Sunday Stealing--Book of Questions

1. If you saw a dog locked in a hot car, what would you do?  Call 911 immediately.  And call down every horrid thing I could think of on the piece of shit dirtbag who did it.  I’ve done this—it’s crazy hot here in NM in the summer…the first year we lived here, we pulled up next to a closed up car in a grocery store parking lot with not one, but THREE large dogs in it.  They were in obvious distress.  I called 911, and waited by the car.  The police came, busted the window out, and put the poor pups in their air conditioned cruiser.  The owner came out, and was arrested.  Go, cops!!!  I was so mad and upset I was shaking. 

2.  Is it easy for you to accept help when you need it?  Nope, I totally suck at this.  Asking for help is really hard for me.  Not that I think I can do everything perfectly—in my core, I don’t think I deserve the help.  It’s something I’ve worked on in therapy on and off my whole life.  I think I’m just stuck with it.

3. Have you ever been in a fashion show?  LOL, nope.  Not even close.

4. Would you like to be famous?  Hell no.  Seems like a miserable life.  I wouldn’t mind having the money some of them have, but not the life.

5. What is your most compulsive habit?  Biting my fingernails.  I’ve never been able to stop, and my Mom says I’ve been doing it since I was a baby.  I’ve tried everything, and I’ve just given up at this point in my life.

6. What do you most strive for in your life: accomplishment, security, love, power, excitement, knowledge, or something else?  Wow, this is hard one.  I’d have to say peace and security.  I would like to have just one damn day without anxiety and worry.  Just one.

7.How close and warm is your family?  Not very.  We are a very small family—my Dad was an only child of two only children.  My Mom has one brother and one sister.  The sister never had kids.  I have exactly ONE cousin and ONE sibling.  We have all always lived far away from each other (brother was in the Navy for years, and I moved around a lot out of choice).   On the other hand, when we do get together, it’s wonderful.  We sort of take up where we left off, and have a fantastic time.  Then we all go back to our separate states, LOL.  I’m always somewhat envious of all these big families with a ton of cousins and siblings.

8 Does that fact that you have never done a thing before increase or decrease its appeal to you?  Decrease.  I have a hard time trying new things.  I’m a repeat movie-watcher, I read the same books over and over—it’s a security blanket kind of thing, I suppose.

9. If your friends start belittling a common acquaintance, would you defend that person?  Sometimes.  Sometimes I just don’t say anything.

10.  Do you make a special effort to thank someone who does you a favor?  How do you react when you aren’t thanked for going out of your way for someone?  I do.  And I just suck it up when someone doesn’t thank me.

11. Since adolescence, in what 3-year period do you feel you experienced the most personal growth and change?  Probably the first 3 years after I graduated nursing school.  I had a couple of great jobs, really learned my profession, and traveled all over the place.  It was a good time.

12. When you do something ridiculous, how much does it bother you to have other people notice it and laugh at you?  A lot.  I hate being laughed at or made to feel small.  I’m not too good at laughing at myself either.

13. Do you believe in capital punishment?  No

14. Do you find it so hard to say “no” that you regularly do favors you do not want to do?   Nope, I’m pretty good at saying “no” or getting around stuff like that.

15.  What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?  Abuse in any form, human or animal.  Genocide.  Mental illness.  I’ve got a list. 

Saturday 9--The Christmas Song

Saturday 9: The Christmas Song (1961)

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

Join us here.

1) The lyrics mention "chestnuts roasting on an open fire." Do you often eat chestnuts?  

I can’t say that I’ve EVER eaten chestnuts.  They always sound wonderful, especially in that dreamy sort of “walking down a snowy New York street and buying them from a vendor on the street” sort of way.

2) There's a reference to Jack Frost, too. Does cold weather help you get into the holiday spirit? 

Definitely.  I sort of miss living in Alaska for that—we always had a white Christmas.

3) Nat sings that turkey helps to make the season bright. We just had it last month for Thanksgiving. Do you enjoy turkey all year around? Or do you consider it primarily a holiday dish?  

Mostly a holiday dish.  We do roast chickens fairly often though—hubs make the BEST stock, and loves to make all sorts of soups year-round.

4) This song was published as "The Christmas Song," but people often refer to it as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or "Merry Christmas to You." When you think of this song, which title comes to mind?  

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire is the first thing that came to mind.

Image Credit

5) Nat King Cole had a big hit in the 1950s with "Mona Lisa." The ballad compares an enigmatic woman to the da Vinci painting, which hangs in the Louvre. The Mona Lisa has been called the most instantly identifiable painting in the world. Can you think of another famous painting that you recognize on sight? (Extra points if you include a picture!)  

Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, definitely.

6) Best remembered today as a singer, Cole was also an accomplished composer and jazz pianist. Do you like jazz?  

Yes, as long as it’s NOT avant-garde jazz.  I’m more of a traditionalist I guess.  Dixieland jazz always reminds me of New Orleans…

7) The only Christmas card Sam has received so far this year is from her dentist. She never sees Dr. Douglas socially. In fact, she hasn't seen him since her annual check-up last March. Have you received many cards this year?  

Not a one.  I don’t send them out, except to family, so I don’t get many. 

8) When did/will you start holiday shopping this year: Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving/Black Friday, Halloween? Earlier than that?  

Started the week of Black Friday I think, maybe earlier for some things…

9) This time of year is big for charitable fundraising. Here's your chance to plug a cause or organization that's near and dear to you.  

Oh, how fun!  My husband and I are avid supporters of Watermelon Mountain Ranch, the largest no-kill shelter in New Mexico.  

They are based right here in Rio Rancho, and do amazing work saving the lives of animals all over New Mexico and beyond.  Our beloved dog Maddie was saved by one of their Molly's Mercy Missions—trips to high-kill shelters all over New Mexico and Texas.  The ranch is, literally, a ranch.  Dogs and cats have casitas and safe outdoor spaces.  They also have a thrift store and a small dog/cat adoption center inside our local mall.  Lastly, Watermelon Mountain Ranch responds to natural disasters—they participated in animal rescue during both Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi and Hurricane Harvey in Houston.   I love their motto-- "all who enter will find love"

They’ve recently partnered with our local pro soccer team, New Mexico United, to produce a calendar.  Hot soccer players and puppies—what more could you ask for, lol.

Sunday Stealing--Pinterest

Join us here:

1. What don’t you share?   Intensely personal things that don’t need to be out in the world.  Nothing ever really LEAVES the net, so I’ll just keep that stuff to myself.  Certain work things, because, duh, I’m an RN and work in a hospital.

2. A reason to celebrate?  Family coming to visit.  My in-laws, who we haven’t see since 2012, are coming for a visit in the middle of January.  I’m so excited, and hubs is over the moon.  It’ll be a lot of work getting ready, but way worth it!

3. Describe where you are now.  The usual blogging/working/studying spot on the weekend—in my bed with a dog at my side and a cat on my feet.  It’s cozy and comfy.

4. A dream that seems impossible.  Getting out of debt.  I think that’s happened like twice in my life, lol.

5. Something you hope for.  That my Mom decides to move out here someday.  I highly doubt it would happen, but I hate being so far away.  She says “I haven’t ruled it out”, but who knows.  She’s still living a vibrant life, driving, etc., so that decision is pretty far away I think…

6. A tradition that makes you feel at home.  Decorating the house for Christmas, both inside and out.  We got half the outside done yesterday and will finish this afternoon.  I’ll post pictures when we’re done.  I love it!

7. The people who make your life better.  Hubs, my Mom, a friend at work, my animal children.

8. Someone you’d like to meet.  Samin Nosrat.  I’m reading her book right now (got it for my birthday)—“Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”.  Love, love her voice, and bet taking a cooking class with her would be absolutely amazing.  Her program (same name as the book) on Netflix was great.

9. A silly thing you’d really like.  To decorate my bedroom with twinkle lights.  I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but it would be cool.

10. A book from your childhood.  Harry the Dirty Dog.  I wish I still had that copy, it was my favorite.  I also loved anything by Dr. Seuss.

11. Something you’re still not sure about.  Whether I will ever see my daughter again, and meet my grandson.  I’m kind of doubting it, and that’s one of those intensely personal stories from the earlier question that I’m just not going to blog about.  Anyhow, it’s a dream, and hope, but I’m not holding my breath.  I’m pretty happy that I can see pictures and video, so all is not lost.

12. The best dessert to share with friends.  Chocolate fondue and fruit.  Fun and retro.  Alternatively, marshmallows over an open fire.

13. A story that captures your imagination.  Shogun, by James Clavell.  Every. Single. Time.  It’s not only a story, but a in-depth study on life in the early 1500s in Japan.  Amazing book.

14. Memories beside a fireplace.  More like a woodstove.  My first house in the mountains, in Boulder, Colorado had this giant woodstove as the only source of heat.  We had a futon near it, and I loved lying there with the heat coming off that stove, looking out this big picture window into the canyon. 

15. How do you spend a rainy day?  It hardly ever rains here, and when it does, it’s seldom all day.  But, I like to curl up with a good book and be cozy.

Currently...

Borrowed from Kwizgiver.

I am...

Reading:  How to ThinkLike a Cat, by Stephane Garnier.  My mom got it for me for my recent birthday.  It isn’t what I expected at all, but I’ll keep at it to the end (it’s a very slim volume).

Listening to: Law and Order re-runs.  I’ve got a horrid cold, and am coughing my head off on the couch today, rather than infecting my officemates.

Loving:  my Christmas tree.  It always makes me happy when it’s up.

Thinking: about how crappy I feel, and how many times I’ve been sick this year.  Got the flu in March (yes, I had a flu shot) while home when my Dad passed away, got a cold in June when I went home, got a cold a month ago when I went home, and now THIS cold.  That’s two colds in one month.  Sheesh.  Last year, I wasn’t sick once.  I think all the stress of this year, coupled with the multiple airplane trips to South Carolina, has fried my immune system.  Need to do something about that….

Feeling: grateful to our PRN (as-needed) RN.  Called her last night and asked her to work for me, and she was happy to—now I don’t have to worry about a pile of work when I get back. 

Celebrating:  managing to get the Christmas tree up, even feeling like crap.  Took me all day, but I got it done. 

Grateful for:  my husband, who made me a wonderful turkey soup last night, because that’s all I wanted—soup.

Weather:   classic New Mexico winter day.  46 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, 42% humidity.  Still have Thanksgiving snow hiding in the shade, but otherwise, gone, just like that.

Enjoying:  Being home alone.  That hardly ever happens.  Hubs is off having a “mad-venture” with Maddie the dog.  They are going to the dog park, the mall (our mall allows dogs), somewhere with a “petio” for lunch, and who knows what else.  Maddie will enjoy the HELL out of all of that—she loves saying hi to everyone.

A quote I want to share:   “keep it in the middle of the road” –my Dad

Sunday Stealing--Fill It In

Play here.

1. Right now I'm sitting in bed, wishing I could fall asleep, but since every time I lay down, I start coughing, I don’t think a nap is going to happen.  Damn cold.

2. The collection of trivia and other semi-useless knowledge is my well known quirk.

3. Are you experienced?  Why Jimi Hendrix was the first thing to come to mind, I have no clue.

Image Credit

4. Dinner first, then dessert! (Said in my Mom's voice)

5. That's why, because I said so.  (Said in my Dad’s voice)

6. The Expanse is one of my favorite tv shows ever!  (FYI, this is the original trailer, the show is now on Amazon Prime, and getting ready to start the 4th season)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hanging out with hubs, watching TV, and, tomorrow my plans include going to see the new movie, Knives Out.  I can’t wait!!!

Image Credit

8. If I could go anywhere on a road trip, I'd go to Ouray, Colorado via US 550.  US 550 runs through New Mexico and is about 10 miles from my house.  The part between Silverton, CO and Ouray is called the “Million Dollar Highway”.  I will never do this, because my husband would NEVER drive on a road like that, lol.  He doesn’t like heights much and the whole "tunnel to avoid rockslides" would have him saying "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR F*%&ING MIND!!".

9. Why the hell we are still in Afghanistan is something I don't understand. 

10. Thanksgiving makes me think of family, gratitude, food, and putting up the Christmas lights.

11. Taking a vacation (preferably with $$$$ and a suite in a 5-star hotel) is the best way to relax!

12. It looks like Autumn has come and gone—all the leaves are off the trees, it snowed on Thanksgiving, and it’s windy as hell.  Welcome to Winter.

13. Celery sticks with Sabra Classic Hummus is one of my favorite healthy snacks.

14. The smell of gardenias makes me think of my childhood home in Mississippi.  There were gardenia bushes under my window and during the humid nights, the smell was so strong.  I smell that smell, and it’s like a time machine back to that house.

15. When I am feeling lazy I watch TV, read, sleep, and generally do anything to avoid any kind of housework.

16. When I look to the left, I see Ellie, the cat.

17. The dining room and the patio (well, it’s an outside room) are the room(s) that have the best view in my home.  We don’t really have “views” per se from this house.  We are in a neighborhood that is in a little valley, so we can’t really see the Sandia Mountains from here, just houses all around us.  However, my dining room looks out on our little patch of green lawn and our tree, which make me happy.  From the patio, you can see the huge sky overhead, and off to the north, so that’s good 😊  Here's a spectacular New Mexico sunset from our patio.

18. Our beautiful outdoor light installation was done dirt cheap!  ‘Cuz hubs did it himself.  Yay!!

19. Voting is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share.

20. If you have any any words of wisdom, feel free to share them with me.