Liebster Award

/ Marcia Meara

A couple of weeks ago, Mae Clair nominated me for a Liebster Award, and I’m happy to say I’m finally able to take part. Thank you so much for the award, Mae. I had fun with this one. Here are the rules:

  1. Acknowledge the blog who nominated you and display the award.
  2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger gives you.
  3. Give 11 random facts about yourself.
  4. Nominate 11 blogs
  5. Notify those blogs of the nomination.
  6. Give them 11 questions to answer.

Here are the eleven questions Mae asked, and my answers to each:

  1. You’ve been given a working time machine. What era of history would you visit?
    I’m not so sure I would want to visit any historic era that was BAC. (Before Air Conditioning). Every time I try to picture myself sweating through a centuries-ago summer, I balk at the whole concept. Maybe if I could just do a fly-by, I’d visit the building of Stonehenge. That could be fun, as long as my time machine was artificially cooled to about 68 degrees.
  2. What is your totem animal?
    I’m going to go with cat. I love almost all animals, excluding sharks and hairy-legged spiders, though I’m working on those. But cats have fascinated me since I was a very small child. I love the way they move, the way they stare at you as though they understand they are a superior species, and even the way their fur smells, like baby powder. And I fully understand why they were worshipped by the ancient Egyptians. Yep, cats it is, for me. (But don’t tell my dachshunds, who actually think they rule the house. Poor schmucks.) 
  3. What was the first story you wrote?
    I started writing long, epic poems at five, filling up pages with verses featuring mostly cowboys and horses. And sometimes cats. I wrote poetry through high school, and expected to be a writer at some point, but then there’s this mysterious gap of forty years or so where I didn’t write anything at all. The first thing I wrote after that was my first novel, Wake-Robin Ridge. 
  4. Beach or mountains?
    Mountains, hands down. I don’t do sun (way too many scars from that) and I am connected via some unknown past life to the Appalachians. Particularly the North Carolina mountains. Hickory Nut Gorge, Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, Bat Cave, and all the surrounding fern-covered, waterfall-graced, mist-shrouded hills speak to my heart. Though I have never lived in the mountains, I have a sense of coming home every time I visit. A cabin in the woods, with a rushing stream nearby is my idea of heaven. 
  5. What is your favorite time of year?
    Autumn, because . . . PUMPKINS! Heaps and piles of pumpkins on every porch, and corn shocks, and tart Granny Smith apples, and crisp, frost-covered mornings, with blue silk skies overhead. And, of course, autumn in the Blue Ridge mountains—it doesn’t get any better than that. 
  6. Name someone from history you find intriguing.
    So many! Benjamin Franklin, because of his inventive, creative mind. Hannibal. I mean, elephants? Where’d that idea come from? Cleopatra. I’d like to see exactly what she really did look like, without the headdress and kohl-rimmed eyes. (I’m guessing it wasn’t much like Elizabeth Taylor.) 
  7. What is your favorite fairy tale?
    Rumplestiltskin. Girl outsmarts creepy bad guy, yay!  Besides, it’s fun to say. 
  8. When was the last time you played a game of chess?
    When I was about 12. I hate chess. It hurts my brain to try to plan that far ahead. Besides, I’m big fan of spontaneous smiting! Give me games with WORDS. Crossword puzzles, in particular, and I can do the daily Jumble in 30 to 90 seconds, flat. (I almost always have the answer filled in before I look at the words.) 
  9. If you could travel to any city or country in the world, where would you go?
    Scotland. And then, Scotland again. Come on, now . . . men in kilts!! And lochs and shaggy-haired cattle. And men in kilts. And castles and standing stones. (Did I mention men in kilts?) 
  10. Name your favorite cartoon when you were a kid.
    Bugs Bunny. He invented snark. 
  11. What mythical creature do you wish actually existed?
    Dragons. Huge, beautiful, fire-breathing dragons. Fierce when the need arises, but benevolent and protective the rest of the time. Friendly dragons, you could stop by and chat with, and maybe play a quiet game of . . . well, anything other than chess.

And here are 11 things about me you may or may not know.

  1. I’m tall. Close to six feet. (Okay, I’ve shrunk a bit over the years, so more like 5’10” today).
  2. I like to laugh. And I like to make other people laugh. And mostly, it seems to work.
  3. I love reptiles, especially snakes. Such interesting creatures.
  4. I was a very good gardener before I started writing, and even now, I have fresh roses from my garden on my desk almost every day of the year.
  5. I’ve been an ardent birdwatcher since my 20’s, and have hiked many a mile to catch a glimpse of something unusual.
  6. I’ve been a confirmed tea drinker for over 50 years. Couldn’t start my day without Earl Grey!
  7. I’m a very good canoeist, having paddled hundreds of miles on Florida waterways.
  8. I love bagpipes. I also love Elvis, Tom Petty, and The Eagles, but I adore Celtic music, Beethoven, and Vivaldi even more.
  9. My love of music notwithstanding, I write in as close to total silence as I can achieve in a house with two dachshunds who love nothing more than the sound of their own voices. (The four cats are usually pretty quiet).
  10. I used to care for orphaned and injured birds for the Florida Audubon Society, even having hand raised a clutch of screech owls, once.
  11. I’m a native-born Floridian. Yep. There’s me and some guy up in the panhandle. 😀

My Questions:

  1. How many languages do you speak?
  2. What do you believe to be your best asset?
  3. Your worst?
  4. When reading, what is your go-to genre?
  5. What kind of things do you collect?
  6. Museums or art galleries?
  7. Irish wolfhounds or chihuahuas?
  8. What makes you cry?
  9. Grilled porterhouse or steamed lobster?
  10. Are you more likely to send animated e-greetings, or handwritten cards?
  11. Your favorite guilty pleasure?

Now for my nominations, but under no circumstances should you feel obligated to participate. We all understand that some folks just don’t have the time, and others simply don’t do awards and the like. Just know you were among my eleven choices, for whatever that’s worth. 🙂 So, seven women, and under the theory that guys should bare their souls now and then, as well, four men! And there’s no time limit on this, should you prefer to wait until it’s more convenient for you. I did. 🙂

  1. Caitlin Stern
  2. Sue Vincent
  3. Rosie Amber
  4. Sarah Brentyn
  5. Judith Barrow
  6. Cathy Ryan
  7. Shelley Wilson
  8. Chris, the Story Reading Ape
  9. Nicholas C. Rossis
  10. P. H. Solomon
  11. Callum McLaughlin

30 thoughts on “Liebster Award”

  1. Congrats on the award. Some great information about you. Men in kilts, yes! Plus it never gets hot in Scotland. You would be safe there. Now have a cup of tea and bask in the glory of being so awesome!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks, Darlene. That was a fun little diversion from my morning’s work. (Which is still waiting for me, of course. Darn. I had hoped the Word Fairies would finish the next chapter of my draft, while I was goofing off!) A cup of tea in Scotland. Now THERE’S a dream I can get into!! 🙂

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  2. You wouldn’t need air conditioning for your Time Machine to visit Stonehenge. You would love Scotland, highlands, islands and Edinburgh. I’m just catching up with ‘Outlander’ now my husband accidentally joined Amazon Prime, plenty of kilts..

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    • Yes, but cool as it normally is, now and then I’ve heard rumors that it can warm up for a day or so, even in Scotland! With my luck, it would happen during my magical visit, and I’d have to stay INSIDE the time machine, anyway! Hahahaha.

      Oh, Outlander! I read that when it first came out. LOVED the first one, and though I haven’t watched the series, I really do think the casting is divine. Yeah, I might be convinced to risk heat stroke for a visit to Scotland if I thought I might spot Jamie Fraser. 😀

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  3. Well, the rumours are true; we do very occasionally get hot days here in Scotland, but shhh, we’ve got a reputation to upkeep! 😉

    Congrats on the award, and thank you very much for the nod. I’m heading off on holiday this weekend so may not get round to it for a while, but please know how appreciated it is.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • I knew you were leaving, Callum, but I hope you’ll “play” when you return. It’s not going anywhere. 🙂 And truthfully, even your hot days in Scotland are probably far more tolerable than ours here in central Florida. We’ve had mid-90’s now for weeks, and several days, it was at 97 degrees before noon! OMG. Walking to my mailbox is almost more than I can stand!

      One of these days, I’m going to visit Scotland, regardless. I deserve it! 😀 😀 😀

      Have a wonderful trip, and we’ll see you when you return!

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  5. Marcia, this post brightened my day. You truly have a gift with humor and a clever turn of phrase. You should be a humor columnist. I was laughing the whole way through. From the poor schmuck dachshunds to snarky Bugs Bunny and chess-(not)-playing-dragons. You also have me wanting to visit Appalachia in autumn with your beautiful descriptions. The Appalachian Trail is a just a short drive away for me, but I bet the (southern) heart of Appalachia its far more beautiful.

    Thanks for the fabulous post!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Aw, you’re so sweet, Mae! I was having fun throughout the whole thing. (Fun is the BEST thing you can possibly have, you know!) Funny you should mention humor columns, Mae. For the longest time, I thought I wanted to be a cross between Erma Bombeck and Dave Barry, two great favorites of mine.

      And you should definitely visit the North Carolina mountains. The Appalachians are beautiful from one end to the other, but they don’t get any better than in North Carolina.

      I’m so glad the post made you smile. My work here is done! 😀 😀 😀

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  6. Awesome. Love your answers, especially your 11 little-known facts – raising screech owls, no less!
    And its lovely to discover someone else who enjoys the bagpipes (aside from the Queen!)
    I look forward to showing you around the Highlands, when you do eventually make it over here, and I can absolutely promise to find you lots of men in kilts 😀

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Glad you enjoyed it, Debby. I can’t tell you how many baby birds I raised back in the day, but the screech owls were the most fun of all. When I first got them, they looked like cotton balls with a beak glued on! Once those reached a certain size, I turned them over to the Birds of Prey aviary, so they could be taught to hunt, and then released into the wild.

      Oh, I adore bagpipes. I don’t know a more mournfully beautiful, haunting sound in the world. I get the shivers listening to them at times. And I’ve loved them since I was a wee bairn. (Oh, I love it when I get all bilingual!.) 😀 I’m going to start a Scotland Jar today, so get ready. I’ll have enough saved to make the trip in a decade or so. 😀 And I’ll make SURE you show me men in kilts! (If my heart is still strong enough by then to handle it!) Ha!!

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  8. I enjoyed this. You’d be fine visiting Stonehenge – in fact you’d probably find it quite chilly. Keep putting your pennies in your Scotland Jar and when you come I promise you men in kilts and bagpipes! 🙂

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    • Glad you enjoyed this, Mary. You mean if I visit Stonehenge, I might actually have to buy a sweater (jumper?) or jacket? I don’t even own a long-sleeved shirt. Now, lest you think that’s strictly Florida, believe me, most of my friends have sweaters, jackets, and even coats. But I never need them, even on the few cold days we have. In fact, I think it’s safe to say I haven’t been cool since about 1972, and I mean that in every sense of the word. 😀

      Okay, saving pennies here. I have several online friends in Scotland, so when I get there, I’m expecting a grand tour. And bagpipes. And men in kilts. Or at least bagpipes in kilts. 😀

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      • Gosh, you are the exact opposite of me. I feel cold nearly all the time. Yesterday I was bundled up in a teeshirt, topped by a fleecy jumper, topped by a coat. I was passing people walking about in sleeveless tops.
        When the time comes for your trip here I’m sure all your blogging friends in Scotland will organise a truly grand tour – ceilidhs and kilts, whisky (the kind without an e) and bagpipes.

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        • I can hardly wait!! We will have a high ol’ time! And I’ll remember to bring a sweater/jumper. Or at least a shawl. Hahahaha. (You don’t know how much I long to make this trip happen one day. And who knows? Maybe it will. After all, my dream of becoming a writer came true. Just took a while, that’s all.) 😀

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  9. Gator Gal🐊, this is fantastic. Congratulations on this honor. #7 was my favorite answer but #9 wasn’t to shabby.
    St. John’s River Eco Tours is very proud to have your knowledgeable insight every week supporting our tours. Personally every week I either learn something new or I find I’ve been reporting something incorrectly. Currently I’m bout 50/50.
    Thanks for your knowledge Gator Gal 🐊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Aw, thanks, Dooley! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I had a wonderful time with the fun questions. So, Rumplestiltskin and Scotland, eh? Cool. (I do hope you noticed I mentioned Bat Cave. 😀 )

      Believe me when I say that writing the #NotesFromTheRiver posts for you guys is one of the most fun things I try to do each week. It’s my one chance to indulge my love of Florida’s wildlife and wild places, and supporting your tours is a great pleasure. Why? Because I love them, and consider them to be the best eco-tours on the St. Johns! And you and Doug have become the dearest of friends to me. It is my pleasure to be part of St. Johns River Eco Tours in any way I can.

      And as for learning new stuff, I always double check my information, and in doing so, usually find out a few new things, myself. So I learn with each post, too. So glad to have the opportunity to be part of your team! Hope to remain your premier Gator Gal for a long, long time to come!

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  10. Marcia I loved your answers! You are such a fun person and (can I say this in absolute respect), you remind me of my mum. You both share the love of cats, dragons and loathing of the fiery ball in the sky. I miss her dearly so I read your answers with a sad little smile and pleasant ache in my heart ☺️

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I consider it a very high compliment, indeed, to know that I remind you of your mum, and I love that you hold her in your heart and can smile when you think of her. That’s a gift you’ve been given, and will keep her with you always, only a thought away.

      And I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I had such a good time with the answers! So nice of you to take time to comment, too. THANKS!! 🙂 ❤

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