Winter Hodgepodge

Hey friends! Happy Wednesday. Thanks to Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for our weekly questions. I love reading everyone's blog and I love reading your comments. I wish we all lived close enough to gather together in person!

1. What's a winter memory you treasure (can be from any winter in your lifetime)? On Tuesday, I shared a memory with a couple of co-workers. We had an ice and snow storm in January 1982 that shut down Birmingham and her suburbs for at least three days. The ice brought down tree limbs and power lines. I was dating a guy named Ronnie and I was at a doctor's appointment downtown. The snow and ice arrived 8 hours earlier than expected so the city was in chaos. Ronnie came to pick me up at the doctor's office and we made it a few blocks and could go no further. We left his car in a gas station parking lot and walked several miles to his mother's house. We actually walked on the expressway! His parents power was out and we cooked popcorn in the fireplace and his mom cooked other things in an iron skillet in the fireplace. I made the mistake of saying I was bored at some point . . .and I have never said it again! hahaha! I learned to polish silver that day among other things.

2. Tell us about the last time or a recent time you were caught up in red tape. Does it send your frustration level off the charts or is it something you've come to expect when dealing with any sort of bureaucracy? We've been dealing with lots of red tape regarding Mark's brother and his wife. Things continue to decline. Our sister-in-law fell on Monday and is now in the hospital and Bill is home alone (with sitters). Working with hospice and skilled nursing facilities and getting paperwork has been so hard for Mark and his siblings.

3. Do you eat/like fish? Do you cook fish at home? What's your favorite fish dish? Ever been ice fishing? I recently posted a picture of the lake on the farm. Mark fishes there often and loves to host a fish fry. I enjoy fried fish. Mark fries it on the screen porch!! I prefer shrimp over fish but I do love cod and halibut that Mark has caught in Alaska. I have never been ice fishing. Mark hasn't been ice fishing exactly, but he flew to Saskatchewan two summers to fish in Reindeer Lake. It was mid June and there was still some ice in the water. I also like fresh caught Gulf of Mexico seafood. We always sttay at the same condos in Orange Beach and they have a private fishing pier. Yum!

4. Did you watch any of the US President's Inauguration coverage on Monday, Jan 20? On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being not at all and 10 being very very) how interested are you in politics in general? Do you follow/keep up with/ get involved with local politics? I did not watch any of the inauguration coverage. I don't like politics at all and I try not to discuss it.

5. What's the coziest thing you own and what makes it so? I love a good hooded sweatshirt with a pocket in front. I have two or three of those.

6. Insert your own random thought here. Our son had surgery on Monday. He had his colon removed in 2016 when he was 29 years old as a result of severe ulcerative colitis. He had a small complication recently that required surgery. Mark stayed with him on Tuesday. I think he has to stay in the hospital three nights. I know he has been in lots of pain since the surgery, BUT he will get better soon.