1. ‘Hurry less, worry less’…what’s your strategy for making that happen this holiday season? How’s it going so far?

I think this is working for me lately because my oldest keeps saying he wishes ‘tomorrow’ was Christmas (he says it every day) so then my reaction is always, ‘no, I like the wait, the build-up’. Hence, I take everything in stride. I was kind of getting stressed about gifts and all the other day but I took a bath and felt better.

2. Do you have a list of to-dos that need accomplishing in order to prepare your home and/or property for the winter season? What are some of the jobs on your list? Are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire someone to accomplish these tasks?

Since I live in Florida we don’t have to do a whole lot of winterizing. This year, I have to cover a camellia my parents got me but that’s it. We’re good in general if it dips into the 20s. It’s looking like it’ll be a cold winter!

3. According to dietitians surveyed, the most popular health foods for 2018 will be -turmeric, sprouted foods (bean sprouts, breads with sprouted grains, etc), veggies in place of grains, dairy free milk, and pulses (lentils, chickpeas, etc).  What’s the first thought that ran through your head when you read this list? Of the foods listed which one might you add to your regular diet? Also, can milk really be dairy free? Is it still milk?

First thought: I kind of already eat some of those and we use Lactaid! I have been meaning to add turmeric for a while because I know people have told me amazing things about it. Also, I don’t know if it’s milk if it is dairy free; the word is morphing into something that means that it is white-ish and has a specific consistency but is not the same as it was before.

4. The Pantone Color of the Year for 2018 is Ultra Violet. According to the Pantone site ‘Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking pointing us to the future.’ What say you? Do you like the color purple? Did you see the movie or read the book-ha!?  Is purple a color you wear often? Describe for us one purple item in your home without using the word purple.  If you were in charge of such things what color would you select for 2018?

Purple is ok; I’m not for it one way or another but this shade I prefer over, say, lavender. I do not wear it often at all.

One item: it is 10 pounds, thin in the middle and bulbous on either end. It sits near the TV where it is often put to use.

5. Favorite book you read this year?

I’m going with Chris Jericho’s first book, about how he got started wrestling and what it took to make it. Very interesting and I love a good autobiography.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Before I got a new computer at work, things started to really slow down so sites with a lot of images were very very slow. My flickr pictures wouldn’t load and my Tallahassee photo site on tumblr was intermittent. Then I got a new machine and all was wonderful! Until three days ago when both started going like thick molasses again. I don’t know what it going on so I asked our tech guy but at the same time, none of this is important for work so I feel like I should just say nothing. Sigh. Just another day in paradise.