Thursday 13

Happy Fourth of July, America!

1. Despite our differences, whether that's political opinion, gender, race, or whatever - we're all in this together.

2. The country began with the audacious idea that all "men" are created equally. Thankfully, we have grown enough to realize that "men" includes both sexes (and sexes in between) and all races. A person is a person is a person.

3. Since the U.S. Constitution is malleable in that it can be changed via amendments, etc., I consider it a living document. It's not like the Christian Bible. No one is adding anything after Revelations. So let's get that Equal Rights Amendment for women in there!

4. July 4 is about food fights with your cousins, fireworks, friends and family. Those are good 4 Fs right there.

5. It's also about hot dogs, hamburgers, watermelon, and pie. Mmm. I love pie, especially if it's chocolate.

6. We are celebrating the Declaration of Independence today, which the nation's founders implemented nearly a year after we'd began shooting at British soldiers (The American Revolutionary War dates from 1775 - 1783). It's actually worth reading the thing in its entirety again, just to be sure history doesn't repeat itself. You can read it at this link. It might not say what you think it says, if you haven't reviewed it in a while.

7. It's also good to remember that we wouldn't have won with the assistance of France. We need national allies as much as we need friends, I don't care if we are the biggest bully on the block at the moment.

7. Unfortunately, I am still feeling the effects of strep throat and ear infections, so my celebrating will be limited today. My brother is having a big cook out and I don't feel well enough to go. I'm puny. Blah.

8. My husband slept late this morning, an unusual event for him. We are getting older, and we both are feeling our age. Listen to those bones creak! They're like firecrackers!

9. This will be a long holiday weekend for many people - be careful on the roads.

10. I wonder if I will see fireworks? The neighbors frequently put on a good show.

11. May we all find peace in the pop and crackle of the sky lights tonight.

Two pictures to finish it off:

___________________
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 611th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

The Hunger Games (2009)
Catching Fire (2010)
Mockingjay (2010)
By Suzanne Collins

I recently completed the audiobooks of this trilogy. I have not seen the movies.

These are dystopian books with a young heroine, Katniss Everdeen, who knows how to shoot a bow. In this world, the Capital (a crazy evil place - think Oz in orange and on steroids) holds The Hunger Games every year. Names are chosen from each of the 12 districts that surround the Capital, and a young man or woman must go to the games and fight for his or her life.

Katniss's sister, Prim, who is just of age to go, is chosen and Katniss takes her place instead. Katniss is about 15, I think, when she goes through her first Hunger Game.

Long story short, she and her fellow competitor from District 12 team up, which apparently is a first, and in an act of defiance vow to kill themselves rather than destroy one another. They both win the Hunger Games.

But the next year is the 75th year celebrating the Hunger Games, and the President, whose name is Snow (and his breath smells like blood), declares that former victors in the Hunger Games will return a second time to fight to the death. So Katniss and Petre (not sure of spelling since I listened and didn't read the book) go off to the games a second time.

Only this time the rebels have found the face of their cause: Katniss, whose mockingjay pin has become a symbol of the resistance of the strong arm of the Capital. The resistance intervenes and saves Katniss, but Petre is caught by the Capital and tortured.

Katniss is taken to District 13, an area the Capital has long proclaimed as a dead zone, but it has an entire world underground. Here the rebels have a stronghold and they set about to make Katniss the face of the rebellion. This means a lot of TV promos, but Katniss is having a difficult time with all that has gone on. She's killed people, people have died because of her, and District 12, where she lived, was blown up at the end of book 2. She's a bit distraught (you think?).

Anyway, she finally pulls it together and the rebels take each District, and then head for the Capital. Katniss is determined to kill President Snow. Along the way, though, she has begun to have misgivings about President Coin, the woman ruler of District 13, and her ability to lead. After the rebels take the Capital, killing Katniss's sister Prim in the process, Coin takes over and Snow is put on trial. Katniss had been promised she could kill Snow, but as she aims her bow at Snow, she suddenly turns and puts an arrow in the heart of Coin.

Months later, she's been found not guilty (although she didn't go to any trial, I guess they didn't do it that way), and she goes back to her house where she holes up. Petre finally reaches her and they marry and have children, who play on the meadow which is really a mass grave.

It was well written and an intriguing story. I found some of Robin Hood in there, somewhere, although the author says at the end of the audiobook that the story is based on Greek mythology. It was the kind of book I could listen to while I was driving or folding clothes.

And then I wondered if I were going to write a dystopian novel, what kind of world would I create, and I looked at the newspaper this morning. My only thought? The world we live in now. That's dystopia.

A Writer's Routine

It's not quite like that . . . but then again . . . maybe.

Swiped this from Writer Nation: Marketing Advice & Tips for Writers on Facebook.

Perfect Month (in Microsoft Solitaire)

I post this only because I've never managed it before. Actually I'd never tried - but each green square means I beat the five daily challenges of card games, ranging from easy to expert. Note at the bottom it says PERFECT. Yay me.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. A song that gives you goosebumps.

A. Longer, by Dan Folgerberg, because my brother sang it at my wedding.

2. A song you hated once but now love.

A. That's How I Got to Memphis.

3. Do you remember your first CD?

A. It was probably a Melissa Etheridge CD.

4. Has your music taste changed much since childhood?

A. My parents listened mostly to country songs; once I hit adolescence it was bye-bye country, hello pop and Adult Top 40, and that's still what I listen to. Mostly.

5. Favorite genre?

A. Adult Contemporary, 1970s.

6. What’s a genre or style of music that you just don’t understand?

A. I literally cannot understand most of the words in a rap song. I think my ears listen to slowly.

7. Do you have a process for listening to music, such as listening to the instruments more than words?

A. No, I take in the whole thing at once, usually, unless I am trying to learn to play it on the guitar. Then I usually learn the words and melody first, then the chords.

8. What’s your favorite thing about your favorite song?

A. I don't really have a favorite song.

9. Do you have a favorite decade for music?

A. The 1970s apparently, as that is the only decade I can do well in when I play Song Quiz on Alexa.

10. Can you play any instruments?

A. I play guitar. At one time I could play many instruments, but that was long ago.

11. Do you remember your first favorite song?

A. Not really, although as I child I really liked Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

12. What was the first concert you ever attended?

A. I think my parents took me to a Loretta Lynn concert, or something like that.

__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Ooh La La (2013)

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

1) "Ooh la la" is defined as an interjection said when you think someone or something is "surprising, unusual or attractive." Looking back over this week, did you come across anything that deserves an "ooh la la?"

A. I have a new great niece. She's three days old and beautiful and I would give her an "ooh la la."

2) In this song, Britney Spears sings that she's eager to accompany you, even if you're not a millionaire. But let's say you suddenly become really rich. What's the first leisure trip you would take with your new funds? Who would you bring along?

A. I would bring along a personal attendant to take care of all the details, for one thing, like hauling my suitcases and fetching cars and such. I would take along my husband, of course. Maybe my brother if he wants to go, and a couple of friends if they'd like to tag along. We would go to New Zealand.

3) Britney is eager to dance with you, even if you don't wear designer clothes. Let's say you need to add a blouse (or shirt) to your wardrobe. Where's your go-to for clothes shopping?

A. It used to be J.C. Penney. Now it's pretty much "wear whatever you can manage" because I have a hard time finding clothes that fit. I did manage to find some pants at Hamrick's about a month ago. Maybe I'll go back there.

4) The video begins with Britney at the movies with her two young sons. Will you be seeing any family members this weekend?

A. I was just diagnosed with an ear infection and probably strep throat, so aside from my husband, I suspect I will be keeping my own company.

5) This is a theme from the movie Smurfs 2. A Smurf is a little blue creature who lives in a mushroom-shaped house in the forest. Assuming that your home is not shaped like a mushroom and isn't in the forest, how would you describe your abode? (Mansion, ranch house, farm house, high-rise, igloo …)

A. It's a small L-shaped ranch house.

6) Britney admits to smoking and biting her nails. What bad habit do you wish you could break?

A. I bite my nails, too. That would be a good habit to break. I'd also like to have better eating habits.

7) In 2013, when this song was popular, Pope Benedict resigned. Thinking over your working life, have you been more nervous on your first day of a job, or the last one?

A. Usually the first one. You don't know anybody, and you're not sure what you're in for. By the time you roll around to the last day you're usually ready to leave anyway.

8) Also in 2013, golfer Phil Mickelson won the British Open. When did you most recently golf?

A. I guess I went to a putt-putt course at some point in the last 20 years.

9) Random question -- On what part of your body was the last itch you scratched?

A. Boy, that could be a loaded question. Ha. But in my case it was my leg. I have a funky growth on my shin that I'm going to see about in a few weeks. Sometimes it itches.

___________

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.

The Homogenization of America

Back in 1970, my little county celebrated it's 200th birthday. It precedes the creation of the United States, you see, and is quite old. At one time it was the wild west.

The folks who celebrated back then put out a little magazine about the county's birthday. It was supported by ads. Loads of them in the back, all looking the same. Big black letters in a box, with the name of the business.

Local businesses. About 100 of them.

Today, we are working on a magazine to celebrate the county's 250th birthday next year. And the ad sales?

Well, McDonalds, Walmart, Cracker Barrel, Applebee's, etc. don't want to support the locality in which they have a business. Neither do the hotel chains, or anything corporate with a headquarters elsewhere. Or the big supermarkets. No local marketing budgets, no little coffer of coins with which to support any local endeavors.

No reason to support their county.

Nope. These companies do not give back to the communities. They don't support little league teams, or offer up door prizes for school functions, or do any of that stuff, at least, not on a regular basis. Walmart used to give money to the schools some years ago but I think that stopped.

Profits have to go to the stockholders, after all.

I find this a very distressing and sad state of affairs.

I'm guilty, though, because while I do shop locally when I can I also don't hesitate to go into the supermarket or buy off of Amazon.

However, there is no reason other than greed for large corporations not to have small marketing monies available to franchises or stores all over the nation. Why can't the big hotel chain at Exit 150 support local things?
 

Thursday Thirteen #610

1. Good news! I'm a great aunt! No more information because I don't have permission from the parents to say anything or show photos, so I shall not, but it is exciting to have a new baby in the family. We've not had a wee one for a long time.

2. Other good news: I've been asked to give a poetry reading later in the summer at the local library. Publish one poem and suddenly you're a poet, I guess. Or maybe I've always been a poet, just unpublished.

3. My mother's birthday was last Thursday. She would have been 75 years old, but she passed away at the age of 56. Now that I have turned 56, that does not seem old at all. I was in my 30s when she died. She has been gone for 19 years, which is about as long as I lived with her before I married. There is no way to understand what someone else is suffering or going through, really. I tried but I was young, and even now, I can't know what she felt or thought.

4. Tomorrow will be the anniversary of my grandmother's death in 2007. She was 87 when she passed away. She outlived her daughter by seven years. My mother was her eldest child. I wonder what it felt like to lose a daughter like that.

5. This magazine project for the county is hanging over my head like a sword of Damocles. I feel like I have a grasp on what I want, but the process of getting there is like having paper cuts and hang nails. Sheesh.

6. In spite of the many balls I seem to be juggling in the air lately (far too many for me), I'm finding time to listen to books. I don't seem to have time to actually read them but I enjoy listening to stories whilst folding laundry or something.

7. Almost every day I dance to Uptown Funk. It is the quickest way to put a few "moderate activity" steps on my Fitbit. It's also fun. My Fitbit says I've walked 2,000 miles now since I bought it. Given the state of my health, this is good. I mean, it should probably be double that but I'll take the 2,000. I started using Fitbit on May 1, 2017. So two years for 2,000 miles. That works out to about 2.7 miles a day, or an average of around 6,500 steps. Not quite the 10,000 goal but my doctor seems ok with the effort.

8. A friend told me the deer were eating her flowers. It's a doe with a fawn so she is not taking drastic measures to stop the flower carnage, but I have noticed that some of these mother deer do like to eat odd things. Like my rose bushes. They have thorns. How do you eat thorns?

9. Speaking of deer, two just ran down the hill outside my window, moving lickety-split like something was chasing them, only I see nothing behind them. Maybe something over the hill spooked them. Last night while we were eating dinner, a gaggle of turkeys sauntered across the back yard. They were all toms. I think the mating season is over.

10. Sometimes when I see the animals looking in the windows (which they do, I have pictures), I feel like I'm the one in the zoo cage, and they're looking in on me. The introvert in her habitat, being spied on by curious deer, nosy bears, and noisy turkeys.

11. My friend gave me a Supergirl poster for my birthday. I am such a nerd. I have a Supergirl poster, a Lord of the Rings calendar, a picture of Gandolf, and a small collection of dolls that includes Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Arya Stark, and Xena: Warrior Princess in my office. (I don't play with them, they're still in their packages.) My brother tells me I was a nerd before it was fashionable to be a nerd.

12. I would like to make a video with dolls or clay or something, just to see if I can do it. I'll stick that on the bucket list for when I have time.

13. I also have a kitty cat that sings "Soft Kitty" to me when I push its paw. A friend gave me that, too. I think that goes with the nerd thing.

___________________
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 610th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Marks on My Guitar

Recently I heard a new Melissa Etheridge song called Suede, and on first (or second or third) listen I thought, I like that song.

You can hear it here at this link, if you're interested.

I like many of her songs, and even play a few of them on my guitar (which isn't marked. At least not much.). I own most of her early albums but I haven't bought a new one in quite a while.

I downloaded a version with the lyrics off of a guitar music site, which has it in Em (not sure that's quite accurate, but it sort of works).

I listened to it again and played it through with the song. I like the melody, but I don't like the words. I'm not even sure what this song is about, to be honest. Falling into suede? What does that mean? Going back to the 1960s? Is that when suede was popular?

The only words I like are these: the marks on my guitar.

And that's not enough to make a good song. It does pique my interest in writing a poem about MY guitar, though. Or maybe instead I could write about music, and what it means to me. How I like to feel the strings beneath my fingers, the quiver of the string, play with the sounds. How I like to sing when I'm angry, or sad, or happy.

I haven't written said poem but I am thinking on it. I would like it to be a form poem - I like to try those - something like a villanelle or a sonnet or even a sestina, although I'm not sure about that as sestinas are rather long (they have 39 lines). I've only written one sestina in my lifetime and it was about roses, so I suppose one could get 39 lines out of music.

Or maybe I would simply write free verse, a love letter to the sounds that have been mine since I was 11 years old and first started learning to play.

It could be that this is all I write, this little blog post, which talks about five words in a song that I thought I liked but upon reflection I find I do not. It's not a bad song but other than those few words I don't find myself feeling much about it.

At any rate, I think I shall go make a little music. It's been a long morning.

The Runaway

When I was a news reporter, one of my favorite questions to ask people was, "How did you end up here?"
 
I ask this because "here" is not exactly on the beaten path. It's not a mega commerce center, and just the other day there was an article in the paper about how young people are moving away and officials are looking for ways to stop what they called the "brain drain." Lots of outdoor activities might be a major draw, and we do have some industry, but nothing exceptional, really.
 
So I always want to know how people come to be here. Many retire here - we do have an older population - because the cost of living is so different from other areas, particularly up north. Some people have left and returned. Some love the mountains, some love the beauty of the area, some like the people.
 
Recently when I asked that question, I received an answer I'd not heard before.
 
The woman said she was here because she had run away from a domestic violence situation, and this area was a place she thought no one would look.
 
She said this so matter-of-factly that I was somewhat taken aback. This would be a good place to hide out, if you think about it. People generally mind their own business even if we do have that small-town mentality where everyone knows your business anyway. Of course they really don't know your business, they just think they do. Gossip is always entertaining.
 
I was also struck by this woman's acceptance of her situation, the easy way it rolled off her tongue. "Domestic violence," kind of like I'd say, "pass the ketchup, please." It has been many years since she left her bad situation, and I presume her acceptance of it means she's put it in her past and intends to leave it there.
 
Good for her. Good for her for being able to talk about it. And good for this area, for being a haven for, well, anybody. I like the idea of my community as a sanctuary, a place for folks to come when times elsewhere are bad.
 
Domestic violence is not something we discuss much. I don't hear whispers of "so-and-so hits his wife" - we simply don't talk about it. I know it goes on, though. And I suspect we should be talking about it as bravely as the woman I recently met.
 
This following information is from the Virginia Department of Social Services. They have many other .pdfs and other information available about this topic at the link.
 
Domestic violence (also called family violence) is a pattern of behavior and a method of control. One person dominates other household members by physical violence and/or psychological abuse.
 

• If you can answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you may be in an abusive relationship which would qualify as "Domestic Violence." Does your partner:
• •Hit? Slap? Choke? Kick? Bite? Push? Use, or threaten to use, a weapon? Prevent you from leaving?
• •Call you degrading names? Threaten to harm you or your family? Torture your pet? Destroy your property?
• •Keep you from seeing your friends or family? Prohibit you from using a vehicle?
• •Force you to engage in sexual acts against your will?
• •Discourage or forbid you to work? Withhold the family's financial information from you?
• •Control all the family finances and accounts?
• •Fail to provide care or medical treatment that results in injury or damages your health and safety?

 
The National Domestic Violence hotline offers up these rather scary statistics:
 

• On average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States — more than 12 million women and men over the course of a year.
• Nearly 3 in 10 women (29%) and 1 in 10 men (10%) in the US have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by a partner and report a related impact on their functioning.
• Nearly, 15% of women (14.8%) and 4% of men have been injured as a result of rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
• 1 in 4 women (24.3%) and 1 in 7 men (13.8%) aged 18 and older in the United States have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

 
 
Just something to think about while you go through your day.

 

  

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing


1. Are you a happy person?

A. I'm a strong, resilient, thoughtful, smart, kind, caring, and decent person, but "happy" is not generally an adjective I use to describe myself.

2. What is happiness for you?

A. Being safe, secure, and untroubled.

3. What do you think is the color of happiness?

A. Blue. Or maybe purple. I suspect it is different for everyone.

4. Can money buy happiness?

A. It can buy health care.

5. Is happiness a state of mind?

A. To some degree. I think it is also influenced by environment, diet, the echo chamber of the mass media, and chemical make up.

6. What are three things that make you happy?

A. Holding my husband's hand, reading a book, writing a good article.
 
7. Does having a pet make you happy?

A. I don't have a pet. I enjoyed having pets when I had them but they are not essential to me.

8. When was the happiest time of your childhood?

A. I was happiest when I was in school. I loved school.

9. Can you be happy if you are rich?

A. Yes, of course you can.

10. Do you think happiness lies within you or does it depend on other people and external things?

A. I think it's a combination of things. See above. Questions are a bit redundant, eh?

11. Are single people happy?

A. Yes, of course they can be.

12. What is the effect that animals/pets have on people to make them feel happy?

A. I understand petting an animal can make people feel calmer.

13.  Can you be happy if you are poor?

A. Yes.

14. What is there to be happy about in today’s world?

A. The sunshine, the sky, the flowers, the fact that you're alive and not dead, the squirrel on the fence post outside my window, the fact that I have a friend coming over for lunch.

15. How happy are you compared with your friends?

A. I think most of my friends are happier than I am, or least, they don't tend to brood as much as I do. But some of my issues come from medication I take, so it's an outside influence.

__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Venus in Blue Jeans

Saturday 9: Venus in Blue Jeans (1962)

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

1) Like the dream girl described in this song, Sam is wearing jeans as she composes this Saturday 9. Is there a lot of denim in your wardrobe?

A. There is some, yes. And I have on a pair of blue jeans right now. Not Gloria Vanderbilt's, though. I never could wear those.

2) Jimmy Clanton likens this girl to the Venus de Milo, the ancient Greek sculpture made of marble and now on display at the Louvre. Is there any marble in your home?

A. I don't think so.

3) He refers to his girl as "Mona Lisa with a pony tail." The Mona Lisa is also at the Louvre. What's the last museum you visited?

A. The local museum of history.

4) This girl is so awesome, she's the 8th Wonder of the World! Without looking it up, could you name the other 7?

A. Nope. Natural Bridge here in Virginia used to proclaim it was one of the Wonders of the World but I don't think it is. I would guess they are the pyramids, the Coliseum in Athens, the Sistine Chapel, Stonehenge, the Grand Canyon, and . . . I don't know what else. Now let me go look it up.

I didn't do very well. Of course I also discovered there is an old list and a new list, so who knows, really.

5) Jimmy Clanton spent his entire professional life behind a microphone. After he quit selling records, he began spinning them as a DJ. Do you consider the sound of your voice one of your better qualities?

A. No. I can sing ok but not as well as I once did, and I have a good southern twang when I speak.

6) At age 80, Mr. Clanton still performs. He averaged an appearance/month in 2018. Some of his fans were surprised that he has let his pompadour go completely white. Do you color your hair?

A. I do not. It's salt-and-pepper, although every time I have it cut it appears my hair is more gray when the hairdresser is finished.

7) In 1962, when this song was popular, Americans were reading about 5-year-old First Daughter, Caroline Kennedy, and her pony, Macaroni. Tell us about a pet you had when you were very young.

A. We had two Dalmatian dogs, Prince and Princess. I think they were both run over by the milk truck.

8) Decades later, Caroline Kennedy was the first woman to serve as US Ambassador to Japan. Have you ever been to Asia?

A. No.

9) Random question: When talking among themselves, who do you think is more open and honest about sex -- men or women?

A. Women.

___________

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.  (#290)

Thursday Thirteen

Here's a list of 13 instruments I have played or tried to play. The guitar is the one I am most successful at, but I do not consider myself a virtuoso or anything. Just a decent rhythm player.

1. Guitar

2. Steel guitar

3. Bass guitar

4. Flute

5. Piccolo

6. Recorder

7. Harmonica

8. Piano

9. Organ

10. Accordion

11. Violin

12. Saxophone

13. Ukulele/guitalele

I could also add clarinet and dulcimer to this list.

How many instruments do you play?

___________________
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 609th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Impulse Purchase

I do not often purchase on impulse or whim, but Saturday I did.

A neighbor was having a yard sale. She posted it on Facebook. Front and center was a picture of a violin.

Now I once played the violin, a very long time ago, and not very well, if I remember, but well enough for say, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or some such. She only wanted $10 for the entire thing - violin, case, etc.

I hopped in my car and went and bought it.

There was, of course, a reason it was $10. The neighbor said she never learned to play and it was taking up space. I briefly examined the instrument - it was missing a string and the bow had loads of broken hairs on it - but I paid her the $10 and brought it home.

The strings are for my guitalele, not a violin, but I think I'll put an old string on the violin when I change the strings.

The first thing I noticed was that the case smells like animal. There is a reason I seldom purchase things at yard sales; everyone has a pet. The case is not a hard shell case, so I can't wipe it off. It's Carhart-type material and I'm not sure how I could clean it to get the pet smell out. I left it out in the garage and brought the violin in the house.

I reasoned that even if it was not playable (which, it turns out, it likely isn't), I could hang it on the wall. I have a space that needs to be filled.

The violin is not old; it was made in China; the bridge is loose and that's not a good thing, and it has a fretboard. Violins - good violins - don't have fretboards.

So basically I bought something to hang on the wall, not something to play, but maybe one of these days I will find a decent violin and learn to play it. This is a full-sized violin, and I would probably prefer a smaller one (they do make them littler).

Sometimes common sense does not prevail. I have thought about sending the thing off to Goodwill (and I suppose that is where the case will end up) but why not use it as décor? It will look pretty on the wall. I already have two dulcimers hanging up.

Books and musical instruments. Two things I can't seem to say no to. Something in my genes, I guess.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

For some reason I couldn't get the Sunday Stealing page to come up, but I finally used a different browser and made it work. Weird.

WHAT WAS YOUR:

    Last beverage: Water

    Last phone call: Called my father and wished him happy Father's Day.
    Last text message: my daily check on my friend Leslie.
    Last song you listened to: Beast of Burden, by The Rolling Stones
    Last time you cried: I don't know, it's been a while. I've whimpered a lot recently.


HAVE YOU EVER:

    Been cheated on: Not that I'm aware of. 
    Kissed someone & regretted it: Yes.
    Lost someone special: Of course.
    Been depressed: Yes.
    Drunk hard liquor: Yes.
    Lost glasses/contacts: No. I wear glasses and once wore contacts, but I have dry eyes and the contacts because a problem.


RANDOM:

    Last time you saw your mother: August 23, 2000. She died that night, on August 24, but I wasn't with her when she passed away.

    Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yes.
    Most visited Webpages: The New York Times, Facebook, my blog, The Guardian (UK newspaper, if you don't know), Elvenar (video game).
    Will you be celebrating Fathers day? I called my father and I sent him a card. He is under the weather so I won't visit him today. He has some kind of upper respiratory thing.
    When did you first realize you were an adult? Wait, I'm an adult? Ha! Probably when I became engaged and then married four months later.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them

Saturday 9: I Learned From You

Saturday 9: I Learned from You (2007)

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

1) This song is a duet by the father/daughter team, Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus. Is your family musically inclined?

A. Yes. My mother could sing and my father sings and plays the guitar. He still has a band that he takes around to nursing homes and churches. My brother has a good voice and played saxophone when he was in school; I rather doubt he can play now. Once upon a time I could play pretty much any instrument I picked up but I settled on guitar. I don't sing as well as my brother but I can carry a tune.

2) This song is about life lessons. Who has been a major influence on your life?

A. Nancy Drew.

3) Miley's given name is "Destiny." Her nickname as a baby was "Smiley," which is where Miley came from. What's something that can always be depended upon to make you smile?

A. A piece of chocolate.

4) Miley's father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, has 5 children in addition to Miley (6 in all). Are you the oldest, the middle or the youngest sibling? Or are you an only child?

A. I am the oldest of two children.

5) Sam's own father often traveled for business, and always remembered to bring her the little complimentary soaps, shampoos or body lotion he gotfrom the hotel. Tell us about an inexpensive but treasured souvenir from a trip you've taken.

A. I have a little bell from Toledo, Spain that I brought back for my mother.

6) Back when Sam was in high school, it was her father who gave her driving lessons. Are you patient when teaching someone something new?

A. It depends on the pupil. I thought I did a good job when I taught a few courses at the community college, but I can't teach my husband much of anything.

7) Sam's father is easy to buy for: every year he wants a new pair of loafers, so every year for Father's Day she gives him a DSW gift card. Is there anyone on your gift list that you find it easy to buy for?

A. The kids all just want gift cards or money, and they've almost all reached the age where I no longer buy them anything, actually. My aunts and uncles stopped giving me gifts when I graduated high school, with one exception. However I have given gifts until they left college.

8) For family barbecues, Sam's dad dons his "Kiss the Chef" apron and mansthe Weber. What's the last thing you cooked on the grill?

A. A few years ago a bird nested in our grill and I refused to use it and it went to the dump. We never replaced it. My stepmother fixed hot dogs on the grill over Memorial Day so I guess that was the last thing I had.

9) Sam's father satisfies his afternoon sugar craving with an almost endless stream of Butter Rum Lifesavers. When you crave a snack, do you usually reach for something sweet or salty?

A. Sweet. Then it all goes into my big fat butt.

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

Sunset, June 1, 2019

I don't remember taking this shot; I found it on my camera the other day when I was pulling photos off the SD card. The date on it was June 1. Not a bad photo, though. I took it with a Nikon Coolpix B700.

Thursday Thirteen

1. Right now I'm feeling pretty tired 'cause the world's gone crazy. Right now, I wish I could sit still, even be lazy. Right now, I'm thinking that I'm channeling Shania Twain - am I insane?

2. But really right now, I'm fretting over politics, wondering if the world's gone nutty. And right now I'm thinking that it's all junk, we're being ruled over by suited-up jerk-punks. And right now, I'm betting that climate change is real - can't you feel it? Could we take a key back 200 years, turn a lock so some things are clear? Could we open up a space for a different door?

3. Right now I do not admire any living person in the political arena. Right now, I want a woman for president because it's about damn time the men stood aside because they've ruined everything.

4. Right now my idea of happiness is to forget the world and get lost in some other space - like a good book or a video game or even a TV show. Did anyone watch Gentleman Jack on HBO? If you didn't I highly recommend it.

5. I'm thinking I was happy when I wasn't paying attention, and I think that's why all the folks who don't read the news aren't renewing their subscriptions. The less you know the happier you'll feel - but ignorance really isn't the bliss that lack of knowledge whispers in your ear. Instead its a sickness - worldwide it is now - and the idiots are in the lead.

6. I was asked recently when I was the happiest, and I would have to say, "I think right now," because even though I have health issues and other concerns, in many ways I'm freer than I ever have been.

7. Someone said to me too that my greatest love must be my writing, but no, that's my second greatest love, for my husband is my first. He has always been first, since our second date. But writing is pretty close. Writing keeps me going even when I'm not doing it well (and I suspect this Thursday 13 falls short of being a good one) or love number one isn't around.

8. Which leads me to journeys. Not really, but that's what's next - journeys. The everyday journey I take of simply getting up and out of bed, doing my chores, working on words, taking photographs, kissing my husband (sometimes in that order if he comes home late from work), the stuff of life, the journey through my house from bedroom to garage. Sometimes there are journeys to the grocery store or the library or Walmart. Occasionally there are internal journeys in my mind where my daydreams go to strange places, or the nightmares that plague me still, even now when I'm past middle-aged and shouldn't be having them - those journeys are hard and full of sweat, and I never even leave the bed.

9. I am not an extravagant person, but Tuesday night on PBS I saw Marty Robbins and Bobbi Gentry playing a small guitar. Research revealed it was probably a Martin 5-18, a guitar they no longer make, and which I find on ebay for the small price of $3,700. I would not want a used one, though, because it would likely smell musty, so I won't get one (not that I could afford it anyway), but it is a lovely little guitar. I will instead simply caress my little Taylor, and play a singular tune that means nothing to no one but me, something I made up a very long time ago. I call it "The Meadow" and it sounds better on an electric guitar but it's not too bad on the Taylor.

10. Sometimes fear stops me dead in the middle of the driveway. I'm a little OCD so I think, halfway down the hill, that I left the curling iron on, or the water running, or I forgot to close the garage door, so I turned around and drive back up the hill, and 999 out of 1,000 times the thing I fear has not happened, the house hasn't burned down because I left the curling iron on, because I didn't leave it on in the first place, nor is there a bear wandering around in the garage because I actually did close the garage door. But you never know.

11. My great-niece is due to be born soon. I'm excited for her and my nephew. But not having a child of my own is my greatest regret so my anticipation is tinged with a bit of sadness. I regret that even more than not writing a book - because I still might write a book. I can never have a child, at least, not a child of my blood.

12. If I could pick and choose my talents, I think I would like to have had passion. I live a creative life but it's an all-over-the-place sort of creativity, one that swerves from music to photography to writing to coloring in a coloring book. I've passion for my writing but not the ability to "make it so."

13. This Thursday Thirteen has been all over the place, hasn't it? Sometimes I wander. Right now, I'm wondering why I wandered, and where I went, and if it was worth the read. Thanks for reading anyway, dear reader.


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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 607th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Artemis Journal Launch

I don't know how other literary magazines present themselves to the world, but the Artemis journal has a "launch" at the Taubman Museum, which is in Roanoke City.

Friday night they had this launch, and several poets read their poems. They were accompanied by classical music and by ballet dancers interpreting their words.

It was rather beautiful, actually.



Here we are for our big night on the town.

This was an interpretation of a poem about baking bread.

This was an interpretation of a found poem, a memorial to the poet, who passed away.

The poet readers with their dancers.

I can't remember what this dancer was interpreting.

Unfortunately, I did not get names. I was there to enjoy, not report.

My iPhone does not serve the functions I need it for at various events. I've discovered while trying to use it at supervisors' meetings, at my niece's dance recital, and now at this event, that it simply does not replace a decent camera. I have older cameras that would have taken better photos than these. I think the iPhone camera actually tries to do too much - and you end up with less. It is okay if that is all I have on me, as I did this night, but honestly I am not impressed with the photos. I was when I first purchased the phone, but after a few software upgrades, in my opinion Apple has made the process of taking a decent photo worse.

The event was very well attended, especially for a Friday night with downpouring rain.  I saw several people I know and who I hadn't seen for a long time. I used to attend these kinds of events more regularly but I haven't been to readings for many years. Hollins offers all sorts of cultural activities free to the public but because of my health I haven't been for some time. The campus is difficult to reach and while it is doable, I have to really want to go to something to get there.

Downtown Roanoke is also not my favorite place to go. I think this was the first time I'd been downtown in several years. I was surprised at how busy it was as I can remember when downtown was a ghost town after hours, for the most part. The place is full of bars and eateries now; not my scene, really. I'd rather be home with a book.

I think, though, I probably need to try to attend more of the readings at Hollins again. That's a nice goal, to feel well enough to do that. I enjoyed this event and I am glad we went.

And I really appreciate the fact that my husband went with me.