Thursday Thirteen

In an attempt to define myself to my fellow bloggers, starting today and each Thursday thereafter, I will take a letter of the alphabet and give you thirteen words beginning with that letter that will tell you something about me. My hope is that it will give you a better understanding of who I am, where I live, what I like and what I believe in. We begin at the beginning with the letter A.

1. My middle name is Alice, chosen by my parents to honor my mama's sister, Alice.

2. Applique is one of my favorite quilting techniques. As a quilter I appreciate all avenues of quilting but when choosing or designing a quilt there is usually some applique involved.

3. I love animals, all animals. Hubbs has always said I should have been a vet. I would say more like a rescue ranch owner. I've taken in more strays than I can count, a family trait I inherited from my dad.

4. We live near some small Amish communities and close enough to larger communities to make several day trips per hear. My favorite local Amish store is what I call a merchantile, they sell a little bit of everything. And most of what they offer is sold by the ounce or pound. I buy all my spices there. They are home grown, freshly ground and a fraction of the cost of what is sold at Walmart. They make their own flour, cornmeal, candy, pickles, snack mixes, cheese and my personal favorite...noodles. They are the closest to mama's homemade noodles I've ever tasted. The homemade foods they offer goes on forever. That small town is also home to our favorite Amish restaurant, Das Dutch Haus, where every meal includes homemade bread, white or wheat, or both, plus homemade stuffing. They also have a small bakery where they make the most delicious apple dumplings you ever tasted. They also offer all their soups, and many other things from their menu, packaged for take-home. And on top of all that, they have a fantastic gift shop. When my two youngest children were small they even had an amish buggy inside the restaurant that was fitted with a table that you could dine in. Which of course we always did.

5. The Atomic Power Plant in Shippingport, PA seems far away however, we are close enough that evacuation routes etc are mailed to us each year or so. It is frightening to think there could be a melt-down like Three Mile Island, but it has been there since I was a kid and I think we just get too comfortable with its presence. People that live in close proximity, like in the small town of Shippingport have high instances of cancer.

6. I have a degree in Applied Science, and I was valedictorian of my graduating class. I was in my late thirties when I attended college.

7. One of my heroes is Atticus Finch, which is silly considering he is fictitious. However, he represents a lot of what I believe in and teach my children and grandchildren.

8. I do not drink alcohol of any kind. I attend ACOA meetings whenever possible but living in a small community makes that difficult. When I went to regular meetings I had to travel an hour each way at night. My night vision is too poor for me to do that now and I have not found any day meetings for the past couple of years.

9. I play the accordion. I began lessons at age seven which awakened a life-long love of music. I made many public appearances as a child, winning many talent contests and featured on radio programs. My instrument of choice today is the piano. I was ten in this picture.
10. I am proud to be an American. That statement is also the title of a huge hit song by Lee Greenwood. It made me cry the first time I heard it and it still makes me teary-eyed when I hear it. I am so proud of all those who serve to protect our country. They have my utmost respect.

11. My favorite books beginning with A are; A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, and As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.

12. My favorite movie and or tv shows are; A Christmas Memory, A Summer Place, and the television shoe of the 80's, Alf. We received a dvd of Alf this past Christmas and have laughed all over again at his antics.

13. My favorite foods beginning with A are; apples, avocados, artichokes, au gratin potatoes and anything with almond flavoring.

Thanks for taking the time to learn a little more about me today. Today's thirteen was sponsored by the letter A.