I SURRENDER HODGEPODGE!

     THAT IS IT! I SURRENDER! I am running up the white flag to winter. We have run out of space to put the stuff! Also, I did not think that I was going to be able to participate in this weeks Wednesday Hodgepodge for a number of reasons. Fortunately, if not belatedly, here I am. Thank you Joyce for another series of though provoking questions.

1. When did you last have to interact, either by phone or in person, with someone in a government run agency? On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the experience? (10 being fabulous and 1 being pass the Tylenol)

     I can't remember the last time I had to interact with a government employee. Many times I have received excellent service. However there have been times when I needed the Tylenol. Like any other bureaucracy there are good, dedicated, caring workers as well as useless uncaring drones who fall at the other end of that scale.

2. The current governor of Wisconsin is considering a run for President next time around. Walker attended Marquette University, but never graduated. In terms of any candidate running for the office of President (not asking here if you agree or disagree with Scott Walker's politics) would the lack of a college degree influence your vote or no? Would that be a factor in your support of any candidate running for public office, even a role less weighty than President?

     Formal education is just one of the factors I use to evaluate a candidate for any office. It is not a deal breaker if they don't have a college degree. Many people in government have advanced college degree's from Ivy League schools and are no more than credentialed morons. There are other people who are less educated who are significantly more competent than the aforementioned morons. 
     I evaluate a candidate on how they performed in other endeavors. Have they ever run a business successfully? If they served as a governor of a state, were they able to deliver government services efficiently and eliminate wasteful spending. Were they able to lower taxes and increase government efficiency. Are they people with high moral integrity who live according to their stated principles?
     So I don't think that a lack of a college degree is an automatic disqualifier.

3. When did you last visit a place or site named for George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, and what was that place or site?

     In the mid nineties I visited the Washington and Lincoln Memorials in Washington D.C. I was a chaperon on a college Criminal Justice class field trip to our Nation's Capitol. 

4. February 16th was President's Day in the US, but did you know it was also National Almond Day? I didn't think so : ) Do you like almonds? If so, what's a food/dish/recipe you enjoy that contains almonds? 

     I enjoy almonds alone. I love Almond Joy candy bars. I enjoy almonds as part of a vegetable salad. So, yes, I like almonds.

5.The television program Saturday Night Live celebrated it's 40th anniversary this past weekend. Were/are you a fan of the show? If so what has been your favorite (or one of your favorite) skits, sayings, or characters that came out of the program?

     I have never been a fan of the show. I have watched it on occasions but I wasn't a fan.

6. Anything purple within ten feet of you? What is it?

     Yes, a fleece blanket throw.

7. Back in December I asked you to submit a question for a future HP as part of a giveaway I was hosting. I grabbed this one from those entries, submitted by Zoanna who blogs over at Penchant for Pens. Thanks Zoanna!

     

She asks, "How often do you make your bed, and how do you like to make it-pull the covers all the way up over the pillows, tuck the covers in around the pillows, or place all the pillows on top of the covers?" 

     On those rare occasions when I do make the bed I use either method. I don't have any particular preference.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

     ICYMI, the barbaric group known as ISIS recently burned a captured Jordanian pilot to death and used it to send a message to the world. A couple of days ago that same vile godless group decapitated 21 Christian Egyptians on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and disseminated the take of that atrocity for the world to see. They killed those men because they are Christians...no other reason. They sent this as a message to "The people of the cross" AKA Christians.
     The Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, Marie Harf, said at a news conference that we cannot kill our way to victory. We cannot defeat ISIS by killing them. The way to defeat these barbarians is to provide them with better governments, more good paying jobs among other things.
     These barbarians have declared war on us.  You don't defeat an enemy committed to your destruction by giving him a better job. If this is the level of thinking in the U.S. Government, we are doomed! God help us!

FALLEN LEAVES HODGEPODGE!

     It's good to be back participating in the Hodgepodge. SWMBO and I have been occupied and unable to answer Joyce's questions for the past couple of weeks. Hopefully things can get back to normal. Enjoy this week's Hodgepodge. 

1. Do you manage your own money or do you have a financial planner who helps in some way? Do those kinds of conversations stress you out? A lot or a little?

      I manage my own money. I don't have a financial planner. Managing finances is always stressful but not so stressful that it becomes harmful.

2. The second week of October is Pet Peeve Week. Off the top of your head, share TWO of your current pet peeves.

     One of my pet peeves is when I'm driving down the highway and the car in the left lane wants to exit. Instead of changing lanes behind you they speed up, cut you off by passing in front of you. 

     Another pet peeve is telemarketers who call after 8:30 p.m. That is so rude and annoying.

3. What is one thing you'd like to learn right now, this very week if you could?

     How to speak "female" but that would take much longer than a week!

4. How concerned are you about the recent health related news concerning Ebola? How about Enterovirus D68?

     I am not very concerned about either one. The chances of my getting exposed to either one is fairly remote.

5. Garfield, Nemo, or Tigger-your favorite orange cartoon character?

     I have got to go with the lasagna eating feline...Garfield!

6. I'm going to see Gone Girl with my neighborhood book club this week. So often books made into film are disappointing. What's a book turned film you thought was well done, in that the casting was 'like you pictured' when you read the book, and the film plot remained mostly true to the book plot?

     "The Hunt for Red October" by Tom Clancy was represented very well in the movie version. Alec Baldwin did a wonderful job portraying the main character "Jack Ryan."

7. What is one story your family always tells about you?

     When I was about 8 years old some friends and I were building a fort in a wooded area. I was holding a stake while an older boy tried banging it into the ground with a floor board. This boy missed the stake and hit my head, creasing my skull and causing significant amounts of blood to gush from the wound. I was taken to the emergency room where I received a number of stitches. I reportedly asked the doctor if I was going to go crazy as a result of the blow to the head. He said that I would not! He was wrong if some of my current friends and my beloved SWMBO are to be believed!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

     SWMBO and I and our fur babies took a vacation. For five days we were in the State of Maine. We visited Acadia National Park. The weather was spectacular for four of the five days we were there. Of course, we picked the coldest day to trek up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain. Man! It was cold as a well diggers butt!

     We came home for a couple of days and then drove to Lebanon, NH, for a follow up medical appointment. After the appointment we drove to Shelburne, VT, and stayed a couple of nights there.

     We then drove to St. Johnsbury, VT, and visited DOG MOUNTAIN. It boasts the only pet chapel in the world. There is a map of the world with pins stuck in it that shows all the countries where visitors to DOG MOUNTAIN came from. Some came from as far away as Australia and New Zealand.

     All in all it was a wonderful vacation!

A WHIRLWIND VACATION, PART TWO

     I was sound asleep, minding my own business when I felt a hand on my shoulder gently shaking me awake. "Gerry, time to wake up. It's 3:00 a.m...Time to get dressed and hit the road." I grunted as I usually do, opened one eye and considered my words before saying them. The words that I was thinking would not have been conducive to a pleasant car trip.

     I slowly arose, performing a functions check of my anatomy. Most systems were operating within normal parameters. Once I became upright I got dressed. I then sleepily went about the business of finishing any last minute packing and configuring the house for our absence. 

     We left the house at about 3:20 a.m., keeping within our estimated departure time. We withdrew travel funds from an ATM, refueled the Kia and then hit the road in earnest at 3:50 a.m., ten minutes ahead of schedule. All systems are go...Becke the Wonder Dog is hunkered down in the back seat. SWMBO is comfortably ensconced in the "shotgun" seat. Destination, Niagara Falls, NY.

     Everything was going great! We were southbound on the Everett Turnpike approaching the first of what would be several toll booths. A simple enough concept. You drive to the booth, give the attendant the toll and go on your merry way. Unfortunately, this was not to be.

     This particular toll booth has "Cash" lanes at the far left travel lane and the far right travel lane. The lanes in between were "E-Z Pass" lanes. We don't have an E-Z Pass transponder so I was in the far left lane approaching the toll booth with my cash at the ready. As I neared the toll booth I saw that the far left lane was now an E-Z Pass lane.  I had two choices...(1) Drive through the E-Z Pass Lane without paying or (2) Drive across several lanes to get into the far right lane creating a traffic hazard. I chose option #1 and stiffed the State of New Hampshire out of a dollar toll.

     A few hours later, on the Massachusetts Turnpike, we were approaching another set of toll booths just before crossing the state line into New York. What do suppose the odds are of me doing the same thing and being in the wrong lane again? Yep...it happened again! In my defense though the signage was confusing and I was prevented by traffic from safely changing lanes into the proper lane. This time I stiffed the Commonwealth of Massachusetts out of about eight dollars. Hey, at least I'm consistent. 

     The next leg of the journey took us to the New York Thruway. This was the first time either one of us had been in Upstate New York. It is a lot like New Hampshire. There are picturesque farms scattered across the country side. It made for a pleasant drive.

     At the end of the thruway I was able to pay the toll, surprisingly enough,...three times the charm!

     We made it to Niagara Falls without further incident. We checked in to our hotel room. We stayed at a Motel 6 on one of the main drags of Niagara Falls. The room was clean and comfortable...Becke the Wonder Dog liked it...but most important SWMBO liked it. We settled in the room. SWMBO tried the WiFi. God forbid that we should travel without our electronic devices. Becke and I took a brief nap.

     After the brief nap we talked about whether it was worth trying to see the falls. Some of the brochures made it seem that we needed to purchase a "Discovery Pass" at a cost of $33.00 per pass to enter the State Park and view the falls.  We left the hotel to find the famous falls. It was just a ten minute drive down the road. 

     We found the Niagara Falls State Park without any trouble. We found a place to park. It cost $5.00. We walked to the Visitor Center and I worked up the courage to ask the officials working the desk if it cost anything to view the falls. I almost did a jig when I was told "No, just take the stairs to the ground level and follow the path to the railing." I apparently mis-read the brochures. I am so glad that we were able to see the falls. 

Two of Nature's Wonders!

Spectacular!

     I have got to say that the falls are spectacular. SWMBO and I were impressed by the power and natural splendor that is Niagara Falls. It is well worth the trip. 


     To be continued...

A WHIRLWIND VACATION, PART ONE

My next few Blog entries will report our recent vacation adventure to the Empire State, New York. We had a number of experiences that were unforeseeable and somewhat comical at the same time.

SWMBO and I decided that we needed to take a week off together. We decided to take that week off the first full week in September.

Labor Day weekend was a good start to our vacation week. We attended the annual Church Barbecue. We enjoyed good food...good music and great fellowship. At the barbecue we were asked what we were going to do for the rest of the week. We told our friends that our tradition is to decide these thing as we go along and not make definite plans.

MY IDEA - Day #1: Drive  to the seacoast and drive along the coast in NH and Maine, stopping at some of the beaches along the way; Sampling some of the local cuisine.

                   Day #2: Drive up to Quechee, Vt, and spend a day hiking along the Quechee Gorge;  Then we would visit Scotland by the Yard and other local shops; We would spend the night in a pet-friendly hotel.

                    Day #3: Drive to Lake Champlain and ride the ferry into New York; drive to the Duty Free shop near the Canadian border; drive back to Lake Champlain for a return ferry ride. Drive home.

When I presented my idea to SWMBO she said that she had always wanted to drive to Niagara Falls and asked if maybe we could add that to our itinerary. She also said that we had to be back by 6:00 P.M, Thursday, because she had to teach a class and could not make other arrangements for coverage.

I balked at the idea, having a nodding acquaintance with geography and knowing that Niagara Falls was at least an 8 - hour drive. I did not see how we could leave Tuesday, September 7th, drive to the falls, upstate NY, Lake Champlain, Quechee, VT, and make it back home by 6:00 P.M, Thursday, September 9th.

Later, on Labor Day evening, I was searching the Internet for a hotel room. All of a sudden I had an epiphany. I thought that if we left early enough on Tuesday, between 3:00 - 4:00 A.M, we could be  in Niagara Falls, NY, around noon. I also learned that there is a Duty Free Store in Buffalo, NY, a short drive from the falls.

MY REVISED IDEA - Day #1: Wake up at 3:00 A.M, leave the house by 4:00 A.M; Arrive Niagara Falls, NY, early afternoon; Check in at Hotel; Visit the falls, take pictures; Sleep.
                                    Day #2: Wake up around 9:00 A.M; Breakfast; Check out of hotel; Drive to Buffalo to the Duty Free Store; Drive to Lake Champlain; Take ferry ride to Burlington, VT; Check in at hotel; Sleep.

                                    Day #3: Wake up around 9:00 A.M; Check out of hotel; Drive to Quechee, VT; Eat at Dana's Restaurant; Visit the Gorge, Scotland by the Yard, Quechee Gorge Village; Drive home arriving in time for SWMBO to teach her class.

You have no doubt heard the old quote " The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray! " Stay tuned for further postings and you will see this quote come to life.

To be continued....