This week Sunday Stealing , hosted by Bev Sykes, has participants musing over questions taken from Upstream Life . 1. Name 5 people you admire and why. • Daddy. Family was important for him. He took his responsibilities seriously. He made sure his children got the opportunities for a good life. • Mama was resolute, stoical, full of love and cheeriness, but oh so sad. Also full of spirit, spit, and vinegar, Mama didn't let her misery keep her down. She had more than her share, including living through war and losing two children.  • The Husband. My gosh. I'm not an easy person to live with. • Winifred, my mentor, my writing partner, my friend. She took a chance on me (#6). Winifred was an amazing, gifted, and giving person who taught me how to develop and create educational materials that respect and teach the learners. • Kathy, a friend from grammar school days. I love her humor, her wit, her intelligence. For years, she went back and forth, several times a year to visit her pa

I was seduced. To buy each of these 13 things, that is.  It may have been by a salesperson (live or in a commercial) or by someone who was with me. More than likely, it was I who persuaded myself into thinking I certainly wanted and needed something, thus bought it. 1. A mop with disposable cleaning pads and solution that sprays from the mop at a press of the button. It was ridiculous how many cleaning pads I used in one mopping. 2. A manual mini food chopper. It did not chop, mince, or dice for me like it did for the guy in the TV commercial. 3. A red woolen shawl made in Ireland. I wasn't thinking and washed it in the washing machine. Shrunk, it did. 30 years later, the threads have begun to loosen. I may still wear it yet. 4. A food dehydrator. One Christmas I desired a food dehydrator. So Mama gifted me one, as did the Husband. I returned one of them. Drying fruits and vegetables in the oven is far easier. 5. A pair of orthopedic sandals. They were the first pair of shoes that

This week Sunday Stealing , hosted by Bev Sykes, is all about choosing a book and discussing it via a bunch of questions. My choice is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. 1.  Why did you pick the book? Jane Eyre is the #1 book on my list of all-time favorites, which I put on the top of the list after I read it 10 years ago, more or less. It kicked Pride & Prejudice to #2 after 40 or so years. Until I saw the movie adaption with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens, I resisted reading Jane Eyre in full. I had no idea Jane had such gumption. In middle school, I read segments in our English textbook so I knew the main plot, but all the good stuff that would've got me to the read the book wasn' there. And, when I saw the movie adaption with Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine back then, I was definitely not interested in reading the book because the film portrayed Jane and Mr. Rochester as simpy, unlikeable characters.   2.  What did you think about the book? Jane is an independent,

Earlier this month, I listed 13 of my more memorable jobs .  Today, it's a list of jobs (and, in most instances, careers) that interested me once upon a time, pretty much in this order, from teenage me to about 10-years-ago me. 1. High School English Teacher 2. Newspaper Reporter 3. Bookstore Owner 4. Street Vendor/Artist 5. Paralegal 6. California State Superintendent of Public Instruction 7. Heavy Equipment Operator 8. Gardening Service Co-Owner with Daddy 9. Mother of Five 10. Comedy Writer 11. Airport Shuttle Bus Driver 12. Background Investigator 13. Forensic Scientist Check out other bloggers with lists of 13 for Thursday 13 .

1. Breathe. 2. Breathe, again. 3. Breathe deeper. 4. Breathe even deeper. 5. Inhale slowly. 6. Exhale slowly. 7. Close eyes. 8. Inhale slowly, exhale slowly. 9. Think of my happy place. 10. Bathwater-warm Pacific Ocean. 11. Bright, lively, colorful fish. 12. Sun bubbles. 13. Peace. Thursday 13 . Click on the link and check out other bloggers' list of 13.

A red leaf. I forgot everything else I saw yesterday morning. The first sunflower in bloom. The wispy pink and white morning glories. The white African daisy with its dark purple center. The red leaf. Fall in summer. "Hey!" said the sunlight. Red leaf in bright light. Red leaf in some light. Red life in shade. "Hey!" said the sunlight. When I previewed the photos on the computer I saw it then. Had I looked away? Had I blinked? A shiny black bug on the red leaf. Where did it come from? A black-and-white map? An overview of a terrain of some sort? For reconnaissance? A red leaf. It's Mosaic Monday , so I thought I'd try something different today.  Good cheer, Everyone!

I'm taking part in Sunday Stealing , hosted by Bev Sykes, who blogs at Funny the World . This week's  set of questions is called Movie Challenge . 1. Last movie you watched Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker , the final chapter (thank you!) of the series. 2. Last movie you watched in a theater. Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3. Film you’ve always wanted to watch, but haven’t. I can't think of any. 4. Favorite movie soundtrack. I don't have one. 5. Your favorite movie duo. Katharine Hepburn and Gary Grant 6. Movie you like because of its story.  Jane Eyre 7. A film that disappointed you.  Henry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince . That sequel is my favorite of the book series. (Yes, I'm a Snapes fan, thanks of Alan Rickman's portrayal.) But, there wasn't much of the story in the movie.  8. Favorite scene from a movie.  When Calamity Jane (Doris Day) sang "The Windy City" in Calamity Jane . Day danced and sang up and down, alo