Thursday Thirteen

I've been around for almost 60 years - so I thought I would see what all has been invented since I was born. Many of these things we take for granted now, but they're relatively new.

1. Unmanned aerial flight. These came into use during the Vietnam War, and we see them now being used as drones in the war in Ukraine. 

2. Coronary bypass surgery. We take it for granted today that if we have a heart attack, we'll get a quick stent and be out of the hospital the next day, but this life-saving procedure didn't become a reality until 1967.

3. The smoke detector. An annoying beep that's saved countless lives, this little lifesaver wasn't invented until 1969. Now it's a requirement in all new construction in most areas of the country.

4. MRI. The magnetic resonance imaging machine is widely used in medicine today and is a go-to for finding cancer tumors and other problems in the human body. But this product wasn't used until 1973!

5. The barcode. That "bleep, bleep" that's created when the product purchased goes over the scanner at the self-checkout wasn't invented until 1974. There is scarcely anything sold today that doesn't have one of these on it.

6. The first supercomputer was installed in Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1976. It was called that because it could deal with a lot of data at a time.

7. The PC was introduced to the public in 1977, when Apple II, Commodore Pet, and Radio Shack's TRS-80 all hit the market, four years before IBM introduced its first "PC." While I owned none of these, I did own a Commodore Vic 20 way back in the day.

8. The Sony Walkman, a small portable cassette player, was introduced in 1979. People could carry around their favorite music!

9. The first computer virus was created in 1982. Rich Skrenta, 15, created an application called Elk Cloner as a prank, and it became the first virus to spread outside its home network. Elk Cloner spread via floppy disk and attached to the Apple OS II operating system. When users booted from the disk, Elk Cloner transferred to the computer's memory; any additional disks inserted without rebooting were also infected. On every fiftieth boot, the computer displays text written by Skrenta:

Elk Cloner: The program with a personality / It will get on all your disks / It will infiltrate your chips / Yes it's Cloner! / It will stick to you like glue / It will modify ram too / Send in the Cloner!

What a legacy to leave, eh?

10. Microsoft Word, the program few of us can do without these days, saw the light of day in 1983. It became a household name with the introduction of Windows 3.0 in 1990.

11. In 1986, the first LISTSERV came into being - also known as the electronic mailing list. How many email newsletters do you get?

12. In 1992, IBM introduced a weird little thing called the Simon. It wasn't sold in the US until 1994, and it was a commercial failure. It was also the world's first smart phone.

13. In 1998, the first piece of what would become the International Space Station was launched into the atmosphere.

Of course, there are thousands of other things that have been invented in my lifetime, although most build upon previous inventions. What invention would you consider to be the best in the time you've been on this Earth?

____________________

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 748th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Daffy for Daffodils

 

They are looking a bit worse for wear, but the daffodils appear to have survived the weekend's cold snap and light coating of snow. I love catching glimpses of yellow and knowing it's a daffodil reaching up toward the sky.

Doorway to Nowhere

This is my special secret door that takes me different lands. It is a door standing all by itself in my side yard.

It used to be the entrance to a fenced-in garden, but my husband decided we weren't gardening anymore (not exactly the time to be deciding that with the way food prices are), and he took down the fence last year and planted grass.

For unknown reasons, he left the door. Maybe he thinks we may garden there again sometime.

At any rate, it's now my magic door. I can enter from one side and come out as someone completely different.

Or I can walk through it and be on another planet.

This door will take me wherever my imagination leads.

I wonder if I should spray-paint it pink.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What emotion do you experience the most?

A. Is anxiety an emotion?

2. What embarrasses you most in front of other people?

A. Falling down.

3. What do you love most about yourself?

A. I'm fairly creative and I'm not stupid about too many things.

4. Who has influenced you the most?

A. Many of my teachers and college professors; authors, my parents, my brother, my husband, my other family members - I can't really say who has influenced me the most.

5. What would you like to change about yourself?

A. I would like to be healthy.

6. If you could do one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

A. Eat and never gain a pound.

7. If you had the option of adopting a baby fox of baby koala, which would it be?

A. The koala because we don't have those here.

8. If you had to be on a reality show, which would it be?

A. Either Survivor, where I would be the first one voted off and then I'd have a long vacation wherever they send the losers, or The Voice, although I'd never make it to the judges because I don't sing that well.

9. If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be?

A. Scotland.

10. How many bones have you broken?

A. Two for sure, not counting toes.

11. What do you fear about getting older?

A. Losing my mobility and capabilities.

12. How do you relieve stress?

A. I read, play guitar, or play video games.

13. Are your feet the same size?

A. I guess. I've never measured them.

14. 100 kittens or 3 baby sloths?

A. Neither. That's way too many kittens to care for and I have no idea how to deal with a sloth.

15. What do you want more than anything else in life?

A. To overcome.

__________

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: Beautiful Day

Saturday 9: Beautiful Day (2000)

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

1) This song is about finding joy in an imperfect world. What brings you joy today?

A. I spent Friday with my husband on a beautiful semi-warm and sunny day. We took a long drive.

2) The lyrics mention being stuck in traffic. A poll of Boston commuters revealed that drivers have a variety of responses to be stuck in traffic — everything from bored to impatient to angry. How do you feel when you’re stuck in a traffic jam?

A. Mostly resigned. There isn't anything I can do about it.

3) This year Bono and his wife, Ali, celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Who is the longest-married couple you know?

A. Well, I'm sure it's not us, although we're hitting year 39. At the moment, though, I am hard-pressed to think of anyone else.

4) When Bono inducted Frank Sinatra into the Grammy Hall of Fame, he complimented Frank on his “swagger.” Do you think you have “swagger?”

A. No. I have fatigue. Tired people seldom swagger. They might sway, but I don't think they swagger.

5) When U2 guitarist The Edge did a charity concert at the Sistine Chapel, he became the first rocker to perform there. If you were to travel to Rome, what sites would you be certain to visit?

A. The Sistine Chapel sounds good. Also St. Peter's Square, the Coliseum ruins, and the Vatican, I suppose. 

6) This week’s song was chosen because St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, and U2 is one of Ireland’s most famous exports. What else is Ireland famous for?

A. They don't have snakes. They have a kissing stone. They have a great accent. They had druids and Celtic priests. They had a potato famine. They have civil wars over religion.

7) Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dish. Is it a favorite of yours?

A. No, I can't say that it is.

8) St. Patrick is credited with driving snakes out of Ireland. Ophiophobia is the fear of snakes. Do you suffer from ophiophobia?

A. I am not fond of snakes, but if I am the only one around to remove one, then I will remove it (and have done so on occasion). The best way is to go after them with a hoe.

9) St. Patrick’s Day fantasy: A leprechaun will share his gold with you, but you must request a specific amount for a single item. How much would you ask for, and what would you buy?

A. I would ask for $2 million and I would buy land.

_______________

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.  

New Life

This little baby calf was born yesterday in the rain. Calves do not immediately get up and walk around - that's a myth. It takes them a little while. They stand up once and get a drink and then lay back down. Usually in a few hours they are up and about. They do run around in circles sometimes. This one has a good mamma. She was very attentive.

Thursday Thirteen

Since March is National Women's History Month, I thought I'd write 13 things about one of the women who had a big influence in my life, my maternal grandmother.

1. Grandma took care of loads of children. She had six of her own, and I think she kept almost every grandchild at some point.

2. Almost every day, Grandma talked to someone named "Mama Fore" around 2 p.m. They would talk for an hour. If we were staying at Grandma's, we were not to interrupt her during her talks with Mama Fore unless we were bleeding, and even then we'd better be gushing blood.

3. Grandma made macaroni and cheese that I cannot replicate. It was hard and crusty, for one thing. I have no idea what she used to make it, and I'm not even sure I liked it, but it seemed to be a staple for the evening meal.

4. On Fridays, Grandma would walk up to her sister's house to do her hair. Aunt Neva lived about three blocks from Grandma, but across a four-lane highway. Grandma usually made us walk when we went up there with her, but sometimes she let us ride our bicycles after we aged a bit.

5. Grandma had a big rag bag in the bottom of a closet in the hallway. We would pull sheets and things out of there to make capes or I'd wrap dolls in them. We were supposed to put them back. Generally, I think I did. I'm sure I forgot sometimes.

6. If you were sad or hurting, Grandma would scoop you up and hold you tightly and sit in her rocking chair. She'd sing, "Daisy, Daisy" to you, rocking fiercely, until you calmed down. I watched her do this with all of the children. It usually worked.

7. Grandma only went to school through the fourth grade. She worked at the Oscar Mayer factory before she married. She never learned to drive a car, though. After my grandfather passed away, this became problematic because she still had two young boys at home. My mother or my aunt or one of my older uncles would take her to the grocery store. I remember Mom tried to talk her into driving, but Grandma would have no part of it. Neither of her sisters ever learned to drive, either. I wonder why?

8. When I was 15, I went to the prom. I had my date drive all the way to Salem so I could show my grandmother my prom dress. She called my mother after I left and my mom said she cried because I thought to do that. (I was the oldest grandchild, by the way.)

9. As I aged, and after it was no longer long distance to call my grandmother, I would call her and it didn't seem to matter what time of day it was, she always had time to talk, even if she was watching my cousins. I miss those conversations, even if all we did was talk about mundane things.

10. Grandma looked for the first robin every year; she said it was the herald of spring. I don't think she liked winter much.

11. After we were a little older, when Grandma kept my brother and me during the summer when school was out, sometimes we'd walk up to Salem. It was about a mile and a half walk. We'd go to downtown and use whatever money we'd saved to buy balsam airplanes, paddle balls, or models, or whatever else we could find. Then, before we walked back home, Grandma would take us to Brooks Byrd Pharmacy and buy us all snow cones. I always had the blue one.

12. Grandma hung out the laundry on the line more than she used the dryer. She preferred the fresh smell of the air to the dryer.

13. She grew lovely peonies in the side yard. They were beautiful.

____________________

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 747th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Nephew's House

My nephew is getting closer to moving into his new home. Still some work to do, but construction is a long process and somewhat weather dependent.

The house is "across the way" from us. That's his house on the left.

This is a close up with the long lens of my camera. As you can see, on this day there were lots of workers there. Still yard work/landscaping to do and it looks like maybe the columns on the porch need to be installed. Not sure what's happening on the inside, but I know from when we built our house that the interior work seems to take forever.

It's a nice looking home. I like the white siding with the black shutters. Very classy.

I know he will be happy when he is moved in!

International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day. Women make up more than half of the population, but in most countries are underrepresented and continue to be treated poorly due to domestic violence and abuse. The patriarchy is alive and well, and while women have made some advances in the last 100 years, it is good to remember that women couldn't have their own credit cards in the United States until the 1970s, they couldn't vote until the 1920s, and continue to have to fight the government, ignorance, and complacency simply for control over their own bodily functions.

We've come a long way, baby, but we've still got a long way to go, and many would like to see us go backwards. 

To celebrate the day, I thought I'd offer up some local history about women who have made great impact here. I'm using a book called Notable Women West of the Blue Ridge 1850-1950 for my source.

Lucy Breckinridge is celebrated locally because she kept a journal during the US Civil War. She began a diary on August 11, 1862. Her journals are one of the few documents we have about how women thought and were treated during that time. She was a wealthy upper-class woman, complete with servants, but she died at the age of 22 of typhoid fever, just after the Civil War ended. Her diary has been published and can be purchased on Amazon and other places.

Callie Wright of Troutdale, Virginia (which is not that close to me but is a rural community), is the first woman mayor in the Commonwealth. She served from 1930-1934. She was born in 1894 and died in 1986. She worked at the First National Bank. The town was facing bankruptcy and dissolution as a town when Wright took over as mayor. By the time her term ended, the town's debts had been paid and the community again took pride its town.

Martha Louisa Cocke grew up at Hollins Institute (later Hollins College and now Hollins University, my alma mater), and graduated from the college in 1874 with diplomas in English literature, French, history, Latin, mathematics, and natural science. She assisted in the administration of the college and taught English, French, German, and Mathematics there. She was named president of Hollins Institute in 1901.  She served for 32 years. During that time the school changed its name to Hollins College and built a theater and gymnasium and later erected another dozen new structures. She was the first woman college president in Virginia.

Georgia Meadows (1903-2001) was a Black woman in my county. She received education at Hughes Hill School, a one-room elementary school located here. She left the county to attend Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute (now Virginia State University) in Petersburg. She graduated with a BS in Education in 1922 and went on to earn a master's degree in Education from Columbia University in New York City. She also attended the University of Virginia, Northwestern University in Chicago, and worked on her Ph.D. in Education at Harvard. She returned to her home community where she taught school for 48 years. She was a consultant to the school administration with regards to education plans for the Black community. Additionally, she served as vice president of Total Action Against Poverty, served on the board of League of Older Americans, and organized the Fincastle Senior Citizens Club. In 1973, the US Federation of Colored Women's Clubs awarded her Clubwoman of the Year.

Viola Wick Painter (1904-1981) of this county was a music educator and choral director. She served as organist for the Fincastle Presbyterian Church for 32 years and for St. Mark's Episcopal Church for 27 years and directed the Fincastle Methodist Church Choir for 7 years. (I guess she didn't care about the differences in denominations!) She was President of the Botetourt County Red Cross for 10 years. (This woman would have been a distant cousin of mine. Unfortunately, I never met her. I know her grandchildren, though.)

Mary Johnston (1870-1936) was a novelist from my county. Her first book, Prisoner of Hope, was published in 1898. In 1899, her second novel, To Have and To Hold, was an overwhelming success - it was the best-selling book in 1900 - and the book was made into silent films in 1918 and 1921. She believed in equal rights for women and was a suffragette. She was the first woman to ever address the Virginia Legislature when it was in session, where she advocated for the right to vote. She wrote 23 novels and multiple short stories and articles. Some of her books can be found on Amazon.

Of course, to my mind (journalist that I was) every woman - every person - has a story and has contributed something to his or her community, even if it wasn't meant to benefit others! (I know some people like that.) Billions of people have lived on this planet, and at least half of them were female.

They - we - (and I) - have voices that deserve to be heard, acknowledged, and understood.

Sleeping Deer

 

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. How long have you lived in your current residence?

A. I have lived here over 35 years.

2. What changes have you made to it since you got there?

A. We have replaced the roof, installed vinyl siding over the cedar siding, ripped up the carpeting and put in hardwood flooring and tile, and installed a walk-in shower in place of a tub.

3. What surprised you about living in your place or in your neighborhood?

A. Nothing. I'm not far from where I grew up. I have always known this area.

4. If someone were considering moving in next door, what would you warn them about?

A. Bears and coyotes.

5. If you have to move in the next 45 days, what are you definitely not taking with you?

A. This big ol' Sauder desk that's so heavy we can't move it.

6. What are you currently reading?

A. I'm listening to State of Terror, by Louise Penny & Hillary Rodham Clinton, I'm reading Compete Confidence, by Sheenah Hankin, PhD, on my Kindle, and I have A Queen in Hiding, by Sarah Kozloff, by my chair (a real book).

7. What did you recently finish reading?

A. The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop, by Fannie Flagg, Heartburn, by Nora Ephron, and The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon (it was 804 pages long!).

8. What do you think you’ll read next?

A. I don't know, I'll have to finish the three I'm working on.

9. When did you take the road less traveled?

A. Apparently most of my life. I've always been an odd duck.

10. Did you ever participate in a talent show?

A. When I played with my band in high school, we participated in a talent show.

11. When did you most recently strike out?

A. Is striking out good or bad? If you're the pitcher, isn't striking out the batter a good thing? If you're the batter, I suppose it's not so good. I suppose most recently I "struck out" in my search for Lays Baked Potato Chips. I couldn't find any.

12.  Where do you go to find yourself?

A. I journal or talk to someone. Sometimes I sits and thinks, and then I sits some more.

13. What do you have mixed feelings about?

A. The state of the nation.

14. What did you most recently add to your collection of something?

A. Last fall I bought a little travel guitar. It wasn't very expensive. I have a small collection of inexpensive guitars.

15. When did something most recently stir you to tears?

A. The other night when I was watching My Brilliant Friend. That show almost always makes me weepy even when it shouldn't. I'm not sure why.

__________

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: Good for You

Saturday 9: Good for You (2015)

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

1) In this song, Selena Gomez sings about how eager she is to look good for her lover. What color do you look best in?

A. Blue or dark green. My eyes are hazel, and blue makes them look blue and green makes them look green. I have fair skin, so lighter colors make me look washed out.

 

2) She compares herself to a diamond, which is the birthstone of people born in April. Do you know your birthstone? Is it a gem you often wear?

A. My birthstone is a pearl or alexandrite. I have a couple of pearl necklaces, but I don't think I have any alexandrite. I used to wear the pearls frequently pre-pandemic. There isn't much point in putting them on these days, since I don't go anywhere.

  

3) Selena Gomez is a successful singer who has appeared on the Billboard charts more than 30 times. She also has her own cooking show on HBO Max. In each episode, Selena invites a chef to help her master a new recipe. She says that, off camera, the dish she enjoys making most is spicy miso ramen soup. What's your favorite soup?

A. Campbell's Chicken Pub Style Soup. I used to like tomato soup, but my stomach doesn't like it anymore.

4) She was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the Hulu miniseries Only Murders in the Building. Have you streamed anything interesting lately that you would like to recommend to Sat 9ers?

A. Season 4 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is on now on Amazon Prime. New Shows are out on Fridays. I am also watching The Gilded Age and My Brilliant Friend. I recommend all three. My Brilliant Friend is in Italian, so there are subtitles.

 

5) Selena Gomez provides the voice for Mavis Dracula, daughter of the Count, in the animated Hotel Transylvania movie and its sequels. In these family movies, Dracula and his family run a luxury hotel where monsters can vacation and get away from it all. The tone is similar to The Munsters and The Addams Family, TV shows from nearly 60 years ago. Caspar the Friendly Ghost has been entertaining children for generations. When you were a child, were you fascinated by ghosts, goblins, monsters and other such creatures?

A. Yes, and I am still fascinated by them. What is in our psyche that makes us feel the need to make up such creatures?

6) Selena's busy schedule is especially impressive when you realize that she lives with lupus, a chronic condition that can affect the skin, joints and kidneys. She credits "diet, routine and medication" for helping her avoid flare-ups. Do you have any tips that might help us increase our productivity and efficiency?

A. Use a timer. Work at something for 10 minutes. If you want to keep going after 10 minutes, do so. If you don't, stop. At least you worked at it for a little while.

7) In 2015, when this week's song was popular, Leonard Nimoy died. Without looking it up, do you know why he was famous?

A. He played Mr. Spock in Star Trek. I know it wasn't because of this video, although it's quite cute and who'd have thought there was a connection between Star Trek and The Hobbit?

8) Also in 2015, NASA announced that water had been found on Mars. Do you follow news about science and space?

A. I do. I went outside the other day in very windy weather to see if I could catch a glimpse of a SpaceX liftoff from Wallops Island, but I could not see it. I'd rather follow news about space and science than anything else - it's real news. Not opinion.

9) Random question: What was the best year of your life?

A. I'm still waiting on that to happen. I have had years where good things have happened: my marriage, college graduations, etc., but not really a single year. That said, I have recently noted I'd like to go back to the period of about 2004-2006; I was relatively healthy, working hard at my writing with the newspaper, we hadn't had the 2007 recession yet, and the nation wasn't so divided that I could feel the hands at my throat choking me every time I looked in the eyes of someone at the grocery store.

_______________

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.  

 

Bird on a Wire

 

Thursday Thirteen (#745)

1. If I sing a song and no one is home to hear it but me, did I really sing it?

2. If someone lies to you but you never find out about it, is it still a lie?

3. If I look at you and see great beauty, but you look in the mirror and see an ugly hag, which version is the truth?

4. If I look at the sun and go blind, did I blind myself, or did the sun do it?

5. If household dust is really skin shedding, why do I not lose weight? There's enough dust under the bed to make a whole person.

6. If I talk to my husband, but he doesn't hear me (because he's about half deaf), did I really speak?

7. If someone tells me I have a great sense of humor, but I don't believe them, do I have a sense of humor, or not?

8. If I can still see my hand in the moonlight, is it really dark?

9. If one clock says it's 3:05 p.m., and the other says it's 3:04 p.m., and Alexa tells me it's 3:06 p.m., what time is it really?

10. If my scale says I weigh X, but the doctor scales say I weigh Y, which is my true weight?

11. When I take off my glasses, the mountains are a blur of green and brown. If I put them on, I can tell there are trees there. Which is the truth, the blur or the sharp sight of trees?

12. If we are doomed to repeat the past, does that mean one day we will all ride horses?

13. If Windows 11 is not initially installing Cortana, does that mean Cortana is a failure of a program?

____________________

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 745th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Playing Pool

Family legend has it that I spent my early years in the pool hall.

My father would take me to the nearest bar, where he gathered with his buddies. He'd place me on top of the pinball machine, and I would chase after the balls. The guys would take turns dropping quarters in the machine to watch me laugh and giggle at the balls, bells, and whistles.

Apparently, I never fell off, or maybe I did and landed on my head and that is what's wrong with me today.

At any rate, I've always loved pinball.

I also like pool. My father played pool whilst his companions kept me entertained with the pinball machine. He once told me I'd sit on a stool and watch the pool balls bounce around the table, fascinated by the swirling balls and the crack of the pool stick against the cue.

As I aged, I learned to play the game at my grandparents' home. They had a pool table in the basement. It was there I learned too that girls were not supposed to beat the boys, that doing so was akin to committing some kind of crime and would result in a tantrum and allegations of cheating when I did win. Young uncles. Phhtt.

Girls aren't supposed to beat the boys at anything, but I know a lot of girls who can open up a can of whup ass that would turn a heart to stone in a New York minute. Sometimes, if I am angry and crazy enough, I am one of them.

I recently found an 8-ball pool game on the AARP website. The irony of playing video games on the site for the old people is not lost on me. But I have enjoyed the little game, trying to remember the angles and such. The online game has rules I'm not familiar with, but I caught on quickly.

Does anyone still play pool? The real thing, with the table and the green cover? I don't know of anyone besides my husband and brother who would even know how to play pool these days. I suppose there are still pool halls and bar joints with pool tables, places that smell of beer and vomit and cue ball chalk. None that I frequently, obviously. I've not heard anyone mention a pool hall in years.

We don't have room for a pool table at my house. My husband's family also had a pool table, but it was in a moldy basement I couldn't play down there because of my allergies. I haven't been in their basement for so long I don't even know if the pool table is still there.

Back in the day, having a pool table at home was a status symbol. It was the thing to own. 

Another cool fad that has died out, I guess. Can you, dear reader, think of any others?

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

I say . . . and you think . . . 

    Casino ::  Gamble

    Bone :: White

    Painting :: Mona Lisa

    Shocked :: Awe

    Quieter :: Library

    Feed :: Store

    Song :: Bird

    Glass :: Houses

    Boat :: Float

    Junk :: Bond

    Sheet :: Bed

    Knit :: Scarf

    Gift :: Bag

    Small :: Hobbit

    Title :: Queen

__________

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: Cruella De Vil

Saturday 9: Cruella de Vil (1961)

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

1) In the original animated 101 Dalmatians, this song is written by Roger, who gets his best ideas at the piano. Where do you feel most creative?

A. Usually whenever I have a yellow legal pad in front of me or a guitar in my hands.

2) His piano is tucked away in a crowded attic. Does your home have an attic? If so, what do you keep up there?

A. We have an attic. Mostly we have old tax records up there.

 
3) The inspiration for this song is his wife's old school chum, the very wealthy and very mean Cruella de Vil. Have you ever found you couldn't stand one of your spouse's or lover's friends?

A. Yes. When my husband and I were dating, he hung out with his buds and some of them I did not care for.
  
4) Make no mistake, Cruella is a very bad lady. The American Film Institute named her #38 on their 100 Greatest Villains list. Tell us another nasty movie character who comes to mind.

A. The Joker.
 
5) Cruella wanted to skin sweet little Dalmation puppies and make a coat. (We told you she was bad.) As winter wears on, could you use a new coat (though not one made from puppy fur!)?

A. I thought I needed a new coat, but I found one hiding in the back of the closet that I'd forgotten I'd bought. So, I'm good.

6) This song was written by Mel Leven, who did both words and music. Do you think you'd be more successful as a lyricist (words) or composer (music)?

A. I do both. You can see my latest here.

7) 1961 was a big year for Disney. In addition to this animated movie, they had a hit with The Parent Trap, about twins who are reunited at summer camp. Approx. 1 in every 250 births results in twins. Are there any twins in your family?

A. Not that I am aware of.

8) Also in 1961, IBM introduced the Selectric typewriter. Amazon and Walmart both still sell typewriters. Do you own one?

A. I have a Brother electric typewriter. I don't use it, but I still have it. Maybe a nice new typewriter would inspire me.

9) Random question: When is the last time you took a nap?

A. I only take naps when I am ill. So sometime around December 1. I had a sinus infection then.

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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.  

  

Things Going On

A mish-mash of things -

My husband's cousin passed away on Monday after a long bout of Covid. He spent some weeks on a ventilator before succumbing. The funeral is tomorrow. I have an earache and so will not attend. George was well known and a respected member of the community, so there will be a crowd. My husband looked upon his cousin like a brother. He will represent us at the funeral.

Russia invaded Ukraine yesterday, or I guess really Wednesday night. Many people see this as the first step in World War III. I think another world war will not look so much like the last two - this one will be fought with technology. Computer hacks, degradation of lifestyles, loss of the electric grid, downing satellites, plus drone bombings in various cities - those things I expect. This is not how I expected my senior years to play out, watching the world fall apart. But we all can only do what we can with the time given us and play our mostly insignificant roles therein.

Still, there are boots on the ground in the Ukraine, so traditional warfare also continues. I watched a video earlier of a Ukranian woman telling off a Russian soldier. She called him a fascist and gave him sunflower seeds to put in his pocket so they would bring up something beautiful when the soldier died. It was an intriguing notion, to bring something lovely from the destruction that was coming, or rather, has come, and continues to come. She also cursed them, not just with foul language but as in an actual curse or hex. As well she should.

For some reason, the video of all of the talented singers who participated in USA for Africa and sang We Are the World in 1985 popped up in my youtube feed, so I watched that. I remember when the song came out, how it much impact it had. I believe most radio stations agreed to play it at the same time, and the song was everywhere. I doubt we could ever have such a thing again. I will hope, though, because we are indeed the world, all of us, even those who are different in whatever way. We're all one, really, little grapes in the great vineyard of life. Some of us are purple, some are blue, some are withered raisins, some are squishy, some are seedless. I hope I'm a Concord grape. They're my favorite. I haven't had any in a long time. They're hard to find. My husband's grandmother used to grow them, but I don't know of anyone who grows them now.

At my age, I am still learning life's hard lessons. One of these is trust. I trust people to do the right thing. To do what they say they're going to do. To not hurt me. To be kind. To be nice. And guess what? I'm wrong to do that. I should trust no one. This morning's lesson came to me via a video game I play. It's a city building game called Elvenar. Not a war game, or a shot people game. A game where you trade goods to create new buildings and advance through a research tree. It's the first, only, and will be the last multiplayer game I have ever played. In this game, you have fellowships. You can have 25 people in your fellowship. Some of these people I have been playing with for five years. You do get to know people a little over that period of time. I am the archmage of my fellowship, which means I'm the leader. I can promote people to mage. My mages are the people I've come to feel are trustworthy.

This morning, I woke to find one of them had violated that trust. I have a chart on my google drive where I keep track of various things in the game - players have goals to meet, for example - and I'd given the chart to three of my mages. This morning, when I went to the chart to update it, someone had turned the thing into a garish, difficult-to-read document. I copied it over so I would be the only one with the link and then had to spend about 45 minutes trying to get it back to the way it was. It upset me so much that I cried. I also left a message for my three mages, and I let whoever had done this know that I was not happy. I demoted the fellow I think did it, and if he confesses (which is doubtful), I will throw him out of the fellowship. 

At any rate, I think I am done with the game. It takes time, but I enjoyed it. It kept me thinking and was an exercise in patience and creativity, because one really had to give thought to the goods and how to keep things equalized, and suddenly not have more planks than marble or whatever. I shouldn't have to give up something I enjoy because of someone else, but I have found that to be the story of my life.

It is no wonder I have about given up on people in general.

Too bad I can't give myself a hug.

Thursday Thirteen

I stole this idea from The Gal Herself, who used it last week for Thursday Thirteen. 

Like her, I've been blogging for years. I've blogged for more than 13 Februarys! So let's go back in time and see what I was doing around the end of February every year.

1. In 2009, I was concerned about grammar, posting about how to use ellipses in particular. I was also doing Thursday 13 then, as I have been since 2006 or so. That year, I posted about the American Heart Association.

2. In 2010, pictures of a rare black swan that appeared seemingly from nowhere occupied much of my blog space. I wonder what happened to that bird?

3. In 2011, video games preoccupied me. I wondered if I might be addicted to them (probably). I still play them. And I was thinking of writing a book. I am still thinking of writing a book.

4. In 2012, I was mourning the loss of a clothes basket. Yes, a clothes basket. Not just any clothes basket, though. It was one of the first clothes baskets I bought as a newlywed. It was a good sturdy clothes basket, nothing like the flimsy things I have now. But alas, the handle eventually gave way, as most plastic handles do.

5. In 2013, voting was on my mind. Women voting, actually, and I wrote this Thursday Thirteen about Virginia suffragettes. Virginia didn't ratify the 19th amendment until 1952. Yes, 1952! How backwards is this state, anyway?

6. In 2014, I was contemplating the notion that I am part of a lost generation. I am not old enough to be a Baby Boomer, though I am on the tail end of that group. I'm too old to be a Generation X person. There's about six years in there, from 1960 to 1966, where those of us born in those years simply don't belong. I still think that.

7. In 2015, we had snow at the end of the month. This year, the temperatures are in the 60s. Pneumonia weather, we call it.

8. In 2016, I took up coloring. I also was involved in local politics dealing with the removal of historic structures that should not have been moved.

9. In 2017, we were having an early spring, with violets and daffodils both blooming.

10. In 2018, I was visited by tree fairies. Light reflecting on water on the trees. In revisiting the entry, I remember it as a strange day, almost hallowed, because the glimmer was so odd. I could not do the image justice with the camera.

11. In 2019, my blue spruce tree fell over. They had succumbed to drought and fungus, and the wind blew one over in the night. I was home alone when it happened; it sounded like the whole house was being torn asunder when the tree hit the ground. We had them all removed later that year because they were close to the house.

12. In 2020, the weather was again too warm. The daffodils were in full bloom.

13. In 2021, I purchased a new Dell computer (big mistake). I'm still using it, but I dislike it and it doesn't have the power I need to play some of my video games. I was hoping to replace it, but I guess I will have to hold out a while. My husband is looking at another surgery soon and I'm not sure where our finances will be with that. Medical bills can take a chunk out of the savings account.

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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 744th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Where Goeth Community Pride?

Grass doesn't cut itself.

The brush along the sides of the road grows scraggly and into the power lines if the state or the electric company doesn't keep the trees trimmed back.

I am old enough to remember when the state mowed the grass during the growing seasons not just two times, but about every 10 days or so.

I am old enough to remember when the power company actively worked to keep the power lines clear of brush and trees so that if the winds blew hard, we didn't have outages.

I am also old enough to remember when the state planted flowers - yes, flowers! - in the medians so that drivers would have something lovely to look at as they breezed by.

We don't have that anymore. We're lucky now if the grass in the median is trimmed back twice a year. Whatever flowers bloom there are either wildflowers (or weeds imitating wildflowers), or leftovers from a time long past when oodles of daffodils danced merrily in the spring sunshine.

And forget about the power company or the telephone company ensuring that the trees aren't growing up in the power lines. Only brush and scrub trees along the rights of way where the lines run buffer the area between the road and a farm or a lawn these days, though I remember when they used to be kept clear. Neat as a whistle.

At some point, the leaders of the state determined that we needed to not spend tax dollars on ensuring our communities looked nice. Who cares if you can't see to pull out onto the road because the grass has grown so high one must be a giraffe in order to see over it? What's a few deaths compared to a couple of dollars, right? 

This cut jobs, too, which saved more money. Good move, said the leaders. Let's get rid of the fellows who mow, or the teams that clear the rights of way. We won't give the money to the taxpayers, though. We have big friends in the corporations who can use those dollars.

And of course, when other leaders took over, they didn't restore the monetary cuts to what by this time had become a frivolous and useless task, in their minds. 

We went the way of the dollar bill, sniffing along after the ass of the capitalist, watching the tax dollars shift to private companies that were supposed to do things like cut the grass or clear the roads of snow, but didn't do it very well (they failed so badly at the latter that the state has, for the most part, taken that back). Who needs flowers in the median, after all?

I do. You do. We all do. We all need to feel pride in our community, in the area we live in. We need to feel like part of something. Having decent roads and lovely waysides are a part of that. They offer a sense of completeness, a knowledge that someone cares about the area.

Cutting the grass in the median helps make us a caring society, not a bunch of greedy individuals grasping for the biggest grape in the pile of wrath we all are carrying around with us.

Bring back the mowers in the median. (They could be electric tractors so they'll be green and economical, really, they could!) Trim the grass so people can see to pull out of roadways. Have some pride in this state, for heaven's sake.

Virginia should not be bound by overgrowth and tangled weeds.

Let's bring back beauty and civility.

Come on, shake hands. We can do it!