Pileated Woodpecker

This pileated woodpecker found another of our dead ash trees and went to work on it. The bird found the beetles and went to town. It made a huge mess at the bottom of the tree.

Remembering Challenger

In 1986, on January 28, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded and broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

By then, space missions were no longer a big deal. They had become routine, and mainstream America wasn't paying much attention. To remedy some of that apathy, NASA had implemented the "teacher in space" initiative.

Christa McAuliffe was chosen to be the first teacher in space. As a result of her being on board, many school TVs were tuned to the 25th space shuttle flight that morning. Thousands of children watched the shuttle explode in real time.




I was on my way to work, having finished an early morning class at Virginia Western's Roanoke campus. I worked part-time at a law firm then. I knew the shuttle was launching so I turned on the radio to hear it.

I was on I-581 when the announcer said the shuttle had broken apart. I started crying and was crying when I reached the office. The other secretary was somber, having heard the news, but I had to pull it together and work. My first chore, as it was every day, was to drown a poor plant that one of the attorneys said had to be watered every single day. That day I watered it with my tears.

The space program today is nothing like it was when I was growing up. We don't send people to the International Space Station anymore - we send our folks up in rockets from other countries. Private companies have taken over what used to be government-sponsored work. The private companies are harder to root for. They are, after all, in it for money in some fashion or another.

The government was trying to beat the Russians. However, back then we were not so fearful, so terrified, nor so lazy. Back then, people wanted to explore new worlds, to reach out to others, to see and understand that we live on one great big blue-green world that we all must share, together with an infinite number of other species.

We don't think like that today. Our space efforts now are militarized; we want to shoot the aliens, not embrace them. We fear our own shadows and can't tell right from wrong any more. Live and let live is no longer the slogan of the day.

We lost a lot when we lost Challenger, but in the last 34 years, I think we've lost more than a space program.

I think we've lost ourselves as human beings.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. How do you get past the gray skies during winter?

A. I climb aboard my starship and head out above them into the universal twilight.

2. Do you like snow? Why or why not?

A. I do not like it as well as I did when I was younger. Now it is troubling, as it is difficult to feed the cattle in the winter, and I frequently am homebound because I have a regular car instead of a 4-wheel drive something.

3. What are your favorite activities to do during the winter?

A. Read and play music.

4. What does a perfect winter day look like to you?

A. Christmas!

5. What are your favorite meals/food you enjoy eating during the winter?

A. Chocolate, especially fudge, and chocolate covered cherries.

6. What is your favorite winter holiday and why?

A. Christmas, because I am able to give to people I care about.

7. What are your favorite pizza flavors and toppings?

A. I am currently relegated to eating alfredo pizza because tomato sauce tears up my stomach. I used to enjoy a good veggie pizza, though.

8. What are some items in your daily bag/ backpack?

A. My inhaler, tissues, backup medications.

9. What are your favorite snacks?

A. Chips, raisins, chocolate.

10. Name some foreign countries that you would like to visit.

A. Scotland, New Zealand, Ireland, England.

11. What things that remind you of home?

A. Mountains, deciduous trees, and cows.

12. If you have one, list some items from your Amazon Wishlist.

A. Shadow Castle, by Marian Cockrell
    How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t: 14 Habits that Are Holding You Back from Happiness, by Andrea Owen (Paperback)

13. What was your favorite Christmas gift?

A. My brother gave me signed Melissa Etheridge guitar picks. Awesome.

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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: Go Where Baby Lives

Saturday 9: Go Where Baby Lives (1957)

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

1) The lyrics tell us that the girl of his dreams lives up on a hill. Is there a hill near your home? Or is the terrain pretty flat where you are?

A. I live on a hill. I am surrounded by hills and the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

2) Another clue to her whereabouts is that she's about a mile from town. Will you be staying close to home this weekend, or will you be traveling a mile or more?

A. I don't expect to leave the house. We're expecting icy weather and I don't care to be out in it.

3) Sam admits she's crazy about the sax solo. Is there a particular musical instrument that you love to listen to?

A. I love to listen to guitar and/or piano music.

4) This is the only record The Strollers made for States, a company based out of Chicago. States was only in existence for five years (1952-57) and this was the 63rd or 64 records released before they went out of business. Tell us about a business in your neighborhood that recently closed their doors.

A. Ballast Point is still making beer, but in September or thereabouts they closed the front restaurant that was much ballyhooed when it opened as being the best thing to ever happen. The national brand also was sold and no one is quite sure what is going to happen to the brewery in our nearby industrial park.

5) More than 60 years after its initial release, this song enjoyed new popularity when Xfinity used it in commercials for their wifi. What company is your internet service provider? Are you happy with it?

A. My service provider is my local telephone company. I cannot get high speed and only have DSL. My area is too rural for other service, the company says. Not enough people to make it worth running the fiber optic lines down this way.

6) In researching this week's song, Sam googled "strollers" and was surprised to discover how many different types of baby buggies are available today. When did you most recently push a child in a stroller?

A. Gosh, I don't know. Fifty years?

7) In 1957, the year this song was released, President Eisenhower celebrated his second inaugural with a parade featuring more than 50 marching bands. The mercury never quite reached 45º that day. How's the weather outside your front door?

A. It is foggy and rainy. A little colder and we will have ice to content with.

8) One of the best-selling books of 1957 was Peyton Place. This steamy saga of small town life launched two films, two television series, and several made-for-tv movies. Is there a book that you enjoyed that was successfully turned to a movie?

A. The Lord of the Rings. (Bet you didn't see that one coming.) I also thought the 1994 movie version of Little Women was very good.

9) A Peyton Place-inspired question: Can a man be physically unfaithful to a woman, but still love her?

A. Oh, philosophy! Wow. I am no man, so I can only guess at this question, but I suspect he can be unfaithful and yet still love the woman. The better question is will the woman continue to love the unfaithful lover?

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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.

Thursday Thirteen #640

Not on the list, but should be.

Black swan, also not on list but should be

1. Robins

2. Bluebirds

3. Crows

4. Vultures

5. Turkey buzzards

6. Turkeys

Turkeys

7. Hawks

8. Bald Eagles

9. Cardinals

10. Blue jays

11. Red-winged blackbird

12. Starling



Not sure what this little dude is, but he/she sure
looks angry.

 

13. Peregrine falcon


Birds I've seen around my house.


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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 640th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Secret Surprise

Saturday, I received an envelope all the way from Italy.

I don't know anyone in Italy.

Upon opening it, I found a small A in a circle.

I initially thought it was a pin, like a scarf pin.

 

Turns out, though, it's a book marker. It came from my nephew, Emory, who lives in Florida now. He'd sent it for Christmas but it apparently was delayed. I was delighted that he took the time to think of me and order this.

I shall cherish this beautiful little item because it came from someone I love very much. He's a great young man, soon to be - oh my gosh! - 30 years old.

The Coyote

This coyote was sitting about 150 yards from my house Monday morning. That's a little close.

We hear them frequently at night, and last fall I saw one try to bring down a small deer very close to my house, too.

We've also lost a cow to a pack, and have to watch the calves when the cows are calving. They do go after the livestock.

They may look like dogs, but they are quite vicious.

The photos aren't very clear because I didn't have my tripod.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

Your high school graduation class of: 19 - A really long time ago.

1. Did you marry your high school sweetheart? No. But I went to school with the man I married.

2. Type of car? Datsun.

3. What kind of job? I played guitar in a disco/Top 40 band.

4. Where did you live? At home on a farm.

5. Were you popular in school? Not particularly.

6. Were you in choir/band? I was in band.

7. Ever get suspended?  I received in-school suspension once for skipping band class.

8. If you could would you go back?  No.

9. Still talk to the person that you went to prom with? No.

10. Did you skip school? Yes.

11. Go to all the football games? Most of them, because, band.

12. Favorite subjects? English, although my favorite teacher taught math.

13. Do you still have your yearbook? Yes.

14. Did you follow the "original" career path? Yes.

15. Do you still have your class ring? Yes.

16. Favorite teacher? My algebra teacher. We are still friends. She came to visit me last week and she just turned 70! Happy birthday, Tina!

17. What was your style? I don't think I had one.

18. Favorite shoes? They were like moccasins but not and you can't find them anymore.

19. Favorite thing to eat for lunch? Whatever.

20. Favorite band? Eagles.

21. High school hair? It was long.

22. How old when you graduated? I was 17 but I turned 18 a few days 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: Miss Independent

Saturday 9: Miss Independent (2003)

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

Until a few weeks ago when I heard this on the radio and saw it scrolling saying it was a Kelly Clarkson song, I'd have sworn this was an 1990s Sheryl Crow song. Oh well.

1) The song begins with Kelly describing a woman who is "independent" and "self-sufficient." Are you feeling especially independent and self-sufficient this morning? Or is there a particular task on your to-do list that you wish you had help with?

A. I'm feeling tired and worn out. I wish I had a bookkeeper to keep our books because I hate doing the bookkeeping for our several businesses. I need to finish up 2019 so we can get the taxes to the accountant.

2) Kelly especially enjoys that this song was a hit, because she had to argue with the record company to even include it on her album. Tell us about a time you're glad fought to get your way.

A. It wasn't a fight, but I am glad I insisted on going to Hollins College (now Hollins University) to obtain my BA (and later my MA in 2012).

3) The video depicts a very lively party that spills from the house to the pool area. What's the last party you attended? Was it held indoors, outdoors, or did the revelers enjoy themselves both inside and outside?

A. I guess the last party I attended was the little shindig we hosted for my nephew and his bride. It was indoors, mostly, and hopefully most everyone enjoyed themselves.

4) The partiers are playing with "silly string." Have you ever indulged in a "silly string" battle?

A. I can't say that I have.

5) Kelly Clarkson has a new daytime talk show. Who hosted the last entertainment talk show (as opposed to news) that you watched?

A. Bill Maher last night.

6) Kelly Clarkson told a foodie website that one of her favorite foods is sushi (especially California rolls). She said she's surprised how fond she is of it, since as a kid, sushi is a food she wouldn't even try. Tell us about something you had to be convinced to try, or do, that you were surprised to find you enjoyed.

A. It took a while for me to decide to try coloring, but once I started it I found it quite relaxing and I'm actually pretty good at it.

7) In 2003, when "Miss Independent" was released, Microsoft and Sony were furiously competing for gamers' attention. Do you own Playstation or Xbox, neither or both?

A. Neither. I used to have an Xbox but it was the first version and long out of date. I got rid of it some time ago and never replaced it. There are enough time-wasters on my cellphone now to make up for that.

8) Also in 2003, the best-selling cookbook was The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. It features foolproof recipes for old favorites like waffles, pancakes, flat breads and crackers. When you look for a new recipe, are you searching for an easier/better way to make something familiar, or are you more likely looking to try something new?

A. Usually for something new, or some way to make something like chicken a little differently. Fixing meals and eating has become problematic. Hey, I could use a chef in response to one of the earlier questions.

9) Random question: Which has gotten you in more trouble -- love or money?

A. Probably love.

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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.

Thursday Thirteen

Today Christopher Tolkien, 95, passed away. He was the son of J.R.R. Tolkien and the keeper of the legends and the reason so much of the elder's Tolkien's work has found its way out into the world. Tolkien wrote volumes of historical notes and other stories that did not find publishers.

So in honor of both Tolkiens, here are words related to the Lord of the Rings.

1. The Black Land - the land of Mordor

2. elevenses - a mid-morning snack beloved by Hobbits

3. Eorlingas - the warriors of the lands of Rohan

4. gaffer - old man in Hobbit speak (generally Samwise Gamgee says this in reference to his father)

5. goblin - a race of creatures who live underground and fear daylight; kin to orcs and frequently mistaken as being the same as orcs

6. halfling - another word for Hobbit or Shire folk.

7. the Mark - another way to refer to the lands of Rohan

8. Nazgul - also known as the Nine; they are the most powerful servants of Sauron, Lord of Mordor.

9. palantir - one of 8 crystal balls that are linked to one another, allowing the visionary to see across great distances. Some of the balls are thought to have been lost, or at least, no one knows who may have them and be watching.

10. The Third Age - the time of this story, which began when Isildur took the One Ring from Sauron and instead of destroying it, kept it for his own. This age ends when the One Ring is destroyed.

11. Uruk-hai - special orcs created by the wizard Sauraman; they are able to travel by day, have human blood, and are especially large.

12. Warg - a large, intelligent evil wolf, used by Sauraman's scouts and spies.

13. Wraith - an undead person; a specter or phantom


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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 639th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Pictures of My Mother

At Thanksgiving, my aunt came to Virginia from Texas and brought with her the photos my grandmother had had of my mother. She thought I might like them.

Most of them I don't recall seeing. I scanned them, printed them out, and made an album of them and gave them to my brother for Christmas so he would have them, too. I have the originals but I wanted to put some of them here so they would be in my blog. I have my blog bound into a book every three or four months.

Mom hated to have her picture taken, so I doubt she would like to have these photos where everyone can see them, but she isn't around and I want them memorialized here.

So without further ado, photos of my mom:

Mom with her China doll that my grandfather gave her.

I am not sure, but I suspect Mom is pregnant in this picture.

My mother, my brother, my father, and me at the Grand Canyon in 1976.

My grandmother holding my mother when she was a baby.

Mom around age 6 or 7.

My grandfather holding his newborn daughter.

My mother in her Girl Scout uniform.

My mother and my father, taken in 1996, four years before my mother died.

Mom around age 10.

Mom in 1966, bringing home my brother.

Mom's high school photo.

As you can see, my mother had loads of freckles. She told me once that when she was young, someone told her that early morning dew could rid one of freckles. She spent a summer getting up very early, before everyone else, and going outside to rub her face in the grass in hopes of ridding herself of her freckles. Finally, my grandmother caught her and put a stop to it. As you can see, the folk remedy did not work, although the freckles became less apparent as my mother aged. She was very skilled with make-up.

Also, up until about 1993, my mother's hair was black. Then the gray started showing and she dyed it that burnt orange color you see in one photo. When I remember her, I always remember her with black hair.

Books: Daughter of Smoke & Bone series

Daughter of Smoke & Bone
By Laini Taylor
Copyright 2011
418 pages

Days of Blood & Starlight
By Laini Taylor
Copyright 2012
513 pages

Dreams of Gods & Monsters
By Laini Taylor
Copyright 2014
613 pages


This is a trilogy by Laini Taylor that I recently finished. I read the first one in September and I've read the last two since Christmas, as they were presents from a friend.

While these are long, fat books, they read quickly.

There may be spoilers in this, so don't read it if you don't want to know anything about the series.

Basic premise: a race of humanoids who are called angels and a race of chimera, also called demons, live on a planet named Ertz. At one time there were portals through to earth, but those were lost to time. However, the chimera found a way into Earth and went back and forth between the planets. The angels and chimera were constantly at war.

Our heroine is Karou, who initially starts out as a very far-out young woman who loves art and lives in Prague. She was raised by the chimera who live in Earth, and frequently runs errands for them. She has a bit of super strength, stealth, and speed, and has been trained in many types of fighting. Her main errand is to collect teeth and take them to Brimstone, who is described very much like the archetypical devil.

However, the ways in and out of the world that Brimstone has created have been found out by angels, and they are destroyed. Karou attempts to find Brimstone but instead is confronted by an angel, Akiva, who means to kill her but finds something about her reminds him of an old love.

For he had once been in love with a chimera, but she was killed.

As the story unfolds over the books, we learn that chimera are revived many, many times, brought back to life magically into new bodies and sent forth to fight. Angels are bred by one man with many concubines, so that they are all half-brothers and sisters trained only to fight. They aren't allowed to have a life or anything, just fight chimera.

It's a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing. Akiva realizes Karou is his love of 18 years ago, only she was remade as a baby and then raised up by Brimstone, instead of being instantly put back into a body to fight. This was to hide her from the head Chimera wolf-like dude, who wanted her for his mate.

Akiva and Karou feel like they have a destiny to stop this long, long war between angels and chimera. The story revolves around their efforts to accomplish this, although like any story, they go the long way around. Of course, it takes a lot of convincing to have angels and demons on the same side, I suppose.

And as with any romance, whether it's fantasy or main stream literature, the characters have trouble being together and finding their true love.

The last book was what I expected except the author brought in a MacGuffin character whom I could have done without. I thought that took away from the story and ultimately added nothing, really.

All in all, though, good reads and very helpful for recovering from my upper respiratory infection. I will look up this author again.

5 stars for books 1 & 2
4 stars for book 3

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

Food meme Stolen from Book Mama, who stole it from Jenefur.  

Thanks to The Gal Herself for the suggestion!

 

Answers in BLUE.

01. CHEESE or CHOCOLATE? 

02. BLUEBERRIES or STRAWBERRIES?
03. COFFEE or TEA? 

04. CORN MUFFIN or ENGLISH MUFFIN?
05. PANCAKES or FRENCH TOAST?
06. YOGURT or CREAM CHEESE? 

07. RICE or PASTA?
08. CAKE or PIE?
09. GROUND BEEF or GROUND TURKEY?
10. HOT DOGS or HAMBURGERS?
11. JELLY or MARMALADE?
12. AMERICAN CHEESE or SWISS CHEESE?
13. DIET SODA or NO SODA?
14. LEMONADE or ICED TEA?
15. CHERRIES or GRAPES?
16. CHOCOLATE QUIK or STRAWBERRY QUIK?
17. WAFFLES or PANCAKES?
18. WHITE BREAD or WHOLE-GRAIN/WHEAT BREAD?
19. PEAS or CARROTS?
20. PUDDING or FRUIT-FLAVORED GELATIN?
21. COLD CEREAL or HOT CEREAL?
22. KETCHUP or MUSTARD?
23. MUSTARD or MAYONNAISE? 

24. MAYONNAISE or KETCHUP?
25. BLACK OLIVES or GREEN OLIVES? Neither.

26. ONION or GARLIC? Neither.
27. PLAIN BARBECUE or BARBECUE WITH SAUCE? Neither.
28. SCRAMBLED EGGS or FRIED EGGS?
29. EGGS or EGG REPLACEMENTS?
30. MEAT or VEGETABLES?
31. CHINESE TAKE-OUT or PIZZA?
32. SUSHI or DELI SANDWICH?
33. WHITE CLAM CHOWDER or RED CLAM CHOWDER? Neither.
34. KEY LIME PIE or LEMON MERANGUE PIE?
35. PIE & ICE CREAM or CAKE & ICE CREAM?
36. WHIPPED CREAM or CAKE FROSTING?
37. HONEY or MAPLE SYRUP?

Saturday 9: Sultans of Swing

Saturday 9: Sultans of Swing (1978)

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

(Great song! One of my favorites.)
 
1) The song begins by mentioning how it feels to shiver on a rainy night. As you answer these questions, is it chilly ... or rainy ... or dark?

A. It is daybreak on Saturday morning. I can make out the dim outline of trees through dark and fog. I believe it is raining. However, I noticed the thermometer said 50 degrees, which is warm for this part of the nation at this time of year.

2) The lyrics describe a bar at closing time, when the owner announces, "Goodnight, now, it's time to go home." Can you recall a time when you lingered until you closed the joint?

A. I have not done this since I was a teenager.

3) This song was written years before it was recorded, back in the days before Dire Straits was a success. Composer/lead singer/lead guitarist Mark Knopfler recalls that, when he was working on "Sultans of Swing," he was worried about paying his gas bill. Is anything troubling you this Saturday?

A. My husband's ankle hurt him in the night. He's out of the cast but in a walking boot and he's supposed to be wearing compression stuff. His skin is flaking all over the house. I feel like I'm breathing him in with every breathe. I just had my cleaning help in earlier in the week, too. Sigh. Plus I am way behind on my bookkeeping for our various businesses and I need to get that done because of the taxes but I seem to be spending more time taking care of him - and trying to get over some upper respiratory crap myself - and the bookwork is not getting done.

4) When this song was popular, Sam often played it on the jukebox because, well, who doesn't like Dire Straits? 40 years later, both that  jukebox and the bar it was in are gone. Have you recently been in a restaurant or bar that has a jukebox?

A. No. I don't think I have seen a jukebox since the 1980s.

5) In 1978, the year "Sultans of Swing" topped the charts, Garfield first appeared in newspapers all around the United States. Over the years, it was revealed that the cartoon cat loved lasagna and hated raisins. What's a food you love? What's one that you hate?

A. I love chocolate. I strongly dislike coconut.

6) One of People magazine's top-selling issues of 1978 featured Carrie Fisher and Darth Vader on the cover. The article celebrated the theatrical re-release of Star Wars and announced that the cast was on board for a sequel. How many Star Wars movies have you seen?

A. I have seen 8 of them, I think. I haven't seen the one that is out now.

7) The most popular movie of 1978 was Grease. What's your favorite song from the Grease soundtrack?

A. Hopelessly Devoted To You

8) In 1978, Yves St. Laurent made fashion news by putting his female runway models in menswear-inspired suits, complete with neckties and pocket squares. Do you know how to tie a windsor knot? Can you fold a handkerchief into a pocket square?

A. No and no. I'm afraid fashion is something that is beyond me. I wear jeans and a nice t-shirt with white sneakers pretty much all the time.

9) Random question: You're visiting a friend. He graciously offers you the use of his super-expensive, brand-new luxury sedan for the duration of your stay. Do you take him up on it? Or do you rent a car instead?

A. Odds are I would have a rented car anyway, if I flew there. Otherwise I would be there in my own vehicle. I doubt I would take him up on it unless circumstances were such that it was my only choice.

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

Thursday Thirteen

The bills are starting to roll in on my husband's ankle fusion surgery. I thought a little breakdown might be interesting.

1. Basic metabolic panel  - $247.00 (labwork)

2. Cutting open his ankle - $2,147.00

3. Cutting his tibia - $1,629.00

4. Each of his pills he had to have (blood pressure meds), cost $3 each.

5. A countersink (?) - $1,559.50

6. A drill bit - $937.50

7. Another drill bit - $912.50

8. A blade (for cutting bone, I suppose) - $314.00

9. Another drill bit - $1,181.50

10. A bone graft augment (?) - $10,793.50

11. An implant screw (x 2)  - $3,629.50 each

12. An implant plate - $7,446.00

13. More implant screws (x 2) - $2,813.00 each

So far the total bill is over $75,000 and more bills come each day for things like the anesthesiologist, the doctor to read his EKG, the person to draw his blood - they bill separately for everything, now, and if that person doesn't partake in your insurance, you're liable for their entire bill.

Fortunately, so far as we can, our insurance is covering most everyone. Even so, we will be out five figures before this is over and done with.

A person should not go bankrupt because they have the misfortune of being sick or having something happen to them. Nor should they have to resort to "GoFundMe" or dances or cake bakes to pay off their hospital bills. Yet this is what happens around here - people really do have dances and things because of their medical expenses, hoping to pick up a couple thousand to keep the wolves of Isengard at bay - I mean, the medical professionals from garnishing your paycheck or taking out a lien on your house.

I don't understand why this is considered acceptable. We're supposedly the wealthiest nation in the world and people have to have cake bakes to pay their medical bills. There is something wrong with that scenario.

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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 637th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.