Three pet peeves. Only three. Well, I guess that’s why it’s a challenge.
But I must go on. I’m already halfway.
#1) People who have pets but don’t take care of them. With some, early on, I do believe it is a knowledge issue, but you can’t claim ignorance forever. Compare your pets with other ones. Can you see hip bones, ribs, on other horses of quality? No. You shouldn’t be able to see them on yours, either. One horse needs two acres, period. Or lots of quality hay. That means no mold. Keep clean water out at all times. If you wouldn’t drink it, neither should your horse. A new lead rope & halter isn’t important to the health of an animal, a clean place to live & plenty to eat IS. I’m far from being an animal rights activist, but I do know that some people aren’t qualified to own a goldfish, let alone anything else. And I also don’t believe that he or she is a “good person”. If you let animals starve & suffer, you are inherently evil. Get rid of them one way or another before you let them suffer. Take care of your dogs, too. No, I don’t mean buying them clothes & grain free dog food (although it really IS worth the money). I mean, provide them a place to run, keep them up to date on vaccinations & free of fleas. If you think it’s cruel to chain them, have a secure fence, or keep them inside. Your neighbors don’t want to clean up the mess your dog makes, or feed them. And when your dog is ailing, & can’t get around, & can’t eat or drink, it’s time. Let them go in a dignified fashion. Don’t hold on because you’re selfish.
Goes triple for giving birth to humans. Adoption is an option.
#2) Misspelled words on the internet. If you’re gonna go to the trouble of writing, look over it. If you know you can’t spell, try not to post until you’ve got it right. The world IS silently judging you, whether they say so or not. And in my case, wondering how you have a better paying job than me. Do you send emails to your boss? Do you see them secretly snickering behind your back? If not, are they smarter than you? I understand that some people are good at math. I am not one of those people. Therefore, I utilize the calculator on a regular basis to avoid looking like an idiot. You, too, have tools at your disposal. You know that squiggly red line under half your words? That’s your friend. It’s known as spell check. Use it. This is stuff we learned in second grade, people.
Your= belonging to you. i.e. your coat, your husband, your hurt feelings.
You’re=a contraction of you are. i.e. You’re going to get angry reading these because you know you’re guilty of them.
There=a place. i.e. I went there last week with your sister.
Their=belonging to them. i.e. Put their coats in the spare bedroom.
They’re=a contraction of they are. i.e. They’re going to want their coats after dinner.
To= an action. i.e. Do you want to go get ice cream?
Too= Additionally. i.e. I want ice cream, too.
Two= a number. i.e. I want two scoops of ice cream.
Whether= defining differences. i.e. I can’t decide whether I want to go to the party or stay home & read.
Weather= conditions outside. i.e. I will probably stay home from the party because the weather is treacherous.
Seriously, y’all. Second grade.
#3) People who drive in the passing lane without passing anybody. You are breaking the law & you are a hazard to all of us. GET OVER OR GO ON.
I think my blood pressure probably rose just writing about these. Help a sister out: don’t do it.
Day 13: Your Commute To/ From Work, School, etc.
Me & Patsy for the last fifteen years. And I am, without fail, LATE. My commute is about 15 miles each way, about a twenty minute trip on a good day. But it’s not bad because it’s all highway, no interstate or sitting through a million red lights in town or tourist traffic, so I don’t mind so much. And it’s scenic.
There are people who appreciate the beauty of the surrounding area & want to take a picture to capture it, & there are people who zoom through life & don’t look up & appreciate it. And then there are people like me who want to write about it and try to describe the purple mountain’s majesty. It IS truly magnificent.
In the morning, my first glimpse comes as I top the hill at the McMansions & if the sunlight isn’t in my eyes I take it all in with a deep breath & remind myself how fortunate I am to live here. I am ashamed to say that more often than not I’m aggravated that whoever’s in front of me is poking along, riding their brakes. Then there’s the congestion around the schools, but I usually slip right through. The real catastrophe comes at the McDonalds/ Weigels intersection. You can’t stir ‘em with a stick! Forget about turning left out of there. At the light, I look around, awed by how much Seymour has built up over the years. How many times have I met people at “the bank”? It’s nice to have all these amenities around, but I can’t help but miss the Dairy Delight. It doesn’t seem normal that we have so many choices on where to eat, where to have our teeth cleaned, where to get gas, & where to buy groceries. We’ve always had plenty of places to worship. On a clear day, you can see the smokies, but the Bluff is always impressive, & you can pick out radio towers & cabins dotted along the ridge.
I pass Floyd’s, with the squirrel on top of the flagpole & the helicopter on the roof (I don’t know why) & proceed with caution around the Wye. Too many wrecks through here. Too many wrecks down Chapman, period. I look for deer on the Delozier’s property, sometimes you’ll see them, & turkeys too, more often than not. The fog lays thick through the hollers this time of year, & the barn on the hill looks eerie & haunted. I like the Angus cows with their fuzzy rounded ears on the Teague Farm. On to Tarwater Stretch, & I marvel that people I have traveled with from Seymour are still cruising along in the left hand lane. That’s a death wish, if you ask me.
It’s not long till I’m at the city limits; Jim’s beautiful flowerbeds greet me. I slow, because I don’t want the po-po meeting me as well. Down the hill, the steeple of First Baptist & the pinnacle of the bank make up the Sevierville skyline. Watch for eagles, see if the Legion Building sign is boasting a book sale or pancake breakfast anytime soon. Cross the river & I’m here. Pull in the parking lot of the renovated red barn looking Co-op & try to smile & convince myself I’m glad to be here & it will fly right by.
Ten hours later, I’m on my way back, & hopefully in a good mood. Because I’m an aggressive driver anyway, after spending all day in the company of people who don’t understand, my patience is SHOT. Get outta my way. The background music of my morning ride is usually old country (or maybe classical), the afternoon is all about Guns-n-Roses, Aerosmith, or maybe some sassy Miranda. I try not to break the law, since I most certainly broke it earlier, & I hope that it cancels itself out.
Once I eventually wind my way back to my humble home, I am greeted by two slobbery pit bulls. I miss being welcomed by my border collie/blue heeler cross, rain or shine, without fail. But the man who comes out after them to open the gate makes my heart leap. And I feel fortunate to be back safely.
Day 12: Two Words/ Phrases That Make You Laugh
#1) Toot ta la froot! ~ Joey on Friends, where Phoebe tries to teach him French. Oh my Lort, even though I’ve seen every episode approximately 300 times, that gets me every time. Johnny randomly texts it to me & I crack up. I think I’ll text him now 🙂
#2) Can I pet your dog? There’s this meme on Pinterest that I found one time with this terrified looking little kid running from a (photoshopped) Mastiff/ Shepherd mix. It’s freaking hilarious. I’ll find it & post it in the comments.
For years, I kept a “Quote Book”. In a way, I still do. It’s where I recorded one liners, more often than not, funny ones. I could flip through it & get a lift. I could certainly use it this dreary morning.
I hate it when you’re driving down the road, all happy to be off work, sun shining, windows down…
And a bug flies into your cheek.
And you don’t know what kind it was so you debate pulling over in case it’s a venomous type, but you overcome your fear until ten minutes later you feel it crawling up your arm & it’s a red wasper so then you do flip out & try not to crash as you squash it with one of the 78 napkins from various fast food joints lying on the seat. Then, once you do squash it, you’re afraid it’s gonna come back to life & crawl out of the napkin & sting you for spite but you don’t wanna be a litterbug & throw it out the window even though it would eventually disintegrate. So you save it till you’re sweating from anxiety & wait till no cars around & DO IT then come home & confess your litterbugging sinful self among your peers on Facebook.
Side note: I think tomorrow I’m putting my Fitbit on Lightning Bug (the more hyperactive of the dogs). I want to see what happens.
Clint & I ordered the same shirts this go round. Not on purpose. I discovered this when he wore his a while back. So this morning, I asked John, who had been upstairs, if we were wearing the same shirt. John carefully looked at me. “Yes, but he’s not wearing that headband.”
So I call Clint. “What are you wearing?”
“A long sleeved button up shirt.”
“Is it the small navy & white check?”
“Yes.”
“We’re Twinkies. I’ll be up for a photo shoot directly.”
Luckily, I had another matching headband, & somehow coerced him into putting it on.
Ladies & gentlemen, CEO of Sevier Farmers Coop, & yours truly.
p.s. He said the only time anybody wants their picture with him is to make themselves look better. I told him not to worry, it was not a flattering picture of me; my hair’s weird & my face is scrunched up because I was laughing so hard at his Lt. Dan headband.
Day 9: Your Feelings on Ageism
I had to look it up on my dictionary app to make sure it’s what I thought it was. I was correct. “A discrimination against a certain age group” or “a tendency to view older persons as debilitated, unworthy of attention, or unsuitable for employment.”
I’m not sure who came up with these writing prompts, but I feel that I could write more dramatically about something else. The ‘unworthy of attention’ pulls at me…but I’m liable to get pulled off on a tangent. Oh well, here goes nothin’.
We have several old men working at the Co-op, so I have firsthand experience with this. I don’t feel that they should get special treatment. If they can’t hack it, they should be sent home. Just like a younger person with a strong back would be. (Unless you could be moved to a lighter duty position). Keeping one person because you feel sorry for them is just preventing someone else from having work. That being said, there is one that works circles around most of us. And there is one who ain’t worth shootin’, in my opinion. There is one who is an icon, we keep him around for his brain. And there’s one who stays as lost as last year’s Easter egg. I don’t think he’s ever gonna catch on, & he’s been with us for a couple of years now.
Just like our younger people. We have young people that are go-go-go, younger people that are smart but aren’t much for the labor end, younger people who are so slow you can “see the dead lice fall off of ’em” {Hazel’s words, a bit of an exaggeration}. We have younger people that every day is like their first day, no recollection of the day before. Seriously, it’s like the Twilight Zone. It takes all kinds, is what people keep telling me.
Everybody needs a job. But if you can’t do the job you’re hired to do, you need to find one you can. And these 16-28 year olds really need a stronger work ethic. Showing up is not enough. If the place you’re employed doesn’t pay you what you’re worth, or appreciate you, move on. Because they probably never will.
A Book You Love & One You Didn’t
There are so many things wrong with this subject. First of all the words “One” & “A”. Like I could seriously pick just one of each. But I will try.
It’s fairly easy to pick one I love because I just finished it. It kept my attention like few have in the past few years. It was my Book Club’s selection for this month: Fever by Mary Beth Keane.
It’s the story of Typhoid Mary, set in the early years of the 20th century. New York City’s lower east side tenements were teeming with disease and filth & Mary was a cook for some of the richest families of Manhattan. She is an unmarried Irish immigrant with strong opinions & an even stronger work ethic.
Yeah, I know it sounds boring, but I am telling you it is gripping & engrossing enthralling & all the words. She makes it so interesting & causes you to speculate on your own life. Are you where you’d thought you’d be as an adult? Do you think it will always be as it is now? What if you are old & lose your job & no one wants you? What if the thing you love & that you are best at is punishable by law if you practice it? What if the man you love is an alcoholic but you don’t know how to love another? He’s all you know in this country…you’ve been with him for 17 years. What if you are perfectly healthy but accused of killing people by being around them? You are sick in a way you can’t understand & they can’t explain. You are forced into exile & have no contact with your former life, not even to tell them that you’re being help captive of the state? It’s unimaginable.
But it’s not all dark & dismal. Mary rises again & again & overcomes everything that is thrown her way. It’s interesting to me that she remained resilient. I would have jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge. And yet…it only mentions her crying once. I cried more than that reading it!
Even though this book is fiction, a mere possibility of the life she may have lived, it seems so real. It is easy to sympathize with Mary. I was captivated from early on.
One I Didn’t:
Priscilla Balleu Presley: The Untold Story.
I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed with Elvis, but I am intrigued by him, & I do like his music. I occasionally like biographies so I thought this would be interesting.
I could not have been more wrong.
I’m not sure what Priscilla ever did to this author, but it must have been really bad. Additionally, the author repeats herself relentlessly & it is clear she didn’t have enough information for a book. It is also evident that Priscilla is a liar, as the author sites sources with every quote. Slow going, a dark pall against every page. I hated it & quit at 40% (it was on my Kindle, thankfully I paid less than three dollars).
So there you go.
Honorable mentions include Gone With the Wind (of course), Lonesome Dove, Peter Pan, Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons, The Paris Wife by Paula McClain, anything by Wendy Webb, Gillian Flynn, Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah, & Karen White.
While I will always reach for my southern set favorites, occasionally I branch out & in rare instances am wow’ed. So it’s a marvelous thing I’ve found two in the last month.
I know I can be a bit much if you’ve ever asked me for a book recommendation, & for that I will apologize. But there’s so many good ones to read! Time’s a-wastin’!
Alternately, I hated these that everyone seems to love: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the Bell Jar, 50 Shades (don’t judge, I had to see what all the hoopla was about), Twilight (same reason. Hey, I liked Harry Potter!) & the Confederacy of Dunces.
Happy reading!
Day 7: What Tattoos You Have & If They Have Meaning
My first was a heart. I wanted something simple, something small, something that said I wasn’t what everyone thought I was.
My second is a horseshoe with a red “Vegas” style 7. My lucky charms.
My third is a four leaf clover. Another lucky charm. A tip to my Irish roots.
Who’s surprised? I bet very few have ever laid eyes on any of them, & if you have, probably just the clover. I was with friends I loved every time, & it was an event & a ton of fun.
I would be absolutely covered up if I thought I wouldn’t get tired of them & it would be hard to procure a job. Or keep the one I have. They frown on pink hair & visible art. I still want some wings on my back. Shug wants us to get cards (Jack & Ace) & guns. And I want a mermaid for sure. And my hometown postage stamp. Have y’all seen those? They are super cool. And a sparrow. And a stack of books with a thought provoking quote. And maybe a honeybee….you can see where I would run out of room fast.
Update 11-7-17 Well, looks like I got my swallow ❤ Still waiting on a bunch more. I never thought I’d put one in such an exposed place, but I love it. I wish I had gotten the paisley right away…but I’d probably have chickened out on any more of them.
Day 6: Someone Who Fascinates You & Why
Oh, my gosh. I don’t know why I labored over this for so long.
Of COURSE I am fascinated by Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton! She is FABULOUS. And I’m not one to be awed by celebrities. But she seems so genuine! And she’s always so poised & beautiful & her clothes are gorgeous. Of course, if I had an army of people working on making me look perfect every day, enough precious jewels to sink a ship, & an unending supply of cash, I could probably look that good, too. But I still probably wouldn’t be that NICE. Elegance can’t be bought. I think Diana would approve.
Chick-fil-A is really something. I went by the one on Chapman this morning & the girl at the window went to fold down the top of my bag & it was barely torn so it wouldn’t make a nice crease.
She frowned.
“Oh, let me get you another bag, this one’s ripped.”
As soon as I got my eyeballs back in my head that she was actually SERIOUS I waved my arm. “No, it’s alright! Really!”
“Are you sure?” her brow was all furrowed, not understanding why I would accept an inferior bag.
“Absolutely.”
I accepted my barely damaged bag with glee.
I just wanted its contents.
