Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Write about the best decision you ever made. How did you make it? Was it reasoning or gut instinct?

A. The best decision I ever made was to marry my husband. It was a heart response. I knew I wanted to be with him after the first month we dated. He was/is kind, gentle, loving, steady, and loyal. 

2. What ONE thing would you change about your life? How would your life be different?

A. I would have not gone into newspaper writing and instead found some other creative writing outlet that paid better and offered a pension. Something in advertising, maybe, or public relations with a college. Hopefully, I would have made more money and financially would be better off.

3. What is the hardest thing you have ever done? Why was it hard for you? What did you learn?

A. It took me 8 years to obtain my bachelor's degree. I really wanted it, but I could not afford to go to school full time, so I worked (often full time, sometimes part-time) and went to school part time. I also was ill a lot and occasionally had to drop out to have surgery and recovery time. I learned that I could do anything if I wanted it badly enough.

4. What is your greatest hope for your future? What steps can you take to make it happen?

A. At this point, I just hope for good days and that the United States remains a democracy and doesn't become part of an Axis of Evil.

5. If you could time travel, what would you tell your teenage self?

A. Read more.

6. Write about the most glorious moment in your life so far.

A. I guess my wedding, followed by obtaining my masters degree, would be my most glorious moments. My wedding was a drawn-out affair that my mother created, and my graduation for my masters was a highlight of my life. It was something I did all on my own, and I celebrated it with those I loved.

7. Write about a moment you felt brave.

A. I went up in a hot air balloon in the 1980s. My husband would not go; he stayed with the chase team, but I climbed in the basket and off we went. It was amazing.

8.  What made you happy today?

A. Cheese was on sale for $2.99 a pack!

9. What do you dislike most about growing up?

A. Chores.

10. Write about ten activities you love the most and why you love them.

A. I am not going to write about 10 activities. That is an essay or a memoir, not a question for a meme! I will write about one activity. I love to read because it transports me to another world, place, and/or time and takes me away from my current cares and woes.

11. Do you have an embarrassing moment that still makes you cringe? Write about it in as much detail as you feel comfortable!

A. There was that time I introduced my mother-in-law to someone at a funeral and told her the wrong name.

 
12. What has been your best trip so far?

A. It's probably a tie between vacations to Williamsburg, Charleston, SC, and Myrtle Beach, SC.

 13. Write a list of 5 things (physical or personality-wise) you love about yourself, and why they make you unique.

A. I have a good (if sarcastic) sense of humor, I'm intelligent and intellectually curious, I like music, and I do okay with writing.

14. Discuss 5 things you wish others knew about you.

A. I don't know that people know (1) how much pain I live with, (2) how much emotional energy I spend on others, (3) what a perfectionist I am, (4) how dark my thoughts can be, and (5) that I want the best for everyone, no matter who they are, so long as their best doesn't hurt anyone else.

15. Is social media a blessing or a curse?

A. Oh, it's a curse. No doubt about that.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Goodbye, Cruel World

Saturday 9: Goodbye, Cruel World (1961)

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

 

1) This week's song has a circus theme. Have you ever been to a circus? If yes, did you enjoy it?

A. I went to the circus when I was a child, and my parents took me. It was not in tents; it was in the Salem Coliseum. I don't recall much about it as I was quite young, maybe 5 years old?

 

2) James Darren sings that he's running away to join the circus. When you were a kid, did you ever run away from home?

A. I did when I was 16. Long story short, my parents reported my car stolen, and I was picked up by the police in a few hours.

 

3) While he understands intellectually that this girl is no good for him, he tells us his heart is stubborn. Do you have a stubborn streak?

A. I can, yes. But generally, I just give in to go along and not make waves.

4) Though he had three top 20 singles, including this one, James Darren found more consistent success as an actor. Between 1959 and 1963, he played surfer Jeff Matthews, aka "Moondoggie," in three Gidget movies. Have you seen any Gidget movies? What about the TV show, starring Sally Field?

A. I don't recall ever seeing Gidget in any form.

5) "Moondoggie" got his unique nickname because he enjoyed surfing in the moonlight. Looking back on Summer 2023, did you visit the beach (by moonlight or otherwise)?

A. No, we did not go anywhere this past summer. Or the past three summers, for that matter. We last had a get-away in September 2019.

 

6) While he was playing Gidget's teen dream, he was a married man. He wed Danish beauty queen Evy Norlund in 1960. They met when she came to Los Angeles to pursue a career and they were both working at Columbia Studios. More than 60 years later, they're still together. Tell us about the longest-married couple you know.

A. How about I just tell you I'm going to be married for 40 years in a month? That's a long time, although to be honest it seems like maybe 3 years, not 40. Lots of memories, kind of all jumbled up, and stuff can be broken out by time - did it happen while I was still in school, did it happen when he was at fire station X, Y, or Z? Did it happen before my hysterectomy or after? Before 9/11 or after? Pre-pandemic or after? Which newspaper was I writing for? Who was I working for? Was my mother still alive when it happened, or had she passed away? The big marker moments stand out, but the day-to-day stuff smooshes all together, so that time does not seem like 40 years at all.

7) James Darren also played Officer James Corrigan on ABC's police drama, TJ Hooker. Have you ever considered a career in law enforcement?

A. I thought about being a lawyer, which is part of law enforcement, but that's all. My father was a policeman when I was born and up until I was about 3 years old.

 

8) In 1961, when this song was on the radio, matching "his & hers" mohair sweaters were on trend. Do you have a favorite sweater?

A. No, I do not.

9) Random question -- They say we're all young at heart. In what ways are you childlike?

A. I still have a darned sweet tooth and crave sugar almost constantly. I also need a lot of hugs. And I still like to read everything in sight, which I have done since I was four years old.

 

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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 feel like I recently did something like this but am too sorry to go back and check. Anyway, for today, here are some top conspiracy theories. Most all of these are US based (which tells you something about the citizenry.) Do you think I believe in any of them?

1. The assassination of John F. Kennedy: Some people believe that the CIA, the Mafia, Cuba, or the Soviet Union were involved in the killing of the US president in 1963, and that Lee Harvey Oswald was not the lone gunman.

2. Area 51 and aliens: Some people believe that the US military base in Nevada is hiding and experimenting on extraterrestrial beings and their spacecraft, especially after a supposed UFO crash near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.

3. The moon landing hoax: Some people believe that the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 was staged by NASA and filmed in a studio, possibly at Area 51, to win the space race against the Soviet Union.

4. The 9/11 attacks: Some people believe that the US government orchestrated or allowed the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, to justify wars in the Middle East, increase surveillance, and create a false sense of patriotism.

5. The death of Princess Diana: Some people believe that the British royal family or the British intelligence service MI6 arranged the car crash that killed Princess Diana and her companion Dodi Fayed in 1997, to prevent her from marrying a Muslim or exposing secrets.

6. Chemtrails: Some people believe that the white trails left by airplanes in the sky are not water vapor, but chemicals sprayed by the government or other organizations for various nefarious purposes, such as weather control, population control, or mind control.

7. The reptilian elite: Some people believe that many world leaders, celebrities, and influential figures are actually shape-shifting reptilian aliens who are part of an ancient bloodline that seeks to enslave humanity.

8. The COVID-19 pandemic: Some people believe that the coronavirus outbreak in 2020 was planned or engineered by various actors, such as China, Bill Gates, or Big Pharma, for political or economic gain, or to reduce the world population.

9. The Paul McCartney death: Some people believe that Paul McCartney of The Beatles died in a car accident in 1966 and was replaced by a look-alike named William Campbell, and that the band left clues about this switch in their songs and album covers.

10. The Denver airport conspiracy: Some people believe that the Denver International Airport in Colorado is hiding a secret underground bunker for the New World Order, or a portal to hell, and that its murals, sculptures, and symbols contain sinister messages.

11. The HAARP project: Some people believe that the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP), a scientific facility in Alaska that studies the ionosphere, is actually a weapon of mass destruction or a mind control device that can manipulate weather, earthquakes, volcanoes, and human behavior.

12. The Montauk Project: Some people believe that a secret military base on Long Island, New York, conducted experiments on time travel, teleportation, mind control, and contact with aliens in the 1970s and 1980s, involving kidnapped children and a psychic named Duncan Cameron.

13. The Philadelphia Experiment: Some people believe that a US Navy destroyer called USS Eldridge became invisible or teleported from Philadelphia to Norfolk in 1943 as part of an experiment on cloaking technology involving Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, and that the crew suffered horrific consequences.

And an extra because I'd never heard of it until I started looking these up:

The Titanic switch: Some people believe that the RMS Titanic that sank in 1912 was actually its sister ship, the RMS Olympic, which was damaged in a collision and swapped for insurance fraud, and that the sinking was either intentional or allowed to happen by the owners.

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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 829th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Book Stuff

If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)
By Betty White

Copyright 2012

Audiobook 2.25 hrs

Foggy Mountain Breakdown

By Sharon McCrumb

Copyright 2008

Audiobook 4 hrs

Two short audiobooks, very different subjects.

Betty White's nonfiction book is a flip little advice/memoir book where she takes on topics such as fame, friendship, and of course, pets. She reads the book herself, at the age of 89. She makes fun of herself and offers up tidbits of life in the fast lane of Hollywood, but there are no secrets here. The writing is good and it was fun to listen to her read her book. When she started talking about one of her pets that had passed away, I could tell she was crying. You don't get that often in an audiobook.

Sharon McCrumb's fiction book was a series of short stories, none really related to one another. Several of them had Appalachian settings. She has a nice little twist at the end of each story that gives it its reason for existing. The writing is tight and well-done. The audiobook readers were multiple and did a good job.

I picked both of these because they were short and I had interest in the authors/topics. Betty White has died, but I still watch Golden Girls, and it's always interesting to see how something I know nothing about works. Sharon McCrumb lives locally and I follow her on Facebook.

These days I pick my audiobooks by length. Anything over 10-12 hours I dismiss as I am simply not eager to be exhausted by a long audiobook at the moment. Short ones? Yes!

Two Bear Sitings

This morning about 9 a.m. as I was loading the dishwasher, a bear passed by the kitchen window. I raced for my camera, but the bear had moved on behind my husband's truck.

I crept outside to see if I could see him. He heard me, and raced off into the woods so fast I could not get a photo.

Then at dinner, as we were eating, I was watching a little spike buck through the patio doors. Suddenly, he spooked. I got up.

"The buck ran from something, maybe it's a bear," I told my husband.

I went to the kitchen window. "OMG, it IS a bear!" I said.

He got up to look and I raced for the camera.

This time, I was able to get photos. This is not the same bear from this morning. That bear was larger, had a heavier coat, and bigger feet.

I took the first three shots through the garage door window. As you can see, he is the gravel in the driveway, so I wasn't far from him. When I took this last shot of the bear in the woods, I was standing outside with the camera. I moved outside as he turned his back to me and went towards the woods.

I was about 30 feet away from him, I guess.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Are there any fall-specific hobbies or crafts you enjoy pursuing?

A. Not really, although I do seem to take more pictures in the fall. So perhaps photography?

2. Do you have any favorite fall-inspired recipes you like to cook or bake?

A. No. I am not a pumpkin fan.

3. Are you a fan of Halloween? If so, what's been your favorite costume?

A. I love Halloween. I haven't been in a costume in many years, though. The last time I dressed up, I was a witch. I went to Fincastle, where they have (had?) a children's Halloween parade and stood on the corner and handed out candy. That is the only time as an adult that I have dressed up. In my youth, I remember those awful plastic masks that generally broke after the first house, and it always seemed to be cold. I also dressed as a hobo a few times.

4. Do you have any childhood memories related to the autumn season?

A. Just going to school. I loved school, loved being in school, loved buying notebooks and pencils. I loved my teachers, usually. School was a safe place, aside from bullies and idiots.

5. What kind of outdoor activities do you enjoy during the autumn months?

A. Walking is nice.

6. Do you look forward to 'sweata weatha'? What is your favorite go-to outfit for Fall?

A. I don't have a favorite outfit for any season.

7. Are you a fan of pumpkin or apple flavored treats or beverages?

A. Not particularly. I like apple cider ok, but no one else does.

8. Which fall scents do you find most appealing?

A. None of them. They all make me sneeze.

9. Do you like to visit apple orchards or pumpkin patches or corn mazes?

A. No. I'm allergic to such places.

10. Have you ever participated in or attended a fall festival or harvest fair?

A. Fincastle has a festival every September (it had a 10-year hiatus in the 2000s). I used to help with the volunteer fire department at that, and then I was president of the organization that ran it for two years, so I helped with lots of parts of it then.

11. What's your favorite thing about autumn?

A. The colorful leaves.

12. Are you more of a cider or hot chocolate person when it comes to fall beverages?

A. I just drink water these days, so neither.

13. What's your ideal way to spend a crisp autumn evening?

A. Curled up in a chair with a book. That's pretty much my ideal way of spending most evenings.

14. Do you like to dress up for Halloween? What's your favorite costume or what costume do you plan for this year? Do you like to make your own costume?

A. I don't dress up for Halloween.

15. Are you a football fan? What's your favorite team?

A. I don't watch football, though we do root for the Virginia Cavaliers (University of Virginia).

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Gloria

Saturday 9: Gloria (1982)

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

(I have always loved this song. Thanks, Gal!)

 

1) In this song, Laura Branigan is advising her friend to take it a bit slower in her pursuit of a particular man. Did you more recently give or receive advice?

A. A little of both. I was out shopping with a friend, and we were both giving and receiving advice from one another.

 

2) Gloria seems determined to rush ahead, regardless of the consequences. Do you consider yourself a big risk taker?

A. I used to be, but I am no longer. When I was younger, it didn't matter what I had to do to get the story for the newspaper - ride in a hot air balloon, fly in a single engine airplane, fall down an embankment, risk arrest from a crazy sheriff - I did it. But now I don't do those things.

 

3) Laura herself seemed to be impulsive in love. She met a lawyer at a party in 1978 and they married months later. It worked out, though. They were married for almost 20 years, until his death. Thinking of your circle of friends, has someone more recently been married, divorced, or widowed?

A. I know several people who have been widowed recently.

4) "Gloria" was originally recorded in 1979 by Italian singer Umberto Tozzi. His version was a Top Ten hit in Switzerland, Belgium and Germany. Have you ever visited any of those countries?

A. I have not visited any of those countries.

5) In 2018, decades after its initial release, this recording of "Gloria" enjoyed a surge in popularity. The St. Louis Blues used it as their victory song whenever they won a hockey game at home. What's the most recent sporting event you attended?

A. It would have been one of my nephews' high school ball games, which would have been about 15 years ago now.

6) After Laura Branigan died of a cerebral aneurysm at the age of 52, her high school established a scholarship in her honor. When did you most recently return to your old high school, and what was the reason?

A. I went back to my old high school in 2019, when the school was celebrating its 50th birthday. They had displays set up to show how the school looked, etc. My husband and I both attended the same school and so we went for a little reminiscing.

 

7) In 1982, when this song was popular, the Sears catalog sold an at-home blood pressure monitor that ran on four C-batteries and sold for $190 (that's $600 in today's dollars). Amazon's current best-selling monitor is cheaper ($40) and smaller, running on AAA batteries. Is high blood pressure a concern of yours?

A. Yes. I have hypertension, but it is controlled with medication.

 

8) Also in 1982, The Compleat Beatles, a two-hour documentary about The Fab Four was released to good reviews. Do you enjoy documentaries?

A. I like some of them, yes. I don't like ones that show violence. Music documentaries are good. I like the Ken Burns documentaries on PBS, too.

9) Random question: Which of these chores to you enjoy the least: doing the dishes or the laundry?

A. Doing the dishes. I don't mind the laundry at all, but I hate doing the dishes. 

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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.  (#510)

Let Me Get That Itch

 

No Common Sense

Many people consider me to be a fairly smart person, but sometimes I feel so stupid about the things I don't know how to do that I don't think "smart" is possible.

Today, I discovered for a second time that I can't figure out how to make the lottery vending machine at the grocery store work.

This should be easy and apparently is, as I watched people go to the lottery machine, hit a few numbers, swipe a card, get their ticket, and leave.

I had a play slip in my pocketbook. The Powerball is up over $1 billion - who doesn't want to win that?

So, I went to the machine. I figured out where to put in the play slip. I put it in. The machine sucked it up. Then it said I needed to give it money. I gave it a $10 bill, which it didn't take at first, but then swooop - it sucked it up. (I always play with cash, using the credit card is too easy, I feel more responsible playing with cash.)

And I stood there going, where is my ticket? Finally, I found it, a little slip of paper lost in this big hole at the bottom of the lottery vending machine.

I looked at it and saw unfamiliar numbers. It did not play my numbers. They were all easy play numbers. I hate easy play numbers, although as numbers go, these look pretty good.

Still, they weren't our numbers. So, I went to the customer service desk like I normally do and meekly handed over my play slip and $10. I had not intended to play $20 on the lottery, but I did. 

If the vending machine numbers win, I will go kiss the thing, but honestly, why couldn't I figure that out? This is at least the second time I've tried and I've failed both times.

This kind of thing is second nature to most people, I guess, but I need an instruction booklet.

***

Now, do I really want a billion dollars? No. I suspect that would be more headache than I'd care to handle, though hopefully I would do good with it, and not built penis rocket ships to honor my manhood like Bose and Musk. Hopefully I would set up charities to help people with medical bills, build libraries and fire stations, help people go to college, offer up money to family and friends, stuff like that.

I'd be happy if I won $1,000,000. That's five numbers but not the power ball. I could live with that. That money I could put in the bank for my retirement and breathe a sigh of relief with the hope that a heart attack wouldn't wipe out our meager savings. And maybe still set up a little charity on a small scale. I'd like to help older women go back to college.

I don't want to be greedy. I have never wanted more money than I needed. Just enough. Unfortunately, as I age and see jobs going further and further out of my reach, I am no longer sure what "enough" actually means.

I wonder if not wanting all the money in the world is another symptom of having no common sense. Wouldn't it be sensible to want more money all the time?

Thursday Thirteen

Recently, I lost a friend to Parkinson's Disease. His symptoms manifested as a dementia that included hallucinations. I also read that last week was World FTD Awareness Week, which is frontotemporal dementia, the type of dementia that Bruce Willis has. I know as I age, I worry sometimes when I forget where I put something or can't find a word in my head that things are going awry in there. You just never know.

Dementia is a term that describes a group of conditions that affect memory, thinking, and interfere with daily life. There are different types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. 

Here are some warning signs of dementia. If you or someone you love are having any of these symptoms/signs, see a doctor.

 

1. Subtle short-term memory changes, such as forgetting recent events or conversations, or misplacing items.

2. Difficulty finding the right words to express oneself or communicate with others, resulting in frustration and confusion for the person with dementia.

3. Changes in mood or personality, such as becoming more depressed, anxious, fearful, irritable, or apathetic.

4. Difficulty with complex mental tasks, such as planning, organizing, reasoning, or problem-solving.

5. Confusion and disorientation, such as getting lost in familiar places, not knowing what day it is, or having trouble recognizing people or objects.

6. Difficulty with coordination and motor functions, such as having trouble with balance, movement, vision, or hearing.

7. Hallucinations, such as seeing or hearing things that are not there.

8. Agitation, such as becoming restless, agitated, or aggressive.

9. Loss of interest or emotions, such as showing less interest in hobbies, activities, or social interactions.

10. Difficulty performing daily activities, such as bathing, dressing, eating, or using the toilet.

11. Metallic taste in mouth or decreased sense of smell.

12. Agnosia, which is the inability to identify objects and/or persons.

13. Loss of appetite, malnutrition, weight loss, or pneumonia, which are some of the complications of dementia after a prolonged period.

These are some of the early signs of dementia that may indicate a need for medical attention. 

However, not everyone with dementia will experience all or any of these symptoms, and some of these symptoms may also be caused by other conditions. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor if you notice any changes in your memory or cognitive abilities that affect your daily life. A doctor may perform various tests to diagnose the cause and type of dementia and suggest possible treatments to manage the symptoms and slow down the progression of the condition. Some of the specialists who treat dementia are neurologists, psychiatrists, and geriatricians.

*This is for information only and should not be used to treat any medical condition. *

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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 828th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Red Tailed Hawk

It was very foggy when I took this picture.

 

Harvest Moon

I took these shots Thursday night, when the moon was rising over the Peaks of Otter (a mountain off the Blue Ridge Parkway).

The moon was pumpkin orange with a tinge of red; I'm afraid my camera couldn't capture the color as well as I wanted. We also had passing cloud cover which made it hard to get good photos.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Name the last song you heard.

A. The Last Worthless Evening, by Don Henley

2. What was the last food you ate?

A. I had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch.

3. What was the last drink you had?

A. Water. I only drink water.

4. Can you give the last line in a book/newspaper or magazine you read?

A. "In doing so, she truly became, as a newspaper stated during the Pacific trip, "a woman who has made the world her personal study."' - p. 221, The First Lady of World War II: Eleanor Roosevelt's Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back

"Still, it's unclear if any other Republican would have support from the House majority to lead the party." - The Roanoke Times, "McCarthy's last-ditch plan to keep the government open collapses, making a shutdown almost certain"

5. What was the last movie you saw?

A. The Replacements.

6. What was the name of the last tv-show you watched?

A. The Voice.

7. What is the last news you read about your hometown?

A. "Assault charge against Botetourt County supervisor is dismissed." - The Roanoke Times

8. Show the last photo you took with your phone, with a little explanation.

The black spot is a black bear. Took
the photo Thursday. It's in my
nephew's driveway.

9. Name the last video you watched on youtube.

A. Stevie Nicks singing Landslide.

10. What was the last thing you brought in the supermarket?

A. Sugar free hard candies for my husband.

11. When was the last time you were on an airplane?

A. 1993.

12. When was the last long drive in a car?

A. September 2019.

13. What was the last telephone conversation you had about, and who did you speak to?

A. I talked to my husband about what he was doing on a septic tank installation job, and when he thought he might be home for dinner.

14. What was the last letter you wrote about, and who did you write it to?

A. I wrote a letter to my aunt wishing her a happy birthday.

15. Name the last concert you attended.

A. The last music concert I attended was Elton John. I also saw Jeff Dunham in concert. 

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: On a Clear Day

Saturday 9: On a Clear Day (1970)

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

 

1) Is today a clear day where you are?

A. It is partly cloudy, but the haze from the fires in Canada has dissipated and my beloved mountains are visible. There is a slight breeze, but it is a lovely day.

 

2) Streisand sings that today she's "astounded." What has recently shocked or greatly surprised you?

A. I am shocked on a monthly basis that there are some people in my locality who think someone died and left them in charge of "community standards." They apparently believe their thoughts and opinions are the only ones that matter. That kind of bigotry and narrowmindedness continues to surprise me even though by now I should be used to it. I once thought people were better than they have proven themselves to be. It makes me sad.

3) Streisand's voice astounded people from an early age. She began performing in New York clubs when she was only 18, too young to order a drink in the establishments where she sang. Do you remember the first adult beverage you ordered at a restaurant or bar?

A. I don't remember, no.

4) Barbra has discussed the importance of her Jewish faith in her life and has enlisted the guidance of Reform, Conservative and Orthodox rabbis as she explored her religion's complexities. Do you enjoy discussing religion?

A. I like to discuss it in a philosophical way, and a way that informs, illustrates, or compares and contrasts. I don't like discussions that are Bible-beating or trying to convert someone.

5) Taylor Swift just passed Barbra Streisand as the woman with the most #1 albums (12). What's the last album you purchased?

A. Blue and Lonesome, by The Rolling Stones. I gave it to my husband for Christmas one year.

 

6) The lyrics to "On a Clear Day" were written by Alan Jay Lerner. He attended Choate, a private boarding school in CT, at the same time as John F. Kennedy. While JFK was in the White House, Lerner had two major Broadway hits -- Camelot and My Fair Lady -- running concurrently. Obviously those two Choate alumni did very well. Have you been to any of your class reunions? Have you been surprised, pleasantly or less so, by how any of your classmates turned out?

A. I went to my 30th high school reunion, which was 12 years ago. The folks who showed up didn't surprise me. 

7) The music was written by Burton Lane. In the 1930s, Lane worked for MGM Studios in Hollywood. After he heard Judy Garland perform at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles, he brought her to the attention of his studio bosses and the rest, as they say, is history. Lane and Garland later worked together when Judy was an established star. He wrote the song, "How About You?" for her to sing in Babes on Broadway and received an Oscar nomination. Judy's best known movie has to be The Wizard of Oz. How many times have you seen it?

A. At least 20, I guess. We used to watch it every year when I was young, but my husband doesn't like to watch it, so I have only watched it as an adult when it's been on when he was at work.

8) In 1970, Glenn Frey formed the Eagles. What's your favorite Eagles song?

A. Best of My Love.

9) Random question: Which would upset you more, being trapped in an elevator or stranded atop a mountain in a ski lift?

A. Wow. I have an elevator phobia (I once passed out the minute I stepped off an elevator at the hospital), so I would have to go with that, but being stranded atop a mountain in a ski lift doesn't sound like fun. Unless I have brownies and hot chocolate. Then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

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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

The other day I was driving down the road and I thought, "Boy, things have changed in the 60 years I've been on this ol' Earth." So I thought I'd take a look at what happened 50 years ago, things that I might remember (or not).

1. The U.S. ended its involvement in the Vietnam War after signing the Paris Peace Accords. I don't remember much about this war. I read about it in the newspaper, and I had an uncle in the Army, but I was only 10 years old in 1973. So, while I knew then that this fell under the term of "big deal," it didn't impact me personally.

2. The Watergate scandal escalated as the Senate began televised hearings and President Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox. I vaguely recall some of this, but it was well-removed from my little world of school, life on the farm, and visits with my grandparents.

3. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that women have a constitutional right to abortion. I do not remember this as a big deal, either, although this was probably about the time my mother began telling me she'd tried to abort me and failed.

4. The World Trade Center in New York City was officially opened as the tallest building in the world at the time. This had zero effect on me then, but it certainly affected me and millions of others on 9/11/2001 when the buildings were hit by aircraft. The result was catastrophic and led us into wars and I personally believe was the downfall of the country as people experienced a type of fear that they'd never felt here before. Suddenly, the US was vulnerable.

5. The first handheld mobile phone call was made by Martin Cooper, a Motorola engineer, in New York City. Again, not a big deal at the time, but now we all live with one of these mobile phones attached to us like it's a feather growing out of our butt.

6. The American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. Not a thing for me, but a big deal for folks who matter just as much as I do.

6. The Endangered Species Act was passed by the U.S. Congress to protect threatened and endangered animals and plants. This did not affect me, either, although in later years I wrote about local endangered species (a bat and some kind of snail).

7. The OPEC oil embargo against the U.S. and other countries triggered an energy crisis and a global recession. I remember my mother waiting in line for gas. It had something to do with your license plate. You could get gas on certain days depending on whether your plate ended in an odd or even number. I can remember when gas cost 25 cents, and I think it was up to about 60 cents or something during this time. By the time I was old enough to drive, it was about $1 a gallon.

8. Skylab, the first U.S. space station, was launched into orbit. I find space stuff incredibly exciting and impressive. I wonder what happened to that grand feeling of reaching for the unreachable that Americans once had?

9. Secretariat, the legendary racehorse, won the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. I am fairly sure I saw this on TV when it actually happened, but if not, I have seen it in replays.

10. The top songs of 1973 in the U.S. (in no particular order) were “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” by Tony Orlando and Dawn, “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” by Jim Croce, “Killing Me Softly with His Song” by Roberta Flack, “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye, “My Love” by Paul McCartney & Wings, “Angie” by The Rolling Stones, “Crocodile Rock” by Elton John, “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon, “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Dream On” by Aerosmith,  “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight & the Pips.

11. The top books published in 1973 were The Princess Bride by William Goldman, a fantasy adventure novel that became a cult classic film, Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, a postmodern epic that explores the impact of technology and paranoia on humanity, Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, a satirical novel that blends science fiction and social commentary, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson, a gonzo journalism account of a drug-fueled trip to the city of sin, and The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a monumental work of history and memoir that exposes the horrors of the Soviet prison system.

12. The top five movies of 1973 were The Sting, a comedy crime drama starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford as two con artists who pull off a complex scam against a mob boss, The Exorcist, a horror film that terrified audiences with the story of a young girl possessed by a demonic force and the priests who try to save her, Paper Moon, a comedy drama starring Ryan O’Neal and his daughter Tatum O’Neal as a pair of grifters during the Great Depression, Badlands, a crime drama directed by Terrence Malick and starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as a young couple who go on a killing spree in the Midwest, and Serpico, a biographical drama starring Al Pacino as a New York cop who exposes corruption in the police force.

13. As for me, I was in the 5th grade learning next to nothing from a teacher who sat at her desk and cried all the time (I think she was going through a divorce), trying to keep my brother out of trouble (never-ending job), and learning to play the piano.

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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 827th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

That's Just the Way It Is

The fence rows used to be clear of brush

with no cedars or pines growing high.

The state trimmed the roadside five times a year

and you could see from the Parkway roadside.

Flowers bloomed in the interstate divide

and houses were painted and clean.

No graffiti covered abandoned gas stations.

People were nice, not mean.

Those halcyon days of long ago

only four decades or so

have transformed into a world of decay.

It's not something I care to know.

The farmers' kids all left town

to find money in better cities.

To save taxpayers their dollar bills

no one cares if the roadside's pretty.

The Blue Ridge Parkway's a solid drive

if you don't want to see the sights.

The overlooks are overgrown with scrubs

and you don't clear that overnight.

Where is the pride in the public space?
Where is the joy in the living?

When all around there's debris and trash

and lots more taking than giving?