Thursday Thirteen

I don't make resolutions for the new year. They are easily forgotten and broken. Instead, I will set some little goals.

1. Continue walking at least 20 minutes most days.

2. Eat better.

3. Call my father once a week.

4. Write a little every day, even if it's just a short paragraph (or a blog post).

5. See the chiropractor and try to get my back/shoulders/arm working properly so I can get back to playing my guitar.

6. Read more books. I listened to a lot of books last year, but I need to read more. I'm having some trouble with my eyes, hence the 60+ audiobooks in 2024, but still. I like to read.

7. Spend less time on video games.

8. Curb my tongue and hold my temper around my husband.

9. Get the taxes for 2024 done ASAP and keep up better with the 2025 bookkeeping. I did better in 2024 - I am not that far behind - but if I would do it even more frequently it would help.

10. Remove clutter.

11. Sell a few guitars to free up closet space.

12. Write letters to my aunt and my cousin.

13. Donate to charities.

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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 888th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Happy New Year!

Well, here it is, the big day! A brand-new start for everyone.

Whatcha gonna do with your time this year?

Work?

Read?

Play?

Daydream?

Exercise?

Eat?

Walk?

Swim?

Talk?

All of the above and then some?

Whatever the year brings for you, dear reader, I hope you enjoy it, and that your life is blessed.

The Zone

Last night I could stand it no longer, and I pulled my electric Fender guitar from its case, plugged it into my amp, and played.

I haven't touched it in about a year. I've been having trouble with my shoulder and my left arm, and playing is painful. I occasionally pick up a tiny little tinny sounding Yamaha that I bought because it weighs next to nothing, but it is not the same as playing on a fine instrument.

My lack of practice was obvious. I flinched at the boo boos in chords, the missed noting, the overreach on frets.

And then finally, I forgot to be conscious of how bad I sounded, and I just played. I don't know if it sounded good - I doubt it did - but for a few minutes there, I found that sweet, delicate space that said, "I am making my music, I am me, I am doing what I want, and to hell with everything else."

Today my left arm and shoulder was so sore I could barely carry in the groceries, but it was worth it.

So worth that I am going to do it again here in a few minutes, pain and tendonitis and whatever else is wrong be damned.

Those few minutes of finding that sound is indescribable to someone who hasn't experienced it. It's like a runner hitting the zone during a track meet. Or the basketball player on a hot streak. Or the writer who has found what she needs to get the words flowing.

It's the zone, baby. It's the zone. It's like a drug, that zone.

Listen to the music. Write the words. Find the song.

Oh man, I need to find my song.

That Stinks!

Now we both are sick.

I was on an antibiotic before Christmas, having developed a raging ear infection that required an intervention. By the big day, I was feeling better, but I also knew it wasn't gone. It still wasn't gone Friday when I finished up the antibiotic. I wrote my doctor, and she said to try a nasal steroid, which I have. I only have sharp pains in my ear every now and then and a bit of fatigue and fog brain.

My husband woke in the night Saturday night with congestion. Covid test - negative. A head cold, we think, possibly from the great niece or nephew who climbed all over him like he was a set of monkey bars when we saw them over the holidays, or from running all over Lowes and Home Depot trying to find something to fix an issue we are having in the bathroom.

We have a smelly drain in the shower.

He cannot smell it. It has been smelling for some time, and I kept waiting on him to say something. He never did, and when it reached the point where I thought I might throw up in the shower, I asked him what he was waiting for to fix that problem - and he told me he didn't smell a thing. I don't know how he could not, but whatever.

Anyway, he pulled off the shower drain cover, and there was lots of muck about it, and he cleaned that off, and then we doused the drain line with vinegar and baking soda, then a little bleach.

That did not take care of the problem.

So, we went off to one of the hardware stores on the day after Christmas. I wore a mask. He did not. We found a new drain cover and he picked up a scrub brush and some other things he thought would help, including Drano.

Then he sat to work scrubbing and cleaning the drain. He went back to the hardware store again for some bio enzyme sticks to put in there, too. He told me he stopped and talked to several people he knew, and he didn't mask up, either. He could have picked up some virus anywhere.

The smell is much improved but not gone. Yesterday, he dumped more vinegar and baking soda down the drain, and then he ran a water line through the clean-out line to the septic tank, which indicated nothing was stopped up there. He also poured water down the drain of the bathroom with a tub we do not use (we use it for storage) in case that was adding to the issue.

And there's still a smell that he cannot smell. It is better, but it is still there (fortunately not as sickening, but an indication of a problem). Now he is sick and I honestly don't know what else to try. We're on a septic tank and you can only pour so much bleach down the drain before you mess up the bacteria in the septic tank.

We are now putting baking soda in the drain before and after every shower. The hotter the shower, the more it stinks, so I am taking lukewarm showers. That is definitely a wake-up call in the morning.

We will return to trying to address this issue again when he feels more like dealing with it. In the meantime, I will be learning to hold my breath while under water.

Saturday 9: Goodbye

Saturday 9: Goodbye (1969)

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

This song was chosen because it's time to say goodbye to 2024. Thanks for participating in Saturday 9 this year.

1) In this song, Mary Hopkin asks her lover not to let her sleep too late. Did you wake up this morning on your own, did someone wake you, or were you jangled awake by an alarm clock?

A. I was awakened by my husband's alarm clock. I got up, he did not.

2) The lyrics reference "a lonely song." Can you name a song about loneliness?

A. "She's Leaving Home," from the Sergeant Pepper Lonely Hearts Club album by the Beatles.

3) "Goodbye" was written for Mary by Paul McCartney. He was the one who signed her to her first record contract and produced this and all her Apple Records, including her first big hit, "Those Were the Days." Looking back on 2024, who is someone who gave you a helping hand when you needed it?

A. Oh, my friend Teresa definitely helped me out many times.

4) This video shows Mary performing on The Ed Sullivan Show while wearing a miniskirt. Minis were very popular in 1969. Did you embrace a fashion trend in 2024?

A. I never embrace fashion trends. I wouldn't know a fashion trend if it came up to me and recited the entire 12 hours of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy to me.

5) Also in 1969, the Colts lost to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III. The game is famous because of all the hype leading up to it, including Joe Namath "guaranteeing" the underdog Jets would win. Do you have a special sports memory of 2024?

A. I enjoyed watching Caitlyn Clark play first college basketball and then in the WNBA. She was a joy to watch.

6) What's the farthest from home you traveled in 2024?

A. I doubt I went 100 miles from home. I don't recall any special trips to anywhere. We haven't been on a vacation in years.

7) What was the biggest purchase that you made in 2024?

A. We didn't make a purchase, but had a very expensive tractor repair.

8) What was your favorite book of 2024?

A. Nonfiction: Democracy Awakening, by Heather Cox Richardson. Fiction: Thornhedge, by T. Kingfisher.

9) What are you looking forward to most in 2025?

A. To be honest, not much. Other than a possibility I may actually obtain fiber internet and rid myself of DSL, there aren't many things on the horizon.

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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. 

The Button Box

My extra present at Christmas was something old.

It was my mother's button box. Well, actually it's a fruitcake tin from the 1960s, full of buttons.

I had mentioned it on a blog post about my mother back in June, when Thursday landed on her birthday. I wrote about some of my memories of my mother for Thursday 13, and mentioned the button box, wondering what had happened to it. My mother passed away in 2000 from pancreatic cancer. Most of her things remained with my father.

My stepmother saw my blog post (I didn't know she read my blog), and she knew where the button box was. She pulled it out of the basement and cleaned it up and gave it to me for Christmas.

She was quite emotional when she gave it to me. I probably did not offer up the expected reaction - I am not one to cry, especially in front of other people, but I was certainly shocked and surprised to see it.

I imagine many women of my mother's generation had a button box. Waste not, want not and all of that. My brother and I used to make a kind of toy out of the buttons and a string, a zinger type thing that I am not describing well. It was always fun to comb through the box and see what was there.

Long ago, I probably remembered what some of the buttons came off of and thought about those garments as I sorted through the buttons. Now, I have no idea, but there are certainly a lot of buttons in there, as well as needles and a die from a game, among other things.

It was incredibly kind of my stepmother to clean up the box and give this to me as a keepsake. I really appreciate her thoughtfulness.

Thursday Thirteen - Boxing Day Edition

And so this was Christmas:

Lots of food.

Even something healthy.

All set up for guests.

Yum! She brought cookies!

My mother-in-law.

My stepmother.

My father.

The old folks gathering. I'm taking the picture.

Dad opening a present.

My tree

The fireplace with its stocking.

My brother and husband with the food.

My brother with Santa Mouse.
There's a story there, which I will
tell another day.

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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 887th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Merry Christmas!

May the day bring joy.

Christmas Eve

The older I get, the more nostalgic I seem to be for those Christmas Eves long ago. The ones where my parents threw a big party, and loads of people came, and my brother and I opened our presents to one another - an effort by my parents to calm us down.

So many people, and Santa Claus coming? What kid wouldn't be wound up tighter than a corkscrew in a wine bottle?

We were supposed to go to bed, but we generally stayed up as long as we could, peering around the corner, watching the grownups talk, dance, and play music. How were we to sleep with all of that noise, anyway?

On one particularly memorable Christmas Eve, (and I may have told this story before) I remember hearing shrieks from women. I peeked around the corner and the ladies were pointing toward the refrigerator.

A drunken mouse was roaming around the floor. I am not sure where the men were - playing music or standing around outside, maybe - but the mouse was there. He'd obviously been imbibing on something.

My mother very calmly and quickly slipped off her shoe. Thwack! She slammed it down on the mouse, amidst the cries of the other women. Then she got the broom and dustpan and swept it up off of the linoleum and took it outside.

She came back in like nothing had happened. I was not surprised, having seen my mother do amazing things, but the other women were either aghast or admiring.

I thought it was hilarious.

Once we finally went to sleep, and the guests left, my parents would do the Santa thing, placing our gifts under the tree. At some point in the wee hours of the morning, my brother would shake me awake.

"Santa's come! Santa's come!" he would whisper excitedly.

I would climb out of bed and follow him to the living room, where we could see our bounty spread out beneath the tree. Then we'd go back to bed until our parents called us in.

When we arrived in the room and did not look surprised, my father would look at my mother. "They got up again," he would say.

This happened nearly every year, even when we were teenagers, though by then most of our presents were wrapped, not left out. After all, we knew who Santa was.

The excitement held for a long time.

I sure miss those days.

Getting Ready

I was getting ready for company earlier today, and I was struck by a memory of my mother doing the same thing.

My mother, though, had a routine that would make mine look like child's play. She was the ultimate personal hairstylist and makeup artist for herself.

She teased her hair up until she was too ill to do that anymore. And she wore makeup almost constantly; I seldom remember seeing her without it.

My mother always looked beautiful when she went out, even if only to the grocery store. She would be totally decked out, well dressed, and dignified.

I'm not sure she owned a pair of blue jeans.

I, on the other hand, had a routine that included hair and makeup, but I have always had easy to manage haircuts - blow, maybe a bit of a curling iron, brush, and done. My makeup routine was foundation, eye shadow, mascara, a little blush, a powder to top it off - done. I could usually be dressed in 30 minutes and my wardrobe of choice was pants and a top. Occasionally, I wore a skirt.

Dresses and I did not get along. I have always had trouble with shoes, because I have trouble with my feet. I once was told at a law office that I would never get promoted because I did not wear heels.

I opted for dress flats back then.

These days, I do my hair, still, but it remains in an easy-to-handle cut. My makeup is now nonexistent because I can't find any makeup to which I am not allergic. I can be ready in 15 minutes, 10 if I push it, not counting a shower.

My mother would be appalled to see me going out to the grocery stores in blue jeans, a t-shirt, and no makeup. I wear nothing but sneakers. I own a pair of black sneakers for dress shoes, if you can believe that.

If I stop and think about it, I'm a little appalled myself, but I haven't found a way around it. I am always neat and clean, if not decked out. It's hard to find decent clothes in my size, and since I am home more often than not, I don't know that it matters too much.

Mom sure could do herself up, though. She always looked her best.

My mom & dad, mid 1990s, maybe?

Saturday 9: Happy Holidays

SATURDAY 9: HAPPY HOLIDAYS

From the archives

1. If you could ask Santa for anything at all, right now, what would it be?

A. I would ask him for better health and peace of mind. I'm not looking forward to the angst I fear will be coming in the new year.

2. Are you currently on the Naughty or Nice list? How did you get there?

A. I hope I am on the Nice list. I have not done anything mean to anyone, aside from occasionally yelling at my husband, but he deserved it. But I could be on the Naughty list because I did mess up one time this year and lost it with someone I should not have.

3. Are you traveling this Christmas? If so, are you going by car, plane or train?

A. I am not traveling.

4. Did you ship any gifts to friends and family this year? If yes, which one traveled the farthest?

A. If having something shipped from Amazon UK to my friend who lives in the UK counts, then that one. At least, it was the furthest from me.

5. Did you buy yourself a gift this year?

A. No, but I know what I am getting so I may as well have.

6. Which do you prefer: candy canes or gingerbread?

A. Gingerbread.

7. Close your eyes and tell us the first carol that comes to mind.

A. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

8. What's your favorite winter beverage?

A. Hot water. I used to like cider and hot chocolate, but I don't drink anything but water now.

9. Share a memory from last Christmas.

A. We had an exposure to Covid, but no one but the person with Covid became ill. 

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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. 

Oh Vertigo!

On Saturday, I woke up with vertigo. It eased up after I sat up. I have had worse.

I had been having pain in my left ear and assumed an ear infection. Since it was the weekend, I couldn't call my doctor, so I tried some home remedies. It seemed to be better Monday and then Tuesday it wasn't. The vertigo was back when I woke up. Fortunately, it eased.

Wednesday, I called for an appointment with my wonderful primary care physician. I was told if I could be there in 30 minutes, the doctor could see me. I had just showered and was in the process of dressing when I made the call, so I threw on the rest of my clothes and drove as quickly as I dared to get to the office. I made it with a little time to spare.

The doctor confirmed an ear infection in my left ear. Otis media, I think they call it.

She prescribed an antibiotic and sent me off with a Merry Christmas hug.

The antibiotic is not one I have taken often and not a favorite. It makes me grouchy. It is also not kind to my stomach.

Since I am sick, I did not feel like I should do the cooking/baking I had planned to do even though I don't think I am contagious and have no fever. Instead, I coached my husband through it, and he made a couple batches of fudge for me.

He did alright, too.

I think he even enjoyed it.

We are mostly ready for Christmas. I have one more thing to wrap and then I am done. I wish I had come up with better gifts for my husband, but it is hard to buy for people when they simply go get what they want.

I have tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday to ready myself for Christmas Eve, which is usually when my family visits. I think everything will be just fine, including my ear.

 

Thursday Thirteen

Things I say that I suspect other folks, especially those who live in cities, do not, because I have a rather different sort of lifestyle:

1. There's a cow in the front yard.

2. Nice kill on your deer, dear. Now let's be sure we take meat to neighbor so-and-so (and ramble off a long list because I don't particularly like deer meat). (Yes, we fed a lot of the neighbors.)

3. I saw a coyote try to take down a deer!

4. That's a fairy circle (a round circle of mushrooms).

5. There's a bear looking in the back door.

6. The backyard is full of turkeys.

7. I saw a fox with her kit running down in the holler.

8. The creek is running dry because of the drought.

9. The racoons got into the trash again. (People in the city may have this problem sometimes. Maybe. I'm not sure.)

10. It's raining, so the Internet and the landline phone isn't working properly.

11. I am going to play my guitar until my fingers hurt, because my callouses have vanished and I need to build them back up.

12. My deadline is tomorrow morning, so I will be up past midnight writing this article.

13. I can see the Milky Way tonight because the sky is clear.

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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 886th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

More Than a Feeling

Yesterday, I was visiting with the woman who has cut my hair for a very long time. Regular readers may remember she retired pre-pandemic, and I wandered around aimlessly in the wilderness of hair stylists for years trying to find someone to cut my hair. I settled on someone for about a year, but she simply had no idea what I wanted my hair to look like, even with pictures.

In desperation, I contacted my old hair stylist and asked, "What am I supposed to tell people who cut my hair as to the style I want? No one understands what I am trying to tell them."

She told me I needed a certain cut that apparently no one teaches anymore. She offered to cut my hair for me, and I agreed. She's retired but she's kept up her license.

That was just over a year ago, and yesterday, which was I think the 12th cut, she said I finally look like myself, after going for years looking like somebody else.

I wonder who I was?

I felt like me, but I knew I didn't look like I used to. It is difficult going out when you are not happy with the way you look. Add to that my unfortunate allergy to apparently every bit of makeup on the planet now, which means I mostly go out sans facial fixing, and the fact that I am overweight, and you have the perfect picture of a woman who feels more at home, alone, than someone who races all over town doing this and that.

So, I have mostly stayed home since the pandemic. I go out to the grocery store, occasionally I hit Walmart, and I see my doctors, but that's about it. We went to Belk (a southern department store) at Valley View Mall last week and it was like going into a strange world. I hadn't been to the mall in years. Literally.

I am feeling more like going out now. Even sans makeup. I've lost another 10 pounds, which is not much when you are already overweight, but my clothes fit a little better and are looser and not as restricting. I have been walking on the treadmill and trying to eat better so I have more energy. Not a lot more energy, but some.

The weather keeps me inside - I am not a winter fan. But I am feeling like maybe come spring, if I can keep the weight down, and my hair cut well, I will start venturing out more. Maybe once a week I will drive to the mall and walk it instead of the treadmill, just to see what is out there.

And to feel more like I belong in this world, because regardless of what others say and think, I do.

Saturday 9: I Wouldn't Trade Christmas

Saturday 9: I Wouldn't Trade Christmas (1968)

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

  

1) In addition to Christmas, this song name-checks many major holidays, including Mother's and Father's Day, Thanksgiving, Halloween and Valentine's Day. Which holiday is your favorite?

A. I have always liked Halloween even though I do nothing to celebrate it. Old people's Christmas is not as much fun as young people's Christmas, I must say.

 

2) The Sinatra family posed in all-white for this album cover in August 1968. Are there any pictures of you and your siblings in matching outfits?

A. Not that I am aware of.

3) Nancy is the oldest of the Sinatra children. She's also the one who performed most often on TV and film with her famous father. She played his daughter (of course!) in a movie and appeared in two of his TV specials while he appeared in one of hers. In 1967, she and Frank scored a #1 single with a duet of "Somethin' Stupid." Have you ever worked with a family member or spouse?

A. My spouse and I farm. He does the labor, and I do the bookkeeping (and I am not very good at it, though I eventually get it right). I also worked for a short while with my father, but it was quite obvious that wasn't going to work.

 

4) Frank, Jr., was the middle child and only son. A dedicated musician, he labored in his father's long shadow and joked that he would have had an easier time if he'd chosen real estate instead of music. Tell us about your path not taken. (Examples: A career you wish you'd pursued but didn't; a person you could have married but didn't; a city you almost moved to but changed your mind.)

A. I could have been a musician. My parents wanted me to study music, but I chose not to. I did not think I was that good of a musician and I stand by that belief. I did ok with music, but I was nothing special. I should have been a college professor, that's what I should have been. Oh well.

 

5) Unlike her father and siblings, Tina Sinatra never wanted to be a singer. She found success as a theatrical agent and, at her father's request, became involved with his business affairs. Today she helps manage the rights to Frank Sinatra's movies and music. Do you have a good head for business?

A. My head for business is better than some. However, it is not as good as my father's, for example, and probably my brother's. I've never had that drive for money that business people seem to need.

6) Nancy and Frank, Jr., were born in Jersey City. By the time Tina was born, the family had relocated to Los Angeles. Did your family move around a lot when you were young?

A. My family moved a few times when I was young, but I would not call it a lot. We moved 4 times, only 3 of which I remember. I think that's right.

And now, in the spirit of the season ...

 

7) Do you consider snow globes a holiday decoration, or do think they should be displayed all year around?

A. I have never thought about it. I have my Department 56 Christmas buildings out year-round, so I don't see why a snow globe couldn't be out all year.

8) Which of Dickens' Christmas ghosts would you most enjoy spending time with: past, present or future?

A. I think I would most enjoy spending time with the ghost of the future, if we could get beyond the grave part and she would show me what the world would be like in 20-30  years.

9) Have you crafted, cooked, or baked any gifts this holiday season?

A. I have not. I may bake some this weekend, but we shall see how it goes. Mostly I make candy, and it doesn't freeze well. I could make a cake or brownies and freeze them until I need them, but I generally don't do that. (Actually, I haven't planned out what I am doing for my annual Christmas Eve gathering, so who knows what will appear on the table.)

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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 13

Things I wonder about:

1. What will happen to all of my stuff should I die suddenly? Will it go out in an auction? Will family comb through it? Will anyone want any of it? Would it mean anything to anybody? What is death, anyway? Will I know if my stuff gets thrown in a dumpster? Will I care?

2. Why does it seem to be windier now than it was when I was a child? I do not remember these rabid cold fronts coming through, eating their way through the windows with blistering winds that rattle the shingles on the house. Is the earth rotating faster to make the winds blow more? Is it dust in the air?

3. Why do we have to age? Couldn't we reach a certain terminus of time and stop there? Wouldn't it be nice to cease aging at some great age like 40? Some physicists and philosophers argue that time as we perceive it may not be reality. In some interpretations of physics time is a static dimension, and all moments (past, present, and future) exist simultaneously. What if this is true? Does that mean our perception of time's flow is wrong? Do we experience time not as flow but as a sequence of events? And if that is the case, could we reverse it?

4. What is the meaning of life? (The answer is not 42!) Some people believe life’s meaning is subjective, varying from person to person. Others hope to discover an objective or cosmic purpose that applies to everyone. For many, the search itself is meaningful—an ongoing journey rather than a final answer. There are whole books outlining various theories on this topic, from Nietzche to Freud to Frankl, etc.

5. What will humanity be like in the future? While technology and society may change dramatically, certain human traits—like curiosity, creativity, and the need for connection—are likely to persist. These qualities may continue to define humanity, even in the face of rapid transformation. But with fast technological changes, humans will have to learn to adapt to change. The most exciting possibilities might come from breakthroughs we can’t yet imagine, just as people 1,000 years ago couldn’t foresee modern technologies like the internet or genetic engineering. In the year 2525, if man is still alive . . . what will we find?

6. Are ghosts, spirits, or supernatural phenomena real? I've seen things that I thought were paranormal and experienced things for which I could find no explanation. Beliefs about the paranormal vary widely across cultures and individuals, and the subject remains controversial, straddling the boundaries of science, psychology, and folklore. Why are people fascinated by the paranormal?

7. Are we alone in the universe, or is there life on other planets or in other galaxies? How would we know? The search for life beyond Earth is as much about exploring the unknown as it is about redefining what it means to be human. Life may not be "life as we know it." For all we know, there are living things that only breathe carbon dioxide and not oxygen. Not all life may come from a Class M planet.

8. Why do we dream, and do dreams have meaning? One of my first purchases as a child was a small booklet that cost me 35 cents. It's called "The Book of Dreams: a guide to the mystic meaning of your dreams." It has been on my desk for at least 40 years. Dreams remain one of the most enigmatic aspects of human experience, blending science, emotion, and mystery. I have at various times written down whole notebooks full of dreams (I've thrown those away), and I have attempted to write poems from my dreams. I have studied my dreams, but I also have shrugged them off. Sometimes I gain something from them, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I dream about my brother and call him and tell him to be careful.

9. How did ancient civilizations achieve remarkable feats without modern technology? Who built the pyramids? Who built Stonehenge, and why? Where did Machu Pichu come from? The decline of civilizations often reveals patterns, such as overuse of resources, political instability, or failure to adapt to environmental changes. It would be nice to know more about why these things happened, so it can be avoided in the future.

10. Is there such a thing as luck? Does it matter if I eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day? Luck refers to the idea of events occurring due to chance, rather than effort, skill, or planning. While some view luck as random, others believe it’s influenced by mystical forces or personal attitudes. Some, like the author of The Gift book (which I hated and flung across the room), believes that you draw "luck" to yourself by the way you think. Some think luck is fate. Was it luck that penicillin was invented? Luck that put together Steve Wasnick and Bill Gates? Was it luck that I met my husband, and we married?

That's not 13 things, but I am stopping there because that's a lot of sentences. This will just have to be a 10 Thursday for me. All of that thinking made my brain hurt!

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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 887th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Childhood Christmas Memories

One of my first Christmas memories is of my brother screaming.

Someone - one of my father's friends, I suppose - came to our house dressed like Santa Claus. My brother was about 18 months old, and I would have been 4 1/2 years old.

Santa caused my brother to cry bloody murder when he saw the old man in the red suit and beard.

I'm not so sure I didn't join him. I wonder what it is about ol' St. Nick that terrifies little children. I know I've seen many of them sobbing like crazy when I passed by the line in the mall, back when I used to actually shop in malls.

Somewhere there is a photo of this event, of my brother screaming and me hovering anxiously. Regular readers will remember I have always been protective of my brother, so if he was sobbing, I'm sure I was getting in the way to try to console him.

I don't recall many other visits with Santa. I'm sure we went every year to see him some way or another. Maybe we saw him at the Roanoke-Salem Plaza (one of the first area malls). Or at Crossroads Mall, where there was a display that we children loved of real taxidermy deer (and Rudolph in the front with his big red nose) lifting a sleigh up into the sky. That display was there for years and years. (I spent a good hour looking online at pictures of Crossroads Mall and none had the sleigh display. You'd think someone would have taken a photo.)

I suspect sometimes we saw the jolly elf with my grandparents and my two young uncles. My mother worked and weekends were generally full up with housework and taking care of whatever she needed to do. Plus, my father had a band, and they played gigs on the weekends, so we spent a lot of time overnight at my grandparents. It is easy to imagine an outing or two included them and not my parents.

One year, I recall that neither my brother nor I received what we had asked for from Santa. I think I was about 9 and my brother 6. Anyway, apparently feeling entitled and upset with Mr. Nicholas (even though by then I had long known there was no Santa), we both moped so badly about not getting what we wanted that my mother angrily loaded us into the car and took us to this department store called Best Products where I received the Howdy Doody cowboy ventriloquist doll that I simply had to have, and my brother received whatever it was he wanted (I don't remember his toy). 

The must-have toy of 1972

My mother adamantly said we had to play with those toys and only those toys for, presumably, the rest of our lives.

Of course, we discarded the toys within a week or so. I never did learn ventriloquism.

But I sure remember how mad my mother was. I think she called us ungrateful brats for the next six months. We probably deserved it. That is the only time I remember pitching a fit about my Christmas presents. Lesson learned, I guess. Accept what you get and move on.

Gratitude, Connection, Money, Change

This was floating around on Facebook. "The first 4 words you see are your mantra" for the new year.

The first four words I saw were gratitude, connection, money, and change.

I will be grateful for all of my connections and any money I make and change my wicked ways. Or maybe I'll just change my diet. It's hard to say at this point.

Change is pretty much a constant, though a lot of people fight against it. I am not always a fan of change, either, but learning to accept change is a lesson everyone must learn one way or the other. If nothing else, we all experience that big change at the end of life when we take our last breath.

I'm also not sure I want this to be "mantra" for 2025. Some years I attempt to come up with some worthy goal or words of wisdom to try to live by, other years I don't. I generally don't start thinking about next year until after Christmas.

What four words do you see? Would they be your mantra for the upcoming year, or is this silly game just . . . another silly game?