Four Things List - About Me

Here I am writing on my iPad in our living room. My husband bought it and a keyboard for me to help
make writing more comfortable. It has been a very useful tool in several ways.

Four names people call me other than my real name.

May-may - A nickname given to me by my brother who is 3 years younger than I am and couldn't say my name properly at first. He still sometimes calls me that affectionately.

Mary Ellen - My brother sometimes calls, "Good night, Mary Ellen," when we are parting at night - in reference to the Walton T.V. show which we watched sometimes as children. I usually answer, "Good night, John-boy." :-)

My husband has a nickname for me, but he seemed like he would prefer to keep it our own private treasure, so I've decided not to share it here. :-)

Occasionally someone will call me Elizabeth, which is my middle name but, since it is my mother's first name, I don't think of it in relation to myself and it feels odd. :-)

Four jobs I've had.

Of course, the earliest paying job I had was baby sitting, as was the case for many girls in my generation.

I taught piano lessons to a hand full of students when my family lived in Arizona. I also was a church pianist for quite a few years, although that was strictly volunteer.

I helped my parents with their online business off and on for a number of years.

Being a home maker has always been the main one ever since I was in my teens and started really helping my mom.

Four movies I've watched more than once.

Well, there are a number I can pick from, but here are four:
Dr. Jack (Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis)
The Wrong Trousers (Wallace and Gromit)
Lions of Etosha (actually a documentary)
Captive Faith (based on Georgi Vins' real life experiences while in prison for his faith under the USSR)

Four books I recommend.

In the Arena by Isobel Kuhn
The Jungle Doctor books by Paul White
Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
Strawberry Acres by Grace S. Richmond

Four places I have lived.

Ethiopia
Kenya
The Mojave Desert in southern California
Western Michigan

Four places I have visited.

Niagra Falls, Canada.
Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The Glasshouse Mts. in Queensland, Australia.

Four places I would rather be right now.

I'm a home body for the most part. The only other place I'd like to be right now is heaven, but I believe my family and friends would like to keep me around awhile longer! :-)
I would like to be taking a nice hot bath at the time I'm writing this. However, the accommodations of our house in that regard aren't too great. Ho hum.

Four odd things that have happened to me.

I lost my purse in Volendam, Netherlands when I was six years old.
When I was in my later twenties a reader from Canada sent email through The Home Maker's Corner and commended me for being a "wise aged woman." (I never answered it as far as I recall. I didn't know what to say. LOL)
I was with my grandparents at Disneyland when my grandma accidentally threw the ice from her pineapple drink in the ticket receptacle instead of the trash can. (Complicated story. LOL) My grandpa rushed us away before anyone noticed.
I was with my parents when they had to evacuate from Ethiopia because of the Communist coup. I don't actually remember this, but it was a pivotal point in our lives.

Four things I don't eat.

Only four? Most of my food issues are with intolerances and allergies.
Raw carrots
Sweet Peppers
MSG (monosodium glutemate) (Do you know how much food has MSG and closely related ingredients?!)
Corn in any form. (Do you realize how much food has corn in it?!)

Four of my favorite foods.

Cookies
Chocolate
Chicken
Hummus
Ethiopian food (I'll throw that in free of charge.) ;-)

Four of my favorite flowers.

Roses
Violets
Lily-of-the-valley
Dianthus

Four of my favorite colors.

Pink
Red
Purple
Aqua/turquoise

Four things I'm always saying.

Good grief.
For crying out loud!
Thank you.
I love you.
(My husband would probably add - "What did you say?" He's a very patient man being married to a writer! LOL)

Four of my favorite things to watch.

Our cats.
Sunsets.
People I love having a good time visiting together.
Tree leaves blowing in a gentle wind.

Four animal or bug experiences I have had.

I was with my family in a guest hut at Amboseli National Park when the elephants came to raid the trash cans (or try to) and also when the zebras came to graze in the yard.
In Ethiopia I was in an out house with my mom one night when a leopard coughed outside. (My mom decided we would use a can in the house at night until Daddy came home!)
I remember my parents using a coffee can to trap a spider - not the biggest size can, but still a spider of impressive proportions.
My brother and I owned pet ground squirrels for awhile when our family lived in the Mojave Desert of California.