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November 12, 2021 evening sky

Sunday questions from Sunday stealing asking your favorite....

    Place:  Santa Barbara CA, Lake Placid NY, Toronto Ont., Brugge Belgium
    Color: turquoise but actually fave colors come together... coral and turquoise
    Smell: orange blossom
    Magazine: studios
    Texture: to touch: microfiber blankets to see: weaving  to make: watercolor brushstrokes
    Thing to do when bored: Never bored, but read, watch tv, sew, paint, sit and look at nature
    Precious stone: emeralds
    Animal: elephants, dogs, horses
    Time in history: rennaisance
    Font: so many depending on the artwork or mood (love ancient scripts)
    Sound: water over rocks, wind through aspen trees
    Fruit:bananas
    Vegetable: all but especially potatoes
    Store/shop: anthropology
    Quote: time flies whether you're having fun or not
    Historical figure: Eleanore Roosevelt and Abigail Adams
    Letter: Z   or Zed
    Memory: meeting my husband at a dance and seeing him come towards me
    Dessert: gooey black forest cake
    Candy: million dollar bars
    Restaurant: Amici's in Little Italy Baltimore
    Language: English then Italian
    Thing to learn about: history and art
    Thing about yourself: I try to be fair, honest and have integrity. Artistic, loves learning

how about you? 

linking with others answering these at https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/ 

halloween questions

 

questions from Sunday Stealing Party (https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/)

 1. Have you ever played with a Ouija Board?

of course! we used to regularly use them at pajama parties growing up!

2. Favorite horror monster or villain?

I do NOT like horror shows... how about gomez addams

3. If you were dared to spend the night in a “haunted house”, would you do it?

Inadvertently I did... we stayed at an inn in Sonoma and the light came on in the middle of the night surprising both of us! We both thought the other one did it but the hostess told us next morning that it was their ghost.

4. Are you superstitious?

kind of, I have several hold overs like tossing salt over a shoulder, or not putting hats on chairs, etc

5. Do you ever see figures in your peripheral vision? 

now and then I think I hear someone call me... and suspect it's a spirit or angel

6. Ever made a potion of any sort?

chocolate martini count?

7. Do you get scared easily?

yes!

8. Have you ever played Bloody Mary? no

9. Would you ever go to a graveyard at night?

I quite love graveyards... I find them historical gems. Ghosts would be at the places they died probably if they couldn't move on to Heaven. My fave graveyard is in MA

10. Would you rather go to a Halloween party or go trick or treating?

I loved T or T ing for the variety of candy, and seeing everyone out but love a party even more, with costumes and games. My fave candy used to be sugar daddies caramel bars.

11. Whilst watching scary movies, are you the person who yells at the characters, the person with their eyes covered the whole time, or the person who falls asleep

I run from scary movies, mute ads for them, not interested in reading those books either

12. Favorite scary book? 

discovery of witches
13. How old were you when you saw your first horror movie?

14. What was your first Halloween costume?

now who can remember being dressed up as a baby? I do remember begging for a store bought (cheaply made) princess costume with mask... and I had little girl elastic strap high heels to wear under it. 

dh and I used to dress up in matching costumes, put chairs outside and a table to hold our creepy goblets and bottle of spiced red wine. We'd give out candy to kids and little paper cups of wine to parents. 

15. If you could have a spooky Halloween pet (black cat, owl, bat, rat, wolf), what would you pick?

black cat for sure... I am allergic overall but love cats and have always had black dogs. I'd like to give an owl a chance but they need to live wild, bats kind of scare me. A wolf is cool, and I've known people who just love their pet rats but I'll stick with a black dog

how would you answer these???

 

sunday questions

 

1. What subjects lead you down a Wikipedia rabbit hole? maybe historical info? none really.

2. How do you like to spend your birthdays?

in the old days, before I found illness and danger at every turn, I always wanted to go some place new for a birthday weekend. I want to feel pampered, eat good food, see new places, shop, wander

3. Something you might take a little too seriously?
 can you take climate changes too seriously? or Americans who think it's patriotic to tear down the government while begging for help from the government? Can you take a trend to greed and entitlement too seriously?

4. Describe a time you made a good decision for yourself

I have a hard time making decisions. I think of all the alternatives, do research, etc. I guess the best decision I've made is to marry my husband. I was older than most brides, and had said no to at least 5 proposals, and yet when I met him, it made sense and felt right. I asked him what marriage meant to him, and thought about it for just a day before letting myself say yes and knowing it was right!

5. Something you’ve improved/gotten better at

slightly better at not letting what people say hurt me... as much. I still care but with each passing year I care less. I always did what I believed in despite people's reactions but it kind of bothered me if they misjudged me. I always felt the way I did even if family members ran me down for it, but now I just don't listen to them.

6. What dish would you bring to a summer potluck?

thank you for a simpler question!!  I do not enjoy mass potlucks since I worry people aren't as clean with their food as they should be... I've gotten intestinal distress from these parties before. And I have food allergies to common items that could be included. I'd take something easy to eat, like finger sandwiches. Or something that won't spoil in heat. Fruit salad, or watermelon chunks maybe. Relish tray with interesting cheeses and pickles. 

7. What do you miss about Winter?

I love winter. I love being cool and hate being hot. I hate being hot (so much I said it twice) after all one can put on more clothes if they are cold.

8. Share a summer memory

growing up I would spend a month with my married sister's family each summer. It was always like a party, she lived up North (from Florida) and it was cooler, we ate grilled dinners, we played cards and games. I loved when she lived in Washington Indiana, so different from florida with cute homes and soft grass and bike riding.

9. Words you misspell or misuse the most

Mostly I've lost my southern accent but I remember someone once asking what a "fang-er" was (finger) and being trotted out like a party favor when I lived in Canada... "LeeAnna... (listen to this) say Argo!" or whatever. Mispronouncing isn't usually my problem, these days it's recall of just the right word!

When I started working in social work my unit had a secretary and when I handwrote court reports she would often come to my desk and say, Miss X, did you MEAN to spell this word like that? Oy! No ! please correct it!

10. Things you love to do, that can only happen in summer

growing vegetables in the back yard, watching flowers grow, sitting on the back porch in evenings with fairy lights along the roofline, drinking a glass of wine. I can do this in spring and fall too although we now live in harsh Colorado weather that is too hot or too cold

11. How would you describe your sense of humor?

the unexpected makes me laugh, irreverance to something in a lighthearted way, sarcastic, everyday. Kind of Jerry Seinfeld ish . DH and I make each other laugh filling in the dog's thought bubble. Going to comedy shops used to bring me joy.

12. Have you ever quit a job or career?

I have done work for a season many times. It was a happy day indeed to marry, move and have to quit social work for good. I worked as a nanny as an adult in order to live in Canada with a boyfriend for a couple years then quit to return to the states to recover from meningitis. I worked for a time at Berlitz language school teaching english to businessmen and their families but for some reason stopped. I tried working at a travel agency but never got the hang of computerized airline reservations! Then it all went do it yourself anyway.

13. What are your favorite features of your cell phone?

I am the only one on earth who isn't tied to a little tyrant of a computer/cell phone. I guess the thing I like about mine is speakers so I don't have to hold it to my ear that rings all the time. I also like the portable nature of it although it's old and the battery runs out so quickly now that I am often tethered to the cord anyway.

I'm old enough to remember house phones, sitting down to chat, playing with the spiral phone chord absentmindedly while I talked to friends. I remember not having answering machines, so if I was avoiding someone I told friends to call let it ring twice hang up and call again so I knew it was safe to answer!!

14. What scents always make you hungry?

frying onions, baked garlic bread, simmering chicken soup, freshly baked cinnamon buns

 

15. What are you working on right now?

not being in a pure panic about  the increasing effects from our pollution to the water and air supplies and weather heating up so much, the way some Americans ignore crime against the country, covid not ever being under control making me vulnerable as someone with severe reactions to the vaccine. 

Oh you mean productively?

 I am a writer and an artist now... I am working on creative pursuits. I paint and draw, I make art quilts, I write stories. I am working on learning to live in isolation for physical safety. I am working on making non boring food to eat since we don't eat out nowadays. I am trying to grow tomatoes but it's too hot for them here in our area. I'm working on sorting through possessions I've dragged around through 5 moves so the next move will be easier. I'm working on finding a way to clean wood floors... can't use the hard water here as it binds with detergents and leaves a film on them, and bona doesn't clean well enough.

working on how to exercise when the people around us are so angry that we wear masks in public. I gave up my lovely daily walks as it's too dangerous feeling to be on the sidewalks. I'm working on coping with changing technology that seems beyond my ken.

I am taking a creativity workshop online that is daily for 10 days, and am starting a writing/meditation workshop online tomorrow. Thank you to zoom and the leaders for this outreach and generous sharing.

We are working on how to find a better place to live after dh takes early retirement. This may include learning a new language which neither of us is very good at.

thanks for visiting me, it makes me feel less isolated to know I have a connection with others. 

the prompt came from SundayStealing and I am linking to them at https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/

Sunday Questions for fun

 

Sunday questions from Sunday Stealing (https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/)

1.  What is the nearest book to you?  Your Kindle does not count.

Almost Everything by Anne Lamott.

 I am reading and listening to audio books on my kindle app mostly since the shutdown however. I really like series, am listening to Laura Child's teashop mystery at the moment, while I work in the studio.

2.  When was the last time you took a "me" vacation

they're all for me or it's not a vacation. The last one was to CT, before we moved West. My favorites were our yearly visit to Lake Placid. Best work related vacay was to Santa Barbara when dh was offered a job there.

3.  How many telephone numbers do you have?

not as many as some people, but I have the numbers of good friends who are fun to talk to and service providers we might need

4.  If you could fix one thing in the public school system, what is the one thing you would do immediately?
teach critical thinking skills. Americans seem to have stumbled in how to use factual information and decide if info is reputable or someone's hidden agenda. For instance when many police officers testify the same thing and there is real footage of same event that corroborates it, then it happened.

5.  What's your favorite Olympic event?

Curling... then skating and now artistic swimming! Did you catch that? All the fab costumes and athleticism needed to stay upside down in the water, not breathing while in danger of being given a concussion from being kicked in the head? Awesome!

6.  Do you watch the Olympics?

always. I love the odd events and always try to see some of each thing. This year sailing was new to me, canoe thru rapids, fencing (why the screaming) skateboarding (are you kidding me?) and rhythmic gymnastics (adults playing with hula hoops) all new to me. I enjoy learning about countries I've never heard of, seeing the joy of an athlete doing their best, and the NZ team doing a Haka after winning soccer. 

7.  Who is your favorite sports team player?

The footballer Rashad Jennings who was on the dating game recently, has such nice manners, is pretty outstandingly attractive, was on Dancing with the stars, wrote a book and is studying to be a marriage counselor. He's got it all. I never saw him play football!

8.  If you could travel in a spaceship to any planet, which planet would you like to visit and why?

ewww none.... earth is all I can handle and I can't handle it well now that the climate has gone crazy from humans

9.  When was the last time you sat in a church?

a grief ceremony at a church in Newport RI while we were on a long weekend visit. We had just lost our beloved poodle Cole, our son for 14 years. The minister was lovely to us. 

I pray and am a Christian but organized religions are not for me. Again, I believe in critical thinking skills and pray for guidance, but do not want another human to tell me how to be a good person, or that I'm not. That was my experience, and I even went to a church college one year. I believe each person seeking God will find God.

10.  Are there any aspects of blogging that annoy you?

Blogger has made it all much harder than it was when I began, so that sometimes it's a struggle to even post. I am down to basically two posts a week, a list of things I liked that week on Thursdays, and artistic offerings on Saturdays. And I do love doing the questions here, and the others who answer them too.

11. Have you ever gone to a party and snooped in the medicine cabinet? no, too busy meeting people, dancing, eating and drinking for that!

12.Do you watch reality TV? Oh I love many of them. Reality tv is really news shows though, the others are competition shows with real people and I enjoy watching them. I also love the Bravo Housewives franchises. Otherwise I like Survivor, Amazing Race, American Idol, Jeopardy, Bachelor, Making it, Project Runway, Top Chef, lots.

13.  How many people can you call who have known you since you were in school?

I really only keep up with one, we've been friends since 4th grade all through high school, college years and today. I keep up with one I taught alongside as well.

14. Who, when, and where was your first kiss?

speaking of first grade... Ricky P. kissed me by the fence at recess! We met again years later as teachers and he remembered it too! Otherwise, if you mean romantically... I can't remember really but suspect it was high school. I remember who I learned how to really kiss with, a band member and church friend Dennis... we practiced and I think we could have won a contest.

15. You just got thrown out of your country.  Where do you want to become a citizen?

Canada first. I loved living there for a while and loved the people I met there. Next, we've thought about moving to France, not Paris, somewhere quiet. 

When I found out I was adopted I found out my birth father was first gen American from Italian family so I'd like to try living there and finding family. Earl Cerone was his name I think but my spelling is no doubt wrong, do you know him?

 

some fun questions...

 

 these are the questions from Sunday Stealing this week. I decided to only answer the ones that mean something to me...feel free to answer them too. Wouldn't it be fun to answer them around a dinner table together?

1. Have Your Ever Driven Drunk Or Even Slightly Buzzed? no
2. What Was The Funniest Moment In Your Life?
3. What Kind Of Things Really Makes You Laugh?
4. If You Could Jump Into A Pool Full Of Something, What Would It Be? ick

5. Which Habit Are You Proudest Of Breaking?

thumb sucking as a child... it was soothing and I didn't sleep well while trying to stop

6. Which Animal Do You Find The Sexiest Of All?

7. What’s The Weirdest Nickname You’ve Ever Had?

" legs" not because of  pretty legs although I do have dancer's legs, but from a field trip on a train from Florida to Washington DC with the band to march in the cherry blossom parade. Our seats faced each other and I kicked the others because they teased me. 

8, What Do You Wish You Were Really Good At?

foreign languages

 
9. If You Were A Dog, What Kind Of Dog Would You Be?

I'd say a labrador retriever... wanna play? or eat? I do I do!

10. What’s The Most Spontaneous Thing You’ve Ever Done?

When we reached our destination of Yellowstone park it was dark, rainy and the power was out all around. A group gathered at the only store, for something to eat that night. Two guys on massive motorcycles and my friend and I began chatting. After a while we talked of their cross country bike ride and one offered to take me for a ride. I sized him up, trusted him and got on. It was the scariest thing, probably the stupidest thing in the world but he was lovely and I would never have done that in other circumstances, and he brought me right back. 

11. If You Had A Time Machine, Would You Go Back In Time Or Visit The Future?

back, I want so much to feel what life was like in the past

12. What Was The Last Show You Binge-Watched?

we're watching Book Club on BBC now... zany characters

13. If You Had To Rename Yourself, What Name Would You Choose?
14. What Did You Do During The Summers When You Were Growing Up?

I remember playing outside a lot, bikes, skating, skateboarding, painting while sitting on a blanket on the grass, making up games with friends. When older I visiting my grown sister's family for a month wherever they were living. I watched a lot of tv, read a lot, and sometimes took classes in art. I got to stay up late, the best part. We often went on vacation from Florida to North Carolina's mountains and I rolled down hills, picked wild blackberries, hiked, and played outside in the creek. 

15. If You Go To A Restaurant And Have Terrible Service, Is It Ever OK Not To Tip?

I don't know if it's okay, but I have done. I left 50 cents once from rude poor service. The waitress showed the first energy we'd seen as she chased us out in the parking lot and threw it at us. She was bad and rude all night. I think if she was just bad service we might have left minimum percent. That was when I was very young adult, now I would call the manager over instead.

Here is the link to other people's answers https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/

 

sunday's questions to get to know you

one of my sketchbook collages

 

1. You have just been hired to clean your own home, what is your first complaint?

A) have these people EVER cleaned??? this house is big, this is gonna take a while...

2. Are you able to ignore a ringing telephone? 

A) most definitely. Better now that there is voice mail.

3. How often do you allow a ringing phone to go to voice mail?

A) any time it's an unknown number... scams seldom leave a message. 

4. Do you answer your cell phone, out in public, every time it rings? Or do you silence it and get back to it when you’re in a more private area? 

A) silence it til private. It's so annoying to hear one side of a conversation, no? It's rude to answer a call when you're with someone in person in my opinion. Like they are not as important... pet peeve

5. How often would you say you’re on your home phone? Your cell phone? 

A) when we moved we gave up a land line. I'm not on the phone much now.

6. Do you like talking on the phone or do you view it as a necessary communication tool?

A) I love talking to a friend on the phone

7. When did you last go for a bike ride? 

A) my memory isn't that good!!!

8. Do you own a bike? A) no

9. Given the most popular New Year’s resolution of losing weight, would you consider putting bicycle riding as one of your exercise options? Why or why not?

A) no it would hurt my back injury, and while I have you, I hate bikers who race up from behind us when we're out walking even if they scare us with "ON YOUR LEFT" which no one does here anyway. No warning, no time to get out of the way, no mask wearing while panting grrrr

10. If you had to name a smell that always makes you nostalgic, what would it be? What sorts of memories does the smell evoke? 

A) coppertone suntan lotion... ahhhh good times spent at Clearwater beach in Florida

or

Nanette LaPore original scent... DH took me to Manhattan for my 50th birthday weekend, and in Macy's someone spritzed me and I fell in love. He bought me a set and we got subsequent sets until she stopped making it....sad.... but I have a bit left and everytime I use it I remember that lovely time in NYC and how special I felt

11. What did you do over the weekend? No detail is too small. This is your journal, so tell us about the mundane tasks in your life.

A) ahhh mundane... the definition of our lives at the moment.I made hot cross buns for the first time, not experienced in yeast baking. They were wonderful til we washed the dough mat and saw a cut in it so we threw them all away in case any fiberglass got in during kneading. I made another batch on Monday and we love them. We spent an hour cleaning the stand alone shower from hard water stains (we moved to Colorado and it's different here) and sat on the patio reading, we watched episodes of Queen's Gambit, we made dinners together, and changed the sheets. DH practiced guitar while I took drawing/painting lessons on video.

12. If it weren’t for my blog, I’d _________.
A) miss all the lovely people I've come to know since starting it. And forget the books I've read.

13. When was the last time you replied “because I said so”? Do you find yourself saying that a lot? Or do you prefer to tell people WHY you want them to do something for you.

A) I prefer not telling people what to do (I can almost feel dh's head shaking here) so I don't remember a time when I said that. Maybe to the poodle puppy when he threw a tantrum, biting the leash on a walk and tugging. I think I said, someone has to be the leader and it's us.

14. What is the worst gift you’ve ever received? 

A) MIL  actually wrapped a package of paper napkins at Christmas and since their rules of opening were to do it one at a time and pass it around, I opened it, looked at her blankly, said thank you and passed it to my left. It was kind of funny to see all the family just hand it left around the circle.

15.  Tell us the worst gift you’ve ever given. What was the reaction of the recipient?   

A)  as a little girl probably about age 8, I saw a bottle cutter on tv and the adults were having "so much fun" turning bottles into vases I thought my mom might like it! Advertising works. I asked for money, and a ride to the store, and bought one for her. I was so excited to watch her open it, she didn't get a lot of wrapped gifts since she was the one who usually bought them. She just said thanks, put it on the table and never touched it again. 

 

Same reaction from when I hand embroidered a set of kitchen towels ( I was maybe 9) for her, learning as I went, trying to make them pretty and she didn't like them. Once I found all the gifts I'd bought her as an adult in a drawer in her house unopened and unused. 

 

Normally I really try to think of what the person likes, but I'm bad at getting things in the mail. I buy things when I see them, store them for an occasion. I love getting gifts and appreciate all of them so that napkin incident, as you probably suspect, has a lot of feeling behind it. 

We no longer exchange gifts with them. 

 

This was a fun exercise til the last two questions... what a way to end this, speaking of worsts. 

What is the BEST gift I've ever given or received is my final additional question?

I think the year I gave my husband guitar lessons might be good... and went with him to choose a guitar. He has really enjoyed learning and playing, and he's always so hardworking that this was like sort of encouragement or permission to do something just for fun. 

I cherish all the gifts he's given me especially the tiny diamond band he got me for my engagement, which became my wedding ring.  He had just finished his masters and didn't have much money, and it's still so beautiful. He gives me the gift of saying I'm special each time we're on vacation and see something special I want but it's too expensive. He says I'm worth it, and I feel so loved.

linking to

https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/

Sunday Questions and spirit

sometimes I sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits

 Today's questions come from Sunday Stealing (HERE!)

1. What’s your favorite kind of cake?

cheesecake, or black forest chocolate cake. Mainly I love homemade cakes of any kind

2. What’s your favorite cocktail?

long island iced tea for liquor... or a pretty martini, maybe a margarita

3. If you are alone for the evening, what do you fix yourself for dinner?

hopefully leftovers

4. What make was your first car?

soon after getting my license at age 16 my father came home with an ancient ugly beater of a station wagon. I was thrilled to have my own ride to use! He bought all of us cars when we were seniors in high school and got me an olds cutlass supreme in powder blue (I wanted red) 

5. What is your height?   5' 7"   so average...

6. What was your least favorite toy as a child?

rubiks cube, or those sliding puzzles

7. What’s your favorite cartoon character?

easy, Betty Boop

pinterest

8. What’s your dream car?   don't have one

9. What’s your favorite pizza topping?    mushrooms or caramelized onions

10. What’s your favorite sports team? none

11. What’s your favorite TV show?   Gilmore Girls always

I love Amazing Race, Survivor and This is Us, currently. I miss Northern Exposure

12. What is your favorite ice cream? salted caramel or coconut

13. What is your favorite song?d Girl from Ipanema 

 moondance

14. What’s your least favorite chore? cleaning hard water from shower stall

15. What was your first job? baby sitting  but the first one outside the home was working in a bulk mail processing plant. My friend told me about it, and we both were so happy to have our own money .  I did a lot of volunteer work for no money, and learned a lot thru those jobs. I enjoyed my work as a wench at the renaissance  fair the most and made a pauper's wage! I did not love my career nearly as much. Later in life I began lecturing and teaching at quilt guilds which was the most fun and rewarding.
 

sunday questions... what would you answer?

 

From SundayStealing...

 

 1. What’s something no one wants to hear but everyone should?

A: Do the right thing, even when it's difficult 

2. What’s the most annoying animal you’ve ever encountered? 

A:  we had a cedar home in MD and woodpeckers were always pecking holes into it!! I became like Elmer Fudd when I heard the tapping running out screaming waving my arms

3. How much does language affect our thinking?

A: we think in words...I'm interested and usually annoyed with the evolution of our language... how people communicate or not. We used to rely on facial  expression to help communicate but not with social distancing that's being lost. Some current 20 somethings don't seem able to convey meaning in words...scary. Luckily not all of them

4. Do you prefer to watch movies in the theater or in the comfort of your home?

A: home!

5. What topic could you spend hours talking about?

A: ART... and past lives... books...

6. If you could run away from it all and start fresh somewhere new, would you?

A: yes. oh yes please

7. What’s the most polarizing question you could ask a group of friends?

A: well I'm not bringing that up!

8. Do movies have the same power as books to change the world?

A: a good story is most important, and that stands alone in books. A good story turned movie needs good screenwriters, good actors, good directors. That said, movies reach a lot of people and they provide all the imagination for them.

9. What would you rate 10/10 ?

A: dh said, married life. 

10. What are you really good at, but kind of embarrassed that you are good at it? 

A: I think things through, and am logical but feeling at the same time. I can usually learn things quickly too. 

Often, I know things are going to happen, I see it as a gift from God

11. Who do you go out of your way to be nice to?

A: I automatically want to be nice to my friends and husband. Go out of my way.... neighbors? 

12. What problems will technology solve in the next 5 years? What problems will it create?

A.1: wouldn't it be wonderful if we discovered and USED alternate forms of energy? To save the planet?? Come on, you have to know we've damaged it...

A.2: communication technology is ironically pushing us apart. Some people can't converse in person now... which is a give and take. They feel free to say any thing they want on their terms even if it hurts others or the collective group. 

 

Things they might not say to a person's face. If you can't say it to someone directly then don't say it on social media.

 

13. What from the present will withstand the test of time?

A: stretch fabric in jeans

 

14. What movie would be greatly improved if it was made into a musical?

A: 

15. What is something common from your childhood that will seem strange to future generations?

A: pin the tail on the donkey? Hokey Pokey? Spaghetti-o's? 

 

LINKING TO

sundaystealing.blogspot.com/

Sunday questions

 

Sunday Questions

1.What kinds of things do you like to write?

A: I love to write... I put words on art work, an am writing a novel, love to write editorials but few people get to read them. 

 

I'd say I like most to write descriptions... set a mood with words that take a reader to another place, a place they feel, see, smell, hear. That's when I go into my imagination and feel, see, smell or hear something and can build a bridge with words so others can experience it too. 

I am passionate about writing. 

I like to write what I think animals are thinking, I like to write about life from the perspective of an inanimate object or silent living thing. It connects me to life. 

Once on vacation at Lake Placid, we chatted to a man who was an editor for the the NYTimes. I told him I wrote, and he asked what genre. 

I looked at my husband, who was the one who read my stories. 

the best I could come up with was "slice of life"

2. What is your favorite genre of movie

A: old musicals... or dramadies with good scripts d

Wizard of Oz, Into the Woods, American in Paris...

3. Your favorite song?

A: I love Girl from Ipanema sung by almost anyone. But my fave genre of music is 1920's to 1940's 

 

 

4. During what situation do your eyes shine the brightest?

A: dancing. Especially contra dance... I think my husband falls in love with me when I'm dancing and so happy. 

 

 

5. Summer or Winter?

A: cool weather is better for me

 

6. What do you do when you are angry?

A: shake, talk harshly, and when REALLY angry,  retreat into silence

7, Sleep with lights on or off ?

A: off but a night light in the hall in case we have to get up

8. Are you ok with eating alone in a restaurant?

A: it's uncomfortable not to have the stops and starts of conversation. Just eating I have to create pauses, put down my fork, look around. Then I wonder if people think I'm intrusive by looking at them. When I traveled alone thru Europe, dinner at night was the hardest, no one to talk over the day's adventure with, no one to sit comfortably in silence with.

9. Texting or calling?

A: calling because it's human contact. Texting is cold and abbreviated,  but talking to someone is important because it takes in tone, laughter, all the ways we connect and communicate. Texting just tells your side of things

10. What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

A: oooo that's hard, I can criticize myself easily... I am invested. I care about life, learning, living things. I am interested in cultures and other people, animals, and art. I am fairly good with words and always try my best. I can be driving, or cooking, or making art but always want to do it well. 

I like my imagination

11. How do you act when you’re scared?

A: I go inward. I was scared of so much, growing up, especially the parents. I would go hide and now I mentally hide. I delay, ignore, procrastinate on decisions. Avoid. I go to my husband for reassurance. I remember in University psych class, we learned about a bird when stressed with a dangerous situation with no good choice... like guarding it's baby bird in nest or fleeing a hawk... might clean it's feathers. Do something totally different in response to a "rock and a hard place" 

Art is providing my feather cleaning at the moment

12. When you look at the sky do you first look at the moon, or the stars?

A: I look up. Whatever is bright catches my eye...usually the stars and planets, but I LOVE looking at the moon in all it's phases. I like the moon as it's bright but reflects the sun without having to be the sun. I always look for the face in the moon. 

Sadly we have so many raging wild fires in Colorado that smoke continuously blocks out the sky at night. 

 

13. Do you approach strangers when you are lost? 

A: yes. I like to think I have discernment and choose good people to ask. Once I was at the top of the peak in Arches park (Utah) loop and my car broke down. Miles from any help, no cell phones back then. My boyfriend and I despaired as it was getting late. A car approached on the one road in and out, I flagged them down and begged for assistance to the ranger's station and they drove us down. 

later my boyfriend said he would not have been able to do that.  

iced tea with no ice, straight up!

14. Tea or Coffee?

A: both. Sophie's choice here... coffee in the morning, tea at lunch

15. With sugar? Milk? Lemon? Anything else?

A: with coffee... milk   

with tea, nothing. Pure. clear. Hot or cold, usually cold, but always free of extras 

 

Sooooo what do you think? Any of these spark your own thoughts? Let me know! 

  Linking to

https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/

https://magicalmysticalteacher.wordpress.com/ 

sunday questions

 

what do YOU think???

From the questions at Sunday Stealing...a chance to answer silly questions in public... just pretend we're at a cool cocktail party and answering these... I'm wearing a little black dress and birks...

 1. If You Could Use A Time Machine To Go Back In Time To Fix One Thing Or Go To The Future To See What It Is Like Which Would You Do?

I would go back and fix something... not saying what

2. If All Of A Sudden There Was A Depression Or There Were No Stores To Buy Food, Clothing, Etc. How Would You Manage?

this is a little too close to home... I might just not have new clothes (like now) but build a green house

3. Are You Concerned With What Other People Think About You?

I am but less than I used to. We are a social animal and like it or not, we depend on others, so we need to at least keep peace. I no longer care what people think of my fat, or hair at least. I don't mind if they don't like me but they don't need to say it out loud. That's the problem now, people write things that are unnecessary, and expect others to cater to their list of likes. 

We over use the word like

4. How Do You Handle People You Don’t Like?

usually avoidance. I get terse, and uncommunicative. I don't like to waste my words or brilliance on them (lol)

5. What Do You Think Of Garden Gnomes?

I like one. More than one is a herd and that's too many in my yard, IMHO. Now a flock of plastic flamingos is another story altogether!

6. You’ve Been Given An Elephant. You Can’t Give It Away Or Sell It. What Would You Do With The Elephant?

easy! Elephants need other elephants and safety. It would go to a sanctuary. (are you giving me one? please? )

7. How Would You Design A Spice Rack For The Blind?

braille, and like my spices laying down flat in a drawer next to the stove.

8. How Lucky Are You And Why? not

9. What’s your biggest kitchen fail?

I have no idea, we just eat the evidence and never speak of it again

10. What’s the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in school?

In junior high, I fell up the girl's stairs and everyone laughed. I started my monthlies at age 11 unprepared, and got it on the back of my skirt and had to walk home like that

11. If you could kill off any character from a current television show, who would it be?

12 . If you could make a rule for a day and everyone had to follow it, what would it be?

tell the truth

13. Would you rather be a hobbit or an elf for 24 hours?

14. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

when I drove from Florida to Alberta Canada, my friend and I drove thru the grand canyon at night in a rainstorm that put out the power. Dark... everyone had gathered at the grocery store as they had a generator and the food. We chatted with some guys on motocycles, one of whom offered to take me for a ride on his. 

I was shy, I was fearful in general, and I said, okay. I hopped on the back of a BIG bike, wrapped my arms around a stranger, and let him whisk me away into the dark slippery road. 

CRAZY! And fine as it turned out. A very nice guy who played his radio at top volume, and was trustworthy and kind. When he dropped me back off at the grocery storefront, my friend just laughed at me. It was a different time in the early 80's.

15. Would your rather shoot spaghetti out of your fingers or sneeze meatballs?

well, who wouldn't want to do both? er, kidding. Cooked spaghetti? yes, definitely that for all the times that would be useful! 
  

LINKING TO: https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/

more questions this time about marriage

at a contra dance

 Questions from Ann      on      Marriage...

1. How did you meet your husband/wife?

I longed for a mate, and dated a long time, was engaged twice and had  5 men ask to marry me over the years, but turned them all away... I prayed for a mate and the message I got was "July"

Meanwhile I followed my heart in activities, did a lot of volunteer work, did theater, learned to paint, joined a cajun dance group... where one of the men asked me to go to a contra dance. That was new to me... I'd done ballet, tap, ballroom, and zydeco but contra? He was cute so I dressed up in a swirly skirt and belt of metallic hanging planets and drove to the local contra dance. 

During the first dance, I noticed someone moving toward me down the line, the room blurred and he was in focus. 

It was July 25th.

Contra dance is lovely... live music with a caller who sets out the moves for that dance that you and your partner do with each new couple along the line. Poor my current partner because I only had eyes for the guy in focus as he approached. 

He came up to do the set moves and said quietly, "dance with me next dance?" 

I answered of course... we married a year later. 

my art

2. How did you know he/she was “the one”?

I didn't pull away from him, or throw up roadblocks... I trusted him. I quickly decided that life would be better with him than without him, in fact we both quickly decided that. 

He was working with NOAH flying in hurricanes with the Hurricane hunters so I got to see him every month or so when he came down from school. He flew me up to visit him. We talked each night, he sent lysianthus flowers to my door, and sent letter after letter. My dog loved him and the first time they met, she flipped over on her back for a tummy rub, something she seldom did.

3. How did he propose?

During one of those visits we were dressed for a Halloween event I was volunteering at, and were standing at the back door letting my dog go out once more before we drove to the event. He casually turned to me, in a very few words (he's an engineer and is paid by the word) asked if I would marry him. 

"will you marry me?" 

no build up, no fireworks, while the dog peed. 

I smiled, then laughed a bit nervously and we went to the party. The next day he mentioned that I had not answered him... and I stopped laughing and said I assumed he was kidding. He said, "nope" Then I asked what he thought marriage was exactly. 

A few weeks earlier he had asked what I wanted in a mate. I outlined many things... kindness, intelligence, reliability, a desire to do better, someone to read in bed with at night, someone I could tell anything to, someone I could trust to have my back as I had his... someone I had fun with. 

Calmly he thoughtfully responded," I can do all that except have fun" seriously. I laughed," Well, I'll bring the fun, you bring the stability" 

Of course there was more in our discussion to it, but that's the gist. I never answered, still thinking it over although I knew by then, he was the one for me. 

The following day he asked again, and said, "well? shall we" and I said simply, jumping off the cliff of life into his arms, " yes" 

 

He was in a doctoral program and decided he wanted work experience, so he graduated with his master's degree in May, moved down south to me, and we had a simple ceremony and reception in July, one day short of one year from meeting. 

 

We went to the contra dance that evening, after the reception. 

4. Do you have any favorite stories from your marriage or about your husband/wife?

we didn't have pet names except TS which could stand for too sweet or too silly or too something. 

"okay, let's hit the road TS" 

We developed a couple's secret language over the years, private jokes, regular arguments we could label as fight # 6. I learned not to ask an engineer does this make my butt look big, because he is factual. He learned I will tell him what I want, not to imagine he knows. I learned he needs a list for everything including gifts. He learned to find a good book to read when I was cranky. We both have a respect for the gifts the other brings to the table, and we both make each other laugh. 

He is still a man of a few words, but a man of action. He takes care of me when I need it. 

 

We laugh at dating shows where the couples say pretty words but have no idea of the real work of being married, or the real benefits. There is a lot of day to day decision making. A lot of ignoring of certain habits and of acknowledging of kind things being done.  It's not always easy but mostly it is. 

 

One of the most important things in a union is shared values, not shared hobbies. An agreement of what's important. We both strongly believe in the rights of living things including the environment, we both believe in checking out facts, in not wasting, in comfort and safety and beauty. We believe travel is refreshing, learning something daily is good, food should be wholesome fuel to run your body on as well as taste good. Old cars are okay as long as they run, dogs are our children,

snore...

 

 that people should be allowed to express themselves but not at the expense of others. 

honeymoon

 That every right comes with a responsibility.

linking to   https://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/

 

Monday questions

 

 

 these Monday questions are provided by:Monday Madness

 1. My uncle once... 

Uncle NC who had a booming voice and was always laughing, often told me I was his favorite niece!  I felt so special! Then at one family event, I overheard him telling the same thing to a cousin... heyyyyyy.....

 2. Never in my life have I... 

you want me to list all the things I never did?? 

I'll just say, never in my life have I ever tried to hurt someone on purpose

3. When I was five my parents 

took us on a cross country drive, from Florida to CA in the family car. We picked up an aunt and uncle in TX on the way, drove through the painted desert where our AC went out, stopped in las vegas where  I wandered into a casino at the hotel while the parent was in the restroom, and everyone stopped playing at the table. I got my first barbie doll there, as my birthday happened while we were on that trip.

 4. High school was... 

scary and fun. I joined groups and got a taste of belonging while becoming a unique person. I was in the French honor society, the marching band, a service group, and systematically lost a lot of weight by eating very little and learning to jog daily. We went out to shakeys pizza after all the football games, some of us still in band uniforms, we also TP'd friend's yards, and talked incessantly. I started going to a friend's church which became a second family to me.

 5. I will never forget to...   

?

 6. Once I met 7...

women in ballet class... I had finally lost a lot of weight, and always wanted to dance so I became brave enough to risk taking a class where I had to show up in leotard and tights twice a week. We all became close friends and did shows together. I was 18 years old!

7. There’s this boy I know... 

knew? I don't really know boys now that I'm of a certain age. But once, there was this boy.... I dreamed of dating him, holding his hand, being wanted by him for a girlfriend. He was cute, and funny, and we went out once. It was enough.

8. Once, at a bar, I... 

sat at the girlfriend's table while our boyfriends played on stage. Three men, three women at the girlfriend's table. We went night after night to be with them, heard their songs so many times, ordered sparkle water or a glass of white wine, danced together, laughed a lot. The guys would come around during breaks and hang out with us. A moment in a life...

9. By noon, I’m ...

just getting started with my creative day.... after lunch I head to the studio to work

10. Last night I ...

probably wasted the evening watching 90 day fiance and love island. These days my thoughts and worries swirl, dance in my head, hold hands and swirl around. I find watching something truly mindless helps to change my focus. Last night I went to bed with a clean poodle... grooming day is demanding but rewarding, after his bath and haircut, we wash all the bedding. Last night it cooled off here, oh we still had the overriding smoke from so many fires but it wasn't hot for the first time in a long time. Last night I continued to read my good book on the kindle... I am so tired at night I can only read a few pages before it falls on my chest. Last night, like every night, I go to bed hoping the loud car boy returned to college so we wouldn't be awoken a 2 am when he comes back to his parent's home from his girlfriend's house, but no he is still there... I went to bed hoping his school isn't closed again. 

Other answers are found at this link:  Monday Madness