Liebster Blog Award!

Hello, hello, Gentle Readers! I finally got around to answering the Eleven Questions asked by the lovely Tasha when she presented me with the

 

Liebster Blog Award!

…um…several months ago. Thank you, Dahling! Miss Melody Muffin also awarded me with the Liebster Blog Award (thank you!), so I get to answer twice as many questions—yay!

I’d have done this sooner, but do you know how hard it is to think of eleven random things about yourself? Harder than you think (which is why there are only eleven instead of twenty-two)! And then I was attacked by The Migraine From The PIT for most of November and am just now returned to the Land of the Living. Yikes! There’s two-plus weeks I’d pay money not to go through again! But I digress.

So, without further yammering from the Crazed Wench, my answers:

{rules}

1. You must post eleven facts about yourself.

2. You must also answer the eleven questions the awarder has given you and make up eleven questions for your awardees to answer in turn.

3. Tag eleven fellow bloggers

4. Notify them that you've awarded them

5. No tagging back

6. And the eleven blogs you tag must have less than 200 followers.

{eleven facts about myself}

1. I don’t like cream soda (save Jones’), yet it’s one of my favorite Jelly Belly flavors.

2. Actually, there are very few JBs I refuse to eat. Those would be: Top Banana, Black Licorice, Cinnamon (of any sort), Lemon and anything coffee-flavored. The rest I either LOVE or am willing to try.

3. I can’t brush my hair sitting down—I end up brushing my lap, too! :-D

4. I’m a wee bit obsessed with tartan. Just a wee bit…but that’s another post entirely. ;-)

5. When I braid my hair (as in updos and what-not), I tend to walk around the room in circles. Don’t know why, exactly; it seems to relieve the tension of wrestling with 3+ feet of hair that gets stuck on itself. :-P

6. I can’t put my hair in a high ponytail anymore without getting a headache…unless I braid the sides first.

7. I have a multi-track mind…but only one train. And it keeps jumping from track to track. :-P

8. Over the past several years, I’ve been slowly training myself to use both hands. Why? Because sometimes you can get a better angle with your “off” hand. And it’s starting to pay off; a couple weeks ago I was finally able to crochet left-handed for the first time in my life! PTL! (I could never wrap my brain around the mechanics of the thing before.)

9. I don’t use the word “ambidextrous” if I can help it. My late Daddy said it means “two right hands,” which is anatomically incorrect…plus it kinda ticked him off because he was a Southpaw. So I just say “both-handed” instead. :-D

10. I love cats. In fact, I’d adopt every stray that showed up in the yard (or at church, as did the two cuties pictured below back in October) if I could. Some folks are picky about a cat’s appearance, but to me, if Pussy has four legs, a tail (even a stumpy bob-tail), fur of any length and a pleasant personality, then that’s good enough for me.

"Midnight" and "Shadow"--adopted by a nice family who attended Mom's strings program in October

11. If I actually have to pay money for an animal, though, I prefer them to be attractive/have interesting markings, etc.

{Tasha’s Questions}

1. Which is your favorite season? (spring/summer/fall/winter) Late Spring and early Summer, when the weather is warm enough to doff the heavy coats, but cool enough to keep one from melting into a puddle. :-P When the grass is green, the leaves are still new and fresh, and the flowers are blooming.
2. Do you watch more British TV shows or American? Actually, I think it’s pretty equal.
3. What's your everyday hairstyle?  A ponytail, a braid, a bun? Usually “Swedish” braids, or a braid with twisted sides if I don’t feel like fiddling with bobby pins. Something to keep it contained (and therefore, untangled) and out of my way as I go about my tasks.
4. Do you sew most of your own clothes or buy them? Right now I’m on a buying spree, as one can usually find decent, classic styles in any thrift store nowadays. I do intend to keep sewing my own things, but it doesn’t hurt to buy what I need NOW, to tide me over till I finish them.
5. In what year did Columbus sail the ocean blue?

In fourteen-hundred an’ ninety-two,

Columb’ sail the ocean blue

…

In fourteen-hundred an’ ninety-eight,

Columb’ sail for Unita’ State

(Seen in an old book of funny stories and poems. :-P)

6. Favorite screen/literary couple? The couple that come to mind are Fanny Price and Edmund Bertram from Mansfield Park. While there are times I could happily slap Edmund upside the head for being such an idiot, he remains a thoughtful and caring friend to Fanny—knowing her so well, in fact, that his choice of a gold chain is exactly what Fanny would have wished for. It is Edmund who first reaches out to Fanny and tries to make her feel welcome in her new home, Edmund who stood up for her against their odious Aunt Norris. And Fanny herself—sweet, gentle, loving little Fanny—never faltered in her love for Edmund, even when it seemed hopeless that he would ever love her in return.

A new favorite couple are Amy Dorrit and Arthur Clennam from Little Dorrit. Amy is so sweet and kind but she has a wee bit of spunk that keeps her from being sickly-too-perfect-sweet ala Elsie Dinsmore. And as for Arthur—wow, I love that guy (although like Amy, I felt he was rather “unobservant” not to see how much she loved him). What I love best is his determination to clear up whatever injustice existed between the House of Clennam and the Dorrit family. Also his respectful and honorable treatment of all he met—male or female, rich or poor, English or “foreign.”
7. Which is your favorite/most read book of the Bible?  (not including Psalms and Proverbs;) Favorite book: Revelation. I’ve always been fascinated with it—don’t know why. Also parts of Isaiah.
8. Your favorite TV show when you were a child? Too many, actually. *Blush* But I think the ones I liked most were Eureka’s Castle, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, David the Gnome, Fred Penner’s Place, Lassie (reruns of the ’50s show) and Sharon, Lois and Bram’s Elephant Show.
9. Least favorite vegetable? Asparagus, AKA “asper-grass” or “Spare Grass.” I’ve tried it raw, I’ve tried it steamed—it just tastes like tough grass to me. Some things just aren’t meant to be. I won’t even touch eggplant, neither.
10. Do you watch the Marvel Superhero films?  If so, which is your favorite superhero and why? We never really got into superheroes at our place, actually. We went more for sci-fi and murder mysteries in general. Wait—does The Incredibles count? :-P

11. Do you think bow ties are cool? Depends on the bowtie…and what it’s worn with. Actually, I fancy cravats (those fancy ties gentlemen wore in Jane Ausnen’s day) more than bowties, if anything.

{Melody’s Questions}

1. What is your favorite holiday tea (or drink)? Hot cocoa, definitely. Specifically the flavored cocoa mixes by Land o’ Lakes—Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Caramel, White Chocolate Peppermint, Chocolate Supreme and Chocolate Raspberry. Half a package per mug, ‘cos they’re really sweet!
2. Would you rather visit the mountains or the ocean? Well, I kinda live near the mountains, and before we moved to North Idaho, we lived in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, so I’d say the ocean. It’s been so long since we visited the ocean. There’s just something about it that fascinates me—the vastness and power of the water. The salty air. The sea-glass worn smooth by tumbling about in the water. The aura of mystery and magic about it…sometimes I fancy I feel it calling me….
3. What is your favorite soup? Minestrone!!! Especially when I make it—with meatballs (recipe coming soon)! Second-fave would be a hearty chicken-noodle-vegetable. Actually, I just like soup in general. Except those made with meats and veggies I hate, of course. :-P
4. A mouse runs out from under a wall and across your bedroom.  What do you do? Stare at it bug-eyed for a moment, then wake up the 16-pound Main Coon-mix cat who sleeps with me, and toss him at the varmint.
5. What was the last book you read? The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. I actually started the book earlier this year, but got stuck in the middle of “The Council of Elrond.” Ach! Darn you, Tolkien, what’s the deal, writing a chapter sixty pages long?!
6. King Kamehameha (the Great), who was he? Not a clue. A character from one of your (Melody’s) books, mayhap?
7. What is your favorite Christmas song? Oh my, only one? Well, I’d have to say either “Masters in this Hall,” “Silent Night’ (especially by candlelight) or the Sussex Carol (“When blossoms flow’r amid the snow…”). But there are so many good Christmas songs out there (even among the secular ones), it’s hard to choose favorites.
8. What is your favorite traditional Thanksgiving food? Stuffing, I guess (sans onions), although I’m really not into turkey-dinner-with-all-the-trimmings. Gimme a pizza or some manicotti anytime!
9. Have you ever been in an airplane? Yes, when we came to North Idaho for the first time, to visit our friends Patty and Richard before we moved up. It gave me a roaring headache (plane trip, not visit)!
10. Housecleaning, do you hate it, not mind it, or actually like it? I HATE it! The dirt, the dust, the germs—AAAAAUGH! Why can’t they invent a whole-house decontamination unit??
11. Ever played Ultimate Frisbee? ’Fraid not. *Shrug* Sorry.

As with all tags, I’m opting out of tagging anyone else because I don’t know enough people in the blogosphere who haven’t already been tagged by someone else. :-P

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless, and if I don’t get around to posting again this month, have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

~“Tom”~

♥