Hodgepodge : Let's C

Many of Joyce's Hodgepodge questions this week contain the letter "C," which I'm not sure was planned, but my eyes zoomed in on them like a kid watching "The Electric Company." Who remembers that show? Each episode was brought to you by a different letter. Anyway, let's "C" her questions and my answers about chili, colors, crafts, and a cliche' or two.

1. Do you like chili? Red or white? Beans or no beans? Spice or no spice? Toppings?

Love chili. I prefer it thick and red, with beans and lot of finely ground beef, quite spicy, topped with shredded cheddar and chopped onions, served over spaghetti. Once upon I time I loved white chicken chili, but I made it so often I burned out my family and myself. Don'tcha hate when that happens?

2. Red~Orange~Gold...your favorite fall color?

Gold. Perhaps it's my Jewish heritage showing. Gold bling on trees just wows me like fine gold on fingers and around the neck:) Bring it on! (This photo was taken last fall from an upstairs window looking out into our woods.) I sometimes think I'll inhale the smell of leaves so deeply and fill my eyes to the dripping point that it literally kills me. And I'm not talking allergies. I'm talking pure pleasure of an inimitable kind.

3. Who did you idolize when you were growing up?

(Whom?) My daddy. I called him "Jesus with skin on." He was always patient, gentle, kind, smart, able to fix anything, affirming. He told us regularly how proud he was of us girls (he had no sons) and how beautiful we were, and smart. Daddy was never too busy to stop and help us. The only way I made it through high school algebra and physics was because I had him for a tutor. And here's a little claim to fame: my dad tutored the late, great basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain in college algebra at KU. (My dad was an engineering student who, to this day, never misses a Jayhawks game on TV.) He also invented a chemical warfare device to protect our soldiers. My dad could (can) sing beautifully and express himself poetically and is a talented artist. I love to watch him draw muscle cars! But the most amazing thing about my dad is that, in my entire life, I have NEVER heard him speak a harsh word to, or about, my mother. He loves her in a way I have not seen another man love his wife.

4. When was the last time you did something 'arts and craftsy'? Share, please.

Well, considering I'm an art teacher, I get a weekly dose of


"arts and craftsy." Last week was our first class and we decorated our portfolios, and made name labels for our sketchbooks using manila paper and 6B pencils. This coming week we're starting to exploring my favorite topic, the color wheel, using acrylic paints. Woo-hoo! On a personal level, I'm still trying to get around to making basement curtains for the sliding glass door in our sort-of Ravens den/man cave/family hang-out of a basement.


5. What's a place that makes you really nervous?

The passenger's seat when my husband is driving.

6. Horse back riding...yay or nay (neigh?)

In my youth, big yay. Currently? Big neigh. Although I admit, I do fantasize about getting back in the saddle someday, riding through Estes Park with my friend Barb on one of our future vacations together. (My husband took one trotting lap around the pasture on our old horse named Brandy, and that was enough for him. Can you say, "city slicker"?) The greatest adventures and thrills in my life (before marriage and motherhood) all took place on the backs of horses.

7. What is your favorite cliche?

"Favorite cliche" is an oxymoron. I can't stand cliches. I avoid them like the plague and don't touch them with a ten-foot pole. If you want to be on the cutting edge of communication, you gotta bring your A-game and fly away from cliches like a bat out of $%#*, unless it tickles your fancy to use phrases that are a dime a dozen.

Okay, enough is enough. At the end of the day, my favorite cliche has to do with the beginning of the day: "Wake up and smell the coffee!"

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I took my boy to the doctor today for a physical. When the lady peeked down his pants , Joel exclaimed, "Ew! I hope you get paid a lot for that!"