming, and since I generally either worked part-time or full-time and was always in school or sick, it wasn't something high on my list of things I really wanted to do. Not when the Green Giant has cans of beans that taste perfectly fine.

And here's a secret: I hate to cook. I don't mind baking occasionally, but mostly, I find cooking to be the most time-sucking thing I have to do. It's worse than laundry. It's worse than cleaning the toilets, even.

Cooking involves dealing with raw meat. Blech. It involves peeling, dicing, slicing (oh, there goes a piece of a finger - oops), boiling, baking, heating. It means finding the right spices or herbs or whatever. It takes hours of time and it's gone in 20 minutes. Or less. Cooking means having a hot kitchen on a 100 degree day. 

If I never had to cook another meal again, I would be perfectly content. When my husband worked, I ate a lot of Stouffer's meals and sandwiches on the days he was at the fire station. Now he is home every night. He wants a meal.

I'd just as soon have a ham sandwich. I swear, if I lived closer to a K&W Cafeteria, I would order enough from there once a week so all I had to do was reheat and be done with it.

This means I don't eat healthy foods. I know that. The premade meals are full of salt and preservatives and probably do not help my health issues at all. 

I hate cooking so much that I do not care.

My friends think this is crazy. What woman doesn't love to cook? This one. The one who would rather read a book or play the guitar than cook. The one who would rather eat a ham sandwich than cook something. The one who never, ever reads a recipe magazine.

This goes back a long way. One of my friends tried to help me figure it out the other week. "What do you remember from your childhood about dinner?" she asked. She described pleasant meals where her father and mother talked about their days. Leave It To Beaver kind of meals.

"Not anything like that," I said. I won't go into detail, but while I am sure there were occasionally calm family dinners, I can't remember them. 

"Didn't you help your mother in the kitchen?"

"She made me help her when she was punishing me for something," I replied.

Then I recited a story from when I was about 10 years old. My mother worked a full-time job. She came home around 6 p.m. every day. My father's hours varied; he owned his own business and came and went on an irregular schedule. I kept my brother for the two hours after school after I was deemed old enough to do so (I think they call them latch key kids, or did at one time). I was responsible for ensuring we both did our homework, that we hauled in firewood, that we fed the chickens and other birds, and did whatever other chores were required of us, which included gardening in the warmer months.

One evening I had no homework and decided to fix dinner for my mother. I don't recall what I made, but it was edible. I was so pleased with myself for having did this. My mother came in from work, made no comment about the table being set, or dinner being ready. She sat down and ate, and told me to clean up. Finally I couldn't stand it any longer, and said, "Aren't you going to say anything about my fixing dinner?"

"Now you know how I feel," she said. "Nobody ever says thank you. Go wash the dishes."

Wow.

Writing that out and thinking on it, it is no wonder I hate to cook. I doubt "hating to cook" was the lesson she was trying to impart, but that is the one I received, along with the fact that nothing I did was ever going to be right no matter how hard I tried. She was not someone easily pleased.

I'm an old woman now. I take full responsibility for not learning to cook better than I do. I cook well enough to keep us fed, but not well enough to make us healthy, I guess. Otherwise I wouldn't be fat, right?

Right.

I also take responsibility for not learning to like it. Or learning to do it better. It was my responsibility to make it a priority, once I became an adult.

I didn't. And I won't, because I hate to cook.

So there you go. That's how my garden grows. It's a good thing I like squash. (I stir fry it usually. That's easiest.)

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What's your favorite movie from your childhood and why?

A. Grease is the first one I think of.

2. What is home to you?

A. The place where I feel safe.

3. Do you get emotionally invested in stories? (I'm asking about movies, books, tv shows, whatever medium you like your stories in.)

A. Yes, if it is a good story.

4. What is the most physical damage you've ever received without needing medical intervention (so no stitches or splints or anything)?

A. When I was very small, I fell and cracked my head open on a cement floor.

5. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

A. A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood. On a good day, with the wind at his back, he'd really go for it and do about 700 pounds.

6. Do you have any obsessions? Like Tv shows, or cats or something. Not addictions.

A. I think I might be a bit addicted to video games. But not TV or cats.

7. What question or questions would you like God to answer?

A. The Universe will reveal herself to me in good time, but in the meantime, if she would tell me how to be a better person, I would appreciate it.

8. Do you bite your nails?

A. I do, although since the pandemic I have made a major effort to stop. I am constantly cutting them to keep them short so I can resist the urge to put them in my mouth.

9. What do you like about the place you live? (I mean your housing, apt, house, mobile home, etc.)

A. I live in the house that my husband built for us, with his own bare hands. We acted as our own contractor and while I worked during the day, on his days off from the firehouse, he built our house, and I would come home and help if there was some small chore I could manage.

10. What do you like about the city or town where you live?

A. It's not crowded.

11. Is there one place you have visited that you wish you could live there?

A. I wouldn't mind living near Charlottesville. Not in town, but somewhere a little closer. It's about a two-hour drive from here, give or take 15 minutes.

12. What's your favorite cookie to snack on?

A. A Keebler striped graham cookie or a homemade chocolate chip cookie.

13. Are you a Apple person or PC type person and why?

A. I have always used PCs, so I have stuck with them. I have an iPhone, but it has not been enough to convince me to switch to a MAC. 

14. What's your favorite things about the zoo?

A. I don't go to zoos. I think they are cruel, although the ones that are keeping species alive may serve a purpose.

15. Did you grow up in the country, city or small town and what did you like about it (or hate about it if you didn’t like it?)

A. I grew up in the country and still live there. The biggest problem when I was growing up was that everything was so far away, but now that is not the case. The city has sprawled in this direction and I can reach a grocery store in a 15-minute drive now, as opposed to a 30-minute one.

16. What kinds of things were you into and do when you were growing up?

A. I was into many of the same things I'm into now - reading, writing, video games. Loved English, wasn't thrilled with math though I made As even in Trig (thank you, Tina). I liked learning and I still do.

17. Do you enjoy receiving letters or postcards more, and why?

A. I haven't received either one in forever. I do get birthday and holiday cards still, but I haven't had a personal letter or postcard in a long time, although I did recently receive a card of encouragement from a friend. Greatly appreciated that.

18. Do or did you know any of your great-grandparents? Tell me about them.

A. My maternal great-grandfather was still alive when I was very young, but I do not remember him.

19. Do you like to be outdoors? What is your favorite thing to do there?

A. I am not an outdoors girl. My favorite thing to do outside is sit and watch the stars.

20. Have you ever broken a bone or been badly injured?

A. I broke my wrist when I was in the 7th grade, and I messed up my left ankle when I was in my early 30s. I stepped in a forgotten post hole. And then a few days later, I drank bad water and had e-coli. That was not a good week.

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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: Flipper

Saturday 9: Flipper (1964)

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

1) Flipper ran for three seasons, from 1964 to 1967. Are you familiar with the show? Were you a fan?

A. I am familiar with the show and probably watched it, but I don't remember much about it.

2) Brothers Sandy and Bud consider a bottle-nosed dolphin, named Flipper, their pet. Do you currently share your home with any animals?

A. Just the bugs and spiders that come in uninvited.

3) Bud and Sandy's dad was Chief Warden Porter Ricks of the fictional Coral Key Marine Preserve. In reality, the show was filmed in Miami and Key Biscayne. When were you last in the ocean? Which ocean was it?

A. I was last in the Atlantic Ocean, last year.

4) There was no one single "Flipper." In close-ups, the role was played by a dolphin named Susie. While Susie was good at interacting with people, she had trouble with stunts, and sometimes a male dolphin named Clown was brought in for action sequences. Do you consider yourself more social, like Susie? Or are you more athletic, like Clown?

A. I think I'm more like a hermit crab.

5) Without looking it up, do you know the difference between a dolphin and a porpoise?

A. It has something to do with the nose.

6) Flipper wasn't just a TV pet. He was an industry! During the show's run, Flipper comic books, coloring books and puzzles were very popular. As an adult, do you entertain yourself by reading comics, coloring, or completing jigsaw puzzles?

A. I do jigsaw puzzles on the computer and I color sometimes, though I haven't in a while.

7) The Flipper lunchbox was also a big seller. It came with a Thermos topped with a red cup. Do you own a Thermos?

A. I think there's one around here someplace.

8) In 1964, when Flipper premiered, it was up against The Outer Limits and The Jackie Gleason Show. If those were your only viewing choices, would you watch the family show about the dolphin, the sci-fi anthology show, or the comedy-variety show? (Or would you rather flip through a magazine?)

A. I'd watch The Outer Limits, though I have never heard of it. I'd rather read if the show turned out to be poor.

9) Random question  -- Which would you be more comfortable explaining: how a car engine works, the current IRS tax brackets, or the rules of baseball?

A. I think I'd be more comfortable trying to explain how the cow jumped over the moon than any of those things.

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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.

Pandemic Journal - Day 119

Things will never be normal again. If people can't see that, they aren't paying attention. Even if #45's miracle happened, and the virus magically vanished overnight, things cannot go back to the way they were.

For me, I have found that being reclusive is better for my overall health. Maybe not so much for my mental health, but I haven't had a cold for months and my allergies have been much better because I'm staying inside or wearing a mask when I am out. I believe I will be wearing a mask when I am out now for the rest of my life (however long or short that may be). It's obvious that I was correct in my notion that I picked up everything that came around when I was in contact with other people. By limiting my exposure to humanity, I am staying healthier, at least as far as my respiratory system goes. I wish a doctor had told me to wear a mask years ago. Think of all of the snot, sneezes, fevers, and bedrest I might have avoided. It's a simple solution. I suppose I should have thought of it myself, but it is outside of societal norms here.

Some things we did before the coronavirus aren't going to make it. Movie theaters, maybe, will be one of the casualties, although perhaps drive-in theaters will make a come-back. Movie theaters were struggling even before the coronavirus. I always thought maybe if they actually made the tickets affordable, more people might go see a flick on the big screen. We only went to matinees because $25 for a ticket was outrageous.

Retail stores, which were already struggling, likely will not make it either. Brooks Brothers and JC Penney's both have filed bankruptcy. Retail therapy is going to be taking place on line, and frankly it is not as satisfying to surf the 'net hunting for something as it to feel the texture of a piece of cloth.

There is something to be said for an appeal to multiple senses when making a shopping purchase. Perhaps we will see a rise in small boutique shops as opposed to larger department stores. I don't know. I'm not an economic prophet.

Print newspapers will continue their decline, probably moving most things online if they survive at all. I like to read a real newspaper, just as I prefer a real book, but I have adjusted to doing both in various settings as warranted. I read The New York Times and The Guardian online, along with whatever free readings I'm allowed from various other news sources. I can only pay for so many.

Civility, I fear, is gone completely, along with any instinct to protect society or the mores and morals of communities. I don't look for manners, politeness, or common sense to make a comeback any time soon. 

Maybe the next generation can do better.

On the farm, we've been late with hay, although we're on a second cutting now. It rained most of June and now we're burning up and having a near-drought in July. When you run a farm, you just have to deal with it.

I haven't had my hair cut since June 8. At that time, I had anticipated a return of some routines, like an every-four-week haircut, but the virus numbers locally have been climbing. Botetourt is at 161 cases, which means about 0.4879% of the county's population has been infected. That doesn't sound like a lot out of 33,000 people, but nationwide, 138,290 people have died. That's equivalent to everyone in Botetourt County dying about four times over. Or all of Botetourt and all of Roanoke City, to look at it another way. 

So no haircuts for me again. Fortunately it doesn't seem to be growing quickly so I can live with it a while longer. Maybe now that businesses are finally stepping up and doing what the government apparently can't - that is, enforce mask-wearing and physical distancing measurers - perhaps the numbers will decline. I'm not sure I like rule by corporation, but I believe that is what we have in place, anyway. The big companies are that "shadow government" some like to talk about in their conspiracy theories. They simply don't identify them that way.

My husband is happy that he retired from the fire department. He is much less stressed. Since he is only eating at home, where I have a little more control over what is here, he has lost about 15 pounds. At the firehouse they had huge meals and they gobbled their food. We have little meals. I'm the one with the emotional eating issue because I'm still home alone throughout the day and when I grow tired, bored, angry, or otherwise unhappy, I reach for chocolate. I'm trying to do better but failing miserably.

I am also struggling with what I think is a bad heel spur in my left foot. It's been there for months. It was a full-blown case of plantar fasciitis, and I did stretches and icing and the pain in the arch is gone, but there is one spot in my heel that feels like I am stepping on a nail every time I put my foot down. Yesterday I started taping it and changed heel cups again to try to ease it. It makes it difficult to keep up with my exercise.

Going to the doctor is my last option, but if this is not better by August, I guess I will have to go, as taping every day is the only thing left I've not tried.

I am quite disillusioned today. I have been for several days, actually, but I guess mood swings in strange times should be considered normal.