GETTING CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER HODGEPODGE!

     A pleasant good morning to one and all. I hope all of you are well today. I'm doing okay also. My beloved Red Sox continues to play some pretty good baseball. Our mortgage refinancing is officially completed. All the T's are crossed and all the I's are dotted. 
     Today being Wednesday, we have another Wednesday Hodgepodge to navigate. Thank you, Joyce Daley, for continuing to challenge us every week with your questions. Please consider joining us and participating in the Hodgepodge. Click on over to "From this Side of the Pond" and follow the simple directions. Here we go....

1. The last place you visited/patronized where you felt like you were given 'the royal treatment'?

     This is a tough one. Most places SWMBO and I go give us good service but going above and beyond the call of duty and treating us like royalty, I cannot remember any such time.

2. The last task you completed that was a 'royal pain'?

     This one is easy. We refinanced our mortgage. 

3. How have your strengths helped you succeed? How have your faults hindered you?

     This is another difficult question. My perseverance, some would call it stubbornness, has enabled me to push through obstacles and accomplish many of my goals. On the fault side of the ledger, my procrastination has resulted in my missing some opportunities and prevented me from attaining some goals. 

4. If you found a remote that could rewind, fast forward, stop and start time, what would you do with it?

     Would I to possess such a device I would have to take some time to consider the exact question that is being posed here. However, to answer the question, I think that I would rewind to certain times in my life and change a couple of bad decisions that I made. Then I would fast forward to see what difference my altered choices made in my life. 

5. Any special plans for the Memorial Day weekend? Will you in some way honor or recognize the meaning of this day (remembering people who died in service to their country)? Have you ever been to Arlington National Cemetery? Does your town do anything special to mark the day?

     SWMBO and I have no special plans for Memorial Day, but that is subject to change without notice. We may pick up some groceries and grill some animal flesh. I will certainly spend time in prayer for our departed heroes and their families for their sacrifice to our Nation. I will thank God that during our darkest times men and women stepped up and unselfishly gave their last full measure of devotion.
     I have been to Arlington National Cemetery as well as the Vietnam War Memorial and the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. It was a moving experience each time I went.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

      In the early 1970's some Republican operatives were caught trying to bug the Democratic National Committee at their offices in the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. 
     After the election, President-elect Trump said that he was being surveilled and electronically monitored (bugged). Most people in the "Fake News" media laughed at him. They called him paranoid and many other things. As it turns out he was correct.
     Now we are learning that FISA Warrants have been sought and granted on the basis of unsubstantiated information in violation of law and Department of Justice protocols.
     The sad fact appears to be that the more we learn about the conduct of the FBI, the Special Prosecutor and his staff, and the Department of Justice, the more outrageous this whole thing becomes. Compared to the Watergate affair, this whole ordeal is much, much worse by orders of magnitude. The Rule of Law in our beloved country is under assault. May God help us and protect us!
     

IT CAME TO A CLOSE, FINALLY, HODGEPODGE!

     Greetings from the Granite State on this magnificent Wednesday. I hope that all is well in your world. Things are beginning to turn around in my world. We just completed a major undertaking which will be further explained in my Random Thought below.
     Since it is Wednesday and since Joyce has gone to the trouble to come up with another set of probing questions, we might as well answer them. Please join in on the fun. You will not be disappointed. And now...(Inner drums roll here)...the Hodgepodge.

1. What would you say is your biggest day to day challenge?
     The biggest challenge for me day to day is getting out of bed early in the morning. There are two reasons why. One is that I am not an early riser. My circadian rhythm makes me sharpest at late afternoon through late evening. The second reason is my knees make me walk like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz before they used the oil can on him. Eventually they kind of self lubricate and I can walk fairly pain free. 

2. May 16th is National Biographers Day. What's a biography you really enjoyed reading? Is this a genre you read regularly?
     One biography that I really enjoyed was "Bonhoeffer" by Eric Metaxas. It is the life of one of Christianity's greatest apologist, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a Lutheran minister who lived during the rise of Nazi Germany. He opposed the Third Reich which cost him his life just weeks before the Nazis surrendered to the allies. It is a great read and I highly recommend it to you.

3. How important is keeping a clean house? Do you need to de-clutter your life?
     Keeping a clean house is more important to my beloved SWMBO than it is to me. To be honest, I do need to de-clutter my life...beginning with my office. Actually I need to continue in my office. I did begin to de-clutter a couple of months ago and I found a desk in there which is now usable again. I seem to recall that there is a second desk in my office. I need to find that one too...but I'm in no hurry.

4. You're the 8th dwarf. What's your name?
     My dwarf name would be "Joker." I do have a nice sense of humor.

5. What's surprised you the most about your life or life in general?
     I have been surprised by a number of things. One of them is I never thought that I would have a devout relationship with God. Growing up I thought that I would have been playing for the other team. However, by His grace I have come to know Him and love Him. 
     Another thing that surprises me is that I have a love filled marriage that poets write love poems about and that songwriters write love songs about. I did not know it then but I know it now that I hit the lottery when SWMBO said yes and married me. We will be celebrating 46 years of wedded bliss this July.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
     SWMBO and I have been blessed to be able to have bought two houses in our lifetime. We bought the house that SWMBO and I now share way back in May of 2000.
     We recently decided to refinance our mortgage so that we could access some of the equity and offload some debt and change from a variable interest rate to a fixed interest rate mortgage. 
     Going through the mortgage process is a long and tedious process. There is mounds of repetitive paperwork. When you think that you have everything to complete the process there always seems to be one more thing to get or do. It's always just one more thing.
     Well, I am happy to report that SWMBO and I closed on the refinance loan this afternoon. I think, I hope, that this is probably the last time we will have to go through this. Hallelujah!

GOOD VERSUS EVIL HODGEPODGE!

     A pleasant good morning, world! I hope all is well in your little piece of the planet today. The forces of good and virtue (Red Sox) are making a foray into the home environs of the Evil Empire (Yankees) for three games beginning tonight, well last night, since you're reading this on Wednesday. GO SOX!
     As I type this it is a beautiful day in the Granite State. The sky is cobalt blue and the temps are just right, that is, not too cold and not too warm. 
     If you are reading this, then it must be Wednesday and you already know there is a new Hodgepodge. I hope that you enjoy your day and I hope that you enjoy the Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce, for another edition.

1. What are your ingredients for a perfect Saturday?

      A perfect Saturday consists of: (1) Sleep in late; (2) Go out for breakfast or brunch; (3) Read the newspaper; (4) Watch and score a Red Sox game; (5) Go to a nearby lake with SWMBO and the Littles to fish a little, walk around a little and have a picnic lunch. 

2. What skill do you wish more people took the time to learn?
     The one skill I would like for people to learn is how to communicate effectively! Learn to read and comprehend what they read. Learn to write coherent sentences that are grammatically correct. Learn to speak in whole and coherent sentences.
     Should the forgoing be too unrealistic then LEARN TO DRIVE, PEOPLE! That is all!

3. What's something you ate as a child you can't stand now as an adult?
     That is easy...Liver & Onions. You cannot force me at gunpoint to eat Liver & Onions today! They pretty much had to force me to eat it at gunpoint when I was a child.

4. Something parenting has taught you? If you're not a parent tell us one important lesson you learned from your own parents.
     Patience and perseverance are two things being a parent has taught me. I am not saying that I learned, only that I was taught.

5. Share a favorite quote or saying about mothers or motherhood.
     "Mother's love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible."—Marion C. Garretty. Full disclosure, I searched the internet and found this quote but that doesn't make it less true.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 
     I am troubled by the rising tide of assaults on our right of free speech. Our colleges and universities were at one time places where there was unfettered expression of ideas, no matter how inane, obnoxious or offensive they may be.
    However, today colleges and universities have safe spaces, trigger warnings, speech codes, violent and destructive protests against certain types of speech.
     What happened? When did we as a nation go from "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it" to "You can't say that because it is offensive, racist, sexist, xenophobic, etc." We must return to the former and soundly reject the latter. 
     Remember Patrick Henry and the clarion call of his rousing speech in support of the secesstion from Great Britain "I know not what course others may take but as for me GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!" 
     Where do you stand on this issue?
     

MAY DAY PARADE HODGEPODGE!

    Good morning world! Yesterday having been "May Day" I remember that during the late 20th century the communist nations would have a parade with all their military might on display, showing all the world the great achievements of communism and putting the world on notice that they are not to be trifled with.
     Another May Day is in the history books for another year. That brings me to today, Wednesday, May 2nd, the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you Joyce Daley for another bunch of questions. So, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen...the Hodgepodge!
      
1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Is there a flower you associate with a particular memory? Explain.
     I am a flower person by marriage. Otherwise, I have no interest. My beloved SWMBO loves carnations so, I guess, I do too. I do not have any memories associated with flowers.

2. Last time you helped someone? Tell us how.
     The last time I helped someone was a couple of  Sundays ago. Our preacher had to go out of town and needed someone to teach his Bible class and fillthe pulpit. I covered both things for him so he could take care of his personal business without worrying about things here.

3. It's National Salsa Month (the food, not the dance) so tell us, do you like salsa? Hot, medium, or mild? Homemade, store bought, or from your favorite restaurant only?
     I do like salsa. My preference is for medium hot salsa. I prefer store bought salsa and my favorite brand is Newman's Own.

4. When I was twelve years old...
     ...I think that I was in the sixth grade. Lyndon Johnson was president of the United States.  The Vietnam War was in full swing. My best friend was Roger. I played first base and center field for my Little League baseball team. My affection for the Red Sox was in its infancy. They continued to get our hopes raised that this was the year that they break the curse of the Bambino only to dash them upon the rocks of reality. It was a more innocent time.

5. It's the first of May so let's run with it-first things first, don't know the first thing about it, first dibs on something, first impression, first rate, first cousin, first string, first come first served, at first light-which phrase can best be applied to something in your life currently or even recently?

     First thing first for us. SWMBO and I are in the process of refinancing our home. It is a step by step process and nothing is easy. We will hopefully get through the process soon and close on the new loan.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
     On Monday we had the water line from our artesian well to the house replaced. The old water line had become brittle with age and was cracked in a few places. You may recall we discovered a water leak in February which had to be dug up and spliced to get us through the rest of the Winter months.  
     This time they dug a fifty foot trench from the well to the house using a small excavator. The whole job took about four and a half hours.  The new water line should last forty to fifty years which is thirty to forty years past normal life expectancy.
     Now we have our water back on. The pump pressure is within design parameters. Hopefully nothing else breaks. 
     Water is like electricity in that you don't really appreciate its value until you lose it. 
     Have a great week everyone!

FAREWELL AND REST IN PEACE HODGEPODGE!

     A very good morning to one and all in Hodgepodge land. I wish you all the best that life has to offer. Here in the Granite State it is a beautiful day. My beloved SWMBO and I went out for a nice breakfast. It was a nice start to our day.
     We recently lost a very classy first lady. Barbara Bush was a woman who distinguished herself as a wife, as a mother and as a first lady. Her devotion to improving literacy for all people everywhere was, and still is, so much needed. Her exemplary efforts to combat AIDs in children was inspiring. Her personality was welcoming and her sense of humor was remarkable. Farewell dear lady and rest in peace. 
      Today being Wednesday, we have a new Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you Joyce Daley. Enjoy!

1. They say you learn something new every day. What did you learn yesterday?
     Yesterday while I was channel surfing I happened upon the Who performing their rock opera, Tommy, at the Royal Albert Hall. I learned that seeing Tommy performed live was much better than listening to the album(s).
 
2. Have you ever had a now or never moment? Elaborate.
     I am sure that I have had such moments but nothing comes to mind.

3.  April 25th is National Telephone Day. Do you still have a land line or have you gone mobile only? When you receive a text message do you respond immediately? Last time you turned your phone off?  In two or three sentences share with us a story/memory/incident from your childhood (or something current if that's too hard) where the telephone is featured.
     We do still have a land line. When I receive a text I try to respond in a timely fashion. Sometimes it is immediately, other times, for a variety of reasons, it is later.
     The last time that I turned my phone off was on a Sunday, at church.
     We had one phone in our house when I was a child. We were not allowed to answer the phone. Once, I answered the phone. The caller asked to speak to my dad. I hung up the phone to go look for him and tell him that he had a call. I failed to get the name of the caller so we never knew who it was I hung up on.
 
4. Close call, at someone's beck and call, call the shots, call a meeting, call it quits, call in sick, call on the carpet, wake up call...which call have you 'heard' recently? Explain.
     I am at someone's beck and call. I call her SWMBO! I know that that does not come as a surprise to anyone who knows me. 

5. What subject do you wish you'd paid more attention to in school?
     I wished that I had paid more attention in Algebra class. That failure to pay attention adversely affected my education, much to my regret. I had to retake Algebra which resulted in my not taking trigonometry which caused me to fail miserably when I took physics. I am here to tell you that choices and stupidity has consequences. 
  
6. Insert your own random thought here.
     Two police officers were seated in a restaurant eating breakfast. An armed man walks up to the window where the officers were seated and opened fire killing both officers. 
     Yesterday a man drove a van down a Toronto street deliberately running over pedestrians, killing ten people and injuring more.
     A man with a history of aberrant behavior opened fire on a Waffle House in Tennessee. He killed four people and injured four people.
     It seems to me that we have devalued human life. You cannot read a newspaper without reading about some horrific act of violence and mayhem. 
    The problem is not too many guns. The problem is not enough God. We once had a respect for the principles embodied in the ten commandments, the rule of law and in the golden rule, "...doing unto others what we would have done unto us." 
     I pray that God creates in us a new heart and renews a right spirit within all of us. Amen!

CUE THE BEATLE'S "WHEN I'M SIXTY FOUR" HODGEPODGE!

     Happy Hump Day to all who have made it this far. We are into the 2nd quarter of the year. How is your year going so far? As usual, our year has been fraught with some ups and some downs, but we endure by the grace of God.
     Yesterday, SWMBO and I celebrated the completion of my 64th trip around the ball of burning hot gas called the Sun, hence the title of this post.
     The baseball season is well underway as are the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I hope your team does well, that is unless they are playing my team.
     We have another Wednesday Hodgepodge today, so thank you Joyce Daley for another set of questions. So, without further ado...the Hodgepodge!

1. Three things on your spring bucket list? If you don't have an actual list that's fine, pretend you do.
    Three things on my Spring bucket list is watch and score Red Sox Baseball, with Bruins Playoff Ice Hockey and refinance our home mortgage.

2. Where do you find rest? What restores your soul? When was the last time you did whatever it was you answered here?
      I find rest in watching and scoring a baseball game. I find that sharing a meal and sharing good conversations with my beloved SWMBO or good friends restores my soul. The last time that I did that was last night when SWMBO took me out to dinner.

3. April is National Celery Month. Who knew? Do you like celery? What's your favorite dish made with celery? On a veggie and dip platter which would you reach for first-carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumbers or cherry tomatoes? 
      I do like celery. I do not think I have a favorite dish but I like celery in soups. I like celery filled with cream cheese or peanut butter. As regarding veggie and dip platters I usually do grab a few stalks of celery first. 

4. I read here eight things to do before 8 am to make your day less hectic-Start one load of laundry, drink water, empty the dishwasher, read your Bible, know what you're having for dinner, get dressed, brain dump (two lists-one what you're thankful for and one what's weighing on your mind), and after the brain dump make your to-list for the day

How many of these are you currently doing? Which one do you think would help the most if you added it to your early morning routine?
     The only thing that I do before 8 am is get dressed. I usually do by Bible study and quiet time in the evening after SWMBO and the "Littles" go to bed. I also do my brain dumping in the evening. I drink water throughout the day, along with a cup of coffee or two and/or maybe a cup of tea. 

5. Describe the view from your window.
     Looking out the window from where I am typing this I see our unpaved gravel driveway below me. To the right is our front lawn. To the left is our garden shed. At the end of our driveway on the left is a utility pole with a transformer. Also on the left is a smattering of trees. At the end of our driveway on the right is our mailbox and a lamp on a pole. There is also a smattering of trees. Across the street from the end of our driveway is a wetland and looking up I see gray overcast clouds. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.
       This past weekend our church held our annual youth rally. There were around forty teens from area congregations. Our speaker was a former member who now preaches full time. He travelled with his lovely bride from the Lone Star State to speak to us. The theme of the weekend was "Jesus, The Good Shepherd." The sermon text was the 23rd Psalm.    
       Several members of the congregation stepped up to take responsibility for various functions that are necessary to host such an event. Several members stepped up to help those members complete their functions that made the weekend a success. I am so proud of the church members and their heart for God and for young people. I pray God's blessings upon all who participated.

GO BRUINS AND GO SOX HODGEPODGE!

     A pleasant good morning to one and all. Welcome back to our Hodgepodge Mistress and thank you for another wonderful set of questions. 
     My beloved Red Sox have begun their season in good style. As of this writing they are 8 and 1 on the young season. This is the first time in franchise history that they have begun a season so well. 
     My beloved Bruins ended their season in less than stellar fashion but they clinched a spot in the upcoming playoffs so life is good. 
     I encourage you to participate in the Wednesday Hodgepodge. It really is easy. Click on over to "From This Side of the Pond" and simply follow the directions. You will be glad that you did.
     And now....the Hodgepodge. 

1. April is National Jazz Appreciation Month. Are you a fan? If so what's a favorite you'd recommend to someone new to jazz listening?

      I am a fan of most types of Jazz. My taste runs more to the smoother side of the genre. I would recommend newcomers start there, listening to someone like Kenny G. and then explore other styles and artists until they find something or someone more to their taste.

2. Mandolin, ukulele, harp, accordion or banjo...which would you be most interested in learning to play? Or do you already play one of the instruments listed?
     I think that I would choose the mandolin. It seems to me to be more akin to the guitar with which I sometimes succeed in making music.

3. Do you judge a book by it's cover? Elaborate. You may answer in either/both the literal or figurative sense of the word.
     To be completely honest, yes I do. If I am looking to buy or borrow a book to read, the cover synopsis has to grab me, or I will not buy or borrow the book. 
      I sometimes judge people "...by their cover," in a manner of speaking. I have become quite cynical after my many years in law enforcement. A police officer's survival could very well depend upon their ability to evaluate people and distinguish between those who pose a danger and those who do not. I therefore tend to take a wait and see attitude before I'm willing to "buy the book."  If that makes me a bad person, well, so be it.

4. According to a recent study the ten most nutritious foods are-almonds, cherimoya (supposed to taste like a cross between a pineapple/banana), ocean perch, flatfish (such as flounder and halibut), chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, swiss chard, pork fat (shocking! but I don't think they mean bacon), beet greens, and red snapper. Are any of these foods a regular part of your diet? Any you've never ever tasted? Which would you be most inclined to add to your diet?
     I eat a fair amount of almonds. I do not eat fish due to allergies. I have never tried any of the other items mentions. I would be most likely to add cherimoya to my diet because I like both banana and pineapple.

5. Besides a major holiday what is the most recent thing you've celebrated with your people? Tell us how.
     That's easy! My beloved SWMBO and I celebrated the 35th anniversary of her 29th birthday in late March. The day began with her receiving a tasteful birthday card. She was then treated to a fine breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast restaurants. Then at dinner, we went to the Outback restaurant where we had a fine meal and some wonderful conversation. A fun time was had by all.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

     BREAKING NEWS: The Boston Red Sox just spanked the "Evil Empire," AKA the New York Yankees beating them by a score of 14 to 1. Happiness is a Red Sox win. Ecstasy is a Red Sox win against the Yankees. 
     People will sometimes ask me which baseball team is my favorite. My answer is that I have two favorite teams, the Boston Red Sox and whoever is playing the Yankees.
     The rivalry is real! However, and at the risk of my losing my citizenship in Red Sox nation, there are players who wear, or have worn, the Yankee pinstripes who have garnered my respect and admiration. In my estimation, the only flaw that I can see in these people is that they played for the Yankees. Otherwise they were exceptional human beings and outstanding baseball players.
     GO RED SOX!