Questions Bipolar Version #8

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sapien The lemon tree isn't huge, and we have it in a large pot that just comes inside and sits in front of a window when it's too cold outside. It's lasted...six(?) years so far that way!

And it bears lemons? That's so cute! I wish I had a lemon tree in a pot

It does! Not many (we get maybe five a year) but that's all we need.

Just bumping the last question up:

Are you a "city mouse," or a "country mouse?" What city, or part of the world would you choose to live in/on if cost wasn't an issue?

That's a tough one. I know I would choose to live in a city, but the tough choice would be which city? Either San Fran or NYC. 2 cities I feel very at home in. Probably SF because it's on the Pacific, which I so love. BUT I would like to own an excellent car so I can drive to nature whenever I want to.



Pancakes or a waffle?

Pancakes!

Spring or Fall?

fall.

cats or dogs

I like all animals, but I guess cat. I've owned a cat and they are more my speed. Actually, I am also a parrot lover. They are likely my upcoming pet(s).

In what room do you like to spend the most time, and why?

We have a screened-in porch. While it doesn't get any use during the cold months, I love spending time out there once the weather turns. It's supposed to be in the 60s through Thursday, so the season is officially open, I guess! We have bird feeders right off the porch, so there's music to enjoy.

Which sport do you enjoy watching the most (if any)?

Baseball! I'm a Giants fan - and the season starts in just about 2 weeks! btw, my dad was a pitcher for the Yankees. His career was cut short, though, because he was drafted into WWII.



It's a windy day! Are you outside enjoying the wind or are you inside taking cover?

Inside taking cover

What's your favorite part of the Spring season?

That's way cool, Beth. There were many players who lost all, or a good part of their careers due to war service.

My favorite part of the spring season is weekends like the one we just enjoyed. Temperatures in the mid-60s after frigid winters spent inside mean long walks outside, with the dog picking up lost scents in the grass. Good times.

Grilling is a key component of the season, too. What's your favorite meal to cook up on the barbeque grill?

Kofta kebab and grilled veggies, preferably for the same meal. Yum! Already dreaming about it.

What is the most exotic thing you have ever eaten?

I have pretty pedestrian tastes where food is concerned. While maybe not exotic, mettbrötchen is a fairly common breakfast in eastern Germany. It's raw ground pork served on a roll, with chopped onions & pickles on top. I used to eat one or two every morning at work. I'm sure eating raw pork isn't especially wise, but they were tasty & I lived to tell the tale.

My partner hates any ready-to-eat food that comes out of a can. What is your favorite canned food?

Soup.

Do you have a birthmark?

Yes, a rather large and perfectly round one on my left side, a little under my armpit. It's only visible when I am wearing a bathing suit, and even then some may not notice. It's more brownish in color than red. Of course I have had it since birth. I have a sick humor nickname for it. Actually, there are a couple people in my extended family (father's side) that also have one. A third cousin has one on his face, but it's luckily not that large or unattractive. I guess they were hereditary.

What is something that you have "grown out of"?

Most of my pants, due to my pandemic weight gain! On a more personal level, however, I think I've outgrown "the need for speed." I used to play with my meds, & use weed & alcohol in excess to maximize "fun." At some point, I started to realize that chaos can be very costly.

If you could isolate a single point in time, what was the most "magic moment" you've ever experienced?

I’ll never forget it. I was 9-10 standing on the border between my cousins yard and a cornfield. It was a dusty summer evening about 5-6 pm and suddenly everything was all right. It was the most content I’ve ever been. I can still see the cornstalks in rows between clumps of black dirt. That feeling only hit me one other time. In college I was at a party on the cliffs overlooking a city. The people faded away and contentment filled me.

What is the most magical feeling you’ve had?

I was with my son in Howth, Ireland. It was a misty day in February and we had climbed up a long flight of very old stone steps to a hilly part of the land. We walked a little ways and found a stream surrounded with flowering bushes and trees. Some of the tree branches were bowed over, touching the water in the gently flowing stream. Everything was greener than green, that truly emerald Ireland green. My son and I took a penny a piece (Euro pennies are so adorably tiny), made wishes, and tossed the pennies in the stream for the fairies to find.

The moment I tossed that penny into that stream, in the mist, surrounded by so much green - magic!

What's your magic moment?

There are many, and they all mostly happened during elated mania. Otherwise, I'm quite grounded when stable. If I must pick, I'll say a moment I spent with a German guy in Bangkok, Thailand. I was flying as high as a kite. Either the moments we were eating banana fritters, or when we walked through a spice market. Absolute sensory bliss!

What are your favorite things to touch or smell?

OK...this is strange. My fingertips are extremely sensitive...& one of my superpowers (not to sound even more egotistical than I normally do!) is my ability to sense what others feel. It's almost like reading braille. For example, I'm always petting the dog; & he naturally gravitates towards me. I can tell when I'm scratching or petting in just the right spot. I pet the dog so much that my partner often tells me to stop because I'll rub the hair right off of him! Not only does the dog appreciate it, but petting the dog is a great source of comfort for me. I'm forever petting the dog -- not even realizing I"m doing it. I've always been that way (& I've had many, many canines over the decades). Petting dogs is one of my favorite activities. Cats, however, are best appreciated in stirfry.

Unless it's traumatic for you, please share in detail your earliest childhood memory.

I’m not sure how old I am 2-3 before I had the measles and lost my hearing. We were up north on the old farm my father half owned with his brother for hunting. But it was summer. I was standing in the doorway of the door to the cellar. Mostly what I remember is the smells and sounds. The cellar was damp, earthy and cool. Very inviting. I don’t recall if I went down or stayed in the door it’s a very fleeting memory. I do remember clearly the sound of crickets.

What’s a happy memory you have?

When my little sister was just learning to spell she decided she would label our dresser drawers. She took masking tape and wrote: PANTS, TOPS, SHIRTS. Only she forgot the R in SHIRTS!!! Oh how we laughed and laughed about that one! We thought it was the funniest thing!

What's the longest time you have ever walked for?

Good question. At least 3 hours of almost constant walking. Probably even more. I will say that I've danced almost continuously for even longer periods. Once, when surely manic, I danced almost continuously from 9 or 10 pm until 3 am. I was one of the last people to leave the joint.

What was the most strenuous exercise you have ever done?

I did an expedition for an award at school... I achieved The Duke Of Edinburgh Bronze Award. I had to climb munroes in Scotland which are bigger hills. It was a great experience but really strenuous as I had never done anything like that before. It was 2 full days and I had to do it twice... a practice one and the real one. I had blisters galore well worth it though to accomplish it

Question: What's the weather like where you are?

We've had an extremely warm & dry spring. Temps have been well into the 60s, & we've had a lot of sunshine...good for the soul, but I don't know what that portends for the future. We generally get a lot of rain in the spring. I live in the city, but this dry weather must concern farmers. They're always held hostage by the weather...

What was the first car you owned? Give us a description & a sensory tour.