A SCARY HALLOWEEN HODGEPODGE!

     The invasion of ghosts, goblins and every sort of costumed ghoul will soon be upon us.  It is once again that time of year. The weather has turned much cooler. SWMBO and I have begun the annual exercise of battening down the hatches, preparing for the inevitable arrival of Old Man Winter. Window screens have been put up and glass window panes have been reinstalled. We have much yet to get done. AAAAAARRRGHH!
     And now the Wednesday Hodgepodge.....

1. Besides your very own house, describe a place where you feel most 'at home'? 
     I asked SWMBO what she thought about this question. Her answer is the same as mine. We both feel most at home when we are  with our church family. They are a wonderful group of kind, accepting and loving people.

2. When did you last 'hit a home run' with something? Explain. 
     I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I noticed that there was Egg Nog in the dairy coolers. I picked up a quart and surprised my beloved SWMBO. She was well pleased!

3. Tell us about something you love in your house or kitchen that is 'homemade'. 
     Several years ago, before we moved into ur current house I took a kitchen cabinet and made it into a rolling breakfast counter/buffet table.  I fastened a counter top to it as well as four caster wheels.  We bought bar stools to go with it. We brought it with us to our current house but our kitchen is too small to accommodate it. We placed it in our family room. SWMBO uses it as a sewing aid. She cuts patterns and material on it. I use it to wrap presents around Christmas time.  

4. 'A man's home is his castle'...which of the world's ten most captivating castles (according to The Travel Channel) would you most like to visit and why-

Mont Saint-Michel (France), Edinburgh Castle (Scotland), Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany), Glamis Castle (Scotland), Windsor Castle (England), Chateau de Chambord (France), Hampton Court Palace (England), Prague Castle (Prague), St. Michael's Mount (England), Leeds Castle (England), and Swallow's Nest (Ukraine)
     I don't have a desire to visit any of the listed castles. I did visit Norwich Castle in Norwich, Norfolk, England, when I was stationed there in the mid 1970's. I am certain that the mentioned castles have a charm all their own. However, as far as I'm concerned if you've seen one castle you've seen them all.

5. What's a recent or upcoming plan or project that's required you do a little homework before getting started? Did the homework cause you to abandon your plan or adjust it in some way?
      I need to clean the pellet stove and flue pipe and I did some research on the best way to do it. I also wanted to read about potential problems and how to avoid them. I haven't cleaned the stove as yet but I'm not put off from trying to do it myself.
    
6. In your opinion, is homework an unnecessary evil or a valuable practice? Should schools be done with homework? Why or why not? 
     I believe it's a valuable practice. It helps a student apply the concepts that are taught in class. However, homework just for homework's sake is an unnecessary evil.

7. Share a favorite memory of your childhood hometown. 
     I grew up about 75 yards from the Merrimack River in Lowell, MA.  There was a huge rock located on the far side of the river that was in the approximate shape of a human skull. We called it "Skull Rock." My friends and I had many hours of imaginative fun at Skull Rock.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 
    The 2016 MLB World Series began last night between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs. Neither team has won a World Series since way before I was born and I am currently 62 years old. You do the math. 
     I am pulling for the Cubs to win but I wouldn't be heart broken if the Indians were to win. There are connections to my beloved Red Sox on both teams. So, I will follow the series this year and just enjoy the excellent play of both teams. What a great thing for professional baseball! GO CUBS!

A DREARY MORNING HODGEPODGE!

     Here we are again. Another Wednesday has come around again. That means another Wednesday Hodgepodge is somewhere around here. I had it just a moment ago. Oh, here it is...right here in front of me on my laptop's keyboard.  Thank you Joyce Daley for another fun series of questions. And now, before it escapes again, this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge!

1. What would you say is your strongest sense? 
     Upon reflection I would have to say that my strongest sense is my sense of humor. I really love a good laugh even if it's at my expense. I particularly love humorous anecdotes that have an unusual twist. 
     Notwithstanding my need for reading glasses, my vision is pretty good too.

2. Do you believe in the idea of a 'sixth sense'? Why or why not?
     I'm not sure about ESP, if that's what you mean by a sixth sense. I do believe that we all have a certain level of intuition which often is perceived as a kind of sixth sense. I believe this because I have personally experienced this.

3. When do you most feel like a slave to time? Explain.
     Always!

4. Have you ever worked in a restaurant? How would you rate the experience? If you could own a restaurant what kind would it be? 
     In my youth I worked in a restaurant called the Bradford House. I worked as a busboy and worked myself up to line cook. It was mostly an enjoyable experience. I liked the people I worked with.

5. Ever traced your family tree? Share something interesting you learned there.
     I have a friend who does geneology work as a hobby. He traced my family's lineage back to the 1600's. My forbears lived in a small town along the St. Lawrence seaway near Trois Rivieres (Three Rivers), Quebec, Canada. 
     My dad told me that his mother was part indian. I never knew my paternal grandparents because they died before I was born. So I too might be part indian.

6. What did your childhood bedroom look like?
     My older brother and I shared a bedroom. There were two single beds, two chest of drawers and linoleum flooring. There was a window that opened to a flat gravel roof over the kitchen. There was also a radiator that provided heat.

7. Anyone who knows me knows I love_______________________?
     ...my beloved SWMBO, my grandkids and Pecan Pie.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
     The colors of our fall foliage has been spectacular this year. Some talking heads opined that due to drought conditions the colors would probably be subdued. They were wrong. I love living in New Hampshire. I love that a person can do anything that a person might want to do. Everything is a short one or two hour drive. I love watching the change of the seasons.
     A couple of weeks ago I came home to find a huge owl perched atop my garden shed. It is not unusual for us to see wild turkeys, Canada geese, deer and other wild animals around as we move about. It is really great witnessing God's awesome creation every day. 
     Have a great week everyone!

A COLD & FLU SEASON HODGEPODGE!

      Well, here we are again. It is time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge. It is good that our hostess, Joyce Daley, is back with another series of questions. The foliage is at peak color here in the Granite State. The weather has turned cooler as is normal at this time of the year. 
     SWMBO and I are swapping colds like they were commodities. I hope that we can both get rid of our colds at the same time. Now on to the Hodgepodge.

1. What would you say is the best and worst thing about moving house?
       The best thing about moving house is thar you are forced to handle all of your possessions as you pack and choose whether to bring them to your new house. The worse thing about moving house is all the packing and then all the unpacking and the deciding where everything goes in the new place.

2. What's moved you recently?
     The views from the top of Mount Washington a couple of weeks ago.

3. Do you feel your life is moving forward, backward, or is on hold? How so?
     Life is moving ever onward.

4. On the move, move mountains, get a move on, it's your move, or bust a move...which phrase best applies to some aspect of your life right now? Explain.
     "Get a move on" applies right now. I have a lot of "stuff" to do before the snow flies.

5. What song makes you want to get up and move?
     Pretty much any hard driving rock song from the group Boston.

6. Your favorite snack to grab when you're 'on the move'?
     SWMBO and I usually have some yogurt covered raisins or yogurt covered pretzels handy.

7. What one accessory makes your house feel like home?
     For me it's my rocker recliner.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
     The state of public discourse in America today makes me sad. It is often profane and/or vulgar. The current election cycle does not make me optimistic about the future of the United States. God help us.