Tuesday 4, True Crime and Mystery

This week Tuesday 4 asks questions about true crime and mystery. Join me if you'd like.

1. Was there a notorious crime in the news that caught your attention or interest? Did you follow that case to it's conclusion?  If there was no solution, do you pay attention to news about the case long after? (for instance the Lindbergh kidnapping case... Patty Hearst, etc., ) I have followed various crime cases in the news, but never to the extent of every detail. However, one in particular that I followed closely was the Jon Benet Ramsey murder. Her mother was from WV and I had met her a few times at school functions. Also, her kids were the same age as mine. I still glance at any headlines I see about the case all these years later since it has not been solved.

2.Does the mystery genre of literature and movies interest you?  Does any one book ,series or movie stand out for you? In general, I'm not a mystery reader or movie watcher. I don't like the intensity of them. I'm more of a half-hour comedy type of person. However, the mention of Lindbergh's in the first question reminded me of a fiction book I enjoyed about the Lindberghs, The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin. I also have liked these mystery series: Alan Bradley's Flavia Deluce, Jaquiline Winspear's Maisy Dobbs, and Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache.

3.  Ever play Clue or any one of the new mystery games available?  Do you enjoy solving mysteries or puzzles? I enjoyed playing Clue as a kid and I played it with my kids, too. While I like a good mystery or puzzle, I don't try to solve them often. However, my husband and kids are excellent at them and they enjoy the challenge.

4. Some towns are known for mysteries that took place there.  Do you have something like that in your town or state?  If not.. how about telling us about something that has always puzzled you! It seems that every place has its share of mystery and ghost stories, but I don't know many of them. However, not far from where I live, they filmed the Blair Witch Project, a supernatural horror film. And in WV, there is the legend of the Mothman. In the mid-1960s, people claimed they saw a 10' creature with wings and red eyes. 

Mothman

Tuesday 4, Names

This week the Tuesday 4 asks questions about your name. Join me if you'd like.

Answering these questions may be a challenge since I only use aliases on this blog. However, I'll give it a go, having my actual name in mind, and see what I can do without revealing it. :)

My grandmother, Yula Ombra.

 1. What name would you take if you had to change your name?  That's a hard one. I won't say that I have ever loved my name, but it works, and I don't know that I would want to change it. However, a couple of names come to mind that I have liked. The first is Maria. I just like the sound of it. Next, is Ombra, which was my grandmother's middle name. Also, I like Leannah which was Ward's grandmother's name.

2.  What is the meaning of your name.. how about your last name, do you know it's meaning?  There are several variations on the origins and meanings of both my first, middle, and last name. But basically I am a joyful sheep who brings peace in the form of a bird.

3. Do you think you fit your name and it's meaning? Your guess is as good as mine. :)

4. Were you named after anyone or given your name for a specific reason?  How about your kids? I was named after a neighbor, so the story goes. I was the third child after two girls and my parents were sure they were having a boy. So much so, that they didn't even have a girl's name picked out. After about a week, they were told that they had to pick a name or my birth certificate would say "Baby." So, they decided to name me after a neighbor and friend whom they liked. Many years later, it was an honor to meet her.

My kids both have the middle name of my last name, which BTW, I didn't change when I got married. In my generation, my surname is not continuing, so I am honoring it in that way. Not only do my kids have the same middle name, all of their cousins have it, too. My sisters and I all used our surname as our kids' middle names. And, oh, speaking of sisters, when my parents had their fourth baby, they had given up on having a boy and didn't even have a boy's name picked out which worked out just fine because they had another girl.

Until next time...

Tuesday 4, Books and Movies

 Time for another Tuesday 4. This time it's about books and movies. Join me if you'd like.

1. Is there a hero or character on TV, in a book or a movie .. or even on all three, that you are especially like? What do you find attractive about them?  I'm sure there are characters that I admire if I could only think of them. Scanning my bookshelf, I see three books about people I admire. They are all nonfiction. The first one is Educated by Tara Westover that tells of her overcoming a severe childhood to be successful in the outside world. The next is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot which tells the story of how Henretta Lacks's cells became one of the most important tools in medicine and how that affected her family. The third is Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin where Temple uses her autism perspective to understand animal behavior. All of these women did extraordinary things even though they had one form of handicap or another. I marvel at people who have the strength, talent, and determination to do that.

2.  Was there a book that was better in movie form? How about a movie you thought didn't live up to the book? Once again, a blank. We don't watch that many movies, but I did watch the trailer for the Temple Grandin movie. And while the actress seemed good, she did not really get the style of Temple. I have seen Temple talk in person a couple of times and she is very distinctive.

3. When you choose a book, program, or movie, which subject it is most likely to be: science fiction, mystery, romance, comedy, documentary, etc.?    What draws you to a particular book or movie? I don't always gravitate to a particular book genre like my friend who is an avid mystery reader. In general, I like more character-driven stories as opposed to action-driven stories. Most of my selections are based on recommendations from friends. For movies and shows, I am first attracted to comedies, and then mystery and romance. And a well-done documentary is always interesting no matter what the subject. I generally don't read or watch science fiction like the rest of my family but have read some that I liked. A well-written book can tell a good story in any genre.

4. How important is the title or picture on the cover of a book?   How much importance do you place on a movie because of the actors who are in it? The title or picture on a book is not important to me. In fact, I sometimes don't remember the title of a book even when I'm reading it. Also, I don't choose a movie based on the actors in it. However, if an actor makes mostly a certain style of a movie and I like that style, I am more likely to watch another one of their movies.

Tuesday 4, Home Sweet Home

 Today's Tuesday 4 asks questions about where you grew up. Join me if you'd like.

An aerial view of my town when I lived there. You can see that the business part of the town was built in a valley but most of the people lived in the hills surrounding the downtown, including me.

What was your hometown like?   Or home state or both! I've talked here about my hometown and state many times. As most of you know, I grew up in a small town in West Virginia. My parents continued to live there until they passed away a few years ago, so I was able to keep up with the town and the people there. I haven't lived there full time since I was 18 years old, but I still get the weekly newspaper. So you might say, that I have a deep connection to where I grew up.

So what was it like? The town was the county seat of a county of about 14,000 and the town had about 3000 people. We had one stoplight in the middle of town, 3 grocery stores, and a movie theater (built in 1907 and one of the oldest continuously operating movie theaters in the country). The main employers were a state mental hospital and a plant that made hockey pucks and shoe soles.

While you might not know everyone, you knew most people, and things were done on a personal level.  One story I like to tell is that one summer I went to Girl Scout camp with a friend and after camp, another camper wrote a letter to me using my friend's address because she lost mine. However, the post office delivered it to my house. 

It was a town where my parents did most of their business by talking to people when they saw them instead of calling an office, and most local elections were determined by what people thought about the character of the person running rather than what they promised they would do.

My town was a place where you greeted everyone you met on the street. I lived in town and walked to school and most everywhere else. Friday night football games and Sunday church were a big part of the social life for many people including me. (I was a cheerleader, so I was at most of the sporting events by default.)  

Did you enjoy where you grew up?  Why? I did enjoy where I grew up because of the sense of community. It was also small enough to be able to get involved in many things. More than once, my parents told me that I had to cut back on my activities in both school and the community because they were taking up too much time. I would drop out of a couple things, but somehow a few months later, I'd be right back where I started. Luckily, I was able to keep up my grades and home responsibilities (Mostly. I won't say that I always completed everything on the worklist in the most timely manner but the important stuff got done.)

How much did where you grew up shape you? I was greatly influenced by where I grew up as I think most people are. I learned to value hard work and be genuinely friendly. I learned to appreciate the simpler things in life and the importance of being responsible for yourself. These were values not only present in my family but ones I saw around me.

What were some of the best and worst things about where you grew up? I think I've covered many of the good things, but one of the bad things about my county was the schools were not in great shape. At one point, money was misspent from a school bond issue and people had a long memory of that. No school bond issues passed the whole time I was in school and the top two floors of my high school were condemned. (Note: The pro votes were often over 50%, but they had to pass with 60% of the votes.) I had many classes in termite-infested portable buildings that another county got rid of. But it wasn't as bad as it sounds. They were just fine except in the spring when the bugs swarmed. Then we'd meet outside. However, I had some great teachers along the way and competed quite favorably with others in college who had gone to much more privileged schools.

This is a topic that is hard to cover in just a few paragraphs, but this will have to do for now because the cats are calling me.

Until next time...

Ward's Questions

I have my own version of Tuesday 4 today. I let Ward ask the questions. I told him there didn't have to be a theme and they could be as simple as, "What did you have for breakfast?" Instead of general questions, he asked specific ones that he's wondering about. So you can listen in on one of our conversations here about our everyday life. 

1. What's the plan for family gatherings for Thanksgiving and Christmas?

For Christmas last year, we stayed home
and the four of us celebrated with the cats.

There is no plan yet. It's harder to coordinate with Ward's family so I asked them this question about a month ago. The answer was, "Let's wait and see what the status of the virus is." Things are complicated because not everyone is vaccinated and there are varying comfort levels with that. I think it's about time to bring the issue up again. Or we can just make our own plans without trying to coordinate with others.

2. What are we going to do with the lilac bed by the fence?

We had several lilac bushes which we enjoyed in our yard. However, one of them by a fence was always a problem. It spread like crazy and was hard to control because of the fence. We spent a lot of time trying to keep it in check without much success, so we cut it down last spring. I spent the summer trying to kill any new growth that popped up. Although there is still new growth, it has slowed down. Next, we need to dig out the stump and all of the runners - a big job for sure. Eventually, I plan to make it into an iris bed with irises I got from my aunt.

3. What are we going to do with the quince bush?

In the same part of the yard as the lilac stump, we have a quince bush. Except when it blooms in the spring, the bush is not very attractive. It has twisted growth and invasive vines growing through it. Ward wants it gone. However, I say one bush removal at a time. Next spring, the plan is to take a chain saw and severely trim the bush. Hopefully, we can control it better when it is smaller, If that doesn't work, we will remove it and replace it with something else. 

4. What's your vision of retirement?

Ward has been talking about retiring for years and he's going to pull the plug soon. The finances are in order and he's working out the details now. I, on the other hand, got a new position at the library just before the pandemic hit and I haven't had a chance to fully realize all of its potentials because of COVID restrictions. I plan to stay awhile because of this, not to mention the fact that I provide health insurance for us. So my actual vision of retirement is fuzzy because I don't plan to retire anytime soon. However, I am looking forward to more flexibility in Ward's schedule when he retires.

So there you have it. A few of the many things under discussion at our house.

Until next time...

Tuesday 4, October Thoughts

Most weeks I try to participate in the Tuesday 4 which asks four questions on various topics. Join me if you'd like.

1. What are your feelings about the month of October? Does it bring anything special to mind for you? Do you have memories to share? 

Growing up, we had a walnut tree in our yard and we would collect the nuts
to sell during the Walnut Festival.

October has several pleasant and important things associated with it. First, it is the month of my sister's birthday (which, by the way, is today), my nephew's birthday, and my aunt's birthday. Next, I think October is usually one the best weather months - cooler weather, but not frigid yet. When we lived along the hot and humid Gulf Coast, October was finally the time when being outside was a pleasure and not something to be endured. 

The big deal about October when I was growing up was the Black Walnut Festival that my town held every October. It was a three-day event (it has since grown) and we got Friday off from school because of it. A carnival would come to town which was fun even though the rides made me queasy. However, the major events during the festival for me were the parade and marching band festival that was held on Saturday. I was in the band starting in fourth grade through high school and we were either practicing, performing, or competing throughout the festival. So many more things to tell, but let me just say it was a very special time.

2. Have you ever gone apple picking? Pumpkin picking? Any kind of picking including banjo picking at all? Do you bake pies with those fruits? 

Apples from the Shanholtz Orchard in Romney, WV.

I have gone apple picking in a commercial orchard and was excited by all of the different varieties of apples. However, most of my picking has been done in family gardens for vegetables and fruits of various kinds.

I don't make many pies, but apple is my favorite and the first one that I think of to make. I never go apple picking just to get apples for a pie. I like to eat them uncooked because I enjoy the flavor and juiciness of a freshly picked apple. I can find good apples for pies in the stores.

3. What is autumn like where you live? How about when you were a child? 

The marigolds were still blooming during this October snow.

Autumn is a transition season, but generally is a return to cooler weather with cool nights and warmer days. It is usually when we start having an occasional frost and every once in a while some snow. With this colder weather comes the end of the summer vegetables and flowers. Leaves change from green to reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. This leads to a lot of raking.

I grew up in a similar four-season climate and autumn was much the same when I was a child.

4. Autumn is not the same as Fall. Fall is the time when the leaves are actively falling.  What activities of Autumn/Fall do you enjoy?  Do you decorate your door or home for the season?

With the cooler (and less buggy) weather, we enjoy more hiking in the fall. This also gets us out to see the leaves changing on a grander scale than just around the neighborhood. Pre COVID, we also enjoyed visiting some of the many fall festivals that are held. 

Like with most seasons, decorations here are minimal. Right now I have a scarecrow and pumpkin on the mantel and a Halloween decoration on the door with a couple more fall-like things on inside doors. I may still get some real pumpkins for the outside if Aldi's has any left when I go next. I always say nature does the decorating for me. :)

Until next time...

Tuesday 4 - Kitchens

 This week's Tuesday 4 is asking about kitchens. Join me if you like.

1.  They say the kitchen is the heart of the home...tell us about YOUR kitchen. What is your favorite part of your kitchen? 

Our kitchen is a fairly typical suburban kitchen. It has the original 30-year-old oak cabinets, Formica countertops, and vinyl floor. It also has the original built-in microwave from 1989. The microwave still works but is very weak, so we have a countertop model that we use. The rest of the appliances are about 15+ years old. We turned our dining room into an office, so this is also where we eat.

Our 31-year-old microwave.

I'm not in love with any of it, but I'd say my favorite part is the window over the sink. We have positioned bird feeders right outside of it, so there's usually a good show being put on by the birds. I am also happy with the dishwasher because it gets things much cleaner than our old one did. I don't know if it's the machine or the water difference, but it's a pleasure to unload clean dishes instead of ones that have to be rinsed or rewashed.

That doesn't present a very warm, cozy feeling that is often associated with kitchens, does it? We are not food-centric here either with cooking or eating so that might be part of the reason.

 2.  If money were no object, what would be your "dream kitchen"? That's a hard one because my mind needs parameters to imagine something and money is always an object. So I'm not sure what my dream kitchen is but I can tell you what we are going to do when we redo our kitchen in the near future. (BTW, the near future is a relative term because we started the process last January and are still waiting for construction to begin. Supply chain problems and a boom in construction have been the major reasons for this.)

Unlike what you see on HGTV, we are going to keep the same basic layout and we are not adding an island. However, we are closing off one door and widening another to help the general flow. We are also taking down the cabinets over the peninsula because they totally block the view of our table. Presently when working at the counter, it is difficult to talk to anyone sitting at the table is. I am also looking forward to full extension drawers because it's difficult to see what's in the back of any of the drawers we currently have. We're getting better lights and a more durable countertop. In case you haven't noticed, we are very much driven by function. Luckily we have someone who is helping make sure that it looks decent, too. :) 

I guess my dream kitchen would have a wall oven and microwave built-in, but in the space we have, that's not going to work.  

tvline.com

3.  Tell us about a favorite memory from your kitchen, or from a kitchen in your past, perhaps your mother's kitchen or your grandma's kitchen? So many memories of the kitchen I grew up with, but I'll share just one. We usually had supper around 5 pm when my father got home from work. Afterward, my parents would retire to the living room to watch the evening news while my sisters and I did the dishes. While we wouldn't have admitted it at the time, we enjoyed our time together. We spent much of the time singing songs occasionally with simple harmonies. I regularly sing many of these songs today. There was also a fair amount of bugging my oldest sister. I knew just what would drive her crazy like singing MaryAnn's version of "I Want To Be Loved by You" from Gilligan's Island. Also, one of my favorite ways to goof off, while supposedly was drying dishes, was to soak the labels off of cans, tear them into pieces and put them together like a jigsaw puzzle on the front of the cabinets. When they were wet, they stuck well. When you're young, you will do anything to avoid work not always thinking through that it's still going to be there after you're done playing. 

While good, these beans were
 not as good as Dee's.

4.  If you could invite anyone in the world (either past or present) to come to visit with you in your kitchen, who would it be, and why? Once again, this is a question that needs parameters. Of course, I would love to sit down again with long-gone relatives(my mother and grandmothers come first to mind) or many of the world's movers and shakers from the past. My brain is about to explode with the possibilities.

But being the ever practical one, I'd say that I'd like Dee to visit my kitchen. She worked for a while helping my mother after finishing her regular job as a cook. She is a wonderful cook especially with the country cooking that I grew up with. First up would be her ham salad for lunch and then chicken and dumplings for supper with beans simmering for tomorrow.  

That's it for today's Tuesday 4, so until next time...

Tuesday 4 - Home

 This week the Tuesday 4 is all about our homes. Join me if you'd like.

The cats help our house feel like a home.

 1. What makes a house a home? For me, a home is a place where you feel safe, where you are comfortable, and where you can just be yourself. It is a place where you look forward to returning to when you are away. 

2. How do you keep your house neat, tidy, and clean? Do you find it difficult? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being neat, tidy, and clean, I would say that our house is about a 7. Sometimes it is worse, especially when we are under stress or working on a big project, and sometimes it is better, especially when we have invited people over. We try to maintain things as we go, but the whole house is rarely all clean and organized at the same time. As I have learned to get rid of clutter, the job of keeping things neat has gotten easier. Cleaning is not my favorite thing, but I try to do a little of it every day so nothing gets too far gone.

3. Are plants important in your home.. or collections.. or wall art?  Is there a theme you like to create?

The jar for this terrarium came from my
parents and the begonia was a volunteer.
Many things in our home have some
kind of personal connection like this.

If it weren't for the cats, plants would be more important in our house. However, the cats we have will chew anything we bring in from the plant world. That is the reason I started making terrariums - so I could have greenery indoors without the cats being able to get to it.

We don't have any big collections unless you count all of the rocks we have collected over time in the basement. Some day, we are going to curate them and Ward is going to make a display box for them. Some. day.

It used to be all the art we had had some kind of personal connection - painting of a favorite place, personal needlework, family photos, etc. But when we staged our last house to sell, I bought inexpensive paintings to go with the decor. You know, it's a lot easier to make something look good when you buy it to go into a specific place rather than trying to fit your odd pieces into the decor. So while we still have some personal things displayed, we are using our staging art, too. BTW, I'm using the word decor here loosely, and we have no themes.

4. What is a typical day/evening like in your home? A typical day at our house is rather mundane. Get up, do the morning stuff, feed the cats, clean the kitchen, etc. Then Ward starts work by going into the office and turning on his work computer. My work schedule varies from day to day. I can work either morning, afternoon, evening, or a combination. If I don't have to go to work immediately, I usually try to get some chores or errands done.  In the evening, after catching up on our days and eating dinner, we settle in for an hour or so of mindless TV or reading with cats on our laps. We like to watch calm, simple things to slow our minds down before bedtime. HGTV and comedy reruns are our favorites for this. We do more than this, but this is the basic structure that our various other activities and projects fit into.

Until next time...

Note: I cut and paste the questions for the Tuesday 4 into the post and Blogger gets confused by this. Thus the various spacing and font sizes. Sigh. However, I'm still thankful for the free blogging service Google provides.

Tuesday 4- The Wild West

Time for the Tuesday 4. This week is about the Wild West. Join me if you'd like. 

Before we get to the main questions, I have an aside story.  I'm not sure how it came up, but I asked one of the young shelvers at work if she knew what a Western was. And she said, "In what context?" Of course, all of the older people immediately thought of the entertainment that was so popular years ago. I was surprised by her answer and decided to go home and ask my kids if they knew what a Western was. I was sure they would know because they read a lot and the reruns were all over TV. However, their response was identical, "In what context?"  Westerns are supposedly making a comeback, so I wonder if I would get the same response now, a couple of years later?

1. Do you have a favorite TV western you enjoyed? Tell us about it.

I definitely grew up when Westerns were a big thing. However, I didn't watch many at the time because we could only get one TV channel-CBS. The only one I saw was Gunsmoke which we watched every Monday night as a family. BTW, It was during that show that I realized that the big action scenes always occurred 10 minutes before the end of a show. I have seen many other Westerns since then in reruns as well as listened to reruns of Gunsmoke when it was a radio show. 

2. Lots of western movies... which was one you enjoyed?

Theo ready for the Rodeo.

 The only one I can think of was True Grit from 1969. I haven't watched it since then, but I do remember thinking that Glen Campbell was not a very good actor. However, I did enjoy the movie.

3. John Wayne was in many westerns and had many fans. What actor is your favorite? 

Uncle Billy loves John Wayne and his movies and will watch one every time he sees one on TV. Me, I'm not sure I have a favorite unless you count Chuck Connors because he reminds me of my father.

4. You are going to have to move to a western state that has cowboys! Which state will you choose and why?

That's a hard question. Without considering political climate, tax structure, etc., I would say Utah because besides the beautiful scenery, it is not as hot and dry as the southwest. I find after a few days in an arid area, my eyes crave green. However, I have really enjoyed every state that I have visited in the west.

I lived in Texas for 10 years where there are still many present day cowboys. Houston, where we lived, hosted a huge two week rodeo every year. Besides big rodeo events and concerts, people all over the state did a "trail ride" into town for it. The park where they met was close to our house and I would take the kids to watch the horses and wagons roll in (as well as their campers and tailors). The cowboys and cowgirls would be dressed in their finest western wear and the ladies all had the famous "big Texan hair". It was a very fun time.

Tuesday 4 - Me

 It's time for Tuesday 4. This week is about describing yourself. Join me if you'd like.

Me at 5 years old.

1. How are you unique or different from your friends or family? How typical are you?

This is a hard question. Maybe I should ask an outside observer to get a better perspective, but I can't find anyone. So I give it a go on my own.

I feel like I am very similar to my sisters - detail oriented, good at thinking through plans, like simple things. I am different than my husband's family where most things are examined from an engineering/physics perspective. I, too, am science oriented, but physics is my least favorite and hardest science discipline for me. 

I am different from some of my friends in that I tend to try to find the positive in most situations. I can be annoying in that way sometimes so I've been told. But that is not to say that I don't enjoy a good complaining session at work as much as the next person.

2.  How do you spend your spare time? books, hobbies, visiting, tv etc. I like being outside and observing nature, so I often work in the yard. Except when it's really hot. Then I melt. :) I also read, watch TV, play computer games, and pet cats to relax. In the past, I did knitting and cross-stitching.

3. What was high school like for you? Overall, high school was pretty good for me. When I was a freshman, I tried out for everything I could--student council, cheerleader, class play, etc. And I lost every single one of them. I was not the prettiest, curviest, or richest which were all things that were of great value to 14 year olds. But I came back the next year and tried again and had a few successes. By the time I was a senior, I was student body president, a varsity cheerleader, and valedictorian. When I look back, I'm not sure where I got the courage to overcome all of the rejections.

4. This question has multiple parts:

a. Handbag: designer style or any will do?  My bag has to be not too big and have a good carrying strap. Designer or not, I like to get a well made one and carry it for years until I get embarrassed about how worn it looks.

b. Pajamas or night gown? Pajamas. I've never understood nightgowns in that they always seem to end up in an uncomfortable ball around my waist when I have worn them.

c. Shoes: sturdy or pretty ? Definitely sturdy. I have various issues with my feet, so when I find a pair of shoes that are comfortable for me, I tend to wear them all the time. Until, much like the purse, I get embarrassed about how worn they look.

d.home decor: classic, modern, farm house style, traditional? I don't know what our style is. I'm not sure we have one. But in general, we lean more to the traditional and less to the modern. And uncluttered. That's not to say that we always achieve that, but I generally don't like a cluttered space. Which is one reason my desk is bothering me right now. But not enough to do anything about it. Same goes for my nightstand. :)

e. Movies: feel good, drama, romance, action? We watch very few movies, but I enjoy a feel good comedy more than an intense action movie.

Tuesday 4, Let's Cook!

 This week's Tuesday 4 is about cooking. Play along if you like. 

If you've read here for very long, you know that cooking is not my thing. I know how to cook, but it's just like the laundry. It's a necessary thing that I don't mind doing, but so many other things are more interesting. Also, I'm not really into the big eating experience. All my life, I have eaten small amounts frequently. My mother said I was born that way and I never really grew out of it. What that means, is that I'm full before the appetizer is done. This causes problems sometimes because people/restaurants think I don't like their food because I'm not eating much of it.

So the questions this week are harder for me to answer than some other prompts have been. But read along, anyway, if you're interested.

1.What is/are your favorite meal(meals) to eat and to cook?

I'd say that my favorite meals are heavy on fresh vegetables. I like them prepared many ways, but the carnivores in the house like them best roasted, so we do that a lot. I like them that way, too, especially because they are easy to prepare. When I was growing up, we got to pick the supper menu on our birthday. I usually chose creamed chicken and biscuits. And when I got a little older, that was my favorite meal to make. 

2.How often do you cook at home and what kind of  meals do you make? 

We get take out once or twice a week, and eat in a restaurant once a month or so. The rest of the time we tend to make easy meals in large quantities so we can eat the leftovers for a couple of days. Big pots of stew and casseroles lend themselves to this. My husband is a fan of Costco chicken (big rotisserie chicken for $4.99), so he tends to buy those a lot.

3. When you go out to eat what foods do you find yourself ordering most?  

When we are in an actual restaurant, I tend to order salads or vegetarian entrees. The carnivores can get their big piece of meat and everyone is happy. And I have been known to be one of those people who eat the fries off of other's plates.

4. Can you recommend a restaurant in your area?  Why do you like it?

I'm not a foodie, so I'm just as happy with a Subway sandwich or a Domino's pizza (tomatoes and feta cheese) as anything else. 

Tuesday 4, Weddings

I'm almost a week late, but here are this/last week's Tuesday 4 prompts about weddings. Join me if you'd like. 

 1. If you are married would you share how your husband proposed to you? How long were you engaged before you got married? If you aren't married, what would be ideal for you?

There was no formal proposal. We talked about getting married several times and after a while decided to make it formal with an engagement. We were/are very practical people and the whole idea of a surprise proposal seemed strange. Wouldn't it be something you'd need to discuss? At length. However, I know that it is much more of a romantic gesture than anything else. And decades ago, it wasn't such a big thing when there wasn't social media to document everything. I'm don't remember exactly how long we were engaged before we got married--maybe 6 months. I was finishing up my thesis, then spent a couple of month's at my parents house planning the wedding.

2. Did you receive an engagement ring? Would you show us or describe it for us? Yes, I did receive an engagement ring. It is a simple brilliant cut diamond. The stone came from my husband's grandmother with the instructions that if we ever broke up, it had to come back to her. Fortunately, we've never had to make good on that promise. However, I did lose the ring once and was panicked about telling her. However, after several months I found it. If you want to read more about that and a ring Ward lost, you can read it here.

3. What kind of wedding did you have? Was it big or small, formal, informal, religious or justice of the peace. Inquiring minds want to know! Our wedding was in my small, home town church. It was a simple affair with only two attendants - one of my sisters and Ward's best friend. There were maybe 50-75 people there and the reception was in the basement of the new library with church friends making all of the food. It all went just as planned. However, I can't say that it was a comfortable day. I wasn't used to being the center of attention for such a long period of time and I found it tiring. 

4.Was there a honeymoon? Where did you go, how long did you stay? There really wasn't a honeymoon, so to speak. Ward was just a few months into a new job and didn't have any vacation time built up. His company gave him one personal day for the wedding. Time constraints was one of the reasons we got married the Friday after Thanksgiving instead of a more traditional Saturday. I also was starting a new job the next week, so the "honeymoon" was a long drive back to New Orleans from WV. We only drove a few hours the first night to a scenic spot, so I guess that was our honeymoon. But we've had plenty of time to travel since then.

When I reread this, by what you see these days, this was a very plain and simple affair, both the engagement and the wedding. But the wedding was, hands down, just right. Because we got married and eons later, we're still happily married. 

Tuesday 4

Here's another set of questions from the Tuesday 4. Play along if you like.

1. Reading anything good lately?  How about magazines? Do you buy any?

I recently reread, The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly by Rebecca Ansari with my book club. This is a children's book but my book club liked it and it garnered a fair amount of discussion. I first picked it up after hearing about the premise that Charlie remembers his little brother, Liam, but no one else does. It was as if he hadn't existed. I won't go into the story any more so as not to give any spoilers in case anyone decides to read it. Suffice it to say, the book weaves an interesting, complex, and well written story.

As far as magazines, my husband gets a woodworking magazine which he enjoys for the tips and plans it has. I enjoy perusing it, too. 

2. Do you belong to any clubs, societies, or do you meet with friends regularly to chat?

I don't belong to any formal clubs or societies except my book club. I have other groups of people with whom I meet from time to time to catch up. Because of COVID, I have a lot of catching up to do with some of these groups.

3. Where are you from originally and if you moved why did you move? 

If you visit here very often, you know that I grew up in West Virginia. I have also lived in Virginia, New Orleans, and Houston, along with Maryland where I have lived for the last 20 years. All of these moves were because of jobs.

4. Do you like a good Western Movie? Who was your favorite movie/TV Cowboy?

I used to enjoy a good Western movie, but I haven't watched one in a long time. When I was growing up, we watched Gun Smoke every Monday night at 8 pm. I still enjoy checking in with it from time to time in reruns. But I think my favorite was/is the Rifleman because Chuck Conner reminds me of my father.

Tuesday 4, A Visit From the Future

I'm participating in the Tuesday 4 which this week has you examine yourself from the prospective of someone from the future. I've have done similar exercises to this in the past and always found them difficult. To me, everything around me seems normal, of course, so nothing seems special or worth mentioning. But each of us lives in a situation that is unique to us and has our stamp on it one way or another. So much more to say about this, but before I get too far into my thoughts, I will try to stop overthinking things and just answer. Here it goes. Play along if you'd like.

1.  Let's pretend that it is 50 years into the future, and explorers have just discovered your house, "frozen in time" exactly as it is today. Everything is preserved, even the food, but of course no one has lived there for fifty years.  What do you think would be their first reaction as they walk in the door of your house? I think they’d want to know why everything has a wire attached to it and why we have so much paper around. I don’t know where technology is going in the future, but if present trends continue, we will be in a wireless, paperless world.   2.  What would the things left in your house tell the explorers about you? First, I think they would see evidence of pets with our shredded furniture, fur balls, scratching posts, and cat food that abound. They would also see that we hold onto things if they still work even if they aren’t that attractive. That along with the primitive technology that they see, even for 50 years ago, would suggest that we do not part with our money easily.   3.  What kinds of books would they discover on your bookshelves or beside your chair/bed? They would discover many classic science fiction books since my husband still has the ones he got in high school and college. They would also find several “how to” books particularly in woodworking and gardening. Added to that would be some children’s classics, as well as popular fiction and nonfiction books-meaning books I read and liked that I found at used book sales.   4.  What things would they discover in your closets or cabinets that would make them wonder why on earth you were saving it? When we moved four years ago, we got rid of many things, so nothing really ridiculous comes to mind right now. However, they might wonder why we have so many empty coffee cans and empty cat food boxes. If I could talk to them, I would say that I’m saving the coffee cans for a children’s craft program at the library if we ever get to do programs in person again, and those cat food boxes are very sturdy and handy to use in many situations.

Tuesday4-Movies

Another Tuesday, and time to play along with the Tuesday4. Feel free to join me.

1 A movie theme song will play every time you walk in the room.. what is it? (consider asking family or friends)  I'm not a big movie goer, so my mind was pretty much blank on this question. With a little Googling, I decided I'd like Doo Wah Diddy Diddy by Manfred Mann - at least the first verse. The words speak of confidence with a little silliness. And not to mention that I like the tune. There could be worse ways to enter a room. :)

There she was just a-walkin' down the street, singin'
'Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do'
Snappin' her fingers and shufflin' her feet, singin'
'Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do'
She looked good (Looked good)
She looked fine (Looked fine)
She looked good, she looked fine
And I nearly lost my mind

2. What movie, book or TV program could you live in? I don't know if I could live in the book, but I would love to have a garden like the one that Mary and Colin discovered in a Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Imagining that garden coming alive, along with Colin, has always been magical to me. 

3. Is there a book/movie/TV quote you often think about or that effects you in some way? I'm sure there is, but I don't think about it often enough to come up with it now. What came to mind was the theme song to Gilligan's Island--a catchy tune with attached nostalgia. Always brings a smile to my face. I'm deep, right? :)

4. OK friend, its your turn to organize our Blogger Movie Night where we get together as a group for snacks and movies!  What movies have you planned for us tonight and what snacks are we going to have? Prepared to be scared all over again. We're going to watch Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder and have traditional snacks of popcorn, M&Ms, and Junior Mints. I'll throw in some veggies and dip for those who want something a little healthier to snack on. As for drinks simply water and soda. 

I'm joining the Tuesday 4

I read several blogs that participate in the Tuesday 4 ,so I thought I would join in this week. Here it goes.

This is the first picture I posted on my blog.
It was on my second post from which
came the idea for my Second Look series.

 

1.  Tell us about your blog.  When did you start blogging?

My blog is a personal blog with no particular focus unless you say that I like to share more flower and nature photos than any other kinds. I started blogging April 2011. 10 Years! I'm amazed that I've been doing it that long. And while there have definitely been ebbs and flows in my posting, I don't think I've gone more than a couple of weeks without posting over the past 10 years. Once again, I'm amazed. I didn't think I had that much to say, and perhaps, if you read some of the posts, you will agree. But sometimes, when I am able to express my thoughts and feelings in a clear and meaningful way, I feel like that maybe I do have something to share.

2.  What prompted you to begin blogging?

 Originally, I had stories that I wanted to tell, but soon learned that they were not my stories to tell. They involved others and out of respect for their privacy, I didn't share most of them. Over time, bits and pieces of some of the stories have come out, but most of the original material I thought I might write about is still bouncing around in my head.

My third post was about my cat, Annie.

3.  What was your first blog about and why did you choose that subject/title?

My very first blog post was titled, "What's in a Name?" and discusses how I came up with the title, Live and Learn-Toss and Turn. It's too complicated to explain here, so I will rerun that first post soon.
 

4.  How has your blog changed over time, and has it done for you what you hoped it would do in the first place?

In the beginning, I was trying to find a voice for my blog. Since I wasn't going to share the personal stories I had planned, I tried different things. I did cooking and recipe posts. I participated in food waste groups. I did my own set of inspirational sayings and photos. I documented some of our visits to various places both local and far away. I collected stories of others first memories of school. 

But I really hit my stride when I started doing my Second Look posts. Every Wednesday, I would explore my yard and look for details that I might otherwise not notice. We inherited an overgrown large yard that was hard to control and it wasn't until I started doing the Second Looks, that I truly appreciated it for it's beauty instead of  the work it needed. I also learned a lot about nature as I researched a bug, bone, or plant I would find. 

Looking for the positive in my yard spilled over into other parts of my life and in general made me a happier person. Four years ago, we moved into a new house with a smaller, better contained yard and the Second Look posts didn't inspire me in the same way as they did before. Eventually, I dropped them as a regular feature. I miss them and would like to find another focus to replace them. Someday...

My blog didn't turn out how I imagined, but it did something that I had never imagined that it could. It gave me a whole new set of friends that I would have never had the chance to know without it. Because of that, my little blog has exceeded all expectations and for that I am very thankful.