Random Qs Wednesday

* What is the most important thing about electronics? What does this say about you?

I don't know that it's the most important thing, in general, but the most pertinent thing to me about
electronics is that the technology allows me to communicate with not only my far-away friends and family -- but to communicate, in general, in a way that's comfortable to me. I'm one of those weird temperaments (INFJ on the Meyer's Briggs scale thingy) that is essentially an introvert with an inborn instinct to communicate. I could live on a desert island and never again see another living soul, so long as I had books and internet with messaging (and, well, yeah, my husband. I would miss him terribly if he weren't here, live and in living color). Also, Amazon music playlists and Audiobooks, are, in my opinion, the best things ever invented.

That said, though, looking at the big picture, I think the internet has been a weirdly bipolar force in our modern world. It can be a very dangerous portal to evil -- in the same way that books, magazines, television and movies have always been, and so must be carefully monitored if used at all by our children, and carefully used by just everyone. But there are all kinds of evil introduced by the internet. It's allowed the detrimental influence of the globalist cabal through Big Tech and the lamestream media to have a far larger sway than I think they would have if folks didn't walk around with constant updates from the far left popping up literally in their hands 24/7/365. BUT, it's also allowed for the alternate media to have an international voice that it probably could not have had otherwise. If we were still connected chiefly through print media and four television stations, none of us would know the first thing about all the fraud in the 2020 election, for instance, and the reality of the mind control perpetrated through the so many worldwide industries. So, yeah. The technology that's come with electronics is a double-edged sword. We will never go back to the simple days of limited media we think we can trust, so I guess the take-away is to be grateful we do have good options (if we're vigilant and thoughtful) where we can still find and discern the truth of what is really going on in the world. 

What this says about me: I guess I really do still want to know what's going on in the world -- as much as it pains me. And I want to be able to comment on it. But not in person. So the technology scales tip to positive for me.

1. 
   
2. 
   
   * Why do people care about celebrities? Do you care about celebrities?
3. 
   
4. 
   
   I believe the world's fascination with celebrities comes from the fact that we are hardwired to seek a Higher Authority, a Greater Good. In a world that has become increasingly Godless, worldly people have defaulted to those figures that have been glamorized by the influencers (BigTech and Lamestream Media) instead of to God. Things like beauty, power, money, and fame, and athletic ability have become our gods. Not an unusual problem in the history of the world, but the general acceptance of Godlessness and the marginalization -- and even persecution -- of Godliness has reached epic proportions. A sad situation. Pop celebrities are almost those with the least intelligence, character, personal morality and wisdom, and least worthy of our attention.
5. Needless to say, I don't care the least about pop celebrities. The closest thing to pop celebrities in my world are folks like G.K. Chesterton and Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen -- who are almost contemporary figures (and flawed, yes, but men worth some credit). Far better celebrities are the Blessed Mother and the whole Communion of Saints, that goes without saying. If I were forced to choose a current "celebrity," there are a couple people for whom I I do have a high regard. I generally trust the opinions of  D'nesh DSouza, for instance, and Sean Hannity and Candace Owens, and I have an appreciation for the vision and political integrity of our president, Donald Trump. But my regard for them is with careful vigilance and nowhere close to undying loyalty. I don't give a hoot about movie stars or athletes, though. Seriously. Meh. 

1. 
   
2. * What is the most annoying thing someone can do to you?
3. There's annoying and annoying. Cracking of knuckles is an irritant, but one I can ignore. Mumbling bothers me -- just because I have a hard enough time hearing anyways, and I do want to know what you are saying. But really annoying, that which is hard to brush away -- is when I ask someone to be mindful of cleaning up after themselves (shutting drawers and cabinets, for instance) -- and they just don't do it. Repeatedly. I hate to be taken for granted as the slave of the house when it takes so little effort for people who also live here to be thoughtful in small ways. I know it's a great means of mortification to follow behind people and just do these things, but the flip of that coin is that I am then enabling these people to be thoughtless cretins. Not a good thing. Am I right, Moms, or am I right?
4. 
   
5. * Do you overexaggerate? What are the pros and cons of this?
6. 
   "Over-exaggerate?" I guess that depends on what you mean by exaggerating overly. (wink) Um. To answer honestly: most of the people in my family have a strong inclination to the Irish telling of tales -- that talent which takes the simplest chronology of events and turns it into entertainment, complete with creative embellishment of details. Not lying exactly, just tweaking the hue and contrast of the picture a bit, iykwim. In other words, not something necessarily to be taken to the priest in Confession, but if you ask someone else to tell you the same story, it might not sound quite the same. But they're the same story. It's just that the Irish story teller stands on a different side of every "room" -- the side where the fun interpretation colors the viewpoint.

Pro: Lots more fun.

Con: Some people object to having more fun and want the facts; only the facts.

1. * Have you played any instruments before? Which instruments?
2. The flutophone in 7th grade. If you handed me one today, 44 years later, I could probably still play the Carol of the Bells. And nothing else. I have a dulcimer I really want to learn how to play, though. We'll see if my brain can still learn such a thing.
3. 
   
4. * Do you like taking selfies? Why or why not?
5. No. Too much nose. No matter how I hold the phone, I look like this:
6. 
   
   
   
   
   God took good care of any inclination toward vanity for me. 
   
   

Random Questions

 List two things that are more easily done than said. (No, I didn't mix them up.)

1. Origami. You just have to show how it's done. In the same way you have to demonstrate how to do an inside-out ponytail or a bun, which are hair origami.
2. Also Pie Crusts and bread dough. You can read the instructions, but you really just need to do it a few times or watch someone do it, before you know how the dough should look and feel to be properly done.

1. 
   When was the last time you worked really hard to achieve something?
2. Painting the medallion figure of The Sacred Heart for Fr. P's ordination vestments was truly
   challenging. I'd never painted with oils before -- and hadn't painted anything but furniture since I was a teenager, so I had to study up, pray a lot, and put a lot of hours into it. It was far from perfect -- heaven knows, Fr. P could have done so much better -- but I really truly did my best and it turned out better than I very much feared it would!
3. How many all nighters have you pulled?
4. Oh, wow. hundreds. Or, well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but, really: a lot. When I worked on the college paper, we pulled all-nighters fairly often, getting the paper out. Then I become a mother. Ten times.  'Nough said. 
5. If humans didn't evolve to laugh or smile, how would we express our happiness instead? There are small children I know who jump up and down, flapping their hands when they're happy and that's a fairly natural and effective expression of excitement, I think -- but it would be exhausting when you got to be my age. 
6. How many romantic "things" or "flings" have you had?
   
7.                                                        One fling -- 33 years long. 
8. What is your paradise?
9. The closest thing to earthly paradise to me right now is finishing up a good list of chores and just hanging out in my cozy home with Dan (working in the library, maybe), my little dog, Dawsey, lying on the couch by my feet, a glass of good wine at my elbow, a good book to read, and nothing on my calendar hanging over my head. (Which is a description of right now. I don't take it for granted!)
10. 
    

Random Question Day

Why?

               Why not? 

1. 
   1. Do you bite or lick ice cream? I lick. Mostly. I think. Whatever it is that I do, I end up finishing faster than I should. Like all eating scenarios. I eat twice as fast as Dan. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch today and split an order of twenty wings -- and even though I was also talking twice as fast, I finished all my wings before he'd finished his first five. Here's the thing, though: he's the one who's probably going to have indigestion later. It may be that's more because of all my jibberjabbering, though...? (I'm not going to ask him.)
2. 2. What is home to you? Having moved more than twenty-four times in my 56 years, I've learned better than most that this earth is my ship and not my home. The longest I ever lived in any house was the ten years we spent at the little farm out in Byers, Colorado, but I don't regret a single move we made. Though many might think it's a bad thing for a child (teen, adult, old person) to never have the security of a stationary home to rely upon (and I can see how someone with strong ties to one place might feel that way), I don't miss what I never had -- and actually rather feel that I've gained a perspective that in some ways can be a boon, spiritually and otherwise. I have very little attachment to things, as you might imagine, and even now consider the idea of moving and creating a comfortable and inviting home in a new place a challenge and a delight. I really do! You may think I'm crazy, but as much as I love our beautiful farmhouse in the Iowa Hills, having lived here five years now, I'm starting to get itchy feet! I'm going to need to paint some walls or something. Or maybe it's time we passed this way-too-big-for-us house on to one of the kids with a family and started to build the little cottage we've been dreaming of up on the hill... (Stay tuned for more on that thought.)

Anyway, that's the long answer. The short answer -- maybe the better answer -- is that my earthly home is where Dan is. And where the big green cabinet is. And my books. And the coffee pot.

1. 3. What was the last lie you told? Oh golly. I never lie. And there you have it.
2. 4. Does everyone deserve the truth? Yes, everyone deserves the truth, but there's a time and a place for it -- and a way of telling it. We never told our children that Santa or the Easter Bunny were real, for instance, but the truth of the mysteries of life -- how the stork delivers babies, you know -- should be revealed privately by a trusted authority (preferably Mom or Dad), with the appropriate amount of information at the appropriate age. 
3. 
   5. Describe a moment in which you did something unacceptable in a bad situation. I have an overdeveloped sense of justice and an underdeveloped sense of propriety, and it has caused me and others conflict at times, I'm afraid. 
4. When I was about twelve years old, my little sister was supposed to be helping my little brother load the dishwasher after having had dinner with our grandparents. As very often happened, my siblings got to bickering. If I recall properly, it was because my brother thought he was doing the lion's share of the work (and I think I agreed with him -- but then, he was my Irish Twin and I would have been on his side, regardless). So my brother was miffed and threatened to tell on my sis -- and in the mist of the decades since, I may have gotten the order of things turned around, but I think in response, she threw a piece of spaghetti on him and he retaliated by turning over the half-finished glass of iced tea he had in his hand over her head. And, of course, our Mom came in just in time to see the dousing and yelled at my brother. I butted in, trying to stand up for him, and made everything worse -- mainly for myself. Not for my sibs, though; they were probably pretty tickled that I took the spotlight off them... But I got into a rather regrettable fight with my Mom -- and ran away (my solution for most problems at that time), spending the rest of the day and into to dusk, sitting in a pecan tree on the golf course, eating pecans. I finally came home when I was so thirsty, I was pretty sure I was going to die. But, the long and short of it is that no justice was served except that I was justifiably placed on restriction to the house for a month. I'd embarrassing my Mom in front of her parents (badly done, Lis), but I'd embarrassed myself worse. I'm not sure grandparents ever thought the same about me after that. Little did they know, I really was not the problem child in my family; in fact I was the straight-A student who really never did cause trouble. But I never felt that way around them. I feel my ears getting red even as I type out this memory. I hope I learned something from it, but I'm not sure how well it's stuck. I still have an overdeveloped sense of justice. I feel sorry for the kaffoffle with my Mom so many years ago and have no trouble apologizing for that bad behavior. But nowadays the kaffoffles aren't about strands of spaghetti and iced tea dumpings, but in the defense of my Faith -- and (lately, especially) in the defense of freedom and the American way of life under the Constitution. I can't bring myself to apologize for that.

More Questions For Anyone Who Wants 'Em

(From a random question generator.)

I may tackle some another day. 

1.  List two things that are more easily done than said. (No, I didn't mix them up.)
2. When was the last time you worked really hard to achieve something?
3. How many all nighters have you pulled?
4. If humans didn't evolve to laugh or smile, how would we express our happiness instead?
5. How many romantic "things" or "flings" have you had?
6. What is your paradise?
7. What is your favorite background noise? (Ex. Water dripping, people talking.)
8. How many hearts do you think you have broken?
9. What is the most important thing about electronics? What does this say about you?
10. Why do people care about celebrities? Do you care about celebrities?
11. What is the most annoying thing someone can do to you?
12. Do you overexaggerate? What are the pros and cons of this?
13. Have you played any instruments before? Which instruments?
14. Do you like taking selfies? Why or why not?

Randomness

My favorite weekly meme, the following questions are thrown out by Linda at Second Cup of Coffee every Wednesday.  It's great fun to read through all the different answers her questions generate!  Go check some out if you have a chance.

1. How good are you at delaying gratification? 
 It depends on what it is.  I can wait and patiently work toward a greater goal (like moving back to the Western Slope of Coloado); I can live with particle board flooring in my kitchen while we save up for hardwood; I can even hang onto a bottle of Guinness until Saturday night's movie with Dan, but if there's a Snickers in the cupboard or a chocolate chip on the counter...  Well, forget it.

2. Maybe a marshmallow wouldn't be too difficult a temptation for you. What food (or anything else) would be most tempting?
Um, chocolate.  Definitely. Or coffee.  Or -- the combination of the two: mocha.

3. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being saintly) how patient are you?
  Oh, my word.  I started out in this life being about a 2.  And I occasionally slip back to a 2.  But, for the most part, on any given day (when I'm neither pregnant, nor dieting, nor  suffering the results of insomnia) I'm about a 3.

4. Have you ever waited for something in life only to be disappointed upon realization of the goal/object/etc.?
I'm racking (wracking?) my brains to think of an example of when this would have been true for me, but can't think of a thing.  Any time I haven't reached a long-sought goal, I've been well satisfied with the substitution.  For instance:  After 3 1/2 years of college, I wound up short of graduating by less than 20 credits -- but I got Dan instead of a diploma.  I waited through my whole childhood, looking forward to being an adult; and here I am, forty-five years old, getting wrinkles and grey hair, and somewhere along the line, I missed that magical adulthood distinction.  I have no more confidence and security now than I did when I was sixteen years old.  But it's all good; I got a houseful of kids and license to play instead.

5. Are you a person who takes shortcuts?
Evry chnce I get.

6. Which line is hardest to wait in?
It just kills me to be stuck in the long line of cars coming down from the mountains on any ski weekend afternoon.  You can't help but feel trapped; I-70 really is the only way down from the places we tend to go, and there is just no speeding up the trip, even though there is rarely any obvious reason for everyone to be going so slow.  35 mph is a good day, and if there's an accident, the highway is just a parking lot.  You  wouldn't wonder if some folks took the skis off their ski racks and skiied along the highway to get home.

7. Did you wait to discover the gender of your unborn child until its birth?
We did with our first child, Paul, who was a boy.  Then, when our second pregnancy was twins, the docs were in there looking around so much, it was impossible to keep a secret that they were little boys.  I think we went ahead and took a peek with numbers 3 and 4 (both boys), but our OB with #5 refused to tell us -- him and his Irish humor!  Number 5 turned out to be our first little girl and (Thank-you, Dr. Delaney)  it was a lovely surprise.  For the next five, we chose to know, the surprise being less appealing than the chance to dig out the right gender bins of baby clothes ahead of time.

8. Are you more patient with children or the elderly?
Well, let me qualify first of all, that, to  be perfectly honest, I'm more patient with other people's children than with my own.  But, I have never felt impatient toward the elderly.

9. Did you ever sneak a peek at a present? 
Never. God is looking, you know.  I admit I'm impatient, but I'm not dishonest.

10. What is the longest you've ever waited for anything?
It took us almost three years of sweat and work, to try  to sell the farm so we could move to the Western Slope --  And we made the move, thinking the property had sold, but it hadn't.  We're still trying to sell the farm.  We're still waiting.

11. Who has more patience, you or your significant other?
Oh, no question about it.  This is a no-brainer for anyone who knows us.  Dan is definitely more patient.  Thank God. 

12. Which of the following songs about waiting is your pick for the best? (OK, you may substitute another, if you like.)
A) Anticipation by Carly Simon
B) The Waiting by Tom Petty
C) Right Here Waiting for You by Richard Marx
D) Wait for Me by Rebecca St. James

My substitution -- and one of my theme songs -- because I tend to do things quickly, and some of the dear people I'm around most of the time -- don't.  Bless their pokey little hearts.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Jack Johnson | MySpace Music Videos


Here's the famous video of this song that I couldn't paste due to copyrights or something; it's a lot of fun and worth a look if you haven't seen it.  Jack Johnson references it at the beginning of this clip.

Random Dozen, January 20th

1. So I was thinking about how Jon Bon Jovi never seems to age much. His hair is smaller nowadays, but he still manages to look like a boy somehow. And then that made me think of the story of Dorian Gray. Question: If you physically lock in one age for yourself, which would you choose and why?

I would want freeze time in my early twenties, back when I could eat anything I wanted without a thought, exercise as little or as much as I wanted without repercussion, and never gave my skin a second thought. 


2. What is the best dish that you cook or bake (your piece de resistance?)

 I claim no fame as a cook, but I think I'm pretty good at anything that can be made in one big pot: soup or stew, spaghetti, gumbo, stroganoff, mystery casserole, etc. I like a menu with very few pots to have to wash, that can feed an army, and that I can embellish with pretty much any combination of odd ingredients that I happen to have left over in the fridge.  And, though these dishes are never the same twice, and their ancestry questionable, the kids never complain.

3. When you feel blue, what is one strategy you use to help yourself back to normal?

 A sure cure for the blues for me is a getaway to the mountains.  If I can't do that, listening to upbeat music usually turns the tide, or watching Olly and Stanley, or just having a conversation with the Littles -- who are probably more funny than Olly and Stanley. 

4. When was the last time you danced in public?

Um.  I don't dance in public.  I may have been guilty on a couple of occasions in college, having most likely had some kind of alcoholic encouragement, but I wouldn't be caught dead nowadays.  I do have some smidgeon of dignity, still in tatters perhaps, but worth hanging onto. I have two left feet is the truth of the matter and am usually too preoccupied trying to keep track of toddlers to think of keeping a beat. As a matter of record, actually, I didn't dance at my son's wedding -- but I didn't need to because my mother and father-in-law got out there and cut such a rug that anyone else attempting looked ridiculous.  (Except maybe Theresa, getting dipped in the above pic from the wedding reception...)

5. Do you consider yourself a realist or dreamer? 

Oh, my gosh.  Good question.  I think I'm a hybrid.  I'm a dreamer about big things, but a realist about little things.  I dream about moving back to my beloved home on the Western Slope of Colorado, but I'm realistic about what it will take to get there -- and so I'm painting walls and de-cluttering the outbuildings, and holding on until the timing is right.  The little things, the realistic things, have to come before the big dreams can happen...

6. As a parent, what is one thing that you have done well?

I am humbled and blessed by the fact that my children -- from the youngest to the oldest -- talk to me, tell me their dreams and frustrations, and share with me the details of their lives.  I don't know that that is so much my doing as our family culture or the fact that we're all a bunch of big mouths, but it's something that I'm very grateful for.

7. Which is your favorite character on the Andy Griffith show? 

Will I have to duck stones and pinecones if I admit that I really don't like the Andy Griffith Show?  My mom even comes from NC, but I just can't stand that show. I love hometown, I love wholesome, I even love some of the early comedy of Andy Griffith himself, but the pace or the hoak or Don Knots adams apple --- something irritates me about that series. To be perfectly honest, though, I really don't care for any show like that.  Except for I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke, I can honestly say I have not purposely sat down in front of a sitcom or dramedy of any kind for many, many years. 

8. On a scale of 1-10, how much do you know about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

 Oh, gee, in the world of knowlege about any human being, I'd say my knowlege of MLK was likely the tip of the iceberg.  In fact, since I didn't go to public schools, and my children don't go to public schools, my knowlege is probably more like the tip of the tip of the iceberg.  I'd say it tops out at maybe a 3.  But ask me anything about Queen Isabella of Spain or Pope Pius X.

9. Have you never been mellow? Have you never tried … to find a comfort from in side you? (Sorry, Jorge was singing that song just now, and it just seemed to be perfect timing as I was creating this week’s questions.) REAL question: What is your #1 driving pet peeve?

Children who come in the front door and. drop. their. shoes. right. in. the. middle. of. the. floor!  AGH!

  Other than that...  You know when you're driving on the highway and two miles ahead of time, signs start alerting drivers about a lane closure ahead?  Arrows point it out, graphic signs display exactly what the lane is going to do and when.  Every forty feet there is a sign.  No chance every driver on the highway is not aware that they need to merge into the open lanes.  So you get over, right?  You'd think.  But some people don't think those signs apply to their world, or they are snoozing at the wheel, or they are just plain arrogant.  Have you seen these people?  They think they can stay in the closing lane until the very last minute, whizzing past everyone else who dutifully pulled over into the bottleneck lanes.. They speed all the way to the front of the line expecting that some dope is going to let them in. And then some dope does! Grrr.  One is rude, the other is an enabler.  I don't know who makes me madder: the arrogant line-cutter or the dope that lets him in.  (Sheesh!  Not feeling mellow now...)

10. Which color best represents your mood today? Care to elaborate? 

Green.  I'm wearing a green plaid blouse and a matching kelly-green cardigan.  Green is my happy color and I'm determined to be happy today (just as soon as I get the highway line-cutters out of my mind).  But, there's no green outside, so I'm trying to feel it inside.  (I'm looking forward to a springtime hike in the mountains!)

11. If your spouse were an animal, which would he/she be?

 Dan is brown-eyed yellow lab.  Sweet and snuggly, thoughtful and steady, loyal and friendly, and smart.

12. What activity takes up the bulk of your time on an average day? 

Trying to remember what it is I'm doing and what I need to do next. 

* Mosey over and have a "cuppa" with Second Cup of Coffee for more Random Dozen posts!

Random Dozen, December 2nd

1. Which Wizard of Oz character are you most like? 

Dorothy.  Most definitely.  I live in a windswept and tornado-prone prairie. I have chickens and a little foofoo dog (though her name is Brigid, and she's a Bichon, not a terrier). I'm on my way somewhere mysterious, but wonderful, and I always have a ragtag group of "helpers" following me around.    And it may not have been my fairy Godmother that told me, but I know that there is "no place like home," and that it's all about the shoes.

2. When you're deciding what you're going to wear each morning, which item do you select first? Why?

 I decide whether it's a "skirt day" or a "jeans day," depending upon how much strenuous and/or outdoor work I need to do.  Then I decide whether I need long sleeves or short sleeves or a sweater.  Then I determine which one of those I wear dependent upon how fat I feel that morning.  Then I choose socks to match. 

3. What kind of animal do you think the world could live without? 

Mosquitoes.  What possible good do they do, I ask you?  Frogs and bats have plenty of flies to get them by without mosquitoes.  Nothing and nobody else wants or needs them.  They exist only to drive us nuts.  In fact, the only use I can think of for mosquitoes is to get souls out of purgatory by offering up the itchy bites.  (Which, I guess is a pretty good use, now that I'm thinking about it...)

4. How many Christmas trees are in your home?
We haven't put them up yet.  But, by the time we're all done, there will be at least nine or ten -- all around our Nativity Scene.

5. Would you prefer to be emotionless if it mean you didn't have to feel a heartbreak?
No.  I'm all about emotion and heartbreak.  The flipside of heartbreak is joy; the flipside of tears is tenderness.  Our Lord opened the gates of Heaven with heartbreak.

6. Do you ever experience holiday let-down or depression?
Never.  We don't celebrate Christmas until Christmas Day and the twelve days after that, which bring us to the Epiphany.  So, none of us is sick of Christmas when Jesus' birthday actually gets here.  Half the fun of Advent is the expectation of all the fun stuff we get to do together between Christmas and New Years!  And, then, when all that fun is over, we get out the gardening catalogues.

7. Do you like Michael Jackson's music?

Now, that is an interesting question.  I think of Michael Jackson as a very sorry little man, and I pray for the repose of his soul. But, his music?  So many years have passed since I'd really listened to any of his music, that my first instinct a few weeks ago would have been to say, "Eww."  But, I have to be honest.  Since so much of his music is being aired these days, I've caught myself singing and tapping my feet to it.  I was a teeny-bopper and young adult during his greatest fame, so I know all the words to his hits.  And, actually.  Some of them are pretty durn good.  If you were around when "Thriller" came out, you can't help but like it, I think. (Unless you're more high-brow than I am, anyways...)

8. Why is it that we never judge people who have their teeth fixed for cosmetic reasons, but every other cosmetic procedure has a stigma?
Well, first of all, I would think that many people are "put off" because of the incredible expense incurred when these surgeries are performed.  Money most of us need for just getting by.  And, seriously, now. Much of the surgeries done out there  don't just suggest vanity; they define it. It seems that having our noses fixed or our wrinkles smoothed is tampering with God's work. And most of us have our hands full just perfecting our inner selves, without obsessing about our noses or our figures. But having our teeth straightened seems more like fixing an accident of nature.Our smiles are so important!  They're our introduction to the world -- and we're often (rightly or not) judged by them.   And your dentist (and especially your orthodontist) will tell you that crooked teeth affect your bite, which can cause alignment problems, headaches, and tmj.

9. Enjoy horseback riding?

I really do enjoy horseback riding, though we've never owned a horse.  Dan and I went to a horse riding camp for our nineteenth anniversary, so we could decide whether or not we wanted to invest in horses for the family.  We loved the horses, and both of us caught on to riding with no trouble -- but we didn't enjoy the whole experience enough to justify the expense of it all.  Oh, my word, are horses expensive!  Saddles (Oh, my gosh!  Check out some prices here!), tack, ferrier bills, vet bills, high quality hay...  Expensive.  Maybe someday if the economy improves and we hit the jackpot, we'll invest in horses.  But, for right now, all our animals are specifically useful -- for protection, or for the table. 

10. Shoes--practical or stylish?
Both, if possible.  But, if it has to be one or the other, in my middle age, I always go for comfort.

11. What was the name of your first pet? Feel free to post a pic.

My first pet was a black cat named Rascal.  I got to pick him out of a litter for my tenth birthday, and I got to name him, but after that, he and I had very little to do with one another.  Rascal was an aloof, marauding-the-neighborhood kind of cat that had very little use for a silly ten-year-old girl.

12. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done?
I'd say I was between 1/2 and 3/4 done.  But, I'm going out today to do some shopping and hope to get almost all the way there.  I hate having the shopping hanging over my head in the last weeks of Advent!

 

 

 

For more answers to this week's Random Dozen, check in on Linda at Second Cup of Coffee

Random Dozen

This week's questions from Second Cup of Coffee -- and I'm afraid you might need to tuck in with a second cup to get through all these... I'm concise as always here (grin-grin).

1. What was the last song you listened to?

Gabey is in the kitchen right now, washing the last of the dishes (actually just a couple little plates and cups we left for him) while singing a family favorite, the "Doodlesack Song" ---  the German rendition of  "I am a Fine Musician."  ("Doodlesack" is the German word for "bagpipes.")

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything? 

Oh, yes.  A Ford Taurus station wagon, that I loved and regretted at the same time.  It was a rotten car.  Rotten.  And it cost too much, but it was a gift of love from my husband.  I told him when he got it for me that he shouldn't have done it.

 And he really shouldn't have. 

Picture the early nineties...  We had gone car shopping for our first serious car of our young marred life.  We really needed a bigger car, having outgrown our miniscule first car, an eensy weensy 3 cylinder Chevy Sprint.   (Three car seats and two adults wouldn't fit in that little car no matter how we tried to work it.)  So, it was with a gleeful spring in our steps, but no small amount of trepidation (because we had a limited budget to say the least), that we made our way around the car lots, always heading first to the embarassed "back corner" cars.   You know these cars: the poor, orphaned trade-ins, shined up and sprayed with new-car-smell, shyly, but hopefully  trying to cover their mileage and dings -- and the skeletons under their hoods.   We saw a few dozen of those after pounding the pavement for a few hours, and fending off a few hundred smiling salesmen. But our steps were losing some spring, and our enthusiasm was losing ground to trepidation.  Anything that was in our price range was either too small or in the death rattle stages of its automotive life.  It was about the time we started thinking seriously about strapping one of our toddlers to the hood of the Sprint that we stumbled across a car we thought might do the trick.  It was a beat-up old station wagon, wrapped around with a faded and cracked wood-panel siding and pocked with hail damage -- I don't remember the make or model; I only remember it was ugly.  I mean uh.uh.uh.gly.  But it was cheap and the engine ran like a top.  This was the prudent car, the one we really needed to get.  Dan said so. 

A couple of times.

And I was willing to settle. But, then... we saw "it." On the way back to another "back corner" of the same lot, we passed a gleaming silver Ford Taurus station wagon.  And it was bee-you-tee-ful!  It was newer, it smelled nice, and it had all the bells and whistles.  I loved it, needless to say, and in my heart o'hearts, I coveted it something terrible.  But, it was twice the price of anything else we'd looked at, and, yes, I agreed (sigh), it was more prudent to get the old beat up woody back on the other side of the showroom.  So sad, so sad...  We went home to think it over. 

And, overnight, inspired by I-know-not-what-exactly, Dan... my dear, dear Dan, my husband, the accountant decided to get the Taurus.  Even though it was really more money than we wanted to spend. And it really was living above our means...  But, my husband wanted to get it for me, so I could finally have something nice.  How could I say no?

Well, as it turned out, I really should have.  We drive the highways and byways of Colorado to this day and point out the many various spots in the road where we konked out in the Taurus.  That car died any time the the engine got hotter than a suntan.  And nobody could fix it, though we spent plenty of money trying. 

Yes, we had serious buyers' remorse over that car...  But, I can't help but think about it, still, with a special fondness -- because it was such a sweet thought.  And, sometimes it is the thought that counts. 

3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing)

 OK. Have time for another car story? Just the other day, we went out hunting for a car for Kevin (second son, 20 y.o.). The old starter car  (the old family Saab) he'd been using just died and he needs wheels for school and work.  So, we went to see one car, a minivan, that sounded really good on paper, but which turned out to be junk.  Then, we hooked up with another car we thought was going to be a great deal.  It had some problems: the back bumper was loose and the tailpipe needed to be refastened because it had recently been in a rear-end collision; there were some odd bumps and knocks in the engine; and the interior was positively nauseous with the smell of second-hand smoke.  But it got good gas mileage, was well within Kevin's price range (which is next to nothing...), and it seemed like it would work for an "in-between" kind of vehicleto hold him over until he starts making money and can upgrade.  But... as we were on our way to go take a second look and probably buy it, the owner texted us saying it had just sold.

  Dang.
 

Then, a couple of days later,  Kevin got a call back from an inquiry he'd made on Craigslist about a Saab 900.    When we went out to see it, we realized that busting on other cars had been a blessing in disguise; our saints were watching out for us!  Though it had a little body damage, this Saab really did have a great engine, with no funny knocks or noises.  The tailpipe and fenders were all firmly in place, and it had a clean carfax report, with no history of wrecks or any other damage or difficulty.  In fact, the car was practically immaculate, especially for it's age.  (It's older than Kevin: twenty-three years old!)  But, the owner had every receipt and every scrap of information about the car from way back when it had been shipped over from Sweden!  He even had the original owner's manual.  Plus new tires and a slew of recent work done.  And though it was a little more expensive than the other two cars, it was worth more than twice the amount of  either of them and came in under bluebook value.  Woohoo! Third shot on goal... and... SCORE!

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon?

Yes, we have to peel potatoes while watching the parade.  It's a tradition.  Even though we all loathe the stupid Broadway productions.  Sheesh!  We want to see more of the marching bands!  And more information about how the floats are made!  We want background that is really interesting instead of the drivel the parade anchors usually serve us.  But, floats? We love Snoopy!  And Woodstock, of course.

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately.


We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone. -- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

And, this one's not so much "inspiring" as thought-provoking:

"Idolatry is committed, not merely by setting up false gods, but also by setting up false devils; by making men afraid of war or alcohol, or economic law, when they should be afraid of spiritual corruption and cowardice." - G. K. Chesterton  ILN 9/11/09


6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention--G rating?
I love to eat popcorn and cheese every Wednesday night and watch the newest adventures of the Ghost Hunters.

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to?
Pumpkin pie, walnut dressing, my Mom's sweet potato fluff.

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book? Chapter books: Mark Twain is sooo much fun to read!  I love to do the accents.  And Tom and Huck are a hoot to read for.  Picture books:  We loved Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs before it came to the big screen -- and, just off the top of my head, there's The Piggy in the Puddle, and the Forty-six Little Men that I just recently read.  And we love all the I Spy books... Gosh, there are too many to name!

9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.) Oh, gosh...  Tons of things. 1940s and '50s compacts, tiny husband and wife salt and pepper shakers, short story anthologies from the first part of the twentieth century, religious images (statues and prints) and books, Cathedral Basic Readers from the forties and fifties, and cute little Davis children. (Tons of photos of that last collectible if you scroll down the blog a bit, I think...)

10. Gift bags or wrapping paper? Gift bags for the odd birthday when I have a bag I can recycle...  But usually it's wrapping paper -- especially at Christmas time.  And I love to make special bows with beautiful ribbon.

11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day? 

Picture the 70s....  I would ride home on the bus with my brothers and sisters from Catholic school to the Navy base where we invariably lived.  Once I got home, since I always wore shorts under my uniform, I would just take off my skirt, throw it on my bedroom floor, and run out to play in my school blouse and shorts until my Mom told me to " pick up my uniform and come in and change into play clothes, for heaven's sake!" Mom would usually have a small snack waiting for us, it seems, but I don't know that I ate it; we weren't allowed to go outside until our homework was done, so I didn't have time to waste eating.   Daylight was burning! So much to do, so little time. So, I'd fly through my homework and run outside where my siblings ( I have six) and I and a neighborhood friend or two would play outside until dinner time: games like hide-n-seek or Red Rover -- or play-acting, chase games like Cowboys and Indians, Soldiers and Prisoners, Pirates and Captives...  We climbed trees, jumped off fences, rode bikes, and just ran.  (Remember being a kid and just. running? What happened to that energy?) 

Then my Mom would call us for dinner and we'd come a-running, because there was a big price to pay if we were late: no after-dinner playing!  Horror of horrors. This is what we lived for; we had to go out and play some more, until the streetlights came on and we had to go inside.  Then it was family rosary, washing up, brushing teeth, and bedtime.  And when we were very little, my mother would sing to us at bedtime.   From those days in elementary school, I still remember the words to Down in the Valley,  Windy, and Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra, among others...

Good memories.

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? When you're fishing, do you feel for the fish??

I never go fishing.  Fishing is boring. But, when I was a kid, growing up near the waterways of Chesapeake Bay, VA, we would go crabbing -- with nothing but a string, a chicken bone, a weight, a net, and a bucket.  You really have to have the "feel" to catch a crab this way.  Not to mention patience, and nerves of steal.  Here's the M.O.: you tie the weight (usually a piece of trash-metal or a long, skinny rock) and the chicken bone (preferable with a little bit of meat still on it) to the string, and you sit on the edge of the pier, with the net and bucket (and preferably a helper) near at hand.  You gently, gently, gently lower the weighted chicken bone down into the water until it rests on the bottom.  You hold the string loosely, but firmly in your hands -- then you sit and wait.  And wait.  And wait.  Until, hopefully, you begin to feel a vibration, or even as much as a bit of tugging on the string.  Then, you slowly, slowly, slowly, gently, gently, gently begin to draw the string back up to the surface.  You don't breath.  You don't talk. You don't even smile.  The idea is to trick the crabs; they. must. not. know. they. are. moving. up. through. the. water.  It's painstaking, slow business.  Ever. so. slow... 

But, then, when you glimpse the crabs as they rise up through the murky water, it's all excitement.  You've got to move fast. You've got to be accurate.  This is where a good helper comes in mighty handy! As soon as you spot the crabs, someone has to go in after them with the net.  It's possible to both hold the string and scoop with the net, but I don't recommend it.  An expert touch is too key with the net-handling.  You see, it's like this: in order to keep the crabs dumb and happy, nibbling on the chicken, oblivious of their impending doom, you have to slip the net into the water noislessly, without a splash, but very quickly -- down, and under the crabs.  Then it has to be snapped up in an instant!   If the crabs let go of the chicken bone before you're under them with the net, you've lost 'em, and you have to start all over again.  And, I swear, the crabs are wiser the second time around.  After you've had "jumpers," you'll have to stake out a new spot for hunting if you want to catch anything at all.

Be warned, though: Once you're victorious, got your crabs in the net, and done your happy dance on the end of the pier, you're not done yet;  you still have to detangle their snapping pinchers from the mesh of the net and dump them in the bucket without dropping them over the side -- or losing a finger.  That's the really fun part!  If you bring home a bucket of crabs for supper, you've earned them. You sure as heck don't feel sorry for the buggers!

But, gee... It's fun to look back. What memories I have of long humid, summer days crabbing!  When you're a kid living these things, you  never guess they're moments that will stay with you the rest of your life.  Those days on the water, though...  I can recall them perfectly still, thirty-odd years later.   The  long hours of boredom with sudden moments of high excitement and intense challenge. The danger.   The disappointment.  The hope.  The smell.   I think it prepared me for  motherhood.