HEAT WAVE HODGEPODGE!

     We have been having a Heat Wave in the Granite State. SWMBO loves it...I have the opposite view. The new fur baby is settling in nicely. August is a little jealous at all the attention the new dog gets that he used to get. 
     As always, thanks to our Hodgepodge Mistress Joyce for another set of questions. If you don't Hodgepodge you're missing out on a lot of fun.

1. Way back when (the Hodgepodge bicentennial to be precise) several of you submitted questions as part of a giveaway I was hosting. I went back to that list for inspiration today and found a question  submitted by Marla, who blogs over at Marla's Musings. Thanks Marla! 

She asks-At what age did you feel like a 'grown-up'? What keeps you young now?   

     The day I became a man was the day that I finally beat my Dad at a game of Chess. I think I was about 24 years old. He was a master at giving me a false sense of security by complementing my chess moves as we played. Inevitably his complements led to me being Checkmated.
     My beloved SWMBO keeps me young. I love watching her interact with our granddaughters. I love the fact that we are more in love now than when we were newlyweds. That keeps me young now!

2. When did you last buy a vehicle? Was this by design or because you had no other option? Was the car/truck purchased for your own personal use or was it bought for someone else to drive? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being delightful and 1 being 'pass the Excedrin') how would you rate the experience?

      It's been years since we bought a new (used) car. It was out of necessity and it was purchased for our personal use. On a scale of 1 - 10 the experience was about a "4."

3. Corn bread, corn chips, corn pudding, corn on the cob, cornflakes, corn chowder-your favorite of the corn-y foods listed? What needs to be served alongside your selection?

     My favorite is corn on the cob. I like a nice juicy cheeseburger or a barbecued steak served along side my corn.

4. What's something in your life that regularly requires you to 'put your thinking cap on'?

     Completing the weekly Hodgepodge questions.  Preparing a Bible sermon or a Bible class also requires a lot of thought.

5. Share a favorite movie set in a school or classroom, or whose theme relates to school days in some way.

     "Mr Holland's Opus" is one of my favorites. 

6. Reading, writing, and 'rithmatic' are commonly referred to as the three R's. What are the three R's in your life right now?

     Reading, 'riting & rheumatism! If I awoke and did not hurt anywhere I'd think I was dead.

7. What's something you've learned or tried recently you can say was as 'easy as ABC'?

     I recently added an external hard drive to back up our computer files. That was fairly simple.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

     I don't believe in UFO's and by UFO's I mean extraterrestrial life. If you consider that most reported extraterrestrial contact have not been with the best and brightest that our species has to offer. If there is extraterrestrial intelligence and they are able to travel across galaxies doesn't it make sense that they would have contacted someone who had a better than average chance to understand their attempts at communication?
     I must state, by way of full disclosure, that neither NASA nor MENSA has my telephone ringing off the hook seeking my input on anything. If there is extraterrestrial life, I would not be among the best and brightest referenced above.
     I also do not believe in ghosts and by ghosts I mean disembodied spirits. There is a vast amount of phenomena that occur for which explanations are lacking. These phenomena are often attributed to ghosts. I believe that there is another explanation even if I am unable to come up with it. 
    Do you have any thoughts of your own?