Hodgepodge for 9-17-2014

Welcome to Hodgepodge edition #190!! I haven't been with the group that long, but it's amazing how long this one has grown and survived. Most don't. It says a lot for our hostess at This Side of the Pond

Thank you, Joyce, for a good time.

1. I'm celebrating a birthday this week so a question relating to aging feels appropriate. Douglas MacArthur is quoted as saying, 'You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair." Would you agree? If not why not?

Happy Birthday, Joyce. I agree with that quote. It's all a state of mind.

"If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don’t,

If you like to win, but you think you can’t,

It’s almost a “cinch” you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you've lost,

For out in the world you find

Success begins with a fellow’s will;

It’s all in the state of mind."  by Walter D. Wintle

2. What remarkable feat, interesting piece of trivia, or historical event occurred on your birth day and month? Not necessarily in your birth year, just the same date/same month.

Dec. 21, 1913 the first crossword puzzle was printed in the New York World newspaper. No, I didn't work on it. I'm not quite THAT old.

3. Describe a time or circumstance where you wanted to 'have your cake and eat it too.'

I can't think of anything.

4. What's something you do that makes you feel young? Something that makes you feel old?

They say your grandkids can make you feel young and sometimes they do,  but then there are times when they make me feel so old. Like when I have no idea what movie character they're talking about and  especially when I can't hear what they're "mumbling" about.

5. When did you last do something that was 'a piece of cake'?

Last year  I worked for  an auctioneer, he gave me the job of writing up this sales flyers and take care of his ads for the newspapers. Those first few were a pain, had me scared, but after finding out how pleased he was, it all became "a piece of cake".

6. Beef, wine, and cheese all improve with age. What's something else you'd add to that list? (not necessarily food or beverage) 

Love…. After being married to my  high school sweetheart for 48 years, the love we had then has only gotten better with age.

7. If I were to have a giveaway when we hit Volume 200, what should I give away? By my calculations we'll hit Volume 200 on November 26th, the day before Thanksgiving, which means whoever wins would have whatever it is in time for Christmas. 

That's a very difficult question to answer. I'd like to have an iPad for Christmas.

( I'm joking)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My cousin John has had liver cancer and has so many recent set-backs. He's still in the hospital in Columbus, OH. He had surgery to remove the last of the tumors on his liver and was doing good. But then he had peritonitis from the surgeon nicking his colon. He's fought hard and has finally  been taken out of ICU into a private room. But he's had a feeding tube in his throat for so long, he's lost the ability to swallow. Rehab is working to teach him how to swallow again. I just talked to his wife and she's worn to a frazzle. I'm as worried about her as I am about John. They both need prayer. John still has a long road to recovery.