DOG DAYS OF SUMMER HODGEPODGE

     This week we are in the so called dog days of summer. We are predicted to have temperatures in the high 80's to low 90's. SWMBO is going to love it, the rest of us are goig to be miserably hot. However, it is never too hot to participate in the weekly Hodgepodge. So, here goes...

1. What's your worst food memory?  How about one of your best?
     My worse food memory is my mother in law's "Indian Pudding" massacre that put me in the hospital for food poisoning. It still hurts to think about it. 
     One of my best food memories happened on a deer hunting trip years ago. My best friend and hunting buddy, and I, went to a restaurant for supper after a long day of hunting. I had prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. The prime rib was the best I have ever had. That prime rib is the one by which I judge all others. By the way, I had pecan pie for dessert. That was the perfect meal!

2. Do you appreciate people telling it like it is, or would you rather a speaker temper his/her words and maybe beat around the bush a little?  How about when you're the one communicating...which type are you? 
     I prefer people telling it like it is, preferably seasoned with a little tact. I'll take it straight but a little tact goes a long way. I think that I'm pretty direct and straight forward. You'd have to ask people that know me to be sure. I try to be frank while at the same time being kind and respectful. Jesus is a perfect example of what I mean. I try to imitate Him.

3. What's your favorite place to hang out?
     Home! SWMBO works very hard to make our home the kind of place you love coming back to. As lacking in imagination and as unexciting as it may sound...it's the truth. I also love going to a restaurant with SWMBO and sharing a meal and a conversation.

4. When do you most feel like you're a slave to time?
     I most feel like a slave to time when I am sound asleep and SWMBO gently shakes my foot a 6:30 a.m. to wake me up to drive her to work. Other than that, I don't feel beholding to the clock!

5. What was the last concert you attended?  Who'd you go with? Was it any good?
     SWMBO and I went to see Kenny Rogers and Tanya Tucker in downtown Manchester, NH. She was a dedicated Kenny Rogers fan and I surprised her with tickets to go see him. It was a really good performance. We both had a great time.

6. Reality TV...harmful or harmless?  What's your guilty pleasure when it comes to reality TV?
     Some are harmless, some are harmful. I think "Toddlers & Tiara's," "Real Housewives of __________," and similar shows are harmful. Conversely, I think "Duck Dynasty," and similar wholesome reality shows are harmless.

7. What's something you think is overrated?
     I think that Professional Sports are overrated. It costs a small fortune for a family to be able to attend a professional sporting event and it really is not worth the huge expense. Also, some professional athletes are overrated, A-Rod, Albert Pujols, and LeBron James come to mind.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

      I  read a news story today about three teenage boys in Oklahoma who shot a visiting Australian baseball player in the back, killing him.  The boys said that the reason why they murdered this Australian young man is because they were bored and they wanted to kill someone to break up the tedium. 
     It turns out that these same three boys are part of a larger group of teenage boys. Different boys from this larger group committed a series of armed robberies. It seems that they wanted to embrace the "Gangsta" lifestyle.
     We live in a fallen world. Young men who are too young to shave apparently are not too young to take a life or to terrorize a community by acting like predators.
     When I was a child I was taught that you cannot put a value on human life. Since then millions of innocent lives have been snuffed out in the womb. I was also taught that I must respect my elders, particularly senior citizens. Now, there are states where assisted suicide is  legal and in some cases encouraged.
     I believe that we ought to cherish human life at all stages of that life. Failing to do so diminishes us as a society and as a culture. All human life is a sacred gift and must be treated as such. We will be held to account if we do not! That is why I am pro-life...PERIOD!!!