Tuesday, May 04, 2021

My Beat Up Six-String

This is a guitar I have not ever had on my blog, I don't think. It's been in the back of the closet for about 20 years.


It's a Yamaha FG-150. This guitar was made from 1968 to 1972. My grandfather gave this one to me when I was about 16, around 1979. He brought it with him from California, where he lived, when he and my grandmother drove in to visit.

He'd added a single pickup to it, to amplify the sound. One of the original tuning keys was missing and had been replaced with something that did not match. (It's still on there.)

The thing was beat up all over the back and had a scar across the front.



To further desecrate the instrument, my grandfather wrote my name in tiny little letters near the neck - in ink. The ink has since faded, but the indentation of the pen remains. At the time, I found that incredibly irritating but today I'm glad I have his handwriting on the guitar, however faded it may be.

This is the guitar I played for many years. While most of the scars were already on it - the ones on the back I think came from my grandfather's belt buckle while the one on the front probably came from a watch band - I'm sure I added a few nicks and scratches to it myself.

I bought a Takamine classical guitar around 1990 and put the Yamaha in a case and stowed it in the closet.

I played the Takamine for a long time. By then, my back had become troublesome and holding my heavy electric guitars was problematic, so I'd stopped using those.

After a while, even the Takamine became difficult for me to hold. Since it was a classical guitar, it didn't have a strap on it to help hold it up.


The mini-Taylor is on the left, the
 Takamine is on the right. Note the little
 button on the bottom of the
 mini-Taylor. That's for the strap.


So I started seeking out a different guitar. First I bought a mini-Taylor while we were vacationing in Charleston, SC. It sounded clear and was small. It played well and I could hold it. Then in 2019, I purchased a cheap Epiphone Les Paul Special that was, for an electric guitar, relatively lightweight. 

This is the cheap Epiphone electric.

I played those two guitars for the last several years. In August 2020, I had a bad upper respiratory infection (it was not Covid) that put me to bed for nearly two weeks. I had also stopped seeing my chiropractor because of Covid, unless I was having a real problem, so my back wasn't receiving the attention it needed. (I generally see the chiropractor every two weeks.)

By the time I'd recovered from the upper respiratory infection, I could not pick up my electric guitar and hold it for very long without it causing strain on my back. The mini-Taylor also started bothering me. I began sitting more when I played, but still experienced pain. I tried different positions, but nothing helped.

The straps on these two guitars go from the body area only. There is a peg for a loop for a strap on the bottom and another at the top of the body where the neck connects on both guitars. I strong suspected the weight distribution was a problem, but I didn't know what to do about it except constantly change positions and try to keep things from hurting.

Of course the less I played, the more my fingers hurt when I did play. Playing an instrument is like writing - it's a skill that one must continually nurture. (That's why I write this blog, to nurture that skill.) So I kept picking up the guitar almost daily even if I only played one song. That was frustrating, though, because I couldn't practice or learn anything new. I was just trying to keep the calluses on my fingertips.

About a month ago, I was watching an old tape of Melissa Etheridge and Dolly Parton doing a duet together. I noticed that Dolly Parton was playing a small Martin (they don't make them like that anymore) and her strap did not attach to the body on the left side - it went up to the neck. 

That meant that the weight distribution went more across the top of the shoulders and there was less tension on one set of muscles on the left shoulder.


Dolly Parton's strap was more like a rope while Melissa Etheridge's strap was thick and went down the front.

The only guitar I had that allowed for a strap from the neck to the back of the guitar body was my old Yamaha.

So I dug it out of the closet, dusted it off, and put new strings on it.

However, even after cleaning it, the guitar smelled musty. You know, like your grandma's attic. The odor came from the sound hole in the guitar, and because I am so environmentally sensitive to everything, I couldn't ignore it. In fact, I developed another sinus infection that I suspect was a combination of trying to play this guitar and pollen.

I couldn't even play it long enough to see if the change in strap position would make much difference.

Ridding something old of that musty smell is a challenge. I put a dryer sheet in the hole. I placed cotton balls swabbed with Ozium in the hole (it smells sort of lemony). However, the musty smell remained and I was frustrated.

Then I watched an old Fleetwood Mac concert on TV. Lindsay Buckingham was playing a Rick Turner electric guitar (would love to have one of those, but it's a $15,000 guitar, so no). I noticed that on all of his guitars, though, he had the sound hole covered.

Sound hole covers are generally used to keep guitars from "feeding back" or squealing through the amplifier.

They aren't very expensive. I bought one online and it arrived yesterday. It didn't fit exactly because of my grandfather's modifications to the guitar, but my husband was able to trim it up. I slipped the sound hole cover over the sound hole and guess what! I can't smell the musty smell. It's trapped in the guitar (along with a sheet of Bounce).

Now to see if I can get my fingers back to playing without my back feeling like it might break!

(As a plus, I was surprised to find that the Yamaha is lighter than the mini-Taylor, even though the Taylor is a smaller guitar. It must be made of a heavier wood.)

Wish me luck.

And lots of practice time.



Sunday, May 02, 2021

Sunday Stealing


1. What was your proudest moment?

A. I should probably say my wedding day, but honestly I think it was when I received my master's degree.
 
2. What is your favorite childhood memory?

A. My grandmother holding me on her lap and singing "Daisy, Daisy" to me.

3. Describe your dream vacation.

A. It would be a year-long around the world vacation, with a guide, a personal assistant, and a massage therapist in a large private jet. (First, there would be a time machine and I'd be about 33 years old.) We would visit every single continent, spend time in Italy, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, England, South Africa, Brazil, and see the pyramids, Machu Picchu, The Great Wall of China, Paris, St. Petersburg, etc. After that, I'd go up in a SpaceX ship and spend a week on the Space Station. I don't think I could take those confined quarters for any longer than a week.

Well, the question said "dream vacation" and didn't put limits on it.

4. Do you see yourself as an optimist, pessimist, or realist?  Why?

A. A realist with pessimistic leanings. I have learned over the years that the glass is always half empty and somebody else gets to drink the water. All I am able to do is look at it.

5. What is something you wanted to do as a child, but never got to do?

A. I wanted to go on an archeology dig and look for dinosaurs.

6. What board game do you hate the most?

A. I haven't played a board game in years. I don't recall hating any of them.

7. Describe the worst haircut you ever got.

A. That might be the one I had back in early March, or possibly a majority of the cuts I've had in the last 2 1/2 years since my regular stylist retired and I have had a difficult time finding a replacement. I've grown used to looking like a dog chewed up my hair.

8. What’s the worst job you ever had?

A. I took a job at a bank and stayed less than two months. It was the most boring, unthinking, rote work I have ever done in my life, and I sat at my desk and cried every day. It wasn't a bank, it was a credit union. One did not deal with customers, just opened envelopes with checks and made totals in columns. It was a real mess, because my parents banked there, and my father was quite angry with me for not sticking with the job. But I quit and went to college, which was where I wanted to be in the first place. We bank there now. That was almost 40 years ago.

9. What is one thing you want to be remembered for?

A. My writing, I suppose. I tried hard to educate the public on local issues.

10. On a scale of 1-10, what is the highest level of pain you’ve ever experienced?

A. Ten, after gallbladder surgery. The surgeon very unhelpfully left no orders for me to receive pain medication, because he was in a hurry to get to his tennis game, and I writhed in pain with nothing but Tylenol for several hours before someone from his practice finally gave the nursing staff the OK for pain meds. It's a good think his partner came in the next morning to send me home, because I think my husband would have punched him in the nose.

11. What fashion trend do you wish would go away?

A. I don't pay much attention to fashion. People can dress however they want.

12. What’s the weirdest dream you’ve ever had?

A. Most of mine are weird. I can't say that there are any that are weirder than the others.

13. What are 2 weaknesses you have?

A. I'm a bleeding heart and I take people at their word, generally, so I am easily lied to (and thus easily hurt).

14. How would you spend your 100th birthday?

A. I expect to spend it in the cemetery, but if I live that long, maybe someone will remember me and come visit.

15. What food/drinks would you pack in a picnic basket?

A. Sandwiches, Diet Dr. Pepper for my husband, bottles of water, potato chips, cookies, and a piece of cake for each of us.

_______________

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, May 01, 2021

Saturday 9: Love Story


Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here

1) The lyrics tell us about a romantic summer night on a balcony. Does your home have a balcony?

A. No. We built a single-story family ranch-style house.

2) Taylor Swift sings that her father warns her boyfriend to stay away, but she sees him anyway. Tell us about a time you defied your parents.

A. Oh my. Many times. I was a bad little kitten in my teen years. However, even with all that, I think my mother was most upset when my soon-to-be husband and I went with friends to Myrtle Beach for a few days after we became engaged. Even though we were being "chaperoned" by another couple, she didn't want me to go. Seems rather quaint now, the way kids live together long before marriage.

3) The castle in this video looks European, but it's in Arrington, TN. Castle Gwynn is the site of the annual Tennessee Renaissance Fair. This May the festival will be back, and among the items food vendors are offering are Scotch eggs. When did you most recently eat eggs, and how were they prepared?

A. I had eggs last weekend, and they were scrambled. My husband has taken to preparing Sunday breakfast since he retired.

4) Love Story is also the story of Jenny and Oliver in a book by Erich Segal and a movie starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal. Are you familiar with either the book or the movie?

A. I've never read the book nor have I seen the movie, but I play the original theme song from the movie on my guitar.

5) Taylor was born in Reading, PA. which is home to the Reading Railroad, one of the four railroads featured in Monopoly. Without looking it up, can you name the two most expensive Monopoly properties?

A. Boardwalk and Atlantic, I think. I haven't played Monopoly in many years. Nope, I looked it up. Boardwalk and Park Place. There are some things that are yellow that I always tried to get because they payed pretty well and someone almost always landed on them. Marvins Gardens & Atlantic Avenue.

6) When she's not performing on stage, Taylor likes to keep it casual and prefers to wear cowboy boots. Tell us about your favorite footwear.

A. Sneakers. Just plain ol' white sneakers.

7) Taylor's brother, Austin Swift, is an actor and producer who studied photography at college. Think about the last picture you took. Did you use your phone, tablet or camera? (Feel free to share it, if you'd like.)

A. I used the camera, and it was this picture:



 
8) In 2008, the year this song was popular, the Emmy Award winning show Breaking Bad premiered. Were you a fan?

A. I have never heard of it.
 
9) Random question: You and your best friend sit down to write the story of how/when you met. Do you think the stories would be almost the same or quite different? (In other words, will you two remember the event the same way?)

A. I suspect we will remember the stories quite differently.

______________

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, April 29, 2021

Thursday Thirteen

1. The best line of President Biden's speech last night, for me, was "What do you think, deer wear Kevlar?" The sudden image that brought to mind was priceless.

2. The local Republicans have their firehouse primary on Saturday. I expect it to be a clusterfuck, but because there is no Democrat running for office, my husband and I are planning to vote in this primary. I've never voted in a "firehouse primary" so this will be a new experience.

3. The trees are nearly leafed out, which is a good thing because the pollen count is as high as a sinus infection on a giant.

4. My husband is sitting beside me. He picks up the binoculars. He thought he saw something, but it was nothing.

5. How many things in life turn out to be nothing when we think they are something?

6. We have mild cloud cover today with a chance of rain later. Hopefully it will wash the pollen out of the air.

7. Seems like we have much more wind these days than we did when I was a child.

8. The month is almost over. Four months of the year gone, and I feel unaccomplished. However, I would tell anyone else that simply living through these trying times is doing the best you can, so I shall tell myself the same.

9. Last night's speech from President Biden was long and at times tedious, but at least it wasn't dystopian and apocalyptical. I like dystopian literature but I'm not so fond of it in real life.

10. I don't know if I am looking forward to a return of in-store grocery shopping or not. It's rather nice to have someone load my groceries. But I have not had a loaf of bread that wasn't smashed in a year.

11. Smashed bread eats as well as un-smashed bread, but it makes a lopsided sandwich sometimes.

12. January 6 was a turning point for me. It should have been for a lot of people, but some seem to be sweeping it into a history pile of distortion. I know what I saw.

13. This Thursday 13 has been a meandering one, like a stream that can't find the right path down the gully. Not overflowing it's banks, mind you, more like, a spring that's been dripping from the hillside and now the water needs a path to roam.

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 704thd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Dandelion


 

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Dying Dogwood Blossoms

 







Monday, April 26, 2021

The Reaction

I would like to report that I had little reaction to my second Moderna shot, but that was not the case.

For 24 hours, I experienced chills, a fever, body aches all over (especially in my back), and a headache. At one point Friday night, my skin was so sensitive I could barely stand light clothing on my body.

Additionally, I have had very vivid dreams every night since I had the shot.

However, the symptoms eased by Saturday morning, and by today (Monday), aside from itching in the area of the shot, I am doing well.

I suspect some of this was exacerbated by the fact that I already had a sinus infection when I took the shot. I wasn't running a fever, and my doctor had said to get the shot unless I had a temperature.

But Friday morning, I was doing the teledoc thing with my PCP. She popped me on an antibiotic for the sinus infection, a new drug for me, and that cleared up fairly quickly.  In fact, it is about gone now, too. Good drug.

One of my Facebook friends said she would never take the shot again after experiencing similar symptoms. Extremes vary from person to person, and while I wouldn't want to go through that again, if I have to have a booster for Covid, I will take it. Better to feel lousy for a little while and not end up dead.

The dreams were entertaining. Dreams never make sense when you write them out, but I remember that at one point, there had been a tidal wave over Roanoke (that would be some tidal wave, since we're about 4 hours inland). I was wandering around and I found a huge lot of earrings. Nothing fancy, just various studs in multiple colors. Then I was at an old law firm where I used to work, and one of the women told me I had stolen her earrings. I realized that all of the earrings I had found came from the law firm. In order to give them back, I decided to place them all in envelopes and put them discreetly in everyone's desk, since I was being accused of stealing when I'd only picked up what I'd found that I though was lost.

In another dream, or a portion of this one, I can't remember, I was driving along the road where my grandmother used to live, along the Roanoke River. A house was on fire. My grandmother said not to go near it, but I said we needed to go because it was Aunt Elsie's house. I raced to the car but the road started twisting and buckling and somehow I ended up in Myrtle Beach, SC. That's an 8-hour drive from here.

The mind is an interesting body part. I wonder what part of the Moderna shot it affected. I hope it enhances mood. That would be a good side effect. I am pretty cheerful today so . . . maybe? I'd like a dose of permanent cheerful, please!



Sunday, April 25, 2021

Sunday Stealing


1. What issues are important to you?

A. Climate change, child abuse, mental health, gun control, job security, social safety net, healthcare, elder care, women's issues, etc.

2. Which breakfast foods are your favorite?

A. Eggs, bacon, grits, biscuits and gravy.

3. How often do you change your hair style?

A. Seldom.

4. What are your most peculiar talent or interests?

A. I am a nerd. I like fantasy, I like comic book superheroes, I like role playing video games. None of that is particularly peculiar except that I am female and thus considered the domain of men, for some reason.

5. Name something you’re a natural at.

A. I can generally play at least Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on any instrument I pick up.

6. Name a few women who inspire you.

A. The Gal, Bev, Kwizgiver, Zippi & my other blogging friends, Hillary Clinton, my mother-in-law, my next-door neighbor, Ann Compton, Nora Roberts, Kamala Harris, and my friends B., T., and L.
 
7. How often do you take a break from everything?

A. Recently I have taken a break for two days because the Moderna 2nd shot whupped my little butt all the way to the bed.

8. What are your go-to dancing songs?

A. Uptown Funk and anything disco.

9. What are your favorite carryout and takeaway foods to order?

A. I like a junior cheeseburger from Wendy's occasionally, although I haven't had one since last November.

10. Name some people you like to spend time with.

A. My husband, my brother, my friends, other writers, my father if he is in a good mood.

11. List some hobbies you started within the last year.

A. I haven't started any new hobbies.

12. What scents, sounds, and sights of Spring do you like?

A. I like the flowering trees and it always amazes me to watch the grass go from brown to green literally overnight when the weather warms.

13. Name some cultural aspects you cherish and enjoy.

A. Cultural aspects of what? Since I live in the southern USA, I'll for that. I like southern food - fried chicken, mashed 'taters, cornbread. Yum. I like southern music, too. Anybody remember the band Alabama?



14. Name the TV shows and films you liked this month.

A. The Mare of Eastown on HBO looks like it will be good. Supergirl returned for her last season.

15. What do people usually come to you for help with?

A. Writing advice, and sometimes life advice. Folks who remember me from when I wrote for the newspaper frequently ask me to explain the local government to them.

_______________

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, April 24, 2021

Saturday 9: All I Ever Need is You


Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.  
 
1) The lyrics tell us that some men search for silver, some for gold. Are you wearing either silver or gold right now?

A. My watch band has both gold and silver on it. It's a Timex so I doubt it's real gold or silver.

2) This song was a top 20 hit in the United States but sold much better in Canada. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of our neighbor to the North?

A. They don't have mass shootings.

3) It's performed by one of pop's most successful duos, Sonny and Cher. Can you name another duo that made hit records?

A. Hall & Oates.

4) In addition to their recording career, Sonny and Cher were TV stars. In a recurring sketch on their variety show, Cher played a "v-a-m-p: VAMP!" These characters were always sexy and seductive. Do you consider yourself a good flirt?

A. No.

5) Sonny dropped out of high school in Inglewood, CA. Cher dropped out of high school in Fresno. What's the last year of education you completed?

A. I have a masters degree.

6) Sonny first became Mayor of Palm Springs, and then represented the district in Congress. The city erected a statue in Sonny's memory. Tell us about a statue or monument in your town.

A. In nearby Eagle Rock, there is a monument to Lock 10, the last lock of the James River & Kanawha Canal system. This mode of early transportation was an effort begun by President George Washington to connect the James River to the western rivers of the nation in order to transport goods. His dream ended there, a very long way from the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
 
7) Cher is often described as outspoken. Ask her for her opinion on anything from politics to plastic surgery, and you will get a frank answer. Does "outspoken"  apply to you, as well?

A. I don't know. I suspect it might. Generally I try to think over what I am going to say before I say it, but if I'm upset or caught off guard, I might be outspoken.

8) In 1971, when this song was popular, Sears sold a portable manual typewriter. Described at the time as, "lightweight for travelers," it weighed 10 lbs. Today the average laptop weighs half that. Do you own a typewriter?

A. I do own a typewriter. It is a Brother electric typewriter and I bought it when we first married, so it is rather ancient. I haven't used it in years. I would love to have an IBM Selectric II, although I probably wouldn't use it so it would take up space. Those were the bomb in their time, though.
 
9) Random question -- Which has gotten you out of more scrapes: your smarts, or your charm?

A. I would like to say my smarts, but as a news reporter I frequently found acting helpless and stupid around men seemed to get me further than letting them know I was smarter than they ever thought about being. Some of the people I interviewed over the years were dumber than a bag of hammers, except for whatever it was I was interviewing them about. I guess I used charm. But maybe that makes me smart, knowing not to make the men upset so they'd answer my questions. I didn't do that with women, generally, although I'm sure there were times when I played stupid to get the quote I needed for a story. That's really an awful thing to admit to, isn't it? I didn't lie, I simply didn't let on that I already knew the answer to the question I was asking because I needed an answer in their words to use as a quote for the article.

 ______________

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, April 23, 2021

The Shot

Yesterday, I received my second dose of the Moderna shot.

I went in knowing I was having sinus problems. My doctor in an email had said to get the shot so long as I wasn't running a fever, so I did.

So now I'm trying to recover from a shot that has my arm on fire and a sinus infection. I had a teledoc appointment with my PCP this morning. She gave me an antibiotic, something new that I've never had.

It's supposed to be easier on my stomach. My stomach is still not right from whatever upset it last winter.

The second shot going in did not hurt. The first shot hurt terribly. The second one I didn't feel at all, until after a few hours. Then my arm started aching, and now it aches and burns.

I am having chills, too. But I don't know if that's from the shot or the sinus infection.

It's a lot for a body to try to compensate for, I suspect.

In two weeks, though, I will be fully vaccinated and hopefully if I do catch Covid-19, it won't kill me.

A big thank you to my husband, who has gone after my antibiotic and is trying to take care of me while I am feeling bad.


Thursday, April 22, 2021

Thursday Thirteen

Today I get the second dose of the Moderna vaccine. Here are 13 reasons why I am receiving the vaccine for Covid-19.

1. I have a tendency to catch everything that comes around. It's a miracle that I haven't had this virus yet. I personally have been grateful for the lockdown because it has made me very aware of how much exposure to people contributes to my constant illnesses.

2. My doctor said I would die if I catch Covid. She pulls no punches and said to get the first shot I could. So I did.

3. It's the socially responsible thing to do. If we do not have enough people obtaining the vaccine, this virus will continue to obliterate portions of hte population. I think 560,000+ US citizens dead from a virus that should have been contained six months ago, had we had adequate leadership, is more than enough death.

4. When I do go out of my house, I want to feel less anxious. Lots of Covidiots running around here do not wear masks and have no clue what personal space is, much less six feet of distance.

5. I believe the vaccines are as safe as they are going to be. They are based on 20 years of research, not specifically for this virus, but for SARS and similar viruses. Scientists and pharmacies didn't just make this up out of thin air.

6. The vaccine was tested prior to emergency authorization. It's an unfortunate trade-off that perhaps one person has died from the vaccine. But that's one person compared to over a half-million.

7. Others have been sickened by the vaccine, but they generally are better within a few days. Covid-19 has been shown to have staying power and people are still dealing with it months later. If a vaccine can keep me from having that kind of reaction to a virus, I will take the vaccine.

8. Getting vaccinated protects not only me but also the people I love who may die if I were to pass the virus on to them.

9. The risks of Covid-19 far outweighs the risks from the vaccine. That's in the numbers.

10. The more people receive the vaccine, the sooner we can stop with the body counts and resume our lives. Or some semblance of them, anyway.

11. The vaccine does not give you Covid, though you may have an immune response to it that makes you feel lousy for a few days.

12. I don't have polio because I received a vaccine for it. Same for tetanus and other diseases.

13. My husband needs me to be around a while, and I need him to be around a while. He received the J&J shot and had no issues. Hopefully, I will have no issues with the Moderna second shot.

Fingers crossed.


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 703rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

All of These Lines

Sometimes I look back over my life and wonder what I have done with it. What have I accomplished?

It's easy to count the thing I didn't accomplish. I didn't have children, which is the big one in the eyes of many folks (including myself). That makes me a DNA failure because I couldn't conceive.

Otherwise, though, I've had a good marriage.

We're not eating cat food for lunch. (I worry about this, that in my old age I will be reduced to eating cat food. I have no idea why it bothers me.)

We have a house that we built with our own four hands, my husband and me. I'm not sure many folks these days can say they did that, raised their own house up and nailed and painted and everything else it takes to build a house.

I have three college degrees. That was a lot of work and something that has helped me in many areas of life, from the way I approach people to the way I think about politics and life.

I worked in the legal profession for over 10 years. 

The thing that stands out, though, are the lines. The lines of written words that I have published or shoved in a drawer.

Hundreds of thousands of them. Just not in a novel form. Put them all together, though, and there are thousands of pages.

I began publishing articles in local publications in 2004. I have estimated that over the years I have published about 7,500 articles for various newspapers and magazines. At 500 words each, which is a low estimate, that's 3.75 million words. 

That is a lot of words. A book is about 300,000 words. So had I been writing books, I'd have written about 12 books, give or take.

This blog has 4,635 published posts. Many of those are photos more so than paragraphs or stories, but that's still a lot of posts. I've been posting in this particular blog since August 2006. That will be 15 years this summer.

All in all, not a bad showing, if one looks at all of these lines I've written over the years. 

I don't think I'm finished, though. 

Still other lines to come.


Monday, April 19, 2021

A Coyote Says My Husband (I am not so sure)

This coyote (or red fox) was not far from the house yesterday morning. I took the pictures through the window and was not using a tripod, so I am surprised any of them came out at all, especially since we have a screen on the window and I shake a bit now when I hold the camera.

Not the best photos in the world, but I thought my readers might like to see a wild coyote (if that is what it is). This one was smaller than some I've seen around here. This one was about as big as a small collie, perhaps. It was really too close to the house for comfort. And before anyone asks, no, I did not shoot it except with the camera.

My husband says it is a young coyote, anyway. I tend to think it might be a fox.






Sunday, April 18, 2021

Sunday Stealing


1. The best story your parents or grandparents tell about the good ole days.

A. This is a story my grandfather wrote. He sent me many stories through letters when I was in my 20s. These are his words.    
As I have stated previously, this was the summer of 1935.  Me and my sweet little Toots made a lot of love that summer.  We lived in two little rooms in the back of Grandmaw's house, and didn't have too much privacy.  So we would wander around through the woods and hills, pick flowers, mountain teaberrys, done whatever suited our fancy, and made love behind every rock, stump and bush on Deer Creek from Ermon's cabin to the Trimble School House. 
Of course, Toots got in the family way, which generally happens after such carryin' on, like Maw would say.  Once the word was out she was pregnant, everybody in the neighborhood started to count to see when she got that way -- before June 22, 1935, or after June 22, 1935.  That was the most arithmetic some of them old people had done in 40 years.  
Old Uncle Lee Trimble, who rode his horse by our house every Saturday morning going to the store and post office, would stop and ask me, "Son, has lil' Tootsie broke down yet?"  
He done that for eight months solid, and I'd say, "No sir, Uncle Lee, she ain't had it yet." 
And he would say, "Well, shi-eet.  I won't have anything to tell Maggie (that was his wife)" and ride on.  
I remember one time that summer, me and Sweetie Pie had been up on Deer Creek just kinda assin' around.  It was a nice warm day.  We found a place down below the Trimble School House where a lot of flowers and such was growing.  The woods was pretty dry.  We hadn't had any rain for about two weeks.  We laid down behind a log in the sun and after about a half hour of extra good love making, we dozed off.  We probably slept an hour.  
All at once I smelled smoke, and I raised up from behind that log to see what the hell was going on.  And low and behold, the whole damn woods was on fire and burning to beat hell.  I jerked on my britches and shoes and got Toots awake.  We had one little narrow place to get through and we made a run for the creek.  To this day I have never figured how them damn woods caught afire unless it was from that hot love making me and Toots had done.
 
2. The best things in life are . . .

A. found within the heart.

3. What are some things that drive you batty?

A. Hearing the former guy's voice, being interrupted when I'm playing my guitar, not being able to find something.

4. Name a place you'd like to live and why.

A. If I were to move, I'd stay in Virginia and maybe head to Charlottesville, which is a college town, and be in a less rural area now that I'm getting older. The only way I'd move would be if my husband were no longer with me, so I would need to be closer to people, I think. College towns appeal to me because they have lots of talks and learning opportunities.

5. What is the best thing you've ever found?

A. My husband.

6. What is the best thing that has happened recently?

A. The chiropractor helped my TMJ.

7. I admire people who . . .

A. follow their passions.

8. What makes you special?

A. I'm not special. I am empathetic, loyal, generous, intelligent, and creative, but I'm not special.

9. I am looking forward to . . .

A. getting my second Covid shot. I'm afraid it will make me ill, but so many people say the relief you feel, and the lessening of anxiety when you're in public is great, that I am ready for it, come what may.
 
10. What are things that scare you?

A. Being old and having no money to take care of my needs. Snakes. Spiders. Bad dreams.

11. What are some of the things you complain about?

A. Pollen.

12. I could never live without . . .

A. My husband.

13. Name things that make you laugh.

A. Monty Python & the Holy Grail, Alexa farting, my husband.
 
14. What is a new skill that you would like to learn?

A. I'd like to learn how to do more things with the Internet and computer.

15. What brightened your day today?

A. My husband went out for a while, and I had time to myself so I could answer these questions.

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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, April 17, 2021

Saturday 9: Don't Rain on My Parade


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

1) Is rain expected where you are today?

A. Saturday's forecast is for lots of clouds and a high of 62 degrees and a low of 44 degrees. I'm not sure about rain but clouds bring rain.

2) In this song, Barbra Streisand warns everyone to not spoil her optimistic mood. What is something you're feeling really good about today?

A. I put new strings on an old guitar. One of my first guitars, actually. A beat up old Yamaha FG-150 that my grandfather gave to me.

3) She sings that life is candy and the sun is a ball of butter. Which have you consumed more recently, candy or butter?

A. Butter, I suppose. I haven't had candy in a while.

4) This song is from the musical Funny Girl. It's based on the true story of Fanny Brice, who starred on Broadway, in movies and on the radio between 1910 and 1951. At the beginning of her career, no one thought she would succeed because of her unconventional looks, but she forged ahead, saying, "I make things happen for me." Are you focused, like Fanny?

A. Not anymore. I was long ago but then I broke.

5) When the stage version of Funny Girl was in pre-production, the part of Fanny was offered to actress Anne Bancroft, but she felt the songs were too difficult for her. Singer Eydie Gorme dropped out when told her husband, Steve Lawrence, could not play the male lead. Carol Burnett said she'd love to do it, but also admitted she thought she was wrong for the role. Running out of time and options, producer Ray Stark decided to give lesser-known Barbra Streisand a try . . . and the rest, as they say, is history. Has there ever been a time in your life when you were glad things didn't work out as you'd originally planned?

A. Nothing comes to mind.

6) Funny Girl was the top grossing movie of 1968. #2 was 2001: A Space Odyssey. Given the choice, would you rather watch a musical or a sci-fi flick?

A. I would watch either, given the time and right company. If I am on my own and my choice was between those two movies, I'd probably go with #2.

7) Streisand's favorite color is burgundy because it reminds her of when, as a little girl, she received a hand-knitted sweater as a gift and wearing it made her feel special. What color is your favorite sweater?

A. Blue.

8) In 1960, she began performing in New York clubs but she had a hard time getting work because she was only 18 and most nightclubs wouldn't hire a girl not yet old enough to drink. Do you remember your first legal alcoholic beverage? What did you have?

A. I do not remember my first legal alcoholic beverage. I was drinking MD-2020 before I was of legal age. I think by the time I was of legal age, I'd decided to stop drinking anything alcoholic.

9) Random question: How many people know the real you?

A. My husband, maybe. But like most people, I am somebody different with each person I meet. We all have many facets to our personality and generally only show what we think will keep us in good standing with the other. Unless you're just a real prick and don't care. Then everyone knows you're a prick and that's probably the real you.

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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. 

Friday, April 16, 2021

Let Me Know You're Here

Before my mother passed away in 2000 (gosh, so long ago), we had a discussion about the after life. I don't believe in heaven and spending time bowing to Jesus - doesn't sound like much fun, really - and I am ok with turning into ant food.

I do think, though, there is a spiritual part of living creatures that goes into the universe. Sometimes it stays whole, sometimes it moves on to another star. We're all breathing the air of our ancestors.

My family didn't raise me with religion. We didn't attend church. I went to church for a while after I turned 18, and was baptized, but as the evangelicals rose, my interest waned. I wanted no part of what they were preaching. They preach a small god. My goddess is vast and encompasses everything, and is all about love and goodness. She has no time for the pettiness of a small god, and the preachers I heard preached a very petty, mean and vindictive god.

Anyway, during this long-ago conversation, my mother asked me how how she could let me know there was an after life if there was one. I told her to send me something orange. Orange is not a color I am fond of, and it is not a color I have much, if anything at all, of. I remember sitting on the edge of her hospital bed, watching her say to herself over and over, "orange" before she fell asleep. 

My mother passed away that August. The following spring, about this time of year, my dog Ginger died. She was 17 years old. I was overwrought and terribly distraught at the loss of my dog, especially so close to the time I lost my mother. Ginger was an outside pet, but I had spent a lot of time going to the back door and talking to her. It took me a long time to stop watching for her to run up to the car when I came home.

Shortly after Ginger died, an orange cat showed up on the front porch. It was sick with distemper and had to be put down.

That was followed by a sandy colored (almost orange) dog. This was an older animal that seemed well-cared for, groomed, and smelling nice of powder. We put up flyers, called neighbors, and placed an ad in the paper (pre-Facebook, remember), but no one claimed the dog. This animal was obviously an inside pet, and we couldn't keep him because of my allergies, so we gave him to someone who wanted him. It bothered me that we couldn't find that dog's real owner.

Then it was June and my birthday came around. I was 38 years old. My friends took me to lunch, or came to my house and had lunch.

One friend brought me a rose bush for my rose garden. I planted it, and not long after, the bud that was already on it bloomed out.

It was a brilliant orange. It bloomed orange every year around my birthday up until about five years ago, when the bush died. By then, I think I had resolved most of my issues with my mother in my mind.

After the rose, I received no more orange. I received a black cat. The black cat appeared on my mother's birthday, when she would have been 57. It was a feral cat, and I would see it in the front yard often. There was no reason for the cat to hang around the house, as I did not feed it. It would have been better off at the barn, but it seemed to like the front yard.

I decided it was my mother. I thought this because my mother had been sure that my grandfather had come to my grandmother as a black cat after he died. The day of his funeral, when my grandmother went home, there was a black cat hanging around the porch. It stayed for a year, and disappeared on the day my grandfather died, never to be seen again.

Apparently this had happened with other deaths in the family and was a well-known conceit about the dearly departed in our lineage. Black cats come along after the dead are gone.

So I felt sure the black cat was my mother's final way of showing up. Sure enough, the cat hung around until August the following year, and then it stopped visiting. The next time I saw it was when my brother had his daughter a few years later. I caught a glimpse then of the black cat slipping through the yard at twilight, and I woke the next morning and went to see my new niece at the hospital even though at that time my brother and I were not in a good spot in our relationship and I wasn't sure I would be welcome. My sister-in-law expressed surprise at seeing me, but how could I not go?

After that, when I saw a black cat in the front yard, I expected something was up in the family. Usually it was. But I haven't seen the black cat since the rose bush died.




Thursday, April 15, 2021

Thursday Thirteen

1. The morning is an open arm waiting to embrace the day.

2. The leaves on the trees are coming out full speed; the grass is green, and the world is renewing.

3. Watching Spring reminds me why ancestors celebrated the end of winter and the coming of the new season. How can one not celebrate when the redbuds burst forth, and the dogwoods bloom?

4. My bird feeder is empty, as we stopped feeding the birds when the weather warmed, but still I see cardinals and red-bellied woodpeckers there, searching for a remaining seed. They need to eat nature's food now, though. I don't want fat birds!

5. Mick Jagger released a new video about being stuck in the pandemic. It's called Easy Sleazy. It's not a Rolling Stones song.


6. Speaking of pandemic, I am a week away from my second shot. Everyone tells me that once you're fully vaccinated, the anxiety lessens when you're out and about. I hope that turns out to be true in my case.

7. I had little reaction to the first shot, and am hoping for the same with the second. Fingers crossed!

8. Crossing your fingers for luck is a superstition, apparently one that comes from pre-Christianity. It isn't a common gesture in areas where there are Muslim, Buddhist, or other religions.

9. Do you believe in UFOs? That can be a religion, believing in things like that. Government can be a religion, too. Me, I soak it all in like a sponge. Some stays, some goes, most I forget.

10. Honoring the Earth Spirit seems to me to be the best part of any religion. Too bad we don't do that often enough anymore. Imagine if we simply thought of our planet as our home, and tried to keep her as neat and clean as we could. I'd sure like to see the end of industrial pollution.

11. My desk is polluted with papers. I need a clean-up day. I don't know where this stuff comes from, but it sure collects even though I'm not actively writing anything much at the moment.

12. Reading has become my go-to of late. Lots of books that aren't literature. Life is too hard for literature right now. These times call for Janet Evanovich.

13. I have a sign on my wall from a card. It says, "No one can stop you but yourself" - Liam Linisong. A friend sent me the card last fall. I don't think that's totally true - there are many things that stand in the way of people's lives - money, racism, misogyny, etc. Things do get in the way. Finding another course is not always easy. Some days the doors are all shut. Occasionally, one opens a crack. Looking for cracks right now.


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 702nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

I Need a Sign

I was able to feel comfortable for about a month and a half. That's how long it took the media to gear back up and decide to begin anew its rounds of horrific news.

Or maybe that's how long it took the news to become horrific again. Because we sent the children back to school, and the shootings started.

We've opened up the restaurants, and the Covid numbers rise.

The prejudice, bigotry, and hatred received a shot in the arm when the media reported on the former guy's vitriol at some Republican conference over the weekend. White supremacy still exists. Videos of Karens and Kooky Kens still pop up in my social media feeds. Don't these people ever tire of being mad, angry, and hateful?

I like nice. I like calm. I like quiet. A little peace goes a long way.

As a former news reporter, I find it difficult to ignore the news, to be uninformed, to not know what is going on around me.

Some days, though, I think being an ostrich would be a good thing. I know people who don't read the newspaper, who don't watch the TV news, who have no clue what is going on (although many of these people do seem to watch mostly FAUX news, so there's that. They're generally the angry ones.). 

I try to check out all sides of issues. I watch snippets of Tucker Carlson on FAUX, even. He's just a mouth with an opinion, but many people seem to take his opinion as fact, so I listen to see what his problem is. He's like a thorn on a dying rose. He's pretty to look at, but nothing but prickles underneath.

I don't watch the news channels, except for the local news and occasionally CBS evening news. I read the local papers, the New York Times, the Guardian, The Atlantic, and other sources for news and opinions. I'd rather read than listen to the irritating grunts of talking heads.

Racism is a big question for me. Am I racist? I'm sure I am. I suspect everyone is to some degree. But to what degree? I'm not sure. I don't go around making a big deal out of different races, or call people names. Frequently I don't notice color. In my video games, nobody knows who is what race, sometimes not even what gender, because we all go by made-up names. We also don't talk politics at all, and so that's a good getaway for me. Do I imagine that I'm playing with people of all races? I hope so. But I don't know. We talk about the game and sometimes the weather.

The Blacks are again marching in Minnesota because once again a police officer shot a Black man. In Virginia, my lovely state, two police officers pulled over a military lieutenant who was black, handcuffed him and pepper sprayed him, and one of the officers has lost his job over this man's treatment. I don't know why this keeps happening.

Many people believe, myself among them, that if the rioters on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol had been mostly Black instead of white, they'd have been mowed down with guns the moment they stepped over some unspecified line.

This world has always been full of turmoil and hatred. Humanity is full of strife. It does not stop from generation to generation. It may change form, but it doesn't go away. 

I'd like to think we're evolving into a better form of human, but the evidence indicates we're walking backwards, not forward.

De-evolving, as it were.

I'd like a sign that shows me I'm wrong in feeling so despairing about the state of this country and the world.