Curious as a Cat - Week 327

I found this fun little meme earlier today at TheDailyMeme.com and decided to play along today. I hope that you will, too. Curious as a Cat

1) Would you rather have one free trip to space or free international travel for life?

I would rather have free international travel. I would love to go to Ireland and to Italy and maybe a few other places along the way.

2) What's your middle name? Do you like it?

I wasn't given a middle name. Neither was my sister. Our mama figured that our maiden name would be our middle name once we got married, so we didn't need one. Boy, did that cause no end of teasing and arguments at school. Nobody believed that I didn't have a middle name. They thought that I had one that I didn't want to share because it was too weird for words or something.

3) Name a time when you got into big trouble with your parents

. It would be much easier to name a time when I didn't get into trouble! I was bad about back-talking to mama and that didn't go over very well with either of my parents. I remember one time calling my mama's brain usage into question. I think that what I said hurt her feelings, but it ticked my daddy off big time.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one. (Please visit Curious as a Cat to see photo!)

This picture reminds me of jelly beans, so the first thought in my mind was "pretty colors, but ICK!"

Computer Problems

I want to apologize for the extended absence from my blogs. For the last week, I have been battling a Trojan virus. I thought that I had gotten rid of it, and then there it was again. I hope to be back on a regular schedule once my computer is stable again and some other issues are cleared up. Thank you for your patience. Have a great weekend!

Rest in Peace George "Goober" Lindsey

I grew up watching The Andy Griffith Show and David and I still watch it together via Netflix on our television.

We got sad news today. George Lindsey, the guy that played Goober the gas station attendant, has died. Rest in peace, "Goober"!

A to Z Blogging Challenge Posts

I have been participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge on my other blog named P.S. Annie! It has been fun and tomorrow is the last day.

Here are the links to those A to Z Blogging Challenge posts. I hope that you'll stop by P.S. Annie! to read and comment on them. Thanks!

Week One: April 1 - 7

A is for Annie

B is for Bruce and Bobby

C is for Cemetery

D is for Dallas

E is for Evelyn

F is for Fowler

G is for Gunter

Week Two: April 9 - 14

H is for Hula Hoop

I is for Isabella

J is for Jesus

K is for Kansas

L is for Leon

M is for Maggie

Week Three: April 16 - 21

N is for Newberry College

O is for Oliphant

P is for Pauline

Q is for Quilting

R is for Roses

S is for Sweetest Thing

Week Four: April 23 - 28

T is for Timeline

U is for University of South Carolina

V is for Vegan

W is for Wedding

X is for XXX Rated

Y is for Yesterday

Z is for Zoo

Granny

Today would be Granny's ninety-first birthday here on earth. Instead, it is her third birthday in Heaven. She died 25 March 2010 and I miss her very much.

She was a strong lady, outspoken and blunt. She said what she meant and you didn't have to question where you stood with her. Inside, she was a teddy bear. She had need of many stitches along the way to keep that heart together because life wasn't easy for her. Hurts were many, but still her love was strong.

I miss you, Granny. Happy birthday!

A to Z Blogging Challenge

Please be sure to visit my responses to the A to Z Blogging Challenge at my other blog, P.S. Annie! A, B, and C have been posted so far.

Meet Me on Monday by Acting Balanced

Questions:

1. Did you prank, get pranked or ignore April Fool's Day?

I got pranked and a big-time pranking it was! I have been waiting for ages for the release of the 1940 Census. Today, April 2, is the release date. One of the genealogy related blogs, RootDig, that I receive via e-mail sent out a note about a federal act that would keep it from being released without a presidential directive. ACK! I was all ready to send out a post of my own griping about this eleventh hour snatching, but I needed to go back to that blog e-mail to get the link for the offending Act. I clicked the link to be greeted by the fact that it was an April Fool's joke. Too funny! I'm glad that I hadn't posted my upset post! The only thing I can think of that would have been worse would be an e-mail saying that the depository housing the 1940 Census had burned. I would have been bawling my eyes out so hard that I wouldn't have been able to read the words "April Fool!" They got me good!

2. What is the most unusual thing you have in your pantry or refrigerator right now?

We have balloons in the freezer. Our youngest daughter makes balloon animals and these balloons have to be stored in the freezer before she makes them into animals.

3. If you were in the "Miss America" (or another) talent competition, what would your talent be?

If I were in the Miss America contest, I would have to say my biggest talent would be making people see something that isn't there, because if they saw what was there, I wouldn't be in the competition. :)

4. What is one thing you miss about being a kid?

The freedom to not worry about adult responsibilities. Worrying about how to clothe and feed people was for the grown-ups to worry about and I knew they'd take care of it. I also miss being able to zip around through the woods on my bicycle. That was lots of fun.

5. If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to?

I would possibly change it to "Lily". "Suzanne" means lily and it is a flower that I like very much, especially tiger lilies.


Post the answers on your blog and link up below or respond in the comment section. Either way, I'd love to hear from you!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Just click the Wednesday Hodgepodge button above to hop on over to Joyce's place to play along.

1. What's the last job you did that required elbow grease?

I would have to say scrubbing the shower. This house had a mold problem (I think this whole part of Texas has a mold problem!) and it is most evident in the bathroom.

2. March Madness, aka the men's Division I basketball championship, is nearing an end. What sort of 'madness' has your house seen this month?

I would have to say getting ready for the graduations of both our youngest son and youngest daughter. The invitations have been delivered and the caps and gowns have arrived. The rings have shown no sign of getting here any time soon, so there may not be a ring ceremony at the graduation ceremony. We still need to order the cake and make other party arrangements. We had to change the date for the ceremony several times due to conflicts, but hopefully this one sticks!

3. What's your favorite shop for browsing?

My favorite stores are bookstores, home improvement stores and some craft stores. Generally, though, I'd rather browse online instead of in person.

4. Is there ever a time when giving up makes sense?

Yes, I think so. Sometimes pursuing something is just totally pointless or even dangerous.

5. What's a song you love that contains the name of a city, state or country in its title?

I like the song Austin by Blake Shelton.

6. When did you first begin using a computer?

We got our first home computer in 1996. I was scared of it at first, afraid that I'd end up launching a missile or something. It was probably late 1996 or early 1997 when I got brave enough to try it out.

7. Did you buy girl scout cookies this year? What's your favorite?

Yes. We got the shortbread cookies and peanut butter cookies. David loves the shortbread cookies and the peanut butter ones are my favorite. Personally, I think the shortbread cookies are great, too, especially with peanut butter on them. :)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm thinking lots about how things will go for us once all of the kids are in college. We'll have three there this fall. On the one hand this will give us opportunity to do more jobs, but it might also mean a lot more driving back and forth to the school as we only have one car and that isn't going to change any time soon.

I'm also excited about the impending release of the 1940 US Census. I am going to be an indexer and hope that I do a good job of it. Mistakes are frustrating all the way around. I just hope that I'll be able to decipher the handwriting!

You might also want to join the April A to Z Blog Challenge that I read about on From This Side of the Pond. Check it out; it looks like it will be lots of fun!

Writer's Workshop

Be sure to click the button above to join Mama Kat's writing fun!

The prompt that I chose this week is:

Describe an outfit you LOVED wearing.

Back in the late 1980s, I had a blue chambray skirt and top. The skirt was supposed to be about mid-calf length, but on me, it came to my ankles. I like skirts on the long side, so that was OK with me. There was a ruffle at the bottom of the skirt. The shirt had pearl-like buttons. I wore it out instead of tucked in.

I also wore a metal belt that had circle links and ovals with some sort of design that I can't remember at the moment. This belt is about as close as I've been able to find in a web search. While the links on mine were round, the closed metal pieces were ovals.

I had white boots with little pointed heels similar to these Victorian boots. The boots were just above ankle high and had pointy toes. I loved those boots, although they were exactly the best choice for climbing on Stone Mountain. I wrecked them there.

I don't think that I have any pictures of myself in this outfit. It was one of my late father-in-law's favorites to see me in. Because he really liked it, this is the outfit that I wore to his funeral. My husband really liked it, too. I don't know whatever happened to it, but I would love to have an outfit like that again.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Just click the Wednesday Hodgepodge button above to hop on over to Joyce's place to play along.


This week's questions:

1. The first day of spring is here...do you enjoy working in the yard? Weeding, raking, mowing, planting-your favorite springtime garden chore? How about your least favorite?

Yes, I enjoy working in the yard, but not when it is a zillion degrees out there. I was making progress until someone interfered with my efforts, then I got sick. I just haven't totally gotten back into the swing of things yet. It is too squishy to do much of anything out there right now. But PTL for all of the rain because we sure needed it.

2. What puts a spring in your step?

My feet can't do too much "springing" right now because one of them is still recovering from a fall. But, what excites me is genealogy and visiting cemeteries looking for tombstones and statuary to photograph.

3. Describe a time when you had to spring into action?

The first thought that comes to mind for me was when one of my daughter's got a broken arm. She was out playing with the older kids and they were using a basketball as a soccer ball and it clipped the tips of her fingers. When that happened, it snapped both the radius and the ulna clean through right at the growth point near the wrist. It had to be reset and that had to be one of the most painful things that I've witnessed. They could have given her an anesthetic, but they said that would hurt her as much as the resetting. She told them to just go ahead without the anesthetic. She was maybe seven years old at the time. She was a trooper. I felt like screaming for her. It was awful. The weird thing about it was that it was healed in less than three weeks' time. I was very surprised at how fast it healed.

4. We're having carrots for dinner...would you prefer yours raw or cooked?

I like them both ways, but preferred the cooked ones...cooked baby carrots are my favorite.

5. Do you take the shampoos and other sundries from your hotel room when its time to check out?

Usually, especially if we have opened them already.

6. What's the most enjoyable team or club you've belonged to and what was it that made it so?

I enjoyed being part of Baptist Young Women. It was a fun time of fellowship and learning and growing in our faith.

7. Is cloning a sign of progress?

I suppose it could be seen as such, but I think it is more of a backing-up. Anything that has us playing God takes us further from Him, in my opinion, and isn't a true movement forward.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I wish that I were better about burying feelings on various things. I also think often about how funny some words are. Visually, they look like they would rhyme, like goes and does or goose and choose, but they don't rhyme at all when you say them. English is my native tongue, but it still doesn't make any sense to me. :)

Meet Me on Monday with Acting Balanced

This Meet Me on Monday was started by Acting Balanced because we missed Java from Never Growing Old so very much! Please be sure to visit both sites.



Please be sure to click the button above to play along!

This week's questions:

1. How do you like your eggs?

I like them the most where the whites are cooked and the yolk is in a bubble that can be popped to make the yolk ooze everywhere. I also like them scrambled and boiled.

2. Who is the last person you spoke to on the phone?

I think that it was my youngest son, but at the moment I'm not positive.

3. Do you have a place you keep 'junk' in your home?

Yes.

4. What is on your 'spring cleaning' list?

We're working on doing the entire house and rearranging how we're using the rooms.

5. What blog post have you written recently that you'd like more people to know about? (don't forget to link it up)

It is a post on my One Thousand Gifts blog titled "Forgiveness". It is actually about a month old, but I haven't been too faithful with posting lately.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Be sure to visit Joyce at From This Side of the Pond by clicking the button above!

1. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated this coming Saturday...what's a favorite article of clothing you own that contains a touch o' the green?

I own several articles of clothing that are green and one I won't go into great detail on. I have a green peasant top with white embroidery down the front and another green top that might also be considered a peasant top, but I'm not sure. It has tassels for ties and they're forever getting knotted up, but I love the shirt. I also have a pink St. Patrick's themed shirt with shamrocks on it.

2. What's a favorite 'green space' in the town, state, or province where you live?

My favorite "green space" is a cemetery. Maybe that isn't what is meant by this question, but it is one of my favorite places to be.

3. Do you wish you were taller, shorter, or think you're just about right in the height department?

My whole life I've wanted to be taller. I have been tired of being called names or having it pointed out to me (like I didn't already know!) that I am short. I am 4'10" tall, give or take, and at this point in my life I am fine with that. I'm a carbon copy of my grandma. I am the height that Heavenly Father intended for me to be and who am I to argue with what He thought best for me?

4. What's the surest way for someone to pick a fight with you?

Messing with one of my kids or my husband is a sure way to get something stirred up with me.

5. Broccoli-Spinach-String Beans-Peas...of the four, your favorite green veg? (Or the one you dislike the least if that first option's too hard. I just know there's some veggie haters out there.)

I can't choose! I love all of them very much.

6. March is National Women's History Month...besides friends, neighbors and the women you're related to, who's a woman in history you admire and why?

This question took a lot of thought because the women that I admire the most are in the categories that are off limits. I would have to say Helen Keller. She had so much against her, but fought her way through it. She didn't let it hold her back or use it as a crutch to get out of making something of herself. I think she was a very strong woman.

7. Keep Calm and ____________on.
You fill in the blank.

Keep calm and dream on...in the good way. No matter what is falling apart around you, stay calm and hold onto your dreams.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

The bluebonnets are in full swing here in Gulf Coast Texas!

Where I've Been

One of the rules that I've read about blogging is to not apologize for one's absences or irregular posting. Somehow, that just doesn't feel right to me. I want to apologize for being absent for the last week and for not being prompt with responses to your comments. I do appreciate them all very much!

There's been a weird "funk" around here the last week or so. David and I just can't seem to get motivated to do the things we want and/or need to do. Allergies are wrecking the both of us, but we're pushing through (with no real brain power!)

We have managed to get our assignments done as well as some genealogy work that I hope to post about this week. Saturday evening I threw a monkey wrench in graveyard visiting by falling out of a stage entrance at the local college. I had just gotten out of my mouth to my husband to be careful and then SPLAT there I go falling out of it. I went to the ER because after the snapping that I felt I was concerned that it might be broken. It wasn't, thankfully. It is only sprained and feeling better at this particular moment.

I hope that all of you are doing well and I will try to get caught up with responding to your comments. Have a great week!

Meet Me on Monday by Acting Balanced

This Meet Me on Monday was started by Acting Balanced because we missed Java from Never Growing Old so very much! Please be sure to visit both sites.




Here are today's Questions:

1. What was the first live concert you ever attended?

I believe that it was a Sandi Patty concert. She has an amazing voice!

2. What colors look best on you?

When I was a little girl, dark green looked great on me. Maybe it is still a good color for me, but I rarely if ever wear it. I generally stick to earth tones and occasionally a red slips in there. My preferred color is black.

3. What is one thing about you that most people wouldn't know?

I am an incredibly bashful person and most people know this. But, during the delivery of my first baby, I had an audience. A class of about 30 student nurses (both male and female) asked if they could be present for the birth. I apparently told them yes, though I have no recollection of this.

4. Who would you call to be bailed out of jail?

I don't know. Nobody I know has access to large sums of money at the drop of a hat. I'd just be toast.

5. What do you think is the greatest invention of your lifetime and why?

It certainly isn't Facebook, that's for sure. I'd be happy if that fell off of the planet and ceased to exist. I think that I would choose digital photography. Though I prefer the old ways and had a lot of fun watching my husband develop pictures in the darkroom, digital photography gives instant feedback to those of us lacking in patience. I can tell before I spend a zillion dollars to develop a roll of film whether the picture is worth printing or not. No wasted film, no wasted paper. Unfortunately, no physical darkroom either.

First Birthday

Thank you to all of you that have been with Random Thoughts by Suzanne over this past year. Our one year anniversary was on February 15th and, naturally, I missed it!

I look forward to the year ahead and appreciate the reading, commenting, and sharing that you all do here.

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Please click the button above to join the fun!

1. February 22nd is National Be Humble Day...what makes you proud? What keeps you humble?

My children make me very proud. They aren't out there running wild and getting into trouble. What keeps me humble is knowing that I'm just a tiny speck in the grand scheme of things and He loved me enough to secure my future.


2. Where is the catch-all (aka dumping ground) in your house?

I think the whole house fits that description at the moment.


3. Do you make it a point to visit State/National Parks when you travel or even in your own hometown? What's your favorite?

It is one thing that I'd like to do, but we don't often go anywhere that is near a state or national park.


4. How would you define honor?

I think it is fighting and possibly dying for what you believe in. It is doing right even when it would be easier or more fun to do wrong. It is defending the defenseless. It is putting others before yourself.


5. Angel's food or Devil's food-which cake do you prefer?

Devil's food wins, though I'm not at all fond of the name! I think "Brat's Food" would work so much better. I'm a brat, so I should know. :)

6. What's the most recent road trip you've taken? Where did you go and how many hours did you spend in the car? Do you like to zoom to your destination without stopping or leisurely wind your way there with stops along the way? What is your car snack of choice?

We went further north in the state that had me driving for ten or so hours. If I had chosen to drive straight through Houston, there would have been less drive time overall, but there would have also been a freaked-out Suz at the end of the journey. We don't have the option of non-stop driving. One of us is diabetic and the other one is a old lady. Many stops are going to happen on any journey that we make. Generally, I like barbecue chips and Diet Coke.


7. Recent headlines told how a preschool child in NC had their packed lunch from home taken away and a school lunch substituted by a school inspector who deemed the homemade lunch unhealthy. Reportedly the parent was then billed for the school lunch (chicken nugget meal) although an update to the story says the parent was not billed. The inspector was conducting a routine inspection of the classroom-he/she was not there solely to peek in the lunchboxes. The packed lunch contained a turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple juice box, a bag of chips, and a banana. You can read the story here. Your thoughts?

Personally, I think the government is stepping way out of bounds. It should be the parents' choice what their child eats or doesn't eat. If they want to inspect the school-provided lunches, then let them have at it, but stay out of the private lunches. It is none of their business. It sounds to me like the lunch the little girl brought from home met the guidelines. She had a meat, a grain, a dairy, and two fruits. Sure, the chips aren't necessarily the healthiest thing, but how healthy are the school's extras? It just seems silly and intrusive to me to give this family grief over their child's lunch when most schools these days have soft drink vending machines all over the place. Maybe they should get their "healthy police" to get rid of those soft drink machines and leave little girls alone to eat their turkey sandwiches!


8. Insert your own random thought here.

I am wondering what happened to the little baby that I just read about in the newspaper online from back home. I'm also wondering how a family can bury two family members within four days and survive, but I hope that they do.

Meet Me on Monday by Acting Balanced

1. What is your favorite kind of soup?

I love a chicken noodle soup that I had at a pizza place a couple of months ago. The noodles were more bread-like than the usual pasta noodle. It was delicious!

2. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?

The Lion King in 3D.

3. What is your least favorite TV program?

My least favorite TV program is anything with people showing off more than what should be shown to the general public. That pretty much limits what I like as most everything has half-nakey people on it these days.

4. If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?

My Walk Through the Valley.

5. What 3 places that are on your bucket list to visit?

Ireland.
Scotland.
Greensburg, Kansas.

Saturday 9

1. Do you every solicit advise on your love life?

Sometimes I talk to my friends and ask for suggestions or feedback.

2. What was the last thing you argued with someone about?

I have insecurities that cause jealousy and that is generally the source of arguments involving me.

3. Who do you hate right now?

We aren't supposed to hate anybody. Unfortunately, I am not honoring this rule at the moment. It wouldn't be a good idea for me to name the person. I am working on not hating them, but this might take a while.

4. Who do you love right now?

My husband, my children, my birth family, and my friends.

5. Where do you want to be in 6 years?

I would love to be most anywhere but where I'm at.

6. What is your craziest vice?

I find my thrill on Cemetery Hill. I stalk dead people. In other words, I like to hang out in graveyards. I totally love genealogical research and it involves a lot of this. I'm not sure if that is a "vice" or not. It is just all that my husband and I could come up with for this question.

7. How did you celebrate Valentines Day?

We watched the movie Endless Love, which is what we watched on our first date on my sixteenth birthday.

8. What is your most unique or fondest memory of a special Valentine's Day?

There are two that come to mind (my husband's, not mine; my memory is shot!).

When I was sixteen years old and living in the Upstate of South Carolina (where they do have a winter time), I wore a sundress on Valentine's Day because my then-boyfriend/now-husband loved the way that dress looked on me. Never mind that it was February and below freezing. I loved him and wore it for him. I don't remember being cold at all.

The second one is that my husband can't hide things from me. I find what he hides generally. One Valentine's Day, he decided not to fight it anymore. He bought candy and just laid it out in the open, right under my nose. I never found it. He surprised me that year. :)

If you want me to find it, hide it. If you want me to miss it, put it in plain sight.

9. Were you in the same location five years ago that you are today? Would you have expected to be?

Yes, I was. Expected? Yes. Wanting? No, but I figure I'm stuck here until I get that 8' x 4' piece of real estate.

Writer's Workshop: Don't Want To!

Click the button above to see the full list of this week's prompts and join the fun!


3.) Create a reverse bucket list that names the top ten things you never want to do.
(Inspired by The Hairpin)

I never want to...

...OK, I had my list of ten "don't want tos" and then my husband pointed out that writing those down was one sure way to cause them to happen. So, I deleted that list and here is a sarcastic version. :)

I never want to...

  1. ...eat cotton candy.
  2. ...ride a roller coaster.
  3. ...see Monticello.
  4. ...live in the Biltmore House.
  5. ...win the Powerball lottery.
  6. ...play ping-pong 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
  7. ...have the most productive blog on the Internet.
  8. ...have a totally toned body.
  9. ...publish a #1 best-selling serial killer novel.
10. ...have "Shattered" hanging in the Louvre.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Please click the button above to join Joyce's Wednesday Hodgepodge fun!

1. George Washington-Abraham Lincoln-Thomas Jefferson...who would you most like to meet and why?

Most definitely I would love to meet Thomas Jefferson. He's supposedly in my family tree (still working to confirm or deny that!) and I think that he was a very interesting character. I think that his house and grounds are beautiful.

2. What's your favorite chain restaurant?

I love Olive Garden. Everything about it is great. The food, the decor, and the service, it's all great.

3. I spied this question on the Bears at Home blog last week and she gave me permission to steal borrow it-

When you look back on your life, do you imagine you'll think about the goals you failed to meet with regret? Or will you look at what you accomplished and say: it was good?

There are things at this point already that I wish I had done or done differently. There's no going back. I can only hope to do better from this day forward and I'm working on it.

4. Grapefruit-take 'em or leave 'em? Given the choice between an orange and a grapefruit which would you choose? Would you prefer it served as is or squeezed into juice?

I am majorly allergic to grapefruits and have a milder allergy to oranges. The last time I drank grapefruit juice (well over 25 years ago), it wanted out of me so fast that it passed itself...as I was drinking it, it was coming back up. It didn't even have time to warm up. Yucky, I know, but it is the truth!

5. When was the last time you cleaned out a closet? Is there a closet in your home that currently needs cleaning? What are you waiting for?

All of them could do with a good sorting and cleaning out. I'm waiting for the energy to do it. And maybe for the good fairies to beat me to it.

6. You get to have lunch with three famous people...who would you like to see round your table?

I think that I would enjoy a visit with Zig Ziglar. He is a great motivator and seems to be a genuinely nice man. I also think that it would be interesting to have Frank and Jesse James there, too. I want to know if my take on the reasons for their actions is on the mark. I know what I believe; I just want to know if it is true or not.

7. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your ability to parallel park?

-1000. OK, that isn't a scale of 1-10, but it is way more accurate in my case than 1-10 would be. I stink at it. I can't do it and, personally, I think the way they require it to be done is an accident waiting to happen!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I made an interesting find today. I found a pension application for one of my great-great grandfathers on my mama's side of the family. His name was Jim Spence. He enlisted in the CSA, Company C, Palmetto Sharpshooters, Jenkins Brigade, in August 1863 at age 16 and was in service until after the surrender in April 1865. He died in October 1923. You can learn some very interesting things about family members by reading these pension applications.