IT'S A NEW YEAR, SO FAR SO GOOD!

     Today is January 3rd already. This year is just zipping by. I know that for me, 2017 went by way too fast. I expect that 2018 will probably go by a bit faster. 
     I hope that you all had a magical and wonderful Christmas. My beloved SWMBO and I further wish that you all have a healthy and prosperous New Year. We pray that you all experience the best that God and life have to offer.
     Thank you Joyce for starting us off with another year of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Your efforts and dedication to these weekly essay questions is very much appreciated.
     Now, here is the first Wednesday Hodgepodge of the New Year.

1. It's that time of year again...time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words (or phrases) they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, or genera uselessness) in 2018. You can read more about the decision making process and word meaning here, but this year's top vote getters are-

unpack, dish (as in dish out the latest rumor), pre-owned, onboarding/offboarding, nothingburger, let that sink in, let me ask you this, impactful, Cofefe, drill down, fake news, hot water heater (hot water doesn't need to be heated), and gig economy

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?
     It seems to me that language is always evolving and that words are chosen and created to convey ideas. It is up to those trying to convey their ideas to choose or to make up the best words that most accurately conveys the idea that they are trying to express. 
     I do not have a problem with the words people use. I do, however, take exception to some of the notions that people use those words to convey.
     Here is a rhetorical question that occurs to me. Is it not the height of hubris for Lake Superior College to proclaim itself the gatekeeper of the English language by suggesting some words should not be used anymore, that they should be banished from the language?

2. What's something you need to get rid of in the new year?
     There are two things that come to mind that I should get rid of. The first is procrastination. I am enshrined in the Procrastinators Hall of Fame. I wish that it was not so.
     A second thing I need to get rid of is my lack of movement. I need to move more in this new year. I need to keep my body physically moving to stave off the law of entropy that effects us all.
     I'll try to keep you all posted on how I am doing throughout the year.

3. Where do you feel stuck?
     I feel stuck in my writing. I still have the desire to write but I seem to choose other pursuits instead. I hope to change that in this new year also.

4. January is National Soup Month. When did you last have a bowl of soup? Was it made from scratch or from a can? Your favorite canned soup? Your favorite soup to make from scratch on a cold winter's day?
     I love a nice hot soup on a cold winter's day. So far we have been experiencing a winter cold that we have not experienced in New Hampshire in many years. We have not had temperatures above freezing since the beginning of December. My wood pellet stove has been running 23 hours per day. (I need an hour to turn off the stove and let it cool so I can remove the ash.) 
     My favorite canned soup is a vegetable soup. My favorite homemade soup is some kind of meat with a hodgepodge of vegetables. A nice corn chowder goes down nice too at this time of year.

5. Tell us one thing you're looking forward to in 2018.
     I am looking forward to SWMBO and I making it to the New Year of 2019.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
     "Life is what happens when you're making other plans." or "Man plans and God laughs." These two quotes talk about the uncertainty of life. There are always unforeseen things that crop up and force you to make changes that you never anticipated that you would have to make. I suspect that the year 2018 will be no different. "Change" is the immutable constant of life.
     Fortunately for the Christian, change is nothing to be feared. God says 365 times in the Bible "Do not fear." When God repeats Himself that many times we ought to listen. 
     Therefore, as you navigate the inevitable changes that will surely come your way in the coming year, I commend you to the God of the Bible. He really cares for you. Happy New Year to all of you!

SWEATING MY "DONKEY" OFF HODGEPODGE!

     The "Hot & Muggies" are the order of the day this week in the beautiful Granite State. High heat and humidity have moved in for awhile. That's okay though, SWMBO loves it and is very comfortable. She has become very good at walking around the puddles of sweat that used to be me and should she miss one, thankfully she is a very good swimmer. (I know, EWWW! Right?)
     Well, hot and humid or not, today is Wednesday and our friend Joyce Daley has seen fit to publish another Wednesday Hodgepodge. Here we go...

1. Growing up, were you close to your grandparents? Tell us one or two specific things you remember about them.
     Growing up, I never knew my paternal grandparents. They passed away before I was born. I did however live with my maternal grandparents. I was very close to both of them. My grandmother was French Canadian an didn't speak much English so I grew up speaking French. My grandfather was a devoted Red Sox fan and he slept in the front, downstairs room of our house. I often snuck downstairs after bedtime and watched a Red Sox game with him. That was kind of our special thing. 

2. What's an item you were attached to as a child? What happened to it?
      As a child I was attached to my tonsils. Then one day, at the promise of endless ice cream and ginger ale, they were ripped out of my throat. It was a cruel hoax to play on a child. Who could eat or drink when your throat was in such pain? It was pure evil!

3. When you look out your window, do you see the forest or the trees (literally and figuratively)? Explain.
     My beloved SWMBO and I are blessed to live in the idyllic setting of the foothills of the Uncanoonuc Mountains. They are a pair of mountains. Not as grand as the Grand Tetons out west but their name means the same in the language of the indigenous peoples who lived in this area hundred of years ago. Indigenous men seemed to be fixated on women's breasts because there are so many mountains named after them. But I digress...There are plenty of trees on, and around, our not so palatial estate. It makes for some real fine country living.

4. Do you like sour candies? Which of the 'sour' foods listed below would you say is your favorite?
grapefruit, Greek yogurt, tart cherries, lemons, limes, sauerkraut, buttermilk, or kumquats 
Have you ever eaten a kumquat? What's your favorite dish containing one of the sour foods on the list?
     I am not a fan of sour candies. I would say that lime is my favorite of the listed foods. I like key lime pie and I'll occasionally drink lime in an ice cold lager beer on a very hot day on rare occasions. In place of beer I'll drink club soda with a lime wedge instead.
     I have never eaten a kumquat to my knowledge and I would not know a kumquat if I was hit by one.

5. July 1st marked the mid point of 2017. In fifteen words or less, tell us how it's going so far.
     July 1st also marked the 45th trip around the Sun as man and wife for my beloved SWMBO and me. 
     So far this has been a difficult year. SWMBO's recovery from the stem cell transplant is ongoing but at a snails pace. SWMBO, being a type A+ person tries to do more than her body will allow and she pays the price for it and needs a day or two to recover. 
     On a good note, we have been cleared by SWMBO's oncologist to attend church again as long as we avoid people who have colds and other ailments. It does us both a lot of good to be with our church family again.
     So in summary, we are doing okay and making the best of life and handling what comes our way as we always have,...together and in faithful trust in the loving providence of God!

6. Insert your own random thought here.
     This weekend the dreaded Evil Empire (Yankees) visited Fenway Park for a four-game series with my beloved Red Sox. The Yankees have a rookie right fielder named Aaron Judge. He stands 6'7" tall and weighs 270 lbs. He looks like a NFL linebacker! He's a big boy! He has some real skills and he seems to be a good man. His only negative from what I saw this weekend is that he is a Yankee. 
     The series was split at two games each. One of the games is under protest and may have to be played again but it was a good weekend all the same.