Tree Holds the Moon

 

Just Walk Away, Renae

This weekend, I made what for me was a big move. In others' worlds, it was a nothing burger.

In March 2017, I started playing a video game called Elvenar. It's a world-building game. Essentially, you're running a city and through a research tree, you move forward in the game so that the buildings grow and change.

Spacing is a big issue, forcing you to think about how you utilize resources. Trading goods with other players is a necessity. 

Being in a fellowship is also a necessity. To that end, in August 2017, I co-founded a fellowship in Elvenar. While I did not hold the "top" honor of Archmage, I was head mage.

Basically, I ran the fellowship. The archmage was the shield so I could do the behind-the-scenes work.

When I started playing this game, my husband worked at the fire station, still, and it was easy to spend the evenings he was at the firehouse on my game. I'm not a big TV watcher, so the only thing I was neglecting, really, was my reading. At that time, I was having a lot of trouble with my eyes and reading was difficult, so this was not a big deal.

After my husband retired from the fire department, he was home every night. I changed up my routine so that most of my game playing was in the morning or immediately after dinner, when he was in the shower, because I wanted to spend my time with him. 

By this time, I had four cities in this game, with three of them supporting my main city, the one in the fellowship I'd helped establish.

As the game progressed, it began to take up more of my time. Some mornings I would find that three hours had passed and I'd yet to shower and do my chores. I was in charge of keeping up with 25 people, answering their questions, keeping a spreadsheet on their game play, because we were trying to take the fellowship to the top 10.

You don't get into the top 10 by being an occasional, relaxed fellowship. We worked to keep a balance so that other players didn't feel pinched. But ultimately, I was the one who ended up feeling pinched.

I've known for a year that I needed to drop this game. Or step back. But I'd been playing it a long time. I'd spent a little money on it, not much, but I'd certainly put a lot of time in it. It's hard to walk away from something that you're that invested in.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not a little addicted to all things computer, and video games in particular. Video games are set up to lure you in and keep you there. 

This was the first time I'd ever played in a multi-player game. In my other video games, I played solo, because they were solo video games. When I played those, it didn't matter if I walked away for a week or a month and then went back to it. But Elvenar really encouraged players to be in fellowships or else forward movement slowed to a crawl.

I watched players come and go. There were 5 of us, including myself, who had stuck with the fellowship the entire time. Others have been there for several years. Some had left and returned.

The archmage and I are on a first name basis, and I consider him a friend. But he's a bit self-involved. In the past year, we've hardly communicated, and he was playing a lot less, and certainly not as hard as I was.

My reasons to stay were dwindling. And over the summer, I realized that I didn't care if made it through the next chapter in the game or built my city up anymore.

So, Saturday, I sent the archmage a personal note telling him I was leaving. His response was churlish, "More notice would have been nice," and he offered me no reason to stay, no relief from the responsibilities I'd taken on, or even "why don't you just take a month off, we'll hold your place." 

I thought I deserved at least that kind of consideration, but I didn't ask, and he didn't offer. I'm not sure I would have accepted if he had, but I am disappointed that he made no effort to be accommodating. All he could see was that he was being inconvenienced.

Then I sent the fellowship a note:

My Dear Friends:

Now, at long last, we come to the end of our fellowship. It is with sadness that I leave you today, but it is time for me to forego gaming and figure out something else to do with myself.

I depart so that another may help carry the FS into the top 10. I had been waiting for that to happen before I left, but we can't seem to get past 12th place. That's pretty good, though, for a FS that started out in 2017 with just FD and me and something like 303rd place.

May all of you have good health, much joy, and great laughter. And when you're slogging through another chapter of Elvenar, remember that patience is queen in this crazy little game.

This has been my first foray into multiplayer gaming. Thank you all for making it such a lovely time.

With kindest regards,

CountryDew

Yes, my player name was the same as the name I use on this blog.

At any rate, I sent the message, and then I left. (The fellowship dropped to 16th when I did; I have a really high score.)

It was much harder to do than I thought it would be, walking away. And of course, I didn't leave the game. I still have three other cities, though they are in relaxed fellowships, and it doesn't matter if I "make perimeters" or not there. If I don't show up for a few days, no one will say much, and it won't matter. And I can play the other city alone, if I want.

What I walked away from was the responsibility of trying to create a top 10 fellowship. I was tired and it was taking up a tremendous amount of my time.

It is time to move on, but sometimes that is incredibly difficult.

Now let's see what I'm walking toward, shall we?

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What period of history is your favorite to read about?

A. I like to read about all eras. This year I've read about the Roman Empire, World War I, World War II, the 1930s, and 1940s.

2. What is your favorite genre of fiction?

A. Fantasy, but I read a lot of different types of books.

3. Do you choose a book by its cover?

A. Sometimes. Usually, I read the blurbs on the back and whatever information is available in the front, and maybe the first page, before a purchase. If it's from the library, I may not go by anything other than the name of the author or the title.

4. Where do you do most of your reading?

A. I have a recliner in the living room.

5. Without looking, guess how many books are in your TBR pile. Now, look. Were you right?

A. Most of my TBR books are in my Kindle now, and I'm going to guess there are over 100 in there.

6. How many movies are on your TBW list?

A. Two, I think. Elvis and The Secrets of Dumbledor.

7. What's your favorite genre of movie?

A. My favorite movies are the Lord of the Rings movies, but fantasy movies are not necessarily my favorite genre as they can be violent and misogynistic. So whatever genre movies like Steel Magnolias and Under the Tuscan Sun are classified as would be my favorite.

8. Do you still go to see movies in the theater?

A. I haven't been to the theater since Wonder Woman was released in 2017.

9. You have $10,000 and no strings or obligations for one full day. Where do you go and what do you do?

A. I would go to a computer store and purchase a really nice computer. Maybe a good Apple even though everything I've ever used is Windows based.

10. How many songs are on your favorite playlist?

A. I don't know. Alexa won't tell me, and I don't have the Amazon Music app downloaded to look. It will play for over 4 hours without repeating, so figure 4 minutes a song . . . that's 15 an hour . . . so at least 60, but I imagine it's more than that.

11. What method do you use to listen to music (Spotify, iTunes, Pandora...)?

A. I listen to Amazon Music on my Echo Dot. Otherwise, I listen to CDs. (Yes, I still listen to CDs.)

__________

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: Love Sneakin' Up on You

Saturday 9: Love Sneakin' Up on You (1994)

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

1) The song begins with Bonnie Raitt waiting anxiously for a call. If your phone were to ring right now, who would you expect to be on the other end?

A. My husband.

2) She likens trying to avoid love to trying to stop the rain. Is rain expected where you are this weekend?

A. No, but we are expecting our first frost.
 
3) Bonnie was accepted by Radcliffe College but once she got there, she decided higher education wasn't for her and she dropped out to become a performer. Tell us about something you're not sorry you walked away from.

A. I walked away from working for lawyers and I've always been glad of that.

4) Bonnie's father was Broadway star John Raitt. Because of his career, the family was based on the East Coast. Once Bonnie got out to the West Coast, she realized she felt more at home and settled in the San Francisco area. Today, do you live far from where you grew up?

A. I live about six miles from where I grew up.

5) Prince invited Bonnie to his home, Paisley Park, to discuss working together. The project never happened, but she treasures the memory of her time with a musician she greatly admired. What's your favorite Prince song?

A. The one about the hat. Raspberry Beret.

6) When she's on the road, Bonnie likes to order Thai food. What's for dinner tonight at your house?

A. Probably a slice of ham, baked beans, and cooked apples.

7) In 1994, when this song was popular, ER debuted and became a big hit for NBC. Do you enjoy doctor shows?

A. I generally do not. The last "doctor" type show I watched was Emergency! in the 1970s.

8) Also in 1994, Olympic figure skating hopeful Nancy Kerrigan was the victim of an attack. Her rival was rumored to be involved. Without looking it up, do you remember the name of that rival?

A. Tonya Harding. I did not have to look it up. I did look her up though, to see what she's been doing. Apparently in 2019 she was on Worst Cooks in America and won that competition. I guess she's still the girl America loves to hate.
 
9) Random question -- Which of these famous Tom would you rather be seated beside at dinner: Tom Cruise, Tom Jones, or Tom Brady?

A. Tom Jones. He was a good singer in his time and I'm pretty sure I saw him in concert a long time ago. Maybe we could perform together. Tom Cruise is crazy, and Tom Brady is a sports player, so I would skip those two and go for the musician.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.  

Nice Doesn't Pay

I am, generally speaking, a nice person.

In my doctor's notes, her interns (who see me first) almost all start out their notes with, "a pleasant woman who comes in today about . . . . "

Nice. Pleasant.

Not mean, not ornery.

Maybe a bit contrary sometimes.

But nice kills me. Nice brings me nothing but heartache and confusion. Try to be nice and see if you don't get crapped on, because when I am nice, I get crapped on.

It doesn't make a difference what kind of nice I am, or who I am being nice to.

I am crapped on.

Like I'm some kind of catch-all beneath the bird feeder, maybe. 

Oh, that's nice. A good place to take a poop. 

Plop.

Thursday Thirteen

Things that I have been called:

1. Smart

2. Stupid

3. Sweetie Pie

4. Pumpkin

5. Sis

6. Hey you

7. Trouble

8. Friend

9. Student

10. Writer

11. Guitar player

12. Baby

13. Exasperating

 

___________________

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 776th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

A Happiness Manifesto

I'm joining up with Kwizgiver this month for some of the questions she's doing daily.

Today's prompt is to write a happiness manifesto.

Before I started on this, I looked up manifesto (a big, long statement), and happiness.

Most of the sites on happiness conclude that doing is key to happiness. Little is said about simply being. Since we are human beings, not human doings, I consider this to be a greatly overlooked area, and indicative of where we are culturally. If people aren't constantly doing something (that someone else considers important), then there is little justification for their existence.

I don't think a person has to be doing something all the time to justify living. Besides, most of the sites are touting personal accomplishments, not contributions to the general societal welfare, as the necessary requirement for happiness, although doing stuff for other people allegedly is a great contributor to happiness.

Some of the sites move on into law of attraction theory, which is something I find relatively abhorrent. I do think in some instances like begets like, but when one takes that theory to the point where an airplane crashes because everyone on board has a secret death wish, so they were all attracted to this particular flight, I consider this theory one of collections of thoughts that has gone off the rails. Sure, people who like to bowl are going to find one another in a bowling alley. But life is full of randomness, and that needs to be accounted for.

Happiness is not something I aim for, anyway. I aim for content and enough. We have enough, and I am generally content, if not a little unsettled because I haven't any specificity that I feel pushed toward by society. I have already done my time contributing to society - I worked up until I couldn't, I volunteered for multiple organizations, I have donated to charities and supported worthy causes. I have done and the time for doing is over. I'm content simply being, and if I do some things with whatever remains of my life, that's ok, too.

So how does one find this content? Let's take a look.

I have found that it not the vacations that are the big deal in our life. It's the everyday stuff that matters the most. Getting the laundry done, making meals, doing the dishes. Looking out the window. Holding hands with my husband when we are watching TV matters more to me than most anything else.

One key to contentment that I am not well versed in is self-care. Taking care of one's self, physically and mentally, is necessary and important to wellbeing. Exercising, eating well, reading and learning, and physical touch are simple yet key elements of living a good life. This is a lesson I wish I had conquered when I was much younger; it's easier to keep a body healthy than to take one that's about used up and make it stronger. It's not impossible, but it is harder. Sometimes things are hard, but with time it gets easier.

So, feeling well helps with the happiness/content quotient. If the body habitus is unhealthy, it's hard to focus. Not impossible, but it makes things more difficult, and difficult things become a slog sometimes. Slogs do not lead to contentment; that way frequently leads to frustration. 

Sometimes, though, one must slog to find the contentment at the end.

Acceptance is another key to contentment. It is easy to rage against the night, but accepting the darkness sometimes leads to much better sleep. Maybe things aren't going so well at various times; there's not enough time, not enough money, health isn't good, whatever. Sometimes we have to accept these limitations - this year, we won't take a vacation. This year, I won't write a novel. This year, I will deal with chronic pain. The key is not to become the obstacle. For example, I am not chronic pain (even though it feels like it some days). I accept that I have chronic pain and that has limited me. I am accepting those limitations and learning to live a good life within them. That's not an easy thing to do, but I think acceptance of life's myriad of circumstances is needed if one is to be content. Or happy.

Contentment and happiness are personal things, but many people think they should judge others based on their perceptions of what happiness is. If a person is happy working on a railroad, who am I to judge? If another is happy playing golf, what difference does it make to me? I mind my own business and find this is another key to happiness. Not worrying about what others think is huge when it comes to finding contentment. If others judge, that's on them.

Having said all that, I have never thought of myself as one of those marvelously happy people that one occasionally runs across. I've had too difficult a life for that.

But I am ok with being content.

Colonel William Preston Memorial

Botetourt County in July, 2022 (this year), dedicated a memorial to Colonel William Preston (1729-1783) next to the Botetourt County Administration Building at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield. (Isn't that a lot of "Botetourts" in that sentence? Whew.)

Colonel Preston once owned the property that is now the county's premiere industrial park, as well as home to its governing center.

Preston was an American Revolutionary War hero and local surveyor. He laid out the Town of Fincastle, which was named and still is the county seat, and many other properties as this part of Virginia began to be taken over by Europeans who forced out the Native Americans and took their land. (And I don't care who thinks that's "woke" because that is what happened.)

He also served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and held many enslaved persons.

He was a founding member of Augusta Hall, which is now known as Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA.

One of his sons, James Preston, served as Virginia Governor from 1816-1819.

After he left Greenfield, William Preston moved to Smithfield, which is on the National Historic Register of Places. He is buried there. Smithfield is located near Virginia Tech University and has connections with that school.

The memorial in Botetourt took about 20 years to finally come to fruition; I remember writing about in the newspaper as far back as 2002. The memorial is shaped a bit like a sundial, with concrete points that have information about Preston's life on them.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Fave fall Holiday: Halloween.

2. Best thing about fall walks: kicking at the leaves

3. Favorite fall chore: no chores are fun.

4. Least favorite fall chore: cutting back the dying flowers.

5. Best change in the home: the electricity bill drops for a little while.

6. Best tree in the fall: maple.

7. Fall ritual: I don't really have one.

8. Most frustrating thing about fall: it leads to winter.

9. Favorite fall decorations: I like anything witchy or to do with the moon.

10. Favorite clothing: sweaters.

11. Traditional fall candy: chocolate.

12. Favorite sound: the swish of deer as they walk through the fallen leaves in the forest.

13. When does fall begin for you? When the leaves begin to turn.

14. What is your favorite aspect of fall? Looking at the different colors on the Autumn leaves.

15. What is your favorite fall memories? Going back to school.

16. What do you like to drink in the fall? Hot chocolate.

17. What's your favorite fall food? It isn't pumpkin, that's for sure.

18. What color is fall? Fall is a rainbow of colors until it's very end, at which time it is mostly brown.

19. What does fall smell like? Earth.

20. If you could go anywhere in the fall, where would you go? I would go to the more northern states to see the leaves turn color.

 __________

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: Forever Your Girl

Saturday 9: Forever Your Girl (1989)

1) In this song, Paula Abdul tells her boyfriend he's got to remember, she's forever his girl. How's your memory? Do you remember things easily or do you leave yourself notes and reminders?

A. I make notes. I also leave reminders on Alexa. (I use her for a nag, too, for my husband, so I don't have to do it.)

2) Paula reassures her lover that she can't be swayed by another man, even if he gave her diamonds or pearls. Tell us about a piece of jewelry that means something to you.

A. My wedding ring means the most to me because it signifies my relationship with my husband.
 
3) Paula is best known as one of the original judges of American Idol. Without looking it up, can you recall the men who sat on either side of her?

A. I never watched American Idol, so I have no idea.

4) Paula has been dancing since age 8 and moves very well in heels. Tell us about your favorite shoes.

A. I wear sneakers almost always, so they are my favorite.
 
5) A lifelong dancer, Paula admits she's not a trained singer. For this record, she worked with producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who won accolades for his work with singers including Madonna, Kelly Clarkson, Toni Braxton and Janet Jackson. Who is your all-time favorite female singer?

A. I don't have just one. Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge, and Sheryl Crow would be my top 3. But then there's also Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Barbra Streisand, Ann Wilson, and Dolly Parton.
 
6) She advises young girls to "keep the faith and don't lose your gut instinct." How about you? Are you more logical or instinctive?

A. I hope I am more logical, but I suspect I am more instinctive.
 
7) Paula is excited that Richard Branson has chosen her song, "Straight Up" as the theme for his Virgin Galactic Spaceflight company. Would you like to orbit above the earth?

A. If I were 40 years younger, I'd go for it.

8) In 1989, when this song was a hit, the Sears Holiday Wish Book was big on bathrobes. Men and women alike were tempted with brightly colored, belted robes with hoods and patch pockets. Tell us about your bathrobe.

A. My bathrobe is white, long, and fairly heavy. I wear it year-round. It came from JC Penny.

9) Random question: What do you consider your best quality?

A. This is a hard question. I shall say my curiosity. But it could be my loyalty. I'm very loyal until someone no longer deserves my loyalty.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.  

A Sunset

 

The interesting weather we've had most of the summer has given us amazing sunsets. The sunrises have been glorious, too, but we have trees in the backyard, and I get better shots of the sunsets.

Today is simply overcast with a breeze, as we await the remanants of Ian, the hurricane that devastated Ft. Myers and other parts of Florida.

Thursday Thirteen #775

Adulting things -

1. I can crack an egg open with one hand!

2. I know how to wrap my towel around my wet hair so that it looks like it was done in a salon and can then walk around the house in my birthday suit if I so desire, with only my head covered. Don't look, Ethel!

3. I can leave my sneakers tied and then break down the backs of my shoes shoving my feet into them all I want.

4. Stuff can sit on the kitchen counter for as long as I want, or until I feel like putting it away, or need the counter for something else besides a storage table.

5. My gum can be sugarless - or not - depending on what I want to chew.

6. My meatloaf doesn't have to have tomato in it.

7. Dirty dishes can stay in the sink if I haven't the time to deal with them.

8. I can sort the laundry out into his and her piles if I want to do it that way. Which I do, because my husband does nasty manly work and has grease and sweat all over his clothes. I don't want that mixed in with my clothing. Yuck.

9. My car will go wherever I want it to, and if I want to take a long drive by myself, I can put the darned thing on the road and do that.

10. I don't have to eat my greens if I don't want to.

11. Reading is pleasure, not homework.

12. My guitar can sit on the love seat in the living room for as long as I need it to.

13. I don't have to keep to a schedule. Except for my husband's. There is that.

___________________

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 775th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Groundhog

This groundhog lives under our outbuilding. He is eating acorns that have fallen onto the trailer, fattening himself up for winter.

Groundhogs are also called woodchucks in some places, among other names like whistlepig, etc.

The holes they leave in the fields can break a cow's leg. Or a person's.

Review: House of the Dragon

House of the Dragon, on HBO, is a spin-off from Game of Thrones.

I enjoyed Game of Thrones, even the somewhat messy ending.

House of the Dragon is no Game of Thrones.

Sunday night as I watched the latest episode, I thought about 40 minutes into that I really did not care if I watched any more of this show.

I do not care about the characters. There isn't a likeable one among them.

Nor do I care who keeps the throne, gets the throne, eats the throne, or does whatever on the throne. I already know who ends up on the throne in 172 years after this prequel, so what does it matter?

I have read reviews calling this masterful, etc., but I find it incredibly boring and boorish. I can find better things to do at 9 p.m. on Sundays.

For a show that premiered as the highest rated show on HBO ever, it has been the quite the letdown for me.

I like fantasy, but this isn't fantasy. This is just Dark Age overkill with a few dragons thrown in.

Entertainment Weekly has called it Epic Fantasy for Dummies, but I would go even further and call it Useless Fantasy for People with No Attention Span. It is so boring you can look away and miss five minutes of it and still know it will continue to be boring when you return your attention to it.

People riding dragons does not make good fantasy. It's just fantasy if the characters are insufferable and the world they're in is untenable.

We will likely tape the remaining episodes and watch them at some point, but this certainly is not must-see TV.

For that, check out Amazon's Rings of Power. Now that's decent fantasy. I'll review that when I've seen the whole season. I don't see myself giving up on that one half-way through.

Jupiter

If you look closely in the last two pictures, you can see little dots that are moons of Jupiter. I don't have the equipment to get a better photo, although I could see them fairly clearly through the digital enhancement in the camera.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. If you were trapped in a room with the person who asked this for 24 hours, what would you do? The answer cannot be romantic or sexual.

A. Talk, sleep, and hope one of has a supply of water and that there's a pot to pee in somewhere in that room.

2. If you could learn any language instantly, what would it be?

A. Spanish.

3. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

A. I have no idea.

4. Favorite song lyric?

A. Oh, let's go with this: If I wanted to I could turn matches to gold

I could smoke drink swear and I would never

grow old - from If I Wanted To, by Melissa Etheridge

5. Favorite album?

A. I don't have one. When I was a teenager, though, I fell asleep every night listening to Bread.

6. Which time of day would you say is best for you work-wise?

A. Probably from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then sometimes I pick up another head of steam after 7 p.m., but not often.

7. What do you think people assume about you from first glance?

A. That I must be weak-willed because I am overweight.

8. Favorite city that you haven’t visited?

A. How could it be a favorite city if I haven't been there? I don't particularly like cities. I'll say Dublin, Ireland because I haven't been there.

9. If you received $10,000 but had to give it away, what would you do with it?

A. I would give it to someone who needs it.

10. What is one book you wish you could get all your friends to read?

A. I don't know. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, maybe.

11. What is one movie you wish you could get all your friends to watch?

A. The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

12. If you could create one thing, what would it be?

A. A time machine.

13. If you could play any musical instrument, what would it be?

A. I'd be the best guitar player around. 

14. What is your favorite item of clothing?

A. Blue thing. It's a sweater like thing that is warm and comfortable. I call it "blue thing" even if I'm wearing one that is a different color. The original was dark blue. I wore it out a long time ago.

15. What is your favorite card/board game?

A. Scrabble.

 __________

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: This Night Won't Last Forever

Saturday 9: This Night Won't Last Forever (1979)

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

 

1) This song begins with, "Everybody likes a celebration." Do you have any birthdays or anniversaries coming up on your calendar?

A. My aunt's birthday is Sunday. My great nephew's is next week. My husband and I celebrate our 39th anniversary in November. 

 

2) The lyrics tell us Michael Johnson is stuck at a party while his heart is breaking. He finds it awkward and painful to pretend there's nothing wrong. Are adept at "putting a good face on it?" Or is it easy for others to tell how you're feeling?

A. If someone knows me well, I have a hard time hiding how I feel. My husband says it shows in my eyes.

3) Michael feels like this is going to be a long night. Is there a part of your day when time tends to drag? Or when it flies?

A. The afternoons tend to drag for me. My energy lags then and the day seems to go on a long time.

 

4) As bad as he feels right now, he's still hopeful about tomorrow. What are you looking forward to for Sunday?

A. Nothing, really. We have no plans.

 

5) When he was 13, Michael taught himself to play the guitar. He went on to take formal lessons and mastered classical guitar. What's something you would like learn more about/do better?

A. I would like to be a better guitar player. 

 

6) For a time, he performed with a trio known as Denver, Boise & Johnson. The Denver was John. Do you have a favorite John Denver song?

A. Either Annie's Song or Take Me Home, Country Roads.

 

7) He retired to Minneapolis to be near his adult daughter. But he never stopped performing entirely. For years he delighted loyal local fans with an annual holiday concert on December 26 at Orchestra Hall. Is there a performer you've seen in concert more than once?

A. Not that I can think of. I mean, I've seen Fleetwood Mac and The Eagle in concert on TV many times, but not live.

 

8) In 1979, when this song was popular, the cable channel ESPN launched. What's the last sporting event that you watched?

A. A bit of a NASCAR race.

9) Random question: Do you play Wordle?

A. I do. I currently have a 90+ win streak going; I hold my breath when it starts feeling like I might not get the next one. 

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.  

Thursday Thirteen

I consider myself to be a somewhat eclectic reader. I don't stick to one genre, type of book, or author. Oh, I may take spells where all I read is fantasy, or maybe I read all of the books of an author until I tire of them from time to time, but on the whole, I think I have a pretty wide reading range.

Here are 13 writers and their genres. What do you think?

1. Genevieve Cogman, Fantasy

2. Richard Marx, Autobiography

3. Louise Penny, Mainstream Fiction/Mystery

4. Stuart Woods, Mainstream Fiction/Myster

5. Charles Dickens, Literary Fiction

6. James Allen, Philosophy

7. Samantha Shannon, Fantasy

8. Nora Ephron, Chick Lit/Mainstream Literature

9. Fannie Flagg, Mainstream Fiction

10. Hillary Clinton & Louise Penny, Mainstream Fiction

11. Matt Haig, Self help

12. Sheenah Hankin, Self help

13. Gary Paulson, Young Adult

Also, I've read these authors: Dolly Parton, Richard Paul Evans, Jane Austen, Nora Roberts, Neil Gaiman, Kristin Hannah, Amanda Cockrell, Carolyn Keene (yes, I read some Nancy Drew), and Becky Chambers, among others. In all, I've read books by 35 different authors so far this year. I keep a list.

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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 774th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Dystopian Now

I was in a sophomore in high school when I really got into dystopian literature.

My favorite was a book called Alas, Babylon, by Pat Frank, given to me by my geometry teacher. We'd had some discussions about life and literature, I guess, and she told me I would like the book.

I did. It wasn't just dystopian, it was apocalyptical, taking place after a full-blown nuclear war. I read it again a few years ago, and it was as relevant as it was in 1959. A little technological backwards, perhaps, but otherwise still on course.

People were mean, inhumane, ornery, and unable to think of anyone other than themselves, for the most part.

Kind of like today.

The hero was a man who thought not only of himself but of others, working to rebuild community. In the end, the US and the Soviet Union (which no longer exists, of course), had blasted one another to smithereens, and three larger, unnamed powers (probably China, India, and maybe Japan or Venezuela, if I had to guess), were now the major powers of the world.

Another dystopian book that left a big mark on me was A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter Miller, also published in 1959. (Must've been a big year for apocalyptic fiction.) A librarian at the Fincastle Library gave me this book (they were going to rid it from the collection as few people had checked it out), saying I would like it as I was always asking for science fiction and fantasy books.

In this book, the nations have already fallen. People have burned all the books, eschewed all learning, and returned to tribal ways. But religion survives, and a monastery has kept some books and other information. The story runs through several thousand years as civilization rebuilds itself to the point where once again mankind has nuclear weapons, space colonies, and technological advantages - and then destroys itself once more.

Today I prefer fantasy to science fiction. I read Dune before the movie came out and found it disturbing. Like Liebowitz, Dune had religious inclusions - religion always seems to be not the salvation of nations or worlds, but their downfall. The world in Alas, Babylon had its downfall over religious rancor in the Middle East. I believe this problem with religion is a truism that the devout overlook, as religion as currently practiced by many is destructive and not uplifting (which is why I left organized religion).

Sword and sorcery fantasy books are basically the world of today without technology - without guns, too - and most good fantasy has political overtones, some king or other attempting to take what is not his or hers. Even Lord of the Rings has this as its practical premise; Sauron wants the One Ring, sure, but what he wants is power to wield over all of Middle Earth. 

What would someone do for power? Lie? Cheat? Steal? Kill? Release a pathogen upon a population? Determine that over 1 million dead from a virus is an acceptable loss in order to bring more people around to his/her way of thinking? Malign particular groups as "others" so that in essence, the power-hungry is saying, "Look, Squirrel!" to the starving masses, who all turn to look at the squirrel while the powerful take the fish from their dinner plates? 

What would people do to maintain power? Enslave? Devalue? Create the inhumane and try to make it the natural course of things?

I once thought - and I suppose some part of me still believes - that humanity could right itself. People could, if they only would, create a world where we are all equal, each of us, and our differences are exalted and glorified as the god-parts they are. I once thought that if we only tried, humans could stop wars, not fight, not argue. Just lay down the weapons and walk away. Why didn't they lay down their weapons, each side, and walk away? I always wondered this. If no one picked up their gun, then there would be no killing. No fighting.

Just say no to murdering one another. Why is that hard?

But we are humans, and humanity is not kind, or good, or willing to create a world of consistency and love. Humans, on the whole, do not want that. Perhaps a wee babe, newly born, could be raised up to think such things might exist, and maybe entire communes of children could be raised to think the world could live in perfect harmony.

But I think not. 

That's because hate is taught. Otherness is taught. Evil is taught. Lust for and appeals to pain, thirsts for power, the need for more, more, more - all taught. Our society is dystopian by design, its creators from thousands of years ago have set it up so that it is patriarchal by design, that it demeans by design, and it separates and creates otherness - by design.

We cannot undo thousands of years of conditioning. Maybe it is now in our DNA, and maybe children today are born with this burning desire for power, to want more, to lie, cheat, steal or do whatever to achieve their goals. Maybe that's what personality disorders are, really. F*cked up DNA, warped by the thousands of years of toxicity that humanity has spewed upon itself.

Maybe we are no longer salvageable as a species.

As we destroy ourselves by ignoring the signs all around us of a world in decline, I hope this - like in Leibowitz, humanity will one day rise again.

Even a nuclear war won't destroy all of us, though it may come close.

I hope the next round manages to do a better job than we have.

What Did I See?

Last night I went into the kitchen for a drink of water, a nightly routine. My husband was already in bed.

As I stood at the sink, I caught a glimpse of something in my peripheral vision. I turned to see a silhouette of a man. I blinked, and the figure was gone.

I went back to the bedroom and told my husband I'd seen a man's ghost. He hopped out of bed and asked me to describe what I'd seen, which I did. He began checking windows, turning on outdoor lights, making sure the doors were locked.

Very male stuff. Very "here and now" oriented, too. My husband deals with reality - cows, hay, the weather. He has no time for intuition, the indescribable, the unknown.

In the front yard, which would have been behind me when I was at the sink, deer lay not far from the front porch. They stood up when we turned on the exterior light. Maybe, I suggested, one had been on the porch, and I'd caught the flash of movement through the front door window. I've seen them on the porch before.

Having satisfied himself that nothing was amiss, he steered me to bed. I lay there, waiting and pondering.

My initial thought upon seeing this vision was that it was my father. He is still very much alive, though. So, then I thought maybe it was my grandfather, popping in for a visit. This morning, my brother suggested it could have been my husband's father, though I wouldn't think him to be one to be a ghost. My grandpa, yes, he might be a spectral entity come to say hello, but not my father-in-law.

Maybe, though, it was my own reflection, a trick of the light. However, I've seen and experienced enough weird stuff to know that we don't know everything.

Weirdness has followed me around since I was a child, but it has been a while since I've had this kind of freakiness pop up out of nowhere. My brother and I both take dreams and such seriously; there's always been a bit of fey on both sides of the family. We've seen it, heard it, felt it. It leaves an impression.

Besides, there's a different feel to a warning dream than a regular dream. I can tell what I'm dreaming is not really a dream.

But this wasn't a dream. I was awake, readying for bed.

Yes, it is strange. Yes, I am weird. I've been weird all of my life and I'm old, so I don't expect that to change now. I'll probably just get weirder.

But in the meantime - what did I see?