END OF SPRING WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

     I am writing this blog post on auto pilot. I was able to attend the Red Sox/Rockies game last night at Fenway Park. I got home in the wee hours this morning. The Red Sox won, thank you for asking! I was up and going again at 7:00 a.m. and I feel a nap coming on quickly. In fact it is here and slapping me in the back of the head. So I may nod off in mid.....Okay, I'm back! Now onto the Hodgepodge!

1. How should success be measured? Using that as your standard, who is the most successful person you know? (Or one of the most successful?)
     This is really a great question! The measure of success, like so many other things, depends upon context. Some might use wealth as a measure of success. Others might use power. Others still might use achievement in a particular field of endeavor. Some use a combination of the aforementioned metrics to define success. I don't believe that there is only one way to define success. The Beatles achieved great success. President Reagan achieved success. I can't say who the most successful person is.

2. Have you ever been to a hot air balloon launch/fest/party? Ever taken a ride in a hot air balloon? Is that on your bucket list? According to Frommers the ten best hot air balloon adventures in the world are-
Loire Valley (France), the Serengeti (Tanzania), Napa Valley (California), Lake Champlain (Vermont), Cappadocia (Turkey), Istria (Croatia), Gstaad (Switzerland), Yarra Valley (Australia), Muelle (Costa Rica), and Albuquerque (New Mexico).

Which one on the list would you most like to experience?
     I was stationed in Albuquerque, NM, in the mid 1970's. I was able to witness firsthand their annual balloon festival. From time to time a balloon would inadvertently land in a "Restricted Area" which inevitably led to some interesting interaction between heavily armed security response teams and the balloon crew. I would love to go back to Albuquerque some day.
     I have never taken a ride in a balloon.

3. May 25th is National Brown-Bag It Day. Did you/will you pack a lunch today? When did you last pack a lunch for someone and what are your go-to ingredients for a brown bag lunch?
     I will not be brown bagging it today. I can't remember the last time I packed a lunch. My go to ingredients are Bologna & cheese sandwich, potato chips and a piece of fruit.

4. What's one of your favorite dance scenes from a movie or television show?
     I'm sorry, I don't dance don't ask me!

5. John F. Kennedy made famous the line, '...Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." So what can you do for your country?
     I've pretty much have done it already. I served in the U.S. Air Force for almost eight years. I served my community as a police officer for thirty years. I have voted in every election in which I was eligible to vote. Now I just vote!

6. Weekends are made for __________________________________.
     Michelob! At least that's what a beer commercial used to say. Weekends are made for relaxation and recreation!

7. On this last Wednesday of the month, bid farewell to the month of May in seven words or less.
    Goodbye Sweet May, as you go away!

8. Insert your own random thought here.
     Our church is currently in the second year of a two year Bible reading program. I have taken to posting the day's Bible reading on the church Facebook page with a pithy spiritual thought. Yesterday I posted the following..."Is the existence of God a matter of fact or of opinion? Does God cease to exist if a majority of people say that He does not exist? Does God cease to exist if you decide, for whatever reason, that He does not exist? The answer is a resounding "No!" 
God exists...Period! There is so much evidence for the existence of God that it seems to me that it takes more faith to believe that He doesn't exist than to believe that He does. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)" I think that this quote from Scripture is pretty clear. Think about it!

IDES OF MAY HODGEPODGE!

      Welcome back Wednesday Hodgepodgers. Thank you Joyce for another weekly essay test. Not that you asked but my beloved Red Sox are playing some pretty decent baseball. It's been quite the turn around fom last season. However, experience as a long time Red Sox fan tells me that it could unravel at any moment and for no particular or forseeable reason. Now onto the Hodgepodge.

1. Tell us about a time you found yourself 'in the middle of nowhere'. Was this deliberate?

     I was hunting one year. When the day started it was cold and overcast. I knew where I was in the woods. I could see the landmarks. I could clearly see the trails. It began snowing heavily. Everything got quickly covered in snow changing the landscape. I had no idea where I was or how to get back to my car. I couldn't see the landmarks. I couldn't see the trails. I was in the middle of a snow globe that was being shaken violently.  This was the first time I had to rely on my compass to safely get out of the woods. If it wasn't for my compass they'd still be trying to find me today.

2. What's something you're 'in the middle of' today or this week? 

    Today I was in the middle of my granddaughter. SWMBO had to take August to the vet for a follow up appointment. August was having ear problems but is doing much better now. Thank you for asking. Anyways I was home with Divine watching the girls. We watched My Little Pony together until SWMBO and August came home.

3. At what age do you think 'middle age' begins? What does it mean to be 'middle aged'? 

     In my humble opinion middle age begins at 40. It lasts until 55-ish. Middle age is where a man considers his legacy. He also contemplates his mortality. He often panics and goes a little crazy and does some ill advised stuff. 

4. Ravioli, stuffed peppers, samosas, deviled eggs, steamed dumplings, pierogis, or a jelly donut...your favorite food (from this list!) with something yummy in the middle. Your favorite not on the list? 

     The only ones I'm not partial to are samosas, steamed dumplings and pierogis.  

5. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying ''In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.' Would you agree? Have you found this to be true in your own life? Feel free to elaborate. 

     I say sometimes yes and sometimes no. It depends entirely upon the circumstances and the nature of the difficulty. There is little opportunity when you are battling a life threatening or chronic disease. In other circumstances there may be opportunities that present themselves to you. Einstein was a pretty smart fella, maybe he is right. I am certainly no Einstein!

6. What's a song you remember loving from your middle school years? Do you love it still? 

    One song that I loved was the Rolling Stones' Jumping Jack Flash! I used to blast it out of the front windows of my house as I played in the street.

7. May 18th is National Visit Your Relatives Day. Will you celebrate? Which relative would you visit if time, distance, and expense were not considered. 

     I won't be celebrating Relatives Day. If I did, however, I'd take a trip to San Diego, CA, to visit my Son, Daughter in Law and Grandsons.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

     The Bible is true and we reject it at our peril. That is all!

A MAY DAY WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE!

    On May 1st the Soviet military prades through the streets of Moscow showing off their vast array of armaments to bolster the confidence of the Russian people that their military is well prepared to protect them from any invaders as it protected them from the Nazi invasion of World War II. 
    Every Wednesday Joyce Daley parades a series of eight questions to bolster the writing skills the Wednesday Hodgepodgers. Here is this week's edition!

1. What's something fun you're looking forward to on your May calendar? 

     Taking my beloved SWMBO out to eat at one of her favorite restaurants for Mother's Day.

2. What are some images that come to mind when you hear the word mother? 

     It depends on the context. It can mean the woman who brought you into the world or it could be half of a perjorative and vulgar term depending on who is saying it, how they're saying it and in what context. 
     That said, I'm sure Joyce meant the former. I was blessed with two mothers. The lady who birthed me passed away when I was in the 5th grade. My Stepmother came into my life years later and never tried to take my birth mother's place but made significant contributions to the man I have become.  I was doubly blessed.

3. What's something beautiful you own or have seen that's made of glass? 

     I literally have nothing of the sort. SWMBO has a few things.

4. Was today typical? If not what made it unusual? 

     Today is fairly typical. I drive SWMBO and the "Littles" (Our two little dogs) to work and daycare respectively. I return home and do some writing on my Facebook page. I do chores around the house. I pick up SWMBO and the Littles from work/daycare and drive them home. Meals are prepared, dogs get fed. We settle in for the evening. Like I said, fairly typical.

5. What is a quality you wish you could have more of?

     I wish I had Vision, the ability to see how certain decisions would play out in the near and far future.

6. What's the next major purchase you need to make? Will it happen in the month of May? 

     I think that we might have to purchase a new vehicle, but probably not in the month of May.

7. What responsibility/job/work did you dislike while growing up but has proved helpful to you as an adult?

     I am certain that there were a few but nothing comes to mind.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

     One of my hobbies is that I play guitar. Now when I say I play guitar I mean that I know a number of chords and strum as I sing words to the song, sometimes the song I'm actually playing! Normally I would play until the tips of my fingers became calloused. Then I would put the instrument away for months or years. Then I'd get the urge to start playing again and so I'd begin playing again. I began playing again about six weeks ago.
     I have three acoustic guitars. My oldest and dearest is a Hohner acoustic I bought sometime between 1977-1980 in Louisiana. I call this one my Louisiana Guitar. It still has a sweet resonant sount. My next oldest is a Mitchell MD-100S which I bought in 2011 after I retired from my law enforcement career. The Police Association gave me a few bucks as a gift so I bought a guitar. I call it my retirement guitar. My third guitar I received as a birthday gift last month. It's an Epiphone electric-acoustic guitar. I call it my birthday guitar.
     I have taken to playing one of them for a week or so and then swap to another. I've been doing this for about three weeks now. I'm currently playing the retirement guitar. Some of the songs I play are like old friends stopping by for a visit after a long absence. Other songs are just fun to play because of the chord progressions. I am thankful for the gift of music and for my guitars. SWMBO says that she likes hearing me play. I think that she's just being kind because the dogs seem to have the opposite opinion. My musical philosopy is..."Never Let Music Get In the Way of Your Playing!"