SUNSHINE AWARD

  The awesome Stephanie Neighbour (Chucklespace.com) has nominated me for the Sunshine Award!  I appreciate this so much, especially since she has such an interesting and thought-provoking blog. And now I’m nominating the ten wonderful people listed below. The Sunshine Award is given to blogs that inspire others.

If you would like to participate, here are the simple rules:

1. Post the Sunshine Award Logo that appears in this post.                                                      2. Accept the nomination and link it back to the person who nominated you.                      3. Answer the questions listed below.                                                                                            4. Nominate ten other blogs that inspire you or others and let them know you have nominated them.

The Questions

My favorite color- Probably lavender. I also love turquoise, but I think lavender wins overall.

My favorite animal- cats. I’ve always had them and loved them. I really like horses too, but I’m a little fearful, even though I used to ride occasionally

My favorite number- 7 has been my favorite as long as I remember. And I know I’m not the only one.

My favorite non-alcoholic beverage- That would have to be diet Coke. I learned to drink diet by first taking a bite of food.  (The Coke tastes better that way!)

My favorite alcoholic beverage- I don’t drink anything alcoholic. The little bit I’ve tasted over the years hasn’t intrigued me, and I like to be in control of my thoughts and actions at all times.

Facebook or Twitter-I’m more of a Twitter girl, but my husband and I have a joint Facebook account. I look at it occasionally, but Rick handles most of that. (He’s not a Twitter person . . . yet.)

My passions- Words have always been important to me, ever since I learned to spell my name. I also love photography, dancing, and singing. Music is on at my house almost constantly.

Giving or receiving gifts- I really love buying gifts for others–especially if I feel I know what the person would like.

Favorite City- Greenville, SC.  I grew up twenty minutes from there, and they’ve redone their downtown so that it’s one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen. And a few years ago I heard they had the world’s best water.

Favorite tv shows- Castle, White Collar, DWTS, Amazing Race,  The Apprentice, Survivor.

My 10 Nominees

Louise Caiola

Juliette Sobanet

Karen Rock

Rachel Kall

Sophie Moss

Tracie Banister

Victoria Grefer

Diane J. Reed

Rachelle Gardner

Dee Romito

Congratulations to all these nominees. We look forward to reading more of your inspiring, informative blogs.

The Pointe. A Great Getaway for the Day.

I know it might seem odd for me to blog about a restaurant, but The Pointe is so much more than that.  Once a week my husband and I drive thirty minutes to Lake Gaston– one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve ever seen.  The Pointe is just off Eaton Ferry Road near Littleton, North Carolina.  The first thing you’ll notice is the Tiki Hut–a gazebo-like, glassed-in structure on stilts. With wooden tables and high benches, it overlooks the lake and the dock area, where boats and ducks come to refuel. During nice weather, the glass panels are opened to let in lake breezes and nature sounds.  It’s gives a definite vacation feeling, even though we’re not that far from home.

A few steps across a bridge will take you to the main building’s porch next to a picnic  area dotted with red and white umbrellas.  There’s also indoor seating, with a Tiki bar  and a bright color scheme. The friendly service and delicious food keep us coming back, but so do the magnificent view and great music.  (I usually order a hamburger steak with fries and fried okra.)

When the weather turned cool this past fall, we continued our trips toward the Virginia border, soon to be ensconced on the enclosed porch or in the Tiki Hut, warmed by gas heaters.  The lake and sky seem extra blue that time of year, and we never get tired of  that view.  Even when a hurricane brushed past North Carolina, we made the trek to    The Pointe, sitting on the porch, wondering if the plastic canvas would blow in on us.  White caps appeared on the lake and small waves broke on the shore, but we still had       a great time.  It was an adventure.

In warmer weather, pontoons and motor boats come and go, and geese mingle with the ducks, hoping to receive some of the food people bring for fish near the docks. The Pointe isn’t just a restaurant.  It’s an experience that varies from an open, summery outing to a cozy getaway, and that’s why we go.

An Easy Fix For a Common Grammar Problem

Grammar Problem?  Fix it With Addition and Subtraction. Grammar is complex, and       it takes years to learn it correctly.  But what if someone has to make a split-second decision and there’s no time to pull out grammar books for an in-depth study of the English language?  I know we’re talking about grammar, but the answer is addition      and subtraction.  My mother taught English for years, and she expected her children       to use proper grammar. We learned little tricks that make it simple to add pronouns       to sentences. There’s no need to complicate or overcompensate. Simply think about     how the sentence would be without the new pronoun. Just because one is added, that doesn’t mean the first one changes. Below are examples of the most common mistakes. “Henry and I.”  “Henry and me.”  Which is it?  It depends on the sentence.

Some people think it’s always better to say “I” rather than “me,” when there are two pronouns in a sentence, but that’s not the case.  I’ve even heard people on television being admonished   for saying, “Henry and me,” when it’s correct. The person is overcompensating while trying to avoid the slip-up, “That’s     for me and Henry.”  No one says, “That’s for I,” so why would anyone say, “That’s for Henry and I?”

Without getting into subjects and direct objects, let’s simplify the process. Subtract “Henry” for a moment, and you have your answer: “me.”  “That’s for Henry and me.”

“Henry and I want  to go.”  “Henry and me want to go.” It’s pretty obvious that “I”  is proper this time. You would say, “I want to go,” rather than “Me want to go.”  In your mind,  add what is understood.  “want to go.”  Who wants to go?  “Henry and I.”

“Him and I.”  “Him and me.”  “He and I.”

You wouldn’t say, “Him is going,” or “Me is going.”  It’s “He is going,” and “I am going.”  Who is going?  ”He is.” “I am.”  By adding the portion of the sentence that’s understood, you have your answer.  “He and I are going.”  ”He and I.”

It’s unusual, but I actually heard someone say, “Henry and I’s tickets.”  It’s also not, “Mine and Henry’s tickets.”  You wouldn’t say, “Mine tickets.” It’s simply, “Henry’s and my tickets.”  Subtract Henry or the personal pronoun, and you have your answer.

So the next time you’re in doubt, add it in or leave it out.

(Posted on Literary Rambles.com. Search Dale S. Rogers)

Shouldn’t Acting Be Fun?

Acting is something I’ve always wanted to do more of, so when I learned about an op- portunity in Raleigh, NC, my husband and I applied. There must not have been many responses, because we were chosen to take part in an evening of entertainment at an exclusive country club.

I should have known that night was doomed, because things went wrong from the be-  ginning. Rick and I kept waiting for information concerning our roles, but none came. Then the day before our performance, I was asked to work late, and I also worked all    day Saturday. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time we arrived at the club that evening, straight from my job.  Nevertheless, I tried to muster some energy for our exciting debut as real actors.

The building was enormous, and we were ushered past several kitchens and dining  rooms until reaching the area where the banquet would take place.  Already over- whelmed, we later learned we would be performing for Mensa-type government employees.  I definitely felt out of place.  The two guys who hired us ($50 each and supper) showed up, and the leader (let’s call him Dodger) seemed to shoot darts at          us with his eyes.  He was angry.  Angry that we didn’t know our parts, angry that we  didn’t respond to his email requesting confirmation that we were coming, and angry    that he broke his hand in a car accident the day before.

His partner, Henry, was in a better mood, but he was surprised that we didn’t get the script. We felt we had done our part and didn’t deserve the thrashing Dodger seemed      to give us with his mind and countenance, and I hoped things would get better when     we wowed him with our acting. The only reason we had any idea what to do is that          we saw basically the same mystery dinner skit at the beach the summer before. We’d     come up with ideas for our roles that we shared with the guys.  They talked through       the scene with us, then we met the only bright spot of the evening:  George.  The       group coming that night worked for his company, and he was relaxed and friendly.

When the performance began, I tried to stay in character, even though George’s wife   kept talking to me at the dinner table.  She was a nice person, and I wanted to speak normally with her, but I was supposed to cause a scene during the meal. (I hope I didn’t hurt her feelings.) After pretending to ingest poison, I twirled around in a dance, grabbing my throat before “dying,” but I don’t think the sophisticated group appreciated my perfor- mance.  As I was dragged out of the room, supposedly dead, my pants had a velcro rela- tionship with the carpeting.  I only had a moment to shift the pressure  to my heels, and was relieved to reach the hallway, where I could take a deep breath.

Feeling unsuccessful about my venture, I drowned my frustrations in the delicious food the staff served in the green room, listening to Rick as he struggled through his lines. I knew he had a ketchup packet in his shirt pocket to simulate blood when he was “shot.”  He, too, seemed discouraged when he returned, but we enjoyed talking with George,   who was up next. He placed a fake knife on his stomach, burst through the dining room doors, and we heard an explosion of laughter and screams from the guests. Listening to his muffled voice along with Dodger’s and Henry’s, we could tell the audience was right with them. What in the world?

Of course!  He was the president of the company and their boss!  They had to react for him. Also, seeing someone they knew coming through the door like that probably sur- prised them enough to cause a huge response.  Dodger and Henry came into the green room with George, laughing and getting along famously, and Dodger said to George,  ”You were good!”

So there was a way to reach these people after all. I felt about two inches high–especially since no one told Rick or me anything good about our performances.  But we couldn’t have been that bad. We’d both had lines and singing and dancing parts in plays, and I’d been an extra in a movie. If we’d received the script, it probably would’ve helped, but I realized that night that acting can be just as stressful and unpleasant as other jobs. But hey–at least we got our $100 and two free meals.

Spring Is Here!

Pinterest

Spring has almost always been my favorite season, as it is for many, and I look forward  to it every year.  The azalea, dogwood, and cherry blossoms are so gorgeous!  I wish they could last longer.  The warmer temperatures make me want to go outside and walk, work in the yard, or play sports.

 

Earthquakes Make People in the East Tremble (No pun intended)

About four months after two tornadoes hit our area  (as I describe in “Strange Happenings” Part 2),  I was preparing for a guest at our house when my little Siamese, Mocha, and I heard a strange, wind-like sound in the water heater closet.  It seemed        to come from the depths of the earth, and it rose until reaching the water heater, which shook vigorously.  I thought the heater was the problem, and I was afraid it would explode.  Mocha ran into the kitchen (probably to hide in a cabinet), and I was about to step into the bedroom when the shaking reached our stairwell.  The rickety steps made a terrible clatter as the vibrations moved up to the second floor, then I heard our loose attic trap door shake.  (It’s an old house.)

Actually relieved that it could be an earthquake rather than a water heater problem, I listened as it finally came to an end.  The last thing I heard was the gentle rattle of crystal in the china cabinet, and it sounded just like I’ve heard on television when an earthquake   is simulated.

Almost as soon as it all ended, I glanced outside to see Rick in the backyard, and I told him what happened.  He said he didn’t notice anything, since he was walking around,   but a little later we heard reports of an earthquake which started in Virginia, and we  knew that’s what it was.  Although I never felt much shaking, I definitely heard the house shake.  (Mostly the core, where the steps are.)  Feeling relieved, we had no idea that, just a few days later, another problem was coming our way.

Watching weather reports, we learned that Hurricane Irene was headed for the Eastern Seaboard.  I had been through a couple of hurricanes, and I wasn’t worried. “We’ll just get some wind and rain,” I kept telling Rick.  I was wrong.

(My account of Hurricane Irene is in my post, “My Version of Roughing It.”) http://wp.me/p1Nylx-1i

A Strange Woman in the Dorm

Almost anyone who has stayed in a college dorm has memories of wild and unusual things  that happened.  I believe the strangest time for me was  when a middle-aged  woman wandered  into my building one night.  Girls started whispering and running through the halls,  saying that a crazy woman was in the dorm. I caught a glimpse of    her, and she seemed passive, just walking quietly, not paying attention to anyone.

Although everyone was alarmed that a stranger was in-house, some decided to make        a joke out of it, and I even saw several crowded together in a phone booth, as if they   were trying to hide.  Someone  must have seen a hospital bracelet on her arm, since          I started hearing that she had come from a mental ward.  (That didn’t help me to feel      better about the situation.)

I stayed in my room most of the time,  which was right next to most of the action, but        I later heard stories about everything that transpired.  The most amusing concerned     our elderly dorm mother, who had her own suite near my room.  She was relaxing on   her chaise lounge, eating crackers and watching television, when the woman came in   and stood over her.  Later our dorm mother told some girls, “After I left . . .”

That’s probably when the authorities were called, then someone finally came and helped the woman get back where she belonged. Everyone seemed to think it was hilarious, but now I take it all more seriously–not just for the safety of girls in the dorm, but for the woman and whatever her problem was.  I’m glad no one was hurt, and that there were   no real  problems.  It was an exciting night we’ll all remember.  Just leave it to a group     of college girls to get fun out of an otherwise worrisome situation.