Unknown Bird

 I initially thought this was a tufted titmouse, but not so sure now. Thoughts?

A Juvenile Redwing Blackbird

It took me a while to figure this bird out. I thought it had to be a redwing blackbird, but there was no red. Finally, I found a photo of the bird in the juvenile state and viola! The answer.

A Sure Sign of Better Things

 

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?

A. The closet door is open. It's a walk-in closet and the door always stays open because one of the heat registers is in there.

2. Do you have freckles?

A. I do not. My mother, however, had lots of freckles. She used to tell this story on herself - when she was very young, someone told her that early morning dew would remove freckles. So every morning for an entire summer, she woke before everyone else and went outside and rubbed her face in the grass. I think my grandmother finally put a stop to that.

3. Can you whistle?

A. I can. Some days I do it better than others.

4. What is the name of the last song you listened to?

A. Comfortably Numb, by Pink Floyd

5. Name something that relaxes you.

A. Reading.

6. What sounds are your favorite?

A. My husband's voice, along with my brother's voice and my father's, bird noises, train sounds, guitar music, my friends' voices, the whisper of the breeze through a fully-grown hayfield, the chit-chit of the squirrels, the low of the cattle, the click of a camera, and the peck-peck of my fingers on the computer keyboard.

7. What do you wear to bed?

A. I wear a nightgown.

8. Do you sing in the shower?

A. This morning I let loose with a rousing rendition of American Pie, every verse and chorus. It was a long shower.

9. What books are you reading?

A. I am reading a Stuart Woods book. I have been binge-reading his books since the first of the year, with a few "literary" reads in between. I am also reading the Bible every day.

10. Do you believe in magic?

A. In a young girl's heart? Of course. Magic is everywhere. It is in the wink of the sun through the clouds, in the flowering daffodils, in the silence of the house when no one is home. Magic lives in all of us, some of simply call it by different names. What is prayer but an incantation?

11. Can you curl your tongue?

A. I can.

12. Have you ever caught a butterfly?

A. Yes. I always let them go. When we were children, we were cruel to June bugs. We would catch them and tie a string around their leg and then fly them around in circles. We also caught lightning bugs in jars. No one told us we shouldn't do that. I would never do that now, and as I aged I realized it was not a nice thing to do to bugs.

13. Name one movie that made you cry.

A. The Rose.

14. Do you prefer peanuts or sunflower seeds?

A. Sunflower seeds. 

15. Are you a heavy sleeper?

A. I am not. I wake easily in the night. Sometimes the ice maker dumping in the kitchen will wake me. I think I sleep heavier than I used to, though, now that my husband is home every night. When he worked the 24-hour shifts at the fire station, I don't think I slept as well when he was not at home.

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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: Too Ra Loo

Saturday 9: Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral (1944)
 
Selected because this Wednesday is St. Patrick's Day.

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.
   
1) Bing Crosby sings that he learned this song from his mother. Can you recall a song from your early childhood?

A. My grandmother used to sing Daisy, Daisy to me when she was fixing a boo boo or rocking me to sleep. I had the pleasure of singing it to my great niece back before the pandemic struck - she was not yet one - and watching her eyes light up and the rest of her calm down while I sang it to her.

2) Bing was NBC's first choice to play TV's Columbo. He turned down the role because, by that time, he was in his 60s and just didn't feel like working a full week anymore. Peter Falk eventually got the part and played Det. Columbo for 10 seasons. Do you enjoy detective stories, whether on TV, in movies or in books?

A. As long as they aren't overly gory or explicitly sexual, I like them. I prefer something along the line of Sue Grafton's books as opposed to Patricia Cornwell, whose books are a bit gruesome for me.

3) Bing could trace his family back to County Cork. While it's said that on St. Patrick's Day everyone is Irish, can you honestly claim Irish heritage?

A. I was always told we came from Ireland, but when my brother did his DNA with Ancestry, it came back as being 53% Great Britain and only 13% Ireland/Scotland/Wales. So there is some there, but it's not as much as I thought.

4) Other than St. Patrick, what is Ireland famous for?

A. Druids.

5) "The wearing o' the green" is one way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Will you wear something green in honor of the day?

A. If I remember it's St. Patrick's Day.

6) Have you ever had green beer?

A. No. I don't drink beer.

7) Have you ever ordered a Shamrock Shake from McDonald's?

A. No. I don't eat at McDonald's.

8) A four-leaf clover is considered good luck. Do you have a lucky charm?

A. No. I once found multiple four-leaf clovers every time I went outside, but I stopped looking for them and now I don't see them. But I have no lucky charm, no idol to get me through tough times.

9) Speaking of Lucky Charms, they are magically delicious.  What brand of cereal is in your kitchen right now?

A. Honey Nut Cheerios and Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.

This question reminded me of this clip. I think Jeff Dunham is a misogynistic jerk, but he's still funny sometimes.

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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. (#380)

Thursday Thirteen

Here are good lines from songs -

1. All lies and jest, still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. - Simon and Garfunkel, The Boxer

2. Fathers be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do. Girls become lovers, who turn into mothers, so mothers be good to your daughters, too. - John Mayer, Daughters

3. Fear is the lock and laughter the key to your heart. - Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

4. Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. Nothing ain't nothing, but it's free. - Kris Kristofferson; Janis Joplin, Me And Bobby McGee

5. If we weren't all crazy we would go insane. - Jimmy Buffett, Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes

6. If you believe in forever, then life is just a one night stand. If there's a rock and roll heaven, well, you know they got a hell of a band. - The Righteous Brothers, Rock And Roll Heaven

7. It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no Senator's son, son. It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one. - Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fortunate Son

8. Love is a battlefield. - Pat Benatar, Love Is A Battlefield

9. Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea. All we do, crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see, dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind. - Kansas, Dust In The Wind

10. So often in time it happens, we all live our life in chains, and we never even know we have the key. - The Eagles, Already Gone

11. The bubble headed bleach blonde comes on at five, she can tell you about the plane crash with a gleam in her eye. It's interesting when people die, gives us dirty laundry. - Don Henley, Dirty Laundry

12. The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls. - Simon and Garfunkel, The Sound Of Silence

13. Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees. - Eric Clapton, Tears In Heaven

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 698th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Pandemic Journal - Day 354

I haven't written an update about the dampandemic since December. We're nearly at a year since things turned topsy-turvy. I suppose it actually is beyond a year since the first cases were diagnosed and people died from it.

The biggest change is that we have an administration in place that takes this seriously, one that expects and encourages masks, social distancing, and hand washing. Additionally, three different vaccines are now available, though in short supply and hard to come by.

The numbers peaked as expected in the colder months and are on the decline, but Virginia's governor has said he will keep his current measures in place through the end of this month, at least.

We have stayed home as much as humanly possible. I seldom go in a grocery store, opting instead for pickups where I choose my food online and then the store personnel deliver it to the trunk of my car.

I still wipe down my groceries.

I still have a pair of shoes specifically for wearing out in public.

I still change clothes when I come in after I've been out.

I still have a Covid coat that I wear when I go out. It is washable and thus easily taken care of if someone breathes on me.

We have not eaten in a restaurant since this began, so almost a year. I think it was about 8 months before I went beyond the county line and into the city.

What many people don't realize is that I have been stuck at home since November 22, 2019, when my husband had his ankle fusion. I was home nursing him, although I could go out to the grocery store and shop and didn't have to worry about wiping things down or changing my shoes. 

About the time he was up around and walking, contemplating a return to the fire department and his job as a battalion chief, the pandemic hit. He retired.

So this change for me has been long. I know many people have had to adjust to spending time with significant others that they normally did not. For many months, I missed those nights at home alone, when I could stay up reading until the week hours of the morning. But I have adjusted and we are more in sync on our hours.

I have become better at simply disappearing into my office when I need my alone time, leaving him to entertain himself. For a while I felt like I had to be on call for him constantly, but that has eased. Part of that was his ankle surgery, but a lot of it was simply me feeling ill at ease at having him peering over my shoulder more than I was used to.

My health as far as colds and sinus infections has been better since we have had the mask mandate in place. I intend to continue to wear one when I am in public. I don't care what people think about it.

The ulcer in my stomach came from out of nowhere, but perhaps the stress of the pandemic and all the changes in the last year contributed. At least it led to a weight loss, so yay for that. Too bad the weight loss stopped when I finally received medication for the ulcer.

At least the weight's not going up, but I am also not eating well yet. Many foods are off the table for me for the time being.

Coming up with something for dinner was hard before the ulcer; now it's nigh impossible to move beyond chicken, rice, and peas.

What I wouldn't give for a slice of pizza!

The light at the end of the tunnel as far as the pandemic is brightening. The virus will eventually be tamed, we will have our vaccines, and we will return to a semblance of normal. However, normal wasn't working for everyone, so I don't want to go all the way back to pre-pandemic normal.

I want a better normal for everyone, not simply a wealthy few.

Global Harmony

When we were downtown Saturday for my husband's vaccination, we drove by a new sculpture.

It's called Global Harmony and it was installed in March 2019.

I don't go downtown much, so I had not seen it.

Arizona-based artist Stephen Fairfield created the steel and fiberglass work. It has LED lights that can be programmed to shine in different colors for special occasions.

The artist called Roanoke "a diversified and welcoming city" in media reports. He said the sculpture reflects that "from a global perspective.

It was hard to take it in from the front seat of the car. When the pandemic ends, I will have to go back and take a closer look.

All About that Shot!

Saturday we went to the drive-through shot clinic at the Berglund Center so my husband could receive the Johnson & Johnson one-and-done shot.

He had no reaction to it at all. I kept a close eye on him but he's not had a single issue. Not even a sore arm.

The drive-through clinic worked well. It was impressive, actually. We were in and out in 20 minutes, and that counts the 15 minute wait period that the Health Department required.

Orange and white cones greeted us as we arrived. At the turn in, someone checked off his name and sent us to the right. We drove up and down and up and down a long line of cones. This seemed a little bit of overkill given there was no line, but perhaps there were lines at other times and this was necessary.

The National Guard members were helping. We stopped at another check point, and were directed to the line with "the guy waving the blue flag."

He sent us down the line where several site shots were set up. They checked the name again (at some point, I don't know when, someone wrote "15 1 P " in soap on the back window, which I assume meant 15 minute wait and only one person was registered to get the shot.

My hubby already had on a short sleeved shirt and no coat, so he rolled down the window. A nice woman gave him a shot, put a Band-Aid on him, and sent us over to the other side of the Berglund Center to wait our 15 minutes.

I'm not sure he gave it the full 15 minutes, but we were out of there and gone.

This was a great experience. He's vaccinated, and that means one of us will be safe. His vaccine also helps me until I manage to obtain mine.

Good job and applause all the way around.

P.S. Husband isn't growing horns, or a third eye, or anything at all. Imagine that!

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Do you put ketchup on hot dogs?

A. Yes.

2. How many TVs in your house?

A. Two, but we seldom use the one in the bedroom.

3. Do you put salt on watermelon?

A. I do.

4. Can you swim?

A. I can.

5. Are your parents still alive?

A. My father is still alive.

6. First car?

A. I drove an ugly orange Datsun. The car that I consider to be my real first car was a Pontiac T-1000, which was kind of a hatchback.

7. Surgeries?

A. Many.

8. What do you drink in the morning?

A. Water.

9. Can you do 100 push ups?

A. I don't think so.

10. Can you change a tire?

A. Yes.

11. Tattoos?

A. Lots of scars.

12. Do you wear sunglasses?

A. When it is sunny.

13. Do you have a phobia?

A. What do you mean by that? Do you know something?

14. Do you have a nickname? 

A. Yes, but I do not use it.

15. Are you a picky eater?

A. Probably. I have a lot of allergies so I am careful about what I eat.

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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: Birthday

Saturday 9: BIRTHDAY (2014)

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

1) In this song, Katy Perry sings that she wants to give her lover something good to celebrate every day. What is making you happy this fine Saturday?

A. My husband is receiving his Covid-19 vaccination! Yay!

2) The video is all about baking a birthday cake. When did you most recently enjoy something home baked? Were you the baker?

A. My husband made a cherry cobbler. It's a firehouse recipe. I could only eat a little of it because of my stomach issues, but it was good.

3) Tell us a memory from one of your birthdays.

A. My mother made me a cake shaped like a butterfly.

4) This week's song shares nothing but the title with a Beatles song. (Here's a video of Paul McCartney performing it live.) Can you think of another title that's been used by more than one song?

A. Jump. It was performed by the Pointer Sisters. Jump was performed by Van Halen. Two different songs.

5) Similarly, this week's featured artist was born Kathryn Hudson and called Katy Hudson until she changed her name to Katy Perry to avoid confusion with the actress Kate Hudson. Have you ever met anyone else with your same name?

A. My cousin has the same first name as I do. There is another person in the area with my first name and last name; I know this because I heard her being paged at the hospital one day while I was there, and the library sometimes asks me which person I am when I am checking out a book and don't have my card with me. But I have not met her.

6) Katy and actor Orlando Bloom became parents to a baby girl in 2020. Bloom is best known for his work in the Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Are you a fan of either of those film series?

A. I am a fan of the Lord of the Rings series. I bet no one could have guessed that.

7) In 2014, the year this song was popular, Prince William toured the United States and attended his first NBA game (Nets vs. Cavaliers). What's the most recent sporting event that you watched?

A. NASCAR.

8) Also in 2014, Joan Rivers died. While best-known for making us laugh, she was a very successful entrepreneur, selling jewelry on QVC. Have you ever ordered anything from TV?

A. Not that I recall.

9) Random question -- Have you ever been told you talk too much?

A. No. My parents told me that, I'm sure, but most people think I am too quiet.

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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.

Batwoman Review

Batwoman, Season 2, is playing on the CW. I'm recording it and am a few episodes behind. Season 1 was so bad I wasn't going to inflict more of it upon my husband.

Season 2 is slightly better than season 1, so far. That isn't saying much, because the writing in Season 1 was absolutely awful. The acting was fine but the writing was among the worst I have ever seen.

Season 2 had a rough start. The show had to replace character Kate Kane, who was Batwoman, with a new person, Ryan, as Batwoman. The actor who played Kate Kane bowed out after the first season (I could hardly blame her, as bad as the writing was). 

The first few episodes have been establishing this new Batwoman. It goes beyond credibility more than once, and sometimes I feel like the show has simply leapt over significant plot holes, but it is an improvement over season 1, to a point.

The writing is still bad, but the introduction of a new villain shows promise. We'll see.

When this show was first announced, I had high hopes for it. I like Supergirl, which is in its final season this spring. I like shows with strong heroines. 

But I also like shows with good writing, and Batwoman suffers from a serious lack of imagination.

He's Getting a Shot!

My husband goes tomorrow for his Johnson & Johnson one-and-done Covid-19 shot. This is great news, as neither of us have been able to navigate Virginia's incredibly poor system to schedule this much-needed vaccine.

I will go with him, of course, in case he has any issues, and for moral support.

While we are both under 65, we have co-morbidities that put us in the 1b category, and thus eligible for the vaccine. Virginia's roll-out was, well, bad. The sign-ups were left to individual health districts. There was not a state-wide sign up, and there was no confirmation once you signed up that you actually *were* signed up.

Then it came down to who got to their email fastest with a link to get into one of the clinics offering the shots. Next, it was whoever signed into the CVS sight fast enough.

Virginia wised up and created a stable database, and my husband received an email for the J&J shot clinic this weekend. Had a friend not alerted me that the emails were going out, I would not have been fast enough to get him in - as it was, there were only two time openings left when I hit one, and then I sweated through several pages of required information before I hit the button and his appointment was confirmed.

Having one of us protected will help. His mother has already had the shot, so he will feel more comfortable being around her and he can run errands without as much worry.

My doctor very emphatically simply told me if I caught Covid, I would die. So I have mostly stayed home. Of course, she's also sure I am going to die of a heart attack. She just doesn't know if that will be tomorrow or 30 years from now.

My husband is glad he is getting the one-time shot. As the weather warms up, he will have less time to tend to such things as getting a second shot.

Thursday Thirteen - Tree Removal

We lost more trees this week. The beetle that killed the ash trees took out a few more in the back yard. They were close to the house, so we had them removed.

The view before the tree massacre began.

My new view.

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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 697th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

More "Fun" with Dell

The new media card reader arrived last week, a day later than anticipated.

Dellcares on Twitter very helpfully wanted me to tear my computer apart long before the media card reader arrived, but I told them I would take it apart when the part arrived, and not before.

The UPS guy told me Dell sent me an empty box. Ha.

Before I continue, I will note that I have been in the innards of my computers before. I've added ram, changed out hard drives, and installed graphic cards.

Always before, though, these weren't brand new computers still under warranty.

So I unhooked all the wires and plugs, and carried the computer into the kitchen. I laid it flat on the table, and proceeded to unscrew the left side so I could get into the thing.

The left side came off. The media card reader was on the right side, of course.

After attempting in vain to remove it without removing anything else, I ended up unscrewing the hard drive to make room.

I replaced the media card reader, reinstalled the hard drive, and put the side back on.

The media card reader works - sort of.

It's very difficult to get an SD card in and out of the computer. The slot in the case is too tight. I will use an external card reader after all.

Basically I went through all of that for nothing.

Dell, in the meantime, was very unapologetic about the entire affair. I had to return the old part "or your warranty will be voided" and I am fairly sure I won't be buying another Dell. I've had Dells for about 20 years and they've been decent computers, but this one is cheaply made and if I'd seen it on the shelf, I think I would have passed on it. 

This is why some things should not be purchased online.

I found in my purchasing information an email address from the salesperson. He had told me to write if I had any problems, so I wrote him a rather scathing indictment of his computer and the customer service department.

That was last week, and I have not received a response.

I don't expect I will.

Turkeys Like the Birdfeeder

 

Sunday Stealing #375

Sunday Stealing

1. What is the farthest you have ever traveled?

A. I went to France when I was in high school.

2. Who did you date while in high school?

A. That was a long time ago, and it doesn't matter anymore. Although I did learn that the young man who took me to the prom was badly injured in a vehicle accident some years ago. I never heard how he fared, though. I hope he recovered.

3. What is one of the worst trips you've ever taken? What went wrong?

A. We went to Virginia Beach in 1989, immediately after the Greekfest riots. We had called our hotel before we left home to ensure that all was well. When we arrived, we found that the power was out on our side of the street, and the hotel was running off a generator. There was no air conditioning and little light. I think we were nearly the only people in the place. Down the block, however, was another hotel that was fully lit and had power. After asking the guy at the counter if we could have a fan for our room and he declined, I went full-on asthma attack and told him that his company would be paying my medical bills. He refunded our money and we went down the street. Most of the shops were closed and boarded up. The destruction was much worse than we had anticipated and certainly much worse than the hotel people had led us to believe when we called. We didn't go back to Virginia Beach until a few years ago, and we had a nice time then.

4. How do you like to spend a lazy day?

A. Reading.

5. How old were you when you found out that JFK had been assassinated? How did it affect you?

A. I was about six months old. According to the story I've been told, I was in my car seat and my mother was outside hanging up clothes. A neighbor told her JFK had been shot, and she was so upset that she left me sitting outside by the clothesline and the neighbor eventually took me to her.

6. Who has been one of the most important people in your life?

A. My husband by far as been and is the most important person in my life. He's my rock, my friend, my everything.

7. What is one trait you would most like to improve in yourself?

A. I would like to procrastinate less.

8. Did you date someone in college?

A. I was already married when I was in college.

9. What was your dream car?

A. I've never had a dream car, really. I think the Toyota Avalon is a nice looking vehicle. I drive a Camry and it is fine. I just want something reliable and steady.

10. Did you have a family member you wish you'd gotten to know better?

A. I would have liked to have known my father's parents better. They moved to California when I was a baby and I seldom saw them. They were unknown voices on the phone who sent strange Christmas presents to us. After I married, I began writing to my grandfather and I learned more about him that way, but it was not like having had him around my entire life.

11. Tell me about your greatest gardening success.

A. I have roses. They look pitiful now. They are 35 years old and I need to replace them. But there was a time when they were truly gorgeous. They were a riot of color around the heat pump and certainly made that area look better. I am thinking of replacing them with some kind of bush that doesn't require as much attention as roses.

12. What was your Dad like when you were a child?

A. My father is an outgoing fellow with a charismatic personality. He plays guitar and sings, and is always busy doing something. He was like that when I was young, too.

13. What is the best job you've ever had?

A. Being a freelance news reporter for the local paper. I loved the work. The variety it offered was endless. I learned things every day. I was able to teach people about their local government through my articles. I did things I never thought I'd do, saw things I never thought I'd see, and met people I would not otherwise have met during the course of my career as a local news writer.

14. What are your favorite songs?

A. I tend to listen to songs from my teenage years. I like Bread, for example, and listen to them frequently. I also liked disco and still listen to that. Nothing beats disco as a song for housecleaning.

15. If you could choose any talents to have, what would they be?

A. I would like to like to knit or crochet or something. I can do it, but I'm not particularly crafty. I guess I would like to be better at crafts. Or cooking. That would be a healthier choice. I hate to cook and I would like to like it and want to learn more about it.

_______________

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: Bills, Bills, Bills

Saturday 9: BILLS, BILLS, BILLS (1999)

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

1) This song is about a cheating boyfriend. Unlike most songs, where the lover deceives by seeing another, this one squanders his girl's financial resources. She sings that he's ruined her credit. Do you know your credit score?

A. Yes, I know my credit score.

2) How often do you pay your bills? Do you handle them as they come in, or do you pay weekly, bi-weekly or monthly? Or are you lucky enough to have someone else handle your bills?

A. I handle the bills. I pay them as they come in, generally, although issues with the post office in the last several month has messed up my system.

3) Destiny's Child had a hit with "Bills, Bills, Bills." This girl group got their start in Houston, TX. During the recent, bruising storm, lead singer Beyonce sent food, money and water to her home state. Have you spent much time in the Lone Star State?

A. I think I drove through it with my family in 1976. So no. However, much of my mother's family relocated from Virginia to Texas, for reasons that elude me.

4) Beyonce is the breakout star of the group and went on to have a highly successful solo career. Can you think of another star who began his/her career as the member of a group?

A. Phil Collins (Genesus), Glenn Fry (Eagles), Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers), Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac), Don Henley (Eagles).

5) "Bills, Bills, Bills" was performed a cappella by the kids on Glee. That Fox show ran for six seasons. Were you a fan? 

A. I have never seen the show.

6) In 1999, when this song was on the charts, SpongeBob SquarePants premiered. The show remains popular among the younger set. Have you ever seen it?

A. I have never seen the show.

7) SpongeBob has become an industry, spawning movies, a Broadway musical, video games and both coloring and comic books. Once considered children's amusements, today coloring and comic books enjoy a following among adults. Have you recently enjoyed coloring or reading a comic book?

A. Not recently, but I enjoy coloring.

8) Also in 1999, Walmart expanded to the United Kingdom. Do you shop at Walmart?

A. Sometimes. I haven't been in an actual store in about a year, but I have ordered things we use online.

 

9) Random question -- We've all met people who aren't exactly as they present themselves. Are you good at spotting a phony?

A. Apparently not. I became friends with someone who once was a man but is now a woman and had no idea for over two years. That is not being a phony - she was being herself - but it is something I thought I would have picked up on. (I know there are appropriate terms for this but I don't want to misuse them.) Otherwise, when I interviewed people for the newspaper, I tried to be sure they were being honest in their answers, but I am sure I was misled a time or two. As for my friends, hopefully they are all honest with me.

______________

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.

 

Red-tailed Hawk

I saw this amazing (and large) bird land in the pines and keep an eye on my bird feeder for over an hour. I suspect the bird was contemplating breakfast.

Red-tailed hawks are found throughout Virginia and can have up to a 4-foot wing span.

Thursday Thirteen

Here are 13 topics I could lecture on for an hour or so, if I were asked:

1. Writing news articles.

2. Keeping a journal.

3. History of Botetourt County.

4. My genealogical history.

5. An analysis of Stuart Woods' books.

6. An analysis of Janet Evanovich's books.

7. The guitar.

8. Songs of the 1970s.

9. An analysis of The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit.

10. The habits of the Virginia whitetail deer

11. Photography.

12. A history of video games.

13. Politics from my perspective.

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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 696th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.