Thursday Thirteen

Important things that happened on June 19:

1. Juneteenth (1865): Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, announcing the end of slavery. This marked the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, making it a pivotal moment in American history and a symbol of freedom. This day is now a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S.

2. Lincoln’s Anti-Slavery Legislation (1862): President Abraham Lincoln banned slavery in U.S. territories. This was a crucial step toward the eventual abolition of slavery nationwide, reinforcing the principles of equality and human rights.

3. Rosenberg Execution (1953): Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for espionage. Their trial and execution remain controversial, highlighting Cold War tensions and debates over justice and government secrecy. This case might be something to look into, given current events.

4. First Father's Day (1910): The first official Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington. It was created to honor fathers and their contributions to family life, eventually becoming a national holiday in the U.S.

5. Battle of the Philippine Sea (1944): A major WWII naval battle between the U.S. and Japan began. Known as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot," it was a decisive victory for the U.S., crippling Japan’s naval air power and shifting the war’s momentum.

6. King Louis IX’s Decree (1269): He ordered all Jews to wear a yellow badge in public. This was an early example of religious discrimination, foreshadowing later oppressive policies against Jewish communities in Europe. (When I saw this on the list, I gasped.)

7. French Postal Service Established (1464): King Louis XI formed France’s postal system. This was a significant development in communication, allowing for more efficient governance and trade across the country.

8. Continental Army Leaves Valley Forge (1778): George Washington’s troops ended their winter encampment. After months of hardship, the army emerged stronger and better trained, thanks to Baron von Steuben’s drills, leading to key victories in the Revolutionary War. (Some information says they left on June 18. I don't think it matters.)

9. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Organized (1934): The U.S. established the FCC. This agency regulates communications, ensuring fair competition and technological innovation in radio, television, and the internet. Unfortunately, it has been defanged and the fairness doctrine is no longer in place. It was abolished in 1987, and finally removed from the Federal Register in 2011.

10. Valentina Tereshkova Returns to Earth (1963): The first woman in space completed her mission. Her historic flight aboard Vostok 6 was a major milestone for women in science and space exploration, inspiring future generations.

11. James Gandolfini Passed Away (2013): The actor best known for The Sopranos died. His portrayal of Tony Soprano revolutionized television, setting new standards for character depth and storytelling in modern drama.

12. Great Britain Recognized Kuwait’s Independence (1961): Kuwait officially became independent. This ended British control and allowed Kuwait to establish itself as a sovereign nation, shaping its modern political and economic landscape.

13. Execution of Emperor Maximilian (1867): The Mexican emperor was executed. His death marked the collapse of the Second Mexican Empire and reinforced Mexico’s resistance to foreign intervention.

*AI helped me create this list.*

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 912th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Rolling Stones Would Be Appalled

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"You'd better take an extra shirt," I told my husband as he spoke of his plans to wash his truck before heading off to a continuing education class he needed for his contractor's license.

"It's so hot outside, you might stink when you're done."

He laughed. "Smell like a monkey!" Then he sang, "Whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo" in an effort to imitate the monkey singing in the Ray Stevens song Gitarzan.

For a man who believes The Rolling Stones are the greatest band of all time, he has strange taste in music sometimes. I don't know how many times we've listened to that Ray Stevens song lately.

I kissed him goodbye out in the garage and grabbed the cordless vacuum. "I stepped on a Cheerio, I need to clean it up," I said. "Be careful in the heat."

Back into the house I went, all the way into my office, where I'd apparently dropped a lost Cheerio from my robe and then smashed it. As I ran the vacuum, I began singing the Jane part of Gitarzan.  "Baby! Whoooa! Baby! A scooby dooby dooby baby! Whoooa! Shut up Baby, I'm trying to sing."

I decided since I had the vacuum in the back, I would do a quick run-through of the hall, the bedroom, and the kitchen. I caterwauled all the way. "Baby! Whoooa! Baby!"

When I turned the vacuum off, I heard laughter coming from the garage. I went out to find my husband, hat in his hands, laughing so hard I thought he might fall off the chair.

"Is that . . . ," - guffaw - "what you do when I'm not home?" He finally managed to get out.

"Baby! Scooby dooby doo Baby!" I sang back.

Of course it is.

Here's the song on YouTube if you're not familiar with it:

The Parade, the Protests, and a Moment of Empathy

I was sorry to see that the military parade marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Armed Forces wasn’t exactly a proud or inspiring spectacle. Or at least it wasn't from what I saw on Facebook and in the media.

My sorrow was for the participants, who may or may not have been there willingly. I also felt a little sorry for the president, who I suspect was not a happy person when it was all said and done.

I didn’t watch the parade. Nor did I watch any of the No Kings protests. I posted a small No Kings protest on my blog and felt like that was all I could manage right now. I’m not much into marching.

According to historian Heather Cox Richardson, whom I trust on such matters, June 14 really was the birthday of the Armed Forces. She wrote:

…on June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress resolved “That six companies of expert riflemen, be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia; that each company consist of a captain, three lieutenants, four serjeants, four corporals, a drummer or trumpeter, and sixty-eight privates… [and that] each company, as soon as completed, shall march and join the army near Boston, to be there employed as light infantry, under the command of the chief Officer in that army.”

And thus Congress established the Continental Army.

Unfortunately, the original justification for the parade was the president’s birthday. That announcement raised eyebrows even among his most devoted followers, especially with a $50 million price tag. After public outcry, which also happened when he floated the idea during his first term, the event pivoted to commemorate the Army’s formation instead.

But by then, it was too late.

No Kings Day had taken hold. And depending on which estimate you believe, anywhere from five to thirteen million people marched in opposition to the practices, projects, and prejudices of the current administration.

I was surprised to find that I felt anything at all about the military parade. I consider myself a pacifist. Intellectually, I know that if everyone simply put down their weapons and walked away, there’d be no need to kill. I also know human beings don’t work that way. I took enough sociology courses in college to understand that the forces behind many of our emotions and actions don’t always make sense. They just are.

Empathy is part of who I am, even for people I disagree with—or actively dislike. Hopefully that speaks well of my character.

I see it as layers. The military folks were just doing their jobs. Some probably weren’t thrilled to be part of a PR stunt. Many may have had mixed feelings or were simply ordered to participate without a say. And even the president, behind all the spectacle, looked like a lonely, grasping human. I admit I felt a flicker of pity for him. Where was his family? He seems to have no support. I don’t like to see anyone flailing in public, even if they are powerful, abrasive, and dangerous.

Empathy doesn’t mean approval. It just means I’m still able to feel. I guess that makes me very “woke,” to have empathy for a man I despise.

But I’m human, and I think a lot.

Sometimes, that leads me down strange paths. And in this world full of noise and division, I wonder if empathy might be the last quiet act of rebellion.

Five Things

In solidarity with federal workers, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. I don't know if they still have to do that, but I have kept it up since it's a quick way to get something on the blog for Monday. Since I don't have a regular job, it's a fairly mundane list.

1. Had a haircut.

2. The young woman who helps me with the heavy cleaning had her day here, and the house sparkled.

3. Took a friend out so she could go to the doctor and run errands.

4. Fixed a closet door.

5. Went to the grocery store, bank, voted in a local primary, paid bills.

Also yesterday, we had a small bear in the backyard. Unfortunately, the battery in my camera was dead and my cellphone was in the other part of the house, so I didn't get a photo. Maybe if I stand outside and yell, "Here bear! Here bear!" it'll come back. What do you think?

Sunday Stealing

Complete the Thought

1. I wish someone would ... invent a time machine.

2. When I order Chinese food ... I always get sweet and sour chicken.

3. I know it's not everyone's favorite activity, but I actually enjoy ... doing the laundry.

5. A major pet peeve of mine is ... poke butts who drive slowly.

6. I remember when my grandfather ... took me to Hills Department Store to buy a toy horse.

7. I am not fazed at all by ... what strangers think of me.

8. Long car rides ... put me to sleep.

9. I don't understand the fuss over ... any celebrity anywhere.

10. When I'm home alone ... I listen to music, dance around the house, and enjoy myself.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

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 Will See You

 

Saturday 9: I Will See You in C-U-B-A (2010)

 

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

This song was chosen in honor of Father's Day.

 

1) In this week's song, Lucie Arnaz encourages us to hop a ship and join her in Cuba. Is your passport up to date?

A. No, it is not.

2) She sings that Cuba is a great place to enjoy wine and Panatelas. Do you like the smell of a good cigar?

A. I am allergic to cigarette smoke and cigar smoke makes me gag and then have an asthma attack.

 

3) Lucie said her Latin Roots CD represents "the rhythms of my soul" and is a tribute to her father, Desi Arnaz. Cuban-born Desi starred on Broadway and in nightclubs but was best known for co-starring in and producing the 1950s sitcom, I Love Lucy. When you think of I Love Lucy, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

A. Lucy stuffing chocolate in her mouth because she can't keep up with the line.

 

4) While Lucie's parents – Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball – are famous for their TV work, Tony-nominated Lucie has found her greatest success on the stage. She inherited their love of performing, saying, “My parents were always happiest when they were working.” What have you inherited from one or both your parents? (It could be anything from your work ethic to your eye color.)

A. I have my father's aversion to going barefoot and my mother's hands.

 

5) Though "Ricky Riccardo" often mangled English on I Love Lucy, Desi's English was very good. Lucille Ball admired his facility with languages and encouraged him to speak Spanish to their children so that they would be bilingual. When you were growing up, did your family speak any language other than English?  

A. My family spoke only English. I studied Spanish and Latin in high school, but I have forgotten most of it.

 

6) Desi Arnaz often performed "I Will See You in C-U-B-A." Is there a song that reminds you of your father?

A. "Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast," by Wayne Newton

 

7) After Lucie's parents divorced, Lucille Ball remarried and Lucie got a stepfather, Gary Morton. Lucie appreciated how positive Gary always was about Desi. Decades later, when she married a man who already had children, Lucie said she better understood what a tough role stepparent can be. Did you have a stepparent? Are you a stepparent?

A. I have a stepmother now, but I was an adult when my father remarried. 

8) As a single dad, Desi lived south of Los Angeles in Del Mar. Lucie and her brother, Desi Jr., spent school vacations there, going to the racetrack, bowling, and fishing with their dad. Share a happy memory from one of your school vacations (Christmas, Spring Break, or Summer).

A. We stayed with my grandmother during the summers. We - my brother and two young uncles and myself - rode out bicycles around the block, and not far away was an old, abandoned house. About once a week, we'd dare one another to go up to the house and peek in a window.

 

9) Father's Day began in Washington state. In the early 1900s, Spokane resident Sonora Smart Dodd listened to her minister deliver a sermon celebrating Mother's Day and devoted herself to similarly honoring fathers. A century later, more money is still spent annually on Mother's Day. Why do you suppose that nationally we still make more of a fuss over Mother's Day than Father's Day?

A. I suspect it is related to the patriarchy. Mothers are supposed to be in charge of the children while the father goes out and makes the money. That mindset is firmly entrenched in this country even though women have always been in the workforce.

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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. 

Protest Day

 

NO KINGS

DUE PROCESS

NO SALE OF PUBLIC LANDS

NO CUTS TO MEDICAID, SNAP, ETC.

KEEP THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET INTACT

TAX THE BILLIONAIRES

BRING BACK JUSTICE AND THE RULE OF LAW

FREE AND UNFETTERED PRESS

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

All Ears

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Late yesterday, I had a notification on my Alexa Echo Dot, but there wasn't anything said. Then I received a message to check my Alexa app on my cellphone.

Alexa has updated to the new Alexa+, which is Amazon's version of interactive AI.

My Alexa stuff is old - 1st and 2nd generation - and I thought it wasn't going to be able to use the new AI so I hadn't given it much thought.

But no, there it is. New voice, new sound, new stuff. Plus, I lost the six-year development of a favorite playlist. I lost a lot of good songs.

This was not something I asked for, to have Alexa updated. I thought it would miss me and I'd decided some time ago that as the Echo dots fail, I won't replace them. I still have my old iPod or I could use Apple Music for songs, but for now, I don't know what to do.

It feels intrusive and a little scary. 

Before, to make Alexa work, I had to same her name for every sentence. Now she hangs out and listens after you say her name. Her blue light stays on for about 8 seconds. That's enough time for someone to walk in and say something that you might not want bouncing around in the cloud. Or wherever this stuff goes.

Earlier, I asked Alexa what she can do now, and she said she could "help" me be creative. So, we - mostly she - wrote a fantasy story. I told her the character names and a basic plot, and boom. She created a story. Every now and then she'd read a point and say, "What happens now?" and I'd make a suggestion, and off she'd go.

That is not writing. I wouldn't even call it creating. At the moment, I don't know how to access it again, or if I even can, and I'm glad of that.

Eventually I'm assuming there will be a charge for this, at which point these things will be unplugged unless there is some limited use allowed without extra cost.

Maybe I should just go back to listening to the radio.

Thursday Thirteen

Today, for Thursday 13, I write about Anne Frank.

1. Anne Frank's full name was Annelies Marie Frank. She was born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt, Germany. If she had lived, she would be 96 years old today.

2. Anne received her famous diary on June 12, 1942, as a birthday gift. She would go on to fill it with immortal words that still reach hearts today.

3. Her family moved to Amsterdam in 1933 to escape Nazi persecution, which referred to the systematic oppression, discrimination, and violence carried out by Adolf Hitler's regime against Jewish people and other targeted groups. As antisemitic policies intensified in Germany, Jewish families, including the Franks, sought safety in other countries.

4. She and her family went into hiding on July 6, 1942, after her sister Margot received a call-up notice. They hid in a secret annex above her father’s business for over two years.

5. Anne aspired to be a journalist or writer, and her diary reflects her literary talent. She wrote about daily life, emotions, and hopes for the future in her diary. Her diary was originally an autograph book, which she repurposed for writing.

6. She celebrated two birthdays while in hiding, receiving books and poems as gifts.

7. The annex housed eight people, including the Frank family, the van Pels family, and dentist Fritz Pfeffer.

8. Anne wrote letters to an imaginary friend named "Kitty", which became a key part of her diary. She revised her diary in hopes of publishing it after the war, inspired by a radio broadcast.

9. The annex was discovered on August 4, 1944, and all residents were arrested. The raid was carried out by members of the German Security Service (Sicherheitsdienst), who entered the building between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m. They questioned Victor Kugler, one of the helpers, before discovering the entrance to the hidden annex. The eight people in hiding, along with two of their helpers, were taken into custody. During the arrest, SS officer Karl Silberbauer emptied Otto Frank’s briefcase, scattering Anne’s diary papers on the floor. Later, helper Miep Gies collected the papers and kept them safe, eventually giving them to Otto Frank after the war.

10. Anne and Margot were sent to Auschwitz, one of the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camps during World War II. Located in German-occupied Poland, Auschwitz was a complex of camps where prisoners were subjected to forced labor, inhumane conditions, and mass executions. It became a central site of the Holocaust, with over a million people, mostly Jewish victims, perishing there. Upon arrival, prisoners were often separated, with many sent directly to gas chambers. Anne and Margot were later transferred from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen, where they tragically lost their lives.

11. Anne died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen in February 1945, just weeks before the camp was liberated. Bergen-Belsen was liberated by British forces on April 15, 1945. When the British 11th Armored Division arrived, they found approximately 60,000 prisoners, most of them severely malnourished and suffering from disease. The soldiers also discovered thousands of unburied corpses, revealing the horrific conditions of the camp. Despite immediate relief efforts, many survivors continued to succumb to illness in the days following liberation.

12. Her father, Otto Frank, was the only survivor of the annex residents. Otto published Anne’s diary in 1947, fulfilling her dream of becoming a writer.

13. Her diary has been translated into over 70 languages, making it one of the most widely read books in the world.

The annex is now the Anne Frank Museum, visited by millions each year.

Anne’s story remains one of the most powerful accounts of resilience and hope ever written. 

_________________

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 911th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Happy Birthday, Grandma

Today is my grandmother’s birthday. She would have been 102 years old if she were still living.

When I picture childhood, I am sitting at her kitchen table with a bowl of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup steaming in front of me and a packet of “Granddaddy cookies” off to the side. Those were Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pies, called that because my grandfather took one in his lunch every day. They were comfort food for a chronically puny kid who missed thirty or more days of school each year with bronchitis or walking pneumonia. Grandma’s house was my infirmary, my library, my television paradise, and most of all, my refuge.

She had already raised five children by the time I came along, with a sixth one to come a year to the day after me. Even so, she poured fresh patience and love into every grandchild who passed through her door. 

On sick days she tucked me into her lap, swaddled in one of Aunt Susie’s afghans, and rocked while she sang “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do.” Her voice and the chair moved in rhythm until I drifted off to sleep. If I wasn’t too sick, I’d camp out on the couch with tissues. Grandma could pick up more TV channels than we could in the country, so together we watched The Price Is Right, Dark Shadows, and The Guiding Light. I was too young for some of it, but I loved every minute.

At 2 o’clock every afternoon, the house fell quiet. That was when Grandma talked to someone named “Mama Fore,” and we were not to interrupt unless we were bleeding. Even then, it had better be a lot of blood.

Reading was my favorite part of sick days. Grandma was proud of her World Book Encyclopedias, and if I wasn’t too snotty, I could sit and read them. I flipped through pages on the Galapagos Islands and Greenland, just because the names sounded interesting. I read my aunt’s Nancy Drew books, the Little House series, The Silver Skates, Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, and just about anything else I could get my hands on. Most people don’t read the encyclopedia, but I did, and I loved it.

Grandma had only a fourth-grade education, but she valued knowledge. She read the newspaper from front to back, even the grocery ads, and would read it aloud to me. I was reading The Roanoke Times by myself at four years old and have hardly missed a day since. Over fifty years of reading that paper ought to earn me something, don’t you think?

She let me ask questions, and I had plenty of them. If someone told me the sky was blue because God made it that way, I’d follow up with another “why?” Grandma didn’t mind. She encouraged that curiosity.

Her house held rituals I remember even now. Friday was hair day at Aunt Neva’s. Grandma would walk the three blocks there, crossing a four-lane road, sometimes with us tagging along on bikes if we were old enough. 

There was always a rag bag in the hallway closet full of old sheets and fabric. We made doll blankets and superhero capes and were supposed to put everything back when we were done. I’m sure I forgot sometimes.

She made macaroni and cheese that I have never been able to replicate. It was baked until it was crusty on top and firm all the way through. I’m not even sure I liked it, but it was part of dinner more often than not.

When my brother and I stayed with her during the summer, we’d sometimes walk the mile and a half into downtown Salem. We bought balsa airplanes, paddle balls, or plastic model kits with our saved-up change. Before heading back, Grandma treated us to snow cones from Brooks Byrd Pharmacy. I always picked the blue one.

She hung laundry on the line whenever the weather allowed. She liked the way fresh air made it smell. She grew big, showy peonies along the side of the house. They were beautiful.

After my grandfather died when I was twelve, everything changed. He passed away shortly before he was fully vested in his pension at Kroger, where he worked, and the company refused to give my grandmother anything. That left her raising two boys on Social Security. My mother and the rest of the family stopped shopping at Kroger after that. 

Grandma never learned to drive, and after Granddaddy died, that made life harder. My mother or uncles had to take her to the grocery store. I remember Mom tried to talk her into getting a license, but Grandma would not hear of it. None of her sisters drove either. I wonder why.

She had losses. She lost her husband. She lost my mother, her oldest child. She lost a brother and a sister. I was too young to really know how she felt, especially about my mother’s death. She didn’t talk about things like that. But when I was fifteen and headed to prom, I had my date drive all the way to Salem so Grandma could see my dress. She called my mother after I left and cried because I had thought to come. I was the oldest grandchild.

When I was older and it was no longer a long-distance call, I’d phone Grandma often. It didn’t matter what time it was. She always picked up, even if she had cousins running around the house. We talked about simple things—what was growing, what we cooked for dinner—but I miss those conversations more than I ever imagined I would.

Every year, she looked for the first robin and said it meant spring had come. I don’t think she liked winter much. I think she liked warmth, flowers, and children.

Sometimes now, when I’m lonesome, I talk to her. She doesn’t answer, at least not out loud, but I feel like she listens. She was always good at that. I might need a long talk with her very soon.

Happy birthday, Grandma.

Five Things

In solidarity with federal workers, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. I don't know if they still have to do that, but I have kept it up since it's a quick way to get something on the blog for Monday. Since I don't have a regular job, it's a fairly mundane list.

1. Celebrated my husband's birthday.

2. Made lunch for my husband every day while he was cutting, raking, and baling hay.

3. Baked my husband a cake for his birthday.

4. Laundry, house cleaning, other chores.

5. Internet research

Sunday Stealing

10 Questions with Nigel

1. What's your life's motto?

A. "Do no harm" and "Not all who wander are lost."

2. Where were you living 13 years ago?

A. In the same place I am living now.

3. Is anyone jealous of you?

A. Probably.

4. Where were you when you heard about the 9/11 terror attacks?

A. I was working at a law office in the county seat. The lawyer came in and said a plane had hit the Twin Towers. We turned on a small television and were watching when the second plane hit. Then we heard about the Pentagon being hit. Then the towers collapsed, and the lawyer closed the office and sent everyone home.

5. Do you consider yourself kind?

A. I try very hard to be kind. I am human so I am not always successful.

6. Can you change your car's oil?

A. I could if I had to. But fortunately, there are people I can pay to do that.

7. What's the last thing you heard about your first love?

A. My "boyfriend" from elementary school passed away some months ago. I'm not sure if one would consider him a first love or not.

8. Have you ever been burned by love?

A. Who hasn't?

9. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?

A. I bought a hanging flower basket.

10. Do you hug your friends?

A. Yes. I think hugs are terrific.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

P.S. Today is my birthday.

__________

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: Hold On

Saturday 9: Hold On (1990)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. 
 
1) This song gives encouragement to someone who is enduring heartache. Have you more recently given support, or received it?

A. I have both given and received support lately.
 
2) "Hold On" is featured prominently in the 2011 movie Bridesmaids. It's an anthem for the friends in the film and they love to sing it together. Is there a song that reminds you of good times with a good friend?

A. No, but one of my favorite memories involves the time my husband and I were shopping at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, SC, and the Macarena song came on over the loudspeakers. Nearly everyone stopped what they were doing and did the Macarena. I loved it. It felt like I was in a musical.
 
3) The video for this song finds Wilson Phillips outdoors on a snowy mountainside and then on a sandy beach. What's the view outside your window?

A. I see trees of green, skies of blue, white puffy clouds, and a deer or two.

 
4) The mountain segments were filmed in California's San Gabriel Mountains. The girls were flown to the set by helicopter. Have you ever been in a helicopter?

A. I have never been in a helicopter.
 
5) The members of Wilson Phillips are authentic "California Girls." Wendy and Carnie Wilson's father is Brian Wilson, who wrote the Beach Boys hit. Chynna Phillips is the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, who sang "California Dreamin'." Have you been to California? If yes, where did you visit?

A. I went to California when I was 12 years old on a trip with my family. We went to visit relatives in San Francisco and possibly other areas, but I don't remember all that much about it now.
 
6) Another generation of the Wilson family has entered the music business. Carnie's daughter/Brian Wilson's granddaughter, Lola Bonfiglio, participated in the current season of American Idol. Has a family member followed you in your chosen profession?

A. No.
 
7) In 1990, when this song was popular, satellite radio was in its infancy and streaming was unheard of. Our cars gave us a choice of AM/FM and maybe CD player/tape deck. When you're driving and a favorite song comes on, are you more likely to sing along if you're alone? Or don't you care if anyone hears you?

A. I sing along in the grocery store, in the car, wherever I am. I do not care. 
 
8) Also in 1990, actor Alan Hale Jr. died. He was "the skipper" on Gilligan's Island. Without looking it up, can you name the other six castaways? (If not the actors, then their characters.)

A. The Skipper (whose first name was Jonas), Gilligan, Mr. Thurston Howell, III and his wife, Lovey, Mary Ann, Ginger Grant, The Professor. That's all seven, but I don't know the actors' names.
 
9) Random question: What superhero would you like to have as your best friend?

A. Supergirl, aka Kara Danvers. I really liked the CW version of that series when it was on.

  _______________

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

Today, it's all about those memes . . . 

_________________

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 910th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Beater or Bird Flu?

AI Image

When I was very young, my grandmother kept me a lot because my mother worked a full-time job.

One of the things my grandmother did was bake.

She made cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. She had two grandchildren and two young children of her own at home to spoil, so the oven was often in service.

I loved it when she cooked. Not that I helped - I hate to cook - but when she finished with the mixing, I was on it.

I wanted a mixer beater to lick. I loved the taste of cookie dough, cake dough, or brownie dough.

No one cared then if the eggs were uncooked. The four of us sometimes fought over who received what - the bowl generally was fairly clean as my grandmother took care not to waste the batter. But the beaters? They were the prize.

With four of us, the split was a beater, a beater, a spoon, or the bowl.

After I finished mixing the batter for my husband's birthday cake, I licked the beaters, just like I did when I was a kid. Just as I have done for as long as I can remember.

But this time, I wondered if it was safe.

That notice on mixes about "do not eat raw dough" was one of those dictums that I studiously have avoided.

But now we have bird flu. As I ate the raw dough, I wondered how bird flu is transmitted.

A quick internet search indicates that bird flu, or avian influenza, can be present in eggs laid by infected birds. However, the risk of transmission to humans through consumption is extremely low if the eggs are cooked. But it's generally low anyway, as the virus is rarely found inside eggs. So maybe raw is still okay.

That got me thinking about what the government is doing or not doing about bird flu under the current administration. Turns out, they've canceled funding for a vaccine for bird flu. 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) terminated a $766 million contract with Moderna, which was working on an mRNA-based vaccine for the H5 avian influenza virus.

The decision to cancel the vaccine was made under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who I dislike and consider to be ill equipped for the position he is holding, and who has expressed skepticism about mRNA vaccines. 

He's a tinfoil hat guy and should not be in charge of anything to do with health.

I will still eat raw dough. I've come this far doing it. Too late to change that now.

Besides, it tastes so good!

Sources:
enviroliteracy.org
www.fda.gov
www.usatoday.com
MedCity News
Food Safety News
Biospace
www.cbsnews.com

*This blog post was written by a human, but the research went through an AI tool because it seems they all do that now.*

From Firefighter to Farmer: A Birthday Tribute

My guy

It’s a big day today!

My husband celebrates another year around the sun. Let me tell you a little bit about my guy.

He retired from the city fire department, where he was a Battalion Chief, in 2020, after 36 years of service to the community.

But that has never been his only job. He’s a life-long farmer who tends cattle on land that has been in his family since 1859. He is also a septic tank installer, one of the few locally licensed for alternative systems. He’s a guy who never lets the grass grow tall beneath his feet - especially at haymaking time.

Farming is my husband’s passion. He enjoys the work because he finds it challenging. Farming gives him the ability to be his own boss and work at his own pace. He loves to see the results of his hard work.

His grandfather and father worked together on the farm, and when my husband was old enough, he joined them. His grandfather passed away in 1983, leaving the farm to his wife, and my husband’s father took over management. When his father died in 2010, my beloved became the next in the long line of family men to take over the farm.

In 2014, my husband received the Clean Water Farm, Conservation Farmer of the Year Award from the Virginia Department of Soil and Water Conservation for a water project and best management practices that he implemented on the farm.

His work as a septic tank installer is also a legacy operation. His father installed septic tanks for a living and was still working when he passed away at the age of 74. My husband began working for his father as soon as he was old enough to be of help and then worked for him full time when he finished high school.

After his father passed away, my husband purchased the septic tank installation business and kept it going.

When he was with the fire department, my husband rose up through the ranks to become a Battalion Chief in 2009. He was in charge of five stations and about 35 firefighters. He was a certified emergency medical technician and chair of the fire department's apparatus committee, which designs new fire engines and ladder trucks.

His biggest fire occurred in the late 1980s, when the TAP building burned down. "It was a cold, long day and a big building with a lot of fire inside," my husband recalled. "The conditions were too dangerous to fight from the interior of the building." At that time, he was a lieutenant with the fire department. 

The flood of 1985 "was the hardest non-fire event we've had," my husband said. He was a firefighter at the time, and his entire department was in mourning because a captain and a firefighter had been killed by a drunk driver during a wreck call a few days before. 

"We were busy constantly getting people out of the water, and we had a few fires," my husband said of that terrible flood. "We couldn't get around town, and people were stranded. Parts of the city were cut off from other parts on account of the water. Our company rescued three people that day on our side of town. We helped get a woman out of the creek where they built the Food Lion Grocery at the intersection of Hollins and Plantation. We rescued her from her car. We used the aerial ladder. We were on one side of the stream and Roanoke County was on the other, and we stretched a rope over and got a boat and brought her to safety."

Now that he has retired from the fire department, he devotes most of his time to farming. He wants to keep the operation going as long as he can.

Today he is mowing hay, doing what makes him happy.

Happy birthday to my best friend and my only love!

(*Written in its entirety by a human*)

Five Things

In solidarity with federal workers, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. I don't know if they still have to do that, but I have kept it up since it's a quick way to get something on the blog for Monday. Since I don't have a regular job, it's a fairly mundane list.

1. Went to Christiansburg to pick up a vehicle for a friend.

2. Hosted a light lunch with watermelon for Memorial Day.

3. Went to the grocery store twice.

4. Gassed up the car.

5. Worked on bookkeeping for the farm.