Monday catching up. Replies to Saturday9 a few weeks ago, etc.

I'm sorry that after all my feelings got re-compartmentalized, that I didn't return to answer comments to Saturday9 from the 14th of November.  That's being done now.

Yesterday we went to see my sister, since our brother is here for Thanksgiving.  First we stopped at Michael's though, so that I could get some candles that are probably too smart of the likes of me, and I also snagged a teddy bear cookie jar at deep discounts.

At my sister and bro in laws house, we all had a fun chin wag,  and eventually some electronic gadgets came out.  My bro has as a cell phone that he's never been properly introduced to, and so they all started teaching him what all the powers of a cell phone are!  There's another little gadget that is getting too smart to be in the room with.

We came home and watched a silly but cute holiday film about a wayward barn elf, and then a really silly one about a jersey girl coming home from Manhattan to find out that she really doesn't want to give up her Bounty Hunter life style.  Since neither of them are worth watching, I've decided they shall remain nameless, but the plot makes them traceable.  Go for it if you want to have a little fun being silly and like animals (#1) and jersey (#2).

Bye for now!

Sunday Stealing:

The link up is in the side bar with the other weekly meme's.  Come join us in the fun!

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. 

In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from. We also provide a link to the victim's meme in our "Previous Victims" widget. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from this new meme or recently asked questions from a previously featured meme.  

Cheers to all of us thieves!!!  

Consider Yourself Meme

Stolen from: The Archives 

1) Of the various cultures, ethnicities or nationalities you belong to, which most strongly do you consider yourself?  
My sister and I have talked about this in the past, and we identify most strongly with our Irish, French, and Native American ancestry.

2) Is there a culture you cannot claim heritage from but which you feel quite close to?
I'm pulled to the Scandinavians.  In our teens and twenties, my sister and I used to yell,"Norvay for the Norvegans!" all the time, and wanted to go live in Oslo.  Really, I'd still love to spend time there if not live there or Finland - possibly in the next life.  DH and I said recently that we both wanted to be reborn in Iceland, which is close enough to the other two places.
  
3) What's one language you wish you knew fluently?
German.  I'd like to be fluent in German.

4) If you could move anywhere in the world and be guaranteed a job, etc., where would you go?
Old dogs stay close to the home fires, but if we were young?  We'd be on our way to Iceland!

5) If you had a time machine, and could witness any one event without altering or disturbing it, what would you want to see?
The Fall of Rome.  If anyone had it coming, they did!

6) Have problems sleeping?
I have things that I take that insure that I sleep.

7) Are you free with your feelings?
No.  I've curbed my feelings so long that this blog is the only place I will express a political feeling, for instance.  I learned to keep my mouth shut.  There was no future in expressing opinions around a lot of people.  I've learned to be calmer, and to just love them more and just let things work their way through to the end.  

Over time, I've learned I couldn't change people with my passion for the truth, or, say, for humanity and equality, so as I watched, life taught them lessons that were needed.  Mr. Z was always a mesh for me.  He and I really are well matched.  But others, not so much.

8) What is the one outfit/piece of clothing/accessory you own that makes you feel incredibly good whenever you wear it? Why?
A small silver handmade opal ring  that Mr. Z  found in the dust and dirt along a curbside while walking one day.  He looked down and saw it sparkling.  It was bent but he straightened it out.  It was my special Christmas present when we didn't have very much money. It makes me feel incredibly good to wear it.

 9) What do you do to make yourself feel better when you're in a funk?
I sit down, relax my whole body, and ring a little bell to center myself.  After practicing this for several years, it always does the trick.

10) Has anyone ever surprised you in a way that let you know you were special? How?
See answer 8.

11) When you are having a "good day," how do you spread the happiness to others?
I truly believe that everyone is connected.  Remember that thing going around about, "when you see someone that needs a smile, give them one"?  Well, it works most of the time.  A smile for anyone who sees it is such a friendly gesture.  "I see you!"  "I give you recognition and part of my day!"   

12) What is one thing that puts you in a bad mood, no matter how good you were previously feeling?
That would be really Bad News.  That just ruins my day. 

13) Would you rather live in a world with or without technology such as computers, cars, airplanes, bombs?
Of all the things that you've named, there is only one thing inherently bad and that is bombs.  Bombs have been a problem since gun powder was invented by the Chinese.  And yes, I'd rather live in a world without anything that could be used to hurt others like in wars.  I could do without that in a heartbeat.  All living beings would be better off without this constant warfare.  Don't try to tell me about survival of the fittest among the rest of the animals.  That's no excuse for what's happening between human beings.  No justification can be made for killing someone for their "stuff".

14) If you had to live without either heating in your house or air conditioning, which one would you keep?
I'm in Southern California.  I can live without heat.  

15) If you had to own five dogs, what kind would you get?
Had to?  I'd like ten dogs, PLEASE!....  
Hmmm... only five...   Well, I'd get all rescue poodle or poodle mixes, all smallish, under 16 pounds and then I'd train them to do tricks!  What could be more fun than that? 
We could go to places and perform shows just for fun.  Like this one:

Saturday Komeekz: Millie and Mooch take a nap....

Zzzzzzzzzz.  *smiles*

Saturday9: Black is Black

I have done my best from an iPad.  These things are not as good as a Netbook but you can see them better in the dark. 

Black is Black.

1) Black is this week's signature color because Friday, November 27, was "Black Friday," when retailers cut their prices and consumers flock to the stores. Did you score any "Black Friday" bargains?

Just some jigsaw puzzle packs, on line.  Fun stuff!!

2) WalMart, Best Buy, Toys R Us and Target have all heavily advertised their "Black Friday" sales. If you could have a $50 gift card to one of those stores, which would choose? What would you spend the $50 on?

Best Buy, and I'd get a pink iPod nano.  Or maybe I'd get a Canon Mark 5 EOS.  LOL. at my age!

3) Star Wars items are predicted to be big sellers this Black Friday. Are you a big sci-fi fan? Are there any sci-fi fans on your holiday gift list?  

Yes I'm usually interested in Sci-Fi, but no, there's nothing I want right now.  I might think of buying "Firefly" for the kids.

4) Feasting and football are also popular Thanksgiving weekend pastimes. Do your Thursday-Sunday plans include pigging out or watching a game?

No, happily the TV stayed off this year.

5) At Thanksgiving dinners, Crazy Sam's homemade gravy is always a hit. (Probably because she's so generous with the cognac, which gives the gravy a nutty taste.) Do you have a signature dish?
That gravy sounds wonderful!  My somewhat signature dish, the one I'm always asked to bring, is candied yams.  I make them from an old farmer's wife's recipe, my Grandmother's.

6) What did you give thanks for on Thanksgiving 2015?

I was grateful that we all had a good time, and that our grand nephew was there this year as well.

7) Monday is Cyber Monday, when shoppers can save big online. Do you shop confidently over the Internet, or do you worry about security breaches and identity theft? 

 I shop very little and don't generally worry.  One of the biggest security breaches was of data stolen from card readers inside of retail stores; to be honest, it could happen anywhere.

8) This week's featured band, Los Bravos, was international. Their members came from both Germany and Spain. If you could travel to any foreign country in the world, which would you choose?

I'd love to see the whole place.  All of it.

9) The band's name, Los Bravos, can be translated to mean, "The Brave." Do you consider yourself gutsy?

No, not gutsy.  But I have risked my life to save children at a time in the past.  I'd do it again because children are the future.  In my code of Life with a capital L, that is the duty of an Elder of the tribe.

Thanks, Sam, for doing this meme every week for years on end.  You are a terrific Gal!

friday5: "Holding"

friday5 time!

The button is in the side bar with the other weekly ones.
This meme is almost ten years old, and I like that it always makes a person think about things, not that the others don't.
Join us?

1. When did you recently experience a pleasantly delayed gratification?
I had to look up the exact meaning for this phrase.  
This delayed gratification would be to have waited to buy some things until after Thanksgiving.  So far, I've only bought online jigsaw puzzles, but Oh the Colors, and such a treat for the eyes.  That was very pleasant and it was quite delayed.  

2. What’s something you’d like to just fast-forward through in the next few weeks?
This is the time of the year that time moves so quickly, and I have so much to do, that I really would like to slow things down.  I love the so-called Holiday Season.  

This is so ME!
Source

3. What’s something in the next few weeks you’ll wish you could slow down so you can savor the experience?
See answer 2.

4. What’s something that takes you a lot longer than it used to?
Everything.  I've slowed down every aspect of life just to make it through a day.  Inside, I have to harness that feisty 24 year old carnivore!  On the outside, the almost 73 year old trudges along her snail like paths, and rests a lot.  She's almost a complete herbivore, as well.

5. What’s something you saved for later, but when later came, you decided you didn’t really want it?
Oh, I still want it but it's pretty senseless to get it now. Maybe Santa Claus will still bring it.  I haven't given up on this.

Thank you California Legislators! California's Bobcat Trapping Ban Takes Effect: And, Thank you God!

California's Bobcat Trapping Ban Takes Effect

Thankful Thursday... well, this worked out well. It's Thanksgiving, and it's Thursday! Who Knew?!

First in the series.. heehee.. One coming tomorrow about a win for the Bobcat!  Yay!  For now, we've won!

And... I wish to say that I am thankful for that irreverent Saturday Night Live!

Leave it to SNL to lampoon Holiday gatherings, take pokes at all the varieties of bigotry gathered under one roof, and make it "roll in aisles" screaming funny!



Have a great Thanksgiving, and don't feel so alone.
Just keep pressing the button on the boombox in your head!

Happy Birthday to You, my Best Buddy, on a not so Wordless Wednesday....

Happy Birthday, Santa!  Love Forever!

Wordless Wednesday, a Skywatcher Post.

Updated: Waylon Jennings.. For the love of it! And, a fabulous documentary about WWII Italians and how they saved lives.

I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane....   heehee  I can relate!  Thanks Karen!

To all and sundry: Want something else good for the Heart?
Remember, also, the White Rose Society  resistance fighters in Germany.  Brave kids.  Brave, Brave.......

My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes.

Music Monday: Joe Walsh... "Life's Been Good"

Favorite lyrics:

"They say I'm Crazy but I have a good time.
I'm just looking for clues at the scene of the crime,
Life's been good to me so far"

I've always loved this guy.

Stay sane, every one.  Crazy is way overrated.

Lest we forget....

President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas, on this day, 52 years ago.  There is one thing he would have done that would have changed just where we sit, in the cross-hairs, today.  I think that's pretty self evident.

WarriorGirl's Blog as Source
Maiden on the Midway

If he'd lived, so much would be different today.  So very much rode on those capable shoulders.

Sunday Stealing

Have a Lovely Thanksgiving Next Thursday all you Thieves!  New to the Thieves?  Use the button on the MEME section to come on over and snag the questions and live  leave a Linkie.  All aboard!!

1. Would you rather be too hot or too cold?
 I'm always too hot or too cold.

2. Would you rather have a cook or a maid?
A maid.  I have a cook and he likes his job.  He's great.

3. Would you rather be the youngest or the oldest sibling?
I'm the oldest and have always liked being the older sister.

4. Would you rather get rich through hard work or through winning the lottery?
The lottery.  Hard work usually means you have to step on other people on the way up.  

5. Would you rather have a 10-hour dinner with a headstrong politician from an opposing party, or attend a 10-hour concert for a music group you detest?
I'd take the music group any day.  Unless it's TEN hours of RAP (!) I would probably like it.  If not,  I could wear noise  cancelling earphones and bring my own tunes.and listen them, while knitting.  Also, I don't want to be within 5 miles of a politician unless it's Elizabeth Warren or Bernie..

6. Would you rather be an Olympic gold medalist or a Nobel Peace Prize winner?
There's no chance for a Gold medal so I pick the Nobel Peace Prize.

7. Would you rather have a desk job or an outdoor job?
 I'd rather be outdoors and far from any city.

8. Would you rather live at the top of a tall NYC apartment building or at the top of a mountain?
A Mountain.

9. Would you rather have Rambo or The Terminator on your side?
Rambo, because I HATE the Governator's Face.  What a freaking SCAM that was!  I'd love to bounce kick that guy and all the people who saddled California with him to the moon!

10. Would you rather be proposed to in private or in front of family and friends?
This is not applicable to me so I'll pass.

11. Would you rather have to sew all your clothes or grow your own food?
I'd like to be able to sew all my own clothes, AND grew all my own food!

12. Would you rather hear the good news or the bad news first?
Give me the good news.  The bad news is going to come anyway so why not be happy when you hear it so you can blow it off as just another day in Hell in the real world.

13. Would you rather be your own boss or work for someone else?
My own boss unless I had a really neat boss on a job.  Some of them are fantastic!

14. Would you rather have nosy neighbors or noisy neighbors?
Nosy.  You see, that sort are easier to shut out andignore if you don't like them that much.

15. Would you rather be on a survival reality show or dating game show?
Neither
16. Would you rather be too busy or be bored?
I'd rather be busy.

 17. Would you rather watch the big game at home or live at the stadium?
At home unless it was a soccer game; those are rather nice to attend.

18. Would you rather spend the day with your favorite athlete or you favorite movie star?
I have no favorite athlete but do have some favorite movie stars, so one of them is my pick of the day.

 19. Would you rather live where it is constantly winter or where it is constantly summer?
No.

Keep on Truckin' Mama, Truckin' those Blues away.....My own Marmalade recipe.. for my records..

The Meyer's Lemons were small, and thin skinned, mostly from surviving the drought.  Poor things.  What I did notice, when the marmalade was fully cooked, was that it was a little more bitter than last year.  Of course, lemon marmalade does have this wonderful taste anyway.  It's a like it or loathe it sort of jam.  UPDATE:  I would cut the cooking times and soak the juice and rind longer, like overnight in the fridge and add about a cup of water for this amount of fruit.  The lemons were small and sere.

Final cooking is done

Average size of the Lemons was 2 inches in diameter
They were tiny compared to the last ones used for batches made before water restriction.

I used three cups juice and rind,
consisting of a dozen lemons and the juice only from three.
Plus the equal amount of three cups of sugar.

So, the cooking time for just the fruit was 15 minutes ( with a stir after seven and half minutes) and after letting the rinds soften in the juice for about 40 minutes just sitting their in the big red pyrex bowl.

Then came the equal part of sugar, stirred in, which was three cups, and another cooking time of 15 Minutes in two segments, with a stir in between.   That same bubble arose at the very end of the cooking cycle so that was fun to watch.  ;o)

This same recipe is good for any mix of citrus fruits, but remember that you need to add a little more juice if you live in drought stricken areas.  Next time I'm making orange and blood orange marmalade because, as I said, you have to have a taste for the lemon marmalade, and the other marmalade is for Christmas Presents.

Re linking the recipe for Lemon Marmalade, Do you want to be a Porpoise?

 The original recipe has been changed a little, but since I printed it out this morning, so as to make some of this delicious stuff, I'll put the newest link  HERE.  I don't add water.  I measure the juice and peel, and put equal parts of sugar after the first cooking.

 THIS is my original page of how the first batches were made years ago, and it worked out well.

Since I'm still recovering the old Bon Vivant path of "Peace and Love", "Live and Let Live" philosophy, I just couldn't figure out how to get back to the original link to change it.  Sorry!

I'm still in a frightful mood.  Just doing the best I can Gals and Guys!  The newest developments on the international front?   I'm not even reading about them.  A broken heart is just numb to the world.

This feels like being lost at sea.  I'm wishing I could be a porpoise!

Source

But then, even they are having a hulluva time too, as the almighty dollar has a way of winning out in the end.

What is a human soul, finding itself in the weak and mortal body of a woman, to do?
Well, I'm making marmalade.

Kisses!  ~♥♥♥♥♥♥♥~

Wordless Wednesday.....

Shhhhhh...shhhhhhh. shhhhhhh

Ignorance is something I can't live with

So, I watched three more True American heroes get chewed up by Washington.

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/24/silenced_film_explores_the_human_toll

I'm not going to stay silent about this one.

So, there it is, lest we ignore the cost of ignorance in our crumbling democracy.   Who wins?  The ones who want us all to ignore their hands on our throats.  They do!  Not your children or mine.  But the people behind the theft of all our Constitutional rights, that's who.

Think you are free, or immune?  Think again.  Do you really like Oligarchies?

Stunned.

I'll be back as soon as I'm able.. later this week...

May you walk with Beauty all around you :

May your Path be an easy one.

Guardian article about the rise of ISIS

The Article is HERE

So, Hillary Clinton wasn't just talking through her hat here.
 
There are reasons ..... Iran-contra secrecy types of reasons.


Pray for Peace, and hope that you are heard!

Paris

by LilyB

Saturday9, the meme..

It's Saturday9 day!  Happy Saturday! The link up is in the sidebar nearly at the top. Come on over and play!
Thanks to The Gal, who runs this fun MEME!

Saturday 9: The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1972)

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


1) The lyrics tell us about a young man who stopped at a bar named Webb's before heading home. What's the last restaurant or bar you visited? What did you order?
 We went to a new-to-us vegan restaurant called The Purple Mint Vegetarian Bistro.   It was delicious!  We had Summer spring rolls, Black Rice Pasta in Coconut milk, and Eggplant and Tofu Delight.  Mr.Z had Iced Strawberry Tea, and I had a strawberry and mango Smoothie.  And all of it, was just Beyond delicious!

Kids, we are taking you there!  You'll love it!

2) In this video, Vicki Lawrence is obviously lip synching. If you had to participate in a competition, would you do better at karaoke or lip synching? And what song would you choose to perform?
I'm much better at Karaoke.  I'd probably sing along with Karen Carpenter and this would be the song:


My voice is now in her Mezzo range.  She had such a beautiful voice, didn't she?

3) Back when this song was popular, so was the Rubik's Cube. Can you solve that 3-D puzzle?
One of the twins' friends showed us the key to solving it, and though I kept it up for a year but, if you forget the pattern of sets, it's very hard to do.

4) Vicki Lawrence is a hyphenate, meaning she's a comedienne-actress-singer. Using hyphens, describe yourself.
Nothing about me is so lofty.  I never developed any of my talents to the level of a career.  I'm at most, a retired Seamstress, and a nascent artist-jeweler-ceramicist.

5) Back in the early 1970s, songwriter Bobby Russell first offered this song to Cher, who refused it. Give us the name of a song Cher did record.
The awful, "You got me, Babe".  She did some really beautiful other songs but that is the one I remember without looking anything up.  I have her album of greatest hits, too.  It's so sad to have an old brain.

6) Vicki Lawrence won her first big break playing Carol Burnett's kid sister because of her resemblance to the star. Have you ever been told you look like a celebrity?
Yes..  I've mentioned it before but no more.  Several people, relatives and friends, have told me the same person.  I can see it sometimes but really, not anymore.  It would just be embarrassing.  Clue: She did a LOT for actors and others with HIV.  She was a great gal.

7) She also starred on Mama's Family in the role of matriarch of an argumentative Southern clan. As we head into the holiday season, do your plans involve a lot of family time?
Not as much as I'd like, but yes, some family time for which I'm very VERY happy.  

8) After The Carol Burnett Show and Mama's Family, Vicki became a staple on daytime TV. She hosted Win, Lose or Draw and was a contestant on The Match Game and $25,000 Pyramid. Do you watch much daytime TV?
No.  TV and especially daytime TV is not my favorite thing to do.

9) Random question provided by a Sat 9er: Bugs/insects. Do you like 'em or fear 'em? Tell us something/anything you know about them.

I know a lot about bugs and so much it would be boring, so I won't bore you.  To answer like or fear, I love them all, every single one of them is important to Life as We Know It.  Spiders, technically not "bugs", are extremely important.  

Let's just say that life on earth could not exist without all the soil insects and little bugs that clean up the messes.  All the other bugs that perform so many jobs that support higher life forms.

The beauty of this amazing system is that it all worked until man came along with his chemicals and ignorance of, "the way things are."  Anything, out if it's place in the scheme, is toxic.  Polio-myelitis is a misplaced organism.  Your own misplaced organ "mini-workers" can make you VERY, very sick.  Just sayin'  ;o)

friday5: Creativity--or lack thereof. I can't spell neuron. Is that creative?

Friday 5 for November 13: Creativity

The link for very long running and fun to do MEME is in the sidebar at the top, so it's much easier to find!   I hope you will come on over and join us!

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!

1.When did you last attempt to create something outside your usual realms of creativity?

A.  I am trying to visualize a model of the Universe that includes several realities or realms that physics is now suggesting could actually be the case.  Being a visual minded person, I'm trying to figure out just how it is that, let's say, Jesus could be more real than a door, and thus able to walk through it.  I understand and believe that this is the truth of our reality, but just what the mechanism is that allows it to be so escapes me.  Lao Tse comes close, oh so close.  If only I could understand him better.

2. Where do good ideas come from?

Good ideas come from everywhere.  People have them all the time but I think mostly the best generator of good ideas is a desire to fill a need, either real or perceived.

3. Rainer Maria Rilke famously said, “If my devils are to leave me, I’m afraid my angels will take flight, as well.” What are your thoughts on the portrayal of artists as tortured souls?

Artists are tortured souls.  Euripides said it best.  "For those who think, Life is a comedy.  For those who feel, Life is a Tragedy."  

In my view, Artists are people who use their emotions in very complex ways, to try to explain the Meaning of Life.  They "feel" their way through the Human Condition.  

Thinkers are more like examiners; they are more like scientists, though some scientists have been great Humanitarians, which is definitely tied to the Emotional.  I think most people feel inadequate to really be able to reach their inner most being using just one path.  

4. What situations or environs put dampers on your creativity?

Noise,conflict, and interruptions, and cities.  I don't think cities help at all, unless they inspire and only a very few cities hit that mark, for me at least.

5. Who are some people you admire for their creativity?

Obviously I'm a fan of Euripides, but also of Ernest Hemingway, in his early years.  And, then there are  many others like, Albert Schweitzer, Vincent Van Gogh, Keats, Sylvia Plathe, T.S. Elliot, Camus, Linus Pauling, Michelangelo, Joseph Conrad, Jane Smiley, and Donna Leon.  I have hardly got a good thing to say about more  modern art past Cezanne, Kandinsky, Modigliani and Klee.  Sorry!  

Thanks for participating, and have a wonderful weekend!

Thankful Thursday... On the spot heroes - this 2 year old event bears repeated sharing.

Wordless Wednesday: Saved from a puzzle making app for tablets. Shhhhhh!

Tuesday tails.. Wolfie report, and the Tort report

Wolfie report: 
The little wolf  wasn't feeling well earlier,  so, we are having a quiet day.
The iPad is bucking and wheeling about letting Picasa through its many windows so if no picture appears, I can blame the iMonster.  Cranky, sore minded apparatuses are not my favorite companions in the long, slow slide into senility.  Heehee.

The little wolf

Mr. Z, the resident computer guru, figured out part of it, and I figured out the rest.  Two heads really ARE better than one sometimes, if they can keep from barking at each other in the stress of the moment.

Tort report:  All the torts, including the little ones are still outside, and the little ones have busied themselves in the digging of a burrow.  They will be surprised at the end of the month when big human hands pull them from it, dust them off, and bring them inside to bask in their very own artificial sun.  They are still too small to over - winter and must be kept awake and fed throughout the dark and colder months of,  "The Wet".

We had a good amount of rain two weeks ago, so yesterday we planted two Buddleis, both Black Knights, only one of which is very healthy.  They spent this long, hot summer in five gallon black plastic pots.  They were well watered but the summer was brutal!  We have one other, a dwarf,  and I mean to have three more tall ones for along both fences.  This should make a fairyland of gorgeous blooms for the bees and butterflies.  I can hardly wait to see it all in bloom!

To all the Sunday Thieves and Saturday9ers:
I am coming to visit all your posts soon.  Thank you for your comments here.  They are wonderful to read.
Have a great week everyone!

How high were you, my dear? Sunday Stealing. Whoot!

November 7, 2015

Big Bad Meme

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from. We also provide a link to the victim's meme in our "Previous Victims" widget. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from this new meme or recently asked questions from a previously featured meme.

Cheers to all of us thieves!!!  

Big Bad Meme

from: Love Me Some Surveys

1. Is there anyone else in the room with you atm? What are they doing?
Who has an atm in their rooms?  And no.  Well, Mr. Z just came in.  He's chewing gum and web surfing now.

2. Do you show your teeth when you smile, or do you prefer smiling with your lips closed?
Closed

3. Would you rather be told the truth, even if it isn’t what you want to hear?
I'm very into the truth for hearing it, particularly about myself.  That way I know what to trust and what not to.  It's awful to find out that someone cannot stand you, but just was afraid to tell you.  *turns on comment modification* heehee

4. What is something that you plan to buy, as soon as you’ve saved up the money for it?
No.  There's really nothing I want that money can buy.

5. Do you play Sudoku?
I don't like it.  I'm not that crazy about numbers.

6. Have you ever had a migraine?
Many.  It comes with my DNA

7. What was the last book you read for pleasure?
It was a little child's book, of which, I still have the remnants.  My grandmother saved it for me.

8. What was the last item of clothing you purchased for yourself?
undergarments.

9. Your first serious relationship, do you still talk to him/her?
We got married.  And, yes, we are still talking to each other.  Most of the time. Lolz!

10. Who is the last person you texted?
My daughter Gee.

11. How close is your family?
I'm close to my brother and sister.  I'm close to my kids.  I believe they are just as attached to me as I to them.  But, see question 3.... ;o)

12.  Is there anything too serious to be joked about?
Lots of things.  You can't joke, for instance, about one country blowing up another country's hospital.

13. Do you like to understand and have good knowledge of things?
Since things is a very broad and general word, I would have to say, "I don't know".

14. What is worse? Back pain or shoulder pain?
Since I have both, I'd say without equivocation, that back pain is infinitely worse.

15. Have you ever almost fallen off of something high off the ground?
Yes.

16.  What’s one fruit you love in drinks?
Ooooo marketing!  I love these...  Mango!  And I say this with a proviso that if I should ever hear of wildlife or people being displaced anywhere by mango groves, I will not touch another DROP of it.  Trust me on this.  I will find out.

17. What is something simple that you’re afraid of?
Sorry, only the BIG stuff scares me.  Although getting hit by a bus is pretty simple, if you aren't wary enough while walking.

18. Has this weekend been good?
It's not even Saturday, to be honest.  It's too early to tell!  Ok, I'll predict that this weekend will be good for us all.  Even in a tiny way, for some of us, I know, but good.

19. How much time do you take to get ready in the morning?
Waking up is the hard part.  Getting ready is easy!  Five minutes?

20. Last movie you watched in theaters and with whom?
Darned if I know.  I remember the "where", and the "with whom", but not the movie.  It was around the time that the movie, "Master and Commander", was coming out. I remember the poster for that one in the lobby.  So the year was 2003.  

I wish everyone a very delightful weekend!

Just how random are you? Saturday9....

ALL RANDOM
Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!


Saturday 9: All Random

This week's Saturday 9 is refreshingly theme free, featuring questions submitted by regular Saturday 9ers.

Crazy Sam really appreciates all the help she received with this week's meme, and is jealously protecting all your unused questions. Expect to see them sprinkled throughout Saturday 9s in the future.

Yah, my friends think I'm pretty random alright.

1) Do you prefer your pickle sliced thin, sliced thick, or in a spear?
Yes, please!

2) What kind of eggs do you like best for breakfast?
Hen's eggs usually but Duck eggs are VERY good, and even Goose eggs are tasty.  But you want to know if it's, scrambled, sunny side up, over easy, or soft or hard cooked style.  You are talking style, ok.  I love to eat eggs in a cheddar cheese and green onion Omelette.

3) If you got 2 pennies for change, would you pocket them or leave them on the counter for the next person?
I'd put them on the cup.  Today, we were out and about and the cashier dug out 7 pennies for me!  Thank you kind lady at Hallmark!  

4) You’re now in charge of the manners for the planet. Tell us the new rules for cellphone etiquette.
My only rule would be that they had to be off when the owner was in quality time around other humans.  That means so much but we all know what it's many facets are.

5) You’re about to write a novel. What genre will it be (sci fi, chick lit, historical fiction, comic …)?
Historical Fiction, like the Government writes.  Yes?

6) Is it a bad thing to lie to save a friend’s feelings?
No.  Saving feelings without letting them dig a bigger hole in a relationship is tricky but it can be done.

7) Is your big toe your longest toe?
No.  I have what is called a Ballerina's foot.  Unfortunately, that's the only thing I have meant for ballet.

8) Hot stone massage: yea or nay?
How hot?  How many? Please, not too many or too hot!   Though this looks cool....

Toe stones, from HERE

9) Do you check the mirror before going out?
Oh yah.  The older I get the less I want to look like a Hag.  My hair can be totally WILD!
And then there are the eyebrows.....

Isn't she adorable, NOT!  Source

Thanks again, Everyone! 

friday5: Symbols of Life, and beyond!

Friday 5 for November 6: Symbol

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!

Sorry about the plain new look. It’s temporary.

1. Which of the standard keyboard symbols best describes your mood right now?
A.  Well, I had to strip out the little heart and put in the newer one.  :-)  Blogger's HTML doesn't like greater than 3 even if I do! hehehe  ♥♥♥♥♥♥

2. On your brand-new family coat-of-arms, created right now whether you already have one or not, what animal is the central figure, representing the spirit and character of your family?
A. Beats me what the three white things are but the one in the middle is a Stag.  Maybe they are white nags?  I honestly can't tell!

Source for this Particular Coat of Arms
Apparently there are at least a half dozen- lol

3. In what ways is your vehicle symbolic of you?
Well, it's an off road 4X4.  You must decide on the symbolism. hehe

4. What charms, figurines, or objects do you keep at hand to remind you of something or someone?
A. My mother was in love with all things Oriental.  I have a few things  of that origin which remind me of her because they were hers.  I picked up my love of all things "Chinese" from her, only she called them, "Chinesey".  I still have an old (1930's) sewing basket and a few other things along those lines that I collected.  

Now begins a small rant:  
I still haven't quite forgiven all the imports of craft from China, especially Folkart style, but meh...  Things change.  Western cultures, particularly Britain, stole so much from Chinese culture, and made big bucks from it, that maybe all this is merely payback.  
Anyway, this activity in the return volley has crashed American folk-craft in a big way.  
This result was partly because of American entrepreneurs sought cheap labor for their now VERY over priced "collectables", none of which retained their quality.  I will not name names but they are some biggies.

5. What song lyric best sums up your feelings heading into the weekend?
ZZ Top:

" ' When I hear that Santa Fe start blowin'
I wonder where it's been and where it's goin' " 

Thanks for participating and a ♥ weekend!

Thankful Thursday: McFarland USA

Just watching this movie made me thankful for good people in our country who know how to make things  better for us all.  I only have a few minutes to post this but please, watch this film.  You will feel a whole lot better about the world.  It is true story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74eJaVQFybI

See you tomorrow!  

Wordless Wednesday

Rescued dogs. The Humane Society of the United States + a Rant.

Our local Humane Society shelter  recently took 29 dogs from a similar and equally horrible enterprise.

This video is of another group that of dogs that were rescued:



I'm grateful that so many people (even in the countries themselves, and to whom I say a big "bravo"!) are nowtrying to stop this shameful practice in several countries.  I'm also grateful that the sometimes very desperate people who try to make a living this way are getting the help they need to transition away from such horrible cruelty.  
Let's not forget how ancient the bond between our two species is.  It goes back far into prehistoric times.  They are our oldest companions amongt the other earthlings.

We should never forget:  If we don't treat all the other earthlings with compassion and fellow feeling, we simply end up not treating fellow human beings well either.  It's a proven fact and not just some psycho-babble fantasy.  It also should explain why governments still use torture with impunity and even pride.  *shudders*

We don't have to look too far to see real horror going on.  Why should anyone be addicted to the Hollywood version of horror when a person can really do something significant to stop the REAL horror going on in daily life for far too many animals?  Really, every thirteen seconds?  How Hideous!

Rain!

It was a dark and stormy night.
 The Californians were all tucked up in their PJs, reading or watching something intense from Belgian cinema.  Yes, I said Belgian...it happens. And then the rain started to fall in little spits and spats, quitting just in time for all the stunned residents of the longest state in the union - eat your heart out Texas.  You may be wide but we have you beat all hollow for tall - to take the dog out for a night run without getting his little feet all wet.
A great and Joyful noise was heard throughout the land!

Sunday Halloween (screaming!) meme!

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from. We also provide a link to the victim's meme in our "Previous Victims" widget. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from this new meme or recently asked questions from a previously featured meme.

Cheers to all of us thieves!!!  

Halloween Meme 

From the archives 

Are you scared of bats? 

A. Not me, I love little bats; they are so soft to hold in your hands, though you don't ordinarily want to do that because they can be carriers of rabies. I love to watch the tiny ones that fly in the twilight, and before I couldn't hear so well, I could hear their calls.   I've held them at the County Fair, and they almost cuddle in.  So Sweet! 

Go HERE to see another cute bat snap!

   

And I love fruit bats.  Bat's have gotten a very bad rap -sort of like the sharks have.  

When you were a kid, did you go out on Mischief Night? (Mischief Night is an informal holiday on which children and teens engage in pranks and minor vandalism. While its name and date vary from place to place, it is most commonly held near the end of October to coincide with the night before Halloween)

A. I'd have never known about it, if you didn't mention it here.

What is your favorite trick-or-treat candy? 

A. mini candy bars, especially the teeny Butterfingers bars

Have you ever seen a ghost? 

A. I've heard something, but never saw anything, at our former house, where a lady named Grace had passed away.  I'm sure that she, or at least a part of her, was still there.  When I asked about it, neighbors told me that she died quite young from liver cancer.  Apparently, she and her husband had spread copious amounts of a carcinogenic weed killer on a large area of the yard where they wanted a pea gravel patio.  

The most memorable costume you ever wore? 

A. My gypsy is spectacular.

Do you dress up on Halloween? 

A. Sometimes...

Any cooking or baking you do for Halloween? 

A. No, not anymore.

Have you ever been to The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland or Disneyworld? 

A. the last time I was at Disneyland it had just opened.  I was 11, so probably that part didn't exist.

Any element of the season you don’t like? 

A. By season I'll assume you mean the Holiday Season?  I don't like the mad shopping spree that now  characterizes, "the Season" which is becoming ever and ever more gross.  I don't like American Merchandising, giving us cheap food and cheap clothes in the place of decent schools and affordable houses for the children's sake.  It's robbery in a subtle way, but just as criminal.  

What is your favorite scary movie? 

A. My favorite are the comedies about the Adam's family.  Not as scary as "Pitch Black", but you can't watch and enjoy that one more than once a decade.

Do you cook the pumpkin seeds from your carved jack-o-lanterns? 

A.  I don't carve pumpkins anymore.  We used to oil and roast them, but they were not that meaty.  I like pepitas that come from a market.

Are you intrigued with vampires? 

A. No, I think they are just silly.

What is your favorite written work of horror fiction? 

A. Fiction, right?  Actually I don't read horror fiction, I read horror non fiction, so I'm not able to answer this. Not readable but I've found a horror film that scares me.  I can never watch again.  It's "Psycho"!

What is your favorite work of science fiction/fantasy? 

A. I Robot, and other Asimov books.  The Foundation Series is fantastic!  

Who is your favorite monster? 

A.  I love the big blue monster in "Monster Inc."  I think his little girl calls him "Kitty".  Adorable!

What is your favorite Horror movie? 

A. I'm not sure what Horror entails.   

What horror movie gives you the most chills? 

A. Aliens? Does that fit the Horror genre?   That is sort of scifi, right?

What character from any horror film would you most like to play?

A. I would have liked to be one of the aliens, all curled up in the pipe work.

Or maybe this one is more like actual horror.....

The Actor wasn't acting.  This is his real persona.  Can you tell I'm not a fan of the "real" guy who lives behind Jack Nicholson's facial mask?

Was he acting or just acting out?