10 on the 10th: May 2023-Canned Questions

It is time for Marsha’s 10 on the 10th series where she presents us with 10 questions about a common theme and asks us to share our answers in blog post form or in the comments. This series is a wonderful way to share more information about ourselves and to learn interesting new things about others. Anyone is invited to join and answer the questions. It is a great way to start new conversations and make meaningful connections with new people.

For May, Marsha has asked us 10 canned questions. Nope, not questions in a can. Not prefabricated generic questions either. Questions that inquire about our ability to do certain things…and in some of these cases some oddly silly things, too.

1. Can you whistle?

Only very, very softly. Unless I have a blade of grass. Then I can whistle really loudly through my thumbs!

2. Can you touch your toes flat to the ground?

Marsha, I really have no idea what you mean by this question. It seems rather odd…don’t all human toes touch flat to the ground when we stand? I am confused so here is a picture of my toes in my sandals which are (mostly) flat on the ground.

3. Can you remember all of your teachers from kindergarten to graduation?

Heck, no! I might be able to remember a few names but probably wouldn’t accurately remember which grade. Let me try…Mrs. Gardiner (1st grade), Mrs. Lerch (3rd grade), Mr. Benner (5th grade math), Miss Strong (5th-8th grade gym), Mr. Llewellyn (9th-12th grade gym), Mr. Kleist (10th grade creative writing)…I think those might be all my memory holds. That’s not a lot. But then again, I have smoked a lot of pot in the 30 years since I graduated from high school so it is no surprise I can’t remember much.

I may not remember all of my teachers, but I will always remember my favorite teacher, Reik Foust. Actually, he was my swim coach, which is still a teacher in my opinion, and he was a teacher by profession until he recently retired. But he still coaches swimming and now he is one of my oldest and dearest friends! I was 8 years old when Reik took his first coaching job after college. He coached me all the way through high school, supported me all the way through college, and mentored me in all sorts of life things beyond that. This year will mark our 41st year of knowing each other. And that’s worth mentioning!

4. Can you ride a motorcycle?

Oh my goodness. Can I ride a motorcycle? That depends on who you ask. The instructor of the motorcycle safety course that I dropped out of 15 years ago would argue that everyone can ride a motorcycle with proper instruction…just like riding a bike, he said. Well, I never hit the ground so hard falling off my bicycle as I did falling off that motorcycle. And I was only going about 5 mph in a parking lot. It is not the same as riding a bike and not everyone can do it even with proper instruction! I am way too flighty for all the things you need to remember for riding a motorcycle. I can, however, ride on a motorcycle. I can sit on one, too.

5. Can you groom a dog?

I have never tried to groom a dog so I am not sure if I can. I guess it would depend on the dog’s personality and how well we got along!

We did have a dogs when I was a child. Our first pup, Patches, came to us when I was 6 and she died when I was 16. I don’t recall my parents grooming her but I guess they did. We got a new dog, Snowflake, shortly after that but then I left for college and never owned a dog again so I never had the need to know how to groom a dog!

6. Can you remember the first vacation you ever went on?

I don’t know if this was my actual first vacation but it’s the first vacation I remember. When I was 5 years old, probably just before we got Patches, we went on a family trip with friends to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. My memories are very vague because it was 43 years ago, but I do remember driving around one of the parks in a golf cart. I was sitting on the back facing backwards and I fell off at a stop sign. I wasn’t hurt because those carts didn’t drive very fast, but my family kept going because they didn’t know I had fallen off. I was running as fast as my little legs would carry me trying to catch them. I guess those carts moved faster than I thought because I couldn’t catch them. And I was scared. Just as they were almost out of my eyesight, they realized I had fallen off and came back for me. And then I was treated to a very special set of Mickey Mouse jewelry which I wore all the time. I was obsessed with Mickey Mouse because my childhood nickname was Micki.

7. Can you create things from scratch (knit, paint, weld, etc.)?

I can create things. I love to create things. My creative skills are at the novice level but I still love creating. Here are some things I have created from fashion to food.

I don’t know if dying counts as creating, but my mother-in-law gave me her old white lace curtains and I dyed them to match my gypsy living room and I freaking love the result!

And one last thing that I created last week. It wasn’t made from scratch though. It was more of an upcycling project. I will be sharing the details on Monday with The Thrifty Six but here’s a sneak peek.

8. Can you wire an outlet?

Hahaha. No. After my failed attempt at riding a motorcycle, I have decided there are certain things that I should not do regardless of whether I can. Playing with electricity is one of those things. I guess we will never really know if I can wire an outlet because I am not ever going to try.

9. Can you remember your first job?

I can remember that. My dad got me a job working at Heights Market, a local convenience store near our house, when I was 14 years old. I absolutely freaking hated it. I only worked there a few times before I quit.

10. Can you upholster a chair?

I reupholstered my desk chair about a 13 years ago. This was super easy and probably not at all what Marsha meant by reupholstering a chair. I think it probably could use a new cover again. I’ll add that to my list of things to do!

If you enjoyed reading my answers, be sure to check out Marsha’s post and her link party for more fun responses. And feel free to share your own answers in the comments. I would love to read them!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.

Cover Image Source