I started writing this blog over 12 years ago. Some of you might remember me back then. But the blog has new readers and even with 12 years I think there are things I’ve never talked about. So here are FIVE THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT ME.
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When I was ten, my brownies won a blue ribbon at the county fair.
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I’m not that great at sports, but I used to love water skiing and cross-country skiing.
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I don’t drink coffee, and that seems to be a genetic anomaly because my aunt and my uncle are the same.
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When my kids were young, I got them to clean the kitchen floor by letting them slide across the floor with a bucket and rags.
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My favorite movie is Babe. My second favorite is Beetlejuice (the original one). #3 is Sitting Pretty (1948). #4 is Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948). I love the Batman movies. Lots of Bs there!
Seriously, if you’ve never seen those two 1948 movies you are really missing some hysterical comedy.
Tag, you’re it. What are five things I don’t know about you?
I’m gonna need that brownie recipe!
LOL it was in the current Better Homes and Gardens cookbook of the time!
I haven’t seen any of those movies! So there’s one thing you didn’t know about me. 🙂
Four more: I HATE bananas. I don’t drive on highways (and generally hate driving. I don’t drink coffee! I haven’t eaten red meat (beef, lamb, pork, etc.) since 1971. (hmmm, many food things, but probably because we’ve never actually eaten together, so you wouldn’t know those!)
OH, cool! No coffee!!!!!! Hubs hates bananas, too, so I eat them with the baby ;). I am so sorry you haven’t seen any of those movies. They are all spectacular. The two old ones, we watch them over and over and laugh the whole way through. My brother does, too.
I will look for the movies. We all need as much laughter as we can get these days.
So true. Let me know what you think afterwards!
You’re right, I didn’t know any of things about you!
I LOVE coffee–the taste and the smell. And none of those movies would be in my tops list, though Babe is cute.
I can’t ever pick a favorite movie (or book or whatever). My favorite category for movies is what I call beautifully sad–recent examples, Cold War (Polish, 2018), All of Us Strangers (2023). Classics I love–Casablanca, Notorious, The Third Man. I love movies, so I have lots of favorites!
And I have never skied. 😊
Oh, I’m so sorry you have never skied! Haha, not that I do anymore, though! Yes, I am not fond of sad movies, though I do like noir movies and apparently you do, too!
I’ve no desire to ski. I suppose I could have, if I had wanted to.
I do like noir, and all the Scandi-noir mysteries, too.
Noir is just so . . . noir-ish :). Yum!
😂
LOL
I appreciate your list of five previously unknown things. Winning a blue ribbon for brownies at any age is impressive. My unknowns …. I had a fabulous collection of beach glass that my mom threw out when I was ten. I used to assist her in planting roses. My job? Carry a dead carp, on a shovel, from the beach to the garden and drop it in a hole dug for the rose. Fifty years ago, I played Alice in “I Never Sang for My Father” at MSU. I used to incise carrots with fabulous designs then eat them. My favorite trees are white pines, limbs bouncing in the wind.
Oh my, that is a great list, except for the beach glass ugh. If it makes you feel any better (or is that schadenfreude?) my mother got rid of all the Barbie clothes my celebrity-cladding grandmother had made for me and a bunch of my books too). I wish I could have seen you perform at MSU or elsewhere.
Aha, Luanne – brownie recipes at a tender age! So much to learn.
Here are my five for you:
I scored 13 of 19 team points in my first basketball game in the fifth grade. My little team lost 52-19. (that’s two)
I played tennis on my high school tennis team that went to the Texas State AA team in 1965. I was an alternate and never took the court. (that’s two more)
I was an alto soloist with the Leonard Moore Chorale in Seattle, Washington, in 1969.
Wow, what fabulous personal successes (and disappointment), Sheila!!! You and jeannieunbottled have something in common then because she has sung alto in choirs, although she didn’t mention that since I already knew it!
What fun, Luanne. Five things? 1. I played a piano solo with the band (Theme From the Apartment) in high school that had a glissando at the end. 2. I’m the fourth oldest daughter in a row in my family. 3. I’ve never had a mani/pedi. 4. I’ve been to Bosnia. 5. Even though my mother was a basketball star, I was lame at it.
Joy, these are fabulous! You must be a wonderful pianist!!! Hah, I’ve never had a pedi, but I have had a mani. Not all it’s cracked up to be, IMO. Bosnia!!!!!!!!!! Wow. Yes, your mother must have been such a talented athlete!
Had to laugh at the floor cleaning methods. My brother and I were allowed to put on thick work socks and slide across the freshly waxed kitchen floor to polish the paste wax my mother had put on it.
So your mother and I have something in common. Why not let the kids help in a fun way?! Hahahaha. I love it and can imagine little Anneli sliding across the floor!
We had a great time! Why is it no longer fun to clean the floors? Hmm….
Haha so true!!!!
You’re a pretty cool chicka!
LOL, I bet you are too, Annette!
That’s a hoot! I played classical piano as a teen. Although I’m not at all athletic I played racquetball better than most men. I taught myself how to decorate a cake (then I didn’t know what to do with all the cakes!). I was raised as an only child (brothers much older) and I read a lot to entertain myself. I was reading best sellers by the time I reached 13. I was a bumblebee in a first grade play and I got a rash from the stage makeup! (the last time I performed in a play!)
Kate, oh gosh, that rash must have itched/hurt like crazy! I can see why that would have turned you off! I did not know that you were such an amazing pianist. You and Joy below have something in common. Also, I know that jeannieunbottled plays the piano. So racquetball was something you found you could do! I did play for a short period of time, but it was a little scary when the ball was coming toward me. My dad was a huge paddleball lover, and that is similar to racquetball, but even scarier IMO. I did know that you were raised as an only child because your sibs were so much older, but I didn’t remember that they were all brothers.
I started blogging around the same time as you and I think we’ve been following each other’s blogs from the start. So there may not be a lot about me you don’t know! But I’ll try: 1) my nickname in 6th grade was Jonesy because there were 5 Debbie/Deborah’s in the class. 2) I loved playing piano as a kid but quit when my mother (who didn’t know how to play) began coaching me. 3) I love novels and movies about Vikings. 4) I watched “Adolescence” on Netflix last night and cried (the most depressing series I’ve ever watched!) 5) I’ve become a huge fan of drinking port in the evenings and often go to bed tipsy. I wish I had been drinking port last night!
Oh wow, port, we have some here. Too bad you are not in Phoenix. I also would need some port to watch anything sad. As you can see, I favor lighter viewing fare. Ugh, I feel for you about the piano. How annoying! Pretty sure most of the girls I went to school with were, if not Mary, Sue, or Cathy, Debbie. Hope you can untangle that sentence. Jonesy seems both close-knit and at-arms-length at the same time. I always hated nicknames myself, except for Lu/Lou, which is fine though only a couple people call me that. Is adolescence the one about boys and social media? If so, I’ll pass. Life is hard enough as it is
Gosh. I’m only one cup of coffee in, so can only think of two – both inspired your “reveal”. 1) As a brownie I was not allowed to graduate to Girl Guides because I couldn’t master a reef knot (even know I chant “Left over Right, Right over Left” under my breath); and 2) we had linoleum at home. My brother was nine years old than me. He’d sit the very young me on a cushion placed on top of the old-style cotton mophead. My job was to hang on tight to the mop handle as he whizzed me around the room, using my weight to buff the floor. Haha, precious memory.
Gwen, that is a hilarious image! Clever brother for doing that ;). The brownie story is one of those stories from childhood that shows how unhelpful adults can be to children–traumatizing them over nothing.
Yes. I wonder where that Brown Owl is now. I’m not sure why she had it in for me. I was the chubbiest in the troupe, maybe that disturbed her. One time when we were out on excursion, instead of eating my packed lunch with the others, she made me run around and around the oval. Funny the things that stick in one’s mind. At least I can laugh about it now.
And I have plenty more of ‘Stories with my Big Bruvver’.
I feel like I already commented on this, but I think I was thinking a lot of things and on my ipad so figured I would comment later. But I am still as incensed by this woman as when I read this earlier. I’m sure that would stick in my mind. Whenever an adult was mean to me I always remember it.
Hmm, I feel like my life has been an open book since I’ve been blogging. The things I can think of that others don’t know I don’t want them to know!
You’re a mystery woman, Liz! xo
No mystery, just some bad choices. 😉
Waiting for your full memoir.
It will be coming in a novel in stories. I think.
On pins and needles!!!!
You have great ingenuity!!! 💕 those floors
Hah ingenuity from necessity!!! 😉
Whatever it takes! 👍🏽
Yes!
Let’s see, 1. I grew up in poverty in rural Louisiana, 2. my nickname as a kid in school was Moose, (not weight related) 3. I can memorize a shuffled deck of 52 cards in order in about 15 minutes. 4. I have a rare health condition, 5. My master’s degree is actually in Criminal Justice. I would have loved to go to art school, but growing up poor, you learn to be practical and focus on jobs and earning and not dreams. Maybe I should have tried your approach, my kids hated cleaning the floors. So do I, actually!
Wow, Polly these are some amazing things about you. #1, I had no idea. I want to read your memoir about what that was like–and you can throw in the why you were called Moose (#2) as well!!! #3 is amazing. Do you have a photographic memory? Did that translate into amazing test prep in school? #4, I’m really sorry about this one. My son does, too, and it’s so hard because nobody understands! Criminal justice! Maybe your cartoon kitties need a little justice for their criminal activities! There are things I hate worse than cleaning floors. One of them would be cleaning sink drain covers.
If you heard me speak you would hear my thick southern accent. I try not to speak to people I don’t know. They, even as mature adults, make fun and insult it. I do not have a photographic memory, I wish. It’s easy if you use memory techniques. Drain covers are just gross!!! Go make some brownies and enjoy your day! Chocolate rules!
Wow, that is so sad to hear about people being so ridiculous. What in the world is wrong with them?!
I’m gonna use your list to rift off of bc, like another commenter, I feel like you might know everything about me, we’ve been following each other so long. So.
1. I won the DAR Award in History when I was a senior in high school.
2. I learned to water ski at 6 rather than 5 like my sister because I had to have my tonsils removed when I was 5 and couldn’t get in the water that summer.
3. I gave up coffee for breakfast when I read an anti-cancer diet book that said the best/easiest anti-cancer thing you could do was switch out morning coffee for green tea.
4. I am trying to remember if other than sweep, I have ever cleaned a kitchen floor.
5. I only watch about 1 movie a year.
One movie a year!!! That is amazing. Is that because you don’t like them or that you find you prefer to spend your time doing something else? I don’t watch a lot of them, but maybe two old ones a week. Last recent movie was Wicked because my daughter wanted me to watch it with her. I’m sorry about your tonsils. That must have been so frustrated, but man is that young to learn waterskiing! I’m so glad I don’t drink coffee. I did not know that about it. Of course, I drink soda and iced black tea instead, so . . . . . Congrats on the DAR award! That must have been a big deal. Is your family DAR then?
Thanks for sharing these, Ellen! Rounds out my knowledge of Ellen ;).
Few movies because I’m not much of a fan. We watch a lot of series, which is what we prefer. (The last movie I saw in the theatre was Godzilla Minus One that I made my husband go to–it was fabulous.) On the waterskiing, I look at my grandsons and think how tiny you are at 5, then I remember an adult did stay with us in the water as we waited for the boat to pull us up. No on DAR status. It was just the sponsor of my high school’s History Award. Highest GPA in history? Teacher nomination? I don’t remember. I did get a medal. 🏅🙃
We started blogging at the same time, I believe. Let’s see: double-jointed elbows, carbonated drinks cause intense hiccups, among those who cannot learn to juggle, legumes are not my best friend, and my squirrel call imitation resulted in making friends with a backyard squirrel.
I would love to see your lower arms rotating in a circle, Pam! I’m so sorry about the soda and the legumes, two of life’s pleasures ;). My son is so in love with squirrels, which has led me to loving them, too. So cool that you have a squirrel friend! They are such little extroverts.
No true rotation but handstand are interesting.
I imagine so!!!
Luanne, I did not know those things about you. I love how you got your kids to clean the floor. Genius! Five things about me? I’m an open book. I can’t imagine there’s anything that nobody knows. Well, here goes …
1. I hate tomatoes, especially raw tomatoes, even cherry tomatoes. But I love tomato sauce. It just can’t have any chunks of tomatoes. The sauce has to be perfectly puréed.
2. I have a lot of friends who don’t know each other. As an introvert, I’ve tended to make friends one or two at a time. Over the years, I’ve “accrued” a number of friends, but they are not likely to know each other. Even here in Tallahassee, after 35 years, I have several friends, but while they know me, they don’t know each other.
3. I hate getting up in the dark. I prefer to wake up to natural light so switching to daylight savings time is always physically painful.
4. My favorite movie is Dr. Strangelove, although watching it now might be too unnerving. I remember the first time I saw the Wizard of Oz on a color TV. It was magical. I also always cried when the witch started melting.
5. My coffee preferences have changed over the years. When I started drinking coffee (in my teens), I preferred it weak with sugar and milk. Then there was a period where I drank black French Roast coffee. Then I discovered lattes and cappuccinos and could forgo sugar. Now when I have coffee, it’s back to sugar and milk so I try to limit how much of it I drink. And I probably only drink it now because I can make it quick with Keurig whereas my tea take at least three minutes to steep (horrors!).
I laughed so hard at the tea comment! I know what you mean First it has to steep. Then it has to cool down. Then I wait too long and it’s cold! Why do you cry when the witch melts? Do you feel sorry for her or just scared all over again at the power of it? I hear you about the friends who don’t know each other. Same thing here. And like you I’ve lived different places, so friends from all different towns. Do you think the tomato think is texture? Because it’s texture is different from anything else, I think. Thanks for sharing these, Marie!!!!
I think I was scared when the witch melted. The witch herself scared me, but the horror of her melting … what a thing for a kid to see 😳 As for tomatoes, it’s the texture, the gooey stuff with the seeds, I guess. And the flavor, oddly enough. Whenever I’ve accidentally bit into a tomato chunk, like in sauce, I taste a weird tang that I don’t like. Somehow I don’t taste it when tomatoes are cooked into a sauce 🤷🏼♀️Here’s another (perhaps) shocker: I don’t like avocados. At all. Not even in guacamole. Greg still urges me to try chunky tomato sauce or guacamole at times, but I always I’ve lived this long without them … 😉
Thank you for sharing these five things we did not know about you! 🙂 I love coffee, but I like tea also. (You must have had clean floors. My four children would have loved sliding across the kitchen floor!)
Yes, my floor was very clean! They loved it, giggled the whole time. I love tea, as well, but my big vice is soda . . . .
Great list, Luanne! I’m also not great at sports, but I once had a bowling team trophy. My favorite movie is “Last of the Dogmen” (yeah, no one’s ever heard of it, but stars Barbara Hershey and Tom Berringer).
One of my signature dishes is a chicken fajita salad.
I’ve never broken a bone (that I know of) in 63 years.
I played Snoopy in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” in 4th grade and loved belting out my song, “Supper Time!”
(I may be an introvert, but I love being on stage.)
This was fun to read! My childhood wasn’t near as interesting. Here’s couple of things you didn’t know–
1. In 4th grade, I won a school contest for my story “Queenie the Quarter” who lived in a pocket.
2. I got busted for putting a Nancy Drew book inside my Geography book and reading it during class.
Oh my! I’m sure we would have been friends! I love it!
Love how you got the kids to clean the floor. Must have been fun for them.