Saturday Nine: All About Picnics

The following questions are brought to you by Samantha's Saturday 9!




1. It's Spring, grilling begins! If you plan a picnic, do you bow out if it rains?

No, I would just take it under cover, as in on a covered patio or porch, or one of those sheds like they have at the parks.

2. Do you prefer food grilled on a charcoal or gas grill?

Nothing beats the taste of charcoal, which is what the food would be if I were the one grilling it. haha

3. We're at the first grilling picnic. What's your meat order?

Steak, well-done, nearly to burned but not quite. No pink at all. But, if I were being a good girl, I would just have salad loaded with garlic and onions instead.

4. What side dishes do you want?

The above mentioned salad and a baked potato.

5. Now, where do prefer to eat: at the picnic table or inside?

I prefer eating inside. I hate fighting the flies for my food.

6. You were asked to bring a dish. What do you bring?

Potato salad!

7. Does it bother you to have citronella candles burning if you are eating or cooking outside?

No, not really. I think they have an interesting smell.

8. What fellow bloggers do you want to meet at the picnic?

My Sis, Kells, Red, GypsyMama, Miel and too many others to mention. :)

9. Does there need to be a pool at the picnic, your choice?

No. Actually, I would rather there not be a water feature at all, especially if children are going to be at this picnic.

Don't forget to drop by and visit Samantha's Saturday 9 post for this week and join the meme!

Saturday 9

These questions are brought to you by:





1. Have you ever lost a friend after he/she got married?

Yes. We just sort of drifted apart more than an actual "losing" of the friendship. Life and time just got in the way.

2. Do you make friends easily?

Sometimes I make friends too easily. I have been guilty in the past of giving too much of myself too quickly and too freely. Because of that, I have been hurt by people that took advantage of me. As a result, I do not give so quickly and fully anymore.

3. Do you have many close friends?

Close, true friends? No. I have just a few, but those in that group have been my friends since time began (OK, time online!) and I consider them more family than friends. They are a part of me for life.

4. Tell us about your oldest friend.

This is a hard one for me to answer as I met the online ones pretty much at the same point in my life. My oldest, in person friend back home in South Carolina, I met after moving to a new school district. Due to memory issues that I am having because of health issues, I cannot remember the details of how we met and became friends.

5. Tell us about your newest friend.

This is going to be an odd answer, I know, but my newest 'friend' is not a person, but a 'thing'. A friend is someone that you can talk to freely, that doesn't judge you, and helps you to sort out the things that go screwy in your head, and is generally there for you. Writing is both my oldest AND my newest friend.

6. Do you hang out with your friends often, or just occasionally when you can find time?

At this point in my life, I don't "hang out" with anybody other than my husband and children. The majority of my friends are online and live nowhere near me. There are a few that I consider my friends here in the town where I now live, but we all have busy lives and there's just no time for "hanging".

7. What's the furthest you've traveled to visit (or vacation with, etc.) a friend?

The farthest that I've gone to visit a friend is probably just a couple hundred miles, if that far. I lived in South Carolina and one of my friends lived in Atlanta and one lived in Milledgeville, Georgia. I went to visit them both on the same day.

8. What's the biggest or best thing a friend has ever done for you?
I was still grieving very much over the death of my daughter, Dorian, several years after I lost her. This was before the Internet and I was basically own my own (except for my family) to deal with this intense grief. When we got a computer and I was brave enough to go online, I met many people who had gone through similar situations. As my circle of acquaintances grew, so did those that I considered to be my friends. Some of these friends got together and created a memory box for my baby girl. These ladies, who had never seen me in person, never even heard my voice on the phone, were so compassionate, so loving, so thoughtful to do such a thing to acknowledge the existence of my Dorian. That meant more to me than I can ever fully express.

9. What's the worst or most hurtful thing that a friend (or an ex-friend) has done to you?

They kept something from me that would have made a huge difference in my interaction with someone else that was very important to me.

Please be sure to visit Samantha's Saturday 9 to join in!

Saturday 9

These questions are brought to you by:




1. Where were you when you found out the bin Laden was killed? How did you find out?

I was sitting in front of my computer. Yahoo told me.

2. One of your best friends turns out to be saying hurtful and untrue things behind your back. What would you do?

For one thing, I would determine that they obviously weren't my best friend after all. I would try to find out why such a thing was done. I would try to find out why they were upset with me and, depending on what was up, I would either try to fix things or end things. But, my best friend would never say mean or hurtful things about me. My Sis doesn't do that.

3. You instantly become a star. What is it that made you one?

My award-winning photography and digital art. OK, a girl can dream, can't she? :)

4. If you could be ANY sex symbol (living or dead) who would it be and why?

My husband says Vivien Leigh. As Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With The Wind, she was a strong and determined character. She didn't let the circumstances in her life hold her down, at least not for long. She was a survivor.

My choice would be Carolyn Jones, better known as Morticia Addams. She didn't conform to the rules of society. She liked things that were different, liking the thorns more than - or instead of - the roses themselves. While I do love the roses, I think that the thorns and stems are beautiful in their own right.

5. Where is your favorite place to eat out?

The Swamp Guinea in Hartwell, Georgia. All-you-can-eat, family-style fried shrimp, fried chicken, catfish, perch, shrimp cocktail, rolls, cole slaw, and too many other things to remember right now.

I sure miss that place! I haven't been there since we moved here to Texas in 2004. If I ever get to go back home again, The Swamp Guinea is definitely on the list of things to do. :)

6. Are there any current (that began before 2010) television shows out there that you've watched regularly from the very beginning?

No. Once they cancelled the Monk series, I just didn't get into anything else. Why get attached again?

7. When is it time to just let it ('it' can be whatever you choose) go? How do you know? What do you do?

I wish that I knew. There is a pretty big, in my opinion, *it* that I am having a very difficult time letting go. It is a case of two steps forward, four steps back.

8. Pimentos-- in Olives? Useless decorative effect? ...or something you maybe enjoy? ...and is there something you can only stare at and wonder about at the snack bar?

Personally, I like pimientos. I used to like olives that had them in them. But, I can't eat olives anymore. They give me the shakes. The black ones do, that is. So, I haven't eaten the green ones in a very long time either.

9. Why do you think we as a civilization can't seem to get along with one another?

The bottom line is because sin was introduced in the world way back in the Garden of Eden. The serpent caused division and it has all gone downhill from there.

Please be sure to visit Samantha's Saturday 9.

Snake Photo Attribution: By Furryscaly (Sunlit Snake) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]