Unconscious Mutterings

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1. Adopt :: Parent
2. Turbulence :: Bumpiness
3. Constituent :: Voter
4. Reckless :: Dangerous
5. Habitat :: Biome
6. Spare :: Extra
7. Horror :: Scary
8. Influence :: Clout
9. Indulge :: Revel
10. Humanity :: People

Unconscious Mutterings x5

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1. Timing :: ... is everything
2. Anxiety ::Worry
3. Experience :: Event
4. Polka :: Accordion
5. Wax :: Ear...
6. Wired :: Caffeine
7. Broke :: Poor
8. Salt :: ... and Pepper
9. Crocodile :: Alligator
10. Navigator ::Maps

1. Giving :: Taking
2. Incredible :: Amazing
3. Backing :: Support
4. Verb :: Noun
5. Turning :: Spinning
6. Escalator :: Steps
7. Itchy :: Scratchy
8. Glass :: Cup
9. Hydrate ::Water
10. Solution ::Result

1. Cheap :: Inexpensive
2. Brace :: Back ...
3. Delicate :: Fragile
4. Era :: Time period
5. Naked :: COLD!
6. Bad TV :: News
7. Gift :: Present
8. Forgive :: ... and forgetting
9. Staple ::Basic
10. Last :: Final

1. Stubborn :: Hard-headed
2. Resolve :: Promise
3. Pain :: Ouch
4. Winnings :: Lottery
5. House :: Home
6. Joints :: Achy ...
7. Slide :: Swings
8. Phone :: Cell ...
9. Dream ::Sleep
10. Tip :: Dump

1. Prompt :: On time
2. Thanks :: Graciousness
3. Play :: Drama
4. Long lasting :: 12-hour
5. Enter :: Come in
6. Contract :: Negotiation
7. Substantial :: Dense
8. Alert :: Awake
9. Swipe ::Steal
10. Resist :: NO!

Simple Woman's Day Book

(Link up here)

OUTSIDE the sun is shining, the sky is blue-white (as in pale blue, sort of humid-looking), and the current temp is 49. Yay for spring.

THANKFUL for Sparky sitting next to me on the sofa, and for small things like socks that match my shirt and sunshine.

THINKING that my uninterrupted day of cataloging may not happen after all because the children's librarian just posted that she was at the ER yesterday.

WEARING tan GV jeans, two thin long-sleeved T-shirts (teal under teal-gray stripes) and teal socks. And my 40-year-old silver  hand-made triune earrings.

CREATING this blog post. It's too early for creativity I fear.

GOING to check my blood sugar as soon as this is done and then eat and leave for work.

WONDERING why I'm so tiiiiirrrred all the time.

READING Pastrix by Nadia Bolz-Weber, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig (on CD), The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King, and Jesus by James Martin. I just finished, last night, The Zig-Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths.

PRAYING dozens of sick people, for healthy almost-born babies, for traveling mercies for all of us this week....

LOOKING FORWARD TO seeing Amy and her new house!

LEARNING to think about what I'm eating. Which sucks.

IN THE KITCHEN there are dirty dishes from last night's mac-n-cheese extravaganza.

AROUND THE HOMESTEAD the snow has mostly disappeared completely, I suspect I'll see crocus leaves when I pull out of the garage this morning, and the birds are singing their hearts out. No barking dogs--hurrah!

QUOTE: Last night's quote on my Facebook page was: “I love you above all things, even pie.” This is true of so many people I know, and I lerrrrvvvvvve me some pie!

Simple Woman's Daybook

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For Today...

June 14, 2015

Outside my window...

It's been cloudy and rainy all day today. I can't complain considering the drought out West, but I really would trade some humidity for higher temps and sunshine.

I am thinking...

I'm determinedly NOT thinking. I thought at work all day. Right now I'm trying to decompress from all of that.

I am thankful...

I'm thankful for not having to cook dinner tonight. I had a sandwich and a Blizzard from DQ.

I am wearing...

Tan khakis and Summer Reading shirt from 1990, today's work uniform. Oh, and small dingly-dangly earrings.

I am creating...

Hah! I'm just trying to get through the day. I did manage to do an hour's work of original cataloging this morning, a couple of Spanish books, a couple of gay erotica books, and some other random self-published stuff. Whee. That's my creativity for the day.

I am going...

I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon. :-(

I am wondering...

I wish I could remember what I did with the almost-full bottle of melatonin that I had on the table prior to moving all the furniture out for rehab last month. Between that and my mouthguard disappearing, I'm finding it hard to find a sleep rhythm.

I am reading...

• Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
• The Ice Queen by Nele Neuhaus
• Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand
• The Bible's Cutting Room Floor by Joel M. Hoffman
• The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
• Jesus by James Martin

I am hoping...

I would really like to get my attitude completely adjusted at work. I'm hair-trigger angry about stuff. Today a kid head-butted me in the eye--accidentally--and I nearly ripped him a new one.

I am learning...

I learn something every day. And I just remembered I forgot to do something for someone at work...crap. I need to learn to stop distracting myself.

In my garden...

Beast and Sparky spent several hours Saturday rolling about 30 rolls of sod out over the "island" garden in our yard, where we've tried for 11 years to keep a proper perennial garden...and failed because we can't seem to keep up with it. So, the one surviving ground-cover shrub is now by the back garage door, the three hostas are by the back window, and the maple and large sticker bush are now surrounded by grass. Now I just need to call an arborist about the maple, since it's looking really sick. I have a bad feeling about it. So does Beast.

In my kitchen...

There is damned little "dinner-making" food around. We need to hit the grocery store Friday for sure. On the other hand, there's a lot of snacky/lunch food, and fruits and veggies.

A favorite quote for today...

"Even the strongest and bravest must sometimes weep. It shows they have a great heart, one that can feel compassion for others." --Brian Jacques (Redwall)

A peek into one of my days...

Let's pick Wednesday: up at 5:30, and out of the house by 6 for Bible Study at a local diner. That usually ends by 7:45ish, then I usually stop at the gas station that's right there for a fill-up. During the school year, I then head to my volunteer shelving "job" at the high school and do that till 10. I do get summers off, but usually end up backfilling doctor appointments and stuff on Wednesdays. Anyway, after I'm done at school, I head home, shower, eat lunch, chill for a few minutes, and then head to work, arriving by noon. I work, usually till 5, have dinner, work the rest of my hours, and head home around 9:15. By 10, I've changed into pajamas and started trying to wind down. Long day.

One of my favorite things...

I love my laptop.

Post Script

I love this library. I wonder if they'd hire me.

Curious as a Cat

(Link in meme-roll)

1) Think of a topic or issue about which you've switched your opinion. Why the change?

I'm slowly learning that I don't need to participate in every argument in the world. I don't even need to have an opinion in most of them. And it's actually BAD for me to get involved in arguments that are about other people's lives. Keeping quiet is hard, but necessary. Why change? I'd like to be a better person, that's all.

2) What kind of trophy would you like to win?

I'm really not at all interested in trophies. Something else to dust. Just...no.

3) What household chore do you like the most?

I don't mind washing dishes, although I hate to do all the prep for just a couple of things, so I usually wait for things to pile up a little.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.
Public Domain Photo

I really love this time of year when all the leaves put on their last show. It reminds me of the cycle of life and that the best time for beauty isn't always in the beginning of life (spring) but later. That's a very hopeful point of view for me right now.

Curious as a Cat

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1) What do you think about ghosts? Are they real? Hallucinations?

I have no issue with people experiencing ghosts. There are certain circumstances when I would completely understand someone feeling close to someone who is dead. I know I feel closer to those people I've loved who are gone at certain, specific times and places, but I've never seen a ghost.
Heard one, though? Yup.

2) What's your favorite part about visiting a new place — the food? The architecture? The people watching?

It's sort of a mélange of all of that: atmosphere, scent, the depth of the blue of the sky, the people's gaits and clothing, the relative cleanliness of the buildings, and the architecture. It's all of a piece. The sky in Colorado's mountains is a slightly different hue from the sky in Greece, and the smell of the Mississippi in the north is completely different from the southern parts of it, and they are completely different from the scent of English rivers. And the oppressive architecture of Moscow in January would never be mistaken for ANYwhere else (except maybe another Russian city in winter!). And the food in different places...well, let's just not go there. I'll just say one word: poutine.

3) What magazine(s) and/or newspaper(s) do you subscribe to?

I read (in paper and occasionally on my ereader) "Presbyterian Outlook", "Ms.", "Entertainment Weekly", "Real Simple", and "Consumer Reports." Beast gets the Big City Nearby paper, "Discover" and "Scientific American" and possibly something else. My three-years-dead father-in-law still gets the History Channel magazine, which is just annoying at this point--we've cancelled it more than once. I read a lot of local news via RSS feed (headlines, primarily) as well as the local news from the city where Sparky is at school, because I helicopter in stealth mode.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.
Public Domain Photo

It reminds me of the dry stone walls in Yorkshire, and the planters my dad built on either side of the porch in the house where I grew up. But mostly it reminds me of Robert Frost:

...Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.

"Mending Wall"

Curious as a Cat

(Link in meme-roll)

1) What cartoon character best represents your personal philosophy?

I'm a fan of both "Underdog" and "Mighty Mouse." Perhaps it's because it's harder to find them so I'm not bored with them, but even as a kid I preferred them to the Warner Bros and Disney cartoons.

2) What makes a good neighbor? If you have an exceptional one, give them a shout-out (anonymously or not).

I'm surrounded by really good neighbors, several of whom happen to be named "Cindy" but I'm pretty sure that's not why they're so awesome. The guys are pretty cool too. ;-)

3) If you could live a nomadic life, would you? Where would you go? How would you decide? What would life be like without a "home base"?

I wouldn't mind spending part of the year RVing around, or maybe doing that for a solid block of time till I got sick to death of it. If it were Beast and me, we'd probably do something like take turns, or maybe he'd just let me pick and he'd do all the driving. I would always want to have a home to come back to, though.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.
Public Domain Photo

This is an historical photo of a sharecropper's son in the first half of the 20th century. He's adorable, but very solemn and somewhat anxious-looking. And check those overalls: I think they're leather! I wonder what happened to him later in life....

Curious as a Cat

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1) If I were the teacher, I would...

...have a blast. The teaching has never been the problem. Dealing with administrators and parents....that is the problem.

2) If the world worked on a barter system, how would you fare? Would you have services to barter? Would you be successful, or would you struggle?

Hmmm, I think I'd do ok in general, although "successful" might be overstating. I'd have enough to eat and a place to stay.

3) What is one thing that you constantly think (not worry) about?

I spend a LOT of time thinking about people. Hours and hours of down time noodling over relationships--old ones and current ones--wondering how the person is, why we haven't spoken in years, remembering stupid things that made us laugh (or cry), solving problems. This is definitely not (always) worry, just thinking.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.
Public Domain Photo

Summer's over here. This past week went from temperatures in the high 70s at the beginning to highs in the low 50s this weekend. Still, walking in sand sounds delightful to me. It's not the sand I don't like at the beach....

Curious as a Cat

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1) Do you think it is necessary to have alcohol at a party in order to have a good time?

Nope. In fact, that often makes the whole situation less fun.

2) Who is the one person you hope isn’t reading your blog? Why?

Pretty much anyone I share a blood tie with...except Sparky. And most of my co-irkers.

3) If you had to, what part of your body--currently hole-free--would you get pierced?

I'd probably be terribly boring and do a hole in my (ear) cartilage. But I really have no interest in other piercings. It's kind of passé.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

It looks like a disaster area, where people just drove a ways out of town and dumped whatever they had lying around in their garage--or factory. God alone knows what was/is in those barrels and how poisonous the contents was. Plus, it's just fugly.

Curious as a Cat

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1) Which quality best describes your life--exciting, organized, dull--and why?

Dull, at best. I do not like drama, and there has been FAR FAR TOO MUCH of it in the past year. My life is also fairly tightly scheduled between work and volunteer and various meetings, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it organized!

2) What book quote, film quote, or song lyric has been sticking with you this weekend? Why?

Having said that about drama above, these lyrics started chasing around:

It feel so good
When you let go
Of all the drama in your life
Now you're free from all the pain
Free from all the game
Free from all the stress
So find your happiness

(Mary J. Blige, "No More Drama")

Prior to that it was this:

Me an' RJ an' the kids was on a camp-out in the mountains, and we had us one'a them U-Drive-'Em Army Jeep cars which we rented from a fella by the name of Kubozke for thirty bucks a day, buy your gas along the way, take a rabbit's foot and leave a pint of blood for a dee-posit...

(C.W. McCall, "Black Bear Road")

I could go on, if you'd like. Got the whole thing memorized.

3) Paper, plastic, or your own?

Plastic or my own. Depends on where I'm shopping, and for how much. Big days are my own bags, but if I'm stopping for bananas, cheese, and bread, I'll just take a plastic bag. I take them to work to use when people need a bag on rainy days.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Photo © Cat. 2014

Yes. Yes, I do occasionally take pictures in bathrooms, but NEVER of people. This TP dispenser just cracked me up. We stopped at a mini-mart/souvenir stand while driving through the mountains near Mountain City, TN, earlier this year and this is what I discovered while using the necessary. It wasn't nearly as bad as advertised, incidentally.

Curious as a Cat

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1) What season causes you the most health problems?

I'm allergic to corn pollen and since I live in the World's Biggest Cornfield (a.k.a. the American midwest) this means late summer and early fall kinda suck. Otherwise, weather doesn't seem to bother my health much. I get the occasional cold in the winter, but otherwise...yeah. I get a flu shot every year to ensure that I don't get too sick. So, boring. Thank God!

2) I wish I could be like ________. This person is special because __________________.

There's a woman at my church named Fran who is a delightful woman. She's close to 90, maybe older, but she never fails to have kind, meaningful words to say to everyone regardless of age. There's nothing unctuous or sneaky about her, she just loves people, especially kids. And they love her. She has her share of health issues, and is getting more frail every time I see her, but her smile is beautiful. She's just amazing.

3) How many languages can you speak?

English fairly well, and Spanish poorly. I can struggle through reading a few others, but not well enough to speak.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.
Public Domain Photo

Seems to be all about church today: we're having a Touch-a-Truck event in our parking lot in a couple of weeks including a couple of farm implements and a fire truck and some other smaller things. I don't know the connection between the event and church precisely, but it's fun and the kids love it. Beast and I pretty much stay as far as possible from the whole thing. ;-) Anyway, if you haven't seen a harvester or a combine lately, they are FREAKIN' HUGE. Like this thing, which I think is actually a construction vehicle of some kind.

Curious as a Cat

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1) How do you feel when you do something that is very good?

Proud, and then I feel bad that I feel proud about something like that.

2) Do you like to dance? When was the last time you danced?

I car-dance with some regularity. The last time I danced on my feet was probably while cooking or putting away dishes with a CD in the player in there.

3) How do you feel about TV commercials? Are there some channels with better (or worse) ones?

I hate them. The non-premium channels are the pits: A&E, Ion, and all the Discover channels. I especially hate the "trans-v@gin@l mesh" and mesothelioma ads.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.Public Domain Photo

This reminds me of summer mission trips with our high school group at church. I miss those kids...and those days.

Curious as a Cat

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1) What would happen if you could fly whenever you wanted? When would you use this ability?

I would certainly travel more!! Especially if we're talking about me just flying around or having my own plane. I wouldn't want to fly commercially much more often than I do now. Unless I could fly first class every time.

2) Share a story about your worst date ever.

Yesterday I talked about holding up the rear-end of a car while my date changed a tire. That was actually one of the more fun dates. I'm not sure this was a date, but I was invited over to a guy's apartment in college to listen to British new wave albums he'd brought back after a semester abroad. It was ... really uncomfortable. I couldn't figure out if I was there for the music or ... something else.

3) If you could have personally witnessed one event in history, what would you want to have seen?

It's not an event, but I would have loved to see the Americas prior to the European invasion, say about 1480. I'd use my recently-acquired flight skills to spy on lots of people, in North and South America. Maybe let them know how to make guns and bullets and strategic defense....and to stay the HELL away from these people who arrive in a decade and their infectiousness.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.Public Domain Photo 

Here we see a knee. I can't tell if we see a break; don't think so. Maybe some distension.
Anyway, my right knee is bugging me a lot lately. I really must lose some weight, or I will be signing up for knee-replacement within another decade or so. Worse than my knee this weekend, though, was my left wrist which felt like it needed to "pop" all day yesterday. And just achy and sore and carpal-tunnel-y. Sucks to be old-ish.

Curious as a Cat

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1) Do you prefer sunrise or sunset?

I like sunrise. It tends to be quieter and cooler and prettier. Not that I'm up to see the sun rise very often these days!

2) What do you think is the meaning of "He laughs best who laughs last"?

Don't be too quick to think the joke is on someone else; it may very well be on you.

3) Finish this sentence: "I can't stand being around people who_________?"

...are negative, gossipy, bitchy and clique-y. So, yeah, hanging with the other moms while Sparky was in school wasn't very common at all.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.
Public Domain Photo

I love old bricks. Growing up, Dad had used old bricks to build two large planters on either side of the front porch steps. Mom put petunias in them every summer. Mostly she took care of them too, but I often was delegated to watering duty. There were always a lot of those bricks laying around our yard; Dad had had to disassemble the incinerator when I was very little because burning garbage was banned; because he was my dad, part of the Greatest Generation, raised in the depths of the Depression, he saved them. We used them for building forts and redoubts for the army men and the Matchbox cars, or to write on the sidewalk with instead of chalk.

By the way, these were solid (i.e. no holes), narrow bricks, not modern house bricks. I can't find a photo of what they looked like, but as I recall they were perhaps 1.5" thick and maybe 2.5" wide and 9-10" long.

Curious as a Cat

(Link in meme-roll)

1) What specific thing have you done that impressed yourself?

Well, so far I haven't killed anyone. I am learning patience, which is startling. I've raised a pretty cool son who shows no likelihood towards a life of crime or otherwise doing anything stupid with far-reaching negative consequences. I've been married for 27 years... That enough?

2) Tell about a family saying that no one outside your family knows? Where did it come from?

There is that whole story around the naming of (simplified) our house in the mountains. The whole family was sitting in my parents' living room tossing out ideas. At some point someone got a dictionary and eventually everyone got punchy; someone tossed out "Minotaur: half man, half bull" and the room erupted in laughter. I thought it was awesome that an off-color joke got that kind of reaction in front of my parents (I was 11 or 12), my mom put on her I Very Much Disapprove Face, and the name stuck. You absolutely had to be there to get why this was epic; it sounds ridiculous.
Then there's my nephew's teenaged comment from the back seat of the car a couple of decades ago: "This family is so pathetic." This was said in such a tone of deep dismay and heartfelt disgust that it's still trotted out whenever someone does something really stupid. Pretty sure he still feels this way about his family now at times, too, even when he's participating in the stupid.

3) Is the glass half empty or half full? And by the way, what is in the glass?

Tonight, right now, it's half empty. Generally, however, I'm a half-full kind of person. If there's anything in the glass right now, though, I'm pretty sure it's shit.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Photo © Cat. 2012

I took this on Pier 39 in San Francisco last fall. It cracked me up and reminded me of a friend who is an RPG-er.

Curious as a Cat

(Link in meme-roll)

1) You are given the opportunity to talk to one dead person and say one thing that you didn't get to say before s/he passed away. Who would you pick and what would you say?

I would love a chance to apologize to my sister Ellen for not being around more in the last few months of her life.

2) What was the worst advice you ever gave?

Oh, I give shitty advice all the time! When I look back on things I've suggested to people, I shudder. I'm hopeful they ignored me.

3) What is the weirdest thing you own?

Well, we have 4 tribbles. That's kinda weird. Maybe the weirdest part is that I'd admit it, but I gotta tell you, they are fabulous ice-breakers at parties!

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Photo © Cat. 2012

This was taken out of the window of the boutique hotel we stayed at on Parent's Weekend in the town in which we went to college and where Sparky is currently matriculating. So, yeah, it's dusk in October, but it could be dusk today since it's actually cooler today than it was then. Anyway, this is an area called Five Points, which seems to be a recurring theme of the towns in which I've lived. The base of this photo, the bottom 1/4 of the picture, is actually the windowsill--the walls are about 2 feet thick in this building. Love this place.

Curious as a Cat

(Link in meme-roll)

1) What's the weirdest dream you remember having recently?

I was at my high school (which was NOT my high school in most ways, but had components similar to all three of my schools through age 18) with Beast and Sparky, and I kept missing one of my classes--I only had four so maybe I was in college??--and had a test I was sort of freaking out. Or maybe it was because I had missed the class, since I couldn't find the room it was in. Or something. I don't know. No stress in my life, eh?

2) Have you ever had a crush on a member of the sex you aren't normally attracted to?

I probably had a few teacher-crushes that never got crazy. Otherwise, no, I don't think so. Definitely not in the kissy-crush kind of thing.

3) What vegetable do you most resemble?

(Couch) potato, of course.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

Sunset? End of the year? Beach, ocean, lake, water of some kind. It even sort of looks like the parking lot--or whatever that is in the center--is flooded. Very watery. It's a peaceful picture, if a little disturbing.

Happy New Year!!

Curious as a Cat x 3

(Link in meme-roll)

#349
1) Make a list of movies you believe everyone should see at least once.

I really can't do this since I'm not a big movie viewer. So, being the way I am, I'll go with Battleship Potemkin. [I've only seen part of it]

2) What was the last random really hurtful thing someone said to you?

I mostly shrug this sort of thing off, since in my family (of origin) Hurtful is the language we revert back to regularly. I'm sure someone at work was the last "really?" comment, but barring that my niece Katherine was in rare form on Thanksgiving.

3) What's the first thing you do when you get off work/out of school?

Go home and take off my shoes.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

Easter basket!!

#350
1) Do you have any friends you regret not keeping in touch with?

I would love to find a couple of high school friends who are not interested in being found. I am actually a horrible friend in terms of keeping in touch, though.

2) Would you have one of your fingers surgically removed if it guaranteed immunity from all major diseases?

If I could pick a finger, then I might just consider that. Bear in mind, however, that I'm still trying to kick a stupid cold.

3) Which is creepier to see in your kitchen: a mouse or a cockroach?

Cockroach, for sure. Nothing like bugs to make me feel like I need to fumigate the entire building....

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

Feathers. Soft. Pretty.

#351
1) What perks you up on a cold, gloomy day?

A book, a fire in the fireplace, and a warm blanket.

2) Have you ever been to a fashion show?

No. I don't have a bucket list, but this would NEVER make it.

3) Describe the wackiest but most useful advice you've ever received.

Most advice sounds wacky to start with. Throwing oatmeal in the bath, for instance, isn't something normal people would think of, but it definitely helps with hives.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

This building and my niece & her husband are the ONLY things I've any interest in seeing in Spain.

Curious as a Cat x4 (sigh)

(Link in meme-roll)
#345
1) Share five things you're thankful for.

I'm happy that I survived the past year. I'm thankful for my church family. I'm thankful for the people around me who either love me or are masochists. I'm thankful that this last week's cold wasn't any worse. And I'm thankful this will be a short week at work.

2) What companies provide the worst customer service?

I was never too excited about calling the cable company when I had to do that. Not thrilled with our local-ish chain grocery store which seems to have zero customer service training. The worst, though, has to be anything to do with the medical industry and insurance. Yuck.

3) About how much storage space is in your current home? Is it enough?

I've found that no matter the space you have, you always have more shit than fits comfortably. We have a shit-ton of storage space in this house, and up until about 5 years ago we were holding our own, but we are now "officially full." Ugh.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

This makes me giggle. I love the paisley drawing on the keys, and then the green dry-erase (?) D so you can figure out where your fingers belong...crack me up!

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

#346
1) Have you ever been arrested?

I've had two tickets written on me, which, technically, means I've been arrested twice. But never in the tradition handcuffs-and-back-of-the-car kind of thing. whew

2) Turkey (not the country, the Thanksgiving bird) -- love it or leave it?

Love it, but it's not exactly easy to cook!

3) Do you judge couples by how they met?

No. For the most part, I don't even know how people met. Three members of my family met their spouses online, and they've been married a total of 20 years between them so who am I to judge?

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

Well, this was meant has a Halloween photo, so you can see how far behind I really am now--yay me! This picture reminds me of stories of the catacombs under Paris where there are supposedly stacks and stacks of bones that have been removed from cemeteries over the centuries. Cool. Sorta creepy.

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1) You were just given a yacht. What would you name it?

"For Sale"

2) America's game: baseball or football? Or something else?

Football, at least for me. I haven't watched a full professional baseball game in at least six years.

3) What was your favorite TV show when you were growing up?

There were too many and they changed over time. I always liked "Little House..." and "Apple's Way." Later, it was "Dukes of Hazzard" and "CHiPs" that I remember. And all the 60s sitcoms that aired in the afternoons. And M*A*S*H of course.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

Kinda looks like a snow angel made by a turkey, no? I can't remember the last time I made a snow angel. Hmmm, may have to remedy that this winter. We haven't seen any snow to speak of this year (just some floating flakes). I'm sure we'll get our share, however. I'm perfectly all right with that since I can't expect Sparky to dig me out when Beast is out of town. :-)

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1) Which is worse: freezing cold feet or hot, sweaty feet?

What's really the pits is cold sweaty feet.... I'm not a fan of either extreme, but I'm much more familiar with cold feet, especially in bed.

2) What is your most non-traditional holiday tradition?

I suppose it's the refusal to make a big dinner on Christmas Day. No, we just do a fend-for-yourself sandwich thing instead.

3) What makes you nervous?

The possibility of something dangerous occurring. I tend to overthink all the things that could go wrong in any given situation. I've been known to get so wrapped up in this that I practically cease to function. It's a little OCD-ish.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

b>Public Domain Photo

Dog!!! Or, as Sparky would say: "doggyyyyy!!!" Kind of an odd-faced little face, and I'm not sure what's going on with the house (?) in the background. Are those telephone poles stacked in front? Still.... Dog!!

Curious as a Cat

(Link in meme-roll)
Yeah...my own meme...doing five weeks at a time today:

1) Share what you enjoy most about today's technology.

I love the connectivity, being able to communicate with people instantaneously, and keep track of old friends, with very little effort. It's also nice to be able to instantaneously answer random trivia questions.

2) Describe what you'd do with an extra four hours today.

Some of those hours would be spent sleeping. Maybe I'll actually use the rest to clean the stacks of paper off my desk here at home, or other projects. Actually, at this point in the day, I'm pretty sure I'll just sleep, but tomorrow I'd still have 4 extra hours, right?

3) Bedspread or comforter?

Right now, for the first time in my married life, we have a bedspread. It's quite odd. Having it not the bedspread itself.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

Ah, Denver!! I wish I could say I'd taken this photo, but I had to find it online. That building in the middle has always been called the Mailbox by everyone in my family and most of my friends in school. But the background...mountains!! Miss them.

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1) Describe what you're looking forward to doing this autumn.

We went to our college Homecoming game, even though Sparky was too sick to come with us. We will also be attending Family Weekend festivities. And just enjoying the autumn weather. We should probably clean up the gardens too, I suppose. OH! Halloween. I do love Halloween!

2) Given the option of watching a sitcom or watching a crime drama on TV, which would you prefer?

I never . ever . watch sitcoms anymore. Or, to be specific, I don't watch anything made after about 1990. They seem to all be well past stupid, which I can tolerate in Gilligan's Island but not people wearing modern clothes.

3) What is your life motto, or words you live by?

"Remember, everyone you meet is carrying a heavy load."

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

This picture makes me smile. I hope these guys (they don't look like girls to me) are literally jumping for joy.

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1) Curtains or blinds?

Curtains tend to be dustcatchers, so I generally prefer blinds. However, they ALSO catch dust, so I'm about to go do the British thing and get some net curtains for my front windows, and some (washable) drapes.

2) If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?

I would totally be in charge of deciding NOT to implement RDA in this country. In a heartbeat.

3) Describe your personality in five words or less.

Flaky, serious, detail-oriented, middle-aged, addictive.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

Seahorses are so awesome. I don't dwell on them, but they seem serene and (not that animals can BE this) progressive thinkers.

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1) If you could eat only one meal the rest of your life, what would it be?

Probably pizza. Or pasta with assorted sauces. And fresh salad.

2) Name one thing you wish you could go back and change about your education.

I wish I would have taken more Spanish language courses and fewer lit classes.

3 Do you or did you ever smoke?

Nope.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

Left behind friend. You wouldn't believe how many of these we find at work. And of course this also reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit.

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1) Who is your celebrity crush? Why?

Once I realized what a total dickbrain Tom Cruise is, I pretty much swore off crushing on famous people. On the other hand, I really do like Bono. But not in a crushy/lovey way exactly.

2) Have you ever been the victim of a crime?

Not in the immediate and personal sense. Our cabin was broken into when I was a kid, but not while we were around. I can't think of anything specific otherwise. I do wonder if I've blanked stuff out...?

3) Who is your greatest hero of all time?

Well, "all time" would pretty have to be Jesus, then.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

Oh thank God I didn't have to put this puzzle together! What a nightmare. In general, I do like jigsaws. We usually take over the dining room table at New Year's and do one. I have no idea where that came from, but it's family tradition now. Weird how these sorts of things just sort of blossom. Last year we spent about a week trying to put a a picture of potato chips--this very one, in fact!--together, and got the frame done and that's about it. Nightmare! I have since donated that puzzle to the library at the local high school for kids to 'relax' with during finals week. Yes, I am mean.