Another stolen Sunday....

 Again, Roger did this, so I will too:

The best story your parents or grandparents tell about the good ole days.

Oh man, I don't know. My mom talks about riding bikes with her friends and fishing and catching crayfish in the Rapid River, and making campfires where they roasted potatoes. I grew up with more freedom today than some kids have, but it was also the beginning of the 70s/80s kidnapping panic, so I wasn't allowed to range quite as freely as she did.

I also remember a story my dad told, which I laughed at the first time he told it because I misinterpreted it. He said a farmer in their area would often give kids watermelons and my dad said they did something called Watermelon Smash, where they "held the melon up over their head and dropped it to break it into edible pieces" and the first time he told it I imagined them literally holding the melons OVER their heads and then dropping them ON their heads (would that hurt? Would that cause injury?) but they were just holding them HIGHER than their heads so they dropped from five or six feet and broke well.

The best things in life are...

Getting out into nature. Doing useful and enjoyable work. Having a group of people that love and accept you. Having a clear conscience. Helping other people.

Things that drive me batty

People who think they're above the rules, and make things harder for everyone else as a result.

A place I'd like to live and why

I'd like to live in or near an artist's colony, somewhere where there are interesting things to do and see and learn - or live really near to one of the smaller national parks and be able to volunteer there. (One of my vague retirement plans is to see if Chickasaw wants me as a volunteer, even if it's not for interpretive stuff, even if it's just picking trash up off the trails)

The best thing I've ever found

I don't know. I tend not to randomly find valuable things. (I am not a "Thing-finder"). I did find a $5 bill once when I was in high school. I remember it because my dad and I had argued about something, and as I often did when I got really angry, I said "I'm going for a WALK" and set off down our street- and spotted the bill down the road from their house. Yes, I kept it, it wasn't clear that anyone was looking for it.

The best thing that happened recently is...

I got my windshield fixed relatively easily, and my insurance paid fully for it.

I admire people who...

first and foremost: people who are kind and considerate. But also people who are good at cooking or woodworking or those kinds of things, who have some kind of skill they've worked to develop

What makes me special

I don't know. A lot of the time these days I don't feel particularly special. I try to be kind, I guess?

I am looking forward to...

Having all the repairs on my house done. Or at least some of the workers actually calling me back to come and do an estimate.

Things that scare me

Having everyone I love die or leave and being all alone with no one to talk to :(

Rejection

Extreme pain, or at least the anticipation of pain.

Complaints I have

My town has way too many pot dispensaries and not enough businesses that cater to my interests. There is one quilt shop, but we don't have a good bread bakery or a bookshop or the sort of third-places (like a makerspace) that I might want to hang out at.

I could never live without...

Books. Or being able to pursue my other hobbies. Or being able to get out and walk around in nature periodically

Things that make me laugh

Usually incongruity. Or puns. I love bad puns. And I love "dad jokes." I dislike mean humor but silly humor is very much my jam. I also like funny cat videos a lot.