Sunday Stealing

 Sunday Stealing

1. What makes it easy to talk to someone?

A. It helps if they listen. So many people are so busy thinking about the next point they want to make, they don't hear what you are saying. I learned to shut that part of my brain off when I was doing interviews for the newspaper. I had to learn to listen.

2. Have you ever had a great conversation with a complete stranger?

A. Yes, but it has been quite some time ago.

3. Do you like to argue?

A. I like to discuss. I do not like to argue. I like to hear other people's opinions and then either validate or contradict them. I consider that debating, not arguing.

4. Some people like to talk about things, and some people like to do things. Which are you?

A. I do a bit of both.

5. Who is easier to talk to – men or women?

A. It really depends on the personality.

6. What is your favorite place?

A. Home.

7. What is your favorite place in your home?

A. In my office.

8. Would you most want to live in a city, a suburb or the country?

A. I live in the country and always have. I expect to die here, too.

9. What is special about the town you live in?

A. I live in a rural community. It's beautiful. It's historic. It's bucolic.

10. How much time do you spend in nature?

A. I live on a farm. I think it's pretty much 24/7. I just watched a hen turkey leading her chicks up the ridge.

11. Do you make up a dinner plan for the coming week?

A. No.

12. Do you make up a grocery shopping list and stick to it when shopping?

A. Generally. These days I shop online and pick it up.

13. What is one thing that you always buy, but never write down on a list?

A. Chocolate.

14. Is there anything that you always think you are out of and come home with it to discover you already have a year’s supply on hand?

A. I don't know that I have a year's supply of anything on hand.

15. Do you get your groceries delivered?

A. They don't deliver out where I live. Too rural.

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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: Who Are You

Saturday 9: Who Are You? (1977)

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

1) This song, originally recorded by The Who, was the theme of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which ran from 2000 to 2015. Did you watch it? Were you a fan?

A. I did not watch CSI in any of its incarnations. I don't believe I've seen a single episode.

2) When the show premiered, Gil Grissom (William Petersen) was the CSI team's supervisor. Gil's mother was deaf, and so he was fluent in American Sign Language. Can you communicate using ASL?

A. I am afraid not. It would be a good thing to learn.

3) His assistant is blood-splatter analyst Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger). Catherine's family moved often, which made it hard for her to get traction in her studies. She finally just dropped out of high school. She later got her GED, and even graduated from college. Have you ever considered going back to school?

A. I did go back to school. I finished up my master's degree at the age of 49. I am starting a new course on Coursera shortly.

4) Though set in Las Vegas, most of CSI was filmed in Santa Clarita, CA. Santa Clarita is also home to Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. Do you enjoy roller coasters?

A. Not particularly.

5) The vocalist on the CSI theme, Roger Daltry of the Who, made a cameo appearance on the show during season 7. Do you have a favorite Who song?

A. Pinball Wizard.

6) CSI became a franchise, followed by CSI: Miami and CSI: New York. If we could organize a Saturday 9 field trip, which of these CSI cities would you prefer we visit: Las Vegas, Miami or New York?

A. New York.

7) In 2000, the last original Peanuts comic strip was published. How many Peanuts characters can you name?

A. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Schroeder, Sherman, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Violet, and I can describe others but don't remember their names - Charlie Brown has a little sister, as does Linus and Lucy, P.Patty has a friend who wears glasses, the boy who is always dusty. Snoopy has a brother who visits him sometimes, too.

8) Also in 2000, media giant Time Warner merged with America Online, the email provider. It's estimated that 74% of us check our email at least once/day. Are you one of the 74%?

A. Yes.

9) Random question -- Did you more recently cut and paste, or delete?

A. I cut and pasted the links to the Saturday 9 blog and the video.

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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. (#350)

August Happiness Challenge Day 14

Looking around this morning for something that's made me happy. I'll go with what I hope was a decent recording of a guitar instrumental that I will post next Tuesday if it really came out okay.

Also, the above makes me happy. After 37 years, my husband is finally reading. Old people covered in blankies reading books. What more does one need?

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Hosted (?) by The Gal Herself 

Thursday Thirteen

My blogging friend, The Gal, is participating in "The August Happiness Challenge." So I thought I'd make a list of 13 things that make me happy since it's August 13. (Actually that makes me happy, 13 on 13.) 

It's the little things, sometimes.

1. Finding toilet paper at Sam's Club!

2. Holding my husband's hand before we go to sleep at night.

3. Seeing the chiropractor when I can during this pandemic.

4. Playing my guitar and learning a new song.

5. Figuring out a way around some of Google's stupid changes to Blogger and to its "G Suite."

6. Seeing the light in my husband's eyes Monday when he was lauded by his former coworkers.

7. Taking on a little project.

8. A new pair of sneakers.

9. A new coloring book!

10. "Ozium," which is found in the automotive section at my local Walmart and also at other auto stores. It is great for making perfume, cigarette, and similar odors go away, and it is anti-bacterial. It has a lemon scent that I can tolerate and it doesn't create build up on the tile floor in the kitchen like Lysol can. 

11. The post office. I love the postal service and I am really sorry to see it under siege by the current administration.

12. Chocolate frozen yogurt, which at the moment is the only chocolate I'm allowing myself to have while I try to lose weight. (It isn't going well, but I'm giving it a go.)

13. Family and friends, even the ones who don't want to talk to me anymore.

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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 669th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Pandemic Journal - Day 145

Last night we watched the final episode of season one of Stargirl, a DC comics character. The show is on the CW channel.

It is basically Buffy the Vampire Slayer in hero costumes and not with vampires. Which is to say, it isn't like that show, which was much darker, but in many ways it is.

Stargirl starts out as Courtney, becoming the "chosen one" when the staff of the long-dead Starman, in the possession of her new stepfather, picks her to be the new superhero. Formerly there was a Justice League in this comic world that consisted of Starman, the Flash, and a bunch of other superheroes, but the Injustice Society killed them all about a decade ago.

Courtney is moved to a new school, so she has no friends, and she sits at the table with the other no-friend kids. (Yes, this is very much like Buffy's beginning.) Eventually, her mentor (aka her stepfather) shows her where the Justice Society used to meet, and she takes items belonging to certain former members and hands them out to her new friends, who then become superheroes, too.

The villains, the Injustice Society, all seem to have settled in this peaceful little mid-west Nebraska town where Courtney and her family have moved. The Injustice Society's evil plot is a massive mind control over most of middle America. The goal is to get them to "think properly." They must acquire a huge satellite to make this work, but before that happens, Stargirl and Brainwave (bad guy) have a meeting and Stargirl puts him in a coma for a lot of episodes. In the end, Stargirl and her super friends defeat the bad guys.

I will be watching season two, and my husband I both agreed that Stargirl has much more promise that last fall's Batwoman, which began well but was so poorly written that in the end it was a relief when the season ended. The lead has been recast and a second season slated for that show as well, so we'll see how it goes.

As the pandemic rolls on, the viral numbers locally have climbed. 0.65 percent of the county's population now has the virus. That doesn't seem like a lot, but I know of at least three people who have died and I suspect the number is higher. In the nearby city, they've reached more than one percent of the city's population. I don't know how many people have died. The numbers are strange, and I blame a lot of that on the federal government and its mismanagement and manipulation of facts. The CDC and public health officials should be in control of this, not politicians.

Schools are starting in varying ways. Some are solely online, some are going a few days a week. Some in other states have started and already had to shut down because of coronavirus exposure. Many teachers don't want to go back to the classroom out of fear of getting the virus, and I can't blame them. Who knows who will have an asymptomatic case, and who will catch it and die a horrible, lonely death? What a roll of dice. How much more must we ask of these professionals, who now must not only try to keep children from getting sick, but decide if they should close the door to let in fresh air or shut it to keep out gunmen? It seems a bit too much.

Speaking of school, my niece went off last week for her freshman year at college. Fingers crossed it goes well for her and that the virus doesn't interfere too much with her studies.

Some civil rights protests continue but none locally that I am aware of. The local government in July created a committee to study the Civil War monument at the courthouse. This has upset many people. My great-great-grandfather was a Dixie soldier, and my opinion is the monument should be moved. The public square should be equal to all. Moving it would also keep it safe. It has already been vandalized once, in June, when someone threw paint all over it. If it were moved out of the public square, perhaps in front of the history museum or in a cemetery, it would be less likely to be destroyed. A similar monument in the city was knocked over and broken. While I understand that this obelisk is not history, it is, at over 100 years old, historic in its own right (especially if put in the appropriate context). So my vote would be to move it to achieve equality in the public square while protecting the monument. Not that I have been asked, but I am allowed an opinion on things.

At home, my husband is enjoying his retirement. He sleeps later (fewer 5 a.m. mornings, anyway), and he seems much less stressed. He's always been kind of happy-go-lucky in his attitude, and now he's happy-go-luckier, I suppose.

I've had my usual sore throat/laryngitis/earache issues since August 3. It has eased somewhat, although my brother informed me on the phone this morning that I sounded awful. I am staying in because I don't want to scare anyone who might hear me speak if I were in public. Somebody might throw garlic or holy water on me or try to put a stake in my heart, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, thinking I have coronavirus.

Being home suits me. As long as I don't stress about "doing" and focus more on "being," I find I am calmer. While I would like to find a project of some kind, I am not ready to commit to anything long term. For the moment, I am happy to play catch-up on paperwork, clear out some old papers, play my guitar, and listen to lots of Melissa Etheridge concerts and other music online.

I finished a book called The Tethered Mage, which I recommend if you like fantasy combined with political intrigue. It is the first part of a trilogy, but stands alone okay as a first book. I just started an audiobook by Debbie Macomber. It's a Christmas romance set in Alaska. My reading habits vary greatly depending on my mood, although to be honest I chose this one simply because it was only seven hours long and I didn't want to listen to anything longer right now.

The Democratic ticket has been set as of yesterday, with Joe Biden choosing Kamala Harris as his running mate. I have thought all along that she would be his choice.

Let the games begin.

Hallelujah

I really have no business even attempting this song, but here it is anyway.

This is Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. I recorded it two weeks ago.

My Fireman Gets His Axe

My husband retired officially from the Roanoke City Fire-EMS Department on June 1. Because of Covid, he wasn't able to have a retirement dinner or anything that is normally done for a retirement.

This morning, we went to Roanoke Fire-EMS Station 5, which was the station my husband worked out of and the Battalion Chief's headquarters for the "north side," as his area is called.

As we neared the station, I saw several engines and ambulances parked in the vicinity. My husband saw them, too. "Oh gosh," he said. I thought I would cry but I did not. Several of the stations and most of the administration turned out in force to say, "Farewell," to their former chief.

After 37+ years of service, my man deserved a little something!

When he walked up to greet everyone, it was very emotional to watch. My husband was a well-respected Battalion Chief. Most of the emergency service workers appreciated his efforts to lead them and ensure their safety. He seemed to get along well with everyone when he was working.

The Chief and my husband elbow-bumped in greeting.

They did a lot of standing around and talking. My husband was pleased to see his old friends.

As you can see, there were a good number of people there. The "white shirts" are administrators.

During a presentation, the Chief noted my husband's long tenure with the department.

Everyone watched respectfully.

My husband was the second-longest serving firefighter in the department when he retired.

The Chief presented him with this engraved axe.

The plaque on it has my husband's name, rank, and years of service.

Here they are posing for the camera. (My husband's the one of the left.)

A little handshaking took place. That is why we wash our hands.

Here's a close-up of the axe. I like that the red of the fire engine is reflected in the axe head.

After some of the emergency service workers left, I had him stand in front of his Battalion Chief's

vehicle, holding his axe. Since it was just us and we were in an open space, he took his mask off so I could get a good photo.

Congratulations to my love. He deserved to be recognized for his long years of service and his leadership. I am so proud!

Sunday Stealing

 Sunday Stealing

1. What are your plans for August?

A. To not be where I can catch Covid, to read a lot, to reconsider a lot of various things in various contexts, and to pursue a project of some kind (as yet to be determined).

2. Review the first half of 2020.

A. Oh dear. January - Husband still on knee scooter from ankle fusion surgery. February - Husband walking around in boot. March - Present day. Husband up and walking around, back to farming, he retired from the fire department unexpectedly (couldn't get his fire boots on with a fused ankle, who knew?), he installed a few septic tanks, too, and we learned to wear masks, wash our hands, and watched in horror as some of the most idiotic people I've ever seen turned up on youtube/twitter/etc. doing things that they should have learned not to do when they were toddlers (who throws a temper tantrum in a store when they're an adult?). I've never seen such entitled twits in all of my life. I suppose I should mention there is a pandemic?

3. A place you’d go if money were no object.

A. I always wanted to see the pyramids in Egypt. If money were no object, then I'd go in style, with people waiting on me and tending to my every whim.

4. Who was your childhood best friend?

A. I had new friends every year because I seldom had the same people in class with me. In high school, I had some friends who stuck around for a good long time - one I am still friends with though we seldom communicate - but mostly I kept to myself. 

5. Name the city or town you love most.

A. I guess that would be where I am now, although anywhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains would probably fit the bill. If I were to move, it would be to Charlottesville, VA, I think.

6. How do you spend hot days?

A. I have air conditioning, so the same way I spend other days. Inside, reading or working on the computer, or folding clothes. I do make an effort to get the weeding out of the way in the early mornings or late evenings on hot days.

7. Are you a skilled cook or baker?

A. Not particularly. I make decent fudge.

8. What is one thing you wish you could currently do?

A. Be healthier, but that takes time.

9. Name a time when you learned your lesson.

A. I can name a time when I learned *a* lesson. That was the day an adult in charge of me allowed a doctor to slap me in the face because I "backtalked" as I tried to explain to the adult and the doctor why I had constant earaches. The adult said nothing, did not defend me, did not take my side, did not walk me out there, or slap the doctor back. The adult laughed and said I deserved it. I did not, of course. I think I was 14 or so. I learned with absolute certainty who I could not count on to protect me. I also was 100% sure I wasn't the first young girl that man had slapped around in his office, and I refused to go back to see him. And years later when I read in the paper that that doctor had a motorcycle wreck and had to shut down his practice because he lost the use of his hand, I thought, "Karma is a bitch, isn't it, you asshole." 

10. What consistently makes you laugh?

A. A good joke.

11. Name routines that bring you calm and peace.

A. Tai chi helps lower my blood pressure. I also like coloring, putting together jigsaw puzzles on the computer, or snuggling with my husband.

12. Who annoys you the most?

A. The Orange Menace.

13. Describe some of your favorite household items.

A. My computer, my guitars, my books, and my frying pan.

14. What have you gotten better at?

A. I've gotten better at standing up for myself. Unfortunately, some people cannot accept that I have an opinion and find it easier to walk away from me than attempt to understand that I am my own person, too, and not his or her doormat. I am getting better at not being a doormat.

15. Share a random memory.

A. Picture it - a beautiful June day. A young girl of five plays with her dolls and a doll blanket on the stoop at her grandmother's house. Somehow, her feet become tangled in the blanket and she falls off the stoop. She breaks her front tooth off and busts her mouth. Blood pours. Her grandmother hears the screams and rushes out. The front tooth remains missing until the permanent tooth grow in. Snaggle tooth.

16. How many pairs of shoes do you have?

A. I don't know. I have several pairs of sneakers that are all alike. That is all I wear these days.

17. Who do you go to for encouragement?

A. My husband or my friends.

18. References you make that others don’t get.

A. I think most of my references about The Lord of the Rings go right over people's heads, with the exception of my brother. He gets them.

19. What are 10 things you consider essential for you?

A. That's a big number. A hair dryer, showers, deodorant, clothes, shoes, socks, underwear, unscented soap and shampoo, toilet paper, Q-tips. That's more than 10, I think.

20. Is there any accent you wish you had?

A. I would like to have no accent. I am southern and sound it. I'd like to sound like a news anchor person, with no accent.

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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: Mad About You

Saturday 9: Mad About You (1992)

 

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

1) Mad About You was a sitcom that ran from 1992 to 1999. Are you familiar with the show? Were you a fan?

A. I watched it occasionally. It wasn't something I made a point of seeing.

2) The show was rebooted in 2019/2020 on the Spectrum streaming service. Do you have any streaming services? If so, which ones?

A. I have Amazon Prime, which I guess is a streaming service. However, I have DSL for my internet, and that's a slow connection. I seldom attempt to watch TV using it.

3) The series revolved around Manhattan newlyweds Paul and Jamie Buchman. They met at a newsstand, where they were both purchasing The New York Times. With so many publications online, newsstands are now uncommon. When you want to purchase a printed newspaper or magazine, where do you go?

A. I usually pick something up at the grocery store, although I haven't since the pandemic.

4) Paul is played by Paul Reiser. He created the series because he believes marriage is a tough but satisfying adventure. He and real-life wife Paula have been married for more than 30 years. They met when she was a waitress at the comedy club where he was performing. Have you ever waited tables?

A. I have never waited tables. I did, however, serve as kitchen help and may have waited tables when I worked for Camp Fincastle (a church camp) when I was about 13. I really don't remember. I always forget I did that.

5) Helen Hunt won four Emmy Awards as Jamie. Over 10 million people watch the Emmys each year. She also won an Oscar, which has an annual viewership of twice that. Therefore huge audiences witnessed Helen's acceptance speeches. Are you comfortable speaking in public?

A. Not particularly. One of the reasons I keep doing the music videos and putting them on my blog on Tuesdays is to try to get better at being in public. I found that the camera acts as "the public" so I am trying to move out of my comfort zone and do better by making these videos.

6) During the opening credits, Paul and Jamie are sharing an ice cream bar. When did you most recently have ice cream?

A. I had frozen yogurt earlier today. Otherwise, I do not eat ice cream.

7) Paul and Jamie's best friends were another couple, Fran and Mark. Eventually Fran and Mark divorced, and Paul and Jamie worked at being friends with both of them. Have you been friends with a couple who split? Did you manage to stay friends with both of them?

A. I have been friends with a couple who split, and I am no longer friends with either person. One moved away. The other is still the area but I haven't seen him in years.

8) In 1992, when Paul and Jamie were playing New Yorkers, real New Yorkers were following the trial of mobster John Gotti. Mr. Gotti acquired many nicknames, including The Teflon Don, The Dapper Don and Black John. Is there anyone in your life that you call by a pet name or nickname?

A. My husband, whom I call by various and sundry pet names, and my brother, who goes by the nickname of "Diddle."  He received that name when he was quite young and liked to be tickled. He'd go around saying, "Tickle tickle little Loren (that's his real name)" but it came out "Diddle diddle little Loren" so eventually he became "Diddle." These days, I generally call him "Bro," though.

9) Random question  -- What subject do you wish you knew more about?

A. I wish I knew more about geology. I always found rocks fascinating when I was a child, and once considered pursuing it, but I did not. I also wish I knew more about astronomy.

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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.

Rainbow

The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. ― Dolly Parton

I took these through the car windshield with my iPhone. We were on our way to pick up groceries Sunday night.

Thursday Thirteen

The Top 13 Inventions of Humanity

1. Pigments (colors - prehistoric times)

2. Textiles (cloth, clothing - prehistoric times)

3. The wheel (circa 3,500 B.C.)

4. The nail (circa 1 B.C.) (Runner up: The screw (circa 300 B.C., Rome)

5. Aquaducts (used to make water flows and for sewage) (ancient Egypt and Rome)

6. The compass (between the 9th and 11th century, China)

7. The printing press (1440, German)

8. The internal combustion engine (19th century)

9. The telephone (19th century, USA but others contributed)

10. The light bulb (19th century, USA but others contributed)

11. Penicillin (early 20th century, Scotland)

12. Contraceptives (Condoms - 18th century, "pill" - 1930s)

13. The Internet (1960s, USA and others)

What do you think? What other inventions should be added to this list?

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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 668th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Forty Questions

I stole this from my brother's Facebook page.

1. Do you put ketchup on a hot dog? My hot dogs are adorned with ketchup and relish. That's it.

2. Choice of soda? I haven't had a soda in well over a year, but I like a good A&W Root Beer when I do partake.

3. Do you own a gun? Yes. I know how to use it, too.

4. Can you swim? I can swim but I haven't in a very long time.

5. Hot dogs or burgers? Hot Dogs.

6. Favorite type of food? Chocolate, which is why I'm overweight and have banned chocolate from my diet.

7. Do you believe in ghosts? Yes. I have seen them in different places, including an old house in West Virginia where a great-aunt and uncle lived, the courthouse in Craig County, and in a field outside of Fincastle.

8. What do you drink in the morning? Water and a cup of decaffeinated English Breakfast Tea.

9. Can you do 100 push-ups? Probably in a 100 days.

10. Summer, Winter, Spring or Fall? I like Autumn and Spring the best.

11. Your favorite hobby? Reading, writing, and playing music.

12. Tattoos? No tattoos, but I have a lot of scars.

13. Do you wear glasses? Yes.

14. Do you have a phobia? I am not fond of snakes. I also don't like elevators.

15. Do you have a nickname? Yes, but I do not use it. Some family members still use it but I do not, and I delete references to it on Facebook when I catch them.

 

16. Three favorite adult drinks? I don't drink "adult" drinks. I drink only water, tea, and occasionally cranberry juice.

17. Biggest downfall? Procrastination.

18. Rain or Snow? Snow if it is the kind that looks nice for a couple of hours and then vanishes. Otherwise, rain, preferably in the form of a good thunderstorm.

19. Can you change a tire? I can.

20. Favorite flower? Iris. It was my mother's favorite, too.

21. Can you drive a stick? It has been a long time, but I might remember.

22. Ever gone skydiving? No, and have no plans to do so.

23. Kids? I like them. They are good with ketchup, like hot dogs. (I lean left and folks on the right think we eat kids, so there you go. It's a joke and sarcasm, for those who can't tell the difference.)

24. Favorite color? Blue.

 

26. Can you whistle? Yes. I can do the Macarena, too.

27. Where were you born? In a hospital early in the morning.

 

28. Siblings? I have a wonderful brother. Wouldn't trade him for anything. 

29. Surgeries? Multiple.

30. Shower or bath? Shower.

31. Last song you heard? Hallelujah, sung by K. D. Lang

32. Broken bones? Right wrist, left ankle.

33. How many TVs are in your house? Two, not counting the P.C.

34. Worst pain? Worst physical pain was abdominal surgery. Worst mental pain will go unmentioned.

35. Do you like to sing? I do. I don't sing as well as I used too, and my asthma has me taking breaths at inappropriate places sometimes, but I still sing.

36. Are your parents still alive? My father is still alive. My mother died in 2000.

37. Do you like camping? No.

38. What do you enjoy binge watching on Netflix? I don't have Netflix.

39. Pumpkin or pecan pie? Pecan pie.

40. Someone who will play along? This question isn't really applicable since it is on my blog, but if someone else wants to steal it, be my guest.

Talking to My Angel

This is called "Talking to My Angel," by Melissa Etheridge. I changed a wording where it is supposed to say "under the mid-west sky" to "under Virginia skies" because I'm from Virginia.

Spider's Web Like Tinsel

Pandemic Journal Day 136

I can't let a tornado in Botetourt County go by unremarked.

We did not see the tornado, though apparently it was just over the ridge. We went riding around immediately after hearing about it, though. We think it formed near the intersection of Haymakertown Road and Lee Lane and ten followed the Catawba Creek, mostly as a funnel cloud, but perhaps touching down.

The National Weather Service is supposed to be investigating today to confirm touchdown.

The alert went off on my phone while I was in the middle of watching a Melissa Etheridge concert online that I'd paid $10 to see. About the time the alert went off, my PC screen froze, but I was able to refresh it and continue watching. I wasn't getting up from that unless I absolutely had to and we don't, as a rule, have tornadoes here. 

My husband left my side and went prowling around the house to see if he could see anything. He reported rotation in the clouds towards my father's house, which is about where we think the tornado began. Photos began pouring in on social media and my friends Cathy and Teresa both say they felt the tornado and/or heard it.

The tornado apparently came through around 6:40 or so, and we hopped in the car at 7 p.m. and drove around to see if we could find its path. Nothing was visible from the road aside from the one spot at the aforementioned location, whether there were some downed tree limbs. That's why we think it formed around there.

As for the pandemic, we continue to have zero leadership at the federal level. Governor Northam has done a good job trying to keep things in hand in Virginia, but I'm not sure how you deal with so many stupid people and manage a pandemic all at the same time. Everyday there are utterly appalling videos of people who should know better having temper tantrums over wearing masks. You'd think they were all two years old and have never heard the concept of community and protecting others, the way they act. I would be embarrassed. The sad thing is, they think they are in the right and this is all some kind of hoax. A big world-wide hoax, I guess. Must be the best damn hoax ever, is all I can say.

More than 153,000 US citizens have died from this virus. I'm pretty sure a lot of them did not have to die and would not have died if we'd had appropriate leadership to begin with. But we did not.

Last night I started getting a sore throat and that continues into today. My neck glands are a little swollen. I also have a bit of a headache. The headache could be weather-related since we have a tropical depression/hurricane coming up the coast.

I was out a lot last week - I drove my mother-in-law to get her car, I picked up groceries Monday and last night (I do the online thing, I don't go in the store), I had to see the orthopedic doctor, I went to the chiropractor. I probably picked up something somewhere down the line even though I use a lot of Purell and wash my hands at every sink I see. I am not concerned it is Covid-45. I suppose it could be, but most likely it is either an allergy (my husband kept rolling down the car windows because they kept fogging up Saturday night when we were looking for the tornado's path and everyone had mowed their yard), or I picked up one of the many other little viruses that I frequently get.

In other words, it doesn't feel like an out-of-the-ordinary illness for me, although I am quite tired and more than a little depressed.  Time will tell.

The children are supposed to start back to school this month, some homeschooling completely, some going back two days a week, some doing a mix of both online and in-class learning. My niece is headed off to Radford University.  Hopefully she will be safe there and wear her mask and do the things she needs to do take care of herself.

My husband came in this morning fussing because yesterday he'd seen a woman and a child in a silver vehicle stopped a long the side of the road at the pasture field. He did not say anything to them - he should have - and for some strange reason he assumed they were picking up trash (nobody picks up trash, why would he assume that?). At any rate, he came back up ranting and raving because apparently the woman and child had decided to fly a kite and the string was wrapped around the power line and power pole and the kite is in the pasture field. Because of the way the string is wrapped around the power line, he is afraid to touch it. The kite is a hazard to the cows.

What a stupid thing to do.

Then he went to Walmart. Apparently the stores are still having trouble keeping stock; we can't find Clean Shower anywhere, not even online. I like using that to help keep the shower clean. I've considered a mix of water and vinegar but I'm afraid the vinegar will eat the finish off the shower head and the grab bars, all of which are covered with some kind of dark bronze. The Lime-Away has already eaten the color out of the water drain cover and I'd just as soon not mess up the other items.

He stopped by a body repair shop to let them look at a dent in the car. The car has several dents, including one acquired last night on the way home from a grocery store pickup. He slowed but the deer hit into the side of the car. The repair estimate for all the dents is a lot. I think I'll just drive a dented car.

The political divisions in this country are strong, deep, and sick. I read a post on the "Local Conservatives" Facebook group page that was sickening. (They have it open to the public, it is very full of hate. I'd be ashamed to belong to that group.) This one guy advocated separating the country into two nations, and anyone who wasn't a Conservative who wanted to stay in the real America (i.e., the Conservative one), "socalists will loose the right to vote here and be disarmed." [sic] So, in other words, fascism.

I think I need to stay off that page but it is aggravating because I see people I thought otherwise knew better on it and not a single one pointed out to this nut case that he was advocating the same thing Germany did prior to World War II. Their silence implies compliance and agreement.

That's not to say I don't see stupidity on "the left" because I do. I do, however, point out when they overreach. I also am not active in any groups and especially not in any local groups. My father thinks I'm a flaming liberal just because I believe in a social safety net and equal rights for women. But that just makes me a moderate. We have no real left in this country. What used to be center is now considered left, that's how fascist we've become.

Maybe they'll wake up one day, when one of #45's paramilitary stomps on their mommas' faces or something, I don't know.

I'm getting off topic, I was talking about the pandemic, although the pandemic has been made political so it's hard to separate the two. A public health issue shouldn't be political. We should be gracious enough to take care of one another.

I guess that is too much to ask.

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For those who need to know (and someone must because I felt very led to do this):

Fascism: a totalitarian governmental system led by a dictator and emphasizing aggressive nationalism, militarism, and often racism.

Socialism: a theory or system of social organization in which the means of production and distribution of goods are owned and controlled collectively or by the government

Democracy: government in which supreme power is exercised directly by the people or by their elected agents.

Democrat: an advocate of democracy

Capitalism: an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned.

Just for fun: if the governments/states owns the roads, and you transport your privately made goods over those roads (distribution), is it capitalism or socialism?

Think about it.

Take your time.

*Webster's Dictionary. Everybody ought to own a hard copy.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Name 5 people you admire and why.

A. My husband, because he is courageous, kind, fair, and loving (and he's mine).

     My brother, because he is steadfast, honorable, and decent (and he's the best brother ever).

     Hillary Clinton, because she is intelligent, humorous, and steadfast. She has put up with more shit than any person should have and still manages to get up every day. (And she should have been president. I can guarantee we wouldn't have the shit-show we have now if she had been.)

     Oprah Winfrey, who managed to overcome a traumatic upbringing and move on to entertain and enlighten millions.

     Diane Sawyer, who has been a great journalist and role model.

          

2. When was the last time you did something adventurous?

A. I went to the doctor Wednesday. Leaving the house anymore is a dangerous journey into the unknown.

3. You felt you got older when my mother passed away.

4. What one thing that could happen today would make you extremely happy?

A. A vaccine for the coronavirus.

5. An experience you don’t want to go through again.

A. Having my husband disabled from surgery and unable to walk. I'd also not like to have him run a body part through farm machinery again.

6. One decision you made that changed your life completely.

A. I left a job at a law firm.

7. How do you participate in saving the earth?

A. I recycle, we farm and spent $$$$$ fencing the cattle out of the stream and pond. This required drilling a well, purchasing a generator, running miles of water line, etc. to keep them watered at troughs. That was the biggest thing we have done, was fencing the cattle out of the tributaries. It was a very big project and a very big deal. We won a conservation award for it.

8. A gift you would like to get on your next birthday?

A. Just a chocolate cake would be fine.

9. Things you miss about your childhood?

A. Not much. I miss being smaller in size.

10. The greatest invention?

A. Agriculture.

11. Your favorite super hero.

A. Wonder Woman, although I also like Supergirl and Stargirl, currently closing out its first season on the CW, has been pretty interesting. It's kind of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (also a favorite superhero), but not. And I can't forget Xena: Warrior Princess.

12. Your views about veganism.

A. I don't have any. To each her own.

13. If you could be anything else in the world, what would you be?

A. A sequoia tree.

14. How did you parents meet?

A. Catching nightcrawlers under the mulberry tree in my grandparents backyard.

15. Your morning routine.

A. I get up, make a cup of tea, and stupidly read the news. I need to stop doing that because these days that's a guaranteed way to either become incredibly anxious, pissed, or depressed.

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Saturday 9: Moonlighting

Saturday 9: Moonlighting (1985)

 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it

1) Moonlighting was an award-winning comedy-drama that ran from 1985 to 1989. Are you familiar with the show? Were you a fan?

A. I've heard of it but I don't believe I ever watched it. In 1985, we could only get two channels and Moonlighting was on the one we could not receive.

2) The series revolved around The Blue Moon Detective Agency in Los Angeles. There have been countless TV shows and movies about detectives and their cases, yet Crazy Sam doesn't know anyone who has ever hired a private investigator. How about you? Have you ever had anything or anyone investigated?

A. I worked for a law firm that sometimes hired private investigators for litigation cases, particularly divorces and work-related injuries where someone claimed disability but there was suspicion the person was not actually disabled. I always felt like those cases were a bit dishonest - just because someone is having a good day and decides to mow the yard doesn't mean that tomorrow she didn't spend the next day in bed paying for it.

3) The agency was named Blue Moon because one of the owners, Maddie Hayes, was a model known as The Blue Moon Girl, famous for promoting Blue Moon Shampoo. If we were to rename their detective agency based on the shampoo you most recently used, what would it be called?

A. Free and Gentle Detective Agency.

4) Cybill Shepherd played Maddie Hayes. Cybill believes we can all find romance many times and said she considers the concept of one true love as "dramatic treacle." Do you agree?

A. I think love comes in many forms, and it evolves as one ages. You can love the same person a million different ways. Or a million different people in one way.

5) David Addison was played by Bruce Willis. At the beginning of his career he couldn't support himself as a actor and held down part-time jobs as a security guard, shuttle bus driver and bartender. How many different occupations have you had?

A. Farm daughter, babysitter, file clerk, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, journalist, freelance writer, adjunct teacher, wife. Not necessarily in that order. 

6) The Moonlighting theme was co-written and performed by Al Jarreau. While in college, Al planned on being a career counselor. Yet once he began performing with a jazz trio, he knew that music was where his heart was. Tell us about a time you found joy from an unexpected source.

A. I have been surprised at how much I enjoy digital photography.

7) Moonlighting was created by Glenn Gordon Caron. ABC gave him the opportunity based on his work on Remington Steele and Taxi. Of these three shows -- Moonlighting, Remington Steele and Taxi -- which would you prefer to binge watch?

A. I've never seen any of them, but I will go with Remington Steele.

 

8) In 1985, the year Moonlighting premiered, Coca Cola introduced The New Coke. It was not successful and disappeared from store shelves quickly. What's the most recent beverage you drank?

A. Does tea count? If not, then it would have been a root beer at least a year ago or longer.

9) Random question  -- Each day, do you put more time into improving your mind or your appearance?

A. I read all the time, newspapers from everywhere, so I would guess my mind. My efforts at my appearance have become nonexistent, aside from clothing. I don't go anywhere and when I do I have on a mask, so there isn't much point in putting on loads of make-up. 

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The Agony of De-Feet

I'll never be your beast of burden

I've walked for miles, my feet are hurting

All I want is you to make love to me

                            -- The Rolling Stones

I have had problems with my feet since I was born. I am flat-footed, more or less, and I pronate badly. When I was younger, I wore those corrective Mary Janes that supposedly helped something, but as I have aged, gained weight, and tried to increase my walking habits, I find I have more foot problems than ever.

Last September, we went on vacation. The shower in the condo had a tiled floor that was walking on pebbles. By the time we came home, I had a case of plantar fasciitis in my left foot.

I did stretches, etc., but my husband was undergoing ankle fusion surgery in late November, and I was more interested in preparing the house for him than I was in taking care of myself.

In February, I mentioned the pain in my foot to my primary care doctor. She gave me exercises, which I did, and the plantar fasciitis pain throughout the arch went away, but it seemed to center directly in my heel.

It feels like I am stepping on a railroad spike when I step down. It hurts more in the afternoons, after I've been up a while.

I continued the exercises and ice but it wasn't helping. Since it seemed, in fact, to be growing worse, I saw an orthopedic doctor at Carilion Wednesday. I was there for two hours. The result? Yep, you have some pain in your foot, here's a squishier heel cup that might help more than the one you bought online. Sorry, we don't do steroid shots for this kind of thing anymore. If you want, I can refer you to the "foot pain" people, they like to do surgery.

Surgery? He had me ready to bolt out of the office (well, hop and limp fast) as soon as that word came out of his mouth. After my gallbladder surgery and the subsequent hell I have been through with that, I've decided I'd rather die than have another surgery. I mean come on. Surgery?

He took an x-ray and said I had a heel spur but he thought the problem was little "stalagmites" on the bone. I guess that's some kind of bone degeneration, maybe? Nothing's turned up in my chart yet to let me know. Actually, my visit with him isn't even in my chart. It's like it never happened. (Maybe they won't bill me. Ha.)

After that unhelpful visit, I decided to change up my exercises. I will go to mild, passive-resistance stretches instead of things like the runners stretch (up against the wall, foot back, really stretching calf muscle), which is what I had been doing. I also have decided to use KT Tape and yesterday I asked my chiropractor to use her therapeutic ultrasound on my foot. I have a personal use ultrasound machine here at home, and when I am having a non-tape day, I will use the ultrasound on it here.

We seem to have entered a phase in medicine where if you're sick, too bad. You're going to have to figure out how to deal with it yourself. Someone told me today he had cancelled a planned shoulder surgery because he had to quarantine for 14 days prior and have two negative Covid-45 tests, one within three days of the surgery, before he could get the surgery. So he cancelled it until "this stuff is all over and there's a vaccine or whatever." That was his decision, and I understand both sides. But still, something is wrong somewhere.

Our health care needs overhauled in more ways than one. Everyone likes to brag about how great our healthcare system is, but I don't see it. All I see is a method of taking money from people that is foolproof, because everyone has an illness at some point.

Here's to walking, hopefully pain free.