A SPOOKY HALLOWEEN HODGEPODGE!

     Happy Halloween to all you fellow Wednesday Hodgepodgers. We are an eclectic and interesting group of people. Happy Halloween to all you visitors as well. You too can become a part of our eclectic and interesting group. I promise you you will be glad that you did. Simply, start a blog and link it to Joyce's blog. Just like that you have become eclectic and interesting.
   The weather here in the Granite State continues to experience some wild mood swings. The rain and wind on Sunday and Monday did some major damage to  the state. A couple hundred thousand people are without power as I write this. Some roads have been damaged or washed away. Flash flooding was the order of the day. 
     So, by way of distraction and without further ado...here's the Hodgepodge!
     
1. What does/did Halloween look like at your house this year? Did you decorate? Pick pumpkins? Carve pumpkins? Expect trick or treaters? Wear a costume to a party or event? Make a costume? Feel glad you didn't have to come up with a costume? Cook a Halloween themed treat? Eat all the leftover candy?
     This year we did not decorate, we generally do not decorate. We don't get any Trick or Treaters here because the road we live on makes it unsafe. 
     Our two Chinese Cresteds dressed up in Scottish kilts that SWMBO made for them. We made Trick or Treat bags of candy for our grand girls and SWMBO's co-workers.  
     No pumpkins at all. No costumes for us. A little leftover candy to munch on. Our church did have a Trunk or Treat at the church parking lot.

2. What are you waiting for? Elaborate
     I am waiting and praying for a cure for Multiple Myeloma, SWMBO's cancer.  Fighting this disease is incessant. The battle ebbs and flows. There are good days and there are bad days. However, cancer does not last forever...it will come to an end. SWMBO and I long for that day for us and everyone else who are engaged in a similar battle.
     I am also waiting for the Lord's promised return. A sincere faith in God really helps me put things in perspective. Nothing I have in life, material goods, power, or wealth will last forever! All the stuff that drives the news coverage of the day will likewise not last forever. 
     However God's love is forever. Our promised home in Heaven with God is forever. We often sing a song at church that says "This world is not my home I'm just passing through," and "O Lord you know I have no friend like you," and " I can't feel at home in this world anymore." Jesus taught that our treasures should be stored up in heaven where they will last forever. That's what I'm waiting for.

3. Do you wish you were friendlier, braver, more creative, more athletic, or something else? Explain.
     I suppose, like most people, there is room for improvement in all the listed areas. I think I could particularly use some improvement in being more productive. That is, becoming more task oriented and more diligent at getting needed tasks done.

4. When it comes time to paint are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire someone? What was the last paint job completed at your house? What room most needs painting now? How do you feel about wallpaper?
    I suppose most rooms in our not so palatial estate could do with some sprucing up. We prefer paint rather than wall paper. 

5. What is one specific thing you felt gratitude for in the month of October?
     See my Random Thought.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.
     From time to time up here in the Granite State we experience loss of electric power for various reasons. Most of the time it is weather related. Sometimes it is because a graduate of the Helen Keller School of Driving crashes into a utility pole. Some of these power outages can last for days, if not weeks. A lot of homeowners use gas powered emergency generators to power their homes during such times. SWMBO and I bought our generator years ago after an ice storm knocked out power for weeks.
     Recently, a friend upgraded his transfer switch from six to ten circuits so he gave me his old six circuit transfer switch. The transfer switch is directly connected to the breaker box to power the most essential circuits in the house.
     Another friend is a licensed electrician and was kind enough to install the transfer switch for us. 
     For us, our priority circuits are our well pump, our furnace, our pellet stove, our refrigerator and a few outlets to power our fish tank, freezer chest and a lamp or two.
     When power goes out, now all we have to do is start the generator and connect a power cable from the generator to the transfer switch to power those circuits. We simply flip six switches to go off the grid and onto the generator. So now we will have heat, water and hot water for the duration of any outage. It is quite the upgrade. Thank you Lord!
     As I have shared before, SWMBO and I are lavishly blessed of God. Enjoy your week.