Nouvelles de la Californie

Excuse-moi de ne pas avoir écrit d’avantage plus tôt, mais jusqu’à vendredi on était sur la route, et jeudi et vendredi on y a passé plus de neuf heures par jour. Jeudi soir on s’est arrêté à San Diego voir une de mes copines. Mais cet hôtel là, quelle galère ! Il était sale, une prostituée est venue à la porte lorsque Fabrice était à la voiture, et il y avait même des paquets de préservatifs sous le lit que nous avons trouvé en y allant chercher le chat ! On était tellement crevés que nous avons dormi quand même. Et en plus, il était tard, alors on avait peur de ne rien trouver. Mais le matin je me suis plains auprès de la direction et ils m’ont fait une remise. Heureusement !!!!

Vendredi soir, c’était mieux, nous avons trouvé un hôtel super sympa avec une baignoire jacuzzi et tout.

Puis là nous sommes arrivés près de San Francisco. Moi, je vais rester ici dans un petit studio d’hôtel jusqu’à ce que l’on ait des rentrées d’argent, puis je trouverais un logement plus convenable. Comme M***** veut rester chez son père jusqu’à la fin du mois de juin pour aller au camp d’aventures avec ses amis, je n’ai besoin d’être bien logée que pour la fin du mois de juin. Heureusement, encore !!!

Pour mon pied, ça va un peu mieux. Avec mon attelle et des médicaments pour la douleur, je me sens mieux. Le fait de ne plus être en voiture, aussi, ça améliore la situation. Sur le coup, je n’ai pas trouvé ça marrant du tout, mais à le raconter et à l’imaginer, je me suis rendu compte à quel point c’était amusant mon histoire dans le désert, avec mon amie la pierre. Je ne l’ai pas retrouvée, elle, mais je ne l’oublirais jamais ! C’est surtout amusant puisque ça ne s’est pas si mal terminé. Même avec le pied cassé, je peux maintenant en rigoler à raconter l’histoire.

Et je ne vous ai pas dit le meilleur. Le lendemain, lorsque nous faisions la fameuse Route 66, on s’est arrêté dans une petite ville qui s’appelle Oatman, Arizona. Il y avait une concentration de motards ce jour-là, alors il y avait pas mal de monde même pour une toute petite ville de quelques centaines de résidents à l’habitude.

Je publirais des photos de toutes ces choses aujourd’hui et demain.

Bon, je continue, alors cette ville de Oatman a été une ville de mineurs d’or pendant la grande période des mines d’or et le « gold rush » qui a eu lieu dans l’Ouest des US au milieu du 19^ième siècle. Alors, lorsque les mines ne marchaient plus trop bien, il y a eu un mineur qui a relâché son troupeau d’ânes dans la ville. Depuis, alors il y a des troupeaux d’ânes sauvages qui y vivent. Et il y a même des stands où l’on vend des sodas et de l’eau pour les êtres humains et des carottes pour les ânes. Alors, moi, je suis partie en boitant, à descendre la rue principale, cherchant des ânes à prendre en photo. J’en n’ai pas trouvé. Mais j’ai pris quelques photos des petits commerces que l’ont dirait sortent tout droit d’un décor de film Western. Ensuite, je suis descendue d’une petite côte, et j’ai glissé et je suis tombé sur mes fesses – devant quelques femmes commerçantes. J’ai eu mal à mes mains, mais heureusement mon appareil photo été autour de mon cou. Il a pris un coup, mais il n’est pas tombé et il fonctionne toujours comme il le faut. Les dames ont eu la gentillesse de me laisser me laver les mains à l’arrière d’un de leurs magasins, pour faire sortir les gravillons et tout ça. Fabrice été parti chercher la voiture à l’autre bout du petit bled, alors il n’a pas été témoin de ma gymnastique !!

Alors là, oui, je vais me retrouver seule pendant 10 mois. Je ne sais même pas si Fabrice aura le droit de rentrer pour m’aider à déménager. Et même en étant revenue en Californie, je ne connais personne par ici, alors ce sera intéressant de me débrouiller toute seule pour tout ça. Je n’ai pas grande chose a déménager d’ici, mais ce sera du travail quand même ! Puis il faudra faire venir nos affaires de la France. Normalement, Fabrice aura 15 jours à Noël. On éspérait que ses filles pourrait venir passer soit Noël soit le Jour de l’An avec nous et ma fille à moi.

D’ailleurs, j’espère de tout mon cœur que l’ex-femme de Fabrice et leurs enfants pourraient venir me rendre visite au mois d’octobre.

Là, Fabrice part mercredi pour passer une semaine dans l’Oklahoma. Là, on va lui raser la tête, lui donner toutes ses affaires, faire les démarches administratives, etc. Ensuite, il ira de l’Oklahoma à une base de l’armée de l’air à San Antonio, et là, il passera 4 mois à l’école d’anglais. Ensuite, il ira directement faire ses 9 semaines de classes. Ils devraient être faits à Fort Knox, dans le Kentucky, mais ils ont changé d’avis et maintenant il va les faire à Fort Jackson dans la Caroline du Sud. Une fois qu’il aura fini ses classes, il ira tout de suite à Fort Lee en Virginie faire son entraînement de cuisinier. Il voulait être flic mais il fallait déjà avoir la nationalité américaine. Alors il va faire ça pendant un an, et ensuite on verra. Au moins ça me rassure un petit peu. Le recruteur a dit qu’il y a 97% de chances qu’il sera déployé en zone de combat dans environ un an. Mais les cuisiniers, même en zone de combat, ne sont pas sur le front de bataille, mais dans des bases plus ou moins éloignées du danger. C’est déjà ça !

Autrement, les chats vont bien et nous avons récupéré Chanel, qui a passé un bien meilleur voyage que la dernière fois. En fait, nous avons embauché une société qui se spécialise dans le transport des animaux. Le vétérinaire à Faremoutiers a donné un sédatif à Claude pour donner à Chanel le matin de son vol, alors elle a dormie tout le long. Et en plus, ils lui ont fait venir par avion de fret, alors c’était un vol direct, avec des vaches et des moutons, des voitures, et je ne sais plus trop quoi, de Paris à San Francisco. Elle était un peu dans les vapes le premier jour, mais maintenant elle est revenue à la normale. Le seul truc pour elle, c’est qu’ici il fait chaud, et elle a l’habitude à Faremoutiers, où il paraît qu’il ne fait pas si chaud que ça !!

We're Almost There!!

We stopped driving Route 66 after AZ, to detour down to San Diego to visit a dear friend of mine.

I hope you're all doing alright, since I have been incommunicado for the past few days.

Chanel flew in yesterday via Air France cargo. We hired professional animal transport people to take care of her this time around, and will do so from now on with any and all animals we may have to have fly. The difference in care is amazing!! Chanel actually went on a cargo plane, so it was non-stop from Paris to San Francisco. Someone was in the cargo hold with her and the farm animals that were shipping on the same plane. The French vet had Fabrice's Dad give her a sedative before she left, so she slept the whole way, didn't have diarrhea, wasn't panic stricken or anything. Yesterday, she was a bit tired and groggy and walked like she was drunk, but in good spirits, happy to see us, and not at all traumatized. Today she is still a bit tired, but serene, calm, happy, and resting.

Thank you so much for everything, I hope to hear from you soon. I think I still owe a puzzle, too, and have one ready to post when it's time.

Fabrice leaves on Wednesday, and I am going to be a bit lost and lonely and disoriented here until we find a place to live and all that. For the time being I am staying in a nice little suite at a Motel 6, and waiting. I will probably be here about a month.

Since my lovely teenage daughter wants to stay in Wisconsin until after she goes to camp in mid-June, I just need to be better situated by then.

I actually broke my right foot during my escapade in the desert, in addition to the ankle and knee sprains, and now have a blood clot in my calf from that same accident. Hopefully it won't go any higher! Oatman, Arizona, is a cute little former gold-mining town on Route 66. They have a herd of wild burros left over from the burros some miner set free some hundred odd years ago. I was taking pictures of a cute little shop there, while Fabrice went back and got the car, when I slid down the embankment and fell, which didn't help my foot, and threw my back out, too. It sure sucks getting older!!!!

Friday's Travels - 336 miles - 538 km

Vaughn, New Mexico to Flagstaff, Arizona = 336 Miles (538 kilometers)

We stayed in Flagstaff for two days. Pieces of my friend's translation had gotten lost along their way across the information superhighway, and I needed to redo a bunch. So I sat in a hotel room translating while Fabrice walked around taking pictures, enjoying the view, and exercising, for 48 very long hours!!! At least it was a nice hotel room!!!! And Flagstaff seems like a pleasant enough place to be.

Day Two's Journey (Less my Misdventures in Foot Travel) 312 Miles or 500 km

Fort Stockton, Texas to Vaughn, New Mexico = 312 miles (500 kilometers)

On Vaughn, From Wikipedia

Vaughn, New Mexico

Vaughn is a town in Guadalupe County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 539 at the 2000 census.

Vaughn is located at the intersection of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroad lines.

History

Vaughn was established in the early 20th century as a Southern Pacific Railroad town. The town's importance grew when a second railroad, the Eastern Railway of New Mexico (an AT&SF line from Belen to Clovis), was completed in 1907 with Vaughn as a division point. A large two-story depot, a roundhouse, and a Harvey House hotel were constructed shortly thereafter. Vaughn was incorporated in 1919 and in 1920 had a population of 888 according to the U.S. census.

Geography

Vaughn is located at 34°36′5″N, 105°12′23″W (34.601253, -105.206410)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 539 people, 232 households, and 154 families residing in the town. The population density was 96.3 people per square mile (37.2/km²). There were 338 housing units at an average density of 60.4/sq mi (23.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 52.69% White, 0.37% Native American, 43.97% from other races, and 2.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 87.01% of the population.

There were 232 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,083, and the median income for a family was $27,059. Males had a median income of $25,833 versus $14,444 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,014. About 13.9% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.1% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.

Mes Mésaventures Nocturnes

Nous sommes toujours entrain de déménager. Nous sommes dans le désert du nouveau Mexique, au sud d’Albuquerque, et au nord de Roswell. Nous allons vers l’autoroute 40 pour pouvoir suivre la fameuse Route 66 un peu.

Hier je me suis allée me promener dans un petit parc dans cette petite ville de Vaughn. Après m’y être reposée une petite demi-heure, je suis repartie dans le mauvais sens et j’ai marché le long de la route pendant plus de 5 heures. Étant désorientée, je ne pensais avoir marché que dans les 30 à 45 minutes. En fait, je pensais aussi que j’allais vers la petite ville, mais en réalité, je marchais en plein désert vers rien. Je voyais des lumières que je pensais être la ville, mais elles n’étaient que des trains. Au bout d’environ 9 kilomètres de marche, en tombant plusieurs fois dans le sable mou, j’ai fait demi-tour. J’ai trouvé une pierre que je gardais avec moi au cas où quelqu’un ou quelque chose ne m’agresserait. Je marchais dans le noir et le froid, en t-shirt, et en portant une grosse pierre, comme ça pendant des heures. Je criais. Je pleurais. J’appelais Fabrice. Je gueulais après les voitures qui ne s’arrêtaient pas. Il faut dire que, même si une s’était arrêtée, je ne serais pas allé avec elle, mais je lui aurais demandé d’appeler la police. Le shérif m’a trouvé au bord de la route, de laquelle je m’étais approchée au fur et à mesure que j’avais de plus en plus froid, que j’étais de plus en plus désorienté, et que je tombais de plus en plus. Les flics m’ont fait laisser ma pierre derrière. Je n’avais aucune idée depuis combien de temps je marchais, ni combien de kilomètres. J’étais déshydratée, et je me suis fais une entorse du genou et de la cheville, j’ai mal aux oreilles à cause du froid et du vent, je n’arrive pas à me réchauffer même pas ce matin, et je n’ai presque plus de voix à force de crier et pleurer. Je pensais toujours que chaque voiture, chaque camion allait être soit la Police soit Fabrice, mais ils n’arrivaient jamais….

Quand j’ai quitté le petit parc, il faisait jour. Le soleil se couche vite dans le désert, et le froid arrive encore plus vite. Je ne me rendais plus compte de rien. J’étais vraiment très, très perdue.

Ça faisait peur, au milieu de nul part. Aucun bâtiment, aucune lumière, comme dans un film d’horreur. Beaucoup de bâtiments abandonnés, s’écroulant, etc.

Fabrice a su et a trouvé l’Anglais qu’il lui fallait pour aller chez la police. Mais il a laissé la voiture là où elle était, au cas ou. Moi je n’avais rien avec moi, sauf un petit appareil photo et ma pierre. Au début la police lui a dit que j’étais peut-être partie avec un autre homme. En tant qu’adulte, j’avais bien le droit, après tout. Mais ils ont appelé tous les hôtels, et je n’y étais avec aucun homme. Alors ils ont ensuite appelé tous les camionneurs pour leur demander d’appeler si on me voyait. L’un d’entre eux m’a vu, enfin, et les a appelé et deux shérifs sont venus me chercher. Enfin !

J’ai fait plus de 9 km avec mon appareil photo et mon amie la pierre.

Aujourd’hui j’ai une entorse au cheville, une au genou, j’ai très mal au dos, et je n’ai pratiquement plus de voix. Mais je ne suis ni morte ni violée ni agressée par des coyotes, ce qui est déjà pas mal !!!

J’espère que vous avez passé une meilleure journée que moi ! Apprenez des mes erreurs, et ne vous perdez pas la nuit dans le désert !!!!

Gros bisous à vous tous,
Danielle

p.s. En plus, c’était la pleine lune!!!!

My Very Own Horror Movie - and I am NOT Much One for Horror Movies!

Sorry I didn't try more last night.

The move is still in process. We're in the desert in New Mexico, south of Albuquerque, north of Roswell. We are heading up to I-40 to do the route 66 thing.

Yesterday, I went to take walk to the park in this little town, Vaughn, NM, and then went the wrong direction and walked down the highway in the dark, in the cold in a t-shirt, carrying a rock, for over five hours. I fell and sprained my ankle and my knee. The cops finally found me dehydrated, hoarse from calling for help, crying, and freezing cold. The cops made me put my rock down. I had had no idea how long or how far I was walking. I kept thinking every car would be police or Fabrice, but none of them were. I thought I’d walked about 45 minutes. It’d been 4 hours.

When I left for the park, it was daylight. The sun sets fast in the desert. And it gets very cold even faster than that. I was convinced that the lights I was walking toward were from the town, and that I HAD turned back. Turns out the lights were trains. I didn't realize how long I had walked, when I finally turned around. I was really very lost. I picked up the rock along the way in case someone or something threatened me. It was THAT scary; a middle of nowhere, horror movie type of setting. Lots of abandoned buildings, but no life, etc. I kept thinking Fabrice would come looking for me. He had stayed where we were parked in case I came back. But he went to the sheriff's office, and they called all the hotels to see if I'd gone off with another man, and then put out a call to all the truckers to see if a) I'd gone off with any of them, and b) they'd seen me. I kept trying to flag people down, in the pitch black. Holding my rock. Nobody stopped. But a trucker did call me in and the sheriffs came out, found me, and brought me back to where I was supposed to be. I'd gone well over 7 miles, back and forth, going down side streets looking for a phone, etc. I had left my cell in the car, planning just to go down to the cute little park and relax for a few minutes before heading back to the car and hitting the road. I had nothing with me but Fabrice's small camera and a rock.

I hurt my knee and my back, have a sprained ankle, and can barely walk, but I'm OK. I think.

I hope you all had a better day than that! Learn from my mistakes, and do not I repeat, DO NOT get lost in the deserted desert, at sun down!!!

Oh, it was a full moon (or almost), too! Which was good for guiding my way, but not so good for the atmosphere!!!

I Forgot to Update You - Fabrice Enlisted on Tuesday

Les Haricots Français

Nous ne savons pas pourquoi, mais les Américains pensent que les Français mangent les haricots verts tout fins et coupés en longueur!!

Bisous de l’Ouest du Texas, que nous quitterons demain pour se rendre d’abord à Roswell, dans le nouveau Mexique, avant de continuer notre route vers la Californie.

Today's Journey - 315 Miles - 506 km

San Antonio to Fort Stockton, Texas = 315 Miles or 506 kilometers

Forecast: Big quake likely in Calif.

By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer Mon Apr 14, 6:20 PM ET

LOS ANGELES - California faces an almost certain risk of being rocked by a strong earthquake by 2037, scientists said Monday in the first statewide temblor forecast.

New calculations reveal there is a 99.7 percent chance a magnitude 6.7 quake or larger will strike in the next 30 years. The odds of such an event are higher in Southern California than Northern California, 97 percent versus 93 percent.

"It basically guarantees it's going to happen," said Ned Field, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena and lead author of the report.

The 1994 Northridge earthquake under Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley was magnitude 6.7. It killed 72 people, injured more than 9,000 and caused $25 billion in damage in the metropolitan area.

The damage created by an earthquake depends greatly on where it hits. A 7.1 quake — much stronger than Northridge — hit the Mojave Desert in 1999 but caused only a few injuries and no deaths.

California is one of the world's most seismically active regions. More than 300 faults crisscross the state, which sits atop two of Earth's major tectonic plates, the Pacific and North American plates. About 10,000 quakes each year rattle Southern California alone, although most of them are too small to be felt.

The analysis is the first comprehensive effort by the USGS, Southern California Earthquake Center and California Geological Survey to calculate earthquake probabilities for the entire state using newly available data. Previous quake probabilities focused on specific regions and used various methodologies that made it difficult to compare.

For example, a 2003 report found the San Francisco Bay Area faced a 62 percent chance of being struck by a magnitude 6.7 quake by 2032. The new study increased the likelihood slightly to 63 percent by 2037. For the Los Angeles Basin, the probability is higher at 67 percent. There is no past comparison for the Los Angeles area.

Scientists still cannot predict exactly where in the state such a quake will occur or when. But they say the analysis should be a wake-up call for residents to prepare for a natural disaster in earthquake country.

Knowing the likelihood of a strong earthquake is the first step in allowing scientists to draw up hazard maps that show the potential severity of ground shaking in an area. The information can also help with updating building codes and emergency plans and setting earthquake insurance rates.

"A big earthquake can happen tomorrow or it can happen 10 years from now," said Tom Jordan, director of the earthquake center, which is headquartered at the University of Southern California.

Researchers also calculated the statewide probabilities for larger temblors over the same time period. Among their findings: There is a 94 percent chance of a magnitude 7 shock or larger; a 46 percent chance of a magnitude 7.5 and a 4.5 percent chance of a magnitude 8.

The odds are higher that a magnitude 7.5 quake will hit Southern California than Northern California — 37 percent versus 15 percent.

Of all the faults in the state, the southern San Andreas, which runs from Parkfield in central California southeast to the Salton Sea, appears most primed to break, scientists found. There is a 59 percent chance in the next three decades that a Northridge-size quake will occur on the fault compared to 21 percent for the northern section.

The northern San Andreas produced the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, but the southernmost segment has not popped in more than three centuries.

Scientists are also concerned about the Hayward and San Jacinto faults, which have a 31 percent chance of producing a Northridge-size temblor in the next 30 years. The Hayward fault runs through densely populated cities in the San Francisco Bay Area. The San Jacinto fault bisects the fast-growing city of San Bernardino east of Los Angeles.

The Update

Fabrice has thought about all of his options, and is going to join the Army after all.

I have found a job, teaching French at a Catholic school in San Francisco, and will be leaving to move back to CA on Wednesday or Thursday. I am packing the car already!

Fabrice will have 18 weeks' English training here in San Antonio, during which time he will not be able to leave the base. Then he will have 9 weeks of Basic training in Fort Know, and 8 weeks of AIT back East.

We will be living in CA permanently from here on out, even though he may be occasionally stationed elsewhere.

My son, M's, semester back at school is almost over, and he is still doing as well. He says that now that we're moving back to Cali, he'll be more likely to visit us more often. This is a good thing!!!

My daughter, M, is a teenager. I don't even know what to say to her anymore. I want to spend as much time with her as again, but talk about ungrateful and disagreeable! Sometimes I wish I could be in a coma for the next four years or so. Honestly, I do not know what to do or say or how to handle this teenage angst thing. It's downright awful. I can't believe she's actually my kid!!!! Fabrice says that his eldest, L, was like this for a few years, she's still a tad bit difficult and inflexible. And now his younger daughter, J, is well on her way! God forbid!! Hey, at least J still likes me, somebody's got to!!!!

Oh well.

Fabrice

I just talked to Fabrice and he isn't going to enlist today. The recruiter and I are still trying to talk him into enlisting tomorrow. Fabrice is feeling let down by the process, and unhappy with the combination of 41 weeks of training far away from me, plus no bonus, plus not being able to be a cop, plus a 4-year commitment to a profession that isn't really what he wants to do. We are going to stay here in San Antonio a couple of days longer, and then head back to CA. Fabrice is going to see what kind of job he can get there, and if nothing works out, start the enlistment process over, back there, in a month or so.

My Horoscope for Today is Pretty Darn Interesting.....

Your emotions may surprise you, Danielle. You may experience a breakthrough when you focus on the true cause of your feelings. Let down your defenses and expose your sensitive side to the light. Like a fair-skinned child on the beach on the first day of summer, you will need to wear sunscreen at first, but as your body acclimates, your skin will toughen up. You will be able to expose your sensitive nature without having to put up walls that don't allow the sunlight to get through.

Meme brazenly lifted from Hed’s blog:

1. What time did you get up this morning? 8:11
2. Diamonds or pearls? Either, I’m easy!

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? L’auberge Rouge

4. Favorite TV show? Monk, although the tics aren’t all the same, he reminds me of me!
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Oatmeal

6. What kind of soap do you use? Dove, upon my gynecologist’s recommendation

7. What is your middle name? Anne
8. What food do you dislike? Veal
10. What kind of car do you drive? Nissan, but all I really care about is that it has a manual transmission, NOT an automatic. And no, I do not mean it the other way around! I like a stick shift.
11. Favorite sandwich? Crunchy peanut butter and raspberry jelly with lotsa seeds
12. What characteristic do you despise? Meanness
13. Favorite item of clothing? Long-sleeved t-shirts
14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? Brittany
15. What color is your bathroom? White

16. Favorite brand of clothing? Chico’s
17. Where would you retire to? California or Mexico
18. What was your most recent memorable birthday? I don’t remember it.

19. Furthest place you are sending this? No idea!

20. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? I’m not sending it via email, so everybody!
21. Person you expect to send it back first? Nobody
22. When is your birthday? July 22
23. What is your favorite scent? Vanilla
24. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning

25. What is your shoe size? 8 1/2
26. Pets? 2 dogs, 2 cats
27. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us? Not yet

28. What did you want to be when you were little? A writer
29. How are you today? Drained
30. What is your favorite candy? Hot Tamales
31. What is your favorite flower? The ones that look like little purple cabbages
32. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? May 30 when my precious young one graduates from eighth grade

33. What church do you attend? I am transitioning
34. What is your full name? Danielle Anne Something or another

35. What are you listening to right now? Law and Order SVU
36. What was the last thing you ate? Rice
37. Do you wish on stars? Yes

38. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Midnight Blue
39. How is the weather right now? Hot
40. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Fabrice’s Army recruiter

41. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes

42. Favorite restaurant? Le Diplomate, in the 15^th arrondissement of Paris

43. Hair Color? Light brown
44. Siblings? 2 younger sisters who are identical twins
45. Favorite day of the year? The first day of fall

46. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbie’s camper

47. Summer or winter? Summer, if I am someplace with a moderate climate; winter if I am someplace like Texas!
48. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
49. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla
50. Do you want your friends to email you back? Of course!
51. When was the last time you cried? February 29

52. What is under your bed? The floor

53. What friend have you had the longest? Natalie

54. What did you do last night? Watched TV and slept, having not slept the night before
55. Favorite room in your house? My bedroom

56. What are you afraid of? Heights, stopping living, cars, flying, rats, excessive speed, my ex-husband, courts, my father, loss… I could go on

57. Plain, buttered, or salted Popcorn? Buttered