games

SYW: Games, Scary Movies, Nature, etc.

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Melanie’s back with a new set of Share Your World questions today!

QUESTIONS

(Two ‘seasonal’ and two plain today)

What is the scariest game (board or on-line) you ever may have played?
I have never played a “scary” board/on-line game. I have never heard of a scary game, but I’m not a big “gamer” in terms of online/video games. Perhaps when I was a child, I may have gotten scared by some game like Hide and Seek if I felt left alone and couldn’t find anyone. I don’t remember, so it probably didn’t happen. I have played games that are thrilling and exciting, but not scary.

What’s just ‘over the rainbow” for you?
Traveling – we finally got our new passports!

Passports – Cleveland Public Library

mDo you have to watch something upbeat after watching a suspense or horror movie so you can go to sleep?
I don’t normally watch those kinds of movies. I have a few that I like in that genre, but no, I wouldn’t watch them late at night! I went alone to Silence of the Lambs at a local theatre many years ago. It was dark out when I left the theater, and I started to walk home, only about 2 blocks away. Once I left the downtown area and started down a street that was not well lit, I saw a man coming toward me, on the other side of the street! He didn’t make any threatening gesture and I couldn’t even see what he looked like, but I started running and didn’t stop until I got inside my apartment building! Never again!

The Silence of the Lambs - Where to Watch and Stream - TV Guide

Is there intent behind every action?
EVERY action? No, I don’t think so. I often do things without thinking, although I don’t think that is a good thing to do in general. I usually don’t even remember most of the “actions” I have taken during any particular day.

GRATITUDE SECTION  (as always, optional)

Feel free to share some gratitude with folks today!   Thanks!  
Although it’s probably got some connection to climate change, I am grateful for the warm, summerlike weather we have had the last week.

I am also grateful for nature. Yesterday, I was sitting on our screened porch and noticed a bird at the foot of a tree. It looked bigger than most birds I see around here, but maybe it was a pigeon. But then it flew up on a low branch on a tree and I saw that it was a hawk! And it was trying to catch a squirrel! I watched the drama of predator and prey play out for at least five minutes. The hawk was unsuccessful, though – the squirrel escaped every time the hawk tried to grab him. Lots of flapping of wings and scurrying up the tree and onto higher branches. I think the hawk was young, probably born this year and now out fending for himself, but apparently he has much to learn about swooping down and grabbing his prey before it can get away. Each and every time, the squirrel outwitted the hawk. I sat there, watching the scene and in the back of my mind, I was wishing I’d had my camera right then – I could have gotten some great shots! But I was content just to witness the scene. There are dramas unfolding every day in the natural world!

I have a new phone, and it takes sharper photos than my previous one. Here are a couple of photos taken at one of the ponds of the heron who comes here every day.
 

SYW: On Games, Grief, Regret, & Truth

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These are the questions and my responses for Melanie’s Share Your World this week:

QUESTIONS

What did you learn the hard way?
How difficult teaching was for a person with ADHD.

Which activities make you lose track of time?

Wood Block Puzzle Game - Free Offline APK Download | Android Market


Almost anything I’m engaged in! Especially, though, games I play on my phone. Most are word games, but I also have two different Solitaire games, and a “wood block” game, where you fit pieces of different sizes and shapes into a grid. This last game is the most addictive! I could play it, mesmerized, for hours – I don’t know why!

The best thing I can do if I want to accomplish several things in one day is to stay away from these games until I have a lull in the evening, or am waiting at a doctor’s office, for example.

Why do we seem to think of others the most after they’re gone?
Sad, isn’t it? Grief makes you linger on the one you’ve lost, and regret reminds you of all the things you wish you had said or done for them, but didn’t. I think we take others for granted. If they are a regular part of our lives, it just seems like they’ll be there forever. I hope the pandemic has taught us that we should value our time with loved ones and say and do everything for them that we can to show our appreciation.

Is it possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
Hmm, this is a difficult one. Many people claim to know the “truth” due to what they’ve been taught, and they’ve never been exposed or challenged by other ideas. They may have their “truth” confirmed by other people around them who think the same way, but how can they know they are right? If one is really convinced of the “truth,” that person doesn’t feel the need to go beyond that. They just hang onto reinforcement of that truth.

So yes, one can claim to know “truth” without examining that truth, but I do think that only by being exposed to other “truths” and examining them in an objective way (if that is even possible) can one feel secure that the truth is what one believes or has been brought up to believe.

GRATITUDE SECTION (always optional)

Please feel free to share your gratitude with everyone!   We can all use a boost in spirits from time to time!
Here’s a sentiment I can relate to!

L-APC: Large to Small

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Lens-Artists host this week, Patti, has given us an interesting challenge: Pick a color and choose photos with objects of that color from large (like a wall or a building) to small (like a mushroom or an earring). I picked two colors: White and Pink.

WHITE

Largest: a snowy landscape

Large: a round white barn…

…and its door

Medium: Our niece’s wedding dress (with blue embroidered flowers!)

Smallish: Styrofoam chest with ribs and intestines

Small: Flower – hydrangea blossoms

PINK

Large: Pink building façade

A little less large: Pink ice cream truck, “The Original Rainbow Cone”

Medium, whole: Andy Warhol cat

Medium, in pieces: Bridal Shower Jeopardy

Medium, Pretty: frilly dresses & Medium, Patterned: 60s dresses

Medium, delicious: Birthday cake

Smallish: Umbrella

Small: Orchid

The Last February of Love Post

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We’ve finally arrived at the end of this short month, which has seemed at least as long as any other month! This means the last day of Paula’s Month of Lurve challenge.

My final love is games!

Feb. 28: I love…to play games! It can get out of hand when I spend half a day playing games on my phone! But I prefer games I can play with others – good old-fashioned Scrabble or Scattergories or other board games. Games we used to play with each other as kids. I always think of my dad when talking about games, because there is no one who loved to play games more than he did! So I and my siblings grew up with a love for games. We had educational games that helped us learn things, like state capitals and countries of the world as well as the usual Parcheesi, etc. It was a way of sharing time together when we’ve exhausted all conversation topics – or to look forward to at the end of the day. One of my sisters lives in this senior community with her husband, and we often get together to play games. Most days there’s some kind of game going on in our community center.

Word games are my favorite, and I have several different ones on my phone: Words With Friends is my favorite, even though there are inconsistent rules about what words are acceptable, and they have some made up words. I like this game because it’s the only one I play with other people, and it’s like Scrabble. I also have Wordscape, Word Stacks, and Word Scroll.

Some games are good to keep one’s mind sharp, although I don’t believe that crap in ads about games that your IQ is based on whether you score well on their games! I added a few additional games recently, including one that hones geometry skills.

This challenge has been fun, but also challenging since I often had a hard time keeping up! Thanks, Paula, for hosting it!

Countdown to Christmas

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Tourmaline is hosting her first Countdown to Christmas challenge this year! Here are the themes:

I am admittedly lousy at keeping up with a daily challenge, so I am going to take this one by chunks, this time at least!

Dec. 1: Decorations
Many people here at our senior community put wreaths and other decorations on the doors and shelves outside their apartments. Last year when it was too cold to walk outside, I instead walked the halls of the apartment building and took lots of photos of decorations. I will probably do the same thing this year. Because of COVID-19, to get us into the holiday spirit, there is a door decorating contest, so there ought to be even more doors decorated this year!
Here are a few from last year. I especially like the ones that reflect different ethnic traditions.

I made this collage of some of the door wreaths.

Dec. 2: Family
I have a large family so we don’t all gather together. Mostly we get together with the kids and grandkids of my sister and brother-in-law, who live in this same community. Last Christmas, our daughter & son-in-law hosted the celebration at our old house (where they currently live).

  • My grand-nephew, Josh, shows off his garish holiday shirt!
  • My brother-in-law wearing a combination of lederhosen, a faux Christmas sweater & colorful socks.
  • Our daughter & son-in-law, the hosts!
  • Family gathers before Christmas meal is served. We usually had to use a card table in the living room (pictured here) as well as the dining room table.

Dec. 3: Traditions
We have several holiday traditions, such as putting up my collection of creches (Nativity scenes – I have quite a few), a Christmas tree decorated with lights and ornaments, and games – we always play some games! We also sing carols around a piano (if there is one). My sister has two Christmas carol games and we also love to play Charades and Categories. Last year our daughter and son-in-law had a new game for us, where everyone at the table takes turns unwrapping a large ball of cellophane full of little prizes. One person unwraps while another throws dice. When the dice come up as doubles, the person unwrapping has to stop and pass on the cellophane ball. It was frustrating and fun!

My brother-in-law unwraps while my friend Marcia rolls the dice. My sister Mary is closest to the camera.

I think we will have to forego the games this year, because we can’t get together – but maybe we can play Categories via Zoom!!

SYW: On Electronic Game Playing, Color Assignations, Tongues, and Fireplaces

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Here are Melanie’s questions this week for Share Your World. Nothing heavy or controversial this week!

SYWMaskIssa

QUESTIONS

What would you enjoy if you could do so without someone getting annoyed with you for enjoying it?  It MUST be something you aren’t supposed to enjoy because it is “bad for you”.
Playing word games on my phone, according to my husband! I have ADHD and years ago, a therapist told me never to get a phone with lots of apps because they would distract me too much (I had a Blackberry at the time). Sure enough, he was right! I have been known to waste an entire morning playing games on my phone, and when I come back into reality, I realize I haven’t even gotten dressed yet and it’s noon!

I’ve been trying to be more mindful about this and having some success. It is “bad” for me because these games are addicting and my eyes get sore from staring at the phone screen for so long.

(I wanted to say “chocolate” but he doesn’t really get annoyed about that. My body does, though!)

Is it okay for men to wear the color pink?
Of course. This assigning of colors for boys and girls is so silly. When I was pregnant, I didn’t want to tell anyone what the sex of my child was, because I didn’t want to get lots of clothes in the same color. Since my child was a boy, it wouldn’t have been as bad as if I’d had a girl. Even so, I stayed away from “baby blue” to decorate with. Babies like BRIGHT COLORS!

Anyway, Dale’s favorite color is purple. Is that unmasculine? I’ve seen men wearing pink and they look quite spiffy!

Can you curl your tongue? 
Yes. I think it’s genetic.

What, in your opinion, is the best room to put a fireplace?
Whatever room is below the chimney!! Of course, the living room. Before central heating, people who could afford it had fireplaces in many rooms. We now have a gaslit fireplace (so no flue, no mess) that we push a button to start and stop. It’s so nice to sit in a comfy chair in front of the fireplace and read. Every house I’ve lived in that had a fireplace, it was in the living room. I wouldn’t want it in the bedroom for two reasons: there would be the danger of falling asleep while it was lit, which could lead to a disaster; second, I don’t like the bedroom to be too warm. I like being under warm covers but if the room is warm, I get hot and can’t sleep. And there’s a third reason: Santa Claus coming down into the bedroom would be unseemly and we would see his gifts before Christmas morning!

Here’s my cat, Hazel, in a state of bliss before the fire. Now that it has turned cold, our morning tradition is to sip our coffee or tea in front of the fireplace and read, and Hazel always joins us!

GRATITUDE SECTION

I’m grateful that no one I know and love has died from COVID-19. I’m grateful for being able to Zoom with friends and family. I’m grateful that we will soon have a sane president. I’m grateful that a vaccine is coming. I’m grateful for having a nice home, a good husband, and good friends.

I am truly:

This 1 Act of Gratitude Will Make Your Workplace Happier and More Productive | Inc.com

On the Hunt for Joy: Pastimes

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Cee’s On the Hunt for Joy photo challenge this week has the topic mix play with every day.

Since I am retired, most things I spend time doing are things I like to do. I blog a lot about photography and travel, but not so much on my private pastimes. 

A few years ago, the coloring book craze for adults was big. At the time, I acquired several coloring books, but put them aside for a few years. Now I am doing them again, mainly while “watching” the news – instead of looking at a talking head, I have fun with gel pens, markers and colored pencils! It softens the news for me: things will be okay if I can sit here and color. I prefer designs and patterns rather than actual scenes. 

Shields 6-3-20 (gel pens & markers)
Flower Promenade 1-21-20 (markers)
Triangulation 4-28-20 (gel pens)

I also like to play word games on my cellphone (classic time waster!) I regularly do Wordscapes, Word Stacks and Words With Friends.  I was playing so many Words With Friends games that I decided to limit who I play with to people I actually know. 

Words With Friends – this one is my favorite because I play with other people.
Wordscapes

SYW: On Broken Hearts, Cellphones, Typing Books, Snakes and Virtual Choirs

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It’s Monday! Time for Melanie’s Share Your World!

QUESTIONS:
What can you break even if you don’t touch it? (yes there is a real answer to this. I’ll reveal it in the next week sometime. Still, answer how you would like – no right or wrong answer)
A heart. All it takes is a “Dear John” letter! Or nowadays, just a text saying it’s over. 

What’s the most useful thing you own?

20190103_103630

My husband, Dale, is very useful.

The first thing that comes into my head is “my husband.” He’s very useful and I don’t know what I would do without him. But I don’t “own” him.

So I guess I will say my cellphone. Cellphones have become indispensable, because they do so many things that we’ve come to depend on. If something happens to me, I can call someone for help. If I remember something I wanted to tell someone, I can just send them a text, so that they can read the message and answer at their leisure. That way I don’t have to write myself a note to remind me of what I need to tell them. If I want to listen to music, I can go onto YouTube on my phone. When I exercise in the fitness center, I have a dance workout playlist on my phone to keep me going. When I am out for a walk, and I see something photograph-worthy, I can use the camera in my phone – not necessarily the best photo, but I can at least have a photo of that thing.  And sometimes the photos are high quality! If it’s a flower or plant I want to identify, I just go on my Plant Snap app on my phone. I also can go on Facebook to find out what people are talking about. There are a lot of legitimate criticisms of Facebook, but personally, I love it! It really helps me stay connected to people, especially now.

samsung galaxy s7

I’ve never felt the need to update my Samsung Galaxy S7.

When I ask Dale something like, “What’s the weather supposed to be tomorrow?” he answers, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a little device we can use to find things out?” He’s telling me, in other words, look it up on your phone!  Sometimes I have a burning desire to find out something, such as how many coronavirus cases there are in Brazil, whether all swan eggs hatch on the same day, or who were the pharaohs in ancient Egypt’s 18th dynasty. You know, important stuff like that even if totally irrelevant to what is happening at the moment! If I’m bored, I have my cellphone I can play games on. I like word games like Wordscapes, Word Stacks, and Words with Friends. I also have jigsaw puzzles, Spider Solitaire and Sudoko. (I could even read my Kindle books on my phone if I wanted to, but I prefer reading on my tablet.) So there’s plenty to keep me occupied – IF my cellphone has enough charge and I can access a charger if necessary!

Finally, my phone has become extra important in this pandemic era. I can attend book groups at the library, church services and coffee hour afterwards, celebrate family members’ birthdays and other get togethers by using Zoom! I don’t feel so isolated when I can at least “see” my family and friends in a long-distance meeting.

(Even so, if all else fails, I always carry a couple of pens and a small pad of paper, just in case I forgot my cellphone or it needs charging. That way I can at least doodle or draw something I see nearby.)

Come to think of it, WHERE did I leave my phone? It probably needs a charge…

What’s The Silliest Reason You’ve Ever Gotten Into A Fight With Someone Over?
I borrowed a typing book (yes, this was in the time when we used typewriters!) from a co-worker. I noticed a lot of scribbling in it, but I thought, who cares. So when I wanted to give the book back, she wasn’t at work, so I left it on her desk. The next time I saw her was in the elevator. She seemed really crabby. I said, “Did you get the typing book back?”
She answered very angrily, “It’s written in.” Written in? Is she talking about the scribbles that were already there?  I said, “That scribbling was already in there.” She said nothing, so I tried to make a joke. “Maybe your little sister or brother got hold of it and scribbled in it.”  She wasn’t amused, but said, “I don’t have a little sister or brother.” Then she exited the elevator very abruptly and walked quickly back to her cubicle. She never talked to me again. Fortunately, she wasn’t more than a friendly acquaintance in the first place, so no loss! Still, it irked me for a long time that she accused me of scribbling in her typing book, when she must have known it was there already.

I’m sure I could come up with a better story than this if I didn’t have such a bad memory. The strange thing is that I even remember this particular incident. It was so unimportant, but somehow it got stamped in my memory!

If You Were A Snake, How Long Would You Want To Be? No, size does not matter.
I’ve always wanted to know what it would be like to slither. So I’d like to be long enough to really experience slithering…through grass, across sand, maybe even in water, or onto a big rock to sun myself.snake
By the way, I would be a harmless grass snake, like the one pictured here. I would want people to like me!

Gratitude and/or uplifting? Please share. We can all use some of those.

The other day, I wrote a post for Fandango’s Who Won the Week challenge about virtual choirs and how I find them uplifting. Their singing makes me grateful for the basic goodness of people.

 

Note: Photos of Samsung Galaxy S7 and snake are courtesy of Google Images.

GCB-TTT: Lockdown Limbo

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A Guy Called Bloke Banner Topical Tropical Trinity JPEG

Topical Tropical Trinity questions are about your interests, your passions, your hobbies and activities and about living your life in general.
Each weekly game will have a fixed ‘subject’ and ask you two basic questions – and one three fold question.

Today’s Questions for Topical Tropical Trinity are based on ..
“Lockdown Limbo”
Q.1
How long have you personally been in lockdown – when was the last times you were out and about and will you automatically return to your life post-lockdown?

My husband and I live in a senior community, which declared lockdown (stay-at-home) the week of March 17. I’m don’t remember if the governor declared it that week or the next week. We have a new routine which took a couple of weeks to adjust to. We get our news from staff and exercise classes on TV – we have 2 close-captioned TV channels here.

I’ve only been “out” (off campus) a couple of times since then. It doesn’t seem that long though. The last time I was somewhere other than here was not for a good reason – I found out my son had OD’d on pills due to depression, and had been in the hospital, but was released. We went to his residence and pounded on the door and yelled his name until he answered. We had to find out how he was. He was OK, but this stay-at-home order is making life very difficult for him. He suffers from depression, a diagnosis he’s had for many years, which has made it hard for him to work steadily. He last worked for Uber, but he doesn’t want to do that now and have “random people” in his car. So he’s stuck at home and is getting bored with watching movies. (Things are really bad for him when he says he’s sick of watching movies!)

When this is all over (if ever!), I will resume my former life but it won’t be terribly different. I will start doing meetings with friends live instead of on Zoom, and I’ll go back to my book clubs, church and choir. When we take walks around here, we see some of our friends doing the same, so we stop to chat while standing on opposite sides of the road. (One friend carries a large umbrella – he’s figured out that the length of the umbrella plus the length of his extended arm is the mandated 6 feet!)

Q.2
Are you happy with your progress so far and your ability to stay sane? [Alternative question – When did you pass Go on the Insane journey – how is that going for you?]
Both Dale and I still have our wits about us. Dale spends a lot of his day watching Facebook videos. They are very eclectic musically, and sometimes very humorous. I read, write, blog, draw, do housework (Dale does that too), and try not to snack much – I’ve been able to keep my weight and have actually taken off a few pounds by eating only two normal sized meals a day, plus a reasonably healthy snack. We watch special programs the social directors provide – old movies, lectures, Cirque du Soleil, funny videos. We go out and walk around campus every day. Nature continues its march into spring, so I have a lot to delight me – green grass, flowers, and the mating of our resident swans. In May, I’ll start my garden. Since our community has most things we need – meals, exercise equipment, parties and other activities in “normal” times – we are not finding life so different. And the social directors have contests and games for us too! When the cygnets will be born is one of the contests – I said May 20, but now I think it will be earlier.

20200423_115004

5 swan eggs!

I do miss my church and library friends, however.  And I can’t wait to be able to travel again! Will my reunion in Arizona still take place in June? What about our cruise to the Amazon next November? Right now, I have no idea.

I did get a feeling of dread earlier this week when our governor announced lockdown will continue through May. Our state has had more than 20,000 cases of COVID-19 and the death toll keeps rising, although Chicago isn’t suffering as much as New York. The good thing is that he’s allowing some businesses to open, including golf courses, so that will get Dale out of the house!

20200425_141849The alteration in our routine means never going out without masks, (fortunately I know people who make them), calling in our dinner selections by 2 pm and having it delivered to our door. The most alarming thing is the amount of Styrofoam we’ve accumulated and the amount of time I spend wasting time!

 

Q.3
Have you started a new hobby?
Not a new one, I’m just trying to get back into my artwork (I miss my art classes!). I think about trying to take up the piano again, but keep resisting. Meanwhile, I have projects I’m trying to get done, because I have no excuse not to! I’ve already completed one, which was organizing and labeling the things in our linen/bathroom closet.

20200421_220027

This is my most recent drawing.

Actually, I have started a new hobby – I’ve downloaded a new game onto my phone called Wordstacks, and have quickly gotten addicted. I spend way too much time on games and puzzles on my phone. I also am reading more, because it doesn’t matter really when I go to bed or wake up.

Wordstacks logo

When was the last time you talked to the toilet? [No to the toilet not in the toilet]
I don’t talk to the toilet – I don’t have to because I talk to myself a lot, carrying on full conversations with me, I talk to the cat, to my husband, of course, and to some inanimate objects, but not the toilet. This has always been normal for me.

If you share the house with others – either animal or human – how is the extended home time coming along with loved ones?
Too much togetherness, I guess, but I think in general it’s been more bearable having someone else living with me. I pity the residents here who live alone! Our cat is overjoyed at having us around all the time. She can now beg for scraps from our dinner again, and we aren’t constantly leaving to do activities. Dale is the one who ventures out to stores to buy groceries about once a week. I’m looking forward to him going golfing again because he sometimes becomes demanding! 

I think the change hasn’t been as onerous for us as for others, such as our kids. We are retired so are used to fluidity in our routines and we don’t have a workplace to go to or income to lose. I mentioned our son; our daughter and her husband are working from home, but our daughter still has to go into Chicago three times a week on public transportation, so she won’t let us come near her or her husband, or our beautiful grandcats! They moved into our old house when we moved here, so they’re renting from us. They are especially grateful now, because they each have their own “office” in different parts of the house, and they can chill out on the deck out back. Our daughter said if this had happened when they still lived in their apartment, she would have killed her husband by now! Both love to cook so sometimes they deliver food to us, which is a treat!