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| Male Cardinal |
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| Female Cardinal |
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| Male and Female Cardinal |
Wednesday, May 02, 2018
Tuesday, May 01, 2018
Civics? What's Civics?
I spent 30 years trying to explain the difference between a town and a county.
That basically sums up my career writing for small, local newspapers. I wrote about government. Mostly I wrote about local government, but sometimes state or federal government made laws or enacted legislation that had a local impact, so I wrote about that, too.
What I learned in those 30 years is that many people have no idea how government works, not even at the local level. Even people who lived in towns had no idea how their town worked, or what it could or could not do as far as say, raising taxes or having its own school system.
The differences between a community, a village, a town, and a county are vast but lost on the population. The biggest differences are legalistic, but along with that legalistic jargon comes power.
A community has no power, except whatever power a group of people who band together might give it. Daleville, for example, is a community - a very large community, to be sure - but it has no power. It's not a legal entity, and there is no way for citizens in that area to petition for redress of grievances to something called the Daleville Town Council. There isn't one.
Daleville, as a community, is overseen by the county, so only the county wields power over that area. And all of those people (about 6,600) are represented by a single person on the county board of supervisors.
Fincastle is an incorporated town, and thus it has a town council, and power. It can tax. It can and recently did annex a part of the county to make itself larger, though it required the county's permission to do that (the county has more power). Those citizens in the town are still county citizens and subject to county laws, but they also now have a layer of town laws to abide by. If the county says it's okay to have chickens in your yard but the town says otherwise, you must take your complaint to the town council, not the county, if you want chickens. The town can have its own zoning laws, its own taxes, and its own rules - provided they are rules and laws that have been granted to them by the state through its municipal charter.
The county holds another set of powers. It can tax. It can set zoning laws. It can do everything a town can do (except annex another county with permission, but even that has some wiggle room, as Botetourt and Roanoke County "reset" boundaries in the Hollins area in the last 20 years. I remember writing the story.). The county can only do what the Virginia legislators allow it to do. The county cannot tax, say, cigarettes, because Virginia law doesn't allow counties to do that. It does allow cities to do that.
Cities generally have more power than counties. So the pecking order, by lack of power, is community, town, county, city, state, federal.
Virginia is what is known as a Dillon Rule state. This means that Virginia legislatures delegate powers to localities through the Virginia constitution, via municipal charters or by statute (the Virginia Code). A charter can be viewed as the "birth certificate" or "articles of incorporation" of the municipality. And the General Assembly may amend municipal charters at any time. They have done this in recent years to allow towns to change their elections from May to November, for example.
The Dillon Rule is why Botetourt County can't decide to open school after Labor Day. The Virginia legislature has set a time frame for when schools can operate. It is why Botetourt County doesn't set the speed limit on roads. The state has held that power for itself. You can go to your county board of supervisors and complain about speeding on your road, but all they can do is pass it along to representatives of the state highway department, who will then do an investigation and see if the speed limit needs to be changed or if the road needs to be off-limits to truck traffic, or whatever the issue might be. Roads are not in the county's pack of powers.
Now you may be wondering why I am writing about this today. I don't know. It is on my mind because I'm watching things go on that seem wrong, not just in my community but in communities across the state. I'm watching people sit in trees to protest the taking of their land for a natural gas pipeline. The state gave this private company the right of eminent domain and is letting it take people's land - land that has been in some folk's family for generations - so they can put in this natural gas line that is for the private company's profit, at least on the face of it. But a state judge ruled it was in the public good.
I happen to know that judge personally and am not at all surprised she ruled for the company. From my observations of her, it is my opinion that she believes in privatizing everything, so she would agree with the corporation. I don't think anyone but a government entity should be using the right of eminent domain and I fear this sets up a terrible precedent. Actually the precedent was already set up here in Botetourt County when the State Corporation Commission agreed to give a private company the water rights to a large swath of Botetourt County. This would have taken in our farm but we argued against it and the farm was cut out of the final decision. Or at least it was supposed to have been.
Anyway, I think what gets me is how little people know about government, but yet how much they think they know. If you don't know the difference between a town and a county, and you really have no idea how a federal law is created, then how can you make an intelligent decision at the voting booth?
You can't really.
And now I know why I'm writing this. It's because I realize that this utter failure of knowledge, this lack of civics, this total breakdown of information about what it means to be a good citizen and practice citizenship, is why we have arrived at the place we are today.
And where we are today is the era of the Cult of Personality. People do not vote for representatives because of ideals or a desire to make laws or do away with laws or whatever. Some of that is there, of course, but I have found that people generally have only "notions" about what they really want and no vision as to what it will look like in the end. Doing away with regulations to help corporations may sound great, but when your kid is dying of asthma because of the pollution, or has cancer because of something in the water, you might wish you had given that more thought.
So instead of thinking, people vote for personality. I knew Bob McDonnel was going to be governor of Virginia one day when I first met him. He had personality. I knew, instinctively, that Mr. Trump had a chance, despite his outrageous attitude, because he has a personality. A pretty horrible personality, in my opinion, but a personality all the same, and an attitude that many people admire. I get that because people don't think for themselves anymore. They wanted a daddy to do it for them.
Today is election day in Virginia. It's a day that most people eligible to vote in these elections ignore. This is an election for towns and cities. Roanoke's city council is up for grabs today. This doesn't affect me where I live but it does affect me because my husband is a city employee. The votes of a few - maybe 10 percent of eligible voters - will have an impact on how the city works, and that will impact my husband and me.
I have met a lot of candidates, winners and losers, in my 30 years of writing for newspapers. I've met every governor from Doug Wilder through Bob McDonnel. (I retired and never met McAliff.) Over that time, I failed to see the change-over from electing a person for good reasons - because of what he or she stood for, his or her morality, etc. - to the Cult of Personality. For the first 20 years of my career I could reasonably predict who would or would not win an election.
I haven't been able to do that since 2000, when Al Gore won but George Bush became president. Even at the local level, I am stymied, because I don't operate via Cult of Personality. I have no idea who is going to win the seats for council in Roanoke today.
This is a great big world and it isn't going to end unless we blow ourselves up, which we may very well do. My goal is always to leave things better than they were. When I was writing for the paper, that was my hope - that I'd impart knowledge and leave the county better than it was.
Did I do that? Or did I fail? Was it all a wasted effort because no one was reading it?
I honestly do not know.
That basically sums up my career writing for small, local newspapers. I wrote about government. Mostly I wrote about local government, but sometimes state or federal government made laws or enacted legislation that had a local impact, so I wrote about that, too.
What I learned in those 30 years is that many people have no idea how government works, not even at the local level. Even people who lived in towns had no idea how their town worked, or what it could or could not do as far as say, raising taxes or having its own school system.
The differences between a community, a village, a town, and a county are vast but lost on the population. The biggest differences are legalistic, but along with that legalistic jargon comes power.
A community has no power, except whatever power a group of people who band together might give it. Daleville, for example, is a community - a very large community, to be sure - but it has no power. It's not a legal entity, and there is no way for citizens in that area to petition for redress of grievances to something called the Daleville Town Council. There isn't one.
Daleville, as a community, is overseen by the county, so only the county wields power over that area. And all of those people (about 6,600) are represented by a single person on the county board of supervisors.
Fincastle is an incorporated town, and thus it has a town council, and power. It can tax. It can and recently did annex a part of the county to make itself larger, though it required the county's permission to do that (the county has more power). Those citizens in the town are still county citizens and subject to county laws, but they also now have a layer of town laws to abide by. If the county says it's okay to have chickens in your yard but the town says otherwise, you must take your complaint to the town council, not the county, if you want chickens. The town can have its own zoning laws, its own taxes, and its own rules - provided they are rules and laws that have been granted to them by the state through its municipal charter.
The county holds another set of powers. It can tax. It can set zoning laws. It can do everything a town can do (except annex another county with permission, but even that has some wiggle room, as Botetourt and Roanoke County "reset" boundaries in the Hollins area in the last 20 years. I remember writing the story.). The county can only do what the Virginia legislators allow it to do. The county cannot tax, say, cigarettes, because Virginia law doesn't allow counties to do that. It does allow cities to do that.
Cities generally have more power than counties. So the pecking order, by lack of power, is community, town, county, city, state, federal.
Virginia is what is known as a Dillon Rule state. This means that Virginia legislatures delegate powers to localities through the Virginia constitution, via municipal charters or by statute (the Virginia Code). A charter can be viewed as the "birth certificate" or "articles of incorporation" of the municipality. And the General Assembly may amend municipal charters at any time. They have done this in recent years to allow towns to change their elections from May to November, for example.
The Dillon Rule is why Botetourt County can't decide to open school after Labor Day. The Virginia legislature has set a time frame for when schools can operate. It is why Botetourt County doesn't set the speed limit on roads. The state has held that power for itself. You can go to your county board of supervisors and complain about speeding on your road, but all they can do is pass it along to representatives of the state highway department, who will then do an investigation and see if the speed limit needs to be changed or if the road needs to be off-limits to truck traffic, or whatever the issue might be. Roads are not in the county's pack of powers.
Now you may be wondering why I am writing about this today. I don't know. It is on my mind because I'm watching things go on that seem wrong, not just in my community but in communities across the state. I'm watching people sit in trees to protest the taking of their land for a natural gas pipeline. The state gave this private company the right of eminent domain and is letting it take people's land - land that has been in some folk's family for generations - so they can put in this natural gas line that is for the private company's profit, at least on the face of it. But a state judge ruled it was in the public good.
I happen to know that judge personally and am not at all surprised she ruled for the company. From my observations of her, it is my opinion that she believes in privatizing everything, so she would agree with the corporation. I don't think anyone but a government entity should be using the right of eminent domain and I fear this sets up a terrible precedent. Actually the precedent was already set up here in Botetourt County when the State Corporation Commission agreed to give a private company the water rights to a large swath of Botetourt County. This would have taken in our farm but we argued against it and the farm was cut out of the final decision. Or at least it was supposed to have been.
Anyway, I think what gets me is how little people know about government, but yet how much they think they know. If you don't know the difference between a town and a county, and you really have no idea how a federal law is created, then how can you make an intelligent decision at the voting booth?
You can't really.
And now I know why I'm writing this. It's because I realize that this utter failure of knowledge, this lack of civics, this total breakdown of information about what it means to be a good citizen and practice citizenship, is why we have arrived at the place we are today.
And where we are today is the era of the Cult of Personality. People do not vote for representatives because of ideals or a desire to make laws or do away with laws or whatever. Some of that is there, of course, but I have found that people generally have only "notions" about what they really want and no vision as to what it will look like in the end. Doing away with regulations to help corporations may sound great, but when your kid is dying of asthma because of the pollution, or has cancer because of something in the water, you might wish you had given that more thought.
So instead of thinking, people vote for personality. I knew Bob McDonnel was going to be governor of Virginia one day when I first met him. He had personality. I knew, instinctively, that Mr. Trump had a chance, despite his outrageous attitude, because he has a personality. A pretty horrible personality, in my opinion, but a personality all the same, and an attitude that many people admire. I get that because people don't think for themselves anymore. They wanted a daddy to do it for them.
Today is election day in Virginia. It's a day that most people eligible to vote in these elections ignore. This is an election for towns and cities. Roanoke's city council is up for grabs today. This doesn't affect me where I live but it does affect me because my husband is a city employee. The votes of a few - maybe 10 percent of eligible voters - will have an impact on how the city works, and that will impact my husband and me.
I have met a lot of candidates, winners and losers, in my 30 years of writing for newspapers. I've met every governor from Doug Wilder through Bob McDonnel. (I retired and never met McAliff.) Over that time, I failed to see the change-over from electing a person for good reasons - because of what he or she stood for, his or her morality, etc. - to the Cult of Personality. For the first 20 years of my career I could reasonably predict who would or would not win an election.
I haven't been able to do that since 2000, when Al Gore won but George Bush became president. Even at the local level, I am stymied, because I don't operate via Cult of Personality. I have no idea who is going to win the seats for council in Roanoke today.
This is a great big world and it isn't going to end unless we blow ourselves up, which we may very well do. My goal is always to leave things better than they were. When I was writing for the paper, that was my hope - that I'd impart knowledge and leave the county better than it was.
Did I do that? Or did I fail? Was it all a wasted effort because no one was reading it?
I honestly do not know.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Excited? Or Curious?
My brother has set about on a new course on his life. He has ended one chapter and is moving on to another.
I'm excited for him. I wish him well and much happiness. He does not ask for, nor does he need, my approval (and he doesn't always get it anyhow), but I am hopeful that he will find happiness and peace. We all need a calm life and he certainly could use a lot less drama. He has plenty of that simply from his position as president of my father's company, not to mention all the mess that goes with having a personal life. Stress is a killer, and I do worry about his stress levels.
I'm curious to see what decisions he makes from here. Who will he be? I've always kept an eye on him, watching him grow up, as he is three years younger than I. As my only sibling, he has always had me in the big sister role. I looked out for him so well that I once decked a boy in high school who was picking on him. You didn't mess with my brother when I was around.
Seems like just yesterday I was teaching him to read. Now he's heading into the latter stages of middle age (he's over 50, like me), and I'm watching him walk through many opening doors.
I hope he wins the grand prize.
__________________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 30 done! (Prompt: One thing you're excited for.) Thanks KG, for the month of prompts.
 |
| My brother |
I'm excited for him. I wish him well and much happiness. He does not ask for, nor does he need, my approval (and he doesn't always get it anyhow), but I am hopeful that he will find happiness and peace. We all need a calm life and he certainly could use a lot less drama. He has plenty of that simply from his position as president of my father's company, not to mention all the mess that goes with having a personal life. Stress is a killer, and I do worry about his stress levels.
I'm curious to see what decisions he makes from here. Who will he be? I've always kept an eye on him, watching him grow up, as he is three years younger than I. As my only sibling, he has always had me in the big sister role. I looked out for him so well that I once decked a boy in high school who was picking on him. You didn't mess with my brother when I was around.
Seems like just yesterday I was teaching him to read. Now he's heading into the latter stages of middle age (he's over 50, like me), and I'm watching him walk through many opening doors.
I hope he wins the grand prize.
__________________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 30 done! (Prompt: One thing you're excited for.) Thanks KG, for the month of prompts.
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Sunday Stealing
Sunday Stealing
A list of all Disney movies can be found here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Walt_Disney_Pictures_films
1. Favorite scene in a Disney Princess movie?
A. Um. I have no idea.
2. Favorite scene in a non-Princess movie?
A. When Lady and the Tramp kiss over a spaghetti noodle.
3. Last Disney movie you watched?
A. Maleficient.
4. How many times have you visited the parks?
A. I've been to the one in Orlando once.
5. Favorite animal themed movie?
A. 101 Dalmations tied with The Fox and the Hound
6. Favorite Disney movie from the 1950s?
A. Lady and the Tramp
7. Favorite Disney movie from the 1960s?
A. 101 Dalmations
8. Favorite Disney movie from the 1970s?
A. None of the titles listed are familiar.
9. Favorite Disney movie from the 1980s?
A. The Fox and the Hound
10. Favorite Disney movie from the 1990s?
A. Aladdin
11. Favorite Disney movie from the 2000s?
A. Finding Nemo
13. Favorite Disney movie from the 2010s?
A. Secretariat
14. If you could trade lives with one character, which one and why?
A. Aladdin, because he has a jinni.
15. First Disney-orientated memory?
A. Watching The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights.
16. Favorite villain?
A. I don't have one.
17. Favorite live action Disney movie?
A. Secretariat.
18. Favorite soundtrack?
A. I like Elton John's song on The Lion King, so we'll go with that.
19. What are your top three favorite Disney songs?
A. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Can you Feel the Love Tonight?, and I don't know anymore.
20. Mickey or Minnie?
A. Don't really care.
21. Which movie do you find the most nostalgic?
A. Dumbo.
22. Are there any Disney movies that you haven’t seen?
A. Most of them. It would be easier to list the ones I have seen.
23. Is there a scene or movie that makes you cry?
A. Not that I can think of.
24. Is there a song that makes you cry?
A. No.
25. Which character do you relate to the most?
A. Cruella DeVille. (Only name I could think of.)
26. Do you own any clothing that is Disney themed?
A. No. Wait. I think there is Minnie Mouse on one of my nightgowns.
27. Favorite sidekick?
A. The jinni in Aladdin.
28. Favorite princess and why?
A. I have no idea.
29. Funniest Disney scene?
A. Anything with the jinni in it in Aladdin.
30. Favorite Disney movie and why?
A. I guess Aladdin, that seems to be the only one I really remember.
I don't watch movies much, I'm afraid.
__________
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.
A list of all Disney movies can be found here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Walt_Disney_Pictures_films
1. Favorite scene in a Disney Princess movie?
A. Um. I have no idea.
2. Favorite scene in a non-Princess movie?
A. When Lady and the Tramp kiss over a spaghetti noodle.
3. Last Disney movie you watched?
A. Maleficient.
4. How many times have you visited the parks?
A. I've been to the one in Orlando once.
5. Favorite animal themed movie?
A. 101 Dalmations tied with The Fox and the Hound
6. Favorite Disney movie from the 1950s?
A. Lady and the Tramp
7. Favorite Disney movie from the 1960s?
A. 101 Dalmations
8. Favorite Disney movie from the 1970s?
A. None of the titles listed are familiar.
9. Favorite Disney movie from the 1980s?
A. The Fox and the Hound
10. Favorite Disney movie from the 1990s?
A. Aladdin
11. Favorite Disney movie from the 2000s?
A. Finding Nemo
13. Favorite Disney movie from the 2010s?
A. Secretariat
14. If you could trade lives with one character, which one and why?
A. Aladdin, because he has a jinni.
15. First Disney-orientated memory?
A. Watching The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights.
16. Favorite villain?
A. I don't have one.
17. Favorite live action Disney movie?
A. Secretariat.
18. Favorite soundtrack?
A. I like Elton John's song on The Lion King, so we'll go with that.
19. What are your top three favorite Disney songs?
A. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Can you Feel the Love Tonight?, and I don't know anymore.
20. Mickey or Minnie?
A. Don't really care.
21. Which movie do you find the most nostalgic?
A. Dumbo.
22. Are there any Disney movies that you haven’t seen?
A. Most of them. It would be easier to list the ones I have seen.
23. Is there a scene or movie that makes you cry?
A. Not that I can think of.
24. Is there a song that makes you cry?
A. No.
25. Which character do you relate to the most?
A. Cruella DeVille. (Only name I could think of.)
26. Do you own any clothing that is Disney themed?
A. No. Wait. I think there is Minnie Mouse on one of my nightgowns.
27. Favorite sidekick?
A. The jinni in Aladdin.
28. Favorite princess and why?
A. I have no idea.
29. Funniest Disney scene?
A. Anything with the jinni in it in Aladdin.
30. Favorite Disney movie and why?
A. I guess Aladdin, that seems to be the only one I really remember.
I don't watch movies much, I'm afraid.
__________
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.
Birthday Doings
The question is: what did I do on my most recent birthday?
And the answer is: nothing much. My friends took me to lunch, one at a time. That makes the birthday last the entire month, more or less. I always enjoy time with the people I care about.
I have a birthday coming up in June, if anyone wants to make it memorable. Ha.
__________________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 29 done!
And the answer is: nothing much. My friends took me to lunch, one at a time. That makes the birthday last the entire month, more or less. I always enjoy time with the people I care about.
I have a birthday coming up in June, if anyone wants to make it memorable. Ha.
__________________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 29 done!
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Saturday 9: Lowdown
Saturday 9: Lowdown (1976)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this song, "the lowdown" is an unpleasant truth. Tell us about a time when you had to do like Boz and give someone "the lowdown."
A. I had to tell my editor I couldn't write for him anymore due to health reasons.
2) The lowdown Boz delivers is about the woman his friend is seeing. Specifically, she's gossiping about his finances. If you discovered something negative about a friend's romantic partner, would you share it with your friend? Or would you keep it to yourself?
A. I would keep it to myself, most likely. It would depend a bit on what it was. I learned a long time ago that people don't really want to hear that sort of thing.
3) Boz was born William Royce Scaggs, but in high school he was given the nickname "Bosley" -- later shortened to "Boz." His friends thought "Bosley" sounded nerdier than "Bill," and Scaggs was quite the music nerd. What is something you're nerdy about?
A. Video games.
4) His son Austin Scaggs is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. What magazines are in the room you're in right now?
A. AARP, O!, Reader's Digest and my college alumna magazine.
5) Boz and his wife own a vineyard in Napa. Do you prefer white or red wine?
A. I don't drink.
6) In 1976, the year this song was popular, movie queen Elizabeth Taylor needed an escort to one of the nation's Bicentennial celebrations. Former Under Secretary of the Navy John Warner was asked to take her to the event, and within months he became her husband. Have you ever had a "blind date" that turned into a relationship?
A. No.
7) Also in 1976, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple in Jobs' parents' garage. Does your garage serve as your office, workshop or studio? Or is it just home to your car?
A. It holds the car and some of my husband's "man stuff."
8) The Bionic Woman premiered in 1976. Because of her "bionic parts," Jaimie Summers could run faster than most cars, had superhuman strength, and super-sensitive hearing. If you could have one of those qualities enhanced -- speed, strength or hearing -- which would you choose?
A. Strength. I'm pretty puny as it is. I loved the Bionic Woman.
9) Random question: When you lean in for a kiss, do you tilt your head to the right or to the left?
A. Right.
_____________
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. (#230)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this song, "the lowdown" is an unpleasant truth. Tell us about a time when you had to do like Boz and give someone "the lowdown."
A. I had to tell my editor I couldn't write for him anymore due to health reasons.
2) The lowdown Boz delivers is about the woman his friend is seeing. Specifically, she's gossiping about his finances. If you discovered something negative about a friend's romantic partner, would you share it with your friend? Or would you keep it to yourself?
A. I would keep it to myself, most likely. It would depend a bit on what it was. I learned a long time ago that people don't really want to hear that sort of thing.
3) Boz was born William Royce Scaggs, but in high school he was given the nickname "Bosley" -- later shortened to "Boz." His friends thought "Bosley" sounded nerdier than "Bill," and Scaggs was quite the music nerd. What is something you're nerdy about?
A. Video games.
4) His son Austin Scaggs is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. What magazines are in the room you're in right now?
A. AARP, O!, Reader's Digest and my college alumna magazine.
5) Boz and his wife own a vineyard in Napa. Do you prefer white or red wine?
A. I don't drink.
6) In 1976, the year this song was popular, movie queen Elizabeth Taylor needed an escort to one of the nation's Bicentennial celebrations. Former Under Secretary of the Navy John Warner was asked to take her to the event, and within months he became her husband. Have you ever had a "blind date" that turned into a relationship?
A. No.
7) Also in 1976, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple in Jobs' parents' garage. Does your garage serve as your office, workshop or studio? Or is it just home to your car?
A. It holds the car and some of my husband's "man stuff."
8) The Bionic Woman premiered in 1976. Because of her "bionic parts," Jaimie Summers could run faster than most cars, had superhuman strength, and super-sensitive hearing. If you could have one of those qualities enhanced -- speed, strength or hearing -- which would you choose?
A. Strength. I'm pretty puny as it is. I loved the Bionic Woman.
9) Random question: When you lean in for a kiss, do you tilt your head to the right or to the left?
A. Right.
_____________
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. (#230)
Interesting
One of the words I tend to use too much is "interesting."
That describes pretty much everything. It describes something you're telling me that I think is interesting or intriguing. It also is what I say when I think someone is telling me something that reveals stupidity. It is my non-committal response to anything I don't particularly want to give an opinion on.
Of course, if you want me to be less serious, there is my general response to potatoes.
"'Taters? What's 'taters, precious? Eh? What's 'taters?"
"You know, po-ta-toes. Boil 'em smash 'em stick 'em in a stew."
Those are lines only Lord of the Rings fans will get.
__________________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 28 done! (The prompt was: Word or phrase you use constantly.)
That describes pretty much everything. It describes something you're telling me that I think is interesting or intriguing. It also is what I say when I think someone is telling me something that reveals stupidity. It is my non-committal response to anything I don't particularly want to give an opinion on.
Of course, if you want me to be less serious, there is my general response to potatoes.
"'Taters? What's 'taters, precious? Eh? What's 'taters?"
"You know, po-ta-toes. Boil 'em smash 'em stick 'em in a stew."
Those are lines only Lord of the Rings fans will get.
__________________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 28 done! (The prompt was: Word or phrase you use constantly.)
Friday, April 27, 2018
These Clothes I Wear
Today is a sick day, and I have on sweats and a T-shirt.
No makeup, either.
This isn't much different from how I dress anyway when I am home, except I usually put on makeup. I didn't see the point of it this morning since I have a blinkin' beak (i.e., a very red nose) from all the sinus drainage. Plus my eyes are watery and weak. No amount of makeup is going to help that.
When I go outside of the house, I wear nice clothes - almost always pants - and a nice shirt of some kind. My problem is shoes; aside from my tennis shoes, I have no other pair that my custom orthotics fit in. This makes it rather hard to dress up, but sometimes I make do with black sneakers.
I have never been much into fashion. I consider this a personal failing, but at my age, I'm too old to care anymore.
__________________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 27 done! (The prompt was: What you wore today.)
No makeup, either.
This isn't much different from how I dress anyway when I am home, except I usually put on makeup. I didn't see the point of it this morning since I have a blinkin' beak (i.e., a very red nose) from all the sinus drainage. Plus my eyes are watery and weak. No amount of makeup is going to help that.
When I go outside of the house, I wear nice clothes - almost always pants - and a nice shirt of some kind. My problem is shoes; aside from my tennis shoes, I have no other pair that my custom orthotics fit in. This makes it rather hard to dress up, but sometimes I make do with black sneakers.
I have never been much into fashion. I consider this a personal failing, but at my age, I'm too old to care anymore.
__________________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 27 done! (The prompt was: What you wore today.)
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Otis Media and Sinusitis
A few days of sniffling quickly turned into something major Tuesday night.
I thought I was fine. Pollen's in the air, and I have allergies. Considering that, I seemed to be doing well.
Tuesday evening, though, I developed a severe sore throat, seemingly within moments of being fine.
When I woke up Wednesday morning, I was in full-blown sinus and ear infection mode. I rose at my usual 6:15 a.m. and by 7:30 a.m. I was watching the clock so I could call the doctor as I felt worse every minute.
Fortunately my doctor had a 10:15 opening, and in I went. It was a different sort of doctor visit. I expected to be waiting a long time, as is often the case when I get a sick visit. But I'd only been waiting about 25 minutes when my doctor herself opened the door to the waiting room and said, "Anita, get on back here. I want to see you now."
Surprised, I followed her into the back and she pointed me toward the far room. "I want to see you in there," she said.
No weighing, no vitals, no temperature-taking.
She's seen me frequently for similar issues, enough so that she went straight to my left ear. "Raging infection there," she said, moving to the right ear. "Not infected yet but retracted and heading that way."
She shone her light down my throat, felt my glands in my neck. "Oh boy. Yeah. You need an antibiotic."
It was short and sweet, and I was out of there quickly. It felt like an old-fashioned quick visit with a friend who knows me all too well. All business but I had what I needed and she had one person off her list.
Apparently those early warning symptoms I'd been chalking up to allergies was really an infection brewing in my head.
So today is a rest day while I hope the antibiotics kick in as quickly as the infection seemed to.
I thought I was fine. Pollen's in the air, and I have allergies. Considering that, I seemed to be doing well.
Tuesday evening, though, I developed a severe sore throat, seemingly within moments of being fine.
When I woke up Wednesday morning, I was in full-blown sinus and ear infection mode. I rose at my usual 6:15 a.m. and by 7:30 a.m. I was watching the clock so I could call the doctor as I felt worse every minute.
Fortunately my doctor had a 10:15 opening, and in I went. It was a different sort of doctor visit. I expected to be waiting a long time, as is often the case when I get a sick visit. But I'd only been waiting about 25 minutes when my doctor herself opened the door to the waiting room and said, "Anita, get on back here. I want to see you now."
Surprised, I followed her into the back and she pointed me toward the far room. "I want to see you in there," she said.
No weighing, no vitals, no temperature-taking.
She's seen me frequently for similar issues, enough so that she went straight to my left ear. "Raging infection there," she said, moving to the right ear. "Not infected yet but retracted and heading that way."
She shone her light down my throat, felt my glands in my neck. "Oh boy. Yeah. You need an antibiotic."
It was short and sweet, and I was out of there quickly. It felt like an old-fashioned quick visit with a friend who knows me all too well. All business but I had what I needed and she had one person off her list.
Apparently those early warning symptoms I'd been chalking up to allergies was really an infection brewing in my head.
So today is a rest day while I hope the antibiotics kick in as quickly as the infection seemed to.
Thursday Thirteen
1. Ex-pert
2. Ex-perience
3. Ex-patriot
4. Ex-treme
5. Ex-pire
6. Ex-tort
7. Ex-plore
8. Ex-ample
9. Ex-ecution
10. Ex-act
11. Ex-change
12. Ex-cellent
13. Ex-clusive
______________
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 549th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Also linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 26 done! (The prompt was: Things you'd say to an ex.)
2. Ex-perience
3. Ex-patriot
4. Ex-treme
5. Ex-pire
6. Ex-tort
7. Ex-plore
8. Ex-ample
9. Ex-ecution
10. Ex-act
11. Ex-change
12. Ex-cellent
13. Ex-clusive
______________
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 549th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Also linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 26 done! (The prompt was: Things you'd say to an ex.)
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Weird Me
Four weird traits you have . . .
1. I like to be alone.
2. I have trouble recognizing people I'm supposed to know.
3. I almost always have to return home after I've made it down the driveway to ensure that I've unplugged the curling iron.
4. I see faces in things like curtains, linoleum, etc.
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 25 done!
1. I like to be alone.
2. I have trouble recognizing people I'm supposed to know.
3. I almost always have to return home after I've made it down the driveway to ensure that I've unplugged the curling iron.
4. I see faces in things like curtains, linoleum, etc.
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 25 done!
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Something I Miss
A long time ago, when I was in college obtaining my bachelors degree, students talked to one another. I miss that. (When I finished up my masters degree in 2012, I had found, to my dismay, that the older students did not spend time with one another during breaks or in between classes. Instead, they went to their smart phones, off in some corner.)
I miss learning the old-fashioned way, with pen in hand, eyes and ears rapt with attention as a professor either entertained or droned on, depending on topic and personality. (I've recently been trying to learn new things via streaming videos. It's not the same.)
Atmosphere in an education of learning is breathtaking and inspiring. I miss that.
My professors brought out the best in me, making me think, feel, anticipate and argue. I miss that.
Professors gave me deadlines to do things. I miss that.
My classmates offered discussion on a variety of things, from the courses we were studying to new ideas about, well, anything. I miss that.
Learning never stops, and I hope I haven't stopped learning, but I do miss the environment of the college - the environment from the late 1980s and early 1990s, not the one in 2012.
****
Note: In the newspaper today, I read an obituary that I think belongs to my 7th grade English teacher, Mrs. Kiker. The obituary doesn't say if the person was a teacher, but I think this is the same person. I loved Mrs. Kiker. She was another one of those teachers who knew I would grow up to be a writer someday. She was encouraging and kind, and she left a big impression on an impressionable kid. **Update** My mother-in-law doesn't think this is the teacher.
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 24 done!
I miss learning the old-fashioned way, with pen in hand, eyes and ears rapt with attention as a professor either entertained or droned on, depending on topic and personality. (I've recently been trying to learn new things via streaming videos. It's not the same.)
Atmosphere in an education of learning is breathtaking and inspiring. I miss that.
My professors brought out the best in me, making me think, feel, anticipate and argue. I miss that.
Professors gave me deadlines to do things. I miss that.
My classmates offered discussion on a variety of things, from the courses we were studying to new ideas about, well, anything. I miss that.
Learning never stops, and I hope I haven't stopped learning, but I do miss the environment of the college - the environment from the late 1980s and early 1990s, not the one in 2012.
****
Note: In the newspaper today, I read an obituary that I think belongs to my 7th grade English teacher, Mrs. Kiker. The obituary doesn't say if the person was a teacher, but I think this is the same person. I loved Mrs. Kiker. She was another one of those teachers who knew I would grow up to be a writer someday. She was encouraging and kind, and she left a big impression on an impressionable kid. **Update** My mother-in-law doesn't think this is the teacher.
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 24 done!
Monday, April 23, 2018
The Ernest Pig Robertson Fishing Rodeo
One of the things my father did with my brother and me when we were children was to take us fishing.
Specifically, he would take us to the Ernest "Pig" Robertson Fishing Rodeo in Salem. The event is now in its 67th year.
I don't remember my mother being at these things, but I am sure she was there somewhere. Maybe she sat over in the grass preparing a picnic. All of the excitement centered around several hundred youngsters sticking fishing poles with bobbers on them into the water, hoping to catch a trout. I think the ponds were stocked the day before the event.
One year I won a prize of a bag of a potato chips because I caught a catfish.
My brother won a prize for catching a large trout one year. Somewhere I have seen a news clipping with his picture.
I learned to bait my hook and I learned to fish at this event, for the most part. I remember it as being very crowded. I have a very vivid memory of my father leaning over my brother to help him and saying, very loudly, that my brother's line was caught on some asshole's hook, and it turned out to belong to the child beside him. The kid's father glared at my dad, who said, "Sorry buddy," and turned his attention back to us. I don't know why I remember that.
As the eldest child I was expected to pretty much take care of myself while my father helped my brother fish. That was okay with me. I remember catching fish, so I must have figured it out.
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 23 done!
Specifically, he would take us to the Ernest "Pig" Robertson Fishing Rodeo in Salem. The event is now in its 67th year.
I don't remember my mother being at these things, but I am sure she was there somewhere. Maybe she sat over in the grass preparing a picnic. All of the excitement centered around several hundred youngsters sticking fishing poles with bobbers on them into the water, hoping to catch a trout. I think the ponds were stocked the day before the event.
One year I won a prize of a bag of a potato chips because I caught a catfish.
My brother won a prize for catching a large trout one year. Somewhere I have seen a news clipping with his picture.
I learned to bait my hook and I learned to fish at this event, for the most part. I remember it as being very crowded. I have a very vivid memory of my father leaning over my brother to help him and saying, very loudly, that my brother's line was caught on some asshole's hook, and it turned out to belong to the child beside him. The kid's father glared at my dad, who said, "Sorry buddy," and turned his attention back to us. I don't know why I remember that.
As the eldest child I was expected to pretty much take care of myself while my father helped my brother fish. That was okay with me. I remember catching fish, so I must have figured it out.
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 23 done!
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Sunday Stealing
Sunday Stealing
1. If you could eliminate a single type of insect in the world, which would it be?
A. I wouldn't eliminate any of them. They all serve some purpose, even if we aren't sure what it is yet.
2. If you could have personally witnessed one event in history, what would you want to have seen?
A. The invention of printing, which actually occurred in China in the 7th century or thereabouts.
3. If you had to paint your entire home inside and out a single color other than white, what would you pick?
A. Antique white.
4. If you could decide what will be written on your gravestone, what would you have inscribed?
A. She feared life, but still she tried.
5. If you could have a secret listening device in any one room in the world, what room would you put it in?
A. I just am not going to go there.
6. If you could have any music group that no longer exists play at your birthday party, who would you want?
A. Well, most of the groups I like have returned in some reincarnation of themselves. The Rolling Stones is still together, Fleetwood Mac is sort of still together, Heart is still together. So maybe Abba?
7. If you were to perform in the circus, what would you do?
A. Play the accordion with a monkey.
8. If you could master one type of cuisine, which one would you choose?
A. Something healthy. (If I knew what that was, I'd be eating it already.)
9. If you had to have one piece of music softly playing in your mind for the rest of your life, what would you want it to be?
A. Vincent (Starry Starry Night) by Don McLean.
10. If you could ensure one single personality trait in your children, what would you want it be?
A. Couldn't have children, not relevant to me.
11. If you could resolve any single dispute, anywhere in the world, what would you solve?
A. The Middle East. The whole thing is just one big dispute over who-knows-what.
12. If you could be a guest on any talk show, which would you like to be on?
A. Oprah, except she doesn't do that anymore. So maybe Ellen.
13. If you were to be a news correspondent posted to any foreign country, where would you like to go?
A. Norway. I don't think much happens in Norway.
14. If you could have been on the Supreme court for any single case in its history, which would you select?
A. Bush v. Gore
15. If you could pick one person from history to live next door to you, who would you pick?
A. My many-great grandmother, Mary Magdalene Etzler Painter. (She lived in the early 1800s and died in 1867.)
__________
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. If you could eliminate a single type of insect in the world, which would it be?
A. I wouldn't eliminate any of them. They all serve some purpose, even if we aren't sure what it is yet.
2. If you could have personally witnessed one event in history, what would you want to have seen?
A. The invention of printing, which actually occurred in China in the 7th century or thereabouts.
3. If you had to paint your entire home inside and out a single color other than white, what would you pick?
A. Antique white.
4. If you could decide what will be written on your gravestone, what would you have inscribed?
A. She feared life, but still she tried.
5. If you could have a secret listening device in any one room in the world, what room would you put it in?
A. I just am not going to go there.
6. If you could have any music group that no longer exists play at your birthday party, who would you want?
A. Well, most of the groups I like have returned in some reincarnation of themselves. The Rolling Stones is still together, Fleetwood Mac is sort of still together, Heart is still together. So maybe Abba?
7. If you were to perform in the circus, what would you do?
A. Play the accordion with a monkey.
8. If you could master one type of cuisine, which one would you choose?
A. Something healthy. (If I knew what that was, I'd be eating it already.)
9. If you had to have one piece of music softly playing in your mind for the rest of your life, what would you want it to be?
A. Vincent (Starry Starry Night) by Don McLean.
10. If you could ensure one single personality trait in your children, what would you want it be?
A. Couldn't have children, not relevant to me.
11. If you could resolve any single dispute, anywhere in the world, what would you solve?
A. The Middle East. The whole thing is just one big dispute over who-knows-what.
12. If you could be a guest on any talk show, which would you like to be on?
A. Oprah, except she doesn't do that anymore. So maybe Ellen.
13. If you were to be a news correspondent posted to any foreign country, where would you like to go?
A. Norway. I don't think much happens in Norway.
14. If you could have been on the Supreme court for any single case in its history, which would you select?
A. Bush v. Gore
15. If you could pick one person from history to live next door to you, who would you pick?
A. My many-great grandmother, Mary Magdalene Etzler Painter. (She lived in the early 1800s and died in 1867.)
__________
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.
My Morning Routine
I fall out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen
(not really, I get up and go to the bathroom, take a pill for my cramped stomach muscles, then put a heating pad on my belly for 20 minutes)
Pour myself a cup of ambition
(I only drink tea, so I start the tea kettle and take the rest of my medication)
Yawn and stretch and try to come to life.
(I go into my "office" and turn on the computer and read the news.)
I jump into the shower and the blood starts pumping.
(I do love a hot shower.)
Out on the street the traffic is jumping.
(Every now and then I hear a turkey gobble or a cow moo.)
For folks like me on the job, from 9 to 5.
(I just work at home.)
(The lyrics are from Dolly Parton's song, 9 to 5, if you don't recognize them.)
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 22 done!
(not really, I get up and go to the bathroom, take a pill for my cramped stomach muscles, then put a heating pad on my belly for 20 minutes)
Pour myself a cup of ambition
(I only drink tea, so I start the tea kettle and take the rest of my medication)
Yawn and stretch and try to come to life.
(I go into my "office" and turn on the computer and read the news.)
I jump into the shower and the blood starts pumping.
(I do love a hot shower.)
Out on the street the traffic is jumping.
(Every now and then I hear a turkey gobble or a cow moo.)
For folks like me on the job, from 9 to 5.
(I just work at home.)
(The lyrics are from Dolly Parton's song, 9 to 5, if you don't recognize them.)
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 22 done!
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Saturday 9: Love Don't Cost a Thing
Saturday 9: Love Don't Cost a Thing (2001)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) Love may not cost a thing, but everyday stuff does. What's the most recent thing you bought? How much did you spend?
A. I went to Walmart and spent $118 on various personal items, 2 pairs of jeans for my husband, a pair of cheap earphones for my cellphone, and some plant food.
2) This video begins with Jennifer Lopez on the phone, on a veranda with a view of the sea. What's the view from the room you're in right now?
A. I see the branches of a dying blue spruce, oak trees that are starting to leaf out, and the Allegheny Mountains, Tinker Mountain in particular (which could also be considered a Blue Ridge Mountain, but it depends on the geologist).
3) She sings that she doesn't want her lover's gifts or money, she just wants his attention. Let's change that a bit. Which would you prefer: a gift that was personally chosen but you know you'll never use, or cash?
A. That's a hard one. I try to gracefully and gratefully accept anything given to me.
4) She met her first husband, dancer Cris Judd, while working on this video. She met Ben Affleck, to whom she was once engaged, while working on a movie. Think of those you're closest to -- where did you meet them?
A. I met my husband at a football game, although we also rode the school bus together when I was in elementary school (he doesn't remember me). I met one of my close friends at a job, another at a volunteer organization, and two others when I wrote articles about them.
5) She and her current boyfriend, former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, are both workout fanatics. How often do you exercise?
A. I try to walk at least 5,000 steps every day along with 10 minutes of "moderate activity" according to my Fitbit. I generally get in more than 5,000 steps but I don't always make the moderate activity. Given my health issues, my doctors and my physical therapist think those are good goals for me.
6) Her high school nickname was "La Guitarra," because her curvy shape reminded her friends of a guitar. Share a high school memory about you and your friends.
A. One time several of us skipped school and went to see The Rose at the theater. The movie blew us away. We did not get caught, either.
7) JLo just completed filming her third season playing a police detective on NBC's Shades of Blue. Did you see anything memorable on TV this past week?
A. Not really, no.
8) Jennifer Lopez posts often on Facebook, and Twitter, and Instagram. Do you feel you spend too much time on social media, do you wish you posted more often, or do you try to avoid it altogether?
A. I don't wish I posted more often, nor do I avoid it. I'm more of a voyeur, reading others' posts and keeping up with news stories. But mostly I blog here on this blog if I have something to say, and that's a more limited audience.
9) Random question: You're at a yard sale and come upon an unusual little knicknack that would make the perfect gift for your best friend. The tag says $7. You think that's rather high for a castoff. Do you pay it? Do you pass on it? Or do you try to get the seller to lower the price?
A. I would ask if they'd take $5 for it and if not, I'd probably leave it. It would have to be something pretty special for me to buy to give away. I usually don't give my friends reused items.
_____________
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) Love may not cost a thing, but everyday stuff does. What's the most recent thing you bought? How much did you spend?
A. I went to Walmart and spent $118 on various personal items, 2 pairs of jeans for my husband, a pair of cheap earphones for my cellphone, and some plant food.
2) This video begins with Jennifer Lopez on the phone, on a veranda with a view of the sea. What's the view from the room you're in right now?
A. I see the branches of a dying blue spruce, oak trees that are starting to leaf out, and the Allegheny Mountains, Tinker Mountain in particular (which could also be considered a Blue Ridge Mountain, but it depends on the geologist).
3) She sings that she doesn't want her lover's gifts or money, she just wants his attention. Let's change that a bit. Which would you prefer: a gift that was personally chosen but you know you'll never use, or cash?
A. That's a hard one. I try to gracefully and gratefully accept anything given to me.
4) She met her first husband, dancer Cris Judd, while working on this video. She met Ben Affleck, to whom she was once engaged, while working on a movie. Think of those you're closest to -- where did you meet them?
A. I met my husband at a football game, although we also rode the school bus together when I was in elementary school (he doesn't remember me). I met one of my close friends at a job, another at a volunteer organization, and two others when I wrote articles about them.
5) She and her current boyfriend, former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, are both workout fanatics. How often do you exercise?
A. I try to walk at least 5,000 steps every day along with 10 minutes of "moderate activity" according to my Fitbit. I generally get in more than 5,000 steps but I don't always make the moderate activity. Given my health issues, my doctors and my physical therapist think those are good goals for me.
6) Her high school nickname was "La Guitarra," because her curvy shape reminded her friends of a guitar. Share a high school memory about you and your friends.
A. One time several of us skipped school and went to see The Rose at the theater. The movie blew us away. We did not get caught, either.
7) JLo just completed filming her third season playing a police detective on NBC's Shades of Blue. Did you see anything memorable on TV this past week?
A. Not really, no.
8) Jennifer Lopez posts often on Facebook, and Twitter, and Instagram. Do you feel you spend too much time on social media, do you wish you posted more often, or do you try to avoid it altogether?
A. I don't wish I posted more often, nor do I avoid it. I'm more of a voyeur, reading others' posts and keeping up with news stories. But mostly I blog here on this blog if I have something to say, and that's a more limited audience.
9) Random question: You're at a yard sale and come upon an unusual little knicknack that would make the perfect gift for your best friend. The tag says $7. You think that's rather high for a castoff. Do you pay it? Do you pass on it? Or do you try to get the seller to lower the price?
A. I would ask if they'd take $5 for it and if not, I'd probably leave it. It would have to be something pretty special for me to buy to give away. I usually don't give my friends reused items.
_____________
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.
Gemini
I am Gemini under the zodiac. Well, that's my sun sign. My moon sign is Sagittarius and my rising sign is Aries. But that's more than you want to know, I'm sure.
Here's a description of a Gemini person (from zodiac-signs-astrology.com)
Do I fit that? Not the physical part. Or the energy part. Actually I think I'll go back and bold the things I think might apply to me.
Like any of these astrology things, different "readers" think different things about the signs. However, the mixed sides of being born in the twin sign seems to apply to me. I can blow hot and cold within minutes of an event. Just ask my poor husband (who is also Gemini, as is my brother).
Many aspects of Gemini do fit me, but I am not a social butterfly. That part has never fit me, nor does it fit my husband. We are more homebodies and are content to sit around and enjoy each other's company.
It's a good sign to be born under. If you do something out of character, you can just say it was the other side of you. Ha.
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 21 done!
 |
| My astrological birth wheel from Tarot.com. Ain't it pretty? |
Gemini people are many sided, quick both in the mind and physically. They are brimming with energy and vitality, they are clever with words. They are intelligent and very adaptable to every situation and every person. Curious and always want to know what's going on in the world around them. They are not one to sit back and watch the world go by, they want to be involved. This can sometimes make them nosy, they do not mind their own business! This is because they really enjoy communicating, more so then most other astrology signs, they are the ultimate social butterfly. They can talk and talk, but they have interesting things to say, their talk is not mindless babble. They have interesting opinions and thoughts on things and are not afraid to speak their mind. They are always in the know and are the one to see for the latest juicy gossip.
Lacking perseverance, they easily goes off topic to explore another thought or idea. Often superficial, they will form opinions on matter without diving into them and exploring them fully. This can lead them into thinking they know everything, which they usually do but their mind is too busy to be concerned with fine details. Routine and boredom are their biggest fears. They would rather be naïve then know the depressing truth, they do not want anything putting a damper on their freedom or positive energy.
Do I fit that? Not the physical part. Or the energy part. Actually I think I'll go back and bold the things I think might apply to me.
Like any of these astrology things, different "readers" think different things about the signs. However, the mixed sides of being born in the twin sign seems to apply to me. I can blow hot and cold within minutes of an event. Just ask my poor husband (who is also Gemini, as is my brother).
Many aspects of Gemini do fit me, but I am not a social butterfly. That part has never fit me, nor does it fit my husband. We are more homebodies and are content to sit around and enjoy each other's company.
It's a good sign to be born under. If you do something out of character, you can just say it was the other side of you. Ha.
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 21 done!
Friday, April 20, 2018
Music Shuffle
Put your music player on shuffle and write the first three songs that play and what your initial thoughts are.
1. Talking to My Angel, by Melissa Etheridge
(Don't be afraid. Close your eyes. Lay it all down. Don't you cry. Can't you see I'm going where I can see the sun rise? I've been talking to my angel, and he said that it's alright.)
2. Into the Dark, by Melissa Etheridge
(There were stairs they were steep/I was falling falling deep/You were there you were small/
There was screaming down the hall/I've been here sleeping all these years/There comes a time we all know/There's a place that we must go/Into the soul into the heart/Into the dark.)
3. Home, by Sheryl Crow (The video for this song is incredible.)
(I woke up this morning/And now I understand/What it means to give your love/To just one man/
Afraid of feeling nothing/No bees or butterflies/My head is full of voices/And my house is full of lies/[Chorus] This is home, home/And this is home, home/This is home.)
My initial thought was this should be a pretty plain list, because I only have a couple of albums on my cellphone, and what I have are by only three artists - Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, and Fleetwood Mac.
Upon listening to the first two songs, I'm struck by how the lyrics of the songs reflect my life and how I feel about a lot of things. Into the soul, into the heart, into the dark - places we must go. Introspection and inner growth, something I think many people do not do enough of. So many people reach a certain point and simply stop thinking their own thoughts and instead parrot the news or their preacher or whomever. I value originality, but the world doesn't, does it? It doesn't seem to.
And then there's Sheryl Crow's Home, which is full of incredible longing and a song with a video that maybe Democrats should watch. They might understand why Mr. Trump won the 2016 election if they look closely. The video was made in 1996, I think. Not much has changed.
These are rather melancholy songs, full of longing and loneliness. These are the songs I listen to when I'm feeling sad and contemplative. They aren't dance tunes, they're thinking tunes.
I think I do a lot of thinking. Maybe even a little too much.
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 20 done!
1. Talking to My Angel, by Melissa Etheridge
(Don't be afraid. Close your eyes. Lay it all down. Don't you cry. Can't you see I'm going where I can see the sun rise? I've been talking to my angel, and he said that it's alright.)
2. Into the Dark, by Melissa Etheridge
(There were stairs they were steep/I was falling falling deep/You were there you were small/
There was screaming down the hall/I've been here sleeping all these years/There comes a time we all know/There's a place that we must go/Into the soul into the heart/Into the dark.)
3. Home, by Sheryl Crow (The video for this song is incredible.)
(I woke up this morning/And now I understand/What it means to give your love/To just one man/
Afraid of feeling nothing/No bees or butterflies/My head is full of voices/And my house is full of lies/[Chorus] This is home, home/And this is home, home/This is home.)
My initial thought was this should be a pretty plain list, because I only have a couple of albums on my cellphone, and what I have are by only three artists - Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, and Fleetwood Mac.
Upon listening to the first two songs, I'm struck by how the lyrics of the songs reflect my life and how I feel about a lot of things. Into the soul, into the heart, into the dark - places we must go. Introspection and inner growth, something I think many people do not do enough of. So many people reach a certain point and simply stop thinking their own thoughts and instead parrot the news or their preacher or whomever. I value originality, but the world doesn't, does it? It doesn't seem to.
And then there's Sheryl Crow's Home, which is full of incredible longing and a song with a video that maybe Democrats should watch. They might understand why Mr. Trump won the 2016 election if they look closely. The video was made in 1996, I think. Not much has changed.
These are rather melancholy songs, full of longing and loneliness. These are the songs I listen to when I'm feeling sad and contemplative. They aren't dance tunes, they're thinking tunes.
I think I do a lot of thinking. Maybe even a little too much.
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 20 done!
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Thursday Thirteen
The wolf that one hears is worse than the orc that one fears. - J.R.R. Tolkien
Things that I fear:
1. Growing old and losing my mind (losing myself).
2. Having a body that doesn't do what it needs to get around.
3. Being a burden to others.
4. Losing my husband.
5. Not fulfilling the prophecy I was born to fulfill (except I don't know the prophecy, so . . . )
6. Not having enough money in my dotage to live decently.
7. Being alone and living under a bridge.
8. Strangers in the night.
9. That I might actually be boring and uninteresting.
10. Being unable to die a good death.
11. Not being true to who I am in my spirit.
12. Snakes
13. Mean people.
______________
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 548th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Also linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 19 done!
Things that I fear:
1. Growing old and losing my mind (losing myself).
2. Having a body that doesn't do what it needs to get around.
3. Being a burden to others.
4. Losing my husband.
5. Not fulfilling the prophecy I was born to fulfill (except I don't know the prophecy, so . . . )
6. Not having enough money in my dotage to live decently.
7. Being alone and living under a bridge.
8. Strangers in the night.
9. That I might actually be boring and uninteresting.
10. Being unable to die a good death.
11. Not being true to who I am in my spirit.
12. Snakes
13. Mean people.
______________
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 548th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
Also linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 19 done!
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
My Favorite Color
My favorite color is blue. It has always been so. I find it calming. It reminds me of sky, water, my husband's eyes, and blue jeans. What would life be without blue jeans? Forever in blue jeans, babe.
I used the word "blue" in my very first online name. You find the word in many songs. It describes a depth of feeling that we are all familiar with, some more than others.
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 18 done!
I used the word "blue" in my very first online name. You find the word in many songs. It describes a depth of feeling that we are all familiar with, some more than others.
 |
| A bridge holder-upper (I don't know what it's called) against a brilliant blue sky. |
_____________
Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 18 done!
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