Thursday Thirteen

I have decided that the 1970s was the best decade for most everything, like music, TV, politics, women's rights, religion, etc. It was also the beginning of what we have today (which is a mess), but for a while there I think the 1970s had good things going for it. I know there was inflation, Nixon, Carter, and women and people of color were still repressed and all, but the Vietnam War ended, the music is still played even now, and that was the most influential decade of my life, I think, as far as the things I learned in school and what I saw on TV.

So, without further ado, in no particular order, here are 13 TV shows from the 1970s that influenced me:

1. M*A*S*H. Even though I was a little late to the party watching this (we couldn't get the channel), I think this is the show that made me a pacifist. I watched what it did to Hawkeye and it ate me up inside.

2. The Carol Burnette Show. I watched this when we stayed with my grandparents. I didn't always understand the jokes because of my age, but it was good, solid humor that didn't actually hurt anyone.

3. The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. I am tying these two together, since the latter was a spin-off from the first. I loved them both (but especially Lindsay Wagner as The Bionic Woman). They gave me hope for a future when humanity could heal deadly wounds and make us better than we actually were.

4. The Brady Bunch. I was a dedicated fan of Marcia and Greg Brady, the older two of the six children. I watched their interactions with one another and with their friends with great zeal. I wanted to be popular like Marcia (didn't happen), and I wanted a boyfriend like Greg (didn't happen, either, although I married someone even better than Greg).

5. Little House on the Prairie. This was my grandmother's favorite show, and I saw it only when I was at her house (again, we were limited to two channels at home, but we spent most of our weekends with my grandparents). I was actually a fan of Mary, not Laura. I thought Laura was too brash and too tom boyish. But Mary was studious, thoughtful, and a good daughter. I had read the books and followed the plot of the loss of her eyesight with great sorrow, knowing that she would, indeed, go blind.

6. Charlie's Angels. Oh, did I love Sabrina Duncan! She was smart, sexy in a non-conformist (i.e., no bathing suit) sort of way, and I thought Kate Jackson was the greatest actress ever. I had been a fan of hers ever since her first appearance in Dark Shadows and had followed her on The Rookies, where she played a nurse and wife of a police officer. Maybe that's why I became the wife of a fireman. We'll never know.

7. Wonder Woman. I have a "strong woman" thing - I like to read and watch woman who kick butt and take names, yet don't actually damage people. With her magic lasso of truth and her terrific speed and strength, Wonder Woman fit the bill. She tossed people about but no one seemed to die from her efforts; they just went to jail like they were supposed to.

8. Emergency! This show, more so than The Rookies, made me a fan of emergency services and the things those folks do to keep the public safe. I also had a little crush on Johnnie.

9. CHIPS. Ok, I admit it, I watched this show simply to see Erik Estrada. He was like, oh, Ranger in the Stephanie Plum books. Handsome, suave, a real hunk. (I was a teenager by then, so, hormones.)

10. The Partridge Family. I loved the idea of a musical family, and I thought this show put the Monkees to shame because this was more realistic. Also, David Cassidy was more of a dreamboat than Davy Jones, in my opinion. I thought Susan Dey was a great actress - almost up there with Kate Jackson - and I was happiest when the shows revolved around her, which they seldom did. Mostly they seemed to revolve around Danny.

11. Land of the Lost. I hate to say I was so invested in the plight of Marshall, Will, and Hollie on their routine expedition (hit the greatest earthquake ever known) and their efforts to find a way home, but I never missed a show on Saturday morning. I think part of my love of fantasy and science fiction comes from this show.

12. The Incredible Hulk. This was another fantasy/comic book show that I was regularly. I found it sad a lot of the time, though. Poor Bruce Banner was destined to live his life alone, walking the world trying to find a cure for his Jekyll and Hyde problem.

13. Fantasy Island. De plane! De plane! This one also caught my attention because sometimes the fantasies turned out so . . . wrong. Sometimes it was definitely a Monkey's Paw situation and a cautionary tale of be careful of what you wish for. 

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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 838th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Bucks Battle It Out!

 

This afternoon I watched these two bucks go head-to-head for a few minutes.

Sunday Stealing

 

1. Do you tend to have a guilty conscious?

A. I have a lot of anxiety and I worry a lot. I am not sure what a guilty conscious is, because I am not guilty of anything overly dramatic. I just let little things bother me too much. But I try not to hurt anyone.

2. Do you still have your wisdom teeth?

A. No. Mine were cut out when I was about 16, after my braces were removed. I was quite sick for several days from it.

3. Peanut Butter - creamy or crunchy?

A. Creamy.

4. Get up off your butt. Take 5 steps. Which leg did you start out on?

A. Right.

5. What color is your favorite kitchen utensil?

A. Silver.

6. Did you watch the Michael Jackson memorial/funeral?

A. Not that I recall. That was a while ago. But in general, I don't watch public funerals. I didn't even watch Queen Elizabeth's funeral.

7. Do you know anyone who graduated from high school this year? Were you invited to their graduation party? Did you go?

A. I don't know anyone who graduated from high school this year. So, no parties.

8. White with black stripes or black with white stripes?

A. Who cares?

9. If we were to call your 6th grade teacher, what would they say about you?

A. That I was studious and quiet, and the other kids disliked me because I made straight As.

10. Can you draw a perfect circle?

A. No.

11. What was your favorite scratch & sniff sticker scent?

A. I don't like anything with scents. I am allergic to most of that stuff.

12. How many light switches and electrical outlets are in the room that you are in right now?

A. One light switch, five electrical outlets, not counting the outlets on the extension things.

13. Do you know sign language?

A. No. I always thought it would be a good thing to learn, but I never have.

14. Do you step on cracks in the sidewalk?

A. It's not something I pay attention to, so I suppose so.

15. And the sheets on your bed look like . . .?

A. They're white, crisp, and clean. I change the bed linens every weekend.

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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: Wildest Dreams

Saturday 9: Wildest Dreams (2014)

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

1) In this song, a tall, handsome man asks Taylor Swift to drive away with him to escape the crowds. Where were you headed when you most recently got behind the wheel?

A. I went up to my mother-in-law's house.

2) She sings about memories of a romance that just "follow you around." Is anyone special on your mind this morning? (It doesn't have to be a romantic partner.)

A. For some reason, I had been thinking of a high school friend lately, and after some searching, I found a number for her and called it. We have reconnected. She lives far, far away.

3) The lyrics reference sunset. Now that it gets dark earlier, do you find yourself watching the sun set more often?

A. I have always stopped to watch the sun set or rise. I stop to watch the moon set and rise, too.

4) The video for this song takes place on a movie set. Swift said it was inspired by tales of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton embarking on a love affair while co-starring in Cleopatra. Elizabeth and Richard fell in love in Rome, while this video was filmed outside of Gaborone, Botswana. In your wildest dreams, which of these exotic locales would you rather visit: Rome or Gaborone?

A. Rome, I suppose, although I've always wanted to see the Egyptian pyramids. But that wasn't a choice.

5) In homage to Elizabeth Taylor, Swift went from blonde to brunette for the video. Do you have an appointment with a stylist between now and year end?

A. I think I have had my last haircut for the year, unless I have a sudden hair emergency.

6) Both Taylors (Swift and Elizabeth) often wore the color purple. What color dominates your wardrobe?

A. Blue.

7) In the video, Taylor Swift's leading man is Scott Eastwood, son of Clint. Though not as famous as his dad, Scott works steadily and has more than 30 TV and movie credits. Can you think of another second-generation performer who followed his or her parent into show business?

A. Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing fame. I learned from reading her autobiography earlier this year that her father is Academy Award winning actor Joel Grey. He won an Academy Award for a role in Cabaret with Liza Minnelli. (Don't feel bad, I had no idea who he was, either, until I looked him up.)

8) In 2014, when "Wildest Dreams" topped the charts, Paul McCartney had to reschedule tour dates so he could recover from a bout with the flu. How are you feeling this morning? Any coughs, sneezes, sniffles?

A. I always have sinus drainage, so nothing out of the ordinary.

9) Random question: How many different zip codes have you lived in throughout your life?

A. Three. Interesting fact: my address where I live has changed 3 times without my ever moving (although the zip code has stayed the same).

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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

1. This morning, I watched as the darkness became lighter, and the cloudy sky began to show pink, maroon, and purple color out the front window.

2. On the other side of the house, the sky was also purple, but quickly turned into a more orange hue as the sun rose.

3. If we didn't have clouds, we wouldn't have magnificent sunrises and sunsets. They would all look the same. There's a lesson in there somewhere, isn't there?

4. We are still in drought conditions, but the county lifted the burn ban anyway because we'd had a few showers of rain.

5. Out in rural areas, people often burn their trash. Many folks have a "burn barrel" for this specific purpose. We do not burn our trash; we take it to the landfill. I have asthma and can't take the smoke from burning trash.

6. People also burn piles of brush, or piles of leaves. Sometimes farmers deliberately burn a field of grass, because it makes for better grass the following year.

7.  I prefer the sight of a burning sky - one colored by the sun - to the sight of a fire.

8. Fire in the fireplace can be mesmerizing, which is why they have fireplace fires you can watch on TV, or electric heaters that mimic the look of a fireplace.

9. We have a fireplace, but we haven't used it in many years. Again, that's because of my asthma and allergies. At this point, I would be afraid to use the fireplace until a chimney sweep cleans it out and checks it over.

10. The fireplace in the house is the one thing I wish we hadn't installed when we built this house. It looks nice, but it is now more of a liability for us than anything. 

11. Maybe I should get some orange construction paper and cut out flames and put a light behind them so the woodstove that takes up the fireplace hole would look like it has a fire in it. 

12. We've considered removing the woodstove and installing gas logs, but talking about it is as far as we've gone.

13. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning!

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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 837th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Is This Rudolph?

 

O Christmas Tree

 

This decoration is older than I am. I think it came on an Avon bottle, but I'm not sure.

Our tree this year.

Sunset, December 3, 2023

 

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. If someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to?

A. The Lord of the Rings (books and movies), Little Women (book), Fleetwood Mac, Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow (music), Xena: Warrior Princess, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Star Trek: Voyager (TV).

2. Have you ever found a writer who thinks just like you? If so, who?

A. David Sedaris, maybe, except I'm not a homosexual man. Or homosexual, for that matter.

3. Do you care about your ethnicity?

A. No.

4. What musical artists have you most felt connected to over your lifetime?

A. Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow, but I'm sure there are others, like Juice Newton, Karen Carpenter, Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Pat Benetar, etc.

5. Are you an artist?

A. I am not a drawing artist, but I am a fairly creative person.

6. Dog person or cat person?

A. Dog, except I'm allergic to both.

7. Inside or outdoors?

A. Inside, although I enjoy the outdoors. My sinuses don't, though.

8. Five most influential books over your lifetime.

A. 1984, Alas Babylon, The Lord of the Rings, The Children's Bible, Mrs. Osborne the Mop.

9. Would you rather be in Middle Earth, Narnia, Hogwarts, or somewhere else?

A. Where I am is just fine, although any of those places would be nice to visit.

10. List the top five things you spend the most time doing, in order.

A. Messing around on the computer (reading, writing, playing video games), cleaning house, cooking, grocery shopping, sleeping.

11. Have you ever felt like you had a “mind-meld” with someone?

A. No.

12. Could you live as a hermit?

A. Probably. I practically do anyway, since Covid.

13. Do you feel like your outside appearance is a fair representation of the “real you”?

A. I'm not sure anyone's outside appearance represents who they really are inside. It's certainly not a fair judgment.

14. Three songs that you connect with right now.

A. Rainy Days and Mondays, Vincent (Starry Starry Night), and Landslide.

15. Pick one of your favorite quotes.

A. "So after snow comes fire, and even dragons have their ending." - J.R.R. Tolkien

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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: Rollin' Stone

Saturday 9: Rollin' Stone (1958)

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

 

1) The title comes from the proverb, "a rolling stone gathers no moss." What do you suppose that proverb is trying to teach us?

A. The proverb is trying to teach us not to be couch potatoes, but instead to constantly be "human doings" instead of "human beings."

 

2) The lyrics warn us not to be lazy stay-at-homes but to go out and learn about the world around us. Tell us about a place you haven't visited yet but would like to.

A. I would like to go Scotland. Or Ireland. Or New Zealand.

 

3) Karen and Cubby were Mouseketeers on the original Mickey Mouse Club, a TV show which ran from 1955 to 1959. Then, from 1962 to 1967, local TV stations reran it in syndication. In 1989, there was a Mickey Mouse Club reboot, which launched the careers of Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. So The Mickey Mouse Club has entertained generations of kids. What shows did you enjoy as a child?

A. I don't recall watching The Mickey Mouse Club. It was probably on a channel I could not get. I watched shows like Land of the Lost, Isis, Shazaam! H.R. Puffenstuff, etc., along with Saturday morning cartoons. In the afternoons I remember watching Dark Shadows followed by Batman.

4) Karen was Karen Pendleton, among the youngest of the original Mousketeers. Producers discovered her at a local dancing school. Have you ever taken dance lessons?

A. I have not. And it shows.

5) When The Mickey Mouse Club ended, Karen left show business. She went to public school, graduated, got married, and had a daughter. When she was in her 30s, she was involved in a car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Still, she went back to college, earning first her Bachelor's and then Master's degrees in psychology. Have you considered continuing your education? What subject would you pursue?

A. I was 49 when I obtained my masters degree. I thought about getting a law degree but decided against it.

 

6) Cubby is Cubby O'Brien, a drum prodigy who began playing professionally when he was just 8 years old. After the Mickey Mouse Club he went on to The Lawerence Welk Show. As he entered his teens, he prioritized school over TV. He later returned to television as musician on The Carol Burnett Show. He also performed in concert behind The Carpenters. Do you have a favorite Carpenters song?

A. Rainy Days and Mondays.

 

7) In 1958, when kids were watching the original Mickey Mouse Club during the day, adults were watching Westerns. The most popular TV shows of that year included Gunsmoke, Wagon Train and The Rifleman. Have you ever fantasized about life as a cowboy/cowgirl?

A. Can't say that I have, although I played with the Johnny West series of dolls when I was a child. I didn't want to be a cowgirl, though.

 

8) Also in 1958, Dwight Eisenhower became the first President to appear on color TV. Not many Americans saw him in color, though. It wasn't until 1972 that color TVs outsold black-and-white sets. Did you ever own a black-and-white TV?

A. I never owned a black-and-white TV but my grandparents did, I think.

 

9) Random question -- Did you pass your driver's license test on the first try?

A. Yes, I did.

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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. 

Phone Company Update

Three trucks from the phone company rolled into my driveway around lunchtime yesterday. I thought I was under attack for a minute.

The three guys, good ol' boys, hopped out and one of them checked my phone from the box outside of my house. He made the phone call his cellphone and it hung right up.

"There's nothing wrong out here," he declared, as I stood in the doorway watching.

"Try it the other way. Call in from your cell phone and then try to hang up," I told him.

He tried that and lo, he couldn't hang up. Now he was perplexed. There was an immediate gathering of men to try to figure out this issue. 

Then they had to try again with different cell phones. Amazingly, they received the same result each time.

They discussed what the problem could be. This appeared to be an unusual issue that they'd not run into before. Was it something they called a card? Would switching a channel help?

I reminded them that it wasn't only my line. Since it looked like they were going to be there a while, I asked if they needed anything to drink. "Can I make you a sandwich?" I offered.

They all declined but thanked me. I would have made them sandwiches if they'd said yes.

They made phone calls back to home base, conferred for a long time, and two of the trucks left.

One of the fellows stood around by himself, and I went out to ask him about the possibility of my ever receiving fiber internet. I told him I wasn't holding my breath about getting it, but I was wondering if they'd have to dig up my sidewalk. He said they bored under stuff like that, so no.

That was a relief. I asked him when I could expect it, and he said, "They tell us it will all be in by the end of the 1st quarter, but, like you said, don't hold your breath."

I went back inside for a while. He later knocked on the door and told me nothing they'd tried had fixed the problem. They were sending it to "landline engineering," whatever that was.

Around 6 p.m., someone from the phone company called and asked me to hang up on him. I did. He called me back and said he was seeing unusual activity and would now work on it. 

When I last checked it just moments before writing this, the issue remained. I don't think it will be fixed until sometime next week.

At least I got somebody's attention.

Thursday Thirteen

These are the nonfiction books I have read this year, with the exception of the inclusion of #2, which was listed as a novel. I included it because it was about the Japanese internment camps in the US during World War II and while written as a novel, I had the feeling it was based more on family lore than fiction.

Some of these books I don't remember much about, so obviously they didn't stick with me. Those include The Power of Habit and The 60-Something Crisis. Either I wasn't paying attention or the messages in the books weren't new or impressive enough to warrant my attention.

The memoirs/autobiographies are all female, except for David Sedaris's books. The books by Carly Simon and Jennifer Grey were somewhat dismaying; Carly Simon's book in particular perhaps should not have been written. Our Little Secret is a biography of Melissa Etheridge by an adoring fan, and it ended in 1999, so there wasn't much new information there. My favorites were The First Lady of World War II, which was about Eleanor Roosevelt, and Back to the Prairie, by Melissa Gilbert, which surprised me with how good it was.

Anything by David Sedaris is good; I think I have now read most of his books.

1. Boys in Trees, by Carly Simon

2. When the Emperor Was Divine, by Julie Otsuka

3. Our Little Secret, by Joyce Luck

4. If You Ask Me, by Betty White

5. The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg

6. The First Lady of World War II, by Shannon McKenny Schmidt

7. Back to the Prairie, a Home Remade, by Melissa Gilbert

8. 1963, a Turning Point in Civil Rights, by Lawrence C. Campbell, Sr.

9. The 60-Something Crisis, by Barbara Pagano

10. Out of the Corner, by Jennifer Grey

11. Holidays on Ice, by David Sedaris

12. Theft by Finding, by David Sedaris

13. In Such Good Company, by Carol Burnette

Extra: Born with Teeth, by Kate Mulgrew

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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 836th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Phone Company and Me

I still have a landline. I know that's old fashioned, but I prefer to talk on the landline than the cell phone. There seems to be some key to cell phone talking that I haven't mastered yet; there's always a time lag and I find myself talking over people. I don't do that on the "old" phone line. On the old phone line, calls don't drop, the volume doesn't suddenly disappear, and the sound is clear.

Not so much on a cell phone. While we've come a long way, baby, in terms of cell phone technology, it still doesn't match the good old landline for clarity and reliability.

That is, until the phone companies stopped caring about the landlines because so many people no longer have them. As an outlier who still has a landline, I'm now a minority. The phone book the company puts out has dropped from about 150 pages to 20. It's pathetic.

It's like the newspaper business. Change change change. All thanks to technology and this wonderful thing called the Internet, which is allowing me to write this piece and post it for all the world to see. Yippee!

My area is rural. My Internet is still DSL. Yes, DSL. That's just a step up from the old dial-up. It's 20+ year old technology. I can do some things with it, but not a lot. Just yesterday I was streaming a meeting of the local county supervisors, and a friend was also watching. She was using a hot spot and she was 4 minutes ahead of me, at least, in time because of the slow downloads that I have. She was sending me texts about stuff that in my world hadn't happened yet because I had not yet reached that point in the meeting.

The phone company, the same one I'm complaining about at the moment, has been promising me fiber "in the very near future" for literal years. They're receiving millions of federal dollars to hook up us rural folks, but we're still not hooked up. And it's still literal years away, from the looks of it.

But I digress. I wanted to write about my experience with my landline. For some time now, I'd noticed an oddity in the calls in that occasionally I would hang up, and then pick up the phone to find that the call had not disconnected on my end. Sometimes I could hear someone still talking, or muttering to him or herself, until they hung up. Once or twice I simply listened in out of curiosity to see what was being said. Fortunately, it was nothing unexpected.

I didn't realize it was a problem, though, until yesterday. I was reaching for the phone to make a call when it rang. I picked it up without thinking to find a spam caller on the other end. I hung up. I picked the phone up to make my call, and the spam caller continued rattling on with his message. I hung up. I did this multiple times, for several minutes, until the spam caller (which seemed to be a recording) ran out of words and hung up itself.

I should be able to disconnect a call immediately. I know long ago, when there was such a thing as party lines and such, you could not always disconnect immediately. Once this became a near life-threatening issue when my grandmother was talking to a friend. My brother, whom she was babysitting for whatever reason, alerted her to the fact that a strange man was on the front stoop taking off his shoes and then rattling the door. My grandmother told her friend to hang up so she could call the police, but her friend didn't understand and kept right on talking. Because the call didn't disconnect on my grandmother's end, every time she picked up the phone, she heard her friend talking and couldn't call out. Finally, she got her friend to hang up so she could call the police.

So, this non-disconnect thing could be life-threatening. What if I were having a heart attack while some spammer was spewing his or her or its nonsense, and I couldn't hang up and call 9-1-1? Or, like my grandmother, had a prowler? There are reasons why we have the FCC, you know.

Once we realized we had an issue, we checked our phones by calling with our cells, and sure enough, the landline wouldn't disconnect a call. This morning we checked at my mother-in-law's house across the street, and she had the same issue. So, we called the phone company.

I call the phone company frequently because the Internet goes down often. I have them on speed dial on my cell. This morning I called, and a woman finally answered the phone after a rather long wait. First, I was miffed because she asked me for a pin number. What is she talking about, a pin number? I took a guess. She said it was probably the last 4 digits of the account holder's social security number unless it's been changed. I do not find that acceptable at all. I was immediately irritated by this new change that was utilizing a social security number. Talk about compromising.

Then she wanted to know if I'd unplug the phone from its base. I explained to her that this was happening to in other homes around me, so it wasn't my phone. She insisted I should unplug the phone from its base. I explained to her that I was talking to her from that phone and if I unplugged it, we would no longer be talking.

I asked to speak to a manager, and my husband took the phone away from me. She finally wrote up a "trouble ticket" and gave my husband a number to write down.

About an hour ago, the phone company called. Some young fellow, who sounded like he was 12, started explaining to me how phones work and information runs through the lines and what was usually going on when there was this problem. I sat listening to him and all I could think the entire time was that I've probably been using telephones for about 3 times as long as this dude has been potty trained.

Finally, he asked me if this happened on every call. "I don't know," I said. "I don't pick up the phone again after I hang it up every time I answer it. I tell you what, you called me, so let me hang up and we'll see if you're still there when I pick it back up."

Which is exactly what I did, and he was still there, and he said he would send somebody out. But, as they always must warn, if the trouble is inside my house there would be a charge.

I'm pretty sure since my mother-in-law has the same issue, this problem is not inside of my house. It's down on a pole somewhere a half mile away.

These companies act like their customers are stupid and they all seem to have superiority complexes. I don't know why people don't understand that regulations are in place to protect us, the consumers, and I would gladly pay a bit more to have clean air and to not have to deal with 12-year-olds in suits because my phone doesn't work. Companies only want my money, that is all. They don't want to give me good service, they don't want to provide me with anything, they just want my money. My job is to hold them accountable and make sure I get what I'm paying for. It's also a function of the government, one that certain people don't like for whatever reason. But I like regulations. I want my things to work properly and to be safe for me to use. I don't want to have to spend all of my time wondering if my phone or my Internet or my whatever is going to work properly or explode in my hand because of lack of regulations.

And right now, I want my phone fixed.

Where Have All the Cardinals Gone?

 

We were a bit late in putting out a bird feeder for winter. We've seen chickadees, tufted titmouses, and blue jays, but no cardinals.

I miss the lovely red birds and I don't know where they went. They are not a migratory bird. It makes me wonder if there wasn't enough food around here this summer because of our drought. Or if we have the wrong food in the bird feeder. They like sunflower seeds the best (allegedly), and there is some of that in the mix.

Honestly, I haven't seen a cardinal in months. Of course, things like seeing birds are something one takes for granted, until suddenly they're not around. So maybe it hasn't been as long as I think.

Maybe it's been longer.

Today we have severe winds, 40 mph winds, that are knocking me offline every now and then. 

The high winds are swinging the bird feeder all around, and I just watched a blue jay take a wild ride while trying to eat during what it thought must've been a lull in the breeze.

Most likely the feeder will need a refill by the time the winds blow themselves out, as the seed will be more on the ground.

Maybe the cardinals will find their way back. I hope so.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. How long was your last phone conversation?

A. Just a few minutes. Long enough for my husband to convey information.

2. Have you ever dyed your hair?

A. I used to highlight it when I was younger, but then I started reacting to the dyes and stopped.

3. What do you have on your feet?

A. Socks and tennis shoes.

4. Do people ever mispronounce your name?

A. All of the time. If you call me and mispronounce my last name, you're a telemarketer.

5. Where did you get the shirt you are wearing?

A. From my husband's old workplace.

6. Does any part of your body hurt right now?

A. Yes, my lower back hurts. 

7. Do you drink hard liquor?

A. I do not drink any kind of alcohol.

8. Have you ever read a book in one sitting?

A. Yes.

9. Do you like cats?  Why or why not?

A. I am allergic to cats. I honestly don't know if I would like them or not, as I have never been around them much.

10. Do you like the ocean?

A. It's ok. Nice for a vacation. I don't think I want to live there.

11. Ever think you might have seen a UFO?

A. Yes.

12. Do you type fast?

A. Yes.

13. How long are you usually in the shower for?

A. About 8 minutes.

14. Chinese food or Mexican food?

A. Chinese.

15. Do you read and believe your horoscope?

A. I read it, but I don't believe it.

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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: Long Cool Woman

Saturday 9: Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress) 1972

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

(This is one of my husband's favorite songs.)

1) This week's song begins with Hollies' lead singer Allan Clarke telling us of a Saturday night trip downtown, taken at the behest of the FBI. What are your plans for Saturday night? (No, we don't expect you to tell us you'll be working undercover for a government agency.)

A. But gee, that is what I was going to tell you! I have a secret meeting set up for an in-depth interview with a Deep Throat who will totally unhinge the orange menace and lead us back into the light of true democracy. Just kidding. My plans would be to take a shower and either watch a movie or read a book.

2) At a bar, he meets a woman in a black dress. The LBD, or little black dress, is a wardrobe staple for many women because it's appropriate for almost any occasion. Let's say you get a last-minute invitation for a "dressy" dinner this weekend and you don't have the time or money to buy something new. What's your go-to outfit from your closet?

A. Black pants and a black top, with flashy jewelry. I don't wear dresses or skirts anymore, as I don't have the shoes for them. I have this huge orthotic I wear in my shoes so I can only wear closed toe shoes.

3) Everyone at the bar starts to run when they hear sirens. Do you often hear sirens in your neighborhood?

A. We seldom hear sirens around here. When we do, it's a sign to stop and watch to see if the fire truck or ambulance goes on by or heads down a driveway of someone we know.

4) In 1972, the year this week's song was on the charts, Popeye's opened their first fast-food chicken restaurant in Louisiana. Now that the Thanksgiving feast is over, will you be eating any carry-out this weekend?

A. Maybe. If I can get my husband to run out to the place in Daleville with great salads, we might have one of those. After all that feasting, one needs to eat some healthy greens.

5) Black is this week's signature color because November 24 was Black Friday, when retailers historically have slashed their prices and the holiday shopping season begins. Have you begun your gift shopping?

A. Yes, I have. Unless my husband asks me for something specific, I am finished with him. I would like to get my brother something special but so far haven't found the right thing.

6) Walmart, Best Buy and Target all advertise heavily on Black Friday. If you could have a $100 gift card from one of those stores, which would you choose? What would you buy?

A. I would choose Walmart and buy the things we normally buy there - deodorant, shampoo, lotion, etc. I hate to shop there but they do have the best prices and availability on some things.

7) This Monday is sometimes known as Cyber Monday because shoppers can find big savings online. Do you shop confidently online, or do you worry about security breaches and identity theft?

A. I do worry about security breaches and identity theft, but honestly, I think it is more likely to come from these big data breaches of hospitals and government agencies than from a store. I've had several notices this year that my data was stolen from a hospital system, another that it was stolen from the local government, and another that my banking system was hacked - not my account, but the entire bank. I honestly don't know what you can do to stop it at this point, and even if you don't think your information is online, it's out there.

8) What are you thankful for this year?

A. I'm thankful that I could celebrate turning 60 and 40 years of marriage. Both are big accomplishments.

9) Random question: Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone (texting doesn't count)?

A. My husband. He does not text so he always calls.

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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. 

 

I Hunt with the Camera

 

Thursday Thirteen #835

So, what to do for a Thursday Thirteen that lands on Thanksgiving? The obvious would be the things to be thankful for, of course.

1. My best beloved husband, who is wonderful at driving me nuts.

2. My brother, who picks out the best Christmas presents of anyone I know, and whom I love very much.

3. My other family members, numerous and plenty, though I don't see them too much, ranging from my father to distant cousins.

5. The beautiful Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains that surround me, the Blue Ridge to my back, the Alleghanies to the front (though I tend to lump them all together as the Blue Ridge).

6. My new eye glass lenses, because now I can see what I am doing. I had no idea my vision had deteriorated so much. Best not to let 4 years go by without a prescription change next time.

7. My friends, who should be in number 4 of this list, but I am too sorry to go back and make the change. They are dear to me.

8. Music, which makes me happy, even if I sing or play it badly.

9. Books, which also make me happy and take me away to distant lands and on fantastic adventures, to places where I can find dragons and wizards or whatever wonder I might desire.

10. Good food, because who doesn't like good food?

11. Decent television shows or movies, when I can find them.

12. Clocks. I have always liked clocks, always worn a watch for as long as I can remember. I like to know what time it is.

13. Night and day, for where would we be without Helios and Selene as they travel in their chariots across the sky? 

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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 835th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.