THE FULL MOON AT THE ASYLUM!

     Good morning to all my Wednesday Hodgepodge Peeps. The past two weeks have been disastrous for so many people with Harvey, Irma and Maria passing through and wreaking havoc throughout the south Atlantic islands and southern United States.  We will be rebuilding for many months. Puerto Rico is completely offline. God help us!
     Today is Wednesday which means it's Hump Day and time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage, make yourself comfortable and enjoy a few minutes of Hodgepodger introspection.

1. What pets did you have while growing up? Tell us a little something about them.
     I had a goldfish that didn't last two months. I had a little green turtle that suffered the same fate as the goldfish.  SWMBO  brought a cat into our marriage and we had other cats during the early part of out marriage. The most cats we had at one time were sixteen. That's right, sixteen, but that's a story for another time!

2. What is one thing you absolutely must accomplish today?
     I have to drop the Littles off at daycare in the morning and remember to pick them up from daycare in the afternoon.

3. Where were you ten years ago? What were you doing there?
     I was still living where I live tody. I was in the waning years of my law enforcement career. It is hard to believe that I retired six years ago.

4. September 26th is National Dumpling Day. Did you celebrate? Apple dumpling, xiao long bao (steamed Chinese dumpling), chicken and dumplings, pirogi, matzoh balls, or gnocchi...which dumpling on this list would be your dumpling of choice? Have you ever made homemade dumplings of any kind?
     I must confess that I missed that one. I do not have a dumpling of choice nor have I ever made a dumpling.

5. 'There are two kinds of adventurers: those who go truly hoping to find an adventure and those who go secretly hoping they don't.' William Trogdon

So which kind are you?
     I'm the kind of adventurer that prepares for every forseeable event and then strike out taking on whatever comes their way.  I am a "Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you" kind of adventurer.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
     For those of you who have been following SWMBO and me on our journey that is cancer there has been a recent bump in the road. 
     SWMBO has been dealing with frequent bouts of nausea and vomiting and other intestinal problems for the past few weeks. The doctors could could not figure out what was causing the problem. It all came to a head last Sunday.
     SWMBO was feeling fine until about mid afternoon. She began feeling nauseous and then began vomiting again. In addition, she developed vision problems. She had trouble moving her fingers and was feeling tingly in both hands and legs. We thought she was having a stroke or at minimum a TIA. So off to the emergency room we go. Enroute to the hospital the symptoms intensified. 
     At the hospital they ran a bunch of tests. Her electrolytes were found to be way out of balance, but there was something more going on.  She was admitted to the hospital and has been there since, while they try to figure it out.
     Good news is that her neurological symptons subsided by Sunday evening but the doctors still don't know what caused them, which means that they do not know how to treat my beloved and her symptoms can recur at any time.
     We would appreciate your continued prayers and I will keep you posted. Have a great week.

TRIGGER WARNING: B.W.A. HODGEPODGE!

     Have you been watching what is happening across our beloved Nation? One of our liberties, our freedom of speech, is under attack.  There are those who hold the notion that perceived offensive speech is equal to violence and that it is appropriate to meet such offensive speech with physical violence.  What has happened to the principle..."I may disagree with what you say but I will defend your right to the death to say it."  
     We have no such problems here at the Wednesday Hodgepodge.  It seems to me that opinions are expressed without reservation and are respected by all. Without further delay, here is this weeks hodgepodge.

1. What's something you'd rate a 10/10? Tell us why.
     One of the few things that I enjoy in the winter is on a clear night, looking up at the stars. I never fail to be in awe of the awesome sight of the billions of stars strewn across the black sky. That is something that I rate at a 10/10 in my humble opinion.

2. What job would you be terrible at? What makes you think so?
     I would be terrible at being a groundskeeper. I absolutely hate yard work and have to really motivate myself to get it done here at our (in our own mind) palatial estate.  I also don't have much talent for groundskeeping.
  
3. When did you last take a fall? What's something you're falling for (in a good way) these days?
     Last winter I was walking down our driveway to our mailbox and hit a snow covered icy patch and unceremoniously fell to the ground.  Not only my pride was hurt.  That was the last time that I took a fall.
       I do not have an answer to the second part of this question. We are in the "pumpkin everything" part of the year up here in the Granite State. I like pumpkin pie and perhaps a pumpkin spice coffee once in a while but not to the extent that it proliferates at this time of the year. Although, come to think of it, it is apple picking season. I love a nice juicy Cortland apple with a piece of sharp cheddar cheese. It is one of my favorite snacks at this time of the year.

4. According to the Travel Channel here are some of America's best fall festivals-

National Apple Harvest Festival (near Arendtsville PA, close to Gettysburg), Harvest on the Harbor (Portland Maine), German Village Festival (Columbus Ohio), Wellfleet Oyster Fest (Cape Cod), and Wine and Chile Fiesta (Santa Fe NM)

Have you ever been to any of the festivals listed? Which one appeals to you most? Does your hometown have any sort of fall celebration, and if so will you make it a point to attend?
     I have not ever been to any of the harvest festivals listed above. I'm not really a harvest festival kind of person. I am not opposed to going but they hold little appeal to me.

5. What is your goodbye message to summer?
     Well Summer, until next year. Thank you for enough water to keep our wells full. Thank you for moderate warmth for the most part. SWMBO thanks you for the days of the hot and muggies. I thank you that they were not excessive this year. All in all you have been good to us this year. If you happen to run in to Old Man Winter, please ask him to be kind to us this year and to go easy on the snow fall and to keep the freezing rain to himself. Take care Summer, I look forward to your return.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
     TRIGGER WARNING: B.W.A...Blogger With Attitude! The Bill of Rights gives us the unfettered right to say whatever we want to say.  It especially protects that speech which is deemed to be vile, obscene or offensive.  There is a significant body of  U.S. Supreme Court decisions affirming our right to free expression, particularly unpopular speech.
     On many college campi if you want to express an opinion in public you must do so in a designated "free speech" zone and only in a free speech zone. If a speaker is invited to speak at some colleges at the invitation of a college group and that person happens to hold "offensive" views, demonstrations breaks out and to avoid an unpleasant incident such as violence or outright riots, the speaker gets disinvited.
     These are just two examples of what is transpiring at colleges across the country. Both of these things are an affront to and a violation of our constitutional rights. These things must not be allowed to stand.
     To make matters worse, if a person is going to speak and their views may cause some angst to their hearers, trigger warnings are given and a safe space is provided where students can go to avoid the trauma of hearing challenging views.  This is outrageous!
     Therefore, I for one will continue to be a B.W.A. and I will continue to be as offensive as I want to be. God help us!

ENOUGH WITH THE HURRICANES ALREADY!

     Good morning to all. I hope your Wednesday is going well. Hurricane Irma is finally dying and becoming less of a threat to life and property. She has done incredible amounts of damage and so far ten people have lost their lives. Now the recovery begins in earnest. An army of electrical workers has descended upon the state of Florida to rebuild and restore their electricity infrastructure. May God bless the people of Florida as they begin to recover and rebuild.
     Not even the fury of a hurricane can stop the Wednesday Hodgepodge. So say a prayer for Florida and don't forget Texas and those impacted by hurricane Harvey. Grab a cup of coffee, tea or other relaxing beverage. Take a comfortable seat and enjoy the Hodgepodge.

1. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.
     I think that this cliche is mostly hyperbole. Pictures are valuable to spark a memory, to freeze time for a moment or to record an event. Like a lot of things pictures can be manipulated via photoshop and other editing software thereby presenting a false narrative. A case on point is the movie "Jurassic Park" where dinosaurs walked the earth and interacted with human actors. 
     However, a single photograph can spark a stream of memories that would easily take a thousand words to adequately describe. 

2. Have you ever driven any part of the Pacific Coast Highway? If so what was your favorite stop? If not, is this sort of trip on your bucket list?
     I cannot say that I have. I did drive along the coast from San Diego to an area located just north of La Jolla. I would like to drive the entire PCH someday. What little I did see was beautiful.

3. How do the changing seasons affect you? As the seasons change do you find yourself looking more forward or backward? Which season-season transition bothers you most? Why do you suppose that is?
     As Summer becomes Fall the cooler temperatures serve as a warning that much colder temperatures and, dare I say it, snow are not too far off. It's time to begin to batten down the hatches and to winterize the house and the cars.
     The season transition that bothers me the most is Fall into Winter. I think it's because Winter is so challenging to navigate, especially as I get older. Winter seems to be the longest season of the year and the cold aggravates the arthritic joints in my knees and hands and makes it painful to move. 

4. It's your birthday and you get to pick the dinner menu. What are we having? Do you ever lie about your age?
     My birthday menu would be a nice Prime Rib cooked medium well done, with gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed mixed vegetables and bread rolls with butter. For dessert we would have Pecan Pie with whipped crime followed by "two fingers" of a nice Scotch Whiskey as we engage in conversation as we digest our meal. 
     I do sometimes misrepresent my age. "Lie" is such an ugly word, accurate... but ugly.

5. What's a life lesson you've learned recently?
     No matter how badly you hurt, you must still move. Pain is Mother Nature's way of telling you that you are still alive. Somedays I am really alive. It also makes you better appreciate God's promise that in Heaven there will be no pain. In my youth when I was essentially pain free, this promise rang hollow, a kind of "that's nice" attitude. Today, by the grace of God, I am a wiser man.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

     In previous blog postings I extolled the character of the people of Texas for their response to the devastation left by hurricane Harvey. I suspected at the time that Texans were not unique in this regard. The people in Florida have begun to prove that I was right,  in the wake of hurricane Irma.

     Despite our problems as a nation, Americans continue to prove themselves to be a noble and compassionate people.  I am confident that the people of Florida will recover from this disaster because it is in their DNA to pick themselves up and press on. It will not easy or quick but it will get done.

     Please continue to pray for the people who have been affected by the two hurricanes. If you are able, please make a financial contributions from time to time to a relief/recovery agency throughout what is sure to be a lengthy recovery. It's the American way. 

     Thank you in advance! God bless you and God bless America. Also, ENOUGH WITH THE HURRICANES ALREADY! 

BACK TO SCHOOL HODGEPODGE!

     Have you seen where the Summer went? It was here just a minute ago! Here we are the day after Labor Day already. 
     In a lot of places the new school year has commenced. Parents are rejoicing everywhere! I hope that everyone has a productive and wonderful school year. I pray for our teachers and the Herculean task that they have trying to fill the young heads full of mush with valuable information under less than ideal circumstances.
    It is of course Wednesday and therefore it is time for another set of probing questions that is the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you Joyce for another fine set of questions. Enjoy!

1. When you think about your future what do you fear most? Hope for the most?
      When I think about the future I fear the continued deterioration of common sense AND common decency. What I hope for the future is that the character and selflessness on display in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana in the wake of hurricane Harvey would become so common place that it is no longer noteworthy when it happens.
    
2. September is National Chicken Month. How often is chicken on the menu at your house? What's a favorite dish made with chicken? What's something you're a 'chicken' about doing or trying?
     We really like chicken at our house. We have chicken, on average, once or twice a week. A favorite chicken dish is Chicken Pot Pie. 
     Something that I am "chicken" about doing or trying is skydiving. I have never seen the positive side of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. In my humble opinion only two things fall out of the sky...bird crap and fools, and Mama didn't raise no fool.

3. What are three things you don't own but wish you did?
     I really do not want for anything. SWMBO and I are fairly content with our lives with one or two exceptions.  So, in no particular order of importance I would like to own (1) a portable ice maker. Our freezer is often too packed with food to use ice cube trays. It would be nice to be able to make our own ice as we need it.  (2) A large weather tight storage shed. We would like a safe and secure place to store summer furniture and other seasonable stuff for the winter. (3) A BluRay DVD player. It seems everything is coming out is on BluRay these days.

4. Would you rather be a jack of all trades or a master of one? Elaborate.  If you answered one, which one?
     I would like to be a jack of all trades. It would be great if I do things for myself that I now have to rely on others for. It would be equally as nice to be able to share these skills with those who might have need of them.

5. Ketchup or mustard? On what?
     I like both, depending upon the food. I use mustard for Ham, Hotdogs and Bologna sandwiches. I like ketchup on meatloaf, roast beef, french fries and onion rings.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.
     I mentioned in my introductory remarks above that the school year has begun. I am reminded that our founding fathers strongly believed that our citizens ought to be well educated. They believed that all citizens should receive instruction on the U.S. Constitution, how our government is organized and what was the intent of that organizational paradigm. Citizens should understand the limits imposed upon, and the specific powers granted to, the federal government. Citizens should also understand the power of the individual states and individual citizens.
     Another area that needs to be brought back is a course in life skills. These are the skills everyone needs to be able to take care of themselves. Some of the skills needed are basic cooking, basic sewing, laundary, money management, basic housekeeping and manners. 
     I believe that if all students were well educated in these two areas, as well as the basics of Math, Reading, Writing, History, and Geography, and other disciplines, we would not have as many problems in our beloved Nation that we now have. 
     God bless our teachers and their students as the new school year begins.