Do you think there is such a thing as a ‘gendered’ brain?
I think the physical aspects of motherhood are clearly feminine. Not the emotional ones, but the urge to reproduce, to nurse — physical stuff. But emotionally? A lot of women are not especially nurturing and a lot of men are. What’s more, I think this has always been true, throughout the ages.
What is the silliest fear you have?
Spiders. Although that brown recluse spider did a number on Garry and recently took a big bite out of a close friend of my son. They are tiny, hard to see, and really poisonous. But I’m afraid of all spiders, whether of not they can do me any harm.
Out of your family members, who are you closest to?
Other than Garry? Owen. After that, Kaity and Sandy. But that’s my whole family.
What is something you’ll NEVER do again?
Swim in the ocean. Too cold!
If you’d like, please share a photo or a comment about something good that’s happened recently!
Do you consider yourself a pessimist or an optimist?
I think I’m a skeptic, which means I need information before I can be for or against anything. Information may be just “getting to know someone” before deciding I like (or don’t like) them — or getting facts before deciding on something where facts are at issue.
I’m more upbeat than some people, not as much as others.
Snowballs and the Mumford dam
Somehow, I’m more convinced we are not going the way of the Axis in World War II and I believe if we can just hang on, things will get better. I’m convinced we’ll pull out of this mess we are in.
I also get that I could be entirely and horribly wrong about that!
Can War ever be just?
War is never good, but sometimes, one’s world must be defended. But our last “just” war — World War II — would never have been necessary if we had settled the ashes of WW I with more concern for the human beings who would have to live with that settlement.
Greed, land, hatred, bad leaders — they make war happen. So I’m not sure there’s ever an entirely “just” war because if you look at the context, it should never have happened at all.
People create wars. It’s time we owned up to it.
War leads to more war, so this war may be just, but it wouldn’t be necessary if we hadn’t had a previous war. I don’t think we’ll ever stop fighting and for one side of the other, it’s always a just war and God is always on everyone’s side. Pity God has never had anything to say about that.
Think about the people you love most in your life, what do you do for them?
I try to keep them in mind and keep in touch. When we can be together, that makes me happy.
There isn’t much else to do, is there?
Are you health conscious?
Painfully, on many levels.
Eating well!
We eat decently, avoid most of the really bad stuff. It gets harder as prices keep going up. Good thing we don’t eat much.
Gratitude, Thankfulness, Wonder, Awe, and Joy!
It was great seeing boys being boys and enjoying a swim in the river with no hovering parents, no cell phones.
What social stigma does society need to get over already?
The list is too long. It’s sad, too. Because I thought, way back when, that we had actually gotten over some of it. I thought that if we hadn’t lost our racism, we had at least gotten past calling each other names. I thought we’d finally learned after Mussolini and Hitler and all the others throughout history, that we knew dictators are a bad deal. That all the organization they bring to the world, they are cruel, evil, and no good ever comes from them.
But somehow, between the episodes of horror, we forget. We lose our memories of evil. We idolize the power and forget the monstrous nature of the beast.
What was the last photo you took?
Yesterday, I took some pictures of a bunch of Brown-headed Cowbirds sitting on the railing of my deck.
These ARE blackbirds!
Otherwise, I’m trying to figure out how the last squirrel managed to unhook the entire feeder and drop it to the ground below. I have to hand it to the maker of this feeder that it survived as if nothing happened, even though it fell two stories.
When was the last time you snooped and found something or found out something you wish you hadn’t?
The last time I read Tarot cards. I saw that the man I was reading for was going to die. And he did.
What’s the most comfortable bed or chair you’ve ever slept in?
The bed we own with its original mattress was the world’s MOST comfortable bed. Now, with a new, not as expensive mattress it’s very comfortable, but not like it was with its original mattress.
But that mattress lasted 15 years, so it didn’t owe me anything. I only wish I could have afforded another real natural latex mattress. Sadly, it was out of our price range.
If you could interview anyone from your life living or dead, but not a celebrity, who would it be and why?
My Aunt Kate. She was the one who had lived in the old country and had memories of the trip from Poland to New York. By the time I realized I needed to ask her questions, she was in her 80s and had forgotten a lot of the things I wanted to know. I’m so sorry I waited so long.
As a child, did you have a nickname? Did you carry that with you throughout life or was it only in childhood that you used it?
I’ve never had a nickname. I always wanted one, but it never happened.
Give us three words that describe you:
Aging, a bit broken but alive, and still engaged with life.
Sneaking into a second movie at the theater (if you go to a movie house)? Is that wrong or just harmless ‘fun’?
When I was a kid, if the movie wasn’t crowded, you could stay for as many showings as you could sit for. Most of the movies in those golden olden days were two movies and one or two cartoons. That was usually more than enough for me, but there were others who could spend a whole day and just watch over and over.
I got tired of sitting for that long. Back then, you got a lot of “freebies.” If you rode the Cyclone and wanted to ride again as long as there was no line you could keep riding. It wasn’t theft. There was a generosity of spirit that we seem to have lost over the years.
If you had a time machine would you go back to the past or forward into the future? Why?
Goldfinches all lined up for chow time!
I’d like to take a quick look at medieval Europe, but I don’t think I’d want to stay very long. I like hot showers and flush toilets … and not getting the plague.
What were you thankful for during April?
Birds and squirrels. It has been such a gray and wet month, the bright birds and crazy squirrels kept me interested and alive.
Digital and it was “The Mueller Report.” Otherwise, most of my reading (other than comments and posts ) are audiobooks with a little bit on Kindle. I don’t really have a decent reading light by my bed anymore. I’m used to reading Kindle with its own backlight.
Are you more an extrovert or introvert?
It depends on the situation. I’m not good with large crowds, but I’m pretty extroverted in small groups with good friends.
How is your life different from what you imagined as a younger person?
May flocks of Goldfinch follow you everywhere
I got OLD. How did THAT happen? Worse yet, all the people who I knew when I was young — they got old TOO. That’s just not fair!
Do you think about dying? Does death scare you? Why or why not?
I don’t worry about dying. I worry about staying alive.
Who has been nicest to me in my life?
That is a question I cannot answer. As a start, I can’t remember all the people in my life. If whoever they were, they were part of my much younger life, I don’t remember them. Sometimes, not even a footnote.
For another … how long do we remember people? I remember asking my Aunt Kate, who was in her 80s at the time, about “life in the Old Country” and she said, “Darling, I don’t remember. It was 75 years ago.”
Titmouse and Chickadee have a turn at the feeder
Anything much that happened in my 20s I’ve mostly forgotten with a few exceptions, but the memories are going fast! Unless I still KNOW that person and can share memories, they have just slipped away. I’m sure they are in that giant hard drive in my head, but I get a lot of notifications labeled “FILE NOT FOUND.”
For another thing, “nicest” is too vague. I don’t know what it means.
Guns? Are you pro or con? Explain your point of view.
I am so anti-gun I don’t even know where to start. I don’t object (in theory, anyway) to hunting as long as the animal isn’t about to go extinct. There are plenty of deer and probably enough venison for all who want some.
But people? All the kids who’ve been slaughtered? People in church? People just listening to a concert? It’s not okay in any way at all and please do NOT tell me that guns don’t kill people. No gun by itself kills anything, but put it in the hands of a killer and then, they kill. And without a high-powered military-style weapon, these murderers simply could not do the amount of damage they do.
I don’t want to hear about “prayers” and “thoughts.” I want laws that keep the nut cases away from powerful military-style weapons. And yes, I WOULD take away their guns, those racist losers who think murdering people in churches, concerts, or schools is the cool thing to do. I would take away their guns and their freedom for the rest of their lives.
How would your country change if everyone, regardless of age, could vote?
I’m assuming we’re talking about lowering the voting age to 16 (or something like that). Obviously, infants can’t vote.
I have no proof for any of this, but my best guess is we’d see a big change in gun laws because many, if not most, young people favor sane and sensible gun control laws.
Voting
I think you’d see a big jump in the minimum wage. Kids are often the people trying to live on that pitiful money. I’m pretty sure young people would do something to fix the cost of student loans and tuition at state universities. The rest? I don’t know but I live in hope.
What’s your cure for hiccups?
Breathing into a paper bag. If that doesn’t do it, drinking water and swallowing without inhaling first.
What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?
Those mornings when I had to stand at the top of the driveway waiting with Kaity for her school bus.
In January, it was often below zero and there was wind, too. And the bus was almost always late. Man, that was SO cold!
If you would like, share a story, a photo or some thoughts on you may be thankful for this week!
I’m still here. Still breathing. Still writing and taking pictures. The world has not improved, but mine hasn’t gotten worse. These days, when things don’t get worse, that’s the same as better used to be!
What does a successful relationship look like to you? People in harmony with each other. It doesn’t mean no one ever gets mad or fights or squabbles, but overall, a sense of contentment and ease. Comfort.
If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you have a good chance at winning a medal for? Cooking meals while leaving nothing to clean up. Garry could win one for “The best folder of clothing. ” He’s really good!
What do you wish you knew more about? These days? Ornithology.
What is better in your opinion – asking for forgiveness or permission? I’ve done both. I don’t think one is better or worse. It just depends on what is going on at the time and which action is appropriate.
What’s the best thing about your life right now? Not working for a living. I REALLY like retirement.
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