Wednesday Hodgepodge

This weeks Hodgepodge is all about the upcoming Holiday.  Joyce is takin' next week off!  Yay, Joyce!

1. What do the words 'freedom' and 'liberty' mean to you? Does your mind go more in the direction of not being persecuted or discriminated against or does it head in the direction of doing what you please?
My mind definitely goes in the direction of the first option.  Getting to do what you please in as much as having an opinion without fear of being prosecuted; voting; living how you choose . . . those kinds of things say freedom to me also.

2. Nathan's sponsors a hot dog eating contest every 4th of July. Last year over 40,000 people attended the event and almost 2 million watched it on TV. The winner ate over 60 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. How do you like your hot dogs?

I'm not a huge hot dog eater but if I'm going to have one I prefer it with just a smidge of plain ol' yellow mustard.  But JUST a smidge, mind you.  This is funny but when the Hubby and I happen to do a Costco run at lunch time and opt for a hot dog on our way out, we can't doctor up each others hot dogs because I don't put enough on his and he puts too much on mine.  Ha.

By the way, I don't believe I've heard of Nathan's hot dogs.  Is that an East Coast thing?
 

3. If you were going to enter an eating contest what would be on the menu?

Pasta or Dungeness Crab.  Either way I would have a stomach ache afterwards. But if I could do it that's what I would choose. 

4. Do you run your house more as a dictatorship or a democracy?

Well this is an interesting question.  I would say it's a cross between the two.  I can be firm on some things and since I am a enabler peacemaker by nature I'm not opposed to negotiating.  That said, my rules wishes are pretty black and white and based on common curtesy and respect for those that pay the bills each other.  Notice I used Iand not we?  Yeah, I'm pretty much the heavy in charge as far as rules go.
Now that 2 out of 3 of my off spring are technically out on their own (or soon to be) the Summer time or random weekend with a full house has not so far brought on any 'negotiations.'

5. Where was your favorite summer place when you were a kid?

I think it would be the Beach.  When we were growing up we didn't go on many vacations but my Dad's parents retired to the beach in an ocean front home and Grandpa ran the town bakery.  It was great fun to spend a few days there and have fresh baked goods every morning. Ah, those were the days.
I remember Debbie always singing a little ditty she made up the first night of the stay when we went to bed.  There was a large room upstairs that had 4 beds in it separated by 'curtains' which were really hand made quilt like panels on rods.  I can still hear that noise the rings made when you pulled the curtains.  The 'song' went like this . . .

We're at the beach
We're at the beach
Yay yay yay
We're at the beach.

Hahaha  Makes me laugh. 

6. Do you have a guest room? Would you want to stay there?

We have one bedroom which has had several labels.  It's in the South Wing next to Son #1's room.  For years it was 'Jake's room' (Son #1's best bud) because he was the one who stayed in it.  This past weekend when Son #1 and GF Holly were here, I referred to the room as Holly's room.  I actually thought of Jake when I said it too.  Ahhh, time moves on . . .
Technically it is a guest room.  Since Son #1 has been out on his own for almost a year now and Miss Katherine-A. is also headed in that direction (in about 9 days, but who's counting) I suppose 3 out 5 of my bedrooms could be considered guest rooms.  Hmm. 

This was actually a topic of discussion this past weekend when I mentioned I was going to purge clean out the afore mentioned college graduate's bedrooms and Son #1 is having issues separation anxiety about it no longer being "his" room and doesn't want me to get rid of the stuff he hasn't touched in 4 years in there. Yet he doesn't want to take it with him either. 

I digress, back to the guest room . . .  Everyone that stays there says they've slept well.   I would sleep there.  The one thing I would like to add would be a television.  It's completely crazy that the cable people told us it would be incredibly hard to get the cable in that room.  I can't imagine why.  Silly.  I must try that again.  I probably just got a lazy cable guy, don't ya think?

7. Next Wednesday America celebrates her independence. Do you have any special plans for the 4th of July? If you live outside the USA when and how does your country celebrate its own patriotic holiday?

Isn't it a bother that it's mid-week and most people will not have Thursday off so the festivities have be cut to a minimum?  Wouldn't that be great if th 4th always fell on a Saturday?  Hey maybe the powers that be could pass a bill that delared the 4th of July always on the first Saturday of July.  I mean, they've done stranger things, haven't they?

I strayed again.  Anyway . . .  We usually have friends over for eats and to watch the fireworks in the Valley put on by the City and of course the illegal neighborhood ones too.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Speaking of Son #1, (see #6) I emailed him yesterday and have still not received a reply.  And since he doesn't visit here on Wednesdays due to a fear of being bored then I guess he won't know that I'm still waiting for him to answer my email and then I guess he wouldn't know that I was going to gift him some money. 

Too bad.

I'm just sayin'