Thursday, August 20, 2015

Thursday Thirteen

We are soon coming up on National Suicide Prevention Week (September  7 - 12) and October has a Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 4 - 10) and National Depression Screening Day (October 8).

Better to advertise these things before the events, because folks who are suffering really don't need days or weeks or months. People with depression and suicidal ideation tend to live with it daily, taking things day by day. Sometimes they take it minute by minute.

Depression and thoughts of suicide or self-harm came come from out of nowhere, or they can have a physical cause. The truth is, mental health is something humans still don't understand, and probably won't for a long time. The brain is a complex organ, and all it takes is a little of the wrong something - and who knows what that something is - and things can get a little whacky.

So what do people who are having a tough time actually need?

1. They need empathy. Maybe you know why your friend hurts, or maybe you don't. It doesn't really matter. Acknowledge that the person feels bad and don't try to find a reason for it. The reasons may never make sense to you. The reasons may not make sense to the person who is miserable. But it is nice to know someone cares.

2. Tell the person that s/he is not alone. Let them know that you will listen without judgment or lecturing. Not just once or twice. Sometimes depressed people repeat themselves, particularly if the issue is ongoing and chronic. Depressed people can sense quickly when they've overstepped a line and frustrated a friend. If that happens, don't be surprised if the depressed person stops telling you things. Listening to someone who is hurting can be difficult and not everyone can do it. Urge your friend to get counseling if the situation seems perpetual or you can't handle it, but make sure that your friend knows you care and are trying to help the best you can. This can be very hard not just on you but also your friend; this is tough ground.

3. Remind the person that s/he is a good person and has value. Many depressed people have lost their sense of self-worth and/or purpose. They're not sure why they are still on the planet and can't figure out why nothing they do is good enough.
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“That's the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end.”  ―  Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation
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4. Ask the person how you can help. Maybe all s/he needs is an ear. Maybe the friend needs a hug. Maybe s/he needs somebody to fix dinner every now and then. But don't move in and take over. Let the person guide you as to what s/he needs.

5. Remind the person of better times. Maybe you shared a fun shopping trip or you had a nice adventure together. Talk about things other than how the person feels for a while. Tell a joke or a funny story.

6. Be there when the person needs you. That might mean making a suggestion - going for a walk or seeing a movie, for example. Anything to get your friend moving and out of the house. Be ready to follow through, because the depressed friend will likely say "no" to whatever you offer. You may need to say, "I'm going to be there at 5 p.m. and we're going to dinner and hit the 7:30 movie. I'm driving." And then show up at the door. This one time isn't going to fix it, but it will let your friend know that you care enough to take action.

7. Tell your friend that it is okay to take things a day at a time. Acknowledge that tomorrow might not be easier - but then again, it might. But let it be okay if it isn't.

8. Try saying, "I'm sorry this has happened to you, but we can and we will get you through it."

9. Tell the person that life is worth living, and that even if s/he feels stuck and can't see a way out, there is always a different choice or option. The person simply hasn't found the right one yet, but hold his or her hand and tell them you will help them find what they need.

10. If your friend has started pulling away, you may need to pull back. If s/he stops calling or doing things with you, speak up. Tell the person you miss him or her and would like to spend time with them.
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“There is no point treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, 'There now, hang on, you'll get over it.' Sadness is more or less like a head cold- with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.” ― Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees      
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11. If you are just realizing that your friend isn't well, apologize for not noticing. Please don't make them feel bad for "bringing you down" or something like that. Depression is not a choice, and no one with depression intends to be the party downer.

12. Don't tell the person that other people have it worse. They know that there are children starving, people sleeping in the streets, and folks with poor drinking water. That doesn't make their pain any better. It might make it worse, because it adds to the guilt.

13. Tell your friend that you believe in his or her strength, and that you accept the person the way they are now, not as you hope they will be.

Here are symptoms of depression. If you recognize these in yourself or in a friend, remember that depression is an illness and something that needs to be dealt with, perhaps with a doctor's guidance. It should never be taken lightly.

  • Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
  • Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports
  • Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
  • Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
  • Changes in appetite — often reduced appetite and weight loss, but increased cravings for food and weight gain in some people
  • Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
  • Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
  • Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself for things that aren't your responsibility
  • Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
  • Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
  • Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

  • For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day-to-day activities, such as work, school, social activities or relationships with others. Other people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.

    Remember, depression is not a choice. It may occur once in a person's life, or may occur multiple times.

    Here are warning signs for suicide:

    Talking about killing or harming one’s self
    Expressing strong feelings of hopelessness or being trapped
    An unusual preoccupation with death or dying
    Acting recklessly, as if they have a death wish (e.g. speeding through red lights)
    Calling or visiting people to say goodbye
    Getting affairs in order (giving away prized possessions, tying up loose ends)
    Saying things like “Everyone would be better off without me” or “I want out”
    A sudden switch from being extremely depressed to acting calm and happy

    Here are causes and risk factors for depression:

    Loneliness
    Lack of social support
    Recent stressful life experiences
    Family history of depression
    Marital or relationship problems
    Financial strain
    Early childhood trauma or abuse
    Alcohol or drug abuse
    Unemployment or underemployment
    Health problems or chronic pain

    For more information, check out these websites:

    Hopeline
    Mayo Clinic
    Depression Symptoms and Warning Signs
    National Institute of Mental Health


    If you or someone you know is suicidal and you feel action must be taken immediately, call 911 or visit your nearest emergency room. There is also a toll-free, 24-hour hotline: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255); TTY: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889), where you may talk to a trained counselor.

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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 409th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. (I'm not usually so serious.)



    Wednesday, August 19, 2015

    Those Sunny Sunflowers





    Tuesday, August 18, 2015

    My Distant Cousin

    My cousin passed away yesterday.

    She was something like my 4th cousin once removed (I know the connection but not exactly what it's called.). We shared a set of many-great grandparents here in Botetourt, going back to the early 1800s. The ancestors in common were John and Mary Painter, and then those who came before them.

    Pat was my cousin's name. She was 86 when she went on to the next phase of her journey. I did not meet her until I was an adult, about 20 years ago, so she was already an elder when we met. I do not remember exactly how we were introduced, but she immediately embraced me as a long-distance relative. She called me "cousin" every time we saw one another.

    She gave me a sense of family for which I never properly thanked her. I always knew, in my heart, if I needed sanctuary for whatever reason, I could go to Pat. Sometimes you just know those things.

    Pat was a professor of math at the local community college, a mother of three, a grandmother, a historian. She is survived by a sister, her children and their spouses, many grandchildren, and a multitude of other relatives. She also had many close and dear friends, many of whom live or lived in Fincastle.

    Oh, how she loved Fincastle. She always spoke of it with great fondness, as if the little community was the best place on the planet. And with her in it, it probably was.

    My cousin graduated from Fincastle High School and went on to attend Hollins College. She obtained her BA and a master's degree. She taught in the local school system for 16 years, and then served as an instructor at Virginia Western Community College for 15 years. She retired in 1992. She was close to retiring when I first met her, I think.

    Pat was an active member in local garden clubs and in Historic Fincastle, Inc., an organization that oversees historic interests in her beloved community. She played golf and the piano (though I never heard her play; she mentioned it once).

    She was instrumental in having a stone memorial placed on Rt. 779 to commemorate Painter's Chapel, a church that was started by our forefathers, in the Catawba Valley.

    I met Pat's daughter before I met her mother. Her daughter was a local writer whom I greatly admired. During a writer's conference, we began talking about our ancestry and discovered then that we were related. We stayed in touch and have remained friends. Later, I met Pat daughter-in-law, who became one of my dearest companions.

    I spent time with Pat when I also served in Historic Fincastle. We worked together on various community projects, including the annual festival (now defunct), and in setting up the museum portion of the Early Cabin. I remember how she kept wanting me to come and take pictures of various components of the little museum.

    We also were in a book club together for the better part of a decade. I loved her take on the things we read. She always had a spirited point of view and while she sometimes got off topic - well, we always get off topic in our book club. It's a lively group and Pat's presence will be greatly missed.

    Three years ago, Pat took my journal-writing class, telling me then that she had kept a journal for most of her life. She didn't need to take my class, but she was supporting me in my efforts to begin a career as an instructor. I hope someone finds her journals and treasures those words.

    Pat was a people person - she was definitely not an introvert. She spoke her mind and believed that women deserved the same opportunities as men. She taught math because she loved it. She once told me the only reason girls had trouble with the subject was because no one expected anything else out of them.

    I was saddened to learn of her passing, but she had been ill for a while and I am glad that she is no longer suffering. I am sorry, too, for my friend and her family, who have lost a dear loved one.

    Life is hard, and getting older does not bring about ease and comfort, not like it should. It is hard to watch those you love move on.

    It is harder still to say goodbye.

    My cousin, Pat.

    Monday, August 17, 2015

    Fincastle Frolic

    The Town of Fincastle put on a little get-together Friday night. It is an event to showcase the town.

    I saw a few faces I knew.

    Balloons decorated the town.

    My pal Cathy, a fellow writer.

    Taking a picture of the picture-taker.

    The county clerk really got into his role as historian.

    See? He went all out!

    My friend Pam.

    Cannon go boom! Not really. It's a decoration outside of the courthouse.

    My buddy Lee and her fellow.

    Cathy's daughter, Julia, is on the left. I am afraid I don't know the other young musician.

    They seemed to be enjoying themselves.

    Local artist, Ed Bordett, hanging out near the cookies.

    My husband, right, talks to his old friend, John.

    The bank was a popular spot; they were giving away cookies and ice water.

    Old friend John.

    My pal Rene at the library.

    My husband has a word with Paige, head librarian at the Fincastle branch.

    Sunday, August 16, 2015

    Sunday Stealing: I Want You

    From: Sunday Stealing

    I Want You to be Free from Me Meme


    1. Are your nails painted a dark or light color?  My nails are not painted. They are bitten and chewed.

    2. Have you ever ordered pizza online?   Yes.
     
    3. What color was the last candle you lit? 
    White, and non-scented.

    4. Is there something written on your shirt right now? Yes. It says "Keepin' It Rural. Live. Laugh. Farm."

    5. Is there a bookshelf in your room? There are four of them, actually.
     
    6. Do you own a treadmill? 
    Yes, and I use it.
     
    7. Have you ever signed up for a gym membership? 
    No.
     
    8. Is there a garbage can in your room? What color is it? 
    White.

    9. Have you ever read in the bathtub? Yes.

    10. Have you ever had to wear a hairnet? No.
     
    11. Do you know how many pages were in the last book you read? 
    The last print book had 513 pages. The last audio book had 25 discs. The last Kindle book, I don't know because the Kindle doesn't use pages, it uses locations.

    12. On what day of the week do you usually do the laundry?  I do laundry almost every day. I live on a farm. My husband sometimes changes clothes three times a day.

    13. Do you use the Facebook chat often? 
    Define "often." But yes, I use it.

    14. Do you have any baby pictures of yourself on your computer? 
    
    My brother in the car seat, me with the doll.
    
    15. Do you eat onion rings? No. Or at least not very often.

    16. What flavor of tea did you last have?  Red Rose decaf black tea.

    17. Do you own a bathrobe? Yes.

    18. Did you/will you have coffee or some other form of caffeine today?  I don't drink caffeine.
     
    19. Do you have a mailbox or do you collect your mail from the post office? 
    Mailbox.
     
    20. What was the last animal you saw, and was it a pet? 
    A deer in the front yard. It is not a pet although it seldom runs when it seems me.

    21. What was the last documentary you watched focusing on?  I don't recall. Does Downton Abby count as a documentary?

    22. Is there anything you need to remember to do before the day ends? I need to change the Brita pitcher filter.

    23. Is your car messy, or do you like to keep it clean?  My husband likes it clean, but I keep it rather messy.

    24. Are you the type to wake up before the sun rises?  My alarm goes off at 6 a.m. every morning, even on the weekends.

    25. Do you get uncomfortable when people stare at you? Wouldn't you?

    26. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital for a long period of time? Yes.

    __________

    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, August 15, 2015

    Saturday 9: Stay With Me

    Saturday 9: Stay with Me (2014)

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


    1) Sam Smith explains that this song is about just not wanting to wake up alone. How about you? Are you comfortable being by yourself?

    A. I am an introvert, so I prefer to be alone. I do, however, like to socialize sometimes. I am not a total hermit, though I have been accused of that a time or two.

    2) Last year a lawsuit filed by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, who maintained that "Stay with Me" was really just "I Won't Back Down." Petty and Lynne won. Have you ever served on a jury?

    A. No. I would like to, but the two times I was called I was sent away because I was a newspaper reporter.

    3) Smith performed this on The David Letterman Show. Did you watch Dave's final episode last May?
     
    A. I did not. I used to watch Dave frequently but that was before I turned 50 and found the bed called me every night at 10 p.m. whether I wanted to be there or not.
     
    4) Smith says his style was influenced by ladies with "massive voices," including Adele, Amy Winehouse, Chaka Kahn, and Whitney Houston. Of those four, which do you listen to most often?
     
    A. Um. None? I only know of one Adele song, no Amy Winehouse songs, Chaka Kahn goes back to my youth to the Disco era, if I'm not mistaken, and Houston hit her prime in the early 1990s, I think. My favorite female singers are Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow, not that anybody cares. I also like Celine Dion (don't hit me for that), early Dolly Parton (though I can't stand to look at her now, with all of that plastic surgery), Bonnie Raitt, Pat Benatar, Chrissie Hynde, and the Wilson sisters (Heart).

    5) Speaking of style, Mr. Smith is a smart dressed man who looks comfortable and dapper as he walks the red carpet in a tux. Do you enjoy getting dressed up for special occasions?
     
    A. Not particularly. Having said that, I always try to look clean and neat, and never go out without my hair combed and make-up on.

    6) "Occasions" is a word that makes Crazy Sam stumble because she can never remember how to spell it correctly. Are you a good speller?
     
    A. That is what the squiggly little red lines are for in word processing programs now. But I did win the classroom spelling bee in the 5th grade. Yay me.
     
    7) Sam Smith was born on May 19, which makes him a Taurus. When did you last check your horoscope?

    A. I read it every day in the local paper.

    8) Tauruses are supposed to be reliable, organized and ambitious. Do any of those three adjectives describe you?

    A. I'm reliable if I promise something. I am not organized and apparently at the moment my only ambition is to feel well enough to find an ambition.

    9) Random question: Look at the floor. Do you see carpet, rug, hard wood or tile?
     
    A. Parquet wood flooring, oak finished. We put it down ourselves about 15 years ago now. It's worn at my desk, where my chair rolls over it even though I have a thick plastic protector there. The protector tends to slide.
     
    _____________

    I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

    Friday, August 14, 2015

    Get an Editor

    Lately, I have been reading numerous nonfiction "books" that I downloaded for free from Amazon. They are all e-books and I read them on my Kindle.

    They normally sell for anywhere from 99 cents to $2.99 or so. They are not true books; most can be read in an hour. They're more like very long novels. I doubt any of them are more than 40 pages (it's hard to tell on the Kindle, which uses location, not page numbers). I would not have paid for them but when they are offered for free, I download them to have something to read at the doctor's office.

    With one exception, all of these books have needed editing. They have poorly written sentences, misspellings, and missing words.

    The further I read into the work (I have a hard time calling these things "books"), the more errors I found. What seemed like a decent read in the first few pages soon soured.

    I understand that these days the reading public devours anything and no one but grammar gussies such as myself care a whit about real sentences and punctuation. However, I would have been offended had I paid money - even 99 cents - for these books only to find so many errors. One or two errors would not be worthy of comment, but numerous ones are.

    And the errors are many, and apparently in most of these books.

    If you are thinking of self-publishing, by all means, do it, but please at least run the spell check on your software before you hit the "send" button and hustle the thing off to Amazon.

    Thursday, August 13, 2015

    Thursday Thirteen

    Today I'm going to talk about guitars. I've been playing the guitar since I was around 12, but I have gone through long spells of not playing at all. Sometimes years. Then I pick it back up and play a while. However, I do not play as well as I once did because I don't practice.

    There are many brands and types of guitars. No one likes the same thing, and everyone has a different opinion as to what is best. I think you get what you pay for in a guitar, generally, and so the more money you can put into an instrument, the better the quality of sound as well as ease of play. You can buy guitars from $100 to $10,000 and up.

    In my dotage, I prefer a small-bodied acoustic guitar (which seem to be difficult to find in my area). I have back problems and the larger dreadnaught body acoustic guitars are hard for me to handle. Electric guitars, too, no longer interest me because they are too heavy for me to hold.

    You can click the links to find out more about the guitar brands if you want.

    1. Gibson. I learned to play on a small Gibson (I don't remember what style), and I think highly of Gibsons, particularly with higher end models. Gibson is famous for its Les Paul brand, an electric guitar that most musicians play at one time or another. If I were going to purchase a new guitar, I think I would like the Gibson L-00, a 12-fret red spruce limited edition small-body guitar (priced at $2,799). However, I've not had my hands on one and I won't make such a purchase without playing the instrument first. Gibson has been around since 1902.

    2. Yamaha. I have a small bodied Yamaha FG-150 that my grandfather gave to me in 1981. The guitar needs a new set of tuner keys and new strings and it's pretty beat up. Yamaha has been around since the late 1880s, but it has been in the US since about 1960.

    3. Takamine. The guitar I play the most these days is a classical Takamine that I purchased myself about 25 years ago. (I can't believe I've had that guitar that long.) It has excellent sound quality and I get a lot out of it for what it is. It is a mid-line guitar, not the best, but not the worst, either. Takamine has been around since 1959.

    4. Alvarez. I took my nephew guitar shopping about 8 years ago and he chose an Alvarez to take to college with him. I don't know if he ever really learned to play it or if he even still has it. Alvarez has been around since 1965.

    5. Gretsch. My father had a big orange Gretsch electric guitar. It was huge and much too large for me to play. Gretsch has also been around since the 1880s.

    6. Taylor. I had never heard of this guitar until I saw a youtube video of a girl playing one. I loved the sound of it. I wouldn't mind having one of these little beauties. They can be incredibly expensive, running in the $9,000 range, although Taylor has a little GS Mini guitar for about $600 that I would like to see up close and personal one of these days.

    7. Martin. To be honest, I don't know of anyone who doesn't love a Martin and think it's one of the better guitar brands out there. I would certainly like to have one (apparently I want them all, don't I?). Martins appear to have been around forever, at least from the timeline on the website. It starts in the 1700s!

    8. Epiphone. My parents gave me an electric Epiphone in 1977 and I still have it and always will even though I can't hold it anymore to play it. It looks exactly like a Les Paul and frankly it plays better than some Les Paul's I've played. Epiphone has been making instruments since the 1870s.

    9. Ovation. Ovation guitars used to be rounded back and plastic, or at least the one I owned was. I traded it on the Takamine because I couldn't hold on to it to play it. Ovation has been around since 1966. I haven't seen a new Ovation in years but from the look of the website, the guitars have changed quite a lot.

    10. Fender. The Fender Stratocaster is a famous model of electric guitar, probably second only to the Gibson Les Paul (in my opinion) in terms of playability. Buddy Holly played a Stratocaster.

    11. Ibanez. I have never been a fan of Ibanez, but all guitars deserve a second look every now and then. They've been around since 1958.

    12. Guild. This is not a guitar brand I'm overly familiar with, but I noticed some of the local dealers are carrying it. They've been around since 1952. The acoustic guitars look nice in the pictures. Next time I'm in a store I will have to play one and see how they sound.

    13. Blueridge. This is another brand that I've seen in the local stores. I've played one a time or two and thought they were okay for a lower-end model. I am seeing more and more of them, though. Apparently they are built by a company called Saga, which has been around for about 35 years.



    ____________
    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 408th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

    Wednesday, August 12, 2015

    Just Some Flowers





    The most interesting thing about these flowers is they are all volunteer. They came up in pots I'd left on the deck all winter. I never got around to planting anything in them. One day I noticed they all had flowers in them anyway.

    Tuesday, August 11, 2015

    Masked Face Fox Squirrel

    This odd little critter, which apparently is a masked face fox squirrel, showed up at the house again this weekend.

    I noticed it Sunday morning when it tried to take a bite out of the house at the back door. This is the second time I've seen it (or its sibling).

    Apparently these aren't seen often around here. I can find little mention of this type of squirrel in Virginia online, although it is native to the Carolinas. How this one found its way to my back yard is indeed a mystery.

    Note as you scroll through the photos that in one you can see that the squirrel's tail is about twice as long as its body.







    Look at the length of that tail!


    Monday, August 10, 2015

    Small Minds

    --------------------------------------------------R A N T --------------------------------------------------------

    It's a little early to start worrying about a non-existent war on Christmas, isn't it? Already I'm seeing those posts on Facebook that say " It's Merry Christmas not Happy Holidays. If you don't agree, leave the USA."

    Happy Holidays means "Happy Holy Days" and if Christmas is a holy day to Christians, then I don't see the problem. I haven't heard of anyone being shot or arrested for saying Merry Christmas so of course you are free to say it. Nobody's told you that you can't buy a Christmas tree, either.

    This is much ado about nothing, a lot of bluster and air over something that exists only in the minds of small-thinking people who want to think they are persecuted but have no clue what persecution truly is. When Christians in the US are being shot or beaten by the dozens for being baptized, get back to me. There are more important things to worry about than some store clerk saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."

    If your skin is that thin, stay home in the dark with the TV and the lights off, and your hands on that Bible that you probably never read.


    END RANT

    Sunflower

    My sunflower, a week before opening.


    And now, open!



    Sunday, August 09, 2015

    Sunday Stealing: Crazy

    From Sunday Stealing

    Crazy Random Twenty Meme

    1. Have you ever demolished a wall or building?

    A. I have put a fist through a wall. And yes, it hurt, and I wouldn't advise it.

    2. If you and a friend both wanted the same thing would you let the friend get it first?


    A. I would let my friend have it.

    3. Have you ever argued over who should pay for something?


    A. My friends and I sometimes banter back and forth over whose turn it is to pay what, but we don't argue about it.

    4. Do you have any family heirlooms?


    A. My most treasured heirloom is a pair of scissors that belonged to my great-great-grandmother. According to the story, she was sewing near a window when a storm came up. Lightning struck and knocked the scissors out of her hand. They are the best pair of scissors ever.

    5. Are you related or distantly related to anyone famous?


    A. No, we're just a bunch of peasants.

    6. What's your favorite ocean?

    A. Old Man Kelsey's Ocean.

    7. Do you correct people's mistakes?


    A. Apparently I do, since I put in a missing apostrophe in "people" in that question.

    8. Have you ever helped out an injured animal?

    A. I took my dog to the vet when she was sick. Does that count?

    9. Do you throw bread for the ducks?


    A. No. The ducks can make their own bread.

    10. Do you think babies are little bundles of joy or smelly noisy things?


    A. I am having a rough day and I'm not sure you really want my opinion on this question.

    11. Do you give money to buskers?


    A. I don't even know what a busker is. OK, I looked it up. A street performer. I live on a farm in a rural area. We don't have buskers. We have groundhogs. You want me to give money to groundhogs?

    12. Do you ever forward or reply to chain mails?

    A. No, I think they are cruel and vicious, and it makes me angry when someone sends me one.

    13. Do you often have a tune in your head you can't name?

    A. No.

    14. Has anyone ever approached you thinking you were someone else?


    A. Not in a long time.

    15. Have you ever starred in an amateur or professional video?


    A. Just the ones I have made that are youtube, like the rest of the world. You can see me playing Scarborough Fair on my guitar here.

    16. Have you ever been in a position of authority?


    A. I've chaired a couple of groups and I am mistress of my domain. Does that count?

    17. If you were ruler of your own country what would you call it?


    A. The Land of Odd

    18. And what title would you give yourself?


    A. Empress of Odd 

    19. If you invented a monster what would you call it?

    A. Fred. 

    20. And what features would it have?

    A. One eye, one horn, one ear, could fly, would eat people, and would be purple. It would gobble up itsy bitsy tiny weeny yellow polka dot bikinis and spit them back out.
    __________

    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.