Thursday Thirteen - Happy Thanksgiving!

These are unused photos from October 31, 2020, beginning with the Halloween moon.

 

This picture makes me hear the theme to Buffy the Vampire Slayer in my head.

Pretty little five-point buck. He had a wide rack.

A deer and a wild turkey.

Red-headed woodpecker.

The bandit squirrel doing a thorough job of self-cleansing.

And then a long stretch on the side of the tree. Squirrel yoga, maybe?

Run turkey! Run!

And a partridge in a pear tree. Not really. I think they're doves.

The woodpecker again.

Old Mother Hubbard taking a nap.

Deer tail.

Ending as we began, with the Halloween moon. The problem with this photo is the moon is over-exposed. If I could have captured the horizon with the moon like in the top picture, I'd have had something.

Lastly, some kind of finch I think. I am still not up on my birds yet.

 

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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 684th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

My Music Teacher

I learned that my elementary school music teacher passed away recently. Her name was Mrs. Tingler, and she taught music from the time I was at Breckinridge Elementary School until I left there in sixth grade.

She did not instill my love of music in me - that honor belongs to my father, who has always sang and played the guitar. But she did impress me with the variety of music available, and opened my eyes to many different types of instruments.

She would bring in drums, bongos, triangles, recorders, tambourines, and other such instruments and hand them out to students to play.

Some of my favorite songs we sang were Senor Don Gato, a song about a cat, and Goodbye, Old Paint, a song about an old pony. Sometimes I call my husband "Old Paint," and he always looks at me funny when I do that.

Once Mrs. Tingler took me and another student to other elementary schools to sing. I also played the flute during the songs. The only song I recall that we sang was Morning Has Broken, but I know there were others. It was a big deal to be pulled from class to go around to other schools, riding in Mrs. Tingler's car from place to place.

A while back, I connected with Mrs. Tingler on Facebook and was able to thank her for her influence in my life. I am glad I was able to do that.

I don't know if students still have music at the elementary school level, what with the focus on STEM learning and teaching to tests. But hearing the sounds of young folks playing instruments and lifting their voices in song has to be one of the greatest delights of life.

I hope every young student has a Mrs. Tingler in his or her life at some point.

 

Birds on the Wire

A chickadee and a tufted titmouse hang out on the steel wire we used to hand the bird feeder. The feeder, by the way, is about 15 feet above ground, on a pully. I have to pull it up and down to fill it.

It's on a PVC pole that supposedly the squirrels can't climb. So far I haven't seen them trying to get into the feeder, although I have noticed that the squirrels and turkeys both like the seeds that spill from the feeder.

Pandemic Journal - Day 249

The death toll now for Covid-19 is nearing 1,000 people a day nationwide, according to the media. We've had 261,000+ die from this virus. That's a lot of folks missing from tables when the holiday rolls around on Thursday.

Still, people think this is a hoax, and that wearing a mask is infringement upon liberties. I don't think it says anywhere in the U.S. Constitution (or anyplace else) that wearing a mask during a public health crisis is an infringement upon anything.

It might be the thing that saves your life. Goodness knows, you can't bitch if you're dead. Since bitching and not minding your own business is the national past-time, I'd hate for all of these people to miss out on that because they up and died.

****

We are planning a small Thanksgiving, with just my husband and me. We will talk to family members, I'm sure, but we are not having a big meal. I have hurt my back and am not up to cooking a big dinner, and while leftovers are nice, turkey is not really something I care to eat day in and day out. We will have a turkey breast, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and apple pie. I may throw in some green beans if I decide we need something green on the table.

I had planned to decorate for Christmas on Sunday but that will now depend upon how my back is doing by then. I saw the chiropractor this morning and she said I had inflammation and muscle spasms in my left trapezius. It started after I had a rather long guitar session one night while my husband was out hunting with his buddies and I needed to entertain myself. 

Apparently, I overdid it, or maybe I lifted something that I don't remember and the guitar jam was a final straw.  It hadn't been bothering me to play the electric guitar, so this was a surprise.

It's too bad I can't find a decent small electric guitar that weighs about a pound. 

In order to keep my fingers calloused, I've pulled my guitelele out of the closet. It is small and light and hopefully will suffice for a week or so while my back heals. The chiropractor told me to leave the guitar alone until my back was all better, but she doesn't understand that the callouses and practice are necessary to my sanity.

****

I simply don't know what to do with people in general anymore. I've had folks say some nasty things to me over the past six month that I've overlooked. But I don't really want to be around them or continue to have much to do with them. I think they know they said things that hurt me, but they do not apologize.

"I'm sorry" would go a long way. I try to accept the subsequent actions as the apology I suspect it is, but I am tired. When I think I've hurt someone, I say, "I'm sorry," along with making amends if I feel it's required. I don't just carry on and hope they didn't notice I just told them I thought they were stupid. (I'm stupid because I want people to have health care. Gosh. How ignorant of me.)

Blue Jays and Cardinals

 

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What did you do for Thanksgiving when you were a kid?

A. Ate turkey, set the table for my mother.

2. What’s your favorite family tradition?

A. We don't have any traditions. We just eat.

3. What’s your favorite way to give back and help others?

A. Hand over money.

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 mom made a pumpkin pie that didn't turn out well. We called it "pumpkin pudding." My mother was upset but the rest of us thought it was funny.

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

A. No.

7. What time do you eat your Thanksgiving meal?

A. About 6 p.m.

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

A. My grandmother, because she liked to eat at noon instead of at 6 p.m.

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

A. There is no heirloom.

10. What is your favorite part about Thanksgiving Day?

A. When it is over.

11. What is something that was done for you this year that makes you grateful this Thanksgiving?

A. My friends have kept me sane.

12. What foods do you usually have for Thanksgiving?

A. Turkey, sweet potatoes, dressing, cranberry sauce, green beans, rolls.

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

A. No little kids running around, no grandparents, not a lot of people. It's a lot calmer.

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. Jane Austen, so we could talk about writing and how life was like in her era.

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

A. That they actually have traditions, and understand that there are things in this world for which they should be thankful, not limited to but including their health, their brains (hopefully they will have learned to use them), whatever financial security they have (however limited), and the people who love them.

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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: Walking on Broken Glass

Saturday 9: Walking on Broken Glass (1992)

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

1) Annie sings that she feels she's walking on broken glass. What's the most recent item you broke?

A. One of my Corelle plates that came with me when I married. I have one of them left.

2) She sings about being cut until she bleeds. Tell us about a time you needed stitches.

A. I had thing cut out of my lip called a mucus cell. It was very painful and involved stitches in my lip. I remember I kept working, and I had to go to daycare center to take pictures for a news story. The little boys could not stop staring at my lip. The editor wanted to put the reason for their looks of fascination in the cut line of the picture, and I objected, but he did it anyway. I showed a picture last week but here it is again.

3) This week's featured artist, Annie Lennox, was born on Christmas Day. Do you know anyone whose birthday falls on a holiday?

A. I know folks whose birthdays are close to holidays, and one person born on February 29. But not anyone whose birthday actually falls on the holiday.

4) When Annie met Dave Stewart, with whom she'd form the duo The Eurthmyics, she was living in Australia and staying in a tiny apartment called a bedsit. The occupant has his/her own combination bedroom/living room with cooking facilities, but must share a bathroom. Tell us about one of your early apartments.

A. When we first married, we lived in a small four-room  house - basically a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, with a half-cellar under it. It was not well-insulated and was incredibly cold in the winter, and the only place to put the washing machine and dryer was in the half-cellar which could only be reached by going outside and then down a short flight of steps. We stayed there 7 months, and then moved.

5) After the Eurythmics broke up, Annie went out on her own. Would you rather work independently, or as part of a group?

A. Independently.

6) Among her many honors, Annie Lennox was named chancellor of Scotland's Glasgow Calledonia University. What's the last college campus you visited? What brought you there?

A. That would have been Roanoke College, when I went to see my nephew graduate, and one summer we went to Virginia Tech to see the memorial to the 32 people who died in a shooting there. I can't remember the years. I may have been back to my own alma mater's campus since then, but details are sketchy in my mind.

Memorial at Virginia Tech

7) In 1992, the year this song was recorded, compact discs outsold cassette tapes for the first time. Back in the day, did you enjoy making your own mix tapes?

A. A very long time ago, I listed to the American Top 40 Countdown and made tapes.

8) Also in 1992, Johnny Carson made his last appearance as host of The Tonight Show.  The catchphrase, "Here's Johnny!" was associated with the show. Can you think of another popular TV catchphrase?

A. "Be kind to one another," which I think is Ellen Degeneres phrase at the end of her shows. And then of course, there was, "Here's your host, Alex Trebek!" of Jeopardy! Pancreatic cancer sucks.

 

9) Random question: Think of your past week. Now look ahead to the coming week. Would you like it to be more, or less, exciting?

A. I've been sick (not Covid) and we're not doing anything except staying home. It would be nice to have an outing, but we're not going anywhere. I mean, who would want to leave this view, anyway?

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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. 

Sunset

 

Thursday Thirteen

The other day one of my professors posted that she had written "just" 32 novels - and that she was now removing herself from the "just" society. Thirty-two novels is quite an accomplishment, but it was "just" mass market paperbacks, or ghostwriting, or whatever.

This made me think how that one four-letter word needs to be removed from every description of ourselves. Because we're not "just" a human being. We're all human beings. We're each as important as the other, from the beggar in the street to the man who would be king. It's also a matter of self worth. I'm not just Anita. I'm Anita.

1. I'm not just a woman. I am A WOMAN. (I can roar, too.)

2. I'm not just a writer. I am A WRITER.

3. I'm not just a wife. I am a WIFE.

4. I'm not just a lover. I am a LOVER.

5. I'm not just my father's daughter. I am MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER. (His only one, too.)

6. I'm not just a sister. I am MY BROTHER'S SISTER. (His only one, too.)

7. I'm not just a poet. I am A POET.

8. I'm not just a friend. I am a FRIEND. A pretty special one, to some people.

9. I'm not just a news reporter. I am a NEWS REPORTER.

10. I'm not just the recipient of three colleges degrees. I have THREE COLLEGE DEGREES.

11. I'm not just the chief cook and bottle washer around here. I am THE CHIEF COOK AND BOTTLE WASHER!

12. I'm not just a blogger. I am a BLOGGER.

13. I'm not just a video gamer. I am a VIDEO GAMER.

That's actually empowering. I'm going to remove that word from everything!

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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 683rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

37 Years

Today is my wedding anniversary. I've been married 37 years. Funny, in my head I'm only 33!

My man doing what he loves to do

Us in 2020!

Us about 15 years ago.

Us 37 years ago.

As Autumn Leaves the Valley

 

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Something held together with ribbon, string, or rope.

A quilt given to me by my great aunt.

2. Something related to travel.

Hot air balloon flying over the farm.

3. Someplace people gather

High school marching band at football game.

4. Something cold/frozen

Ash tree and fence after a snow.

5. Something with a hole in it.

My mouth after I'd had stitches
in my lower lip around 2006

6. Something striped

The remnants of a barn built circa 1859.

7. An animal.

A bee in the zinnias.

8. Something cute.

A doe washing off her second born after giving birth to twins in my front yard.

9. A food.

Cooked turkey!

10. Something warm

The sun during the 2017 eclipse.

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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: All of Me

Saturday 9: All of Me (2013)

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

1) John Legend sings he loves his woman's "perfect imperfections." Tell us something quirky or imperfect about a loved one that you would not change.

A. He has a lot of body hair. More there than on his head, actually. It's turned silver in the front.
 
2) John wrote this love song to his wife, Chrissy Teigen. The couple recently lost their baby after pregnancy complications. To whom did you most recently send a sympathy (or "thinking of you") card or message?

A. My sister-in-law, niece, and nephew on the loss of my sister-in-law's mother to Covid.
 
3) While adventurous in his creative career choices, John admits his taste in food leans toward the tried and true. His favorites are chicken (rotisserie or fried), macaroni and cheese, and steamed vegetables. What's on your weekend menu?

A. Chicken. A baked potato.
 
4) When he was growing up, John's mother, Phyllis, helped support the family as a seamstress. Are you any good with a needle and thread?

A. I can sew on buttons, hem pants, and maybe repair something, but that's about the extent of my sewing skills.

5) As a child, he was such a big fan of Andy Griffith and Matlock that he wanted to be a lawyer. If you grew up to have the same occupation as the TV character you liked best as a kid, what would you be doing?

A. I'd be either a bionic woman working for the government or an Angel working for Charlie.
 
6) John is a judge on The Voice. Do you watch that show? Or America's Got Talent, or American Idol?

A. We recently started watching The Voice (just last week). We haven't watched any of the three before.
 
7) In 2013, the year this song was popular, twin baby pandas were born at Zoo Atlanta. Their panda parents had been given to the US as a gift from the Chinese, with the understanding that any offspring would be given to China. So, in 2016, the panda cubs were flown to a Chinese conservation center. They had a hard time adjusting at first, confused by jet lag, unresponsive when spoken to in Chinese, unimpressed by their new diet. Have you ever found yourself similarly overwhelmed when you traveled far from home? (BTW, the pandas are doing just fine now in their permanent Chinese home.)

A. I haven't been more than an 8-hour drive from home in 37 years. Usually I'm just tired when I get there and am fine after a good night's sleep.
 
8) Also in 2013, The Pope posted his first tweet. What social media platforms do you regularly use?

A. I use Facebook. I have a Twitter account but I don't use it much. I also blog. Blogging is my preference, because if people are reading this, it's because they want to be here to read it, not because it's in your face.
 
9) Random question: Have you ever a) written something on a public wall or b) carved anything into a tree of bench?

A. Somewhere in the mountains behind my parents farm, in the National Forest that is back there, is a big beech tree which I shall call the carving tree. It was riddled with initials. My brother walked me back there one day and we carved our initials into the tree. I do not know if the tree still exists, nor could I find it again if it does. It was in the middle of nowhere, honestly. How so many people came to pass it by and carve initials into it is beyond me.

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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

1. Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth. ~ Abraham Lincoln

2. In a free society, government reflects the soul of its people. If people want change at the top, they will have to live in different ways. Our major social problems are not the cause of our decadence. They are a reflection of it. ~ Cal Thomas

3. It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped. ~ Hubert H. Humphrey

4. The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. ~ Winston Churchill

5. Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country. ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

6. The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government. ~ Thomas Jefferson

7. It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes. ~ Andrew Jackson

8. Our government . . . teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. ~ Louis D. Brandeis

9. We have the best government that money can buy. ~ Mark Twain

10. The greater part of the governments on earth may be termed monarchical aristocracies, or hereditary dominions independent of the people. ~ Ezra Stiles

11. Our future cannot depend on the government alone. The ultimate solutions lie in the attitudes and the actions of the American people. ~ Joe Biden

12. Our ability to participate in government, to elect our leaders and to improve our lives is contingent upon our ability to access the ballot. We know in our heart of hearts that voting is a sacred right - the fount from which all other rights flow. ~ Stacey Abrams

13. No government, no organization, no citizen can afford to be less than vigilant in combating bigotry, intolerance and hatred. And frankly, our way of life depends on that vigilance. ~ Barry O'Farrell

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com

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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 682nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Star Trails

 

A Cardinal

 

Birds

 

Even though I have that wonderful bird book my brother gave me, I still am not the best at identifying birds. The only one I'm sure of is the blue jay. I think the first two might be tufted titmouse, and I have no clue on the last one. I haven't found a picture that looks like that bird yet. Of course, it is a very fat book with lots to look through.