Sunday Stealing: Thought Provoking Questions.

Markandangel

 *Readers:  Want to see other posts?*
  Go HERE

 Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. (Past hosts include: Our first - Judd Corizan, Mr. L, Kwizgiver and
Bud)  Cheers to all of us thieves!

 Thanks Bev!

Thought Provoking Questions

If you could instill one piece of advice in a newborn baby’s mind, what advice would you give?
Stay close to the God who sent you.
 
What is the most desirable trait another person can possess?
Kindness.  
 
What are you most grateful for?
My family and friends.  They make life worth living.
 
Is stealing to feed a starving child wrong?
NO and NO to the HELL NO!  Stats from international groups say that 22 thousand children starve to death every day. 
 
What do you want most?
To see more of my kids.  Be able to make a dinner for them and just share walks not daily, but a lot more often.  
 
Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
I don't worry about this at all.  I know what the most holy people do and pattern my life, within reason, after them.
 
What has life taught you recently?
That any country can be screwed over by people with no limits to what they'll do to obtain power and wealth.  You did ask....
 
What is the one thing you would most like to change about the world?
No one could be selfish or unkind.  They would be physically unable to do it. 
 
Where do you find inspiration?
It has to be in the Life of Christ.  Well, and also Albert Schweitzer, Jimmy Carter and other kind people who took a stand against the selfishness in the world.
 
Can you describe your life in a six word sentence?
I came, saw, and conquered demons.
 
If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
It might be built into our DNA.  But.... Mistakes are usually pain inducing, unless we are narcissists and always blaming others for what we ourselves have wrought.  
Mistakes cause us to suffer loss, and to be embarrassed before our peers and family.  We feel diminished by mistakes.  So, if people didn't forgive others for making mistakes, there would be pretty much nothing to live for. 
 
What impact do you want to leave on the world?
I'm not powerful enough to leave anything of much impact.  However, like the Middlemarch widow, Dorothea Brooke, I can have a small sphere of effects.  But that's just fine. 
 
What is the most defining moment of your life thus far?
I'd have to say the shooting at our local school.  I was forever changed from a "Universe" trusting mother into someone who HAD to know where her children were every SECOND of EVERY day.  I became terrified of losing them to the fickle finger of FATE.
 
In the haste of your daily life, what are you not seeing?
There is no longer any haste in my life.
 
If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
Face it, we have to make a living.  And life throws us a lot of curve balls.  We do the best we can to pick up the pieces and move on.  In our society there are not a lot of Horacio Alger stories.  I'll bet even that guy wasn't happy with ALL of his choices.
 
What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
A bottle of Scotch.  lol.  Wait!  
This would be a sense of Humor, droll though it may be 
- and even a little acidic at times- but it's fun to laugh and joke around.
 
Have you ever regretted something you did not say or do?
Gee.  Hasn't everyone? So, the answer is, "yes".

Has your greatest fear ever come true?
Yes.
 
Why do we think of others the most when they’re gone?
Because, I think, that thread of their life has ended, and they have vanished, for what is probably forever.  And, since we really don't know what happens next for them, we can only hope that we can meet again, "in the great By and By". 
 
What is your most beloved childhood memory? 
When I was three.  We were coming into the driveway of my Grandparent's farm house, and I woke up to see the golden yellow light from the windows, and I was so happy to be with my mother and all her family again.  It's a memory that is fixed in my mind and fixed there forever.

Saturday 9: Taylor Swift

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!

 Shake It Off (2014)

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.

1) This song makes Crazy Sam want to dance. What song inspires you to get on your feet?
"Born in the USA"
 
2) Paul McCartney met Taylor Swift at the SNL 40 Anniversary special and told her he really enjoys playing and singing this song. What's the last song you sang along with?
"Blackbird" by Paul McCartney. 
 
3) The lyrics tell us Swift "shakes off" nasty gossip and unfair criticism. What about you? Do you worry about what others think of you?
I don't worry.  My motto was and is, "Be Kind".  So, I just try to keep it real, as in "what you see is who I am".   I made friends easily enough and good ones.  I didn't have to deal with someone else's interpersonal problems or have them "scape-goating" me.  Life is just too short.  Mean people suck.  If you hurt my kid, you got the door.
 
4) Her parents are big music fans, and were going to name their baby (boy or girl) "Taylor" after their favorite artist, James Taylor. Can you think of a singer that your mom and/or dad really enjoyed?  At one time, my mother loved to sing.  She really loved to sing along with the Andrews Sisters.  Mom had a sweet voice and could also whistle the sweetest tunes.

5) She grew up on an 11-acre Christmas tree farm. Do you get a fresh tree every year, or do you have an artificial tree, or do you not put up a tree at all?
Artificial for us.  We used to have live trees back in the day... This is the first year I will feel like decorating again, so we will go whole hog, trees, swags and garlands. All.
 
6) Taylor Swift is 5'10". According to the CDC, the average American woman is 5'4" while men are, on average, 5'9". Are you taller or shorter than average?
I used to be 5'6" Now I'm a lot shorter.  Losing height wasn't any fun, and has caused a lot of pain but my back is what it is.  Also, it doesn't bother my knitting.  Only my sitting at a sewing machine and sewing.
 
7) She enjoys good, old fashioned mysteries, especially those by Agatha Christie. Are you currently reading a book for pleasure?
I just finished a book called,  The Morrow Boys  by Lynne Olson.  It was fun and very, very exciting to read.  Well, it was sad as well. 
 
8) Her brother Austin is a freelance photographer who took the official pictures for her 2008 concert tour. Who took the last photo of you?
 I did.. I needed to see what my new shorter hair looked like. 

9) Random question: What's your go-to comfy outfit?
I love to wear my gray sweats and a big ol' T shirt from our travels...  And go barefooted in every season except for the cold one.  We don't really get a winter here.  The cold one is from about Christmastime to March something ... 

If you would like to join in the fun, Go HERE
It's fun.  You'll like it.. 😉 

Posers...

Does Gravity pull or does it actually push?  And, does it even Matter?  

Tuesday Tails: Burn Baby Burn...

While the bad news that isn't under the radar flows out of Washington like a putrid river of sewerage, there is this...

Race to drill in the Arctic Tundra... From Audubon....

An Excerpt from the page..

"While the impact statement mentions some potential threats to wildlife, many experts believe it is not explicit enough when addressing the potential risks and even likelihood of extinction for a variety of species. “Oil and gas infrastructure in the Arctic Refuge, when considered in conjunction with climate change, poses an existential risk to several Arctic bird species," said Audubon Alaska in a press release. Moreover, choosing such an aggressive development plan despite the toll it will take on wildlife “just goes to show how far this administration is willing to go to extract oil and gas, even in what should be a protected area,” says Susan Culliney, the group's policy director."

Endangered already, several species, like the Spectacled Eider, have the US Government admitting that this newest frenzy to drilling has this bird in the cross hairs of extinction.

Here's what they look like:

 Beautiful, No?  And, this is not the only endangered bird or mammal that is being threatened....
The kids are marching and we can't just sit on our hands.  This train wreck might as well be Armageddon.  And, guess who plugged it in and turned on the engine? 

Sunday Stealing: Colloquium

 

Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. (Past hosts include: Our first - Judd Corizan, Mr. L, Kwizgiver and Bud)  Cheers to all of us thieves! 

These are from From Colloquium, which has not published since 2012 

1. Last person you were in a car with?
Mr. Z and on the way to P.T.  Oh Joy!
2. Any plans for tomorrow?
Since this is being typed out on Saturday, the plans for Sunday are to wake up, eat something and take a shower, and poke around the internet.
3. Best friend or close friends?
I have two Best Friends, one in Turkey and one in Missouri.
4. Is tomorrow going to be a good day?
One can always hope!
5. Ever thrown up in public?
Nope
6. What’s on your mind RIGHT NOW?
Reading this and writing out the answers in a coherent way.
7. Who was the last person you talked to?
My Hubby
8. What is the WORST subject they teach at school?

The worst and most useless class I had to take was, "Senior Problems"
9. Have you seen anyone lately that you don’t get along with?
Not lately but my new Cardiologist is probably going to get this honor.  Three years ago, we didn't hit it off.  It's my fault.  I was half crazy after Elle died, and I did NOT have a handle on my emotions.  They were all over the place.
10. What is your favourite color top to wear?
Navy Blue or deep Blue.  Sorry that's two...
11. Have you ever been in a car accident?
Yes, a very bad one when I was 14 or so.  I was caught under a pick up truck that flipped on it's side in the back country.  Some other people came along and dug me out but my foot was crushed.  It's a problem since then.  Ballet helped it out.
12. What’s the closest thing to you that’s green?
A Kleenex box with pine fronds on a nice green background.
13. Where would you like to be right now?      
I spend my LIFE wanting to be there so this answer will always be the same.  Santa Cruz, and knitting with the kids.

14. Is anything bugging you right now?
I'm pretty much always at Peace.  I am having some pain from my arm after P.T. yesterday but I can live with it. 
15. Is life going right for you now?
Since about 5 billion, at least, people have it worse, I am thinking my life is pretty OK.
16. Is there someone you care about more than yourself?
Mr.Z, our daughters, and some young men that I've adopted as my own.
17. What made you laugh today?
My funny and cute little dog, whining for his Papa to please sit down in the big comfy chair so that he, Wolfie, can sleep by his side.  Pretty darn cute.
18. What was the last movie you watched?
"Django" about the persecution and annihilation of the Gypsies by Hitler's Third Reich.

19. What was the last conversation you had about?

How to spell Jjango's name.
20. What were you doing at 7:00 this morning?
Having a cuppa
21. Do you like your hair long or short?
I like it short now that I've cut it all off again.  That's what I do, grow it an then cut it all off.
22. Do you like the rain

I love rain.  I love it so much that I never EVER wanted to stay in the dry and dusty South.  By now, I thought I'd live in the greatest Eden on Earth, Northern California on the Coast.

Thanks Bev for this fun meme.  Much Love!

Readers, here is a LINKIE to the rest of the Sunday Thieves. 

Scroll, scroll, scroll! 

Saturday9: "Candy Man"

Readers, do you want to see other entrants to this fun MEME?  Go HERE


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!

THE CANDY MAN (1972)
Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it HERE

1) This song is from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder. The movie was remade as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. Which Wonka did you prefer?   My kids liked the first movie.  I've not seen the re-make.  It wasn't something that interested me, sorry Willy! 

2) In the movie, this song is sung by Bill, the candy store shopkeeper. Think about the last counter person you dealt with. We know that he or she likely didn't break into song, but did you two engage in conversation?  My latest encounters with "Counter Folk" are the medical kind, and they have been polite and good ones.  But, alas, nobody was singing ... lol  

I have sung in an Operating room, though.  Before an Angiogram.  The Acoustics were AWESOME in that place.  I sang "Que Sera Sera".  Something in the piped in music had that certain harmonic vibe to it that blended with that song.  No singer could resist those acoustics!  Fun stuff!  But, this surgeon was not my surgeon.  Can you imagine a patient doctor duet?!



3) The lyrics tell us that The Candy Man can make the world taste good. What's the last thing you ate? Was it delicious, or just OK?  The last thing I ate was a little handful of macadamia nuts, and they were delicious!

4) The most popular recording of this song was by Sammy Davis,  Jr. Sammy was in a horrific car accident when he was 29 years old. His cheek and nose were broken and he lost an eye. That he survived at all left him reflective and after his hospitalization, he converted to Judaism. Do you still worship in the faith you were raised in?  No, but close.  Methodists and Quakers seem to migrate back and forth across the "Mason Dixon Line" of membership all the time.  A new, at the time, Quaker friend told me this. Lol..

5) Sammy was proud of the honorary college degrees because he received because never formally attended school. As a child, he performed on the road with his father and uncle. In addition to depriving him of an education, that lifestyle kept him from kids his own age. He would later describe his childhood as, "in a word, 'lonely.'" Give us a one-word description of your childhood.  Horrendous.

6) Because he spent so much of his youth on the road, living on buses, trains and hotel rooms, he loved eventually having his own kitchen and being able to cook his own meals. This weekend, will you spend much time in the kitchen?  No. I'm basically not allowed in the kitchen for awhile. 

7) Sammy enjoyed experimenting with clothes and jewelry. What about you? Do you consider yourself conservative in dress or are you fashion forward?  I was always Fashion forward.  I once made almost all my clothes, Jr. High through the age when we were "allowed" to wear pants (peddle pushers) in college - '60 -'63.  Where you in college in the time of  "Loco Parentus"?  I was.

And then, the rise of the Counter Culture ripped right through it all...
Hard to believe isn't it?  A LINK to a page of 60's Fashions

And yes, we have COME A LONG WAY, BABY! 

8) When he died, Sammy was in debt to the IRS. Do you handle your own taxes, or do you use the services of an accountant?  Accountant.
 
9) Random question: If you had to tell nothing but the truth (not even the tiniest white lie) for 24 hours, do you think you'd get yourself in trouble?  Let's just say I would stay away from some people. No one besides Mr.Z. needs to know how I reaaaally feel about some things.  
Truth?  I'd probably just take a pill and sleep the WHOLE time, to be on the safe side. 

Told ya so Tuesday... The Moral Majority and it's Ilk.

They once called themselves, "The Moral Majority".

In the Mid Sixties, this is the group whose first big rally I went to with a pastor and his wife.  I was expecting my first child, and the whole tone of this event was so upsetting that I used my "condition" as an excuse to go outside to get some air.  I knew they were going to be very bad if they EVER got any political power. 

They are so undemocratic and counter to all that America needs, that they really should have not been allowed to gain a foothold by misusing the Christian faith.  Here's a LINK to an article about just how bad they became.

Sadly, they have only grown ever more powerful, even though parts of the Moral Majority were disgraced when they went Money and Power Mad in a big public way.

This is the group that Goldwater was speaking out about.  And here we see that the warnings were valid.  This is why the founding fathers, Christians themselves almost to a man, warned about any encroachment of  religions into the governing body Politic.  They were RIGHT!

NO religious zealots can EVER be trusted with civil rights.  It doesn't matter what Religion.  It always bodes Ill.  They will try to limit free will, the scope of human rights, and they will try to get massive power to suppress rights. 

Apparently, they are just another huge business enterprise.   I'm not surprised in the least.  I wasn't then, and I'm not now.

Think about this...We are going to have to work to Keep ourselves a Free People.  

Sunday Stealing for the 8th and the 15th

Last Week's Compassion and This week's Book Tag.... 

Thank you to Bev for this meme every week!  

Kids!  Here's a linkie to the Mother Lode at the Sunday Stealing home.  Scroll scroll scroll..

What is the most fun thing you have ever done?  

Rockhounding with our club when we went RVing out into the desert to look for "treasures".  I found a piece of an old iron trade pot that the Shoshoni, probably, left behind in a wadi out around 11 mile road.

Are you left-handed or right-handed?

I'm a leftie.  Though I've had to, over time and because of many injuries, adapt the right hand to writing, eating, and combing my hair.  Random note:  I use a bow right handed and knit right handed.  

What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

When I "left home" it was sudden.  My girl friend and her roomies took me in.  Then, later, the couple who rented to my future DH kept available a studio apartment in their complex because they were kind.  I got a new job and an apartment and was pretty happy.  It was a cute little place.

What is the biggest animal you’ve seen in the wild?

A 500 pound mother bear who came up behind me and insisted on sticking her nose in the oatmeal pot I was rinsing at the tap in Sequoia.  She got her way.  

  

What is the smallest animal you’ve seen in the wild?

I'm going to go with mammals for $40.  (Insects are all pretty darn small).  So, that would be a baby field mouse that I caught, and kept, for a pet when I was a teen.  That creature was so TINY!  It was no bigger than a grape - one with tiny gangly legs and feet!  

Do you ever have funny dreams at night?

Sometimes, yes, I do.  However, they are mostly just ODD ones.

If you could make a law for your country, what would it be?

In all laws made henceforth, THE EARTH COMES FIRST!

What would you do if you were invisible for a day?

Please let me know a day or two ahead of time when this will happen?  I need to get into position. 

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be?

I'd probably be Putin, and I would get saved, repent, and change all the laws in Russia so that the Russians could be FREE!

What would you like to change about yourself?

Since, at the moment, "I find myself in the weak and feeble body of a woman", I would like to be an Amazon.  

What is your daily routine.

Wake, eat, drink tea, eat more, watch Netflix, eat, watch Netflix, sleep, rinse, repeat.

What would your perfect day be like?

I would get an advanced look into life after death.  Knowing would just about make life bearable, or not.  Hmmm...  *rethinks all of this*

How old were you when you learned to read?

I was three.

What is the most interesting thing you know?

I know that everything runs on electricity.  Everything.

What makes you nervous?

Low flying jets where they are not supposed to be.

What is your favourite flower?

Three, actually, share that place in my heart.  I really adore Roses, Glads and Bearded Irises.

Have you ever ridden on a horse or any other animal?

I've ridden horses.

What time do you go to bed?

10 pm  but I don't sleep more than four hours. So midnight to... 

What time do you get up?

about 4 am.  I can't lie in bed any longer than that.

What is something that is always in your refrigerator?

Ice and hopefully there will always be Ice Cream but just not now.

Book Tag 

Who is your favourite author?

Modern?  Jane Smiley.  I've read everything of hers.  But I also enjoy reading books by Donna Leon.

What was the last book you read?

Madame Fourcade's Secret War.  By Lynne Olson.

What book reminds you of your school days?

None that I can recall.  It was a bloody long time ago, Mate!

What book releases are you looking forward to?

The Man Who Played With Fire  by Jan Stocklassa

What movie releases are you looking forward to?

Wait!  This is about books.  *wink*  None that I know of.  I watch whatever rolls up on Prime or Netflix.

What 3 books are you planning to read?

I read what I feel like reading so have no reading list.  

Have you ever damaged a book?

Only a text book.  It fell into the dishwater when I was doing dishes and studying at the same time.

How long does it take you to read a book?

A week, a month, a decade.  

Books you haven’t finished?

Lots of them.

Popular books you didn’t like?

I tend to like non-fiction, across the board, but I do like mysteries.  I don't generally like women's hottie sort of stuff.  Danielle Steele?  I'd rather knit than read that stuff.  

Is there a book you wouldn’t tell people you were reading?

No.

How many books do you own?

Literally thousands.

Are you a fast or slow reader?

Slow-ish.  Idk... maybe I read fast if it's something that's an easy read, like the minuscule Amish romances.  They are fun but far too short.  

Do you read better in your head our out loud? 

Better in my head.  My imagery works better in my head.    

D,D,D, Dezi : Saturday 9

Simple and plain Saturday 9 so I can do it...   Sorry Sam!
Thank you, Sam, for this every Saturday!

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it  HERE


1) In this song, Desi Arnaz encourages us to laugh and sing instead of concentrating on our troubles. Is this an approach to life you could adopt? Or are you a worrier?  I don't worry about too much anymore.  I've learned how to live in the moment, and I stay right there.

2) Because Desi's public persona was carefree, people are often surprised to learn his early life was hard. In 1933, his wealthy family was targeted by Cuban revolutionaries. Their home was destroyed and were forced to flee the country. In Miami, they lived in a warehouse and 16-year-old Desi helped support the family by cleaning cages for the man who sold canaries outside a drugstore. Think about your friends and acquaintances. Whose life story turned out to be very different than you originally thought?  Some people who cheated on a spouse, blew up their families, and didn't end up any happier?  Yah, I know of a few. 

3) While still in his teens, Desi got his first job as an entertainer. As a boy in Cuba, he expected to be a lawyer, not a musician. He only began playing guitar because he noticed girls like musicians and he liked girls. Tell us about a hobby of yours, and what inspired you to pick it up.  My mother inspired me to sew from the time she and my aunts and grandmother all had a sewing circle. 

4) He discovered he was not only a talented musician but a natural leader. By the tender age of 19, he had organized The Desi Arnaz Orchestra and they were performing in Miami hotels. Have you ever been a boss? If so, did you enjoy it?
Never been a boss.  I would not like it.

5) When he was 23, he went to Hollywood to try his hand at movies and met a 28 year old actress named Lucille Ball. In Hollywood back in 1940, it was considered embarrassing for a woman to date a younger man. Their initial attraction was so powerful she quickly got over it. Do you think age matters when it comes to romance?
Not really.  I have a hard time imagining Desi being anything but a tyrannical monster so "romantic" isn't the first thing I think of his persona.
 
6) Desi was the first person to call that famous redhead "Lucy." Throughout her entire life, friends, family and coworkers always referred to her as "Lucille," as she preferred. But Desi insisted on "Lucy." He said that name was his and his alone. Ironically it became the way the world referred to her. Do you have a pet name for anyone?
I always called my oldest daughter, "Little Bird". 
 
7) Lucille and Desi named their son and daughter after themselves. Were you named after anyone?
No, though I my name is my mother's nickname.
 
8) Desi was the founding force behind Desilu. One of the first great production studios of the television age, Desilu grossed $15 million in 1957 (more than $135 million in today's dollars). He credited his success to his unconventional and creative approach to problems. Are you a good problem solver?
Yes

9) Random question: Who annoys you more, a know-it-all or an ignoramus?
Being Ignorant is no sin.  Being a know-it-all-ignoramus is.  So, I have to say to know-it-all's who don't:  Just admit it when you are wrong?  How hard is that?

Yosemite's Falls are Roaring!

However, it Pays to Obey the rangers' cautions... HERE is why...

Hetch Hetchy is a bittersweet topic in and of itself, if you know the History clear back into the dusty past of white settlement and thence forward to now.  Heart breaking really.  It certainly broke Ansle Adams's and John Muir's hearts when the City of San Francisco set their sights on it as a reservoir.

It's still got a certain amount of beauty left, and I hope you get to see it.