So here it is February 24, and we have daffodils blooming and weeping willows greening because the weather has been too warm for this time of year.
These violets are from last year, and came up all by themselves in my flower bed.
Friday, February 24, 2017
February Volunteer Violets
So here it is February 24, and we have daffodils blooming and weeping willows greening because the weather has been too warm for this time of year.
These violets are from last year, and came up all by themselves in my flower bed.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Thursday Thirteen
1. My camera.
2. A Kindle paperwhite, a Kindle Fire, and a Kindle Fire HD.
3. A personal CD player.
4. A light therapy light.
5. Burt's Bees Natural Throat Drops.
6. An audio book on CD: Sex, Lies & Serious Money, by Stuart Woods.
7. An empty bowl.
8. A glass of water.
9. Nail clippers.
10. An unopened "surge protector" set.
11. A heating pad.
12. A ruler.
13. A calendar.
*Stuff on my desk this morning.*
____________
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 488th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
2. A Kindle paperwhite, a Kindle Fire, and a Kindle Fire HD.
3. A personal CD player.
4. A light therapy light.
5. Burt's Bees Natural Throat Drops.
6. An audio book on CD: Sex, Lies & Serious Money, by Stuart Woods.
7. An empty bowl.
8. A glass of water.
9. Nail clippers.
10. An unopened "surge protector" set.
11. A heating pad.
12. A ruler.
13. A calendar.
*Stuff on my desk this morning.*
____________
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 488th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Cardboard Bob
Virginia's 6th District Congressman, Bob Goodlatte, choose not to show up at a town hall meeting today in Vinton.
The folks talked to his cardboard likeness instead.
I believe in education, environmental protections, and taking care of people.
I do not support Bob. Bob, by his actions, has proven to me that he does not believe in any of those things.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Burning Bridges Beyond Repair
I am not an enemy of the people. Nor are any of the local news media folks I know "enemies of the people" - and I know many of them.
They are all good people - beautiful people - who do their jobs with determination and grit, and who would never dream of making up a news story, or of using their position to go after someone just because.
People who are in the media are your neighbors. We send our children to your schools, we walk our dogs, we spend our money in your community.
No, the people who write the local news are not CNN or FOX or MSNBC. But the jobs they do are similar. Just not so, well, big league.
The recent tweet from #45 cut me to the core. I am not longer a working news reporter, but I took my job seriously. I lived and breathed it 24/7 for decades. I wrote enough words to have created numerous books, but instead I chose to write small articles, deciphering information so that you, my neighbor, would have some inkling as to what was happening in the immediate world around you.
I was a government reporter and at various times I have covered meetings in multiple counties. I've written for more than a dozen publications, including The Fincastle Herald, The Roanoke Times, The New Castle Record, The Roanoke Star, The Roanoker magazine, The Vinton Messenger, The Salem Times Register, and several that are no longer in existence. So take nothing I say here as an implication of my resident county alone, because I have covered meetings in eight different counties over the years, as well as numerous towns. Regardless of location, the routines are the same. The elected folks gather in a place in a meeting open to the public to do the public's business. The public seldom shows up.
I was there. I was your watchdog, ensuring that your representative was really representing you.
While you were at your 9-5 job and then settling down with your children and/or spouse, sometimes I was working on hour 14 of my job that day. Breaking news doesn't wait. Meetings that are supposed to run for two hours sometimes go on for seven. I didn't get to close up my notebook and go home simply because the clock said I was heading into overtime.
While you were fixing dinner, I was making sure local government officials followed the rules (they don't always) and obtaining the facts offered at a planning commission meeting, a board of zoning appeals meeting, or a supervisors meeting. Afterwards, I dissected them as honestly and truthfully as I could so that you, the reader, could see what your government was doing.
Because I was there, officials could not go into a closed session to discuss things behind closed doors. I would call them on it if they tried. I knew the Virginia Freedom of Information (FOIA) front to back and didn't hesitate to cite it if I had concerns. My presence alone was enough to keep them in line, usually. They knew I would write "the council then went into closed session, refusing to cite a legal reason under the Virginia FOIA" if they tried to do that. I did write that more than once, and on occasion that was enough to upset a few residents and create a stir. They didn't do it again.
That's what the media does. We keep you, the people, informed. We sit for hours at boring meetings, taking notes and listening to mutterings of elected officials so we can quote them correctly.
I spent long nights watching the electoral board count votes during elections. I watched school boards make decisions that affected your children. I drove home at midnight after long public hearings on battleground issues such as budget figures and tax hikes. I woke up at 3 a.m. to finish an article due by 7 a.m.
I sat with your representatives and talked to them about current issues. Then I wrote about it. I never wrote with an agenda, though I have been accused of that a time or two. I just wrote what happened at meetings or what an official said. I have been told that most people liked my work because they considered it to be fair and balanced. Republicans thought I was a Republican and Democrats thought I was a Democrat. I used to laugh at that, and for the longest time I never told anyone my political leanings. If you read this blog regularly, you know now I lean left - and being a journalist is one reason why. I have been in the homes of many of our poorer residents, seen how they live, and watched the "free market" system screw people over without a second thought. It's not a very fair, or even Christian, economic system.
Supervisors frequently found me problematic, because I quoted them. On more than one occasion, I had to produce a tape of the meeting to an editor (I used to tape them all), to prove I'd quoted someone correctly. Most frequently the complaint was "I might have said that, but that is not what I meant."
Mind reading is not part of a news reporter's job. If #45 or one of his representatives are speaking about something but mean something else, there is no way to know that they have misspoken. Unfortunately, in the visual medium, the news is immediate, taped, and hard to fact-check during live appearances. That makes the fact-checking look like the speaker is being picked on - but the media has a duty to go back and correct errors. If there was not a massacre in Sweden or Bowling Green, then the media has a responsibility to make note of that.
If a supervisor said he was going to do away with this or that, and I reported that, but he really meant something else - who's at fault? Usually I was on a deadline, with the story due two hours from the time the meeting ended, if I was lucky. I had little time to call someone who seldom answered my calls anyway.
But I did double-check frequently, and as a result I am pleased to report that during my career there were very few corrections on my stories. Occasionally I would mistype a number, and I am terrible at computing percentages, so sometimes, yes, I messed up. One of the most aggravating corrections I ever had to make came about because an editor thought he knew more than I did and rearranged my article to the extent that he completely changed the facts. I stopped writing for the publication after that story ran.
Once I wrote an article about local volunteer fire departments that did not go over well with the volunteers. Volunteer fire departments can be cliquish, and many members attacked me. Hard. They sent letters that the editor would not even let me read, they were so hateful. The story came out of a town hall meeting held by an elected official. Several members of a local volunteer department showed up to report that calls were not being run efficiently, that volunteering was down, that, frankly, the community was suffering and people were dying because the locality needed paid firefighters and emergency service workers. I checked with the county dispatch and did follow-up on rescue calls and sure enough, the locality constantly was having to ask for assistance from neighboring communities or from volunteer departments on the far end of the county. I did the legwork; the story was right. But a certain segment of the community demonized me for writing it. The irony of it all was that my husband used to be a volunteer firefighter, and is a paid firefighter. I knew what was going on probably better than most reporters, and I was sure of my facts. What I had miscalculated was the ego of the volunteers involved.
News reporters spend hours at dull meetings, often coming home after midnight to type out or record a story, just so you, the reader or listener, can know what is going on. So you will know that your next-door neighbor was killed in a car wreck, that your landlord's house burned down, that your government just decided to give millions of tax dollars to a private corporation for a few jobs that won't pay more than $40,000 a year.
That is not being your enemy. That is doing a job so you can stay informed. It is offering you information so you can act upon it, if you choose.
One of the things I learned over time was that no two people read a story the same way. People frequently do not read the bylines of articles. Many times I was stopped and someone said, "Did you know thus and so happened, I read it in this publication." I would smile and say, "Yes, I wrote the story. I believe you must have missed a paragraph during your review, because the article actually said . . ."
So even though I gave it my 100 percent, the readers (and viewers) didn't - and don't - give it their 100 percent. They skim, they read only headlines, they take away from a story only the things that confirm their world view. Reporters can't be responsible for how a reader comprehends a factual, well-written article or news report.
Unfortunately, issues between the press and politicians are long-standing. *In 1800, a newspaper wrote this of Thomas Jefferson: If he were elected, "murder, robbery, rape, adultery and incest will be openly taught and practiced . . . the soil will be soaked with blood, and the nation black with crimes."
Despite that villainous description, it was Jefferson who supported what has come to be known as The Fourth Estate. He said that if he had to choose between "a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government," he would take the newspapers without a government.* And don't forget, the press and the freedom thereof is explicitly mentioned in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Knowledge is key to democracy. That means reading things you do not agree with, learning things you don't care to know, and understanding that the world is about more than just you and your opinions.
The present day hostility toward the news media is terrifying. The current Republican administration needs a common enemy, and it has chosen the press to vilify for the moment. (Incidentally, creating a common enemy is on the list of how to become a dictator at WikiHow. Controlling the media is also listed frequently in discussions about how to create a fascist state. (WikiHow is not a source I would use in an article, but this is a personal blog entry and therefore opinion. Different rules.))
*The current Republican administration has gone after the media, and been openly hostile towards it, almost from day one. #45 said he had a "running war" with the media; his pal Bannon called the press "the opposition party" and said it should "keep its mouth shut."* Some of his other representatives have been openly critical as well.
Once public trust in the media has been undercut - once it has become even more politicized than it already was - the damage will be very hard to undo. Maybe the public trust has already reached that point where it will be very hard if not impossible to repair, I don't know. I hope not. Society here has depended upon a free and vibrant press to move forward and to keep politicians on their toes for more than 200 years. If the Fourth Estate goes down, we will all suffer mightily because of it.
_________________________
*Quotes taken from Time magazine, February 13, 2017 edition, page 4.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Sunday Stealing: Bungalow
Sunday Stealing: The Bungalow 26 Questions
1. Which living person do you admire the most, and why?
A. I admire anyone who treats people with honesty, respect, and integrity. I greatly admire my close friends, many writers and artists I personally know, and a few other people.
2. When were you the happiest?
A. When I was writing full time for the newspaper.
3. Besides property, automobile or furniture, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?
A. There isn't much left after that, is there? What else do you need? Maybe the hotel expenses for a vacation?
4. What is your most treasured possession?
A. My wedding ring.
5. Where would you like to live?
A. I am content where I am, for the moment.
6. Who would you get to play you in a film of your life?
A. Kathy Bates for the current me. I'm not familiar enough with younger actors to name one for when I wasn't graying.
7. What is your favorite book?
A. I don't have one.
8. What is your most unappealing habit?
A. Biting my fingernails.
9. Twitter or Facebook? (Or if both share the differences in your opinion.)
A. Facebook.
10. What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
A. Something black.
11. What is your earliest memory?
A. When my brother was learning to crawl, he swallowed a bottle of baby aspirin. I saw him and called for my mother, who made him throw up before she took him to the doctor. He would have been less than 1, so I was 3.
12. What is your guiltiest pleasure?
A. Playing video games.
13. What do you owe your parents?
A. Nothing.
14. To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
A. Nobody.
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
A. My husband.
16. What does love feel like to you?
A. A soft warm sweater.
17. What was the best kiss of your life?
A. I guess the first one from my husband? He's been kissing me for 34 years, I must have liked it.
18. Which words or phrases do you overuse?
A. "Interesting." It is my catch-all for everything, and can mean anything from, "Yes, that is interesting," to "how stupid can you be."
19. What's the worst job you have done?
A. Cleaning chicken coops.
20. If you could edit your past, what would you change?
A. Some things are better left unsaid.
21. What is the closest you have came to death?
A. I had an ovarian cyst that was infected that had to be removed via surgery. I ran a high fever and had a high risk of sepsis.
22. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. Obtaining my college degrees.
23. When did you cry last?
A. This morning; I woke up crying from a nightmare.
24. How do you relax?
A. What is this "relax" of which you speak?
25. What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A. Better health.
26. What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
A. Nobody is going to take care of you except for you.
__________
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. Which living person do you admire the most, and why?
A. I admire anyone who treats people with honesty, respect, and integrity. I greatly admire my close friends, many writers and artists I personally know, and a few other people.
2. When were you the happiest?
A. When I was writing full time for the newspaper.
3. Besides property, automobile or furniture, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?
A. There isn't much left after that, is there? What else do you need? Maybe the hotel expenses for a vacation?
4. What is your most treasured possession?
A. My wedding ring.
5. Where would you like to live?
A. I am content where I am, for the moment.
6. Who would you get to play you in a film of your life?
A. Kathy Bates for the current me. I'm not familiar enough with younger actors to name one for when I wasn't graying.
7. What is your favorite book?
A. I don't have one.
8. What is your most unappealing habit?
A. Biting my fingernails.
9. Twitter or Facebook? (Or if both share the differences in your opinion.)
A. Facebook.
10. What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
A. Something black.
11. What is your earliest memory?
A. When my brother was learning to crawl, he swallowed a bottle of baby aspirin. I saw him and called for my mother, who made him throw up before she took him to the doctor. He would have been less than 1, so I was 3.
12. What is your guiltiest pleasure?
A. Playing video games.
13. What do you owe your parents?
A. Nothing.
14. To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
A. Nobody.
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
A. My husband.
16. What does love feel like to you?
A. A soft warm sweater.
17. What was the best kiss of your life?
A. I guess the first one from my husband? He's been kissing me for 34 years, I must have liked it.
18. Which words or phrases do you overuse?
A. "Interesting." It is my catch-all for everything, and can mean anything from, "Yes, that is interesting," to "how stupid can you be."
19. What's the worst job you have done?
A. Cleaning chicken coops.
20. If you could edit your past, what would you change?
A. Some things are better left unsaid.
21. What is the closest you have came to death?
A. I had an ovarian cyst that was infected that had to be removed via surgery. I ran a high fever and had a high risk of sepsis.
22. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. Obtaining my college degrees.
23. When did you cry last?
A. This morning; I woke up crying from a nightmare.
24. How do you relax?
A. What is this "relax" of which you speak?
25. What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A. Better health.
26. What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
A. Nobody is going to take care of you except for you.
__________
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, February 18, 2017
Saturday 9: Johnny Angel
Saturday 9: Johnny Angel (1962)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this song, a girl sings that she'd rather spend a quiet evening at home than go out on a date. How about you? Do you enjoy quiet time? Or do you prefer keeping a busy calendar?
A. I prefer to stay in and read a book, although I don't mind eating dinner out so I don't have to cook. My calendar is looking very white and peaked these days, since I no longer actively pursue my writing career. No meetings or phone calls on the schedule anymore.
2) She dreams of how her life with Johnny would be. What did you most recently daydream about?
A. A new car. My Camry, which is fortunately still under warranty, developed an issue with the passenger seat which required multiple visits and hours at the car shop this week. I hate dealing with car issues.
3) Shelley never considered herself a singer and is more comfortable acting. A costar on The Donna Reed Show, she was pressured to make this record by the show's producer, who wanted extra exposure for the show by having this song on the radio. Tell us about a time you ventured outside your comfort zone.
A. “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” I can't think of anything recent. Going up in a hot air balloon was way outside of my comfort zone, but that was 30 years ago.
4) Elvis said she was his favorite leading lady, and she appeared with him in three films. What qualities do you appreciate in a coworker?
A. Discreet, quiet, responsible, and trustworthy.
5) She met her close friend and fellow teen star Annette Funicello when they were 12 and attended the same Catechism class. What do you recall from your middle-school years?
A. This all happened within about a 3-week period around Christmas in 1975: I fell and broke my wrist, my father ran over my brother with a tractor, and my grandfather died. I was in 7th grade.
6) After The Donna Reed Show, Shelly went on to a recurring role on One Day at a Time and was twice nominated for an Emmy for her work on Coach. Her husband is Mike Farrell, who played BJ on M*A*S*H. Which of those four sitcoms would you enjoy binge watching?
A. M*A*S*H.
7) In 1962, the year this song was popular, is also the year Jack Nicklaus began his successful pro golf career. Do you enjoy playing golf? Watching it on TV?
A. I do not putt into little holes, I do not kick into too-high goals, I do not play sports like many can, I'm not athletic, Sam-I-Am.
TWO Random Questions (especially for Harriet):
8) A 2013 study said most Americans will have 12 romantic relationships in their lifetime. Does this mean you've had more or less than your share?
A. I can't think of 12, so less. But the one I have has been long-lasting, and that matters more than numbers, doesn't it?
9) It's closing time at the mall and you find yourself accidentally locked in a toy store. You call the police and they say someone will be there in about half an hour to rescue you. While you wait, will you play with any toys? (If so, which ones?)
A. That might be kind of fun. I would play with the action figures, whatever they are now. (Captain America and Superman? Batman? Wonder Woman!) I haven't been inside a toy store in years.
_____________
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.
1) In this song, a girl sings that she'd rather spend a quiet evening at home than go out on a date. How about you? Do you enjoy quiet time? Or do you prefer keeping a busy calendar?
A. I prefer to stay in and read a book, although I don't mind eating dinner out so I don't have to cook. My calendar is looking very white and peaked these days, since I no longer actively pursue my writing career. No meetings or phone calls on the schedule anymore.
2) She dreams of how her life with Johnny would be. What did you most recently daydream about?
A. A new car. My Camry, which is fortunately still under warranty, developed an issue with the passenger seat which required multiple visits and hours at the car shop this week. I hate dealing with car issues.
3) Shelley never considered herself a singer and is more comfortable acting. A costar on The Donna Reed Show, she was pressured to make this record by the show's producer, who wanted extra exposure for the show by having this song on the radio. Tell us about a time you ventured outside your comfort zone.
A. “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” I can't think of anything recent. Going up in a hot air balloon was way outside of my comfort zone, but that was 30 years ago.
4) Elvis said she was his favorite leading lady, and she appeared with him in three films. What qualities do you appreciate in a coworker?
A. Discreet, quiet, responsible, and trustworthy.
5) She met her close friend and fellow teen star Annette Funicello when they were 12 and attended the same Catechism class. What do you recall from your middle-school years?
A. This all happened within about a 3-week period around Christmas in 1975: I fell and broke my wrist, my father ran over my brother with a tractor, and my grandfather died. I was in 7th grade.
6) After The Donna Reed Show, Shelly went on to a recurring role on One Day at a Time and was twice nominated for an Emmy for her work on Coach. Her husband is Mike Farrell, who played BJ on M*A*S*H. Which of those four sitcoms would you enjoy binge watching?
A. M*A*S*H.
7) In 1962, the year this song was popular, is also the year Jack Nicklaus began his successful pro golf career. Do you enjoy playing golf? Watching it on TV?
A. I do not putt into little holes, I do not kick into too-high goals, I do not play sports like many can, I'm not athletic, Sam-I-Am.
TWO Random Questions (especially for Harriet):
8) A 2013 study said most Americans will have 12 romantic relationships in their lifetime. Does this mean you've had more or less than your share?
A. I can't think of 12, so less. But the one I have has been long-lasting, and that matters more than numbers, doesn't it?
9) It's closing time at the mall and you find yourself accidentally locked in a toy store. You call the police and they say someone will be there in about half an hour to rescue you. While you wait, will you play with any toys? (If so, which ones?)
A. That might be kind of fun. I would play with the action figures, whatever they are now. (Captain America and Superman? Batman? Wonder Woman!) I haven't been inside a toy store in years.
_____________
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.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Thursday Thirteen
I was watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory and Sheldon, Amy, Leonard, and Penny went to a cabin. They played a game called, "Never have I . . ." So today, I shall list things I have never done.
Never have I . . .
1. Published a book.
2. Made a quilt.
3. Driven a car over 120 mph.
4. Been on a cruise.
5. Held $1 million in cash in my hands.
6. Visited the Statue of Liberty (though I have seen it from a distance).
7. Been to Canada.
8. Bungee jumped.
9. Received a tattoo.
10. Jumped out of a plane.
11. Given birth to a child.
12. Owned a smart phone (!)(!)
13. Been to a major league sporting event.
How about you? What haven't you done? (I think under the Big Bang game rules, if you've done any of these things, you're supposed to take a drink of liquor for each one done. But don't do that.)
____________
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 487th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Never have I . . .
1. Published a book.
2. Made a quilt.
3. Driven a car over 120 mph.
4. Been on a cruise.
5. Held $1 million in cash in my hands.
6. Visited the Statue of Liberty (though I have seen it from a distance).
7. Been to Canada.
8. Bungee jumped.
9. Received a tattoo.
10. Jumped out of a plane.
11. Given birth to a child.
12. Owned a smart phone (!)(!)
13. Been to a major league sporting event.
How about you? What haven't you done? (I think under the Big Bang game rules, if you've done any of these things, you're supposed to take a drink of liquor for each one done. But don't do that.)
____________
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 487th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Autocracy v. Democracy
"With someone like this barging into your consciousness every hour of every day, you begin to get a glimpse of what it must be like to live in an autocracy of some kind. Every day in countries unfortunate enough to be ruled by a lone dictator, people are constantly subjected to the Supreme Leader’s presence, in their homes, in their workplaces, as they walk down the street. Big Brother never leaves you alone. His face bears down on you on every flickering screen. He begins to permeate your psyche and soul; he dominates every news cycle and issues pronouncements — each one shocking and destabilizing — round the clock. He delights in constantly provoking and surprising you, so that his monstrous ego can be perennially fed. And because he is also mentally unstable, forever lashing out in manic spasms of pain and anger, you live each day with some measure of trepidation. What will he come out with next? Somehow, he is never in control of himself and yet he is always in control of you.
One of the great achievements of free society in a stable democracy is that many people, for much of the time, need not think about politics at all. The president of a free country may dominate the news cycle many days — but he is not omnipresent — and because we live under the rule of law, we can afford to turn the news off at times. A free society means being free of those who rule over you — to do the things you care about, your passions, your pastimes, your loves — to exult in that blessed space where politics doesn’t intervene. In that sense, it seems to me, we already live in a country with markedly less freedom than we did a month ago. It’s less like living in a democracy than being a child trapped in a house where there is an abusive and unpredictable father, who will brook no reason, respect no counter-argument, admit no error, and always, always up the ante until catastrophe inevitably strikes. This is what I mean by the idea that we are living through an emergency."
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Sunday Stealing: Disappearing Questions
Sunday Stealing: The Disappearing Questions
1. Last movie you saw in a theater?
A. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which I think was about this time last year.
2. What book are you reading?
A. I just started Hold Still, by Sally Mann.
3. Favorite board game?
A. The Game of Life.
4. Favorite magazine?
A. O! I also like Reader's Digest; I've read it all of my life. Apparently that is not a good thing, but I don't care.
5. Favorite smells?
A. I am allergic to everything, but I love the smell of the woods in spring after a rain.
6. Favorite sounds?
A. My husband's laughter and the D chord on a guitar.
7. Worst feeling in the world?
A. Knowing that we all die alone; it's a journey we can only take as a solitary diamond in a pack of card.
8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
A. Whether or not I need my medication before I get out of bed.
9. Favorite fast food place?
A. Bellacino's, which is a small franchise (I think) that sells grinders (sub sandwiches) and pizza.
10. Future child’s name?
A. No children, past, present, or future.
11. Finish this statement. “If I had lot of money I’d . . .?
A. "If I had a million dollars, I'd be rich." I'm not sure what "a lot" means - but if it meant I had enough to pay my health insurance and keep the bills paid, then I would be content.
12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
A. No. I do, however, have a stuffed kitty that plays "Soft Kitty" when I squeeze its paw sitting near my bed. A friend gave it to me when I started having trouble sleeping after my health issues began.
13. Storms – cool or scary?
A. Love 'em.
14. Favorite drink?
A. Water.
15. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would. . .”?
A. Boldy go where no one has gone before, and explore the galaxy and beyond.
16. Do you eat the stems on broccoli?
A. Yes.
17. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?
A. It used to be dirty brown, now it's brown and white. I'm okay with it as it is.
18. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in?
A. Salem, Fincastle, Troutville. All are within 30 miles of each other.
19. Favorite sports to watch?
A. I like the Winter Olympics.
20. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you?
A. Aw. Bud is always nice and seems to care about his SS players.
21. What’s under your bed?
A. Probably dust.
22. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
A. Not really. Been there, done that.
23. Morning person, or night owl?
A. Middle-of-the-day person.
24. Over easy, or sunny side up?
A. Scrambled.
25. Favorite place to relax?
A. In my house.
26. Favorite pie?
A. Chocolate crème pie.
27. Favorite ice cream flavor?
A. I don't eat ice cream because milk bothers me, but I have "eat another hot fudge sundae" on my bucket list.
28. Of all the people who play, how many of the posts do you usually read?
A. I try to visit all of those whose name is on the Mr. Linky. Sometimes I might miss those who sign up after me, though.
__________
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. Last movie you saw in a theater?
A. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which I think was about this time last year.
2. What book are you reading?
A. I just started Hold Still, by Sally Mann.
3. Favorite board game?
A. The Game of Life.
4. Favorite magazine?
A. O! I also like Reader's Digest; I've read it all of my life. Apparently that is not a good thing, but I don't care.
5. Favorite smells?
A. I am allergic to everything, but I love the smell of the woods in spring after a rain.
6. Favorite sounds?
A. My husband's laughter and the D chord on a guitar.
7. Worst feeling in the world?
A. Knowing that we all die alone; it's a journey we can only take as a solitary diamond in a pack of card.
8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
A. Whether or not I need my medication before I get out of bed.
9. Favorite fast food place?
A. Bellacino's, which is a small franchise (I think) that sells grinders (sub sandwiches) and pizza.
10. Future child’s name?
A. No children, past, present, or future.
11. Finish this statement. “If I had lot of money I’d . . .?
A. "If I had a million dollars, I'd be rich." I'm not sure what "a lot" means - but if it meant I had enough to pay my health insurance and keep the bills paid, then I would be content.
12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
A. No. I do, however, have a stuffed kitty that plays "Soft Kitty" when I squeeze its paw sitting near my bed. A friend gave it to me when I started having trouble sleeping after my health issues began.
13. Storms – cool or scary?
A. Love 'em.
14. Favorite drink?
A. Water.
15. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would. . .”?
A. Boldy go where no one has gone before, and explore the galaxy and beyond.
16. Do you eat the stems on broccoli?
A. Yes.
17. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?
A. It used to be dirty brown, now it's brown and white. I'm okay with it as it is.
18. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in?
A. Salem, Fincastle, Troutville. All are within 30 miles of each other.
19. Favorite sports to watch?
A. I like the Winter Olympics.
20. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you?
A. Aw. Bud is always nice and seems to care about his SS players.
21. What’s under your bed?
A. Probably dust.
22. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
A. Not really. Been there, done that.
23. Morning person, or night owl?
A. Middle-of-the-day person.
24. Over easy, or sunny side up?
A. Scrambled.
25. Favorite place to relax?
A. In my house.
26. Favorite pie?
A. Chocolate crème pie.
27. Favorite ice cream flavor?
A. I don't eat ice cream because milk bothers me, but I have "eat another hot fudge sundae" on my bucket list.
28. Of all the people who play, how many of the posts do you usually read?
A. I try to visit all of those whose name is on the Mr. Linky. Sometimes I might miss those who sign up after me, though.
__________
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, February 11, 2017
Saturday 9: Love Yourself
Saturday 9: Love Yourself (2015)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this song, Justin sings that he doesn't like to admit he's wrong. When did you most recently cop to a mistake?
A. I'm a perpetual "I'm sorry" person. I'm sorry the sky is gray. Sorry the sun is shining too hot. Sorry the world is not flat. My last big mistake was blaming my husband for taking my kitchen scissors, and then I found then in the cabinet where I hide my secret chocolate stash. I apologized.
2) He also complains that his girl doesn't like his friends. Who is someone that you've met recently and liked?
A. I like most everyone. Most of the people in my life I've known for a while now, though.
3) Justin first performed this song live on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Who is your favorite talk show host?
A. I guess Ellen. She's the only one I have seen since Oprah.
4) Young Mr. Bieber recently had his credit card rejected . . . at a Subway Sandwich Shop. Think about your last trip to a fast food restaurant. Did you pay with cash or plastic or your phone?
A. We always pay cash in restaurants.
Even though we're featuring a lack-of-love song, this is the last Saturday 9 before Valentine's Day and so this morning we shall focus on the upcoming holiday.
5) In Victorian England, it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine. Have you ever received an anonymous card from a secret admirer?
A. Can't say that I have.
6) Retailers report that approximately 3% of pet owners buy Valentines for their furry friends. Have you ever purchased a gift for a pet on a special occasion?
A. I never bought the dog a valentine, but I did buy her extra toys at Christmas. That was a very long time ago, as the dog has been dead for 16 years.
7) It was once believed that if a maiden ate a heavy meal before bed on February 13, her dreams that night would reveal the identity of the man she would eventually marry. Do you find that eating too close to bedtime disrupts your sleep?
A. It can give me bad dreams. Mushrooms always give me crazy dreams regardless of when I eat them.
8) The postmaster in Verona, Italy, reports that Shakespeare's Juliet Capulet still receives love letters. Without looking it up, can you give us a quote from Romeo and Juliet?
A. O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? - which is probably the one most will offer up.
9) Necco's Sweethearts -- those little candy hearts that say things like "Be Mine" -- are Valentine Day's top-selling confection. Sam never could stand eating these candies. Do you like them?
A. I don't *like* them but I will eat them, particularly if there is nothing else sweet around.
_____________
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.
1) In this song, Justin sings that he doesn't like to admit he's wrong. When did you most recently cop to a mistake?
A. I'm a perpetual "I'm sorry" person. I'm sorry the sky is gray. Sorry the sun is shining too hot. Sorry the world is not flat. My last big mistake was blaming my husband for taking my kitchen scissors, and then I found then in the cabinet where I hide my secret chocolate stash. I apologized.
2) He also complains that his girl doesn't like his friends. Who is someone that you've met recently and liked?
A. I like most everyone. Most of the people in my life I've known for a while now, though.
3) Justin first performed this song live on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Who is your favorite talk show host?
A. I guess Ellen. She's the only one I have seen since Oprah.
4) Young Mr. Bieber recently had his credit card rejected . . . at a Subway Sandwich Shop. Think about your last trip to a fast food restaurant. Did you pay with cash or plastic or your phone?
A. We always pay cash in restaurants.
Even though we're featuring a lack-of-love song, this is the last Saturday 9 before Valentine's Day and so this morning we shall focus on the upcoming holiday.
5) In Victorian England, it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine. Have you ever received an anonymous card from a secret admirer?
A. Can't say that I have.
6) Retailers report that approximately 3% of pet owners buy Valentines for their furry friends. Have you ever purchased a gift for a pet on a special occasion?
A. I never bought the dog a valentine, but I did buy her extra toys at Christmas. That was a very long time ago, as the dog has been dead for 16 years.
7) It was once believed that if a maiden ate a heavy meal before bed on February 13, her dreams that night would reveal the identity of the man she would eventually marry. Do you find that eating too close to bedtime disrupts your sleep?
A. It can give me bad dreams. Mushrooms always give me crazy dreams regardless of when I eat them.
8) The postmaster in Verona, Italy, reports that Shakespeare's Juliet Capulet still receives love letters. Without looking it up, can you give us a quote from Romeo and Juliet?
A. O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? - which is probably the one most will offer up.
9) Necco's Sweethearts -- those little candy hearts that say things like "Be Mine" -- are Valentine Day's top-selling confection. Sam never could stand eating these candies. Do you like them?
A. I don't *like* them but I will eat them, particularly if there is nothing else sweet around.
_____________
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.
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