Here, Blow. It's the 116th Hodgepodge, Sister!

Thanks to Joyce for stocking up on questions to keep us thinkin' and chattin' amongst ourselves. Anyone else who happens upon this here blog party is welcome to join in. Simply read my answers, leave a comment, click on the button over and it'll take you to the hostess station.

1. My real life friends came through with another question this week so thank you real life friends. When you've eaten in a restaurant do you complete their comment card? Do you take online surveys highlighted at the bottom of store receipts?

If service is either exceptionally good or exceptionally bad, I do, yes.   A couple weeks ago my daughter and I went to a local Indian restaurant which is normally excellent in food and service. That time, however, the food was lukewarm and the service likewise.  My comment card said so, as did the tip we left.

I don't fill out online surveys that require my email address, which most do. It's not worth the possible "win" to me.

2. The (US) ban on women in combat was lifted at the end of January. It will probably be next year before specifics are worked out, but it's been reported over 200,000 front line positions will eventually open up to women. Your thoughts?

Oh, boy, this is  a 'can of worms' question that I happened to discuss with a few people when it was brought up on Facebook. Big mistake.  I think I might have lost two "friends" based on my outspokenness. Dare I open the can again?

Yes, I dare, since you asked.  I don't think women are fundamentally wired to kill. We are nurturers.  If I were a man, and wired the way I think most "men of war" are, I am not sure I'd see a woman as my military equal emotionally, let alone physically. That's not a putdown; it's reality.

Also, what about the feminine care issues that arise every month? In a war zone, you're supposed to take with you all remnants of your having been there (vomit into your helmet, cover your tracks, don't leave trash, etc).  Is a woman going to take her  "mess" with her? Sorry if that's TMI, but it's a fact of life.  I also know that my husband would have a harder time seeing his daughter go into combat than seeing his son do so, not because there is a difference in how he loves them, but in how he views their need to be protected, not doing the protecting with a gun in hand.

I personally think the current epidemic of PTSD is bad enough; dare we add to it exponentially by exposing women to the close-up horrors of combat?

3. In looking back at all the blog posts you've written, what's your favorite post title?

Ugh! That's tough, considering this post is my 1735th on this blog alone.   Plus it feels a bit like tooting my own horn. However, I compromised and looked back over the most recent 700 posts or so, looking for a title that grabbed my attention.

I guess when you grab your own attention as an author on something you've written,  you're either forgetful (which I am), or you must be easily entertained (which I definitely am).

That title was for the post called "How Do You 'Break it' When You've Broken It?"

4. What's worse-overly permissive parents or overly protective parents? Did your own parents lean more to the permissive or the protective category? If you're a parent where do you fall? s

Overly permissive parenting is worse, by far.  My parents struck a great balance in my childhood, but they probably should have kept a closer watch on me in my teens.  I tend to lean toward overprotectiveness based on some of the things I experienced or heard about as I got older.  I've always told our kids, "I'm not here to be your friend. I'm here to be your parent. I'd much rather you
be upset with me now for "overprotecting" you than having to live with your pain and my guilt that would come by permitting you to do things, go places, or hang with people that I have misgivings about."

I am the mother who took her sons into the ladies' bathroom till they were 7.  After that age, I would stand outside of men's restrooms and speak to them through the door so everyone knew Mama Hawk was there. We are the parents who haven't allowed our kids to go to sleepovers unless we know the parents VERY, VERY well and have SOME modicum of "like" for the friend hosting.  We are the parents who get on our kids' nerves by checking on them. But at the same time, we've given them a lot of freedom to travel out-of-country without us, to carry our credit card for emergencies, and to take risks, and to get married young, and other things that some parents would find 'permissive' and not 'protective.'



5. Candlelight-moonlight-firelight-bright lights in the big city...which one's your favorite?

Candlelight, unless I'm super cold and there's a blazing, controlled fire in a fireplace with a hearth on which I can sit to warm myself.



6. Dr. Seuss's birthday was celebrated on Saturday. What's a favorite book you remember (Seuss or otherwise) from your own childhood? Did books play an important role in your growing up years? Explain.

Green Eggs and Ham is a favorite Seuss book.  Speaking of being an overprotective parent, I guard my Seuss collection .  (For anyone who read my Hodgepodge last week, my daughter kept her end of the "compromise." All Seuss books are safely back under my roof. :)  )   My earliest best memories include books. One I distinctly remember was called Grandpa's Policeman Friends.  Another was called Big Sister, Little Sister.  My big sister and I would listen to that while lying on either side of my mom for a nap. There was a line in the book we would eagerly await, when Little Sister started to cry and Big Sister would hand her a Kleenex. The line was "Here, blow."  To this day, whenever I get
weepy around my big sister, she pulls out a Kleenex and we both say, "Here, blow!"   Then of course we both crack up.

7. To quote Dr. Seuss...

"From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere."

from One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

Share something funny you've recently read, seen or heard.

Did you know there are pun-off championships?  I am not kidding! My friend Amy posted this status on my FB&nbsp wall.. "Zo, I found your people..."  and followed it with this video:

8. Insert your own random thought here.

After being without a working heating system (except for the mighty expensive auxiliary heat)
we had a new one installed today! I love it and am OH, SO, GRATEFUL!

Especially since we could get anywhere from 3-18 inches of snow tomorrow.

 (Don't you love well the meteorologists predict similar amounts of snow?)