Next Monday is Christmas 2017. I sincerely hope and pray that all of you have a blessed Christmas and that the upcoming New Year gives you all the best of health and prosperity. In short, Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year.
As it is another Wednesday, it is time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge. I do so appreciate this weekly distraction and time of thought and reflection on the issues on our Hodgepodge Mistress, Joyce Daley's, mind. Thank you Joyce and a special Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Now...the Hodgepodge!
1. Where have you found unexpected magic or delight this holiday season?
All the magic and delight has been expected this holiday season. Therefore, the unexpected stuff is yet to be.
2. What's your favorite type of holiday gathering? Will you/have you gathered in your favorite way this month?
I prefer the smaller type gatherings. The church has an adult Christmas Party that is outstanding. Unfortunately, SWMBO and I were unable to attend this year.
3. Time has named 'The Silence Breakers' (women who came forward with stories of harassment) 'person of the year' for 2017. Would you agree? If not, who do you think deserves the title?
I do not agree with the Time selection. Then again, I have never been too impressed with the publication which selected the likes of Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev and Ayatollah Khomeini as their person of the year.
I believe that the person of the year should be President Donald Trump. Considering all that he had arrayed against him he was able to get a new Supreme Court Justice and 57 Federal Court Justices appointed and confirmed by the Senate.
He has withstood a hostile press and is doing what he promised the American people he would do. Ninety percent of his coverage has been negative our false.
He had to respond to the aftermath of two hurricanes that caused extensive damage which will require years to recover from.
Therefore, I believe that President Trump is the person of the year.
4. How did you spend your time this year? Are you happy about that? Elaborate
Most of this year was spent dealing with health issues, SWMBO's and mine. I am not happy about it at all. I am glad that we have good insurance and great support from family and friends. I would rather have spent my time in other pursuits.
5. Bid farewell to 2017 in ten words or less.
So long! Farewell! What a trip its been!
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I wish you godspeed if you're traveling over the holiday. I wish you the best of health and prosperity.
Well, it is official! The house interior has been decorated for Christmas! The Christmas tree is up and decorated. The garland has been strategically strung. The army of snowmen and nutcrackers have been deployed for duty. Christmas stockings have been lovingly hung from the fireplace mantel. We are ready for Santa Claus' visit.
Being Wednesday it is time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you Joyce Daley for another fine series of questions.
1. 'Hurry less, worry less'...what's your strategy for making that happen this holiday season? How's it going so far?
My strategy is to employ a philosophy I call "Constructive Apathy." I choose to not get amped up over minor issues that can take on monumental proportions during the holidays if you let them. It is kind of like that "Don't sweat the small stuff" cliche and remembering that it is all small stuff.
2. Do you have a list of to-dos that need accomplishing in order to prepare your home and/or property for the winter season? What are some of the jobs on your list? Are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire someone to accomplish these tasks?
There are a number of tasks that need to be done to prepare for the winter season. Just to name a few, turn off and insulate the outside water faucets. Order and then stack a pallet of wood pellets (seventy five 45-pound bags). Order our heating oil (500 gallons). Remove the window and door screens and install the glass panes. Clear off the rear deck and store the furniture for the winter. I do most of it myself.
3. According to dietitians surveyed, the most popular health foods for 2018 will be -turmeric, sprouted foods (bean sprouts, breads with sprouted grains, etc), veggies in place of grains, dairy free milk, and pulses (lentils, chickpeas, etc). What's the first thought that ran through your head when you read this list? Of the foods listed which one might you add to your regular diet? Also, can milk really be dairy free? Is it still milk?
The list sounds like fad diet stuff. I get the vegetables. I love vegetables both raw and cooked. I am not sure about the other things on the list.
4. The Pantone Color of the Year for 2018 is Ultra Violet. According to the Pantone site 'Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking pointing us to the future.' What say you? Do you like the color purple? Did you see the movie or read the book-ha!? Is purple a color you wear often? Describe for us one purple item in your home without using the word purple. If you were in charge of such things what color would you select for 2018?
I am okay with the color purple. I have never seen the movie. I do not wear the color often. One of our artificial Christmas trees is the color that shall not be mentioned. Nobody in their right mind would ever put me in charge of selecting colors.
5. Favorite book read this year?
"From Angel to Man" by Barric Kent. It is the first book in a trilogy. I know the author and have spoken with him at length about his novel. It is a quick read.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
What do you see when you look at your Christmas tree? When I look at our Christmas tree I see the history of our life.
We shared our first Christmas together as man and wife in 1972. We were in the U.S. Air Force, stationed in New Mexico. We were poor as church mice. We bought a paint by number wooden Christmas ornament kit. Those ornaments still adorn our tree.
We still have a crumpled brown construction paper deer that our son made in grammar school.
We have a hand painted glass Christmas ornament that we obtained in the United Kingdom while we were stationed there.
Every ornament on our tree evokes a memory of the time when we obtained the ornament. Our Christmas tree is a nostalgic walk through history, our history. SWMBO and I have been lavishly blessed. Have a wonderful week.
Today is camel day. How do you like your camels...one hump or two? I hope that your hump day is going well so far. Being hump day it is also time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thanks to our Hodgepodge Mistress, Joyce Daley, for another series of probing questions.
I urge you to participate. You will not be sorry that you did. In any event, enjoy this weeks offering.
1. What title would you give this current chapter of your life?
"We Keep Getting Back Up!" Sometimes in life you take some hits. Some of those hits ring your bell, others knock you off your feet, so to speak. A wise man once said that you never lose a fight if you keep getting back up.
When the hits keep coming, you know, those financial set backs or a bad report from your doctor, or the loss of a loved one, you keep getting back up.
SWMBO and I keep getting back up !
2. December 6 is National Microwave Oven Day. Who knew? Besides popcorn and coffee reheats, what's the most common thing you microwave? Could you get along without a microwave?
I suppose the most common thing that we reheat in the microwave oven are all sorts of leftovers. The "radar range" is very convenient but I think we could survive, that is, get along without one.
3. If you could insert yourself into any Christmas carol and experience the lyrics in real life, which Christmas carol lyric would you choose and why?
My choice is "O Little Town of Bethlehem." I envision myself walking through its starlit streets until I came upon a manger on the outskirts of the tiny hamlet and witness the birth of the baby Jesus, Christ the Lord. I would love to see that "new parent" look on the faces of Joseph and Mary as they held their new born Son for the first time. I imagine the sound of the heavenly hosts singing "Hallelujah, Glory to God in the Highest! Glory to the new born King!" I also can see in my minds eye the shepherds coming in from the fields to behold that which the Angel told them about, the Savior, a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger...with a look of awe upon their faces. What a wonderful experience that would be.
4. Describe the most beautiful drive you've ever taken.
SWMBO and I are fortunate to live in NH. It is a beautiful and scenic state. The most beautiful drive we have ever taken was a sunny fall day through the White Mountains. We drove through Franconia Notch and the Kancamangus Highway, NH Route 112. The views of the surrounding terrain is awesome. It speaks volumes of the majesty of God.
5. What's something on your Christmas list this year? (an actual list or figuratively speaking, either one)
I really don't have a Christmas Wish List. SWMBO and I started a tradition when we became empty nesters where we buy one gift for each other. This tradition avoids the whole "I spent more money on you than you spent on me" competition with the attendant bad feelings.
For example, one year we bought a new high definition television. Another year we bought new iPads. This seems to work for us.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
One of the things that continues to amaze me at Christmas time is the thought that Almighty God, the Creator of all that has been created, left eternity and lived among us as a human, and a humble human at that. He subjected Himself to all the laws of physics. He experienced things that are common to all of us. He got cold. He got hungry. He felt pain. He felt love. He laughed. He cried. He was like us in every way except one...He was still God. He was God in the flesh, but He was still God.
Can you imagine how much love that God must have for all of us that He would do that? I cannot! So, during this Christmas season I urge all of you to consider the spiritual ramifications of the Christmas Holiday. I urge you all to truly keep Christ in Christmas.
May God lavishly bless all of you!
