Checking the List, Hodgepodge

It’s time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond! 

WE are having a high wind/rain event here in the PNW (Pacific Northwest) and our power has been knocked out a couple of times already. It will be an iffy day for visiting blogs. Our region is really being hammered!! 

1. What’s one thing on your to-do list that you want to get done, need to get done, or that must get done before the year ends? 

I want to make a favorite from our dear mom for our Christmas gathering, Roolyet. You can see the recipe here.

2.  December 17th is National Maple Syrup Day…are you a fan? Do you like maple flavor in other food items such as candy, cookies, donuts, oatmeal, hot toddies, coffee? 

We enjoy Real Maple Syrup on our Swedish Pancakes, regular pancakes, waffles, etc. I like maple bars, the donut variety.

3. Time magazine names a person of the year every year.  The tradition started back in 1927 with a ‘man of the year’ but has since changed to recognize not only an individual, but also to consider the impact of a group, movement, or idea that most influenced the year. The selection is not always someone or something good (think Hitler in 1938 and Stalin twice). 
This year they’ve named The AI Architects as their ‘person of the year’. What say you? Is this a good choice, an obvious choice, a logical choice? Who do you think should have been named person of the year? 
~
I think Time Magazine is sticking it’s head in the political sand or suffering from TDS syndrome in refusing to name President Donald Trump as the man of the year! Donald Trump definitely is on the minds of those who love what he’s doing and those who hate him and can’t get him out of their minds. Being on the minds of so many, he is a logical choice. Love him or hate him he is making an impact!

4. What’s a city, state, or country you’ve visited that you never care to visit again? Tell us why. 

South Chicago. We made the mistake of taking a driving route from Wheaton college to the Chicago Museum of Art through south Chicago and it did not feel safe. The tension on the streets was palpable. I would never drive through there again.

5. Next Sunday (December 21st) marks the first day of winter (or the opposite if you’re living down under). What’s one thing you love about this new season? 

We love Winter. All of our children were born in Winter. Christmas is in Winter.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Let the Stable Still Astonish
~
Let the stable still astonish:
Straw-dirt floor, dull eyes,
Dusty flanks of donkeys, oxen;
Crumbling, crooked walls;
No bed to carry that pain,
And then, the child,
Rag-wrapped, laid to cry
In a trough.
Who would have chosen this?
Who would have said: “Yes,
Let the God of all the heavens and earth
Be born here, in this place”?
Who but the same God
Who stands in the darker, fouler rooms
of our hearts and says, “Yes,
let the God of Heaven and Earth
be born here–
in this place.”
– Leslie Leyland Fields
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About Ellenhttps://happywonderer.com/I am a wife, mother, baba (grandmother) and a loyal friend. Jesus is my King and my hope is in my future with Him.

15 thoughts on “Checking the List, Hodgepodge”

  1. That is a great poem. I had never noted the symbolism of the unpleasant stable of Jesus´ birth and the state of our unpleasant hearts where Jesus wants to reside. Speaking of unpleasant, driving through South Chicago sounds like it is just that. I had a somewhat similar response to your answer to question 3. I said Charlie Kirk because of the wide range of emotion his murder illicited. Have a great day!

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  2. I LOVE the poem.

    I disagree about using Trump again. I don’t wanna give him any more attention than he already has. UGH! I’m of hte mind set that the Person of the Year should be a GOOD role model. (and hm….have you noticed it’s never a strong Christ filled person although maybe Billy Graham was featured one year? I’m assuming he was at some point.). Anyways, I know that Times doesn’t think like i do. haha

    we only use real maple syrup too. LOVE the adk maple candy.

    I’ve never been to chicago (other than the airport!) but i’ve heard the south side is horrible. We have friends whose children went to Wheaton and they made the mistake of driving through the south part of the city too!

    MErry CHristmas!!

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  5. Hello,

    I am not a city person at all, I love living in our rural area. I did grow up in a city, that was enough. I have only been in the Chicago airports waiting for connecting flights. Maple Syrup is a must on pancakes and waffles, yum! Take care, have a wonderful day!

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  6. Stay safe, it sounds like you are having some awful weather!Yum, that Roolyet looks so good!Trump certainly does get talked about a lot from both sides, he really has made an impact.

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  7. Hello, oh yes, I understand what you shared regarding Chicago. I said Minneapolis. On our last visit we had homeless people become very aggressive towards us. It was very scary.

    Wishing you a wonderful Christmas.

    Our family loves winter too.

    xx oo

    Carla

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  8. I love the mug photo at the beginning of the post. I have the matching tea towel and hang it in the kitchen for the Christmas season.

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  10. Enjoying a cup of tea in that very same mug right now. GMTA!! : ) Not sure I’d enjoy visiting any part of Chicago these days. There aren’t a lot of big cities I’m keen to visit at the moment. Your dish looks yummy. I will have to visit the recipe link. It’s been a busy day! Merry Christmas!

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  11. We enjoy maple syrup here, too. We live about 45 minutes from an Amish/Mennonite community and each autumn we make a trip there for our annual gallon of maple syrup…and honey. I use both in my cooking and baking in place of sugar.

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  12. I can well imagine you sipping your coffee from the darling mug shown at the beginning of your post! =) I love the flavor of maple: maple syrup on pancakes, a maple latte, and, yes, a maple donut! Nice things about winter include soup, hot drinks, and rest.

    I hope that your weather has calmed down!

    Reply

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