Black Friday, etc.

I stole borrowed these questions from Anita Firebaugh's "Blue Country Magic" blog. You can compare her answers to mine.

This is a picture of a black cat (Dylan) on Black Friday.
He's casting his black Batman shadow.

1) Black is this week's signature color because Friday, November 29, was "Black Friday," when retailers cut their prices and consumers flock to the stores. Did you score any "Black Friday" bargains?

A. There is no way I would even venture onto the roads on Black Friday, so I didn't do any shopping. I haven't been in a mall for well over about two years. I did, however, shop online at the Apple Store and order a 32G iPad Air that I'd been coveting. Shipping was free, and I'll get a $75 gift card for the Apple Store. (Target had a slightly better deal, but I'd have to go to Roanoke, fight the crowds, eetc. After I factored in the cost of gas, I probably came out ahead by ordering online. I did have to contend with a cat on my desk, but at least it wasn't a crowd of cats.

2) Legend has it that Black Friday began as a neighborhood phenomenon among storeowners in Philadelphia back in the early 1960s. What else comes to mind when you think of Philly?

A. Benjamin Franklin eating a "great puffy roll" as he walked the streets of Philadelphia. He also had a roll tucked under each arm. When I hear the word "Philly," I hear "filly" so I think of a young female horse.

3) Feasting and football are also popular Thanksgiving weekend pastimes. Do your Thursday-Sunday plans include pigging out or watching a game?

A. Absolutely not! As a diabetic who low-carbs and doesn't eat gluten, my food choices are limited. Consequently, I didn't make a special dinner. (If I can't eat it, I don't cook it!) Neither my husband nor I enjoy football, so we don't watch.

4) At Thanksgiving dinners, Crazy Sam's homemade gravy is always a hit. (Probably because she's so generous with the cognac, which gives the gravy a nutty taste.) Do you have a signature dish?

A. Maybe my great-aunt's spoonbread, which contains no flour and doesn't mess up my blood glucose levels too badly. (It's been years since I ate gravy, homemade or otherwise.)

5) Among the biggest the Black Friday advertisers are Target, Kohl's, Macy's and Best Buy. If you could have a $100 gift card to any one of those stores, which would you choose?

 A. Like Anita, I'd rather have cash. But if I have to choose a gift card, I'd like one from Amazon.com, which isn't listed. 

6) You're in a public restroom that offers both paper towels and a hot air hand dryer. Which one do you choose?

A. I always use paper when available. The hot air hand dryer not only wastes electricity (how many mountain-tops in West Virginia or Kentucky are removed because of folks electrically drying hands?) but blows bacteria all over the place. Besides being more hygienic, paper is more efficient at drying hands, according to this study. Plus, paper is a renewable resource—and I'm not just saying this because we grow loblolly pines for pulpwood. Paper towels are not made from old-growth hardwood (like your fine furniture or oak flooring); paper is from trees specifically grown as a crop. But I'm getting off the subject.

7) While Back to Black is the best-selling Amy Winehouse CD, her first was called Frank, named for her hero, Frank Sinatra. Tell us about someone you inspires you.

A. My inspirations vary from day to day, and perhaps moment to moment. At this moment, my cat George inspires me. He makes do with what he has, assumes responsibility for patrolling the property, and is a companion for an elderly dog.

 

8) Do you consider yourself a pessimist or an optimist?

A. A pessimist with optimistic leanings. I hope for the best but try to plan/prepare for the worst.  Better safe than sorry.

9) Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone (a verbal conversation— not an exchange of texts)?

 A. My farrier, who called Thursday night to let me know he'd be coming a little earlier than scheduled to trim Melody's hooves on Friday. I have never texted. Neither my husband nor I have smart phones, and we've never needed them. I have an old Trac-fone that might have texting capabilities, but I've never used them. 

This isn't a Black Friday picture;
It's George—a golden cat.

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