Thursday Thirteen

1. Too many people get their knickers twisted over absolutely nothing.  But then again, too many people are uninvolved and doing things from an emotional and not a rational thinking process.

2. Case in point: Donald Trump. Here's an interesting blog post about someone who went to see Mr. Trump in Radford, VA on Monday. After seeing him up close and personal, she no longer supports him. She wrote, "the hatred, anger, racism, arrogance, sexist man that I witnessed made me feel like I had front row seats to Jerry Springer!!" This person used her noggin.

3. When I went to the vote in the Super Tuesday primary, I did not like that I had to go to one side or the other and pick out whether I was a Republican or a Democrat. Why couldn't all the names be on one sheet of paper so you simply went and voted for whomever you want? As it was, I ended up standing beside a distant and very Republican cousin while I stood in the short line for Democrat votes. I don't mind saying I'm a Democrat - it's no secret - but really, is it anybody's business but my own, unless I choose to share? (I live in a Republican area. About 30 percent of my county's residents vote Democrat in presidential elections.)

4. I believe in privacy even though I write a blog and am on Facebook. This is information I choose to share. Does the U.S. Constitution guarantee a right to privacy? Not really, but the courts since the early 20th century have construed it as such. So what would a different court think as we march toward a Fascist (and third-world) America? Would Apple have no reason to deny the government access to its codes? Would they be able to spy on your phone? Put little doohickeys on your head to read your thoughts? Will 1984 prove even more prophetic than it already has?

5. Virginia now wants to censor school books. The Senate this week agreed to allow schools to ban books if parents object. I thought parents always had that right, anyway. The kid was just assigned another book. This  bill "would make Virginia the first state in the nation to require K-to-12 teachers to notify parents of classroom materials with “sexually explicit content." Of course, "sexually explicit" isn't defined. So would a woman breast-feeding be a problem? A girl or a boy undressing to go to bed? Where does this end? Next they'll be banning Harry Potter because it encourages make believe.

6. In 2007, 2,000 Hong Kong residents tried to ban the Bible when "they called on a Chinese decency commission to restrict the Bible to adults only because it contains passages that seem to give the okay to incest, rape, adultery and a father offering his daughters to strangers for sexual gratification." How 'bout them apples, eh?

7. Locally, citizens lost their fight to keep two historic structures from being moved from where they'd stood for almost 200 years to a "historic structure designation area." The structures were slave quarters and an old kitchen. The manor house of this plantation, which belonged to a Revolutionary War hero and Virginia leader at one time, burned in the 1950s. History lost. (The structures were moved so a hill could be leveled and a shell building - a 100,000 metal structure with no tenant or purchaser yet - could be built.) Citizen outcry against moving the structures as well as building this monstrosity was huge, but money beats all, I guess.

8. I have been sick now since February 1. I have an upper respiratory thing. I have had laryngitis since February 10. I've had two rounds of antibiotics and I am still not well. Today my plan is to go back to bed after I write this and see if that helps.

9. Last night I went to sleep thinking about what I should be thinking about. I like to try to have some guidance for my dreams, but my cold medicine knocked me out before I found my thoughts. I slept fairly well, though.

10. We never really forget out pasts, do we? Even animals remember things, otherwise we'd have to retrain our dogs every day. But then the great historic context of the pasts of governments seem to flow over the mind like water over a dam. How can we forget what happened to bad governments in the past? Perhaps because we are not taught the realities of the rise and fall, and only see it from the perspective of those who manage to live through it. The dead don't write history.

11. Actually, I don't think most people comprehend what is going on around them now. They have no idea of the vastness of government or what it actually does or can do. All they see is the line on their paycheck that says "taxes" and react emotionally to hot-button issues. But governments can do great things. Build roads, offer police and fire protection, control pollution so that we aren't all drinking one another's pee. Hey, I like that last one, for sure. 

12. I include myself in that "most people." I have no idea of the vastness of government - I just know it is and that it is more than I care to think about. The military industrial complex in particular is not something I care to dwell on, being a pacifist. I recognize the need for a militia, though, because people are generally only as good as their base nature, and that nature tends to be one that fights and feuds.

13. If you support Donald Trump and have reasons other than "he's going to change the world," and "make America great again," and care to share, I'm happy to read them. I always want to understand what people are thinking. But so far no one has been able to give me a good reason to support him.

By the way, I don't think America needs to be made great again. I think America already is great. She's just a little winded from having been knocked around by some kind of ferocious internal virus for the last 30 years. Kind of like I feel today after having one for a month.

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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 437th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

The Hummingbirds

The Hummingbirds

This one was colored with Bic colored pens. It takes me 10 days to two weeks to do a picture because I have a little coloring station where I must stand up placed in my office. This forces me to my feet and gives my body a change of stance. I stop by on my way in and out and color for a few minutes. I do not do a whole picture at a time.

I find it very soothing, and calming. I have also learned if I am upset I shake a bit and must be careful wit the markers!

Sunday Stealing: How Are Ya

From Sunday Stealing

How Are Ya Today Meme

1. Okay, here we go. How are ya today? A. Still standing.

2. Have you ever been so happy you felt invincible? A. No.

3. Would you ever refer to something as ‘bitter sweet’? A. Yes.

4. Is there a person in this world you don’t think you could ever figure out? A. Yes.

5. When was the last time you were freaked out? A. I don't remember.

6. Do you learn from ‘every’ mistake you make? A. No.

7. Do you sometimes think that you’re too nice? A. Yes.

8. Is there something you’re dying to tell someone? A. No.

9. Do you think you have a unique name? A. No.

10. Do you usually try to find the good in people? A. Yes.

11. Do you look back on embarrassing moments and laugh about them? A. Sometimes.

12. Have you ever laughed just to save yourself from humiliation? A. I guess.

13. What are you doing in 2 hours? A. Hopefully eating dinner (it's Saturday at 4:50 p.m. as I answer this).

14. What is the last thing you ate? A. I drank a Boost.

15. Do you love your job? A. I did when I was able to work.

16. When is the last time you showered? A. About 12 p.m. this afternoon.

17. Who is the last person you texted? A. I don't text.

18. When is the last time you were in a hospital? A. June 28, 2013.

19. The last time you went out to eat, what did you order?
A. I had a vegetable plate at Cracker Barrel.

20. Do you tend to have a lot of those moments where you forget something that you wanted to say?
A. What is it you wanted to know?

21. How long have you known the last person you text messaged? A. Don't text, sorry.

22. Will this week be a good one? A. I hope so.

23. Anything happen to you within the past month that made you really happy? A. No.

24. Do you prefer to take showers at night or in the morning? A. I take them at all times of the day.

25.Have you been to New York City? A. Yes.

Saturday 9: Times of Your Life

Saturday 9: The Times of Your Life (1976)

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

1) This song is all about memories. How far back can you remember? What's your earliest memory?

A. I was three years old because I remember my brother as a baby, and he is three years younger than I.

2) The first line is "Good morning, yesterday." What do you remember about yesterday morning?

A. Yesterday morning, which would have been Thursday because I'm answering this on Friday, I had to get up and dressed early because I had a 7:45 a.m. doctor's appointment.

3) This song was originally a 60-second jingle, featured in a commercial for Kodak film. Do you ever use film? Or are all your pictures digital?

A. Now they are all digital. I used to use film.

4) Who took the most recent photo of you?

A. I have no idea.

5) This week's featured artist, Paul Anka, was born in Canada and enjoyed appearing in a made-for-TV Perry Mason movie with fellow Canadian, Raymond Burr. Do you enjoy courtroom dramas?

A. Not particularly.

6) At 15, Anka won a supermarket contest by collecting the most Campbell soup can wrappers. The prize was a trip to New York. Do you enter contests and sweepstakes? Play the lottery?

A. I play the lottery sometimes but not frequently. I like to get the scratch off tickets for Christmas.

7) This year Paul Anka performed throughout Florida (Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Clearwater and Fort Myers). The Sunshine State is a popular vacation destination. Do you have a favorite spot in Florida?

A. I have been to Disney, but otherwise I don't know much about Florida. I'm pretty happy here in Virginia.

8) In 1976, the year this song was on the charts, an earthquake hit China. Have you ever experienced an earthquake?

A. No. There was one in Virginia a few years ago that was felt all the way into New York and down to Georgia, and I was driving along the highway at the time and never noticed a thing.

9) Random question: Do you know CPR?

A. Sort of. My husband, who is an EMT, has shown me the basics but I would be hesitant to try it unless I was the only person around.

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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.

Putting Humpty Back Together Again

The Botetourt Board of Supervisors this week moved the historic structures at Greenfield from their original location to the little historic "park" they have been planning to build for the last 20 years. Articles and video of the move can be seen at these links:

http://wtvr.com/2016/02/25/this-is-living-history-says-group-fighting-to-keep-historic-slave-homes-in-place/

http://www.roanoke.com/news/local/botetourt_county/relocation-of-historic-slave-buildings-in-botetourt-county-completed/article_02979c67-174e-5c8e-bfad-78317f0d141e.html#.VtASBDlPKcg.facebook

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/second-greenfield-slave-home-moved-to-new-location/38195702

http://wsls.com/ap/relocation-of-2-historic-slave-buildings-completed/

http://wsls.com/2016/02/26/botetourt-historic-slave-kitchen-moved-county-board-responds-to-complaints/

Below are the last photos I took of the structures while they were still on the hill. In these pictures, the integrity of the structures was already compromised, and had been since about mid-December, at least from a historian's point of view. I am not a historian but I know that when you raise a building off its foundation, it's not the way it was before it was moved. That is when I stopped writing letters to the editor, asking the supervisors to slow down their plans, because I knew the cause was lost. You can read those two letters here, and here. I don't believe they were incendiary or otherwise inappropriate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My concern now is not these structures. They are moved, the deed is done, the county is moving forward with what it wants regardless of public outcry. I will support whatever happens next, just like I did when the county purchased Greenfield initially even though I objected to that 20 years ago.

 

If you want one supervisor's take on the issue, you can read his responses to some questions from a retired journalist at the blog, fromtheeditr. The supervisor in his comments is rather unhappy with those who attempted to keep these structures intact and in place, calling them "white radical historical preservationist [who] played the race card," and "arm chair white intelligentsia" and saying "Everybody loves a messy story, especially if someone screams unresponsive big government and racist. I confess to being a little surprised at the single-minded unrelenting opposition of a talented small minority." 

 

I'll let you make your own judgment about what that says about the supervisor, and you can read the rest of his comments for yourself at the link.

 

What I want now is for everyone to take a deep breath and play nice. There have been multiple letters to the editor about this issue, but I did not perceive any of them to be mean, more like a pleading for the supervisors to stop and think that there might be other ways to accomplish the same goals. I do not know what conversations have been held in private, between individuals. I've been sick the whole month of February, so I have no idea what rumors have been spread.

 

What I do know is that the supervisors moved forward and never actually had a dialogue with the public about this issue. Listening to someone speak for three minutes and then thanking them, without engaging in a conversation, is not dialogue. Whatever happened 20 years ago doesn't count, either. That was a generation ago.

 

In my letter to the editor early when the story broke back in October (I wasn't writing for any paper then, so felt free to do that), I suggested the supervisors slow down to give the public more time to digest this project. They did not. They held one open meeting in late October, and it did not go well.

 

I wish the supervisors had then set up a public information session to better explain themselves, but they did not, and their lack of communication has been perceived as pigheadedness. I know it frustrated me, as someone who had sat in their meetings for two years and knew that something wasn't right here. The secretiveness felt wrong.

 

They forgot that nothing has been done to Greenfield in 15 years except for recreational fields, the sports complex, and the Cherry Blossom trail. This 20-year-old bond referendum the supervisors have referenced on occasion means nothing to anybody younger than 45. Many people who have moved to Botetourt did not even know Greenfield was an industrial park. Of course this move to relocate historic structures surprised those folks. They considered it a county park, not an industrial ground.

 

I initially supported the "talented minority," but backed off in early February. I felt that some of their rhetoric seemed out of control and as a (former) news reporter I refused to be a part of that. I was asked to be involved initially but my involvement was peripheral (I created the initial Facebook page because no one else knew how). The leaders of the "talented minority" asked no more of me and I did not volunteer more. By early February, I was out of it entirely. I did not attend a single one of their meetings. I do not know if any of the supervisors think I was a part of that, but I was not.

 

I remain disappointed in the board's lack of communication with the public, and I feel the supervisor's response at the fromtheeditr blog were somewhat slippery. I think many people wanted a public dialogue, and the supervisors refused to do that. That allowed the opposition to make a lot of noise, so the supervisors hold some blame for this negative publicity for Botetourt. My opinion, of course. I suppose I am one of those "arm chair intelligentsia" people.

 

Some of the statements in the fromtheeditr blog are not exactly true - in 2006 I wrote an article for the local paper and the structures ended up on the national register of endangered places as a result. These structures were county-owned and county officials had promised to care for them, one way or the other, so why should the historical societies have thought otherwise, or stepped in? The county did not ask for their help, and had long ago indicated they would take the lead on restoration. In 2006 the county did take some steps to shore up the structures after they were placed on the endangered list. They did not ask for help from the historical societies then, either, that I am aware of.

 

In 2012  the supervisors at that time, which included three different men, informally promised that these structures would be left on the hill top. I was at the meetings when they discussed it. However, they never made a resolution to that point. Many preservationists, though, thought that their comments were an official decision. So that is why, when word got out in October that these buildings would be removed and the hill leveled, people were surprised. Three years ago they had been promised otherwise, in their mind.

 

Regarding the "race card," I wanted these structures preserved where they were because they were old. Anything pre-Civil War deserves to be studied and looked at before it is bulldozed or torn down or moved or whatever. These were on public property and there had been no hurry for 20 years. It made no difference to me if they were slave quarters or a settler's shack. I just knew they were old and relevant to historical studies. I didn't see why another six months mattered. That would have been time for a more thorough archeological look.

 

Personally, I do not know if slaves are buried near the manor house. They could have been buried a good 30-minute walk away on a 3,000 acre plantation (which it was in the late 1700s - early 1800s). Those graves may have been bulldozed over when the county built the sports complex for all we know. The historic park should have a little monument to "unknown people who may have been buried on these grounds" or something.

 

The hill itself has significance because it has terraced Jeffersonian gardens on it. There may be heirloom plants there. It should be studied before the dirt is carted off. I doubt it will be.

 

Regardless of how the supervisors feel about this, as leaders I do think it is their responsibility now to mitigate this issue and create a better sense of harmony here between the county and the preservationists.

 

If they were to ask me (which they won't), I would advise some kind of open information session. The supervisors wouldn't even have to be there - let the county administrator and the deputy county administrator take the heat. Show what this historic "park" could look like, show what the shell building will look like, show what they plan or hope to do with the other 550 acres. I think it would be worth the $10,000 it would take for a few architectural drawings to restore community trust and harmony.

 

To many, this project seems to have taken place and been decided in secret. Get rid of that perception and it will go a long way to putting Botetourt County back together again.

 

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things hanging on my walls . . . (besides cobwebs and stink bugs).



My diploma for my B.A. It took me 8 years to get it.
I was the first in my family to get a college degree.



Beautiful artwork given to me by my friend, Dreama Kattenbraker.
She's a local artist who does wonderful and interesting work.



I am not sure where this came from. Remember when they used to have
house parties and sell things? I think from some place like that. I bought it
because the colors matched my bedroom.



A P. Buckley Moss print called "James."



Another one of those house party prints, I think. It's an old tractor and barn.



Connie Marsh print of Fincastle scenes.



A cuckoo clock my mother gave me.



A photo I took some years ago.



Main, at Hollins University.



A country scene that we bought years ago as a "temporary" piece
to fill some space. My husband really likes it so it is now
permanent, apparently.



Dulcimers. These instruments hail from the Appalachian region,
which is where I live, and are kin to zithers, if you know
what those are.

A P. Buckley Moss print called "Anita."



My husband's most favorite of his collection of fire department stuff.

 

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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 436th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Wednesday Full of MisAdventures

I did not eat breakfast until 12:45 p.m. The day started out badly, but I am still hoping for a better ending (it's 1:35 p.m.).

My morning began around 3:15 a.m. when pain woke me. I rose and took my medication. I could not return to sleep because my mind was chewing up a number of topics - local issues, mostly, but I was also irked by a comment on Facebook.

A long-ago blogging friend who no longer blogs remains a friend, but only on Facebook. Yesterday, she wrote about how if Bernie Sanders didn't get the Democrat's nomination, she wasn't going to vote. I responded that not voting was the same as handing over the election to a Republican. (I am not a Republican. Regular readers know that by now.)

Some friend of hers responded back that I needed to put my big girl panties on and vote for Bernie to make sure people who wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton would vote in the election. This pissed me off, to be sure. So last night, I wrote her back and told her to put her glasses on and learn to read, because I never said who I was voting for, only that not voting was handing the election over to the Republicans.

This worried me in the night. I am not into controversy and generally do not argue with people on Facebook, or anywhere else if I can help it.

After worrying a bit, I got back up, and in the dark, I ran the left side of my face into the pole at the foot of the bed (I'm sure that thing has a name, the long poles at the foot of beds. I just don't know what it is.). I woke my husband up as I cursed. My eye started swelling so I had to get an ice pack.

I finally went back to sleep after my husband left for work, but then he called me at 7:20 to tell me there was water standing in the roads in the city, and he had been called out to meetings, and wouldn't be around.

So I got up. And the first thing I did, as I do every morning, was turn on my computer. The next thing I did was block this friend-of-a-friend who had made her snide remark to my very non-descript comment.

And I unfollowed my friend, who remains my friend but I won't see her stuff much in my Facebook feed. Said friend later sent me a private message telling me to ignore the person I blocked, and I thanked her for that. But I so far haven't gone back to her page to "follow" her again so that her stuff is on my page.

And then I looked at my Facebook newsfeed page. It felt negative. I don't want to begin my days like that anymore. I started "unliking" political stuff. I know who I am voting for. I know what I think of each candidate running. I don't need, nor want, to hear the latest buffoon's bumbling speech, or hear more about emails, or listen to someone try to explain Social Democracy. I know what I need to know.

As I pondered doing this, the phone rang. It was 8:30. I wasn't quite with it yet, but had a long chat with a new friend about local issues (Greenfield). Then another friend called, and we talked about her dog. Then the county treasurer's office called to tell me that they'd messed up our tax payments and we should ignore some statement that we haven't received yet and they were fixing whatever they had done wrong, but somehow we still owe them money because of something they did, and we'll get a bill for that later, but no penalty. I still hadn't had breakfast, and my tax paperwork is all at my accountant's office, so I tried very hard to concentrate and understand what they screwed up, but I never did really understand the problem, or why I still owe them money.

By this time it was about 11 a.m. The day was nearly gone, I tell you. I finally showered (I am not sure there is much point in getting dressed if you're still in your PJs past noon, but there you go), and then read the newspaper and ate my breakfast.

Life was much simpler when my only source of information was the two newspapers I subscribe to, TV news (from either CBS or NBC, the only two channels we could receive), and Reader's Digest. The information overload wasn't there. Now, you have 175 channels and people spewing their opinions as if they are all small gods whose voice actually matters.

Your voice doesn't actually matter. Neither does mine. Sorry, but we're all just nobodies. I realize some of you can't take that kind of truth, but there it is anyway. You can spout off and "like" stuff all you want, but it doesn't amount to a cow patty in my pasture field.

However, I am a news hound, so over the years I have sought out the news in its myriad forms, embracing the new and the old, trying to find ways to combine the two. As a journalist, I tried to give credence to other's opinions, to keep a balance, and to respect others. But I am not a journalist right now, I'm a person with a health problem who is trying to heal. I have reached the conclusion that a lot of people are idiots and unintelligent, and many people don't do their jobs, and they do not deserve my respect, much less my time.

We would be a lot better off if half of the information satellites in the sky would suddenly plummet to earth because a sun spot farted or something.

That probably sounds old and crotchety. We are in a new age, a time when information overload is the norm. But I know for certain these new inventions will be the downfall of everything, in the end. And no one centuries from now will know it, and they will repeat it in some form or another. That's because all of our history will be online and lost to the ages, so future generations, however far off, will only wonder about this long gap in civilization's history.

No, I'm not giving up Facebook. I'll still read some newspapers online. But I am pruning my friends list, and "unliking" things so that they no longer show up in my newsfeed. I don't need to see people cursing or sharing sexist crap, and if someone does, boom - they are gone.

I don't want to talk politics anymore. I am sick of it. So I will hide most of that. I am at a time in my life when I don't want, or need, the stress. If you show pictures of abused animals, you're gone. If you show pictures of abused kids, you're gone. I don't need to see that. I know bad exists in the world. I have experienced enough of it myself in various and sundry ways to have no doubt of that, and need no reminders.

My day so far has been bad, but deciding to rid myself of some of the trappings of the crap of the world might ultimately be the best thing I can do to salvage these last hours.

Crocodiles After Rats

The events happening at Greenfield today (the moving of historic structures to make way for a shell building) are no more than I expected, but I am extremely disappointed in the way the county Board of Supervisors handled this.

I have never seen such a lack of communication and what appears to be a disrepect for citizen concerns as I have during this total breakdown in communication. This has not been handled well from the beginning, and the supervisors should never have thought that a 20-year-old plan would be remembered by anybody younger than 45 years old.

In the last 15 years, the people of Botetourt have thought of Greenfield more as a recreational area than an industrial park, and the county has only itself to blame for that, what with its sports complex and trails, etc. For people to react to what in their mind is a dispoiling of greenspace they care for should not have been unexpected.

This situation could have been mitigated with a little cooperation from those who should have lead but instead chose to bully their way across public opinion. I know the supervisors believe they are doing the right thing, and I hope their efforts are fruitful, but I also know that many people believe that their shell building is a pipe dream, and this proposed $100 milllion/500 jobs will be nothing more than another Koyo, a corporation that takes state and county incentives and then runs.

The supervisors have done nothing to address concerns but instead have chosen to remain silent and move forward with what they want like crocodiles after rats in the swamp. I expected better than that. I hope it all turns out well, in the end, but the discord created will be a long time healing. I hope it will have been worth it.

 

 

Not the Wizard of Oz

Sunday Stealing: Puzzler

From Sunday Stealing

Puzzler Meme

1.What time is it? A. Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?

2. Quick. What’s the first green thing you see?  A. A drawing pad cover.

3. Do you like those Sudoku puzzles? A. No.

4. Do you own a plaid shirt? A. Yes.

5. What’s your favorite kind of pie? A. Chocolate.

6. Have you read a book today? A. I listened to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Does that count?

7. Do you like going to museums? A. Very much so.

8. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? Or your nation's capital? A. Yes to both, but I was young.

9. Have you ever been to the state of Washington? A. No.

10. Do you like apple juice? A. I don't make a habit of drinking it, but it's okay.

11. How cold is it outside? A. It's about 60 degrees, very warm for us right now.

12. Have you ever taken a course in Chemistry? A. No.

13. Do you like to draw? A. I am terrible at it. I have taken up coloring, though.

14. What do you put on your french fries? A. Catsup.

15. Do you like everything to match? A. I haven't given it much thought, but I suppose so.

16. Do you like mustard? A. Yes, but not every day.

17. Would you ever work at a movie theater? A. Yes, if I had to.

18. Do you have a phone charger in your car? A. Yes.

19. Have you ever slept through an alarm? A. Yes. Who hasn't?

20. Do you like pineapple on pizza? A. Never had it.

21. Do you like to hold hands? A. Yes.

22. Do you want a tattoo? A. Nope.

23. When is the last time you ordered from a catalog? A. Christmas.

24. Do you know anyone who has a collection of old records? A. I have one.

25. What’s the name of the gas station you last stopped at? A. Kroger.

26. What was the first song you heard today? A. I only remember hearing the sound track from Lord of the Rings.

27. Have you ever gotten a magazine subscription as a gift? A. Yes.

28. What was the last video you watched on YouTube? A. A Lord of the Rings video. But Friday night my husband and I were watching farming parody videos: https://youtu.be/eYHeUSrjpxE

29. Have you ever sacrificed something for someone you love? A. Yes, of course.

30. Have you ever had your picture in the newspaper? A. Yes, many times. My byline was in there even more - about 4,000 times or so.

__________

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: Sixteen Tons

Saturday 9: Sixteen Tons (1955)

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

1) 16 tons = 32,000 pounds, because there are 2,000 lbs. to a ton. Without looking it up, do you know how many ounces are in a pound?

A. 16. And no, I didn't look it up.

2) The singer describes himself as having "a mind that's weak and a back that's strong." Think about yourself. Which feels more powerful today, your body or your brain?

A. My brain.

3) The poor chap in this song has money troubles. Are you good at sticking to your budget?

A. Yes.

4) Tennessee Ernie Ford snapped his fingers as he recorded this song. It's been said that while it's possible to snap your fingers of both hands, the noise is louder with your "dominant hand." (So if you're a rightie, the finger snap will be louder with your right hand.) Try it yourself. Did you find this to be true?

A. No. The snap is louder with my left hand, and I am right-handed. Maybe it's from playing the guitar?

5) Mr. Ford appeared as "Cousin Ernie" in three episodes of I Love Lucy. What's your all-time favorite sitcom?

A. Andy Griffith

6) Tennessee Ernie took the money he made from his performing career and invested in a California cattle ranch. Think back to the last beef your ate. How was it prepared?

A. We had broiled steak a week or so ago.

7) Mr. Ford passed away at age 72 in 1991. That year, Dr. Seuss also died. What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book?

A. The Cat in the Hat.

8) Gene Roddenberry also died that year. Mr. Roddenberry is best known as the creator of Star Trek. Who is your favorite Star Trek character?

A. Captain Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager. If you mean the original series, then it would be Mr. Spock.

9) Random question: We're having smoothies. What's your favorite?

A. I dunno. Something with strawberries?


You load 16 tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St. Peter don't you call me, 'cause I can't go. I owe my soul to the company store.

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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.

Relearning My First Grade Skills

Thursday Thirteen #435

1. Vacation - alone.

2. Host a party with more than 20 people.

3. Fly to Europe.

4. Jump out of an airplane (with a parachute, of course).

5. Write a book.

6. Throw away all of my past writings.

7. Go for my Ph.D.

8. Say "no."

9. Say "yes."

10. Go out in the woods for a week without food, water, or company, and see if I could live off the land.

11. Make a movie.

12. Paint a picture.

13. Forget and move on.


These are all risks I'd like to take but am afraid to.

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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 435rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.