What They Think Is Not Who I Am

I am my own story.

I am the tree.

 

Happiness Challenge

 

I didn't hit every day of the August Happiness challenge, so I thought I'd continue into September with my hit-or-miss postings.

Today I am happy that it stopped raining so we could get hay in, even if it does create a lot of dust and set off my allergies. The cows need to eat this winter!

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About the Happiness Challenge

Each day you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Five Things

 

Last week, I:

1. Went to a history talk at the library.

2. Helped out a neighbor when her calf was out.

3. Made lots of phone calls.

4. Worked on my project with Chad and Sage

5. Went to the grocery store and did other regular chores (laundry, dishes, bedmaking, sweeping, etc.)

________________________

In solidarity with federal workers, who were tasked in late February 2025 with listing 5 things they did the prior week in order to keep their jobs, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. On August 5, 2025, the federal government decided this was a waste of employees' time (as if we all didn't know that already). I have decided to keep it up. Since I don't have a regular job, it's a fairly mundane list.

August Happiness Day #31

 

Today I am happy for chocolate.

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About the August Happiness Challenge

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Sunday Stealing

F.A.B.

F. Film: What movie or tv show are you watching?

A. We are watching Wheel of Time on Prime. I am walking on the treadmill to old episodes of JAG. We also watch Deadliest Catch, In the Eye of the Storm, and some other shows like that. I enjoyed the two-part documentary on Billy Joel on HBO. Catch that if you can. Hopefully, new shows will be out soon.

A. Audio: What are you listening to?

A. My audiobook is Murder at the Paperback Parlor, by Ellery Adams, and my music is "If" by Bread, which is what came on just now when I asked Alexa to play me some music (followed by "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones).

B. Book: What are you reading?

A. I just finished The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty and have not yet picked out my next read.

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: Manic Monday

Saturday 9: Manic Monday (1985) 

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

1) In this song, Bangles lead singer Susannah Hoffs sings that "it's 6:00 already." What time did you wake up this morning?

A. I usually get up somewhere between 6 a.m. and 6:45 a.m.

2) She's running late for work, and she wishes her bed was already made so she wouldn't have to spend time doing it. Do you ever leave the house without making your bed?

A. Not unless it is an emergency. I remember I was in the middle of changing the bed linens when my husband came in the house in 2014 after having caught his arm in the hay baler. Obviously, I did not finish that chore, since I had to take him to the emergency room.

 

3) She sings that it would take an airplane to get her to work on time. Are you usually early, on time, or late?

A. I am generally a little early.

4) Since Monday is the start of her hectic workweek, she wishes it was Sunday because that's her "fun day." What's your favorite day of the week?

A. I don't really have one.

5) "Manic Monday" was written by Prince. What's your favorite Prince song?

A. Raspberry Beret.

6) In 1985, when this song was a hit, Sears promoted sleepwear with characters on them in their children's department. GI Joe pajamas were popular. When you were a kid, did you have a favorite pair of pjs?

A. Not that I recall.

7) A fashion tradition dating back to the early 1900s states that you should put your white slacks, shoes, jackets and belts away after Labor Day. Do you follow that rule?

A. No. I wear white sneakers year-round.

 

8) Traditionally Labor Day marks the moment when fans turn their attention to the NFL and NCAA football. Will you be rooting for a particular football team this season?

A. No. My husband usually roots for the University of Virginia football team in college ball.

9) According to the auto insurance industry, the average American spends 52 minutes (26 each way) behind the wheel every day traveling to and from work. How do you while away the time when you're stuck in traffic?

A. I either listen to an audiobook, NPR, or a pop music station.

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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. 

August Happiness Challenge Day #29

 

Today I am happy that my husband noticed that his dump truck was getting a flat tire before anything bad happened. That could have been serious.

I am also happy that I am listening to Fleetwood Mac.

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About the August Happiness Challenge

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Thursday 13

Here are 13 things that happened on August 28.

1. 1609 – Henry Hudson sails into Delaware Bay, becoming the first European to chart its waters—an opening line in a long colonial ledger.

2. 1774 – Elizabeth Ann Bayley is born. She will become the first American-born saint, founding the first Catholic school in the U.S.

3. 1789 – William Herschel discovers Saturn’s moon Enceladus, a frozen world with geysers and a hidden ocean—celestial mystery in motion.

4. 1830 – The American-built locomotive “Tom Thumb” races a horse—and loses due to mechanical failure. Steam dreams stumble.

5. 1833 – Britain’s Slavery Abolition Act receives royal assent, legally ending slavery in most of the British Empire.

6. 1837 – Worcestershire Sauce is first brewed by Lea & Perrins, born of a forgotten recipe and a lucky rediscovery.

7. 1845 – The first issue of Scientific American is published, launching a legacy of curiosity and invention.

8. 1869 – Three men abandon John Wesley Powell’s Grand Canyon expedition, believing the desert safer than the rapids. They vanish.

9. 1917 – Ten suffragists are arrested while picketing the White House, demanding the vote with silent strength.

10. 1955 – Emmett Till is murdered in Mississippi, his story igniting the civil rights movement with unbearable clarity.

11. 1957 – Strom Thurmond begins a 24-hour filibuster against the Civil Rights Act, a last gasp of segregationist resistance.

12. 1963 – Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech, echoing across generations.

13. 1964 – A race riot erupts in North Philadelphia, sparked by deep wounds and police brutality.

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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 922nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

August Happiness Challenge Day #27

 

Today I am happy for low temperatures and partly cloudy skies. I'm also happy for neighbors who help put calves back in the pasture when the little rascals decide to go wandering.

______________________________________________________________________

About the August Happiness Challenge

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Five Things

 

Last week, I:

1. Saw the chiropractor.

2. Helped someone out.

3. Wrote a couple of poems.

4. Paid bills.

5. Went to the grocery store, ran errands, walked on the treadmill, etc.

In solidarity with federal workers, who were tasked in late February 2025 with listing 5 things they did the prior week in order to keep their jobs, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. On August 5, 2025, the federal government decided this was a waste of employees' time (as if we all didn't know that already). I have decided to keep it up. Since I don't have a regular job, it's a fairly mundane list.

August Happiness #24

 

This has been a difficult day, but I am happy that I can find solace in music. 

______________________________________________________________________

About the August Happiness Challenge

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Sunday Stealing

 

Morning Meme

1) What do you typically have for breakfast?

A. During the week I have Honey Nut Cheerios. On the weekends, I have scrambled eggs.

2) What was your favorite breakfast cereal when you were a kid?

A. Fruit Loops.

3) Orange juice, tomato juice or cranberry juice?

A. Cranberry juice. I'm allergic to citrus, can't drink tomato juice because of my propensity for ulcers, so cranberry it is. But I rarely drink juices of any kind.

4) What time is your alarm clock set for?

A. 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. 

5) Do you have any tips for preventing stress and making the morning go more smoothly?

A. Don't get out of bed in the first place! Otherwise, set out the clothes you want the night before, make sure you get a decent night's sleep, and let the coffee maker start the coffee for you if you're into that sort of thing.

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.

Twenty-Five Years

My mother passed away 25 years ago on this day. Early in the morning, I received the phone call that she had passed somewhat unexpectedly in the night. She had pancreatic cancer, and the doctors had said she likely had another month or two to live. I knew the end was near; just two days earlier, I had brought a local preacher in to see her, giving her the chance to make her peace if she wanted, or to say nothing if she didn’t.

I hadn’t expected her to pass away so soon after that visit. Perhaps that brief moment, that permission from someone like the preacher, was all she needed to move on. I will never know.

My mother worked hard to make a good life for herself and her two children, my brother and me. She held a full-time job for all the time I lived at home. I remember how she kept the house sparkling clean, always ready for the days my father returned from business trips. She retired in the 1990s, when she was about 46, because by then she had her years in after having worked at the same company since she was 16. She died 10 years later. Her retirement years were not easy, unfortunately.

I wish she could have been happier.

Pancreatic cancer is a cruel cancer. I'm sure treatments are better now than they were 25 years ago, but not by much. It's a cancer that is generally not diagnosed until it is in its advanced stages. The most common type, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, has a survival rate of just 8% of people five years after diagnosis.

My mother lived just over a year beyond her diagnosis.

I have now lived a longer life than my mother did. It's sobering to think that I have spent more time alive, breathing in the lovely smells of my beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, than my mom did. 

Fifty-six is awfully young to die. Each year I live beyond that feels like borrowed time.

August Happiness Challenge Day #23

 

Today I am happy that I have more important things to fret over than the change of logo of Cracker Barrel. Honestly, who cares? If that is the kind of thing that worries people, I am really glad I am not one of them.

______________________________________________________________________

About the August Happiness Challenge

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Saturday 9: We Belong Together

Saturday 9: We Belong Together (2005)

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

This month we're going to recall Summer Songs. These will all be records that topped the charts during August.

1) Number 1 on the charts in August 20 years ago, "We Belong Together" is about the end of this romantic relationship. Mariah sings that now she won't have anyone to talk to on the phone until the sun comes up. That was then. Today many people prefer to text than to talk on the phone. Are you one of those people?

A. I prefer a telephone conversation to a text. Texting has its place, but once you get past 4 texts you may as well pick up the phone and call.

2) The video for this song features an elaborate wedding. Tell us about the last wedding you attended.

A. I can't remember the last wedding I attended. I haven't been to one in at least 20 years.

3) Mariah believes she inherited her musical gifts from her mom, who was an opera singer and vocal coach. When things were hectic in their household, Mariah recalls that music helped bring her and her mom closer together. Share a happy childhood memory featuring you and one of your parents.

A. I remember my father teaching me how to learn how to ride a bicycle.

4) After graduating from high school in Long Island, Mariah Carey went to Manhattan in search of stardom. While waiting for her big break, she enrolled in beauty school and waited tables. Both stylists and servers receive gratuities for their services. Do you consider yourself a good tipper?

A. I think I am. I'm not a bad tipper, anyway. 

5) The Fresh Air Fund operates six camps in the New York area to provide kids with a chance to learn and explore outdoors. They named Camp Mariah in Ms. Carey's honor to thank her for her support. Here's your chance to toot your own horn. Tell us about an honor you received. (Anything from a major award to a handmade drawing that says "World's Best Mom" counts. We want to hear about it.)

A. Last October I received an award for my work in historic preservation in my community. It was mostly for writing the magazine celebrating Botetourt County's 250th anniversary, but also for many other writing projects I have done through the years to promote historic preservation.

6) Mariah has mentioned she enjoys pizza and red wine. Will you be enjoying either pizza or red wine this weekend?

A. I will not be enjoying either one this weekend.

Let's look at the summer of 2005.

7) The biggest news story that summer was Hurricane Katrina. This deadly and destructive storm killed over 1,000 people and did more than $100 billion in damage. Have you ever endured a natural disaster (such as hurricane, flood, landslide, tornado, blizzard, wildfire)?

A. We had a major flood in 1985, known as the Flood of '85. In Roanoke, the Roanoke River rose 18.57 ft (5.66 m) in ten hours to a peak of 23.35 ft (7.12 m), considered a 1 in 200-year event. In the city, many residents had to be rescued after they were trapped, and three people drowned by driving into flooded waters. Considered the worst flood on record in the city, Roanoke sustained $225 million in damage, with 3,100 damaged homes and businesses. My husband was on duty that day and was one of the firefighters rescuing people. I was in Roanoke at a doctor's appointment and after going from route to route to avoid flooded roads, I finally found a way to the interstate, only to find I could not get home because of ponding water and mudslides. Eventually I was able to get home via a long back road, only to find my basement flooded. That was the worst one. However, several times we have had to evacuate from vacations at Myrtle Beach due to hurricanes.

8) Popular that summer was Kingda Ka, the new roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Jackson, NJ. At the time, it was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. Have you been to any fairs or amusement parks this summer?

A. I have not been to anything but the farmers' market this summer.

9) Award-winning American figure skater Alysa Liu was born in August of 2005. NBC Sports and their Peacock network report that figure skating events get high ratings. What's your favorite sport to watch on TV?

A. I like watching the WNBA these days. I like figure skating too, though, when I catch it 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. 

August Happiness Challenge Day #21

 

I found a new (old) show to watch while I'm walking on the treadmill. This made me very happy because I need to keep my brain and eyes engaged when I'm exercising.

______________________________________________________________________

About the August Happiness Challenge

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Thursday 13

Things to Be Happy About (August Edition)

1. The smell of fresh-cut grass drifting through an open window on a warm evening.

2. A well-worn book that still surprises you on the third or fourth read.

3. The moment your collage clicks into place, and the colors, textures, and mood all align.

4. A stranger’s unexpected kindness, like holding the door or complimenting your earrings.

5. The first sip of something hot when the house is quiet and the day hasn’t made any demands yet.

6. A memory that makes you laugh out loud, even if no one else would get the joke.

7. The sound of cicadas at dusk, reminding you summer’s still holding on.

8. A blog comment that says “I needed this today.” It's proof your words landed somewhere soft.

9. The feeling of solving a tech glitch without throwing anything. Victory!

10. A fictional character who feels like a friend, especially when the real world feels too loud.

11. The way Botetourt County looks in late summer, golden and green and just a little sleepy.

12. A song that makes you dance in your chair, even if it’s just a shoulder shimmy.

13. Knowing you’re building something meaningful, even if it’s still a secret.

_________________

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 921st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

August Happiness Challenge Day #20

 

Today, I am grateful for the quiet that comes from stepping back.

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About the August Happiness Challenge

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

August Happiness Challenge Day 18

 

We are having a break in the humidity today with a nice breeze. It's lovely out this morning! That makes me happy.

I was able to assist with family duties and take a relative to the doctor this morning. That made me happy, too, that I could help out. I even picked up parts for my husband for something broken while I was out.

I am also happy I'm writing this, because I've been remiss about it for a few days!

______________________________________________________________________

About the August Happiness Challenge

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Five Things

 

Last week I;

1. Got the house all nice and clean.

2. Wrote a couple of poems.

3. Worked on my secret project with Chad and Sage.

4. Read two books. (My Friends by Fredrik Bachman - excellent! and Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes - excellent!)

5. Saw the chiropractor.

In solidarity with federal workers, who were tasked in late February 2025 with listing 5 things they did the prior week in order to keep their jobs, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. On August 5, 2025, the federal government decided this was a waste of employees' time (as if we all didn't know that already). I have decided to keep 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.