August Happiness Day #6

 

My husband took his mom grocery shopping today, and he brought home cupcakes!

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About the August Happiness Challenge

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.

August Happiness Challenge Day #5

 

Happiness is a new roof on the house!

______________________________________________________________________

About the August Happiness Challenge

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.

August Happiness Challenge Day #4

 

Today I am happy that saw a fawn in the front yard and not in my garden. (Sorry, I didn't get a picture.)

______________________________

About the August Happiness Challenge

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."

Five Things

Last week, I:

1. saw my doctor for a regular check-up.

2. rode with my husband to Martinsville (a 1.5 hr drive one way).

3. began a project with Chad and Sage.

4. developed laryngitis and a sinus infection.

5. did my normal chores, albeit not as fast as normal since I haven't been feeling well.

In solidarity with federal workers, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. I don't know if they still have to do that, but I have kept it up since it's a quick way to get something on the blog for Monday. Since I don't have a regular job, it's a fairly mundane list.

August Happiness Challenge Day #3

I asked my husband to fix me a piece of piece of toast this morning. I wanted it oven-style in the toaster oven. We have a toaster oven that I don't like, plus I am ill, and he offered to make breakfast. I only wanted a piece of toast.

We keep our bread in the freezer to keep it from going bad before we use it, so he buttered a slice of frozen bread . . . and put it in the pop-up toaster. I glanced over and saw the toaster oven was empty and realized what he'd done.

 

"What are you doing, are you trying to burn the house down and kill us?" I cried, as well as someone with laryngitis could cry. He realized what he'd done, popped the bread out, and then had to spend 1/2 hour cleaning the toaster out as it was greasy with melted butter, not to mention a build-up of crumbs that he grumbled about.

I made my own toast in the toaster oven.

Today I am happy that the house did not catch on fire from the toast.

Sunday Stealing

 

About Blogging

1. When are you at your blogging best – a.m. or p.m.?

A. I don't know. I blog at all hours.

2. How many blogs do you have? Please include the links in your answer.

A. Just this one.

3. Do you prefer silence when you compose your posts and write your comments?

A. I either want it silent, or I want music in the background.

4. What's the grossest thing you've ever spilled on your keyboard?

A. Just water.

5. Ever posted while intoxicated?

A. I have not posted while intoxicated. I don't drink.

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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.

August Happiness Challenge: Day 2

 

"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."

Today I am happy that my friends Chad and Sage agreed to work with me on a project. (Shhh. It's a secret, for now!)

Saturday 9: Jive Talkin'

Saturday 9: Jive Talkin' (1975)

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

This month we're going to recall Summer Songs. These will all be records that topped the charts during August.

1) Number 1 on the charts in August 50 years ago, "Jive Talkin'" was originally called "Drive Talkin'," because it was inspired by the "chunka-chunka" sound the Bee Gees' car made as it rolled over the bridge from Biscayne Bay to Miami every morning. Tell us about a drive you make regularly. What do you love, or hate, about it?

A. I drive regularly to the grocery store. I don't love it or hate it; it is just the way to the grocery store. If I go left from the driveway, eventually I make another left, and I'm on a curvy road that has no middle line, and you wave at people as you pass them if you feel like it. If I go right, then another right, the road has been updated and has a line, and even turn lane lines, and eventually it turns right onto a major 4-lane highway. This way is 1 mile longer than the other, but if my husband and I leave at the same time, and one goes left at the end of the driveway and one goes right, we used to end up at the stoplight on Catawba Road at the same time. Now there are two stoplights between my house and Catawba Road if I go to the right, so I doubt we'd end up at Catawba at the same time.

2) Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb always enjoyed singing together and as kids, practiced their harmonies in the bathroom because that's where the acoustics were best. Do you sing in the shower?

A. I do sing in the shower.

3) Early in their career, the brothers wrote and recorded a radio jingle for Coca Cola. If we were to peer into your refrigerator right now, would we find any carbonated beverages?

A. You would find my husband's Diet Dr. Pepper.

4) Though their sound depended on tight harmonies, all three Bee Gees were heavy smokers, which is bad for the throat. Do you smoke? Are there smokers/vapers in your life?

A. I do not smoke, nor does my husband. I do not know of any smokers/vapers in my life.

5) Robin Gibb agreed to perform on the CD Sesame Street Fever so his kids could meet Cookie Monster. Who is your favorite Muppet?

A. I do not have a favorite Muppet, but I will say Frog because he sang that lovely song about rainbows. "Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side? Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide."

6) In addition to younger brother Andy, who also scored hit records, the Bee Gees have a sister, Lesley. Unlike her siblings, she didn't go into show business. Instead, she became a dog breeder. Tell us about a dog who holds a special place in your heart.

A. When I was a child, we had many dogs. I think my favorite dog was Major, a white poodle. His mother was Heidi, a black poodle, and she gave birth to Major. I don't know if Major was the dog I saved from the water when it was a pup, but I have always thought he might have been. When I was 7, Heidi had her pups, and one night I heard a noise, and I got up and one of the pups had crawled into Heidi's water bowl, and it wasn't moving. I got it out and wrapped it in a towel and went to wake my mother. She and I massaged the pup and it came back to life. As an adult, I only had one dog. She was a pup I picked up at a flea market, a mix of an Eskimo Spitz and a terrier. She was not an affectionate dog but she was my dog. We kept her outside because of my allergies and honestly, she seemed to prefer being outside to being inside when I put her in the garage on very cold nights. She died in early 2001 at the age of 17, which is quite old for a dog. It took me a year to stop looking for her when I pulled into the driveway.

Let's look at the summer of 1975.

7) That summer, producer Lorne Michaels was auditioning talent for the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. This band of comedic performers would premiere that October in a new show called Saturday Night Live. In the days before DVRs and streaming, Saturday Night Live was considered "appointment television," a show you wanted to catch when it aired so you made sure you were in front of a TV to hear "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" Is there a show you go out of your way to watch when it airs? Or is most of your viewing either recorded or streamed?

A. We watch The Voice live, but we also record a lot of things these days, or stream.

8) The top movie at the box office that summer was Jaws. Have you seen it?

A. I don't think I have ever seen Jaws. Nor have I ever wished to.

9) In 1975, Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles was having a career season and won the second of his three Cy Young Awards. In 2012 he put all three trophies up for auction. As proud as he was of the awards, he said, "My priorities have changed," and the money would help pay for college for his grandchildren. Think about your belongings. Is there anything you would never part with at any price?

A. Belongings are just things. I don't know of anything I hold that dear. There are people I hold that dear, but not things.

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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. 

August Happiness Challenge, Day 1

 It's time for the August Happiness Challenge. Here's a brief explanation of the Challenge: "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."

 You're invited to join me. Visit me with a link to your daily August happy, and I'll come read it. I've found that experiencing other peoples' everyday pleasures is a great mood lifter.

It helps if your August Happiness Challenge posts are marked with an icon. Just something that means "happy" to you. Thanks to the Gal Herself for reminding me of this.

Happiness for today: a loving husband who is willing to go pick up my antibiotic!

Thursday 13

What Writing Online Has Taught Me

1. Tone is a slippery beast. Even punctuation can steer a reader’s entire interpretation. It's not just about word choice; it’s the undercurrent of mood and intent. Online, it's shaped as much by what you leave unsaid as what you emphasize. White space matters, too.

2. People read with their own story in mind. When I write for this blog, I know I'm not just writing for myself. My words are filtered through however many eyes view it. Every reader brings a unique lens, colored by their past, their mood, their assumptions. What feels universal to me might land as deeply personal to someone else. Or they may not get it at all.

3. Silence is feedback too. A post that gets crickets might still echo in someone’s head. Lack of response doesn’t mean lack of impact. Sometimes quiet is how people process resonance. I know I have read blog posts that I haven't commented on but I have still thought about later.

4. Readers remember how you made them feel, not how clever you were. Cleverness may impress but feeling builds connection. That emotional trace is what lingers. However, I do like to be clever on occasion.

5. Most comments reflect more about the commenter than the content. Engagement is often projection. It can be affirmation, resistance, curiosity, or even loneliness disguised as critique. I comment sometimes just to say, "I was here."

6. “Delete” is underrated as a creative tool. Deletion isn’t failure—it’s refinement. It makes room for clarity, authenticity, and sometimes mercy. Occasionally, a post is just bad and needs to come down.

7. There’s power in a slow, quiet post that doesn’t try to trend. Slowness invites depth. And quiet writing resists the urgency of clickbait culture. Choose intimacy over impact, though I never know how that may land.

8. The internet doesn’t forget, but people do. I try to write about things worth remembering, even if I'm the only one who will remember. The idea of digital permanence can be misleading. Human memory is fallible, selective, and emotional.

9. A typo won’t kill you, but a dishonest tone might. Small errors are forgivable. What readers sense instinctively is whether you’re being real. I try to always be real, but I also know I hold back sometimes.

10. Nostalgia hits harder online. It turns writing into collective memory. When I evoke the past, I am inviting invite others to remember their own.

11. Posting is an act of hope. Every time. Hitting publish is a belief that someone is listening, that words still matter, that connection is possible. I still don't know if anyone will read my posts, but the stats count tells me people do. I am grateful that people find something in my words.

12. The algorithm is not your muse. It does, however, love drama and bullet points. Algorithms reward attention, not integrity. Hopefully my muse brings something deeper, such as truth, curiosity, or joy.

13. Writing for applause is a soul drain. Write for resonance. Resonance isn’t just agreement; it’s that hum beneath the words when someone reads and thinks, “I feel seen.” It’s an emotional echo, a shared vibration between writer and reader, even if they never meet or respond. It means someone else thinks the way I do.

_________________

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 918th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Trust the Algorhythm. What Could Go Wrong?

In her July 26, 2025, Letter from an American, Heather Cox Richardson wrote: 

Hannah Natanson, Jeff Stein, Dan Diamond, and Rachel Siegel of the Washington Post reported today that staff associated with the “Department of Government Efficiency” are using artificial intelligence to eliminate half of the government’s regulations by next January. James Burnham, former chief attorney for DOGE, told the reporters: “Creative deployment of artificial intelligence to advance the president’s regulatory agenda is one logical strategy to make significant progress” during Trump’s term.

How do the technology billionaires go around with confidence that their AI is so great when it obviously is not?

I have been playing with ChatGPT and Microsoft's Copilot for months now. I have pushed ChatGPT with various questions. I have examined it about space, time, reality. I have asked it stupid questions, not stupid questions, and everything in between.

About 90 percent of the time, ChatGPT does a good job.

It's the other 10 percent of the time that is the concern. At least that much, maybe more, ChatGPT in particular simply hallucinates and makes up stuff. It fills in "facts" that aren't even there. It creates fiction out of thin air.

CoPilot, which is a lesser AI, doesn't generally do this, and for research or what-have-you, it works well. It's not as in-depth as ChatGPT, but I don't expect it to be because I know it's more for home and public use.

Regardless, these things are not cut out to reform the federal government.

AI models do not think. They parrot, repeat, and possibly anticipate, but they do not think. They cannot perceive that cutting air pollution controls, say, would make asthmatics out of a certain percentage of the population, and outright kill some of us who already walk around with an inhaler.

They are no better than the programmers who program them and the data they use to do that.

This is a marketing issue. The tech billionaires are so sure their product is great that they're trying desperately to sell it for what it is not: a "human" brain.

What they think it can do and what it actually can do are not the same thing, and this is not going to bode well for the population.

These billionaires and the companies they run have a huge financial stake in making AI seem like a revolutionary tool that can do everything from write poetry to manage economies. The more the public and governments believe that narrative, the more funding, stock value, and influence those companies gain. It's not about truth. It's about sales.

The public in general, and even some of the executives in these big companies, do not understand how large language models work. They think it’s intelligent in a human way, but it is really just advanced pattern matching and prediction based on training data. An AI model doesn't "know" anything. It doesn’t "understand" laws or ethics. Not the way I do. And not the way you do, either.

These same people also believe that every complex human or political problem, whether that is poverty, racism, bureaucracy, or inefficiency, can be "solved" with software. This is an incredibly flawed way of thinking, but these self-made "men" see themselves as the smart guys who should be in charge of everything.

And if you're a wanna-be authoritarian in charge of a dying democracy, and you want to rapidly dismantle regulations and other things that your guy pals dislike, then AI offers a convenient tool. 

It can also be the scapegoat. The leader can claim efficiency and modernization while gutting environmental, labor, and consumer protections. And if things go wrong, he can blame the AI model.

AI models have no accountability. No one has yet sued open.ai because ChatGPT told them they had cancer when they didn't, or vice versa, or whatever it might take to force such lawsuits to come into play. Even so, the AI model itself isn't going to go to jail, and most likely neither will the programmers. They'll just say, "oops" and that will be the end of it.

AI models are not accurate or nuanced enough to handle legal, regulatory, or ethical interpretation. I have experienced its flaws in a myriad of ways in the last several months. It can hallucinate facts, miss tone, misunderstand nuance, or completely misread human intent. Now imagine that happening with laws on toxic waste disposal, disability rights, or air travel safety.

AI is powerful, but it is not magic. Nor is it wise. It has no wisdom except, again, what the programmers give it. Using AI to "reform" the government is dangerous. Not because the technology itself is dangerous, but the hubris of those who wield it without humility or caution can cause great damage. 

When billionaires or government officials use AI as a hammer to smash through democratic safeguards, the public must push back and demand human oversight, transparency, and ethical guardrails.

Five Things

 

Last week, I:

1. had a mammogram. Do it, ladies!

2. saw the chiropractor.

3. watched the Board of Supervisors meeting.

4. went to the grocery store.

5. did the usual chores.

In solidarity with federal workers, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. I don't know if they still have to do that, but I have kept it up since it's a quick way to get something on the blog for Monday. Since I don't have a regular job, it's a fairly mundane list.

Sunday Stealing

Living in the World, Not on It

1) You're on a trip taking a tour through the jungle. You have a backpack with some food, first aid supplies, a pocketknife, a flashlight and a couple bottles of water. Somehow, you get separated from your group. By night fall you haven't found your group and haven't heard them looking for you. How long do you think you would be able to survive on your own?

A. As long as the water lasts, and hopefully there's rain to make it last longer.

 

2) Do you think it's okay to lie to spare someone's feelings? Why? 

A. I think it is ok to give little white lies, like "Oh yes, that dress looks lovely on you" when it kind of doesn't. Those are lies that keep someone from feeling bad about themselves. Otherwise, it really depends on the situation. 

3) If a talking doll were made to resemble you, what 3 phrases would it say?

A. "That's interesting." "I love you." "You are beautiful to me."

4) If the superpower to be able to read minds at will was possible, do you think it would be... cool and helpful, intrusive and wrong, manipulative or maddening?

A. I think it would be intrusive and wrong, as well as manipulative and maddening. I don't think it would be a good power to have.

5) Are drunk confessions things people can't bring themselves to say sober or just the crazy ramblings of an influenced and intoxicated mind? 

A. I think they can be both.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

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: Rhythm of My Heart

Saturday 9: Rhythm of My Heart (1991)

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

1) Rod Stewart sings that the words "I love you" roll off his tongue. When did you most recently say, "I love you?"

A. Last night. My husband and I say it all the time.

 

2) In "Rhythm of My Heart," he recalls running down the alley with his lady love. Does your neighborhood have alleys?

A. My neighborhood has farm trails. No alleys.

 

3) Rod is well known for his coif. Are you having a good hair day today?

A. Lots of humidity and high heat today, so no.

 

4) Rod was the youngest of 5. He remembers that, as a family, they enjoyed singing with Al Jolson records. Did your family have singalongs?

A. Not exactly.

5) He is proud of his luxury car collection, which includes a Rolls Royce, a Ferrari and the one rumored to be his favorite: a classic mid-70s Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopio. Looking back on years as a driver and a car owner, which vehicle is your all-time favorite?

A. I had 1989 Ford Taurus that was a very good car. I drove it for 10 years. I also liked my 2003 Toyota Camry, which I also drove for 10 years. Both performed well and required little maintenance.

 

6) Rod turned 80 this year and he's still touring. Once known for his hard partying, he takes better care of himself now and rides a stationary bike every day. What steps do you take to keep fit?

A. I walk on the treadmill.

7) In 1991, when this song was popular, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry died. Do you have a favorite Star Trek character?

A. From the original series, my favorite would have been Dr. McCoy aka Bones. My favorite from the series overall would be Captain Kathryn Janeway.

8) Also in 1991, Seinfeld was a big deal on network television. Today the entire series is available to stream and on DVD. When you binge a show, are you more likely to pop in a disc or turn to a streaming service?

A. We have DVDs of many shows, so I guess that, although I also stream some shows now that we have Internet that actually works.

 

9) Random question: Have you ever cared for a hamster or a gerbil? (Extra non-existent Saturday 9 points for its name.)

A. I have never had a hamster or a gerbil.

 

_______________

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 13

 

Fictional Female Journalists/Writers

1. Lois Lane (Superman) – Dives into danger and conspiracy with a voice that says “This needs to be told,” even if no one believes her yet.

2. Murphy Brown (Murphy Brown) – Commanding the newsroom with integrity and dry wit, she made journalism feel like rebellion with credentials.

3. Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City) – Her columns blurred memoir with cultural critique, reminding us the political starts in the personal.

4. Rita Skeeter (Harry Potter) – Sleazy, spectacular, and fully bewitched—she's the cautionary tale every journalist conjures when ethics go poof.

5. Andie Anderson (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) – Her yellow dress got the headlines, but the real story was a smart woman stuck in shallow copy.

6. Bridget Jones (Bridget Jones’s Diary) – Hilariously human behind the scenes of televised fluff. She chronicled her own chaos with brutal charm.

7. Hallie Shea (The Newsroom) – Campaign trail correspondent with fire in her belly and friction in her relationships. A woman navigating truth in the eye of the political storm.

8. Brenda Starr (Brenda Starr, Reporter) – Glamorous, globe-trotting, and never far from a mystery or a romance. She made deadlines look like adventures and high heels look like armor.

9. Michelle Capra (Northern Exposure) – A travel columnist turned small-town observer. She wrestled with editorial pressure, cultural dissonance, and the quiet power of local storytelling.

10. Lee Smith (Civil War) – A hardened war photojournalist who bore witness to America’s unraveling. Her final act was not a shot—it was a sacrifice.

11. Jane Curtin (Saturday Night Live) – Dry, deadpan, and slyly subversive. As the straight woman on Weekend Update, she turned parody into media commentary with a raised eyebrow and perfect timing.

12. Jo March (Little Women) – A scribbler in the attic who became a published author. She wrote with fire, sold stories to skeptical editors, and eventually turned her pen into a golden goose.

13. Vicki Vale (Batman) – Gotham’s photojournalist with a nose for danger and a heart that sees through masks. She chased truth in a city built on secrets—and sometimes fell for one.

_________________

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 917th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Reflections from a Veteran Reporter

The Art of Newswriting

In an era when news often feels rushed and superficial, there’s something refreshing about looking back at the craft of reporting as it once was—where curiosity, patience, and empathy shaped the stories that truly mattered.

As a former weekly paper reporter, I learned early on that being a good journalist was about more than just asking questions. It was about listening deeply, holding space for the unexpected, and sometimes sitting in silence until the real story surfaced.

A long, pregnant pause in an interview can be unnerving for the subject, but it’s also a powerful tool. It creates a moment where the interviewee, caught off guard by the quiet, often reveals something genuine. It’s in these pauses that truth often hides.

And then there’s the closing question I came to rely on: “Was there something I should have asked you but didn’t?” This simple line can turn an interview on its head, prompting reflection and sometimes delivering the key insight that shifts the entire story.

Interviewing people in their homes added another layer of discovery. I learned early on to ask to use the restroom—not out of necessity, but as a chance to quietly open the vanity cabinet or take in what people collected when I could see into other rooms. A collection of salt and pepper shakers might not be the headline, but it adds texture and sparkle to an otherwise straightforward piece, helping readers see the subject as a real person with quirks and stories beyond the main topic.

All this had to be done on a tight schedule, generally forty-five minutes or less. Weekly newspapers don’t have the luxury of months to develop a story. Quick, sharp, and compassionate was the order of the day.

I especially treasured the “hit in the heart” stories—those about people with disabilities, or community efforts like the angel tree at Christmas. One year, my reporting on the angel tree helped raise $20,000—the most the local social services office had ever received. It was proof that words could move people to action.

It’s too bad that today’s news media often lean more toward entertainment than actual information. I saw my work as an educational guide for my readers, a way to give them facts and context they otherwise wouldn’t have, delivered in a way they could understand. I included backstory when necessary, so the issues became clearer and more meaningful. I wish today’s journalists would focus more on educating their readers than entertaining them. I think we would all be better off.

Today’s journalism landscape often prioritizes speed, clicks, and entertainment value over depth and empathy. The art of holding space in an interview, of asking the tough but thoughtful questions, seems to be fading.

But there’s a lesson in those quieter, more deliberate moments: true journalism isn’t about performance. It’s about building trust, being patient, and caring enough to wait for the real story to emerge.

As I reflect on my years reporting, I realize those experiences weren’t just about gathering facts. They were about honoring the humanity behind each story. 

Five Things

Last week I:

1. had a haircut.

2. cleaned the house with the assistance of my housecleaning helper.

3. saw my chiropractor.

4. walked on the treadmill.

5. wrote a couple of drafts of short stories.

In solidarity with federal workers, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. I don't know if they still have to do that, but I have kept it up since it's a quick way to get something on the blog for Monday. Since I don't have a regular job, it's a fairly mundane list.

Sunday Stealing

 

Stolen from Follow That Dream

1. My bestie and I once ... fooled the checkout clerk at the grocery store into thinking we were sisters.

2. When I'm nervous ... I eat.

3. My hair ... is turning gray.

4. When I turn to the left, I see ... a bookshelf with books and cameras on it, my guitars, two clocks, a picture of Gandolf from Lord of the Rings, and other stuff.

5. My favorite aunt ... seldom calls me.

6. I have a hard time understanding ... what is going on in the world.

7. You know I like you if ... I talk to you.

8. When I was 5 years old ... I told my mother my brother had swallowed a bottle of aspirin and saved his life.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

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: It All Depends on You

Saturday 9: It All Depends on You (1959)

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

1) In this song, Shirley Bassey sings that she could be happy or sad. As you answer these questions, do lean more toward happy or sad?

A. I am fair to middlin'. 

 

2) She tells us that she can save money or spend it. Do you try to stick to a budget?

A. I try to stick to a budget for the household items. The farm? Eh. Depends on machinery breakdowns and bugs and such.

 

3) By the time Shirley Bassey recorded "It All Depends on You," it was already an oldie, written back in 1926. Can you think of a song, book, or movie that you enjoy today that you believe audiences will relate to 2125?

A. For a song: I Did It My Way. For a book: The Lord of the Rings. For a TV series: M*A*S*H. For a movie: The Wizard of Oz.

 

4) Though she has risen to the title Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE), her childhood allowed her little education. She dropped out at 15 and got a factory job to help her family. How old were you when you got your first full-time job? What was it?

A. I was 18 and I worked as a receptionist.

5) A favorite of the Royal Family, Shirley performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Party at Buckingham Palace. How would you like to celebrate your next anniversary or birthday? Are you in the mood for a big blow out, or would you prefer something low key?

A. My anniversary is next, and we will, as always, have a quiet celebration.

 

6) Madame Tussaud's has two wax figurines of Shirley – one in London and a second in Las Vegas. Do you enjoy wax museums, or do you think they're creepy?

A. I have memories of visiting a wax museum in Williamsburg when I was in elementary school and we took a school trip there and being rather creeped out by it. I don't think it still exists, though.

7) In 1959, when this song was popular, most women wore nylons on a daily basis and the average price per pair was $1. What socks or leg wear – if any – do you have on right now?

A. Nothing on right now, but I normally wear compression socks. I take medications that make my ankles swell.

8) Also in 1959, Alaska became our 49th state. Today, cruise lines showcase Alaska on 4- or 7-night cruises. What do you consider the perfect length for a vacation trip? Is a 3-day weekend too short? Are two weeks away from home too long? What's your ideal?

A. Three-day weekend vacations are too short, two weeks is too long. I think a week is about right.

 

9) Random question: Which cable channel would you watch more often – one that shows nothing but classic sitcoms, or one that shows nothing but new movies?

A. Probably the one with the sitcoms.

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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. 

In the End, She Stayed

I just finished listening to a fiction book, What Are You Going Through, by Sigrid Nunez (2020). It is literary fiction.

It's about a woman who stands by a friend with a terminal illness, some kind of never-identified cancer. The woman wants to commit suicide in order to have a beautiful death. Or a better death, at any rate.

She doesn't want to suffer.

I wish a good death upon everyone. You know, the kind where you fall asleep in a chair, your favorite TV show on or a book in your hand, and you just never wake up.

But we don't have those kinds of deaths. We have long lingering deaths that can take years, sometimes.

They are not fun. I watched that with my mother when she had pancreatic cancer. She never once, to my knowledge, thought of euthanasia as an out.

But I had a friend who was diagnosed with a terminal illness who did think of it.

We had a long talk about it one day over lunch, about six months after her diagnosis. She wasn't going for any long-term treatments, no organ transplants, she told me. And she wanted to go when she wanted to go.

She'd already contacted an organization in England that assisted people who were terminal and wanted to die, she said. She had the information in hand. This was how she wanted to go.

Her husband was against it, she said. But this was her plan. Someone would need to help her, she thought. She didn't know who that might be, but she hoped to convince him it was the right thing to do.

She did not ask me to help her. I did not volunteer, but I would have helped her. Even if it had meant I went to jail, I would have been there for her if that had been her wish. In the book, the narrator was there for her friend until the end.

My friend and I never discussed this subject again, and as her life dwindled down from a five-year span to months, I realized that she wasn't going to go through with it.

She was going to go the way she had said she didn't want to go, with hospice hovering about, and her loved ones telling her goodbye, her body growing thinner and weaker. One day she wrote me that the only way she could communicate with me was via text. Emails were too hard to write. She couldn't talk on the phone. 

She would die in her own home when life finally left her.

But it would not be by her own hand.

I was surprised, really, that she didn't go through with her initial plan. She was always so forthright, so quick to do what she wanted, and her control of herself and her thoughts were almost superhuman. 

This book brought all of that back to me, how my friend and I had discussed this in depth, in earnest. How I had thought until the last months of her life that she would, at some point, die by her own hand.

The will to live is a strong pull, stronger even, than the will to die a beautiful death. I remember watching my mother's fight to live. My friend's fight to live was no less devastating, but not quite so tortuous to me because she was, after all, a friend I loved, not my mother.

The book portrayed the narrator not as a hero, but as a kind, reflective woman who wanted what was best for her friend. But she also found the whole situation disturbing, and at the end, she wondered, what exactly is the meaning of life?

I wonder about this, too.

I see this valiant will to live in the longevity of many folks around me, people who are still going strong in their 90s. What have they found to live for? What keeps them going? The desire to see great grandchildren? The need to prove something?

What, actually, keeps me going? Love for my husband? My need to take care of him, to see to him, and ensure that he's happy, or at least as happy as he can be? 

I'm not really sure I know. Does anyone really know what they are living for, until those words from the doctor tell them their time is nearly gone?