YUCKY SUMMER COLDS HODGEPODGE!

     We are getting some much needed rain here in NH. Not that I'm complaining but it would be nice if we got the rain in installments and not all at once. I'm just sayin'! Also with the cahnge in temperature SWMBO and I have been fighting head/chest colds. Today is Wednesday and of course it's time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you Joyce for your efforts.

1. Something on your October calendar that makes you smile?

     Halloween, when little children increase their cuteness by wearing all manner of costumes. This year our church is doing "Trunk or Treat." I'm not sure exactly what that is but some people are excited to participate.

2. Food for the soul or music for the soul...which camp are you in? Tell us why.

     I'm in both camps. I love to eat good food and I love to listen to good music. My soul is enhanced by both!

3. What are two or three things you've learned recently as the result of an online search?

     I learned about Sadducees, Pharisees, Priests and Essenes. I was preparing for an adult Bible class that I agreed to teach.

4. Share your favorite game day recipe. You can describe it, post the how-to, or add a link to the actual recipe. 

     I keep it simple, I order pizza or have Salsa and Tortilla Chips with a cold beverage.

5. What are your five essential steps for creating the perfect morning routine?

    There is no such thing as a perfect morning routine. I am not a morning person in any way, shape or form.

6. What small thing have you taken note of today?

     I noticed that I needed to pay our car insurance bill.

7. Sum up your September in seven words or less.

     Cancer scare...Cancer sucks...Scare resolved...Whew!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

     To elaborate on my answer to Question #7, in late August we had a routine follow up appointment with our local oncologist where we were told one of SWMBO's protein counts was significantly elevated which is one of the indicators of a flare up of her cancer. In late September we drove up to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) to meet with the director of the Transplant Department. This too was a routine follow up appointment. We were told that SWMBO was still in remission, that the doctors at DHMC look at a panel of fourteen proteins in addition to the one that was elevated. We were further told that the one that was elevated was not significant enough to cause concern. SWMBO, thankfully, is still in remission. Whew! Thank you all for your prayers and expressions of concern.

LAST SUMMER HODGEPODGE!

     Well, Summer 2015 is just about in the history books. Boy, it went by fast. Fall is upon us in NH. The leaves are changing color and the nights are getting cooler. Today's is also Wednesday which means Joyce Daley has some more questions for us, better known as the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Enjoy!

1. What have you 'fallen for' recently?

     I like watching Penn & Teller's "Fool Us" program. Magicians appear on stage and try to fool Penn & Teller with their magic tricks. If the fool Penn & Teller, they get to open up for them in their theater in Las Vegas, NV. Penn & Teller are seldom fooled. Me on the other hand, fall for the trick every time.

2. What's something you're 'squirreling away' for later?

     Treasure laid up in heaven!

3. How do you like your apples? Sweet? Tart? Crisp? Cooked? Apples are one of the superfoods for fall...how often do you eat an apple either plain or as part of a favorite recipe? What's your favorite variety?

     I love a crisp apple. My favorite is the Cortland Apple. I particularly like to eat slices of Cortland apples with slices of sharp cheddar cheese. I eat apples fairly often.

4. According to Fodor's the ten best fall foliage trips in the US of A are-Aspen Colorado, The Catskills New York, The Berkshires Massachusetts, Columbia River Gorge Oregon, Green Mountain Byway Vermont, Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway New Mexico, Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, Upper Peninsula Michigan, Lake of the Ozarks Missouri, and Glacier National Park Montana. Which would you most like to visit this fall and why?

     I think Fodor doesn't know what they're talking about. How can you possibly have a top ten list of foliage trips and not include the White Mountains of New Hampshire? 

5. The topic of legalizing marijuana was raised in the most recent televised political debate so let's wade in too. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. Four states have legalize marijuana for recreational use. Your thoughts?

     I support laws that make legal "Medical Marijuana." I am opposed to legalizing the drug for recreational use. I base my opposition on thirty years of law enforcement experience. Marijuana is not as innocuous as alcohol no matter what the so called experts may tell you. It is definitely a gateway drug to stronger drugs like heroin, meth amphetamine, etc. 
  

6. Are you okay to watch a movie already in progress or do you need to always see it from the beginning? How about jumping into a TV series somewhere in the middle? Is that okay? 

     I'm okay to watch a movie already in progress and jump into a TV series somewhere in the middle.

7. Thursday (September 24) is National Punctuation Day. What rule of punctuation trips you up most often? What rule of punctuation, when broken by someone else, bugs you the most?

    There are rules? When did punctuation get it's own holiday? The world really has gone nuts!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

     My beloved Red Sox are playing better ball for all the good it's doing them. They will still end up near the bottom of the standings. My beloved New England Patriots have won two games in a row. I hope the Patriots go undefeated all season through the Super Bowl and make Roger Goodell choke on the Lombardi Trophy as he presents it to Robert Kraft. Other than that I have no strong opinions on the matter.  

POST LABOR DAY HODGEPODGE!

     As I write this it is 0013 hrs, 09/09/2015. I am watching episodes of the West Wing on Netflix. My beloved SWMBO and the fur babied are safely ensconced in the land of Nod. Today is officially Hodgepodge Wednesday so...onto the Hodgepodge! 

1. Last thing you did on the spur of the moment?

     SWMBO and I packed up the fur babies and went to a nearby lake. Enroute we stopped at a burger stand to pick up some food to eat while we enjoyed the beauty of the lake. We walked around a little bit. We shared our food with the fur babies, of course. It was a nice little outing.

2. How well informed do you feel about the current Syrian refugee crisis?

   I watch the news coverage and read newspaper accounts so I am probably as well informed as the next guy. It is a tragedy that was predictable.

3. What have you changed your mind about? 

     I really don't know. Being always right as I am I can't imagine changing my mind about anything. I mean, if I'm always right why would I change and be wrong? If anyone believes the preceding two sentences they need to cut back on their naivite meds.

4. A medium sized non-poisonous snake found it's way into the pool trap this weekend. If you'd been sitting poolside would you have fished it out? Gone running? Called for help? Pretended not to know? Continued swimming?

     I'd fish it out because SWMBO would not stop screaming until I did.

5. September 10th is National TV Dinner Day...what's your idea of a great TV dinner? (Or at least a pretty good one!) 

     Sirloin steak with gravy, mashed potatoes and corn. Yumm!

6. Samuel Johnson is quoted as saying, "Courage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other." Would you agree? Where have you seen that played out recently? What's the second greatest virtue?

     I agree with Mr. Johnson. The lady clerk in Kentucky who went to jail rather than violate her principles is a good example of "Courage" in action. I believe the second greatest virtue is integrity. Integrity is the second greatest because it often involves the first virtue, courage.

7. What are three words you have trouble remembering how to spell?

     Cut and paste the answer to question #3 here. Just kidding...here are three of the many words I often misspell:  "kaleidoscope," "paraphernalia," and "acquaintance."

8. Insert your own random thought here.

     I am sure that it comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I am NOT a fan of our former Secretary of State who is currently running for the Democratic Presidential Nomination. If this woman ever gets elected as President we are doomed as a Nation. This woman possesses neither courage nor integrity. All her public life has been characterised by shady deals, lies and malfeasance. This woman is a millionaire today because of such shennanigans. Thus ended this rant!
     

GOODBY SUMMER, HELLO FALL HODGEPODGE!

     So here it is September already. Summer has gone by way too quickly! Today is another Wednesday Hodgepodge day. Thank you Joyce for another set of questions. Enjoy this weeks edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge!

1. What's on your September calendar? Anything fun? 

     SWMBO and I are planning a get away towards the end of the month. We don't know the particulars as yet. It will involve going away for a day or two.

2. You might be described as a natural born _____________________?

     Nice Guy! I try to be pleasant with everybody, even those I don't particularly like. I seldom return a slight in kind. I tend to be slow to anger and quick to forgive. I think I read that in a book somewhere.

3. September is National Courtesy Month...what one act of courtesy would you most like to see more of in your home, town, or the world at large? 

      I would absolutely love it if people would stop shooting policemen! I would also like to see the "Black Lives Matter" go away!

4. Eager beaver, chicken out, clam up, or let the cat out of the bag...of the phrases listed, which one have you related to most recently? 

     "Clam Up!" I often keep silent to avoid a confrontation, especially if it's over something I consider to be silly.

5. What's your movie theatre snack protocol? Do you chow down on snacks during the previews or wait until the movie begins? Do you buy snacks or refuse to pay those kind of prices? What's the last movie you saw in a theatre? How many thumbs up would you give it?

     When SWMBO and I take in a movie we have to get popcorn and a beverage. Sometimes I splurge and get some peanut M&M's. I think the last movie I saw in a theater was "American Sniper." I'd give it five thumbs up on a scale of one to five.

6. Henry Ford is quoted as saying, "Nobody can think straight who does not work. Idleness warps the mind." Agree or disagree? Why?

     I disagree! Often quiet times of contemplation results in new ideas and ways to improve on things.

7. What's the last job you completed or task you performed where you had to 'work like a dog' until it was finished?

     Completing this year's A to Z Blogging Challenge was such an endeavor!

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

     We have a Double "A" professional baseball team in a nearby city. They're an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. SWMBO and I attended a game this evening, courtesy of a friend who had tickets that they couldn't use. We had a wonderful time together and the home team won by a score of 5 - 2 making our evening even better! A night out together without the fur babies was just what we needed!