Wednesday Hodgepodge - 9/14

1. What do you do at the first sign of a cold? Will you get a flu shot this year?

      At the first sign of a cold, I whine.  But it should be stated that because I live in the middle of farming country and I have intense allergies, I almost always have some symptom of a cold.  I do believe that I will be getting a flu shot, as much as I hate needles, because of what happened with Uncle James last flu season.  I get that that was a fluke thing, but I don't really think I want to take any chances.

2. What advice can you give about how to conquer fear?

     Sometimes, you just have to look Fear straight in the eye, square up, and kick him in the junk!  More seriously, I tend to do a lot of repeating of Psalm 27:1-3 and try to remember that if God is for us, what do we have to fear?

3. Share two good things about your life right now.

    1) I am in relatively good health.  I try to never take that for granted.   2) Everyone in my life seems to be heading in a good direction, after months of wondering what in the world is going on.

4. A hot fall fashion trend in 2011 is a return to sixties style...tunics with pants, shift dresses, pencil skirts, cinched waists, bold prints, high necklines and short lengths to name a few. How does this fashion trend fit with your wardrobe and personal sense of style?

    Mostly it doesn't.  I do like a good shift dress and I love bold prints, but overall, I don't pay much attention to what is hot.  The beauty of living so far away from any real fashion mecca is that it's hard to tell what's the next hot thing, and mostly no one cares.  I dress in what is comfortable and appealing to me.

5. Were you involved in scouting as a kid? How about as an adult?

     My mom tried to get me to join the Brownies when I was little and I cried and begged her not to make me.  I have great respect for the people who choose that, but even at five I knew that scouting and camping wasn't my bag.

6. Apple, pear, plum, pumpkin...your favorite fall flavor?

    Apple all the way!  I don't like pumpkin at all and am indifferent about the other two.  But my grandma's homemade apple crumb pies--there's something I feel passionately about!

7. What characteristics do you think are essential in a good teacher?

      Patience, common sense, integrity, compassion, a sense of humor, theatericality, and did I mention patience?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

    I was really worried about not feeling grown-up enough to be turning 30.  I mean, I don't have anything figured out.  I am a terrible housekeeper.  I forget to water my plants.  Then, I read this article and all of the comments that went with it, and I felt a lot better about where I'm heading.  At the least, a little closer to this side of normal.