Five things I'm grateful for

I'm GRATEFUL for .....

1.  Being able to find JOY in at least some part of every day.

2.  Still being able to read and write and blog about books; I've been blogging since January 2007.

3.  Living in a place with great activities available for seniors who reside here and also for seniors who live in the neighborhood.

4.  Being able to walk (even with a Rollator) thousands of steps each day.  I walked more than 9,300 steps yesterday.

5.  Having someone on staff where I live who will help us deal with complicated paperwork.

Do you see "EMBRACING EACH DAY WITH JOY 

GRATITUDE" at the bottom of my Gratitude Journal?

Five things I ate for Thanksgiving

Colleen wrote about I Got My Turkey and Gravy and All the Fixings Fix today on her blog.  I decided to bring back the Friday Five that I used to do, but this time I'll choose whatever five things I want to blog about.  Inspired by Colleen's title, I'm listing five things I ate for Thanksgiving, even though that isn't exactly what she wrote about.  Sorry, I didn't think to take a picture of the meal.

1.  Turkey and gravy, of course.  Some people even call it Turkey Day, you know.

2.  Sweet potatoes that were perfectly cooked and melted in my mouth.

3.  Dressing that tasted so much like my mother's, it surprised me, since I didn't make the meal myself.

4.  Cranberry sauce that was simply delicious.

5.  Pumpkin pie for dessert, which was a perfect ending for the meal.

Did you notice I said I didn't make the meal myself?  Temple Israel here in St. Louis sent these scrumptious meals to Crown Center residents.  There was more in my boxed meal than the five foods I've named, but I picked the tastes I most enjoyed.  These five brought back memories of my family around our table at Thanksgiving, eating what my mother had prepared.  Sending a huge thanks to Temple Israel for the wonderful Thanksgiving meals.  I'll tell Colleen that I also got my "food fix."

Friday Five ~ a day late

RevGal Anne Fraley:  "As the (US) holiday weekend heats up, I’m thinking about ways to stay cool.  You?  Share your preferences in today’s Friday Five!"

1)  Ice cream:  cup or cone?

I'll take either one, but a big bowl of cold ice cream sounds better to me when I'm really hot.

2)  Water:  beach or pool?

Pool, but at 79 years old I'd prefer to soak in a bathtub instead.

3)  Beverage:  tea or lemonade?

Definitely tea ... ICED tea, with lots of ice.  Adding lemonade to my iced tea is okay, but why mess up a good thing?

4)  Relief:  air conditioning, or shade?

Shade, if I have to be outside, but I'll just stay here inside with my air conditioner on high, thank you very much.  It's 90°F in St. Louis and feels like 100°F right now, according to my weather app.

5)  Fun:  fill in the blank!

Reading a book.  I've just finished Elizabeth Berg's 2018 novel Night of Miracles.  Now I want to read (or finish) two nonfiction books (Barbara Brown Taylor's Holy Envy and Jacqueline Winspear's What Would Maisie Do? and the novel I just got from the library (Katherine Marsh's Nowhere Boy).  Maybe I'll soak in the tub (see #2 above) while reading and control the water temperature with my toes as needed.

Hmmm, I ate the last of my ice cream yesterday.  Now I guess I'll have to run out (in the heat!) and buy another carton.  Anne didn't ask which kind of ice cream I prefer.  I rarely eat chocolate (as illustrated above), though I'd eat it in a pinch.  The carton I finally finished off last night was "coyote tracks" (vanilla ice cream with thick fudge swirl and mini peanut butter cups), but my usual is just plain vanilla.  I add whatever I have around, like slices of banana or fresh blackberries or other fruits.  I just happened to have fresh bananas I bought yesterday.  Can you see my smile?

NOTE:  I went back to discover how many years I've been posting Friday Fives on this blog (off and on since 2011), and found I had also written about iced tea when Jan asked us to use the letters of our names on July 15, 2011 to express gratitude.  I used the "i" in Bonnie for Iced tea on a hot summer day.  How funny is that coincidence?

Friday Five ~ thin places

"Friday Five:  I spent about 24 hours at one of my holy places last weekend," wrote Monica Thompson Smith of RevGalsBlogPals.  "That leads me to ask: what are five of your 'holy places,' aka 'thin places'?"

1.  The bend in the mountain stream where bedrock poked through the grass in my backyard (1965-1984).  My stream was a bit smaller than the one shown above, but similar.  Even sitting at my kitchen window facing that direction felt like being in a thin place.

2.  The tiny labyrinth at the foot of Lookout Mountain where I took this photo on a warm September day in 2009.

3.  Meditating in my green chair at home.  I'm sitting in it now, as I type up this blog post and remember thin places.

4.  Sitting quietly or rambling around the lake at Lake Junaluska, NC.  I went there every summer for many years until I retired.

5.  Almost anywhere I'm relaxed enough to be still and fully immerse myself in the moment.

Friday Five ~ school days

My great-grandson graduated from kindergarten last week

Today's Friday Five is brought to us by the Rev. Michelle L. Torigian:

"May marks the end of many academic years.  If we are scrolling through our newsfeed, we’ve begun to see photographs of our friends and family members in their caps and gowns. ... So, as students wrap up their years or maybe their academic careers, let’s reflect upon our school days in today’s Friday Five."

1.  Favorite class during my many years of schooling.

I think that college English class was called something like Theology and Literature.  We read ten books that semester, including The Stranger by Albert Camus and The Grand Inquisitor by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, a small book which is also a chapter in Dostoyevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov in which Ivan questions the possibility of a personal and benevolent God.

2.  Toughest class I have taken.

A newly-graduated professor's class in classical Greek.  She was so tough that not . one . single . student in my class went on to second-year Greek.  The department head tried to talk me into staying with it, but I preferred to go back to the German I'd taken a decade earlier and start over to complete my two-year language requirement.  In seminary, however, I did take Koine Greek, which is the first-century Greek of the Christian Bible.  Throw in my two years of Latin in high school and my dab of Hebrew from a kantor at a nearby Jewish community center and I figure I really do like studying languages, but that new teacher piled on way too much homework.  I had a husband and three young children when I took her class, yet often stayed up until 3:00 a.m. trying to complete all the homework she assigned.

3.  Class I would love to retake.

My seminary class on John Wesley.  It wasn't a favorite subject, but my professor's comment still rings in my ears.  I reached my last year of seminary and realized I had never used the Pass-Fail option available for a single class.  So I applied it to the Wesley class.  I always took the exams anyway.  My professor told me I would have had an A+ grade.  That would have raised my grade point average slightly higher, and he laughed when he said, "Don't you wish you hadn't chosen Pass-Fail?"  Could have, but maybe it lowered my stress level.  All was well, since my grades were not a problem.

4.  Favorite seminary or theologically-themed class.

Preaching class, where we chose theologians from a list our professor passed around and then learned all we could about that person and his or her writings.  The popular names were chosen long before the list reached me, and I chose Jürgen Moltmann.  That was back in the mid-1980s, and I predicted he would turn more toward the idea of community in his coming books.  And he did!  I now have over thirty books by him and have kept up with his (and his wife's) theological ideas ever since seminary.  I don't see eye-to-eye with him on everything, but I greatly admire his willingness to keep growing and changing as he learns.

5.  Dream class – if I could design the ultimate undergraduate or graduate course, what would it be?

I want to teach "Seven Gospels," starting with an overview of the four in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and asking why those of James, Thomas, and Mary Magdalene were left out of the Bible.  I have notes and outlines dating back to 2004, when I taught "Six Gospels" using translations from The Complete Gospels: Annotated Scholars Version, edited by Robert J. Miller.  I've since added James, head of the Jerusalem church, who hasn't gotten as much attention as Thomas and Mary.

Friday Five ~ a wee pool of loveliness

Friday Five @ RevGalBlogPals is from Julie:

"In this week of the world spinning off into melt down; and fear and mistrust being the dominant emotions, let us create a wee pool of loveliness.  On Tuesday on the Facebook page a thread of fluffy kittens and heartwarming YouTube clips was started to bring a little light into the darkness, this has brought laughter and feel good goose bumps to many.  On Wednesday this week, many Scottish Gals gathered in Edinburgh for a festive lunch and a time to catch up. We were celebrating a new call and a new job and an imminent wedding amongst other things, and it was a lovely, fun, noisy time!  For Friday Five this week, let’s keep the light, love, and laughter going with a random selection of things to make your heart sing."

1.  Music:  a song or orchestral piece that stirs your soul.

My favorite piece of music is Mozart's Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, so I've posted it a couple of times before on this blog.  Here's Aligi Voltan playing the bassoon.  If the video quits working, hear it on YouTube.

2.  Indoor Place:  Have you got an oasis at home that you can hide away in?

Since I live alone in a very active retirement center, my oasis is my apartment.  When I've had enough of socializing and talking to others, I retreat into my own space.

3.  Outdoor Space:  Is it water, hills, woodland?  Is it the fresh country air or the bustling city?

It's also here at the Crown Center for Senior Living.  If I want to sit outside, I can do it on the patio or in the gazebo.  The photo at the top shows the irises around the gazebo in the spring of 2015.

4.  Picture:  this may be a piece of art, something you created, something someone gave you.

The glazed tile showing T.C. the cat, on the wall behind the man, was painted by Jane Yelliott (on the right).  It is now in my bedroom, given to me by Jane when she was dying in December 2013.  It isn't the only piece of her artwork I have, but this one especially brings Jane back to me every time I look at it because she apologized for not being able to paint MY cat before she died.  I miss her smile and visiting together.  By the way, "T.C." stands for "Top Cat," according to Jane's daughter.

5.  Person:  Do you have a go to person, for when the world is crowding in?

Donna has been my best friend for nearly 20 years, and I can definitely say she's one of the "cool people" who care and make the world better.  This was taken when we attended a program in the culinary kitchen here at the Crown Center.  Behind us is part of the library, where Donna and I volunteer to re-shelve books returned by the residents.

Friday Five ~ cover to cover edition

Today's Friday Five is brought to us by 3dogmom.

"We’ve been rearranging and reorganizing books at our house, a dangerous activity when trying to accomplish a task during precious leisure time — the lure of forgotten titles and favorite stories can be deliciously distracting, not to mention inspire a Friday Five theme.  Share with us some of your favorites."

1.  A cookbook ~ Unprocessed.  I rarely use cookbooks, so I'm sharing a "foodbook."  ("Foodbook" is now a word because I just used it).  I'm currently reading this foodbook, partly because I joined the 2015 Foodies Read Challenge.  (Notice how handy the word has already become; I've used it three times in three consecutive sentences.)  As a matter of fact, I am nibbling raw cauliflower as I look up books and compose this Friday Five.

Unprocessed: My City-Dwelling Year of Reclaiming Real Food by Megan Kimble (2015) — "By way of harvest or heat, all food is processed, and often it is the better for it. ... I decided to see if I could go a year without eating a processed food. ... When I first hatched the project ... I thought that I should figure out precisely what made a food processed and then begin.  But as it turned out, it would take me a year to figure out where to draw the line, to understand where our food system succeeds and fails in processing food from land.  That figuring out is what you're holding in your hands." — from the Introduction.

2.  A novel ~ Some Luck.  I'm reading this for Tuesday evening's book club made up of women of my church and people they have introduced to the group.  I've taken a couple of my friends, and I know the mother of one is also on the email list.

Some Luck by Jane Smiley (2014) — It's 1920 in Denby, Iowa.  Rosanna and Walter Langdon have just welcomed their firstborn son, Frank, into their family farm.  He will be the oldest of five.  Each chapter in this extraordinary novel covers a single year, encompassing the sweep of history as the Langdons abide by time-honored values and pass them on to their children.  With the country on the cusp of enormous social and economic change through the early 1950s, we watch as the personal and the historical merge seamlessly:  One moment electricity is just beginning to power the farm, and the next a son is volunteering to fight the Nazis.  Later still, a girl we’d seen growing up now has a little girl of her own.

3.  A nonfiction book ~ Witnessing Whiteness.  I'm reading this one for an interfaith discussion with the Jewish synagogue next to my United Methodist Church.  We live in St. Louis, and the Ferguson Commission report has generated lots of conversations on racism and what we can do about it.

Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk about Race and How to Do It by Shelly Tochluk (2010) invites readers to consider what it means to be white, describes and critiques strategies used to avoid race issues, and identifies the detrimental effect of avoiding race on cross-race collaborations. The author illustrates how racial discomfort leads white people toward poor relationships with people of color. Questioning the implications our history has for personal lives and social institutions, the book considers political, economic, socio-cultural, and legal histories that shaped the meanings associated with whiteness. Drawing on dialogue with well-known figures within education, race, and multicultural work, the book offers intimate, personal stories of cross-race friendships that address both how a deep understanding of whiteness supports cross-race collaboration and the long-term nature of the work of excising racism from the deep psyche. Concluding chapters offer practical information on building knowledge, skills, capacities, and communities that support anti-racism practices, a hopeful look at our collective future, and a discussion of how to create a culture of witnesses who support allies for social and racial justice. For book discussion groups and workshop plans, please visit www.witnessingwhiteness.com.

4.  A well-thumbed book to which you turn often, or with affection, used in our profession ~ Tao Te Ching.  Okay, it's Taoist, but before I retired from the United Methodist Church, I was also an adjunct teacher of religions of the world at Chattanooga State Community College in Tennessee.  I have more than a dozen different translations of this book, and I especially like this one by Ursula K. Le Guin, a non-theologian and a very good writer.  I started re-reading it on Monday, before meditating on wisdom.

Lao Tzu : Tao Te Ching : A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way by Ursula K. Le Guin (1997) — Le Guin, best known for thought-provoking science fiction novels that have helped to transform the genre, has studied the Tao Te Ching for more than forty years.  She has consulted the literal translations and worked with Chinese scholars to develop a version that lets the ancient text speak in a fresh way to modern people, while remaining faithful to the poetic beauty of the work.  Avoiding scholarly interpretations and esoteric Taoist insights, she has revealed the Tao Te Ching's immediate relevance and power, its depth and refreshing humor, in a way that shows better than ever before why it has been so much loved for more than 2,500 years.  Included are Le Guin's own personal commentary and notes on the text

5.  An author you recommend frequently to others ~ Marcus J. Borg.  I'm reading this last book published before he died.

Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most (2014) — Do Christian beliefs still matter?  Do they really change us or the world?  Borg reflects on the convictions that he has developed over the course of his life and why they provide a path of hope for those seeking to be faithful Christiahs in the 21st century.  He explains why most of today's summaries of Christian belief fail to move us or guide us and serve mostly to keep score among the various Christian tribes.  He encourages today's followers of Jesus to become more rooted to the deep convictions that can actually lead us to transformation and renewal, both for ourselves and for our world.  Each chapter embodies a distinct conviction:

1.  Context Matters
2.  Faith Is a Journey
3.  God Is Real and Is a Mystery
4.  Salvation Is More About This Life than an Afterlife
5.  Jesus Is the Norm of the Bible
6.  The Bible Can Be True Without Being Literally True
7.  Jesus's Death on the Cross Matters — But Not Because He Paid for Our Sins
8.  The Bible Is Political
9.  God Is Passionate about Justice and the Poor
10.  Christians Are Called to Peace and Nonviolence
11.  To Love God Is to Love Like God

Bonus:  What are you reading now?  A Heretic's Guide to Eternity.  I'm reading all five of the books above, but I'll be happy to share one more.  I'm reading this one with a Disciples of Christ pastor and a few of her parishioners, one of whom is my best friend Donna.

A Heretic's Guide to Eternity by Spencer Burke and Barry Taylor (2006) — "A heretic is someone who sees a truth that contradicts the conventional wisdom of the institution — and remains loyal to both entities." — Art Kleiner, author of The Age of Heretics.  Distinguishing between religion and spirituality, Burke offers what he calls a new way of looking at God, one centered on the idea of grace.  He emphasizes a God who is looking to save the world, not a God who seems more intent on condemning certain practices.  For Burke, God is to be questioned, not simply obeyed.  His challenging thesis will appeal to many people today who have given up on organized religion but still seek some connection to spirituality.

Friday Five ~ I can see clearly now!

Today's Friday Five suggestions are from 3dogmom:

"My husband had cataract and corrective surgery this week, and he is giddy with excitement as he experiences restored vision.  Listening to his enthusiastic proclamations related to his sight made me think about our senses, and what excites us about the experiences we enjoy through them, inspiring today’s Friday Five."

1.  A sight or view that brings me continual pleasure

My new kitty looking out the window or napping in the sun.  That's her in the photo above, sitting in the window AND in the sun.

2.  A sound that brings me joy

Mozart's Bassoon Concerto.  Although no concert band or orchestra I was in performed this one, I did play bassoon once upon a time.  The solo begins 1:55 minutes into this video.  If the video quits working, view it at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=36&v=lnqexXheK98

3.  A taste that I savor

Fried okra the way my mother used to make it.  I have okra on my grocery list right now.

4.  A smell that brings me comfort

Hyacinths.  When we moved into my grandmother's house after she died, my dad built our sandbox beside hyacinths my grandmother had planted.  When I smell hyacinths, I'm transported back to that spot, remembering my grandmother, the old family home, and the feeling of warm sand.

5.  A tactile experience that surprised me

"Surprise" is the key word here for me.  I can think of lots of things I like to touch, like the soft fur of a cat.  But something surprising?  The only thing that comes to mind is when I first touched a snake.  I was a child, so I only remember being surprised its skin was not slimy or scaly.  Just smooth and soft.

Friday Five ~ now

Thanks to Jan in Texas, who provided today's Friday Five questions.

1.  Who do you think of for Father’s Day?

My son David is a wonderful father and grandfather.  The photo shows him coaching his 4-year-old grandson's ballgame in May.  I tell people, "My son's son had a son" — between the two generations pictured is my grandson, whose wife recently posted a picture on Facebook showing him mowing the lawn next door.  She wrote:  "This is one of the reasons I love this man.  He's mowing our neighbor's yard because the man broke his collar bone."  Therefore, I nominate my son for Father of the Year — because of the way he and his wife raised their children to be caring adults.  By the way, David's birthday is Sunday.  He'll be 52 years old, but he still looks like my little boy to me.

2.  What are you thinking about right now?

Rev. Dr. Anna Howard Shaw

I've been thinking about a new word I found while reading The Story of a Pioneer by Anna Howard Shaw, first published in 1915.  The author mentioned a man's "fimbriated face."  Fascinated by words since the age of two, I rarely run across a word that is totally new to me.  Two friends and I discussed the word over dinner at Applebee's last night, as they tried to help me figure out how to look up the word in the Oxford English Dictionary that came already installed on my new Kindle.  The word ˈfim brēˌātid means "having a fringe or border of hairlike or fingerlike projections."  I concluded that Anna Howard Shaw meant the man had a fringe of hair around his face, maybe a full beard that was continuous with his hair.

3.  What book are you reading or have just finished reading?

I'm also reading Discover the Power Within You by Eric Butterworth, 1968.  The author shares the greatest discovery of all time:  the ability to see the divine within us all.  Jesus saw this divine dimension in every human being, and Butterworth reveals this hidden and untapped resource to be a source of limitless abundance.  Exploring this "depth potential," Butterworth outlines ways in which we can release the power locked within us for better health, greater confidence, increased success, and inspired openness to let our "light shine" forth for others.

4.  What was the best movie you have seen in the past year?

I've seen only two or three movies in the past year, and the best was probably the one I watched a couple of weeks ago.  Still Alice is a 2014 drama based on Lisa Genova's 2007 bestselling novel of the same name.  I wanted to see this movie because my mother had Alzheimer's like the main character in the film.  Alice is very intelligent and tries to work around her own memory problems, but the disease makes things very difficult, thwarting her best efforts over and over.

5.  News in our world is overwhelming with politics, tragedy, dissension, and hope.  What current affairs are you thinking about?

I'm thinking about racism and violence, especially the madness of the terrorist who murdered nine people attending a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, shot because of the color of their skin.  I agree with Bernie Sanders, who said, "This senseless violence fills me with outrage, disgust, and a deep, deep sadness."  People all over the world are shocked at American violence and wonder why we think guns are going to solve anything.

This video of a prayer by the pastor who was killed also lists and shows all nine victims.

Friday Five ~ thinking "beach"

This morning (12th)

RevKarla brings us today's Friday Five, which she calls "Random."

1.  If you could sneak away anywhere this weekend, right now, all expenses paid, where would you go and what would you do?

Except for the fact that this is the last day they'll be there, I'd join my twin daughters who are vacationing together this week at Orange Beach, Alabama.  Their photos (texted and on Facebook) show they're having a grand time, reading, watching the sun come up, and painting with watercolors.

Yesterday morning (11th)

2.  What is for lunch today?  (RevKarla says, "One of the very first FF I ever played asked this.")

Lunch is over, and I had beef pot roast.

3.  Along that first-FF-RevKarla-ever-played theme, what are you wearing today?

I'm wearing my "retirement uniform" of jeans, tee-shirt, and comfortable slip-on shoes.  When I went out (see #4), I added a long-sleeved denim shirt because it is only 58*F today at mid-afternoon in St. Louis.  My daughters seem to be wearing swimwear in this photo from a couple of days ago.

Day before yesterday (10th)

4.  Along the Today Theme, what are you doing today?

I took two neighbors to the library and and grocery store.  We live in a high-rise for seniors, and neither of the women has a car.  As I said in my earlier post today, "I not only still drive my car, but go at least weekly to the nearest library."

5.  Along the random theme, what is your favorite scent, and why?

Back in February, I told you Friday Fivers about the scent of hyacinths taking me back to my sandbox in my grandmother's back yard, so today I'll think about the scent of the ocean along the Gulf Coast where my daughters have been frolicking.  Do they look 54 to you?  Maybe it's just my "motherly eyes" seeing them more like four or five years old.

Sunrise three days ago (9th)

Friday Five ~ five things that are new in my life

Mary Beth brings us today's Friday Five:

"So, no matter what the weather’s doing where you live, this time of year brings the beginning of school for most people.  Unless you are in year round school, or homeschooling, or something else.  Many folks I know say the beginning of school makes them feel like a new beginning, even if they are not in school themselves or have kids there.  In fact, I did a little math at the beginning of the week and determined that, based on my career in higher education and when I entered first grade, I am entering the 44th Grade this year.  So, for beginnings:  Tell us five things that are new in your life, or that you would LIKE to have be new in your life.  If that doesn’t work, how about things that you are ready to shed ... to make room for new things?  Opening your hands to release, to see what God might put into them?  So, go!"

Five things that are new in my life:

1.  New home

In June, I moved to St. Louis from my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee.  It's been a great adventure so far, as I settle into my new home and ... (ta-da!) ... make new friends!

2.  New friends

Evelyn, Betty, Sheila, Judy, Tomoko, Nancy, and Marilyn eat at my table at our "senior living" apartments.  I've attended all sorts of activities so I'd get to know my new neighbors in the building.  I've taken road trips with them and gone to all three "birthday bashes" in the three months I've lived here.  And I've participated in resident council meetings.  We didn't have anything like that where I used to live.  These people are very active and involved, and I'm loving it!

3.  New study buddies

My way of continuing to learn and "be in school" is to gather a group of my new friends — and one old friend — into a book discussion and "teach" each other.  We are currently studying Brian McLaren's 2014 book We Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation,Reorientation, and Activation.

4.  New stole

Because I'm in St. Louis and live only six or eight miles from Ferguson, I learned on the 20th of a call for clergy in vestments to gather in solidarity for prayer and witness.  Local and statewide clergy would march to the county's Justice Center for a brief demonstration and prayer, and then the group would "caravan to Ferguson and consecrate the area with prayer and oil" so that our presence, prayers, and prophetic witness would make a difference.  Oops!  I just moved.  I had kept one stole when I retired, a tapestry stole showing children of the world, but which box was it in?  I got the invitation the day of the gathering and I didn't have time to search through boxes, so I went out and bought a new stole.  It's tapestry, similar in color to the one of the children that I have, somewhere, not yet unpacked.  And I did get it in time to march with the others, wearing my new clergy stole.

5.  New church

When I moved into my new home, in a new state, hundreds of miles from my last church, I set out to find a new church home.  University United Methodist Church is only two and a half miles from home, has a clergywoman as new to St. Louis as I am, and (as an added plus) both she and her husband graduated from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta -- just as I did.  He teaches at Eden Seminary.  The Rev. Diane Kenaston is wearing the white robe and stole in the top photo, and her husband Adam Ployd is the bearded man behind her.  I was there, but only my left hand made it into the photo.  I was just to the left of the picture, beside the man wearing the white shirt.

Friday Five ~ What’s in a name?

Bonnie (me) in 2008 with my youngest grandchild

Today's Friday Five is brought to us by 3dogmom, who wrote:

"Lately I’ve been a bit obsessed with tracking some genealogical mysteries in my family.  I’m reaching back through generations into the past, but I’m also moving from the past toward the present in an effort to locate cousins descended from the same ancestor.  Naming patterns prove to be useful clues in these endeavors, and in turn, lead me to today’s Friday Five theme."

1.  Is there a story behind your name?

Oh, yeah.  Let me tell you the story of my name(s).  My parents named me Bonnie for my mother's only sister and Lillian for my father's only sister.  The problem was that each of them used her name.  So my paternal grandmother tried lots of nicknames until one stuck:  Bitsy.  I weighed only five pounds when I was born, so I guess I was "itsy-bitsy" in that sense.  But I didn't like the name.  On the first day of school, my teacher called each child to her desk and asked, "And what are YOU called?"  Mother was sure I'd go into a long explanation of my names.  When it was my turn, however, the teacher asked her question, and I responded with one word.  "Bonnie," I said, and I've been Bonnie ever since.

2.   If you have children, how did you choose his/her/their name(s)?  If you don’t have children, how about a pet?

My husband and I could agree on only two names when I was pregnant the first time:  Barbara or Sandra, with either Lynn or Louise as the middle name.  On the way to the hospital, he asked me, "What if it's a boy?"  Back in 1960, no one knew which sex until the baby arrived.  I answered, "I guess David, since it's the only one we both like."  Surprise!  It was twin girls, so we used all four names we had chosen.  The first to arrive was Barbara Lynn, and Sandra Louise arrived three minutes after her identical twin sister.  Three years later, we still couldn't find any other names we both liked, so I assured my husband it would be a boy.  It was, and we named him David Alan.  I tell people we couldn't have any more children because we had run out of names.

3.   I named the stand mixer in my kitchen Ethel, and a friend of mine names her plants.  Do you ever name household items, and what inspires the names behind them?

I named my first plant a few days ago.  Her name is Phil, short for Philomena, because she's a Philodendron.  I named her because my daughter-in-law named the 50-year-old philodendron I gave her when I moved to St. Louis.  Before that, it had never occurred to me to name a plant.  Phil is doing fine in her spot above the kitchen sink.

Model of a Lightning sailboat

4.  Do you daydream about what you might name a boat, a novel, a business, or something else that begs for a title?

No daydreaming.  In 1968, we named our sailboat Blue Streak, because we talked a "blue streak" about it before deciding to buy it and because it was a 19-foot Lightning class sailboat.  We painted the "S" of the name to look like a lightning streak.

5.   If you were to write under a pseudonym, what might that be, and is there a story behind that name?

Maybe Lillian Rose.  Lillian actually IS one of my names, and in the 1990s I used Lillian Rose just to see if I could "be" someone else in an online discussion with a group of my friends.  I "signed" my chat room name something like this:

Lillian @>-->---

No one ever guessed who I was until I told them what I'd been doing.

Friday Five ~ trips

This week's Friday Five is brought to us by Janintx @ RevGalBlogPals:

"Last week and this week, I am driving long distances in Texas, first to Houston and today to Austin from Corpus Christi:  both times to meet relatives from Canada flying here.  This makes me think of trips taken in my life:  vacation, moving, visiting relatives, visiting friends, seeking a new home, going away to school, and probably many more.  For today’s Friday Five, tell about five different trips you have made in your life due to different reasons, modes of travel, or whatever category you choose!  Since I will be traveling, I will check in on your 'travels' when I reach my destination.  Happy and safe travels!"

1.  Vicarious trip

My roommate Donna is traveling to St. Louis right now.  She left Chattanooga Thursday afternoon and drove about halfway before stopping at a motel for the night.  When she called to tell me where she was staying, I was on my laptop and used Google to pinpoint the location and even tell her what restaurants were around her!  I told her about a lake behind her motel, which she hadn't noticed.  Looking out her window, she could see it.  We live in an amazing and mind-bending time.

2.  Bookish trip

Last August, I was reading a novel set on Nantucket Island.  Never having been there, I googled both maps and photos of the place.  Mostly I wondered if there really was a Lily Street in the town within walking distance of a street called Easy Street.  There is, and I discovered that's only a half mile walk from Lily Street.  It made what I was reading more real, and I've done the same thing with other books occasionally since then.  Click the link to see why I felt like Sam Beckett, "leaping" from one time-place to another.

3.  Curb trip

In December 2012, I managed to trip on my way into a restaurant and landed on my right elbow.  Do you have any idea what that does to one's shoulder?  My next trip was in an ambulance to the nearest hospital, a mere mile away but costing over $1100.  See my "vacation photos" from that "trip" and a short explanation of the photos I took (even doing it all with my left hand).

4.  Trip to Florida

When I was seven and had just started the second grade in the autumn of 1947, my Aunt Bonnie took me on a train to Florida.  I felt "sea sick" from the rocking train and was taken to the dining car to suck on a lemon.  I remember "Flagler," but can't tell you if it was the name of the train or the destination.  A recent hurricane had hit Florida, and strong winds pelted sand into my skinny bare legs something fierce when we went out on the beach.  We spent most of our time inside the tourist home, playing games.

5.  Trip above the clouds

Flying to Connecticut in 2001, all I could see of New York City out the left window was the tops of the Twin Towers sticking up above the clouds into the open skies where my plane was.  That trip was the last time I saw the towers, since they fell in September of that year.

Friday Five ~ green and evolving

RevKarla @ RevGalBlogPals brings us today's "theme-less" Friday Five:  "Hi gals and pals ~~ Happy Friday to you!  I don’t have a theme this week, but just a variety of questions for your writing pleasure … Have fun!"

1)  How are you?  What’s taking up your mind-heart space these days?

I've been de-cluttering by packing up books and taking them to the used book store for cash and/or trade.  The trick is to come home without picking up MORE books.  Slowly, slowly, my apartment is looking less cluttered.

2)  It’s St. Patrick’s Day on Monday ~~ will you celebrate or give a nod to it?

I noticed my shamrock-green tee-shirt hanging in the closet the other day, the one I wear on March 17th — and sometimes other days of the year.  Yep, I'll wear it again this Monday.  As a wordsmith with ancestors from the emerald isle, I usually tell people that "I speak fluent blarney."

3)  My colleague is a voracious morning reader of blogs, online news, articles, etc.  What, besides RevGalBlogPals, do you look at frequently, if not daily?

I have a blog list on the sidebar (look over to the right).  That's where I list blogs I regularly read and add new possibilities all the time.  I only read the ones that appeal to me on a particular day, so when I notice I haven't been reading one lately — at all — I simply delete it from the sidebar.  It's an evolving list.

4)  I got nothin’ here.  This is a free for all.  Just tell us something!

Something.  Oh, right, SOMEthing.  I didn't see this Friday Five prompt until late in the day, which is why I'm posting it so late tonight.

5)  Use these words in a sentence or two:  map, magazine, sing, baby sloth, knit, penguin, love, weep, mountain, and messenger bag.

The magazine article detailed how to knit a cute penguin or a baby sloth to attach to my messenger bag.  Before we map out our trip, I'd love to tell you to sing my praises, but the resulting big brown blob of yarn was more like a shapeless mountain and would make you weep.

Friday Five ~ favorites

Jan @ RevGals says, "Just getting back from four days of silence, I am suddenly thrust back into the world. Wrestling with choices and seeing elderly decline in others, I am flummoxed about a Friday Five — so think of a favorite off the top of your head for food, drink, animal, color, time of day.  Bonus: Any favorite you haven’t mentioned above that you want to bring up!"

 

1.  favorite food ~ crispy, crunchy fried okra
2.  favorite drink ~ iced tea, even in winter
3.  favorite animal ~ Kiki Cat

4.  favorite color ~ dark forest green, like my Subaru Outback
5.  favorite time of day ~ late at night when it's quiet and peaceful

Bonus:  favorite place to read ~ stretched out on my bed or on a long sofa (I'm tall)

Friday Random Five ~ things you love

Revkarla brings us today's Friday Random Five:  "Happy Valentine’s Day!  Tell us about five random things that you love."

1.  I love my great-grandson Jaxon, who helped build his first snowman a couple of days ago.

2.  I love my great-granddaughter Raegan, who posed as a princess after that same snow storm.

3.  I love punny stuff, like this birthday card by Sandra Boynton.

Hippo birdie two ewe
hippo birdie two ewe
hippo birdie deer ewe
hippo birdie two ewe

4.  I love words.  Read about the connection between this cat and the word "inveigle" that I posted last November.

5.  I love books and share that love with other book lovers on this book blog.

Friday Five ~ hyacinths and more hyacinths

Today's Friday Five comes from 3dogmom:  "Here in Nashville the annual Antiques and Garden Show is getting underway.  The temperatures are more cold and windy than is typical, and the garden displays with colorful spring blooms are going to be tonic for many of the souls that visit the show this weekend.  Punxsutawney Phil may have predicted another six weeks of winter when he saw his shadow, but spring is on the minds of many!  With that in mind..."

1)  What do you anticipate with the coming of spring?

I'm not close enough to spring to be anticipating it yet.  For spring, all I anticipate is the usual:  warmer, greener, and sneezier.  Yep, I'm allergic to spring's pollen.

2)  Is there anything you will miss about winter?

Not that I can think of right now.

3)  Is there an occasion on the horizon to which you’re looking forward?

I must be really down today, since I'm not even looking forward to anything except finishing the novel I'm reading.  Maybe I should just chuck this Friday Five exercise.

4)  Do you have a favorite spring memory?

Hmm, all my children were born in the spring, technically.  My twin daughters were born on May 3rd, and my son — three years later — was born four minutes before it officially became summer on June 21st that year.  Does that count as one or two memories?

5)  Do you have a favorite spring flower/bloom, and if so, what makes it special to you?

Okay, here's one I really can answer.  Hyacinths, seeing them or (especially) smelling them, takes me back to my childhood.  After my maternal grandmother died, we moved into her house.  Our sandbox was in the back yard beside the free-standing garage, and hyacinths grew all along the side of the garage.  My grandmother had a green thumb, so flowers were everywhere — in the side yard, in a brick-edged garden beside the back door, in a rock garden in a corner of the yard.  Everywhere.  But it's the smell of hyacinths that take me back, reminding me of that yard where — later in the year — I climbed the plum tree and ate the warm plums right off the tree.  Now that I'm "into" hyacinths, I think I'll cover this post with them.  Move aside, words!  Here come the flowers!