1. What's surprised you most about your life or life in general?
I think the really big surprise is how life sped up as I got older. When I was a kid, it was like every year drug by slowly. Summer went by fast, but the school year drug on and on.
Now, every day is pretty much the same and yet, time is flying by fast.
2. Sweet potato fries, sweet potato casserole, a baked sweet potato, a bowl of butternut squash soup, a caramel apple or a slice of pumpkin pie...you have to order one thing on this list right now. Which one do you go for?
I am allergic to sweet potatoes. The first three would be out of the question. I have had the squash soup and I like it.
However, a slice of pumpkin pie and a cup of coffee are a wonderful dessert, so I would like that, please.
3. What's a famous book set in your home state? Have you read it? On a scale of 1-5 (5 is fantastic) how many stars does it rate?
This depends on what one thinks of as “Home state”. If one means the state where one was born then, for me, that would be Georgia.
A famous book that is set in Georgia would be Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I do like that book. It is surprisingly more complex than the movie. To really get what is going on in the movie one must read the book.
If one means the state where one grew up, that would be South Carolina for me. A famous, best selling series of books set in South Carolina is the Liz Talbot Mysteries. We have read the entire series, so far, and loved it.
Now, we live in the great state of Texas. Nothing really stands out as a famous book. Suzanne did an online search and found scores of books with Texas as a setting, but none we have ever heard of except 13 Days to Glory: The Siege of the Alamo By Lon Tinkle. I have never read it.
I have read many of the Zane Grey books. Some of them are set partially in Texas, I think. I like Zane Grey. He was a true artist.
Then, there are all the books written about Enron. We pass by their old headquarters from time to time and their old stadium, Minute Maid Park.
I have read many books about the company. I don’t know that one could say they are great, but most are very interesting. Hearing how so many people, who should have known better, were so gullible. This includes our SEC, Alan Greenspan, and even the President of the United States at the time, George W. Bush.
One of these books was made into a movie. The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron. It is an interesting book, but not one you just couldn’t put down.
One of these books was made into a movie. The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron. It is an interesting book, but not one you just couldn’t put down.
We did recently review a book, This is Texas, Y’all! The Lone Star State from A to Z By Misha Maynerick Blaise. This is a cute little book that got most of it right. We have to disagree about the Bar B Q. This is a subject that people in our area take very seriously. It is almost a religion. The only real determining factor to Bar B Q is that it is slow roasted over an open fire. To sauce or not to sauce, to use a dry rub or not, is a matter of taste. I have seen tempers flare when someone said they were going to “Barbecue some steaks”. A lynch mob soon formed.
We live in an area where people spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a top of the line grill, seriously, to use in the competitions. People get corporate sponsors, too. It is that serious.
4. There are 60 days until Christmas...have you started your shopping? How do you stay organized for the holidays?
All of our kids are grown. We have no grandchildren. We are as poor as Joe’s turkey, so we will not likely be buying any Christmas presents this year. It is all we can do to keep food on the table since we are on a very fixed income. However, since we are starting to see some Amazon sales and the YouTube channel is starting to take off, there may be some money in the budget to exchange gifts this year.
That being said, no we haven’t shopped for Christmas yet. It appears that only one of our children will be home for Christmas. The youngest has a play in Corpus Christi around that time. The two boys are off in the military on opposite coasts from one another.
5. October 26th is National Tennessee Day. Have you ever lived or spent any time in Tennessee? Is this a state you'd like to visit one day? The top rated tourist attractions in Tennessee are-
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Gatlinburg area), Elvis's Graceland (Memphis), Birth of the Music Biz (Memphis and Nashville), Dollywood (Pigeon Forge), Tennessee's Military Heritage (many battlefields), The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home), The Parthenon (Nashville), Oak Ridge American Museum of Science and Energy, Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley Railroad, Downtown Knoxville, Lookout Mountain, The Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge), The Museum of Appalachia (Clinton), and The Lost Sea Adventure (Sweetwater)
How many on this list have you seen? Which one on the list would you most like to see?
On July 07, 1977, I was standing outside the main gate at Graceland. That day is significant because the numbers are all 7: 7/7/77. Elvis died the next month.
As a child, my family and I visited the Great Smoky Mountains and The Hermitage.
Suzanne and I spent most of our honeymoon in Tennessee. We went to Graceland and to see all the related museums. She really wanted to see Graceland. We also went to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Most of the attractions were closed for the season, so places like Dollywood were not open.
We cruised by Nashville, too. The mountains of Tennessee in the fall are a must see. We also went to the Hermitage and Lookout Mountain. We did SEE ROCK CITY.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Recently, I have read a lot about claiming things in Jesus’ Name. I have always believed that God would provide for our needs. We saw that one Thanksgiving when we had no way of affording a meal, much less a Thanksgiving dinner. Then, God went to work. You can read all about that in my Testimony or Watch it on our YouTube Channel.
You can read all about claiming your miracles in the little book Calling Things That Are Not by Charles Capps.
Thank you to Joyce for hosting the Hodgepodge. It is a great way to meet other bloggers. Have a blessed week.
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I agree. Time crawled slower than a slug when we were kids (except for summer vacation!). Now, it's going by faster than Richard Petty at Daytona!
ReplyDeleteAt least I have someone pretty cool to share in this race. :) I love you, my Zing.
I love running this race with you, my Zing! I love you
DeleteGreat answers and I agree, life is speeding up every year - it's too quick and I really want it to slow down a bit. What a tragedy to be allergic to sweet potato - I love this vegetable and use it in so many different ways, though for this post I went with pumpkin pie as well.
ReplyDeleteI think for Christmas you should go with personal gifts for each other that you can create or do - have a look at the Dating Divas website as they have loads of inexpensive options that I use regularly.
Have a lovely week.
I used to try to eat sweet potatoes anyway. The result was not good. A good cup of coffee and some pumpkin pie go well together.
DeleteCongrats on your success on youtube! I'm going to hop out and check out your channel. I just realized that you live in Wharton. I have a friend who lives there - her last name is Morris. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThank you. We will make it to the 1,000! Yes, we have lived in Wharton for over 13 years now.
DeleteGone with the Wind! One of my all time favorites. I guess I took the question about my state as being the one where I've lived most of my life. I was born in Arkansas and raised in Oklahoma. So I guess the musical Oklahoma might be a good one. There was also a book I think called Cimmaron which I think was about the Oklahoma Sooners. I'm sure there are many books about the Indians.
ReplyDeleteThere are bound to be many books about the Indians. It would be nice to know which are close to the actual facts. Cowboy books are not all that accurate. They lived a very routine life, ride fence, herd cattle. Shootouts did happen, but were not normal. Have a blessed week.
DeleteI think you maybe have missed a couple of really good books based in Texas. They were made into movies, but as usual the books are better. "Giant" by Edna Furber and by Larry McMurty "The Lonesome Dove" series, "Streets of Laredo", and a few others. I have not read Streets of Laredo, but if it is at all like Lonesome Dove it is good.
ReplyDeleteI am sure I missed quite a few. I am really not that much of a fiction reader. I have heard of Lonesome Dove but don't know anything about it. Have a great week.
DeleteI am glad your youtube is growing. You are the first I heard of allergic to sweet potatoes.
ReplyDeleteThank you. We gained two new subscribers since we kicked this off. Have a blessed week.
DeleteExactly, that was pretty much my answer for #1. Wish we could slow it down but that just isn't possible. I'm eating the pie too! I haven't read Gone With The Wind but have definitely seen the movie.
ReplyDeleteThe book has a lot more back story than the movie. There is a lot more to the story. Have a blessed week.
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