Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. It was decided on Sunday the Denver Broncos will meet the Seattle Seahawks in this year's  Superbowl. So when was the last time you bowled? Not where you thought this question was going is it?  Do you like to bowl? Are you any good? 

This may sound really strange, but I will explain. After my mom's funeral in 1991 we were all at loose ends. Didn't want to go home with shadows of her everywhere. Her favorite thing had been bowling, so we all went bowling for the afternoon. 

I do like to bowl. I belonged on a league once. They asked me to dropout because I was so bad it messed with the handicaps. That should tell you if I am any good or not.

2.   Should sports stars be role models? 

If they should be they aren't doing a very good job of it. But, no I don't think they should be. I think parents, teachers, their minister, soldiers, people along the lines of real life should be roll models. There is nothing about a sports star's life that is real. I mean really some of those salaries...com'on! Whether you like our President or not how can it be that someone in sports makes 100 times more than the president?

3. January is National Oatmeal month...are you a fan? How do you like your oats?

Not in cookies that's for sure. I like oatmeal just about any other way. A little brown sugar, some raisins, and a dab of milk. Love them then.

4. What is one book on your reading list for 2014?

There  are two must reads for 2014. But a whole long list of possibles.

 I want to read the Bible cover to cover. I have never been able to accomplish this, and truly do want to

The other book is Nelson Mendella's autobiography.

. 5. What would you like your future self to say to your present self?

"You better be healthier than you are right now, because I know it is within your reach to achieve the level of health you want."

6. When scrolling through the TV guide, what is one movie title that makes you want to stop, grab the popcorn, and watch for a while?

"The Wizard of Oz", "The Sound of Music", "The King and I", and anything with Patrick Swayze.

7. What are two style trends you hope never come back into fashion?

Clothing styles from the "disco" rage. They made me cringe. And,  body suits. They were the most uncomfortable things to wear. I mean the snaps were in just the wrong place. Right?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

We are back in the deep freeze here in Minnesota. -20 this morning. Plus, as an added bonus we had snow last night. I am supposed to take my husband to the doctor this morning, but I am thinking we won't be making the drive. It is 45 miles one way on country roads. So instead I think we will stay home, be warm and cozy, and watch movies. Did I hear Patrick Swayze mentioned?

Wednesday HodgePodge

1. Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English.  Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse or just general uselessness (go here to read more about how the words were chosen).  Here are the words/phrases they'd like to see banished in 2014-

selfie, twerk/twerking, hashtag, Twittersphere, Mr. Mom, T-bone, ____on steroids, the suffixes-ageddon, and -pocalypse added to anything and everything, from the world of politics the words-intellectually/morally bankrupt and Obamacare, and from the world of sports the words-adversity and fan base

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? I think it has to be twerk or twerking. I am not even sure what they mean. I have an idea that it has to do with tweeting and I just don't get that at all.

2. What one unfinished project nags at you begging to be completed in this new year?

I absolutely will get all of my yarn stash organized and cataloged. I have so much and I don't know what fibers or colors or how much of anything I have. I want to get clear bins and label each one as to what is inside, and then make a master list on the computer. I will print the list and carry it in my purse so when I am out and about I will know if I need the yarn or not.

3. When did you last have a bowl of soup? What kind? Homemade or from a can? What's your favorite soup?

We had soup for dinner tonight. Homemade lentil soup. We have soup at least once a week in the winter. It provides us with nourishment and keeps us warm. We very rarely have soup out of can. But, I do like to cook with  cream soup. My favorite soup is French onion soup or a close second would be chicken corn chowder.

4. Snowed in, snowed under, snow job...which one most applies to your life in recent days, figuratively speaking.

Snowed in was Minnesota in the month of December. Now we are frozen in. The high today was 2 above, yesterday it was -10. My low overnight was -27 and -35 windchill. It will be 20 above by Saturday and will feel balmy.

5. What's the funniest movie you've ever seen, or at least one of the funniest?

It was a hard decision, but I think it is "Second Hand Lion." I laugh so hard that I cry.  The least favorite is "Napoleon Dynamite." I didn't even watch the entire thing.

6.  In general, would you say you're clumsy?

I can not walk and chew gum. I can trip over my own feet while standing still. Yes, I am very clumsy. I have sprained my ankles so many times just by walking and having my foot do something weird.

7. Elvis Presley was born on Hodgepodge Day (January 8th) back in 1935.  Are you an Elvis fan?  What's your favorite Elvis tune? If that's too hard, which Elvis tune do you dislike the least?  Click here for a list of his songs.

I like Elvis. Not so much his movies, but I do like to hear his songs on the radio. My favorite would be "Only Fools Rush In." My least favorite is "The Ghetto", but only because it makes me cry. I once wrote a short story about the day he died.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

I got the blogger bug, and was going to post everyday, but then the weather here took over all of my plans. When dealing with frozen water pipes there isn't much time for anything else. We have been lucky and didn't have any burst pipes.

A new year, and a new blog

     I have had this blog for a while, but it was broken.  My son, and his girlfriend fixed it. My goal will be to write something everyday. There is a lot of sameness in my life, but I am fairly certain I can come up with some topic or another each day.

     I thought since this was the actual first official post I would tell you all about myself..

     I am a born and raised city girl. I love the city, and everything it about it. Shopping (of course), museums, shopping (oh I mentioned that), concerts, theater, shopping.

     I live 22 miles from town.  Really not the city. I live in the woods. Acres, and acres of woods.  We have deer who visit daily. Raccoons who are a cute, but unwanted visitor. An occasional skunk who is definitely unwanted. Last summer we had wild turkeys walk through the yard. I love living in the woods, but do miss the city. ** See above.

     I have a husband of 23 years. We met in 1986. It was like instant knowing that he was the man I was going to marry. He is quite a bit older than me. Eighteen years, He is retired, and has been for 14 years. You will come to know him as I post. 

     I have one son. He will be 30 this Spring. He is me. I am so proud of him that I could bust right out in song. Oh, wait I have. More about him too in later posts. This all takes time.

     At present time I have only 2 cats. Ozzy who is 14, and Boo who is 5. I say ONLY two cats, because there was when there were 6 in the house. More about them too. We also took care of a colony of feral cats. Their numbers have diminished over the years.  Have you seen the sticker or sign or what ever that says, " I will become the neighborhood crazy cat lady/", ? I am already know in these parts as that. I love it.

     I have hobbies. I love to crochet. I make baby things mostly. for no other reason than they are cute and fun to make. I make things to give away mostly. Finally I am making myself something after all of these years. I will do a reveal when I finish. I read. I think I would rather read than eat. Hmmm sounds drastic and maybe a bit over the top. I have a Kindle. I still prefer a physical book in my hands, but a Kindle is nice. There is something about the smell of the ink and the paper in a book. I like to take pictures. There is a new camera in my future. Not a terrible expensive Nikon, but better than my point and shoot. 

     What I want this blog to be abut is simple. I want to share me with you. I won't promise not to go off on a tear sometimes. When things really get under my skin this will be an outlet for a small rant. I won't promise not to have lots of pictures, but probably not daily. Maybe one, but not tons. I don't care for a post where  I have to hunt for the post because of all the pictures. I might on occasion even put in a work of fiction I might at some point change my mind on what I want this to be, but I will give fair warning.

     I think that is about it for now. I hope you enjoyed today's post. I hope you will continue to come and read what I have to say.

  Thank you......Trudy

Hodgepodge

1. Do you believe in miracles?

Absolutely! They  are around us daily. The sunrise, the sunset, the miracle of each snowflake being different, and most important especially at this time of year is Christ's birth, and God's love for us.

2. What's a recent fad you admit to trying?

I can't think of any fad recently that I have tried. Unless, gasp!, it is texting while driving! Shame on me. Only once or twice and it scared the **ap out of me. I pull over to the shoulder now.

3. Peppermint-are you a fan? If so, what's your favorite food or beverage containing peppermint?

Peppermint is one of my favorite flavors. Right now I am enjoying Coffee Mate Peppermint creamer in my morning coffee. I always, and I mean always have Ice Breakers peppermints with me. Andes mints a wonderful. However, I don,t like candy canes. Yeah, I know I'm weird that way.

4. Break the ice, on thin ice, as cold as ice (emotionally, not literally)...which phrase have you run into most recently? Explain.
As mentioned above I love Ice Breaker mints. Not the same thing I know. I suppose maybe break the ice. My brother was cranky the other night, and ended up wailing at me. Online it is hard to really express your anger, but he did a really very good job at it. So, I discontinued our chat. I don't take kindly to yelling, and he was yelling. So, last night he was online and I broke the ice and asked if he was over his snit. He said he thought I was in a snit, and was just giving it back. A misunderstanding that if left untouched could have seriously damaged our relationship, and we only have each other.

5. Have you ever broken or spilled something in someone else's home? Still friends?

Ever? How about almost always. I have left a trail of my muddy footprints through a friends house. On the carpet, through to the hardwood floor, right into the tiled kitchen. She is my BFF , we have been friends for 40 years.

6.  'Tis the week before Christmas...are you feeling more like Buddy the Elf or theGrinch before his heart grew?

I don't know who Buddy is, but I am certainly not the Grinch. I am stressed out because I have so many thing to accomplish before company comes next week. But, I have found that no matter what everything always seems to get done. I ordered a new tree this year. On December 1st. It has not arrived yet. Just one more thing. The packages are wrapped, I have an empty space in the living room for it, and I have been assured it will be here today. We'll see.

7. Share a favorite quote relating to Christmas.

Trite, but true...It's not the receiving , although that is good too, but the giving that is the spirit of Christmas. I murdered the quote but you get the idea. I also try to remember that Christ is the reason for the season.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

The snow just keeps coming. Two weeks ago we got 18-20  inches, and it hasn't really stopped since then. It seems everyday we get 1 or 2 more .inches and wake up to even more that has fallen over night. It has been a long time since we have seem snow like this. This is winter of my childhood. I liked it then, right now I am not a fan. As a child I lived in the city. I remember walking the entire length of my block on the snow mounds people had made when they shoveled the walkway. Some were taller than I was. I remember making "igloos" out of the mounds to use as snow forts. The winter we have just started is already shaping up to be that kind of winter. I wonder where I should build my fort?

Note: The tree came yesterday, but someone made a mistake somewhere along the way. It is a SILVER tree. I know I did not, would not, could not have ordered a silver tree. I am a green tree person. It will have to do for right now, but it will be returned next week or shortly thereafter. I think the whole saga of the tree is a future blog post.

I thought I would a couple of pictures of the Christmas village that gets set up each year. This year my son and his girlfriend did it, and I think they did a fine job.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. According to Oxford Dictionaries, the 2013 word of the year is 'selfie'. Your thoughts? When did you last take a selfie? Do you post them online somewhere?  Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind the lens?

I am not sure I even know what a "selfie" is. Although it seems to be a self pprtrait. No I don't take photos of myself. There are very few photos of me. I don't think I take good pictures. They scare old women and babies. I love being behind the camera.

2. Will you send out Christmas cards this year? If so, are they ready to go? If not, are you glad or sad about leaving that tradition behind?

I still send out a few to people that I won't be spending time with at Christmas. I send a few to friends I have made online. About 8 cards in all. I have not even purchased them yet. I am sad to not get cards in the mail. They always were a fun part of the decorations. I detest the form letters that so many people write now. I never know who is doing the writing, and they are so very impersonal.

3. Do you trust easily?

I trust until I am given a reason not to trust. At that point any kind of relationship ends.

4. Pine-cinnamon-peppermint-vanilla (as in sugar cookie)...of those listed, which one is your favorite December scent?

That's a tough one. I like them all. I would have to chose cinnamon though. It works in any part of the house. 

I have a set of tree ornaments that we used when I was a child. They came scented. Imagine how strong the scent was 40 years ago that I can still smell them now. And the level of scent is perfect.

5. Did you do more talking or more listening yesterday? Was that by choice or necessity?

I did more listening. A friend called in the morning in distress because one of her kids is acting inappropriately. I listened and commiserated, and prayed with her. In the afternoon my husband was all fired up about a Christmas gift he has already received...2 way radios.  So I listened and enjoyed his excitement.

6. What's the last song that got stuck in your head? Sorry if it's back there now :  )

That would be the Thanksgiving song..."Over the River." I don't know if that is the title. The first line is "Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go."  It was a family favorite when I was growing up. My mom would play it on the piano. We would laugh because my grandmother lived with us.

7. Which world explorer (in the whole history of the world) would you most like to have traveled with, and why? 

If you think of Christ as an explorer, and he was of sorts then I would go with him. Because how wonderful it would be to learn at the feet of the great Teacher himself. If you don't consider him an explorer then it would be Lewis and Clark. Because I would have liked to discovered those parts of out country.
8.  Insert your own random thought here.

On Thanksgiving day my son and his girlfriend fixed the appearance of my blog. It had been broken by yours truly. I will start to post more often.Especially after the first of the year. I have many post ideas moving about in my head. I am excited to start a new journey. Again.
We are smack dab in the middle of our first Minnesota snow storm. So far we have about 12 inches and they say we could get 10-12 more today. Then it turns cold. Minus degrees cold. That's winter in Minnesota.

CHATS ON THE PORCH

I am joining Patrice on the porch today. The weather here has been so unbelievably perfect , I mean really. Daytime highs in the low 70s nighttime lows in the 50s. Low to no humidity. What could be more perfect. Excellent porch sitting weather.



Questions

1. Do you have any type of air cleaner in your home? I have a wall vent that helps to suck smells out. And windows. I think about getting an air cleaner, but it never seems to make it to the top of the priority list. 
2. What do you do with the spare change you accumulate in your car, purse, pockets, etc? I don't know about any accumulating change. Is this a new phenomenon? My change goes into the change compartment of my wallet, and then is used to make the odd change at a store register. How does one get in on this accumulating change? Is  there a web site where I sign up? Do I need to provide my own wrappers?
3. What's one chore you wish you never had to do again? Dishes! I hate doing dishes . I mean truly and fervently hat it. Even with a dishwasher I hate it. I hate all the other chores that come with dishes. Scrubbing the stove, cleaning off the counters, putting away the clean dishes.  Did I mention I hate this chore? If I could I would use throw away pots and pans, and dishes, and glasses, and silverware.  A girl can dream right? I mean I hate it.
4. Are you outgoing, quite, shy, reserved, or life of the party?  I am outgoing, but have had moments of being the life of the party.  I don't sit in a corner , and wait for life to come to me, but I don't go out of my way to draw attention to myself. Usually.
5. Have you understood your parents more as you've gotten older?  I have actually heard my mothers voice come out of my mouth.  Not just phrases she used to say, but the actual tone of her voice. And now I see her every time I look in the mirror.  I do understand my mom more now. I wish I knew then what I know now and could have helped make her life happier. 

I was fortunate to meet Wendall a few weeks ago. At first I was not sure if he was a person, dog, or cat. He could have been a fish, except who ever heard of a talking fish?

The garden experiment has been declared a huge success. There are 8 tomatoes, 2 squash, 1 pepper, 4 healthy cabbage plants. I don't know yet how the potatoes are doing, but the plants look healthy.  I am already planning next years garden.

I was in the city last week. I was supposed to be a long weekend, but turned out to be almost a full week. Car trouble. It was a relaxing good time though. We went to a yarn store, Micheal's  Jo-Ann's , out to lunch, out to dinner, spent many hours just laughing. I saw my son while I was there and had a very enjoyable evening with him and his girlfriend. It was good to get home, but I can't wait to go again. 

Chats

I am joining in on the fun at Everyday Rurality for Chats on the Porch.

As you can see my header is still broken. I need to have my son take a look at it.

QUESTIONS

1. QUESTIONS
   1. Are you looking forward to fall? I am looking toward fall, but only because it means (hopefully) cooler weather. I do like all the fall colors when the leaves change, and crisp mornings. The fall brings back memories of school days, and piles of leaves burning and hot dogs on sticks.
   2. What are the three best colors for you to wear, and the three worst? My best colors are magenta or bright pink, bright yellow, and royal blue. My worst colors are brown, black, and peach. I look like death in them.
   3. What is your favorite kind of juice? If you are not into juice, you can tell us your favorite flavor of soda, tea, coffee, Tang, mud, etc. My favorite juice used to be grapefruit juice. Now because of medications I can't drink it. I guess my second favorite would be grape juice. My BF cans her own grape juice and it is just the best.
   4. Have you ever been in the hospital (at least an overnight)? You don't need to share the ailment, but tell us what the longest time is. I was in the hospital when my son was born for 10 days. Back then (29 years) they kept you in a long time with a C-section. Six months later I was in the hospital for another 10 days for another surgery. 
   5. Do jingles, songs from ads, and TV or movie themes stick in your head?  Jingles don't stay in my head. I do sing along with the music in a store though. Does that count? Do you find yourself singing them? (This question means that I'm trying to find out if I'm the only crazy person who sings quirky stuff!) My husband is always telling me I am crazy so I doubt you are alone.