Mad As A Hatter Hodgepodge

Someone enjoys pulling books from the shelves!

Tommy's first step in learning to read

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1. Setting aside the real March Madness (NCAA Basketball) describe something happening at your house this month that might earn the title 'March Madness'?

This pretty much sums it up:

But the kittens surely have been a comfort

after losing our 17 year old Tuppence last week.



2. What's a favorite made up word from your childhood or a favorite from your children's childhood? Does your family still use the word today? If there's a story behind the origin please share.

I can't think of any cute, invented words from my childhood. We didn't have time for frivolity, struggling as we did to keep the family cave warm and the dinosaurs fed. But there are some in our extended family who had pretty cute words we all found amusing. One used 'Clo' as singular of 'clothes' and 'Santa Claw,' because he was an individual. Another used 'jamp' as past tense of 'jump,' and her family thought it was so cute that they never corrected her. She was in high school, really, high school, when she used it one day and was laughed at by the other kids. How embarrassing!



Shadows cast by late afternoon light

on my dancing cast iron cats.



3. Will you be doing any spring cleaning now that the season is upon us? I read here a list of 15 quick (under one hour) spring cleaning tasks. They were-

clean out a drawer, vacuum furniture, whiten tile grout, dust the nooks and crannies you don't get to year round, degrease kitchen cabinets, wipe down walls, go behind furniture, wipe down ceiling fans, vacuum the mattress, clean the range hood, wash baseboards, shine the stainless steel, clean out vents, tackle the windows, and wipe down gadgets

Of the fifteen 'quick' tasks listed which two most need doing at your house? Will you do them?

I've already been cleaning out drawers, and it's not a quick task, believe me. The windows desperately need to be washed, but I'm not making any commitment here. We'll see. It's a huge job. 

When I was a kid, we had a Norwegian neighbor lady who would coerce her husband and son into moving all the furniture out of their house and setting it on the lawn. NO KIDDING. Then she would proceed to scour the house from top to bottom before returning the furniture to the house. You'd drive past their farm and see all the furniture sitting out. It was so strange. Every spring it looked like they were holding an auction!

4. A favorite movie set in Paris or New York?

Two of my favorites!

I like so many Audrey Hepburn movies

I loved the group hug in the final scene of 'You've Got Mail.'

5. What's put a spring in your step this month?

The fact that there is currently NO SNOW on the ground has definitely put a spring in my step, or maybe it's my new New Balance shoes. They have a nice springy sole.



See? No snow!

6. Did you ever want to be a teacher? Why or why not?

I never wanted to be a teacher of other people's kids, but did homeschool our own kids for 21 years and loved it! Back in that day, however, it became a little tiresome to get the old refrain, 'But what about their social development??' as though we were keeping them chained in a dungeon. Besides teaching the basics, homeschooling provides so many opportunities for field trips, kids pursuing personal interests, interacting with people of all ages, etc. etc. So yes, I did want to be a teacher. And no, I didn't want to deal with other people's disciplinary problems.



I wonder how many kids have

great memories of times on the school bus.



7.  What's your favorite floral scent? Do you have this somewhere in your home or maybe in a perfume? How do you feel about florals in food? How about wines with floral notes-yay or nay?

My favorite floral scent is probably honeysuckle. I do have it in my home, in my soap room, as a matter of fact! I like lavender (an herb, not a floral, but you know...) in scones, and I like nasturtium blossoms on a salad because they're pretty. I don't have a lot of experience with wine. I can't get past the headache.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

The late afternoon sun these days is very revealing. Especially after burning wood all winter, the house needs a good cleaning. I wonder if Mr. C. would want to carry all the furniture out onto the yard so I could give this house a thorough scrubbing (see #3 above).



They like me; they really like me!!


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