Newborn Calf

The other day my husband came racing in the house moments after he'd gone out the back door.

"Coyote!" he called out.

"New calf in the front!" I yelled back.

He went in search of the coyote; I went outside and stood in the front yard, standing as close as I could without bothering mama cow while she recovered, and baby found its feet. I had to protect the little one in case the coyote came around. 

Husband could not find the coyote again, so he went on about his business. I stayed in the yard and watched the cow and calf until the baby was up and had had a snack, and mom wandered off with the little one to hide it for a day or two.

Just another day on the farm.

That first feeding is important.

If you look closely, you can see that the cow is still discharging afterbirth.
 Normally, after calving, each cow begins to have blood lochia, which helps the uterus to clear and contract. It's normal, but the odor can draw predators.

Little one is still a bit damp, but mom is leading him/her off to the bushes.
I suspect my presence - and maybe that scent of coyote - had her a little nervous.

Missing Jamie

Last week I learned that my elementary school boyfriend passed away. He was the same age as I am. He had a SO, a grown child, and a grandson.

To my knowledge, I haven't seen him since we graduated high school. Actually, I don't remember seeing him in high school. Aside from our little affair in elementary school, I barely remember him at all. 

His name was James, just like my husband. Jamie and I "went together," as I think we called way back when, in the third grade. I was 8 years old.

He rode my school bus, and we sat together, sometimes. At least we did for the period of time that we "went together." I only vaguely remember this, that he was my "boyfriend" in elementary school. I remember he had nice eyes and a sweet smile. He wasn't mean to me. I remember that much about him. I don't know why we stopped "going together" except probably summer happened and by the time we returned to school, our "going together" was a past thing. I was shy and stayed by myself a great deal, plus I was on the college tract, and I don't think he was, which meant I was taking completely different classes than he would have been taking, except for the third grade.

According to my brother, he has a memory of me at my grandmother's house, crying. My grandmother scooped me up, as grandmothers are wont to do, and held me in the rocking chair while I cried. I wouldn't tell her what was wrong and then finally cried out, "I miss Jamie!"

Now, I have no memory of this, but my brother says he recalls it clearly. I must have thought quite a lot of this young boy who was "going with me" at such a tender age.

It is sad to lose your old elementary school boyfriend, even if you barely remember that he held your hand. He was the second of my classmates to have died in a month. I guess the class of '81 is growing old.

Five Things

 

Five things I did last week -

1. Installed a new printer for the household network.

2. Cooked chicken.

3. Attended a funeral.

4. Applied for my Social Security. Officially retired.

5. Helped husband fix a burst water pipe in the garage.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

FIVE people who mean the world to you. (Not necessarily in any order, it's just a list.)

1. My husband

2. My brother

3. My mother-in-law

4. My father

5. My friends (which makes more than 5, but I will lump them all together)

FOUR things you fear.

1. Illness.

2. Living under a bridge.

3. Losing my husband.

4. The loss of democracy.

THREE words to describe how you feel right now.

1. Overwhelmed.

2. Tired.

3. Confused.

TWO things you're excited about.

1. Spring is coming!

2. Um. That's about it. I don't have a lot to look forward to. I think that's kind of pitiful, actually.

ONE thing you'd like to say to someone.

1. Get your filthy, dirty tiny little hands off of my democracy.

__________

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: I Can Love Like That

Saturday 9: I Can Love You Like That (1995)

  

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

1) This week's song is about a girl who grew up on the fairy tale Cinderella. The online teaching platform study.com says Cinderella has been remained popular for centuries because the moral is that kindness is a virtue that will be rewarded. As an adult, do you still believe that's true?

A. I would like to think it is true, but experience tells me otherwise. The mean, the greedy, the corrupt - their karma never comes around.

2) This girl also likes romantic movies. Think of your favorite screen couple. Did they live happily ever after?

A. I'm having trouble coming up with a favorite screen couple. The Von Trapps ended up happily ever after, I guess, from The Sound of Music.

3) While "I Can Love You Like That" was a Top Ten hit here, it reached #1 in the Canada and Zimbabwe. Could you find Zimbabwe on a globe?

A. Probably not without a lot of looking around.

4) The members of this week's group, All-4-One, hail from Mojave, California. July and August are the hottest months in Mojave, when the afternoon temperature hovers between 87º and 97º and often climbs to 100º+. Do you thrive or melt in hot weather?

A. I dislike weather extremes. I like it about 68 or 70 degrees with little wind.

5) After having several hits in the 1990s, All-4-One saw their popularity wane in the new millennium. While they never disbanded – and will be touring throughout 2025 – the members have pursued separate interests. For example, co-founder Delious Kennedy started a YouTube channel featuring interviews with celebrities from the 80s and 90s. Do you spend a lot of time on YouTube? If yes, what do you watch?

A. At the moment, I watch Jackie & Shadow, the eagles in California, feed their young (which is a little bloody and gory, so beware. They are predator birds, after all.). Sometimes I watch the Liberal Redneck, sometimes I watch music videos, sometimes guitar playing videos.

6) In 1995, when this week's song was popular, Michael Jordan "unretired" and returned to the Chicago Bulls. Tell us about a decision you wish you could undo.

A. I wish I had never quit my job in 1984. I was working as a legal secretary, and I left for stupid reasons, and I shouldn't have done that. If I'd stayed with it, we'd have been better off financially. I'd probably never have been a writer and never finished college, but I think it would have been the better route, in hindsight.

7) 1995 saw Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in GoldenEye. 007 was also played by Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Daniel Craig. Do you have a favorite Bond?

A. Sean Connery is my favorite Bond. The others are all imposters.

8) One of McDonald's best-selling 1995 Happy Meals featured The Power Rangers. 30 years later, those Happy Meal action figures are still available on eBay. Have you recently purchased anything on eBay?

A. I last purchased something on eBay just after Christmas.

9) Random question – Which compliment would please you the most: to be smart, great looking, or likeable?

A. I would like to be complimented on all three, but if I must choose one, then I will be smart.

 _______________

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. 

10 Questions

From Sunday Stealing, March 2009

1. When’s the last time you told someone you loved him or her and meant it?

A. Today. My husband and I say, "I love you," all of the time.

2. Have your parents ever smoked pot?

A. I have no idea.

3. Do you want someone back in your life?

A. If someone is no longer part of my life, that was likely their choice and that's what is meant to be. I may miss them, but I don't want people in my life who don't want to be there.

4. What do you order at the bar?

A. I do not go to bars.

5. When was the last time you cried really, really hard?

A. It has been a while. I really don't remember when or why.

6. Have you ever licked someone’s cheek?

A. Yes, I have licked my husband's cheek.

7. What is your favorite thing to eat with peanut butter?

A. I usually only eat peanut butter on a cracker.

8. Where were you on July 4th, 2008?

A. I didn't write about it in my blog so I must not have done anything special.

9. What are your nicknames?

A. My husband calls me sweetie pie.

10. If you could go back in time, how far back would you go?

A. Do I get to choose what part of the world I am in? If so, I would like to go back to when the Incas or Mayans were active civilizations, or back to when the Egyptians were building the pyramids so I could see how it was done, or back to when Stonehenge was being built so I would know what it was for. Stuff like that.

Thursday Thirteen

March is celebrated as Women's History Month in many countries, including the United States. It's a time to honor the contributions, achievements, and influence of women throughout history and in our present day. The celebration also aligns with International Women's Day on March 8, which is a global occasion to advocate for gender equality and women's rights.

Here’s a list of 13 remarkable women from Virginia, spanning history and various fields of achievement:

1. Pocahontas (c. 1596–1617) - A Native American figure known for her association with the Jamestown colony and her role in fostering peace between English settlers and her people.

2. Martha Washington (1731–1802) - The first First Lady of the United States, she set the precedent for the role and was a key supporter of her husband, George Washington.

3. Dolley Madison (1768–1849) - Known for her social grace and bravery, she saved important artifacts during the War of 1812, including a portrait of George Washington.

4. Elizabeth Keckley (1818–1907) - Born enslaved in Virginia, she became a successful seamstress and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln, later publishing her memoirs.

5. Maggie Lena Walker (1864–1934) - The first African American woman to charter a bank and serve as its president, she was a leader in civil rights and economic empowerment.

6. Ella Graham Agnew (1871–1958) - An educator and social worker, she was the first woman appointed to a federal position in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

7. Ellen Glasgow (1873–1945) - A Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist from Richmond, known for her works depicting life in the South.

8. Anne Spencer (1882–1975) - A poet and civil rights activist from Lynchburg, her work was part of the Harlem Renaissance.

9. Sarah Lee Fain (1888–1962) - One of the first two women elected to the Virginia General Assembly, advocating for education and women's rights.

10. Pearl Bailey (1918–1990) - A celebrated singer and actress from Newport News, known for her Broadway performances and humanitarian work.

11. Christine Darden (born 1942) - A mathematician and aerospace engineer from Hampton, she was a key figure at NASA and contributed to supersonic flight research.

12. Katie Couric (born 1957) - A journalist and television personality from Arlington, she became the first solo female anchor of a major evening news program in the U.S.

13. Patsy Cline (1932–1963) - A legendary country music singer from Winchester, known for hits like "Crazy" and "Walkin' After Midnight."

And two extras, just because 13 isn't enough:

Barbara Johns (1935–1991) - At just 16 years old, she led a student strike in Farmville, Virginia, which became part of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.

Lila Meade Valentine (1865–1921) - A suffragist and education reformer from Richmond, she played a significant role in advocating for women's voting rights.

Virginia has a rich history of influential women who have shaped the state and the nation.

_________________

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 897th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Eagles Are Coming

I've been watching the pair of eagles at Big Bear in California lay their eggs. And now two have hatched!

You can join the 75K others who are watching here, if you'd like.

Last year I watched them diligently, checking in several times a day. And then the eggs did not hatch. That was sad. The birds kept trying to incubate for well past the 35+ day period for a eagle egg to hatch. The female eagle, Jackie, gave up first. Her mate, Shadow, hung out a little longer trying to get the eggs to hatch.

When the eggs finally broke open, it was obvious the eggs had not been fertilized and there were no chicks to hatch.

This year, I only checked in once a day or so, though I read all the updates on Facebook. It is better reading than politics; I can tell you that!

Now the eggs have hatched and there are two little fuzzy fluff balls in the nest, currently under the male eagle's brood patch as I type this. That's skin that develops during the incubation period. Both eagles have it and share egg sitting duty, although the female eagle does the lion's share, including during nights and bad weather.

Fortunately, the weather has not been too awful for them this year. Last year there was a bad snowstorm and Jackie sat on the eggs for a solid 62 hours. I felt so bad for her, sitting there hunkered down against the wind and blinding snow.

I will enjoy watching these little eaglets grow up, as I have never seen this, and this is amazing opportunity to watch nature in action. I hope the third egg hatches, too.

Five Things

Five things I did or learned last week:

1. I baked brownies (used a mix).

2. I went to the county administration building and paid for my husband's business license.

3. I saw the chiropractor and met with my banker.

4. I walked for 25 minutes on the treadmill every day except for Sunday.

5. I saw a master class in gaslighting and abuse. I learned how to achieve gaslighting and how to be an abuser. I also learned how to be the stronger party in a "negotiation" and end up on top even if I was the victim of gaslighting and abuse. 

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing is back! Look below the "ask for a volunteer" post for the questions!

Sunday Stealing: The Put Your Questions in the Box Questions

1. Where were you three hours ago?

A. In bed. I am answering these on Sunday morning.

2. Make a confession.

A. I despise someone.

3. Do you have bad habits?

A. I swear and, given my size, must eat too much even though I don't think I do.

4. What is your favorite color?

A. Blue and/or purple.

5. Can you drive?

A. Yes. I have been able to drive since I was 12. My father taught me first to drive a stick shift, which was an old Jeep that my brother and I used to get up and down the driveway (long, long driveway) to the school bus.

6. Name 3 pet peeves.

A. I am peeved when I receive spam phone calls, whenever I hear a certain person's voice or see his face, and when websites don't work properly.

7. Who is the last person you hugged?

A. My husband.

8. Name something you miss.

A. I missed Sunday Stealing while it was taking a break!

9. What song is stuck in your head at the moment?

A. I don't have one at the moment. It's too early. But that made me think of the one that goes, "It's too late baby, now it's too late, though we really did try to make it." Carole King song. 

10. What is your favorite quote?

A. Not all who wander are lost - J.R.R. Tolkien

11. Name your favorite band.

A. I'll go with Fleetwood Mac, although I can't really say I have a favorite band.

12. Name something you're excited for.

A. I can't think of anything at the moment.

13. What is your favorite movie?

A. I'll be predictable today: Lord of the Rings. All three of them, all 14+ hours.

14. What type of phone do you have?

A. I have iPhone SE. 

15. Name your favorite animal.

A. I like pandas.

__________

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: My Blue Heaven

Saturday 9: My Blue Heaven (1955)

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

1) The music for "My Blue Heaven" was written by Walter Donaldson. Mr. Donaldson was a gifted piano player who used his talent to entertain the troops on leave during WWI. What's something you're naturally good at?

A. I'm good at music. I can pick up instruments fairly easily (with the exception of woodwinds and brass these days, my asthma can't handle those). If I can get Twinkle Twinkle Little Star out of something, I can play it.

2) The lyrics were written by George Whiting. He began his career on stage as a song-and-dance man. While touring, he met and fell in love with another singer on the bill. They went on to marry and have three daughters. Have you ever engaged in a workplace romance?

A. I have never engaged in a workplace romance. I have been assaulted at a workplace, but I don't think that counts.

3) In this song, Doris Day sings about a cozy home. Look around the room you're in. What makes it cozy?

A. Since I am in my office, I'm not sure one would call it cozy. It needs a good "heave ho" of all of my old records and things from when I was a news reporter. But the rest of the house is cozy. I decorate with earth tones - browns, off white, greens, with an occasional blue tossed in. We have an open concept living area (we called it a great room in 1987, when the house was built), so we're fashionable in that, I guess. 

4) For four consecutive years, Doris was the most popular film actress in the world, with fans flocking to theaters to see her. Is there an actor or actress whose presence in a movie or TV show makes you say to yourself, "I want to see that?"

A. I used to watch most things that had Sandra Bullock in them. I also was a big fan of Kate Jackson so I watched Charlie's Angels and The Scarecrow and Mrs. King. But now there aren't too many actors or actresses I follow. Lots of times I like them in one role but not in others. Orlando Bloom, for example, is great in Lord of the Rings, but I haven't cared much for him in other roles.

5) For all her film and music success, she found herself broke in the late 1960s. Her husband had mismanaged her fortune, something she didn't discover until after his sudden death. Do you know how much is in your checking account right now? (We're not asking the amount; just whether you know.)

A. I know how much money I have almost right down to the penny.

6) Away from performing, Doris' passion was animal welfare. At one point she shared her home with more than a dozen dogs and went on to establish the Doris Day Animal Foundation. Do any pets share your home?

A. Pets do not live in my house. My husband says the house is for people, the barn is for animals. But we only have cows so that is ok. Cows belong in the barn.

7) In 1955, when this song was a hit, cars came with AM radios, but they were pretty unsophisticated by today's standards. The car needed to be on and "warmed up" a bit before the signal was picked up and that signal could easily be lost if you were bouncing over rough terrain. Today most new cars come with Bluetooth so you can enjoy infotainment through your phone. Do you listen to music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc., as you drive?

A. I like to listen to audiobooks. I listen to them all the time, like when I'm folding clothes or doing other chores, and especially when I'm driving.

8) Also in 1955, the first McDonald's opened. Does your community have a McDonald's?

A. There is a McDonald's at the interstate that runs through the county. It's been there at least 30 years and I've probably eaten there 5 times. I have never been a fan.

9) Random question: How long have you known your newest friend?

A. Hmm. I guess about six years. Her name is Aila. I haven't seen her since before the pandemic, but we talk on the phone. She moved out of the area and so we don't see each other much. But before she left Botetourt, we had lunch about once a month.

 _______________

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 am too scattered to write today. It happens.

So here are the first 13 things from my FB feed this morning.

1. "They are the oligarchy. They continue to siphon off the wealth of the nation. They are supporting a tyrant who is promising them tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks that will make them even richer, and destroying democracy so they won’t have to worry about “parasites”  . . . demanding anything more from them." - Robert Reich

2. "The first chunk is about the traditional "she made him do it" when it comes to rape and gender violence. Then it shifts to world affairs:  "She made him do it" operates in politics too. The most recent example is XXXXX declaration that somehow Ukraine's President Zelensky was responsible for Russia's invasion of his country, declaring "But he should never have let that war start.” The war began with Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014, well before Zelensky's presidency and well into Putin's, so there's that. As Aaron Blake at the Washington Post notes, "Since the war’s earliest days, XXXXX has frequently talked around any sort of blame being cast on Putin.... Almost every comment deprives Putin of agency and casts what’s happened as a result of the Biden administration’s (and now Zelensky’s) failings." XXXXX envoy Steve Witkoff blamed Ukraine too, saying Russia was "provoked," as if Ukraine was wearing a miniskirt. 

later on: 

In mainstream discourse, it's become standard to blame the excesses of the right on liberals, the left, feminists, Black Lives Matter, affirmative action, environmental protection, and BIPOC and LGBTQ people. It's a way that the right is granted masculine prerogatives and the left feminine responsibilities for the right's behavior. " - Rebeccas Solnit

3. "Devastated. I just won an asylum case for a Guatemalan man - he was granted withholding (a win) where he would be released from detention. As he was being released/processed, ICE put him on a plane to Mexico. Mexico just deported him back to Guatemala. He won his case. And they deported him anyway. If this is happening with this one person then I’m assuming it’s happening with others. Unprecendented." - Debra Rodman via Amy Siskind

4. “Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you”  - Sarah Michelle Gellar on the death of Michelle Trachenberg

5.  On the House budget resolution passed earlier this week:

6.  Not something I agree with, but it is what it is. I hope the parents of the child in Texas who died from measles (which we had declared eradicated in 2000), find this comforting.

7. "I know I keep harping on it but the news cycles are making it clear that not enough people grasp a core point on basic civics, so here it is again:

(1) Congress creates agencies and funds them, requiring (these days) sixty votes in the Senate. These agencies and funding are both "laws." 

(2) No one in the the executive branch can *destroy* agencies or defund them, that's also Congress' job. You can't destroy laws with zero votes that took 60 to create. 

(3) The chief's executive constitutional responsibility to "take care" that the "laws are faithfully executed." 

(4) Anyone from the exectutive branch that attempts to defund or destroy federal agencies (even in the name of curbing "fraud" or "waste") is not taking care that the laws are faithfully executed and thus violating *the* core tenet of Article II of the Constitution.  

(5) With respect to the foregoing, it doesn't matter, so far as the Constitution is concerned, if Congress cravenly avoids a confrontation with the Constitution-violating executive branch officials. There's no use-it-or-lose-it clause in the Constitution. 

(6) The aforementioned would be true, and I'd still be yelling about it, even if YYYY YYYY was genuinely identifying fraud and waste and not breaking everything he touches. 

(7) But since he demonstrably is breaking everything he touches, even if you don't care about the Constitution, you should still be anti-getting-Ebola, and be deeply concerned about what's happening right now." - Scott Pilutik via Chris Boese

8. "Thus in winter stands the lonely tree,
   Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,
   Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:
    I cannot say what loves have come and gone,
    I only know that summer sang in me
   A little while, that in me sings no more."
   ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay (Pulitzer Prize winning poet, born February 22, 1892.) via Sharon McCrumb

9. "In "The Substance," Demi Moore plays an aging TV star who finds a sinister potion that can give her a younger, more perfect version of herself, but at a horrifying price. Moore says the experience sometimes left her feeling raw and exhausted. “You just go fall into your bed.”

“The Substance” has scored 5 Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Moore." - CBS Sunday Morning and CBS News

10. "Remember that the XXXXX supporter from Salem who voted against Medicaid yesterday was a lawyer before entering elected office. He specialized in getting rich drunks off for drunk driving." - Dan Smith on Congressman Morgan Griffith

11. "Donald XXXXX said he would lower prices on “Day 1.”

Well it’s Day 38 and prices are still going up." - Elizabeth Warren

12. "The FAA is close to canceling a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon to overhaul the communications system that serves as the backbone of the nation’s air traffic control and is awarding the work to YYYY’s Starlink. Follow the money and see where it goes." - Alt National Park Service

13. "Second come these protests, which I discount as being particularly important, unless they signify an energized Democratic electorate that turns its energy to organizing for the governor’s race. In that case, they might be quite important — we just don’t know yet. Let’s look at why."--Dwayne Yancey in Cardinal News via Dan Smith

_________________

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 896th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

I Do Not Like Green Eggs and Ham

I am many things, but one thing I am not.

I am no cook. Nor am I a connoisseur of foods. I do not know what most things on a fancy menu are.

What are these? Beef Wellington. Pork rillettes. Capers. Gorgonzola sauce. Potato gnocchi with Tahini parsley sauce. Yes, I had to look those up by typing in "fancy menu foods" because otherwise I would have no clue. The only one I've ever heard of beef wellington.

Reading recipes has always been a no-go for me. I have a friend who glories in reading recipes. I bought her recipe books for years for Christmas. She seemed to love every one of them.

Me? I have a Betty Crocker cookbook that I go to maybe twice a year, if that. Otherwise, my food comes out of a can or is premade at the grocery deli.

People don't believe me when I tell them I dislike cooking so much that I don't know how to do it, but honestly, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT!

Nor do I want to know how to do it. Not all that much, anyway.

Sure, I cook. I have to, because I can't afford not to. I can bake chicken. I can cook a steak (except filet mignon, I ruin that every time). I can make a pork loin in the crockpot and sometimes it is edible. I stir fry squash. I can make spaghetti with alfredo sauce, but the sauce comes from Ragu. I don't make it from scratch and don't know how to. I bake a decent turkey at Thanksgiving. 

But that doesn't mean I like it. It just means I can do it. Sort of.

When recipes call for specific things, I can't simply go to my pantry and get them. I don't have those things on hand like someone who likes to cook would. Let's say I did get a wild hair and decide to fix something from my cookbook. Most of the things I'd need would not be available without a trip to the store, and by the time I went to that trouble, the desire to cook would be long gone.

I see things in the grocery store that I would have no idea how to fix or use or do anything with. They stay on the shelves.

Nor do I have the appropriate cooking utensils. I am not sure what a well-equipped kitchen for someone who likes to cook would look like, but I am pretty sure it would not look like my kitchen, with my 40-year-old pan set, scratched cookies sheets, and a little bitty George Foreman grill.

I consider this a fault, this lack of interest in cooking and food, and it's probably a bad fault. It means, for one thing, that I likely eat too much salt (even though everything I buy is "no salt" or "low salt"), and certainly I eat too much processed food. And unfortunately, that goes for my husband as well.

But I have never liked to cook. My mother found that forcing me to cook was the absolute best way to punish me. And when something becomes a punishment, I balk. Apparently, I balk for the rest of my life.

And let's face it, I dislike handling raw meat. That is simply gross, taking a chicken out of its bag and watching the blood fall out all over the sink, then having to clean that up and wash out the chicken, and then butter it or cover it in olive oil or something to bake it. Blech. And it was even worse when I was a kid and my parents killed chickens. Talk about gross! Chopped heads and headless birds flapping around all over the yard while my brother chased after them, laughing the whole time. And then they had to be plucked and put in the freezer. Yuck.

I don't mind cooking vegetables if they are normal vegetables. I know how to boil green beans. I don't know what to do with Brussel sprouts except boil them, but I know they can be cooked other ways that actually taste better, because I've had them. What do you do with an avocado? How do you make a pomegranate work? How do you get into a pineapple (which I wouldn't eat because I seem to be allergic to them, but even so). I have never made mashed potatoes. I bake potatoes. Mashed potatoes come from Bob Evans in the refrigerator section of the grocery store.

I don't like frying foods at all - it takes forever, and I can't eat fried food anymore anyway. Fried food is too hard on my stomach.

Which brings me to another issue with cooking - I can't handle spices. Most everything I cook is bland. No spices on a baked chicken. Maybe a little Mrs. Dash on something once in a while, but no onion powder, no garlic powder. 

I have made chili exactly one time. 

I have made a cake from scratch exactly one time.

I have never made a pie.

I have never made a complicated meat dish, unless baked spaghetti counts.

I have never made soup, unless it came out of a Campbell's can.

I don't mind baking, but my idea of baking is a Duncan Hines mix. 

If a coffee cake from Bisquick counts as baking from scratch, then I've made a few of those.

I don't know how to make a quiche. I am not even sure what that is.

I haven't made homemade biscuits since I married. (They come in a can, or frozen.)

I haven't made pancakes, not even from a pancake mix, ever. (Pancakes come premade frozen.)

I've baked bread from store-bought dough but never made bread from scratch. Even with store-bought dough, bread is a challenge. I don't have a good place for it to rise.

I do not find joy in cooking a nice well-thought-out meal. I don't want to do that. It takes all afternoon. I love my husband and want him to have a nice meal and all of that, but I do his laundry and stuff. I'd rather read a book than spend hours in a kitchen.

He doesn't starve, at any rate.

People who find joy in cooking have my deep admiration. They are like nurses - they have a knack for that and a special something that I lack.

The cooking gene went to my brother.

I just got the eating one, I guess.

Things I Did Last Week

I thought I'd join the federal workers who are listing the things they did last week in order to keep their jobs.

So here you go:

• Washed 15 loads of laundry
• Put away 15 loads of laundry
• Made the bed 7 times
• Changed the bed linen and washed the bedspread and blanket, which takes a long time because the bedspread takes at least two turns in the dryer to dry.
• Fixed lunch for two people 7 times
• Fixed dinner for two people 7 times
• Emptied the dishwasher 7 times
• Filled the dishwasher 7 times
• Wrote 7 blog posts
• Read 110 pages of a book
• Listened to an audio book for 6 hours+
• Assisted my husband with the installation of a new mirror on his truck
• Spoke with friends and family on the telephone
• Looked up information online
• Read a lot about the federal government via doom scrolling on FB
• Took the tax records to the accountant
• Spoke with my banker on the telephone
• Walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes each day
• Talked to my chiropractor on the phone to reschedule an appointment due to snow/ice
• Visited the grocery store and purchased groceries

Lastly, I decided I don't need to justify my existence or what I do to anybody.

Sunday Stealing Archive Edition (2009)

1. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?

A. I don't have one at the moment.

2. What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it?

A. A ham sandwich.

3. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?

A. Yes, I have had several body parts removed. It is not fun.

4. What is the last heavy item you lifted?

A. I don't know, but it reminds me of an old joke: The Texan went in to the john, and he sat down on the toilet to pee. Some scrawny guy looked at him and said, "Why are you sitting down to do what most men do standing up?" The Texan said, "I just had me a hernia operation, and the doctor said not to lift anything heavy."

5. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?

A. Some days I wish I was, but I don't think so.

6. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?

A. I don't know. I had a friend who was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and I think the knowledge that she only had a certain time to live was detrimental to her in some ways. But it also allowed her to prepare.

7. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

A. I don't want to change my name. 

8. What’s your goal for the year?

A. To get through it, at the rate it's going.

9. Who is the last person you hugged?

A. My husband.

10. Where was the first place you went this morning?

A. To the bathroom.

11. Do you always answer your phone?

A. No, I do not always answer my phone.

12. It’s four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?

A. It's probably a spammer.

13. If you could change your eye color what would it be?

A. I would have blue eyes. My eyes are hazel. They look blue because I wear a lot of blue.

14. What’s on your wish list for your birthday?

A. I haven't given it any thought.

15. Does the future make you more nervous or excited?

A. Right now, the future is terrifying.

16. Do you have any saved texts?

A. Yes, I have saved texts.

17. Have you ever been in a car wreck?

A. I have been in several car wrecks.

18. Do you have an accent?

A. I have a very southern accent.

19. What was the last song to make you cry?

A. I don't recall.

20. What did you do last night?

A. Watched a little TV, read, and went to bed.

21. Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?

A. Yes.

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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: Flowers

Saturday 9: Flowers (2023)
   
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
 
1) In this song, Miley Cyrus sings about gold as though it represents the best. Do you more often wear gold or silver?

A. I tend to wear white gold or silver. My watch is always a mix of silver and gold.
 
2) She also sings the praises of buying herself flowers. Are there any cut flowers in your home right now?

A. I never have cut flowers in the house. I am allergic.
 
3) She tells us she's going to paint her nails cherry red. Do you handle your own mani/pedi, do you go to a salon, or do you just let your nails go natural?

A. My nails "go natural," in that I keep them trimmed very short. I don't wear any polish.

4) In 2019, Miley had vocal cord surgery, and her recovery required her to go weeks without uttering a sound. Would it be difficult for you to keep your lips zipped for a week?

A. I expect I would find it difficult to be quiet for a week.

5) Dolly Parton is Miley's godmother, and Miley singles Dolly out as the one who taught her "how to treat people well." Tell us about someone who was a positive influence on you.

A. My friend Cathy is a wonderful role model. She's true to her faith in word and deed.

6) She is a massive Elvis fan and swoons every time she watches Blue Hawaii because he professes his love for Maile, pronounced "Miley." What movie have you watched many times?

A. Under the Tuscan Sun (and you thought I was going to say Lord of the Rings, didn't you).
 
7) In 2023, when "Flowers" was released, actor Sir Michael Gambon died. Though he distinguished himself performing Shakespeare with the Royal National Theater, he is best known for playing Dumbledore in several Harry Potter movies. Who is your favorite Harry Potter character?

A. I am partial to Hermione in the Harry Potter franchise, although I think her ending was messed up. I do not believe she would have married Ronald Weasly.

8) 2023 was a busy year for England's Royal Family, with the crowning of King Charles III and the publication of Prince Harry's memoir, Spare. Do you have a favorite among the Windsors?

A. I do not do much royal family watching, so I have no favorite.

9) Random question: Do your siblings have children? If yes, are you close to them?

A. My brother has a stepson and two children. I am not particularly close to any of them, which I think is unfortunate, but it is what it is. I have a better relationship with my husband's sister's children.

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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.