Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. William Shakespeare's birthday is celebrated on April 23rd...when did you last read Shakespeare? What's your favorite Shakespeare play?

The Tragedy of Macbeth  is a tragedy by William Shakespeare about a man who commits regicide so as to become king and then commits further murders to maintain his power. The play clearly demonstrates the corrupting effect of ambition, but also deals with the relationship between cruelty and masculinity, tyranny and kingship, treachery, violence, guilt, prophecy, and disruption of the natural order.

2. What food(s) would you recommend a foreign visitor try when they visit your home country?

What's more American than Mac and Cheese?

3. What's a lie you often tell yourself?

I'm too old to do that.

4. What's something you're good at that might surprise us? Remember this is a family friendly blog!

Carpentry.  I learned at my Daddy knee.  I can build and repair small type stuff, and I have power tools.

5. Who is your favorite animal character from a book?

The Velveteen Rabbit.  A little boy loves his bunny and takes him everywhere. The other toys in the nursery tell the velveteen rabbit that if you are loved enough you can become real. The little boy gets scarlet fever and has to have all his toys burned. Before he can be burned the velveteen rabbit becomes real and scampers away.  A favorite quote--“Real isn't how you are made. It's a thing that happens to you. Sometimes it hurts, but when you are Real you don't mind being hurt. It doesn't happen all at once. You become. Once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand. Once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always.” 

― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real

6. April showers bring May flowers...do you have a green thumb?

I do, but right now I am having an awful time trying to keep the new puppies out of my flower beds.  They just ate a hibiscus that I had planted.

7. Speaking of rainy days...which one of the following activities would you most want to spend time doing on a rainy day-

sort photos and create albums

bake cookies

read a good book

hold an all-day movie marathon

organize closets, cupboards, or bookshelves

try a new recipe

fix something that needs fixing

First choice read a good book, then bake cookies, or maybe bake cookies first so I'd have a treat while reading my book.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I was really happy yesterday.  I signed the final papers on the refinance of my home.  I have a good interest rate, and will be able to save about $100. a month.