Today I did something in my supermarket parking lot that I've never done before.
I locked the car doors as soon as I could get myself into my seat.
My county is, by and large, a small community. The county as a whole has about 33,000 people. I don't know them all, of course, but there is seldom a time when I go to the local market and do not see someone I know.
After a while, especially if you go around the same time and day, you tend to see the same people over and over. You may not be friends, but there is a sense of security in the sameness.
That's why today, when I left the store and noticed people I did not recognize accosting folks in the parking lot, showing them a flyer and pointing, and watching as the people tried vainly to be polite and get away, and then noticed other people who did not seem to be long wandering around trying indiscreetly to check door handles on vehicles, I hurriedly unloaded my groceries in the trunk, praying that I would draw no attention to myself. I was parked in a handicapped spot and had my cane in my hand, but still. I was feeling terrible and not having a good day.
So as soon as I could, I fled to my car (which means I limped to the car), and I locked the doors.
In my little county. Where I know probably 10 percent of the 33,000 people who live here by virtue of my former work as a news reporter. And if I don't know you, I probably know your friend.
City folk are probably thinking, so what? I imagine they always lock their car doors. Maybe they always walk to their vehicle with their pepper spray at the ready. I don't know. I grew up in a rural area and I've never been overly concerned about my safety, even though I was attacked at Winn Dixie a very long time ago. The person who did that was not from these parts.
And neither, I suspect, were the people patrolling the supermarket parking lot today. They did not look they belonged here. Their dress was off. Their movements were wrong. They were prowling, and we don't prowl.
I started to call the sheriff's office, but wondered what I would report. Strange looking folks in the parking lot? We have a lot of strange-looking people wander through the area anyway as we're on the Appalachian Trail. But these people weren't hikers. I know what the hikers look like. These people were scammers or something.
Rumors of folks accosting others at local parking lots have been flying around for a while now. Sometimes someone asks for money for a cab. Sometimes they ask for a ride. Some time ago, I was asked if I wanted to buy "really good steaks, cheap" out of the back of a freezer truck. I politely declined and hurried away.
One asked my mother-in-law to help her, and my mother-in-law told her to go in and talk to the store management. That was smart thinking for a woman over 80.
Scams obviously work - someone sometimes gives these people money or rides or whatever it is they are after, or they wouldn't continue to haunt parking lots and other places where they shouldn't be.
Generally I am not afraid of much. I don't worry about who I see in parking lots. Today, maybe simply because I wasn't feeling well, I noticed more than I normally do. I felt the fear that I know is running rampant around the nation, the fear that is bringing out the worst in my fellow human beings.
All it brought out in me was a desire to lock my doors and go home.
Friday, September 02, 2016
Thursday, September 01, 2016
Thursday Thirteen
It's hurricane season here on the east coast. Are you ready for an emergency? Do you have an emergency kit ready? (I call it my apocolypse kit.)
Here are some things to consider:
1. Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
2. Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
3. Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
4. Flashlight and extra batteries
5. First aid kit (bandages, aspirin, Pepto-Bismal, hydrocortisone, Benedryl)
6. Whistle to signal for help
7. Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
8. Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
9. Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities/ hatchet or axe for getting wood to start a fire if necessary
10. Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
11. Local maps
12. Prescription medications
13. Eyeglasses, sunglasses
It never hurts to be prepared. What might you need to get through three days without electricity or assistance from others?
_____________
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 463rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Here are some things to consider:
1. Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
2. Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
3. Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
4. Flashlight and extra batteries
5. First aid kit (bandages, aspirin, Pepto-Bismal, hydrocortisone, Benedryl)
6. Whistle to signal for help
7. Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
8. Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
9. Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities/ hatchet or axe for getting wood to start a fire if necessary
10. Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
11. Local maps
12. Prescription medications
13. Eyeglasses, sunglasses
It never hurts to be prepared. What might you need to get through three days without electricity or assistance from others?
_____________
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 463rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Books: Island of the Blue Dolphins
Island of the Blue Dolphins
By Scott O'Dell
Copyright 1960, 1988
177 pages
Recently I decided to revisit childhood classics - those Newberry Medal winners that made such an impression on me when I was younger.
Island of the Blue Dolphins was my first choice. The title has always stuck with me, and the idea of a young girl, alone on an island, a cast away with no recourse but to survive via her wits, has always appealed to me.
If I were still in college, I would choose this book to write a paper on. I could easily write a treatise on societies for one of my social science courses, or a study of femininity and females for a feminism class, or a study of writing for a writing course, from this small yet noble classic.
The story is based upon a truth - sometime in 1853, white men found a lone woman on a island off of the California coast. She is known to history as the Lost Woman of San Nicolas. Her rescuers, such as they were, named her Juana Maria. Wikipedia at the link has an extensive entry about the real person. She died within 7 weeks of her "saving" from her lonely vigil on her island.
O'Dell's book also was made into a movie, which would add further fodder to a college paper. If I have seen the movie, I do not remember it.
The author named his heroine Karana. She was a young girl of 12 who lived with her tribe on a large island off the coast. The tribe was annoyed by a pack of wild dogs but otherwise lived in harmony with animal inhabitants that included fox, otters, pelicans, and other birds.
Man, it seemed, would be their undoing. The Aleuts, another tribe from the north, led by a white man (O'Dell calls him Russian, I think, which would make sense given the time he wrote the book), visits the island. They come for otter and agree to a trade, but the chief, who is also Karana's father, does not like the trade. Suddenly fighting breaks out and after all is said and done, the men of Karana's tribe are mostly dead, save the old and very young.
The elder tribesman who takes over as leader decides to take a canoe and go for help from the mainland. A year (or two) passes and finally another ship shows up to take the entire remnants of the tribe away from their ancestral home. As the ship leaves, a gale blows up, and Karana realizes her brother has been left behind. She jumps from the ship and swims ashore, thinking the boat will turn around.
But the white men move on, afraid of the dark seas and the strong winds.
Shortly thereafter, Karana's brother is killed by the wild dogs, and the young woman is left alone.
The real Juana Maria apparently was left on the island alone for nearly 20 years. The young woman in O'Dell's book is there a long time - countless summers pass and she is no longer a girl when finally a ship comes for her. But the reader is unsure how long she exists alone.
The scene that makes me shudder in indignation is near the end, when the men sew together trousers to more sufficiently cover the girl, who is brilliant in her skirt of feathers and a special necklace. Of course she must be covered. Of course.
It is difficult to write a book about a single character. Characters must interact with one another. Dialogue? Not happening unless a character talks to herself. O'Dell manages to bypass this burden with animals - a dog here, birds there, and the land itself, which Karana talks to almost like a lover. She makes discoveries and learns how to do things she had seen men do, daring to use tools that only men were supposed to use. She is the epitome of a human, surviving, thinking, and being. Forced to live in the day because she had long given up hope of rescue, her needs were few. In O'Dell's book, anyway, she is not unhappy.
In rereading this book, only one thing struck me as out of place. Why did the young woman tame an older wild dog and not take one of the pups when she had the chance? Surely a pup would have been easier to tame. While I found this part off the mark, the story still holds together as well today as it did when I first read it 45 years ago.
It is an interesting exercise, going back to worlds I once I knew but which are now murky in my memory. I am not sure what my next book will be, but I look forward to the visit.
By Scott O'Dell
Copyright 1960, 1988
177 pages
Recently I decided to revisit childhood classics - those Newberry Medal winners that made such an impression on me when I was younger.
Island of the Blue Dolphins was my first choice. The title has always stuck with me, and the idea of a young girl, alone on an island, a cast away with no recourse but to survive via her wits, has always appealed to me.
If I were still in college, I would choose this book to write a paper on. I could easily write a treatise on societies for one of my social science courses, or a study of femininity and females for a feminism class, or a study of writing for a writing course, from this small yet noble classic.
The story is based upon a truth - sometime in 1853, white men found a lone woman on a island off of the California coast. She is known to history as the Lost Woman of San Nicolas. Her rescuers, such as they were, named her Juana Maria. Wikipedia at the link has an extensive entry about the real person. She died within 7 weeks of her "saving" from her lonely vigil on her island.
O'Dell's book also was made into a movie, which would add further fodder to a college paper. If I have seen the movie, I do not remember it.
The author named his heroine Karana. She was a young girl of 12 who lived with her tribe on a large island off the coast. The tribe was annoyed by a pack of wild dogs but otherwise lived in harmony with animal inhabitants that included fox, otters, pelicans, and other birds.
Man, it seemed, would be their undoing. The Aleuts, another tribe from the north, led by a white man (O'Dell calls him Russian, I think, which would make sense given the time he wrote the book), visits the island. They come for otter and agree to a trade, but the chief, who is also Karana's father, does not like the trade. Suddenly fighting breaks out and after all is said and done, the men of Karana's tribe are mostly dead, save the old and very young.
The elder tribesman who takes over as leader decides to take a canoe and go for help from the mainland. A year (or two) passes and finally another ship shows up to take the entire remnants of the tribe away from their ancestral home. As the ship leaves, a gale blows up, and Karana realizes her brother has been left behind. She jumps from the ship and swims ashore, thinking the boat will turn around.
But the white men move on, afraid of the dark seas and the strong winds.
Shortly thereafter, Karana's brother is killed by the wild dogs, and the young woman is left alone.
The real Juana Maria apparently was left on the island alone for nearly 20 years. The young woman in O'Dell's book is there a long time - countless summers pass and she is no longer a girl when finally a ship comes for her. But the reader is unsure how long she exists alone.
The scene that makes me shudder in indignation is near the end, when the men sew together trousers to more sufficiently cover the girl, who is brilliant in her skirt of feathers and a special necklace. Of course she must be covered. Of course.
It is difficult to write a book about a single character. Characters must interact with one another. Dialogue? Not happening unless a character talks to herself. O'Dell manages to bypass this burden with animals - a dog here, birds there, and the land itself, which Karana talks to almost like a lover. She makes discoveries and learns how to do things she had seen men do, daring to use tools that only men were supposed to use. She is the epitome of a human, surviving, thinking, and being. Forced to live in the day because she had long given up hope of rescue, her needs were few. In O'Dell's book, anyway, she is not unhappy.
In rereading this book, only one thing struck me as out of place. Why did the young woman tame an older wild dog and not take one of the pups when she had the chance? Surely a pup would have been easier to tame. While I found this part off the mark, the story still holds together as well today as it did when I first read it 45 years ago.
It is an interesting exercise, going back to worlds I once I knew but which are now murky in my memory. I am not sure what my next book will be, but I look forward to the visit.
Monday, August 29, 2016
Twin Calves
We haven't had twin calves born on the farm in a long time - so imagine our surprise when a cow we knew was close to calving had twins last night!
They are so cute!
They are so cute!
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Sunday Stealing: Shannon's Moment's, Part Deux
Sunday Stealing: Shannon's Moments Meme, Part Two
23. Have you ever gone to the “dark side”?
A. My husband would probably say he has been the recipient of my dark side. But I've never killed anyone or been arrested, or tried to build a Death Star.
24. What shirt are you wearing right now?
A. I'm in my sleeping gown.
25. What’s important about a bed to you? Like type of sheets, size or whatever.
A. That it is comfortable and doesn't make my back hurt. I also like a bedspread instead of a comforter, and I like the room cold enough to need to be covered with a blanket and the bedspread.
26. Can you sing?
A. Yes. Not as well as I once could, but I can sing.
27. What is something about you that would surprise us?
A. I once put my fist through a door.
28. Have you been to a pirate, Renaissance Fair, or other costumed event? If not, would you for the right event or say cause?
A. I would love to go to a Renaissance Fair, but every time they have one within driving distance, I seem to be sick, or it rains.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower?
A. Anything that comes to mind.
30. Favorite girl's name?
A. Susan.
31. Favorite boy's name?
A. James.
32. What’s in your pocket or purse right now?
A. Nothing in my pocket. My purse has the usual: change, ink pens, my asthma inhaler.
33. Last thing that made you laugh?
A. I told my husband that I didn't pour the oil from the oil lamp down the drain into the septic tank because I was afraid if one of us farted, it would blow the house up.
34. Best toy as a child?
A. Books.
35. Worst injury you have ever had?
A. I will have to go for bad recoveries from surgeries, given that it has left me disabled.
36. Where would you love to live?
A. I am happy where I am. I have lovely mountains and it's quiet. Aside from having to cut the frickin grass, what's not to love?
37. What type of TV do you have? Would you’d like an upgrade?
A. We have a flat screen that is about 12 years old and yes, I would like a new one.
38. There is no Number 38.
39. How many dogs do you have?
A. None. I used to have one but she died after 17 years, and I never had the heart to get another.
40. Do most folks trust you?
A. I used to be a reporter. Some people told me everything. Some people told me nothing. I have kept - and keep - many secrets. While some reporters never kept things "off the record," I did, if asked and I couldn't see the harm in it. The public doesn't need to know everything about a person.
41. What book are you reading?
A. Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell. I am on a "revisit my childhood favorites" kick at the moment. I want to study the stories and see how they hold up.
42. What’s your favorite classic TV show?
A. Cagney & Lacey. Is that a classic now? Or do you mean further back, like Bewitched?
43. What’s your favorite sports team?
A. I don't follow sports, but I root for the University of Virginia when someone asks.
44. Favorite month and why?
A. June. It's my birthday, and my husband's birthday, and it's not usually too hot.
__________
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.
23. Have you ever gone to the “dark side”?
A. My husband would probably say he has been the recipient of my dark side. But I've never killed anyone or been arrested, or tried to build a Death Star.
24. What shirt are you wearing right now?
A. I'm in my sleeping gown.
25. What’s important about a bed to you? Like type of sheets, size or whatever.
A. That it is comfortable and doesn't make my back hurt. I also like a bedspread instead of a comforter, and I like the room cold enough to need to be covered with a blanket and the bedspread.
26. Can you sing?
A. Yes. Not as well as I once could, but I can sing.
27. What is something about you that would surprise us?
A. I once put my fist through a door.
28. Have you been to a pirate, Renaissance Fair, or other costumed event? If not, would you for the right event or say cause?
A. I would love to go to a Renaissance Fair, but every time they have one within driving distance, I seem to be sick, or it rains.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower?
A. Anything that comes to mind.
30. Favorite girl's name?
A. Susan.
31. Favorite boy's name?
A. James.
32. What’s in your pocket or purse right now?
A. Nothing in my pocket. My purse has the usual: change, ink pens, my asthma inhaler.
33. Last thing that made you laugh?
A. I told my husband that I didn't pour the oil from the oil lamp down the drain into the septic tank because I was afraid if one of us farted, it would blow the house up.
34. Best toy as a child?
A. Books.
35. Worst injury you have ever had?
A. I will have to go for bad recoveries from surgeries, given that it has left me disabled.
36. Where would you love to live?
A. I am happy where I am. I have lovely mountains and it's quiet. Aside from having to cut the frickin grass, what's not to love?
37. What type of TV do you have? Would you’d like an upgrade?
A. We have a flat screen that is about 12 years old and yes, I would like a new one.
38. There is no Number 38.
39. How many dogs do you have?
A. None. I used to have one but she died after 17 years, and I never had the heart to get another.
40. Do most folks trust you?
A. I used to be a reporter. Some people told me everything. Some people told me nothing. I have kept - and keep - many secrets. While some reporters never kept things "off the record," I did, if asked and I couldn't see the harm in it. The public doesn't need to know everything about a person.
41. What book are you reading?
A. Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell. I am on a "revisit my childhood favorites" kick at the moment. I want to study the stories and see how they hold up.
42. What’s your favorite classic TV show?
A. Cagney & Lacey. Is that a classic now? Or do you mean further back, like Bewitched?
43. What’s your favorite sports team?
A. I don't follow sports, but I root for the University of Virginia when someone asks.
44. Favorite month and why?
A. June. It's my birthday, and my husband's birthday, and it's not usually too hot.
__________
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 27, 2016
Saturday 9: Hello
Saturday 9: Hello (2015)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. (I bet I am one of the few people who is not enamored of Adele.)
1) This video begins with Adele and her flip phone. Is your cell phone a simple or a smart phone?
A. It's a stupid phone. It's a flip phone I talk on. It doesn't text or anything.
2) As soon as her cell is fully charged, Sam disconnects the adapter from the outlet to save electricity. Are you careful about conserving energy?
A. I try to be, but according to our light bill, I am unsuccessful at this endeavor.
3) Adele sings that she must have a called a thousand times but her former lover never picked up. Think about the last call you made. Did you get through? Did you leave a voice mail? Or did you just hang up?
A. The last call I made was to my electric company because my lights keep blinking. The customer service representative was not exactly rude, but she kept insisting she couldn't help me without my account number. I have called my electric company many times (including just two days prior for the same problem) and never needed my account number. She argued with me for quite a while, and after much pain I finally found my account number (I was in a different room and having a very bad and difficult day), and in the process of looking for said number, I tripped over a table and all of my colored pencils went flying when I caught myself (plus I hurt my arm). I asked to speak with her supervisor but she did not put me through but instead said she would "have her call you back." She also would not give me her name. So far I haven't had any supervisor call me back. So that was the last call I made prior to answering these questions and it really pissed me off. I would like to rip someone a new one. Do you think the supervisor will call me back? I rather doubt it.
4) Adele brews a cup of tea in the video. How often do you drink tea? Year round? Only in winter? Never?
A. I drink tea every day.
5) Adele told Glamour magazine she likes two sugars in her tea. Do you watch your sugar intake?
A. Looking at my waistline, I would say not.
6) This song is about reaching out to someone and extending an apology. When is the last time you said, "I'm sorry?"
A. I said it to my physical therapist on Thursday when I was not able to reach a certain level on a task we were trying to do. An unnecessary apology, to be sure. I don't recall the last time I did something to someone and they deserved an apology for it, but I say "I'm sorry" a lot. It's a bad habit. On the whole, I try to be a good person and not hurt other people. Electric company customer service representatives may be my new exception.
7) Adele was a heavy smoker who enjoyed the habit and didn't quit until 2015, after doctors convinced her it contributed to her chronic throat problems. What's something you know you should do for your health?
A. Diet.
8) Even though she is one of the world's highest-earning entertainers, she recently had her credit card rejected while shopping at H&M. She admits she was "mortified." Have you ever experienced that moment at the counter when your card was rejected?
A. I can't say that I have.
9) Random question: When you were a kid, did you keep a neat or messy bedroom?
A. I thought I kept a neat bedroom, though there were always lots of books. My parents might have thought otherwise, I don't know.
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.
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. (I bet I am one of the few people who is not enamored of Adele.)
1) This video begins with Adele and her flip phone. Is your cell phone a simple or a smart phone?
A. It's a stupid phone. It's a flip phone I talk on. It doesn't text or anything.
2) As soon as her cell is fully charged, Sam disconnects the adapter from the outlet to save electricity. Are you careful about conserving energy?
A. I try to be, but according to our light bill, I am unsuccessful at this endeavor.
3) Adele sings that she must have a called a thousand times but her former lover never picked up. Think about the last call you made. Did you get through? Did you leave a voice mail? Or did you just hang up?
A. The last call I made was to my electric company because my lights keep blinking. The customer service representative was not exactly rude, but she kept insisting she couldn't help me without my account number. I have called my electric company many times (including just two days prior for the same problem) and never needed my account number. She argued with me for quite a while, and after much pain I finally found my account number (I was in a different room and having a very bad and difficult day), and in the process of looking for said number, I tripped over a table and all of my colored pencils went flying when I caught myself (plus I hurt my arm). I asked to speak with her supervisor but she did not put me through but instead said she would "have her call you back." She also would not give me her name. So far I haven't had any supervisor call me back. So that was the last call I made prior to answering these questions and it really pissed me off. I would like to rip someone a new one. Do you think the supervisor will call me back? I rather doubt it.
4) Adele brews a cup of tea in the video. How often do you drink tea? Year round? Only in winter? Never?
A. I drink tea every day.
5) Adele told Glamour magazine she likes two sugars in her tea. Do you watch your sugar intake?
A. Looking at my waistline, I would say not.
6) This song is about reaching out to someone and extending an apology. When is the last time you said, "I'm sorry?"
A. I said it to my physical therapist on Thursday when I was not able to reach a certain level on a task we were trying to do. An unnecessary apology, to be sure. I don't recall the last time I did something to someone and they deserved an apology for it, but I say "I'm sorry" a lot. It's a bad habit. On the whole, I try to be a good person and not hurt other people. Electric company customer service representatives may be my new exception.
7) Adele was a heavy smoker who enjoyed the habit and didn't quit until 2015, after doctors convinced her it contributed to her chronic throat problems. What's something you know you should do for your health?
A. Diet.
8) Even though she is one of the world's highest-earning entertainers, she recently had her credit card rejected while shopping at H&M. She admits she was "mortified." Have you ever experienced that moment at the counter when your card was rejected?
A. I can't say that I have.
9) Random question: When you were a kid, did you keep a neat or messy bedroom?
A. I thought I kept a neat bedroom, though there were always lots of books. My parents might have thought otherwise, I don't know.
_____________
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 26, 2016
The Broken Man
About this time 32 years ago, I gave my husband a little plaster fireman that a friend painted for me. It sat on our shelf by the fireplace for 29 years.
This morning my husband came in and lay beside me on the bed. "I have a confession to make," he said.
"What's that," I asked, still half asleep.
"You know that little fireman you got me that Dee made a long time ago? I broke him."
I was quiet for a moment. "When did you break him?"
"Sometime ago when I was cleaning the shelves for you, when you were really sick."
He had hidden him on a high shelf behind the TV speaker, turning him sort of butt out so I wouldn't notice the little guy was broken. And were it not for the fact that I plan to clean those shelves thoroughly today, dear husband might have gotten away with it for quite some time.
After I rose from bed, I looked to see the damage. It's a pretty big hole, and I know nothing about plaster. I will ask an artist friend if he is fixable. I won't throw him away until I know, but he will be relegated to a closet shelf, poor guy.
This morning my husband came in and lay beside me on the bed. "I have a confession to make," he said.
"What's that," I asked, still half asleep.
"You know that little fireman you got me that Dee made a long time ago? I broke him."
I was quiet for a moment. "When did you break him?"
"Sometime ago when I was cleaning the shelves for you, when you were really sick."
He had hidden him on a high shelf behind the TV speaker, turning him sort of butt out so I wouldn't notice the little guy was broken. And were it not for the fact that I plan to clean those shelves thoroughly today, dear husband might have gotten away with it for quite some time.
 |
| My little guy, still whole (a 2013 photo). |
 |
| Now he has a concussion. |
 |
| Not to mention, a broken helmet. |
 |
| Here he is with a few tiny pieces (that were stuck inside of him and I didn't see them until I took the above photo). |
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Thursday 13
Yesterday was the anniversary of my mother's death. She died on August 24, 2000 of pancreatic cancer. She was 56 years old.
So here are 13 things about my mother.
1. She was a good cook, though I tend to remember her flops more so than her masterpiece creations mostly because they were humorous and stand out in my mind. There was the year of pumpkin pudding instead of pumpkin pie, for example, and duck that tasted like mud.
2. She could sew and frequently made my clothing until I hit high school and insisted on store-bought goods.
3. Her collections of items were many - bells, plates, figurines. She kept most of it behind glass in curios.
4. She worked for 30 years for the same company in Salem, VA, which was just a block away from her mother's house.
5. She was born in an apartment above a grocery store on Lowe Street in Salem. She was my grandparent's first born, and both of them were quite young (under 18, I think? Not unusual for that time period.).
6. We lived on a farm but I never thought she cared much for farm life. She grew up in Salem and while there was a rural quality about her childhood - her grandparents and parents had chickens and a big garden - I don't think she cared much for cows and putting up hay and the hard work that went along with it, especially since she also had a full time job while we were growing up.
7. She canned and put up produce from the garden. The pressure cooker she used always scared me because it was so noisy and it seemed like it was going to blow the roof off the house.
8. Her son (my brother) was her pride and joy.
9. She had a temper, but then, we all do. She liked flowers and the iris was her favorite. She liked her flower garden.
10. She served meals on blue china, which were the every day plates. They were quite lovely. I wish I had a picture of them.
11. Her decorator's eye was keen and she made a nice home for my father, simple yet elegant in style.
12. She loved to go to Myrtle Beach and enjoyed the beach more than the mountains when she was in her 40s. She said she felt better at the beach.
13. She had a good voice and could sing. And my grandfather called her "Liz" because he thought she looked like Elizabeth Taylor.
_____________
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 462nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
So here are 13 things about my mother.
 |
| My mother at my wedding. |
2. She could sew and frequently made my clothing until I hit high school and insisted on store-bought goods.
3. Her collections of items were many - bells, plates, figurines. She kept most of it behind glass in curios.
4. She worked for 30 years for the same company in Salem, VA, which was just a block away from her mother's house.
5. She was born in an apartment above a grocery store on Lowe Street in Salem. She was my grandparent's first born, and both of them were quite young (under 18, I think? Not unusual for that time period.).
6. We lived on a farm but I never thought she cared much for farm life. She grew up in Salem and while there was a rural quality about her childhood - her grandparents and parents had chickens and a big garden - I don't think she cared much for cows and putting up hay and the hard work that went along with it, especially since she also had a full time job while we were growing up.
7. She canned and put up produce from the garden. The pressure cooker she used always scared me because it was so noisy and it seemed like it was going to blow the roof off the house.
8. Her son (my brother) was her pride and joy.
9. She had a temper, but then, we all do. She liked flowers and the iris was her favorite. She liked her flower garden.
10. She served meals on blue china, which were the every day plates. They were quite lovely. I wish I had a picture of them.
11. Her decorator's eye was keen and she made a nice home for my father, simple yet elegant in style.
12. She loved to go to Myrtle Beach and enjoyed the beach more than the mountains when she was in her 40s. She said she felt better at the beach.
13. She had a good voice and could sing. And my grandfather called her "Liz" because he thought she looked like Elizabeth Taylor.
_____________
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 462nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Monday, August 22, 2016
Hand on the Page
Coloring has made a resurgence among adults, and this does not surprise me. We're so keyed into to our tech devices that the simplicity of a crayon and a page holds vast appeal.
Writing is now in the news, too, as in, hand writing. Today in my local paper there is an article about calligraphy. It's titled "An invitation to more beautiful writing" and indicates that calligraphy is one of those lost arts that's again becoming fashionable. "It is part of society's fascination with handmade things in a high-tech world," the story says.
Yet the New York times published this essay that claims that "Handwriting Just Doesn't Matter," a response to calls for educational institutions to reinstitute the teaching of cursive handwriting (as well as print).
I do not have beautiful handwriting. In recent years, my handwriting devolved so badly that I had to purchase a little netbook to take notes on at meetings because otherwise I couldn't read my own words. I print. I use cursive for my signature, but that is all. For everything else, I use block lettering.
My handwriting is small and cramped. No one could ever call it beautiful. However, the connection of brain to hand to pen to paper is one that is completely different from that of brain to fingers to keyboard. There's a slower flow, a different feel, and a desire to stop and think about what one says when the thoughts come with pen in hand instead of fingers on keyboard.
Fingers on keyboard is rather like mouth running without monitoring - you just type away and the words flow and autocorrect fixes your errors and you don't realize you've used the same word three times within a single paragraph because you're just typing away. Then you go back and edit (I hope) and discover that what flows out of your brain to your keyboard and onto your screen is not Shakespeare. Not even close.
That's not to say that what flows from the brain to the pen to the paper is master work. Far from it. I think, though, it is more thoughtful work, and therefore a bit more accurate, perhaps, particularly with regard to emotion. Because with pen on paper, one can see anger when the pen is forced down a bit harder, in the change of the looping of the letters, and in the way the words are written with more slant (or less).
On the screen, though, it all looks the same unless one takes the time to go back and add in bold or use ALL CAPS, neither of which is very satisfying. In fact, when I edit books, I remove those types of "invisible modifiers" from manuscripts and make suggestions that authors rewrite the sentence. If you have to bold something to indicate your character is angry, then the sentence or paragraph isn't conveying the emotion. The words have to carry the emotion, the sound, and the fury - and relying on geek inventions in a manuscript is weak. Certainly such illustrations have their place, but better writing should always be the goal.
Which brings me back to the use of pen and paper. I do not write poems on the computer. I write them on a yellow note pad, frequently with a pencil. There are slips of paper with half-finished bits of poetry scattered all about my office, shoved in files and stuffed in folders. None of them are worth anything, but all I need do is read a line and I know instantly from the words and my hand writing what I was trying to convey. If my handwriting was stiff or tight, I was writing about something that was rigid and controlling and having trouble conveying it. If my handwriting moved quickly on the page, my thoughts were flowing and I was probably one with the muse at that small point in time.
I could not make those assumptions about my own work from something written on the computer. My handwritten notes eventually are placed into a computer, but the result is different after that process.
Sometimes when I was writing articles, and couldn't figure out where to start, I did what I called a "notebook dump" and simply started typing up my handwritten notes. Eventually I'd hit the thing I needed to start the story, or the meat of the matter, and I could move on from there, ordering, rearranging, and creating an article that hopefully made sense to the masses.
For 30 years I generally used pen and paper to start with, even for news articles. The last time I went out on an assignment, I used pen and paper and left the netbook at home. It was the first assignment I'd been on in a year, and it did not take long to get back in the groove. However, my hand shook more, and my writing has worsened.
Lack of use? Maybe. I'm not sure one whose handwriting was insufferable to begin with could ever make beautiful penmanship.
However, regardless of the calligraphy, I can write beautiful words.
Writing is now in the news, too, as in, hand writing. Today in my local paper there is an article about calligraphy. It's titled "An invitation to more beautiful writing" and indicates that calligraphy is one of those lost arts that's again becoming fashionable. "It is part of society's fascination with handmade things in a high-tech world," the story says.
Yet the New York times published this essay that claims that "Handwriting Just Doesn't Matter," a response to calls for educational institutions to reinstitute the teaching of cursive handwriting (as well as print).
I do not have beautiful handwriting. In recent years, my handwriting devolved so badly that I had to purchase a little netbook to take notes on at meetings because otherwise I couldn't read my own words. I print. I use cursive for my signature, but that is all. For everything else, I use block lettering.
My handwriting is small and cramped. No one could ever call it beautiful. However, the connection of brain to hand to pen to paper is one that is completely different from that of brain to fingers to keyboard. There's a slower flow, a different feel, and a desire to stop and think about what one says when the thoughts come with pen in hand instead of fingers on keyboard.
Fingers on keyboard is rather like mouth running without monitoring - you just type away and the words flow and autocorrect fixes your errors and you don't realize you've used the same word three times within a single paragraph because you're just typing away. Then you go back and edit (I hope) and discover that what flows out of your brain to your keyboard and onto your screen is not Shakespeare. Not even close.
That's not to say that what flows from the brain to the pen to the paper is master work. Far from it. I think, though, it is more thoughtful work, and therefore a bit more accurate, perhaps, particularly with regard to emotion. Because with pen on paper, one can see anger when the pen is forced down a bit harder, in the change of the looping of the letters, and in the way the words are written with more slant (or less).
On the screen, though, it all looks the same unless one takes the time to go back and add in bold or use ALL CAPS, neither of which is very satisfying. In fact, when I edit books, I remove those types of "invisible modifiers" from manuscripts and make suggestions that authors rewrite the sentence. If you have to bold something to indicate your character is angry, then the sentence or paragraph isn't conveying the emotion. The words have to carry the emotion, the sound, and the fury - and relying on geek inventions in a manuscript is weak. Certainly such illustrations have their place, but better writing should always be the goal.
Which brings me back to the use of pen and paper. I do not write poems on the computer. I write them on a yellow note pad, frequently with a pencil. There are slips of paper with half-finished bits of poetry scattered all about my office, shoved in files and stuffed in folders. None of them are worth anything, but all I need do is read a line and I know instantly from the words and my hand writing what I was trying to convey. If my handwriting was stiff or tight, I was writing about something that was rigid and controlling and having trouble conveying it. If my handwriting moved quickly on the page, my thoughts were flowing and I was probably one with the muse at that small point in time.
I could not make those assumptions about my own work from something written on the computer. My handwritten notes eventually are placed into a computer, but the result is different after that process.
Sometimes when I was writing articles, and couldn't figure out where to start, I did what I called a "notebook dump" and simply started typing up my handwritten notes. Eventually I'd hit the thing I needed to start the story, or the meat of the matter, and I could move on from there, ordering, rearranging, and creating an article that hopefully made sense to the masses.
For 30 years I generally used pen and paper to start with, even for news articles. The last time I went out on an assignment, I used pen and paper and left the netbook at home. It was the first assignment I'd been on in a year, and it did not take long to get back in the groove. However, my hand shook more, and my writing has worsened.
Lack of use? Maybe. I'm not sure one whose handwriting was insufferable to begin with could ever make beautiful penmanship.
However, regardless of the calligraphy, I can write beautiful words.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Sunday Stealing: Moments Meme, I
Sunday Stealing: Shannon's Moments Meme, Part One
1. Do you like blue cheese?
A. I will eat it, but I do not generally ask for it on my salads (or anything else, for that matter).
2. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? If yes, how did you quit?
A. I tried them in high school and nearly choked to death, so I never started and quitting was not an issue.
3. Do you own a gun? What are your feelings about gun control/2nd amendment rights?
A. Yes, I own a gun. I am a good shot with a .22, which is as high a caliber gun I will shoot and generally all anyone needs unless you're hunting big game. You can knock out a burglar with a .22 by shooting him in the knee or stomach or head or wherever (or you can turn the rifle around and hit him with the gun butt if you so desire). I think that gun regulations are required and a responsibility of the government. I do not believe "a well-armed militia" means you and me at this point in time. We are not Minute Men awaiting the invasion of the British. I think guns should be at least as well-regulated as automobiles, requiring tests, licensing, and insurance. Guns are already regulated to some degree, anyway - it's just a step further. You can't own a tank, or a true automatic weapon. Everyone agrees that a gun should not be in the hands of someone adjudicated mentally ill. So regulations are already in place, and unless you are one of the few unthinking nutcases who believe you and every mentally ill person in the land should be able to own a bazooka or a rocket launcher, then you believe in gun control, too. Some people just can't admit that they do, or maybe they haven't thought it through.
4. What is your favorite flavor of water or liquor flavors?
A. I don't flavor my water nor do I drink liquor.
5. Do you get nervous before a doctor visit? Why?
A. I do not get nervous with my primary care doctor, but I do with strange doctors. This is mostly because they have damaged me beyond repair and I have no trust of the medical system. Male doctors, in particular, are very demeaning and want to treat me like I have no idea what is going on in my own body.
6. How do you like your hot dogs?
A. I don't eat them much anymore because of ulcers, but I like them with catsup and relish, and no chili. Occasionally I will eat a little mustard on them.
7. Although it’s been asked a lot, tell us about a favorite movie that you haven’t shared before.
A. I think the movie Chocolat (2000) was very well done. The acting in it was perfect, and the storyline right on the mark. I have only seen it twice, but I still remember scenes from it - the one with the mayor indulging himself in chocolate in the window sticks with me in particular - and the way the woman wandered, looking to find herself and a place for her child. But mostly I remember how the introduction of one variable changed an entire town.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
A. I drink decaffeinated tea. On Sunday I drink decaffeinated Irish breakfast tea, which is my favorite. I do not care for coffee.
9. In a dating situation, have you ever misrepresented yourself to seem cooler or hipper? (Yes we know for most of you it was long ago…)
A. I am sure I did lo those many years ago, but after 33 years of marriage, what does it matter now?
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Why?
A. My wedding anniversary band that my husband gave me for our 15th wedding anniversary. I wear it instead of my engagement ring and wedding band now because my wedding band has grown quite thin and I'm afraid it will break and I will lose it.
11. Favorite hobby? Tell us about it so we understand it.
A. I like to play the guitar. I mean, really play the thing. Jam the bejeesus out of it until it rattles, shakes and roars, and I'm lost in a song, with my heart stuck there and my brains thinking of nothing but the music, my fingers dancing on the fret board like tomorrow will never come again, and my vocal cords throbbing and my voice sounding as husky as Melissa Etheridge's because I'm reaching for those tones that I can barely sing anyhow because of my asthma. Lost in the song, not just the listening to it but the making of it, the strings digging into the ends of my left-hand fingers because I don't play often enough any more, and my mind going back, way back, to remember the notes and chords from some song I'd forgotten I even knew, my right hand finger-stylin' and strummin' and doing whatever the song needs to make it mine, ripping out the chords like I've grabbed Dracula by the throat and drained his blood.
Does that make you understand?
12. Do you have A.D.D., or have you suspected it?
A. I have a bit of OCD and wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a little underlying ADD in there, too.
13. What’s a thing you dislike or would change about yourself?
A. I'm fat. Not "I should be in a TV show fat," but definitely overweight. I don't like it and I'm not even sure how it happened, but there it is. The weight came in the early 1990s, when the doctors had me trying various fertility drugs which messed with my hormones as well as my mind, and after my hysterectomy, when my hormones were askew and the migraines laid me low for days at a time, the weight just continued to creep on. I remember one day I looked at my doctor and asked her how we'd let this happen - why hadn't she said anything (not a doctor I see now) - and she had no answer. Being fat makes you invisible and turns you into a clown all at the same time. It's okay (according to societal mores) to weight-shame, and I'm very conscious when I'm buying groceries or eating in a restaurant that I am being judged by whatever I've put in the cart or into my mouth. I have not quite come to grips with the notion that this is genetic (many members of my family have weight issues) and that in all likelihood my medications and hormonal imbalances have played a big role, because society still sees obesity as a weakness of will. I don't think it is that - I think it is, instead, genetic and natural, as well as a reaction to what goes on around us. It is also the result of the crap we eat that isn't really food, along with health issues however they relate to various individuals. But even so, it's there, and I haven't figured out yet how to fix it.
14. Middle name? Like it or not?
A. My middle name is French and I like it just fine. It's also one of those things I don't give out on the Internet.
15. Name three random thoughts you might have on this week:
A. Why is my nephew out riding around on the tractor in the hay field when we aren't cutting hay? Why can't I stop biting my nails? Is the guy who wrote the letter to the editor this morning advocating a monarchy for the United States "like the one in England" really so stupid that he doesn't realize they elect a prime minister there and Queen Elizabeth is simply a figurehead, and not a policy maker?
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Tell us a bit about them.
A. I drink water, which is wet but ours has a nice taste because it comes from a well and we don't use a water softener (there's a tiny touch of iron in it); I drink A&W root beer, because it has no caffeine and because it is fizzy and I like the taste of it; and I drink tea, which is generally not sweetened though occasionally I will have a spoon of sugar in it.
17. Current worry:
A. Ridding the house of clutter and finding the energy and strength to do it when I'm not well.
18. Current annoyance:
A. You know, the thing that is annoying me most at the moment is a place on my 2014 Toyota Camry that needs a touch of paint. I hit a deer last winter and we didn't think it did any damage to the car, but after several months passed, this small dent in the bottom part of car door showed up, and there is a crack in the paint there now. I bought a paint pen in the vehicle color and my husband took it from me and promised to fix it, and then he lost the damned pen and the cracked unpainted place is still there. It's in the driver's side door and I see it every time I open the car door to get in. I think I shall have to go buy another paint pen and fix it myself this time.
19. Favorite place to be in the summer? Give us a wee bit more than “the beach”.
A. Honestly, I just like to be home. I'm not a fan of heat, and I love my mountains, and I have what I need and want here. Give me a book and a good chair and some light to read by, and I'm perfectly content.
20. How do you usually ring in the new year? If forced (how we’d do that without Judd coming to your house, if you even know who he was) to do something new, what would it be?
A. Usually we go to bed, but on occasion have gone to hear the bells ring. In my nearby town there is a tradition that goes back almost 200 years of ringing the bells of the churches and the courthouse at midnight. Revelers gather throughout the town for the celebration. The bells begin to toll at 11:45 p.m. At midnight, the Courthouse bell rings, and afterwards, at twelve second intervals, the church bells ring in a clockwise order about the town: Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist and Episcopal. This continues until the bell at the Courthouse strikes twelve. Somebody plays Taps to say goodbye to the old year, and then the bell-ringers in the Courthouse strike the digits of the New Year, for example two-one-six (2016). Then three shotgun blasts indicate that it is time for the bells to ring all together to welcome the New Year.
If I were to be forced to do something new by somebody named Judd (I don't know who that is), I suppose I would go sit on a mountaintop somewhere and watch the new year unfold. I prefer not to be in a crowd.
21. What have you done this summer that’s special? Pictures please.
A. I haven't done anything special this summer. But here's a picture I colored in my Lord of the Rings coloring book:
And here's a link to a recent visit to a local museum to see canning labels, if you're interested in that sort of thing. The labels are all local - in the early 1900s, this area was the tomato capital of the nation, with hundreds of little canneries, each bearing their own label. There are pictures.
22. Have you ever walked into a room with just shoes on?
A. Every morning. I cannot stand to go barefoot, so as soon as my feet are dry from my shower, I slip them into a pair of moccasins and walk around in them until I am finally dressed.
__________
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.
1. Do you like blue cheese?
A. I will eat it, but I do not generally ask for it on my salads (or anything else, for that matter).
2. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? If yes, how did you quit?
A. I tried them in high school and nearly choked to death, so I never started and quitting was not an issue.
3. Do you own a gun? What are your feelings about gun control/2nd amendment rights?
A. Yes, I own a gun. I am a good shot with a .22, which is as high a caliber gun I will shoot and generally all anyone needs unless you're hunting big game. You can knock out a burglar with a .22 by shooting him in the knee or stomach or head or wherever (or you can turn the rifle around and hit him with the gun butt if you so desire). I think that gun regulations are required and a responsibility of the government. I do not believe "a well-armed militia" means you and me at this point in time. We are not Minute Men awaiting the invasion of the British. I think guns should be at least as well-regulated as automobiles, requiring tests, licensing, and insurance. Guns are already regulated to some degree, anyway - it's just a step further. You can't own a tank, or a true automatic weapon. Everyone agrees that a gun should not be in the hands of someone adjudicated mentally ill. So regulations are already in place, and unless you are one of the few unthinking nutcases who believe you and every mentally ill person in the land should be able to own a bazooka or a rocket launcher, then you believe in gun control, too. Some people just can't admit that they do, or maybe they haven't thought it through.
4. What is your favorite flavor of water or liquor flavors?
A. I don't flavor my water nor do I drink liquor.
5. Do you get nervous before a doctor visit? Why?
A. I do not get nervous with my primary care doctor, but I do with strange doctors. This is mostly because they have damaged me beyond repair and I have no trust of the medical system. Male doctors, in particular, are very demeaning and want to treat me like I have no idea what is going on in my own body.
6. How do you like your hot dogs?
A. I don't eat them much anymore because of ulcers, but I like them with catsup and relish, and no chili. Occasionally I will eat a little mustard on them.
7. Although it’s been asked a lot, tell us about a favorite movie that you haven’t shared before.
A. I think the movie Chocolat (2000) was very well done. The acting in it was perfect, and the storyline right on the mark. I have only seen it twice, but I still remember scenes from it - the one with the mayor indulging himself in chocolate in the window sticks with me in particular - and the way the woman wandered, looking to find herself and a place for her child. But mostly I remember how the introduction of one variable changed an entire town.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
A. I drink decaffeinated tea. On Sunday I drink decaffeinated Irish breakfast tea, which is my favorite. I do not care for coffee.
9. In a dating situation, have you ever misrepresented yourself to seem cooler or hipper? (Yes we know for most of you it was long ago…)
A. I am sure I did lo those many years ago, but after 33 years of marriage, what does it matter now?
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Why?
A. My wedding anniversary band that my husband gave me for our 15th wedding anniversary. I wear it instead of my engagement ring and wedding band now because my wedding band has grown quite thin and I'm afraid it will break and I will lose it.
11. Favorite hobby? Tell us about it so we understand it.
A. I like to play the guitar. I mean, really play the thing. Jam the bejeesus out of it until it rattles, shakes and roars, and I'm lost in a song, with my heart stuck there and my brains thinking of nothing but the music, my fingers dancing on the fret board like tomorrow will never come again, and my vocal cords throbbing and my voice sounding as husky as Melissa Etheridge's because I'm reaching for those tones that I can barely sing anyhow because of my asthma. Lost in the song, not just the listening to it but the making of it, the strings digging into the ends of my left-hand fingers because I don't play often enough any more, and my mind going back, way back, to remember the notes and chords from some song I'd forgotten I even knew, my right hand finger-stylin' and strummin' and doing whatever the song needs to make it mine, ripping out the chords like I've grabbed Dracula by the throat and drained his blood.
Does that make you understand?
12. Do you have A.D.D., or have you suspected it?
A. I have a bit of OCD and wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a little underlying ADD in there, too.
13. What’s a thing you dislike or would change about yourself?
A. I'm fat. Not "I should be in a TV show fat," but definitely overweight. I don't like it and I'm not even sure how it happened, but there it is. The weight came in the early 1990s, when the doctors had me trying various fertility drugs which messed with my hormones as well as my mind, and after my hysterectomy, when my hormones were askew and the migraines laid me low for days at a time, the weight just continued to creep on. I remember one day I looked at my doctor and asked her how we'd let this happen - why hadn't she said anything (not a doctor I see now) - and she had no answer. Being fat makes you invisible and turns you into a clown all at the same time. It's okay (according to societal mores) to weight-shame, and I'm very conscious when I'm buying groceries or eating in a restaurant that I am being judged by whatever I've put in the cart or into my mouth. I have not quite come to grips with the notion that this is genetic (many members of my family have weight issues) and that in all likelihood my medications and hormonal imbalances have played a big role, because society still sees obesity as a weakness of will. I don't think it is that - I think it is, instead, genetic and natural, as well as a reaction to what goes on around us. It is also the result of the crap we eat that isn't really food, along with health issues however they relate to various individuals. But even so, it's there, and I haven't figured out yet how to fix it.
14. Middle name? Like it or not?
A. My middle name is French and I like it just fine. It's also one of those things I don't give out on the Internet.
15. Name three random thoughts you might have on this week:
A. Why is my nephew out riding around on the tractor in the hay field when we aren't cutting hay? Why can't I stop biting my nails? Is the guy who wrote the letter to the editor this morning advocating a monarchy for the United States "like the one in England" really so stupid that he doesn't realize they elect a prime minister there and Queen Elizabeth is simply a figurehead, and not a policy maker?
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Tell us a bit about them.
A. I drink water, which is wet but ours has a nice taste because it comes from a well and we don't use a water softener (there's a tiny touch of iron in it); I drink A&W root beer, because it has no caffeine and because it is fizzy and I like the taste of it; and I drink tea, which is generally not sweetened though occasionally I will have a spoon of sugar in it.
17. Current worry:
A. Ridding the house of clutter and finding the energy and strength to do it when I'm not well.
18. Current annoyance:
A. You know, the thing that is annoying me most at the moment is a place on my 2014 Toyota Camry that needs a touch of paint. I hit a deer last winter and we didn't think it did any damage to the car, but after several months passed, this small dent in the bottom part of car door showed up, and there is a crack in the paint there now. I bought a paint pen in the vehicle color and my husband took it from me and promised to fix it, and then he lost the damned pen and the cracked unpainted place is still there. It's in the driver's side door and I see it every time I open the car door to get in. I think I shall have to go buy another paint pen and fix it myself this time.
19. Favorite place to be in the summer? Give us a wee bit more than “the beach”.
A. Honestly, I just like to be home. I'm not a fan of heat, and I love my mountains, and I have what I need and want here. Give me a book and a good chair and some light to read by, and I'm perfectly content.
20. How do you usually ring in the new year? If forced (how we’d do that without Judd coming to your house, if you even know who he was) to do something new, what would it be?
A. Usually we go to bed, but on occasion have gone to hear the bells ring. In my nearby town there is a tradition that goes back almost 200 years of ringing the bells of the churches and the courthouse at midnight. Revelers gather throughout the town for the celebration. The bells begin to toll at 11:45 p.m. At midnight, the Courthouse bell rings, and afterwards, at twelve second intervals, the church bells ring in a clockwise order about the town: Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist and Episcopal. This continues until the bell at the Courthouse strikes twelve. Somebody plays Taps to say goodbye to the old year, and then the bell-ringers in the Courthouse strike the digits of the New Year, for example two-one-six (2016). Then three shotgun blasts indicate that it is time for the bells to ring all together to welcome the New Year.
If I were to be forced to do something new by somebody named Judd (I don't know who that is), I suppose I would go sit on a mountaintop somewhere and watch the new year unfold. I prefer not to be in a crowd.
21. What have you done this summer that’s special? Pictures please.
A. I haven't done anything special this summer. But here's a picture I colored in my Lord of the Rings coloring book:
And here's a link to a recent visit to a local museum to see canning labels, if you're interested in that sort of thing. The labels are all local - in the early 1900s, this area was the tomato capital of the nation, with hundreds of little canneries, each bearing their own label. There are pictures.
22. Have you ever walked into a room with just shoes on?
A. Every morning. I cannot stand to go barefoot, so as soon as my feet are dry from my shower, I slip them into a pair of moccasins and walk around in them until I am finally dressed.
__________
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)