A SNOWY NEW ENGLAND HODGEPODGE!

     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.