The Day After 9/11

When the first plane hit the Twin Towers in New York City on September 11, 2001, I was working a part-time job at a law office to supplement my freelance income.

One of the lawyers rushed in and told us to turn on the TV. We did, just in time to watch the second plane hit.

At first, we weren't sure we'd seen what we'd seen, but as CBS replayed it and began analyzing it, and then more reports of hijacked jets came in, and the Pentagon was hit, we realized this was big stuff.

We all stood around the small set, watching. When the towers tumbled, my coworker gasped. "All of those people," one of them exclaimed.

"All of those firefighters," I murmured. Being married to a firefighter, I knew who was climbing the stairs while everyone else was fleeing.

The lawyers closed the doors and sent us home. Everyone in the small county seat headed home. My husband was out with his father installing a septic tank, and I had no way to reach him. This was 2001, after all - and he didn't have a cellphone. I wasn't even sure where he was.

I walked into my quiet, empty home and turned the TV on. I sat for hours, watching over and over as the towers burned and then fell, again and again in replays. I listened to stunned announcers try to make sense of this attack on us, heard their voices falter, heard them try to distinguish facts from guesses.

My husband did not come home until about 4 p.m., a little early for him. Someone had seen them working and stopped and told them the country was under attack. My husband and father-in-law had packed up and came home.

So, my firefighter saw the towers collapse in a replay, but he did not see it real time. He did not know, at the moment he was watching, the exact minute he was watching, that people were dying. By the time he watched the towers fall, those folks had been dead for hours.

He was devasted, of course, by the loss of his New York brothers. Firefighters are a close-knit group. Losing 343 of them in one blow was tragic.

But I had seen it happen in real time, along with millions of other people.

Every year since then, I have hunted up footage of the fall of the towers around 9/11. I have watched numerous documentaries about it, seen the conspiracy theory videos, or a lot of them anyway, and occasionally stumble upon some recently uploaded footage someone in New York shot out of a window and then forgot about it.

Different angles of the second plane hitting are always gut-wrenching. I've only seen a few shots of the first plane hitting; no one knew it was coming, after all, so cameras weren't pointed there. However, there is one video that shows the first plane hit; an interview some blocks away, and they heard the plane suddenly come in and the videographer caught the moment of impact.

You can see that here at about 19 seconds in:

In the days after, I remember seeing blue skies unmarred by the trails of aircraft, because the planes were grounded. It was eerie to look up and see the sky so blue without the chem trails of planes, the crisscross patterns that indicated people were going on about their day, flying hither and yon without a care.

People were quiet, at first, and helpful, at first. But after a few days, the air changed. I felt anger, hatred, and evil seething in the store when I went after groceries. It has ebbed and flowed over the last 21 years, that feeling that I have when I am in a crowd, but it has never gone away, not since September 12, 2001. For a day - maybe two - we were one nation, pulled together by the horror of what we'd witnessed.

But after that? We were an angry, scared bunch of people, and we've stayed that way. We frayed. We pulled apart. And the distance and the turmoil grew, and in the end, the terrorists won after all, for all that they've been dead for 20 years.

In the end, they destroyed us - because we have destroyed ourselves.

We've raised an entire generation in that atmosphere of fear and hate. They don't know anything except fear and hate. That's all they know.

What has it been like for them, growing up in this new world that we allowed to happen, the one where everyone is afraid, and big men must carry guns with little, deadly bullets to compensate for their fears?

I know what it has been like for me to live in this time - it's been basically an ulcer-creating atmosphere. But what must it be like for those young folks, the ones who are now turning 21?

What do they think and feel, having grown up every moment with this disease of the soul, this dark pall that has fallen over this nation?

I remember the blue skies on September 12. I looked up at the blue, blue skies, those brilliant September skies.

And the memories of what we were before, knowing what we could have been, and the thought of those clear blue skies, are what pulls me through.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What flavor Popsicle is the best?

A. The blue one. I think they call it blue raspberry. I'm not sure it actually comes as the brand Popsicle, but it comes in frozen ice things.

2. Do you have a DVR feature with your cable?

A. We have satellite TV and it has a DVR feature. It saves a lot of arguments over what to watch.

3. How many drawers does your dresser have?

A. Ten. One of them is empty.

4. Is your closet a mess?

A. I wouldn't call it a mess, but it could use a little attention.

5. Have you ever solved a Rubik's Cube?

A. Oh yes. When I was teenager, I could solve one in under two minutes. I doubt I could do that now; it's been so long since I had my hands on one.

6. Describe your favorite pair of pajama pants:

A. I don't wear pajama pants. I wear gowns.

7. What color is your wallet?

A. It is brown, and it is over 30 years old. I've attempted to replace it a few times but have not found another I like as well as this one.

8. Do you find flea markets and thrift shops enjoyable?

A. I would if they didn't smell musty and dusty. But they do, and I have asthma, so I seldom go in them.

9. Have you met amazing people online?

A. Of course! All of my readers are amazing people. My blog buddies are beyond amazing!

10. Would you be happy if I colored a picture for you?

A. If it would make you happy, then I would be delighted to accept such a gift.

11. What show do you think 'made' the 90's?

A. I'm going to guess it was either Seinfield or Friends, but I watched neither of them. For me, the show that made the 90s was Xena: Warrior Princess, which premiered on September 4, 1995. A second show would be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which premiered in 1997, but it spanned more into the 2000s than Xena did.

12. Are you happier now than you were last year?

A. I think I rate my happiness about the same as last year.

13. What are you currently drinking?

A. Water.

14. Do you trust people easily?

A. No. I used to, but over time that's eroded.

15. What are you looking forward to in the next three months?

A. Halloween, watching Ring of Power, The Voice, and eventually the new Top Gun movie whenever it makes an appearance on TV. I am also looking forward to another season of His Dark Materials, Gentleman Jack, and My Brilliant Friend on HBO. We have no vacation plans. Maybe next year.

Thanks to Kwizgiver for stepping in to help Bev with Sunday Stealing!

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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: No Roots

Saturday 9: No Roots (2017)

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

1) This song is about a woman who has moved a lot and is always packing boxes. Do you have packing materials (boxes, bubble wrap, packing tape, etc.) in your home right now? Do you have them on hand to ship things, or are you preparing for a move?

A. I have boxes and tape here. I use them for returns, mostly, or have them for Christmas. I am not preparing to move.

2) She sings that she moves from place to place, collecting memories. Would you rather travel light and travel often, or put down roots?

A. I put down roots. I have been in the same place for 35 years. But I always thought I would travel. Guess not.

3) She can recall all the gates and house numbers of all the places she's lived. Does your current residence have a fence and gate? Did your previous one?

A. My driveway has neither fence nor gate. My driveway runs between two fences. We could gate it if we wanted, I suppose, but there is no need.

4) This week's artist, Alice Merton, moved often as a child as her father's job took the family from Germany to the US to Canada to England back to Germany. She wrote this song to help her deal with feelings of loneliness and longing. When you're feeling overwhelmed, how do you work through the feelings?

A. Sometimes I go to bed and go to sleep. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I call a friend. Sometimes I write it out. Sometimes I write a song.

5) Alice is still on the move. Soon she'll be performing throughout Europe. Have you ever had a job that required you to travel? If yes, did you enjoy it?

A. I have never had a job that required travel.

6) "No Roots" is a favorite of Kelly Clarkson's, who has performed it on tour and on TV. When you think of Kelly, is at as a singer, a judge on The Voice, or as a talk show host?

A. I think of her as a singer and as a former judge on The Voice. She isn't going to be on that show this year. I have not seen her on her talk show host except occasional YouTube video clips.

7) In 2017, when this song was popular, Faye Dunaway made Oscar history by announcing the wrong winner for the biggest award of the night, Best Picture. It wasn't her fault as she was given the wrong envelope, but she's one who made the on-screen flub seen around the world. Have you recently had an embarrassing moment?

A. Not that I can recall. It's rather hard to have those when you're mostly at home.

8) Wonder Woman was 2017's most popular movie. She was originally introduced in a 1941 DC comic book. Comic books remain a big business. Have you ever been to a comic bookstore?

A. Oh yes. There used to be two here; I think there is only one now. I haven't been in a comic bookstore in years, but I always liked going.

9) Random question: Is your skin itchy this morning?

A. No.

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

Stuff I Want to Remember

Queen Elizabeth of England passed away yesterday at the age of 96. King Charles III now reigns there.

The FBI searched the home of a person who should never have been president in the first place in August.

States rights have consequences even for rich people (Bannon).

The Supreme Court tossed out Roe v. Wade by handing it back to the states.

The redistricting process in most states is gerrymandered.

Republicans have not won the popular vote in about 40 years (I need to look this up).

The policies of Republicans are not popular with the majority.

Hillary Clinton still has power and influence even though she's no longer involved in politics (but her emails!).

The news today is the same as it was 100 years ago, so breathe deep and move on with your life.

What will be, will be.

Thursday Thirteen

For Thursday Thirteen today, we're visiting the Botetourt History Museum, which has a new location in the county seat.

The former location, one of the oldest buildings in town, is being moved about 50 feet from its present location to make way for a new county courthouse. The old one is scheduled to be torn down in the next year and a new one constructed.

Anyway, here are some photos from the Museum, which is now located about a block from where it used to be, and is on Main Street.

The photos, which I took from my iPhone, loaded backwards in the blog. I have no idea why.

An old switchboard from way back.

A mortar and pestle used by First Nations Settlers (Native Americans)

A stand of antique stuff. I didn't pay that close attention to what was on it.

I think, but am not sure, that this is a spindle or yarn doohickey.

This is a Chickering piano. See the captioned piece above for its history.

This small book was in an enclosed case. It's dated 1857. Just note what it says.

This is a picture of Grove Hill, owned by the Breckinridges. This large plantation once took most of the land in the area of Catawba Creek outside of Fincastle. The home burned down in 1909. Some of the bricks were hauled to New York and used in a home there.

To Have and To Hold was written by Buchanan native Mary Johnston. It was the best-selling book in 1900. It was made into a movie.

A book presser, used in book binding.

Antique tea set.

The desk from the law office of James Breckinridge.

A bad picture of an article from about 40 years ago that shows the former Museum location.

The Botetourt County Historic Society has a number of books available, both for sale and for research, if you want to sit and review them.

This was on a mantle in the main entry room; I liked the picture. Fincastle does have a Lewis and Clark connection; William Clark's wife, Judith Hancock, was raised down the road in the plantation known as Santillane.

The exterior of the new location of the museum.

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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 772nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Why I Still Mask Up

I am a masker.

And proud of it.

I've had only one person comment to me about wearing a mask, and it was someone I know, and someone I no longer care to be around. It was a man and the comments (he said something to me 3 times, with the last time being the deal breaker) were along the line that healthy people didn't need to mask, and the last time he saw me as I was leaving a store and he snickered, "You really think that mask is going to save you?" I walked right past him without a word.

I don't know why people think they have the right to comment on other people's actions or appearances, especially harmless ones that don't affect them. Now, if I were running my buggy into someone's heels in the store, of course I would expect them to turn around and tell me to stop. I have affected them. But wearing a mask affects no one. I happen to think that when we're in a high transmission area, as we are at the moment, and you don't wear a mask, then you're ignorant and part of the problem, but I don't go around telling people that. I do my thing and move on. Live and let live and all of that.

I wear a mask because I could have Covid and not know it. That's the way it works. I have allergies and I frequently have sinus drainage, a sore throat, and other symptoms that could be Covid. I test myself when things are flaring up, but I don't if I'm feeling ok. But I could be positive and not have tested at the right time.

And I'd be pretty upset if I thought I went out when I shouldn't have, without a mask, and killed somebody's grandma.

Also, I acknowledge there's a degree of feeling safer in a mask for me. I have not picked up every virus and bacterial infection around since I've been wearing masks. My allergies are not as bad if I wear a mask when I'm outside. They may not keep me from getting Covid, but they keep me healthier.

If I see someone obviously sick in the store, I leave. I have sat in the parking lot at the post office for 10 minutes waiting on the crowd to die out when I saw that most of its customers had no mask on. My time, my choice. 

My doctor has assured me that the likelihood of my dying from Covid, even with the vaccinations, is higher than average. I have asthma and other underlying health conditions (and I am judged on those, too, though those who judge haven't a clue of my history). I am taking care of myself, and I haven't time to worry about what other people do. (I also am carrying around a letter from my doctor that says I should wear a mask at all times because of my health.)

I don't understand why this is an issue, or anyone's business but my own.

Unconventional Lives

Today is Labor Day, the day when we in the USA are supposed to celebrate the working person. 

Most people simply consider it the end of summer and the start of Autumn.

As my husband and I wind down our careers and lives, it occurs to me that we have lived rather unconventional lives. We were not the typical 9-to-5 couple, never yuppies, never ran with the "in" crowd - whatever that is.

My husband was a farmer and a septic tank installer when we first met. A few months later, he went to work as a firefighter in nearby Roanoke. He continued to work the other two jobs with his father.

As a firefighter, he worked a 24-hour shift that ran like this: M, W, F he would work at the fire station, then be off for four days, then he would work W, F, Su, and be off for four days, and so on and so forth. For 10 nights out of every month, I was home alone while he was at the fire station.

When he came home from a shift, he went to work on the farm or went to dig septic tanks. A lot of young firefighters these days come home from a shift and take a nap, but I cannot recall my husband ever doing that. He may have gone to bed early, but he did not lay out on the work around the farm or with his father's septic tank installation business (both of which are now my husband's businesses).

That is not a 9-to-5 life. That's a hard-working man's life, the life of a man who loved the land, the outdoors, and his family.

My life was not routine, either. For the first 10 years of our marriage, I worked some full-time jobs that were indeed 9-to-5, but I also went to college at night. A year after we married, I published my first article, and after that I wrote as a side gig or second job (and have never stopped). Occasionally I worked part-time and went to college and wrote, but nothing about my routine was normal.

We did not live a Leave-it-to-Beaver kind of lifestyle. We worked odd hours - sometimes I was in meetings I covered for the local newspapers until midnight - and we did things like build our own home with our hands in order to save money and obtain what we wanted. (At the time we built our house, in 1987, interest rates were 13% and the economists (who really know nothing), said that was as low as the interest would ever go. We refinanced when the rates dropped, of course.)

No, I cannot say we have lived normal lives compared to others, especially those on TV. My grandfather worked a conventional job; he had a 7-to-4 p.m. shift, and dinner was always on the table when he arrived at 4:15 p.m. My mother worked a conventional job, with a long drive from our home; she left around 7:45 a.m. and returned each night about 6 p.m., give or take the traffic or a stop at Mike's Market for bread. 

My father, after he stopped being a traveling salesman, also lived a double life, farming when he wasn't running the business he built from the ground up, a company that now has more than 60 employees and several locations. He's never been conventional about anything.

Today I salute the people I know and those I don't know who live unconventional lives. Maybe that is all of us, each person doing the best he or she can, trying to reach for whatever dream it is that prods that on.

Happy Labor Day.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

This is on movies, and I'm not very good with keeping up with what I watch when. Or what I have watched, period. I keep a list of books I read but I don't keep a list of movies I've watched.

1. Best movie you saw during the last year: Thirteen Lives on Amazon Prime.

2. The most underrated movie: Under the Tuscan Sun

3. Favorite love story in a movie: Baby & Johnny in Dirty Dancing

4. The most surprising plot twist or ending: Can I say the finale of Game of Thrones?

5. A movie that makes you really happy: The Replacements, with Kenau Reeves

6. A movie that makes you sad: Steel Magnolias or The Rose

7. Favorite made for TV movie: I don't know.

8. A movie you’ve seen countless times: The Lord of the Rings trilogy

9. A movie with the best soundtrack: Forrest Gump

10. Favorite classic movie: Sound of Music

11. A movie that you hate: Anything with Adam Sandler in it.

12. A movie that changed your opinion about something: Wonder Woman made me rethink watching movies about comic book characters. I had been avoiding them before that movie came out.

13. A character you can relate to the most: Frances in Under the Tuscan Sun

14. A movie that is a guilty pleasure: Grease.

15. Favorite movie based on a book/comic: Wonder Woman for comic; Lord of the Rings for book.

16. A movie that disappointed you the most: Kingdom of Heaven starring Orlando Bloom.

17. A movie from your favorite actor/actress: The Blind Side

18. Favorite movie from your favorite director: The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

19. Favorite action movie: Reds with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Helen Mirren

20. A movie you wish more people would have seen: None of my friends have watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy, so I can't talk about it with anyone but my husband and my brother. These three movies are the most awarded film series in cinematic history, winning 475 awards out of 800 nominations. 17 Oscars in total. And people won't watch it because it has a wizard in it or whatever. It didn't receive all of those nominations because it had a wizard in it, I can tell you that. The film series was nominated because it has great acting and storytelling, not to mention one of the best musical scores in cinema history.

21. Favorite documentary: I don't have one.

22. Favorite animation: Toy Story

23. Most hilarious movie you’ve ever seen: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

24. A movie that you wish you had seen in theater: Wonder Woman 1984.

25. Your favorite movie of all time: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the extended editions. All 14+ hours of it.

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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: Blue Collar Man

Saturday 9: Blue Collar Man (1978) 

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

1) In this week's song, we hear a job equated with security. Tell us something that gives you a sense of security.

A. My house gives me security. It's my safe space.

 

2) Lead singer Tommy Shaw hopes someone will make him an offer he can't refuse. That's a reference to a famous movie quote. Without looking it up, can you name the film? 

A. No. I want to say it has something to do with shooting pool, but that's probably not correct.

3) Shaw recalls that this song was inspired by a friend of his, a blue-collar worker who had been laid off and was frustrated by the process of job hunting. His friend wanted to work, not fill out forms and job applications and wait days for a response! Do you quickly become impatient?

A. No "quickly" but I am not fond of delays, either. Patience is something I've been working on.

4) The name "Styx" wasn't the top choice of anyone in the band. As founding member Denis DeYoung recalled, "It was the only name none of us hated." Tell us about a recent compromise you made (which TV show to watch, toppings on your pizza, etc.).

A. We have found the DVR Genie with DirecTV to be a great compromiser; he gets to watch his shows and I get to tape mine. I think I'm the one who compromises there. Would you agree?

5) Labor Day was introduced to celebrate the achievements of the American worker. How many different employers have you had?

A. Let's see. I babysat for numerous people. Worked for my father a little while, then a machine shop, then a lawyer, then a credit union, back to another lawyer, spent some time with a couple of temp agencies, another lawyer, a law firm, another lawyer, the newspaper on staff, another lawyer - then went to work for myself as a freelancer and loads of part-time gigs. I honestly can't give a number, so I will go with "a lot."

6) The first Waffle House was opened on Labor Day, 1955. What's your preference: waffles or pancakes?

A. Pancakes with the blueberries in the pancake, not on top.

7) Labor Day mattress sales are a big business. Experts tells us we can expect to spend $1,000 for a good-quality queen-sized mattress. Will you be buying a new one -- or perhaps making another big-ticket purchase for your home -- before year end?

A. No new mattress, and as far as I know, no big purchases, although I would like a better computer. I don't know that this will happen this year, however.

8) Will you be attending a Labor Day picnic or barbecue? 

A. Not to my knowledge.

9) Labor Day is the unofficial start of fall. Have you had any pumpkin spice yet?

A. I would not eat it, Sam-I-Am. I would not eat it my house, I would not eat it with a mouse. I would not eat it in a cake, it would not be in anything I bake. I do not like it, my dear Sam. I don't like pumpkin, Sam-I-Am.

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

Thursday Thirteen

Types of smart -

1. Common sense smart. My mother used to tell me I lacked this; it means knowing how to fix things or look both ways before you cross the street. Maybe it means you know how to mow the yard or turn the water off when the toilet leaks. It seems to be lacking in many arenas these days.

2. Book smart. This is learning and information from books. Since people seldom read now, except for memes and short things on the Internet, I am probably a minority in having book smarts.

3. Street smart. Similar to common sense smart, street smarts keep you safe when you're out and about. It may also mean you know how to use a knife.

4. Business smart means having a good head for business, maybe good at numbers and math and understanding niches and what people need.

5. People smart would be understanding people and knowing what is really going on in their heads by the way they move, use their eyes (I roll mine a lot), or other physical movements.

6. Get Smart was a TV show about a crazy spy who couldn't really solve the case but somehow did. Sort of a Pink Panther for TV.

7. Smart home is a house plugged into the internet, with AI activated lights, doorbells, etc.

8. Smart TV is a television that is connected to the internet. It allows streaming video, and you can play video games on it.

9. Musically smart would be someone who can read music, or pick it up by ear, at any rate, and play a musical instrument or sing. If everyone were musically smart, we might all dance our way down the aisles at the grocery store. IMHO, that wouldn't be a bad thing.

10. Rural smart are people who know the land and the ways of working with it, like a farmer, gardener or a landscape person. Not everyone has a green thumb.

11. Creatively smart people find unique solutions to problems. They're not just artists or writers - they are also inventors or others who solve problems in different ways.

12. Spatial smarts allows you to see that the square peg isn't going into the round hole. Some people are missing this.

13. Jean Smart is a movie actress who played in Designing Women. I last saw her in Mare of Easttown.

Extra: Smart a$$, aka someone who added in Get Smart and Jean Smart in a list of things about intelligence. 😁

___________________

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 771st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Happiness Challenge - Last Day

I didn't participate every day in August in Gal's Happiness Challenge, but that's ok. There aren't any rules about it.

Finding things to be happy about is not an easy task for me. I can rattle off the essentials - I'm happy I have food, a home, a husband . . . enough . . . but finding something every single day in a life that has become somewhat compartmentalized and stifled for a myriad of reasons I won't go into is not easy.

It generally came down to minutia, really, when it came time to post. I am grateful for the bigger things - don't think I am not - and I don't take for granted how lucky I am to have a loving companion, a place to lay my head, and money with which to purchase food. Sometimes I stop and think about how that alone puts me ahead of about a billion other people in the world, maybe more. That's a sobering thought when the reality is I'm not a monetarily wealthy person. How poor must the rest of the world be? And how sad is that, when I know that wealth does not have to be hoarded, locked up in vaults, or hidden beneath mattresses. 

I feel better when I share, even if that's a donation here and there to whatever charity or non-profit lays claim to my attention. I don't know if others feel a shot of happiness when they open up their wallet, but I do.

So, for my final entry in the August Happiness Challenge, I am finding happy in knowing I am safe, secure, and loved.*

I wish the same for everyone.

Be well and be safe.

Thank you for reading.

*I'm also happy somebody thought to cover raisins with yogurt.*

**I am participating in the August Happiness Challenge hosted by One Gal's Musings.**

Up, Up and Away!

My poem is going to the moon!

I received this notice in my email:

Synchronicity
Artemis Journal will fly to the moon with Artemis 1 spaceship

 

For over a year, Artemis Journal has been in conversation with NASA regarding sending our Artemis Journal to the moon and landed a virtual seat on the Spaceship taking off this week.

How perfect is this as we launch our 2022 Artemis Journal this week at the Taubman Museum.

Synchronicity is a concept first introduced by analytical psychologist Carl G. Jung "to describe circumstances that appear meaningfully related yet lack a causal connection."

So, apparently, the issue in which I have a poem is going to be on a flash drive (or something) on Artemis 1 when it finally makes it way around the moon!

And my poem will be going around the moon, too!

My blogger friend Colleen wrote about this and has pictures (apparently, she has the journal; I've not received it yet). 

Artemis 1 is an unmanned spaceship making a six-week flight around the moon and back. This is the first step in returning humans to the moon - and from the moon, we go to Mars.

The initial launch, scheduled for yesterday, was scrubbed, but the next date is September 2.

September 2 is also the date when Artemis (the publication) is officially releasing its journal to the public and to contributors.

Tickets are available here if you're interested. I have no plans to attend at the moment.

While I don't have the journal in hand, here's a snip of the page I was sent showing my poem and the painting that is accompanying it.

Happiness Monday

Today I am happy that my husband has returned to working on his septic tank installation business.

He's been off since mid-June, when he had hip replacement surgery. Today was his first day back at working with the backhoe to dig septic tank holes and ditches. He likes to play in the dirt.

I am also happy that I've been able to play my guitar a little more. I continue to have trouble with my left hand, but it is improving and that is good news.

My blood pressure is not moving quickly to better numbers, but my pulse rate is lower. I will take any improvement in that area.

*I am participating in the August Happiness Challenge hosted by One Gal's Musings.*

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Name your favorite sport.

A. I don't really have one. I like to watch ice skating during the Olympics.

2. List a quote to live by.

A. Even dragons have their ending. -- J.R.R. Tolkien

3. Name a city in the US you would like to move to.

A. Charlottesville, VA

4. List 3 beautiful little things in your life.

A. My husband, although he's a big thing, my cellphone with its Libby app, and sugar free bubble gum.

5. What made you laugh today?

A. A meme on someone's blog.

6. Name a good deed you did today.

A. I didn't hurt anybody.

7. List activities you like to do when you are bored.

A. Read, play video games, play my guitar, clean the house - wait, I do that stuff all the time. Apparently, I am bored a lot.

8. Are you a procrastinator?

A. Let me think about it and get back to you at some point.

9. What are your thoughts about dying?

A. Everybody's gotta go. We all turn into little ant farms.

10. What superpower would you like to have?

A. Time travel.

11. What are your top 3 Netflix series?

A. I don't subscribe to Netflix.

12. List things you want to do before you die.

A. Write a book, travel to another country, fix the world.

13. What are your biggest fears?

A. That I'll end up impoverished, that I will die alone, that I will end up disabled and a burden on my husband.

14. What makes you angry?

A. Lots of things. My husband. The price of food. Other family members. The weather. Myself.

15. Do you listen to podcasts?

A. Not often. I sometimes do but I don't need to hear any more opinions.

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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: She's in Love with the Boy

Saturday 9: She's in Love with the Boy (1991)

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

1) This song tells the story of Katie and Tommy. She waited for him to pull up in his beat-up Chevy truck. Tell us about your wheels.

A. I drive a white 2014 Toyota Camry SE. It has a spoiler in the back, a backup camera, USB ports for the phone, a radio, places to put cups, black bucket seats, a console between the front two seats, air conditioning, and an outdated GPS because I won't pay to have it upgraded since I seldom go anywhere. About six months after we purchased it in April 2014, I had a deer run into the side of the car as I was driving down Country Club Road. There's still a little dent in the door.

 

2) Katie and Tommy stay out until 12:30 AM. What time did you go to bed last night?

A. We go to bed at 10 p.m. almost every night.

3) The lyrics tell us, "What's meant to be will always find a way." Do you agree?

A. Not necessarily. Sometimes things just are. That doesn't mean they were meant to be.

4) This was the first big hit for Trisha Yearwood. While she's found her greatest success in music, she's also written top-selling cookbooks. Are you a better singer or cook?

A. I'm a better singer, or I was before I got older. I have never been a good cook. We don't starve, but neither do we eat like we live with Julia Child.

5) Trisha also appeared in six episodes of the TV drama, JAG. She played a medical examiner and forensic pathologist, which means her character had a medical degree and (at least) one year of additional training. That's (at least) five extra years of higher education. Do you enjoy taking classes?

A. I love to take classes. I have often thought of going back for a Ph.D., but that's a lot of expense for something I would be too old to use by the time I finished.

6) In real life, Trisha earned a degree in Business Administration before going into music. She uses what she learned in school, keeping a close eye on her finances and those of her superstar husband, Garth Brooks. She says she likes and trusts the people hired to their money, "but I check on them." Do you keep a careful eye on where your money goes?

A. I do, yes.

 

7) In 1991, when this song was popular, Dances with Wolves was a hit in the theaters. Have you seen it?

A. I have seen it, and it is a good movie.

8) Also in 1991, Seinfeld was a big deal on the small screen. It's still popular in syndication on cable channels and on streaming services. Do you more often watch broadcast TV or streaming/on-demand channels?

A. We have DirecTV and we mostly watch that. I have DSL internet still, and streaming is difficult (lots of buffering). Sometimes I can stream a show at my computer better than on the TV because it's connected directly with the ethernet, and it depends on the time of day as well. (Incidentally, I never liked Seinfeld, so I've only seen a few episodes.)

9) Random question: Have you ever gone a day without laughing?

A. I would think I have, yes. I never really thought about it before. However, I tend to be a serious and sometimes dour person, so a day of no laughter seems plausible.

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

Spiderweb

 

Thursday Thirteen #770

Scars

1. I have a scar on my left thumb that I received when I was 9. I was helping my grandfather cut down a tree. He had given me a saw to cut limbs with, and I sawed my thumb.

2. A scar on my right hand at the base of my thumb came from a filing cabinet in the County Clerk's Office. I hit my hand while I was doing research. I bled on some documents. Somewhere in the depths of the files that are supposed to be kept forever is a bit of my DNA.

3. I have a long scar on my chest that came from a surgery I had when I was 5. I was born with a huge mole on my chest. Doctors said it was pre-cancerous and needed to be removed. They cut it out and it left a huge scar. When I was in school, I used to tell my gym teachers I'd had heart surgery to get out of gym class. If they wanted to argue with me, I showed them the scar. They couldn't argue with that, and I don't know that any of them ever questioned my parents about it.

4. A scar under my chin is the result of a farming accident when I was 12. My father was pulling a trailer with the tractor; my brother and I were riding in it. I jumped out to open and opened the wooden gate for him. I had done this many times. This time, as my father drove through, he hit the gate, which splintered. A piece of the wood went into my face, cutting my chin open.

5. A scar on my stomach (right side) is from a laparoscopy for an endometrial cyst. It has grown over the years, like a big mole, except it's not. It is allegedly harmless, but it's gone from a dot to the size of a nickel.

6. My belly button is not exactly scarred, but it is now an innie when it used to be an outie. When the doctors performed laparoscopies, they went through the belly button, and it turned inward. There is a scar in its depths. And probably lint. 

7. A huge smiley face from hip to hip is actually three cuts - three laparotomies where the doctors went in to remove huge grapefruit-sized cysts from my ovaries while we tried to have a child. This scar is huge and thick, having been cut open so many times, I suppose. The last time they cut it open, I received a full hysterectomy.

8. There's a scar on my left knee where I fell when I was riding a bike one summer at my grandmother's. I think I picked gravel out of that place for a while, but it's just a scar now. I expect most people 50 and over have scars on their knees. I wonder if today's generation will ever know the thrilling fear of falling off a bike onto gravel?

9. I have a scar on the bottom of my left foot that looks like a dot. I ran a toothpick into my foot one snowy January when I was 18. The thing swelled immediately, and I couldn't pull it out. My parents were both at work, and I was writhing in pain. I called the neighbors, and they came over and tried to pull it out, but couldn't, and ultimately, they took me to the ER to have it removed. It left a hole. And a scar.

10. Those are my major scars. I have lots of other small places on my skin, but I don't know how I damaged myself. I bruise and cut easily, so I could have done anything to create a little scar. Sometimes they heal up and eventually the scar goes away, but often they simply scar over.

11. A scar can be a fine line or a pitted hole on the skin, or an abnormal overgrowth of tissue. A minor wound like a cut will usually heal to leave a raised line, which will gradually fade and flatten over time. This process can take up to 2 years. The scar will not disappear completely, and there will be left a visible mark or line.

12. Fine-line scars are common following a wound or after surgery. They are not usually painful, but they may be itchy for a few months.

13. There are several types of scars. Keloid scars are an overgrowth of tissue that happens when too much collagen is produced at the site of a wound. (That would be #5, I think.) The scar keeps growing, even after the wound has healed. Keloid scars are raised above the skin and can be pink, red, the same color or darker than surrounding skin. They're often itchy or painful and can restrict movement if they're tight and near a joint. Hypertrophic scars are the result of excess collagen being produced at the site of a wound. Unlike keloid scars, hypertrophic scars do not extend beyond the boundary of the original wound. They may continue to thicken for up to 6 months before gradually improving over a few years. Pitted or sunken scars are caused by skin conditions, such as acne and chickenpox. They can have a sunken or pitted appearance. Pitted scars, also known as atrophic or "icepick" scars, can also develop as a result of an injury that causes a loss of underlying fat. Scar contractures are often caused by burns. They happen when the skin "shrinks", leading to tightness and a restriction in movement.

And of course, we all have those hidden scars, the ones deep inside of us, that touch our heart and soul. Who alive hasn't been scarred? I dare say nobody.

___________________

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 770th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.