Chattin'

I think we're abandoning the chats on  porch at Patrice's farmhouse for a while.  The air is a little too fresh right now.  Abandoning the porch, I mean, not the chats. 

Right now I'm heading off to chat with whoever shows up.  Actually, I think most everybody has already arrived.  Let's see what they're all talking about today...

Where is your favorite place to think, reflect, or pray?  My best thinking place is the shower.  Some folks sing - I just think.  Sometimes, I have really great ideas but mostly casual and unimportant thoughts just swim through my brain.  It's not long enough to untangle a really knotty problem but I might have set myself on the right path by the time I turn off the water. 

 Did you believe in Santa as a kid?  Oh yes, I did.  I think I was probably seven before I heard even a hint that Santa wasn't real.  Even in school, my friends all believed too.  And when I did become aware, my mother cautioned me that lack of belief caused Santa to stop bringing gifts.  This may have been my first experience with cynicism. 

What's your favorite kind of Christmas cookie? You can add a recipe if you have time.  When I was a kid, my mother only made Nanaimo bars at Christmas so these were something eagerly awaited.  My Grammy always made honey cookies but my only experience with them was her recipe which my mother used.  I never tasted my Grammy's but I liked my mom's.  And I have always loved anything with ginger in it.  Chewy gingersnaps were another of my mother's great  recipes. These recipes were were usually only made at Christmas time because they used expensive ingredients or took a lot of time to make - or both. 

Did you grow up around any of your grandparents? No. My family moved out west when I was small so there was a whole country between me and any other family.  I actually never met my mother's parents and only saw my father's once before I was an adult.  

What's your favorite winter sport-skiing, skating,sledding, other(?) ? If you are in a warm place, what is your favorite winter sport to watch when the Winter Olympics are televised?  When I was a kid the best winter sport was sledding.  We'd haul our sleds over to the golf course and slide down any hill we could find.  Most were broad and easy but there was one I remember that was really crazy dangerous.  Of course, that's the one we all wanted to be on.  But it was policed by the older kids who kept smaller ones away and safe.  No adults ever were around that I remember...sledding was for kids.

My favorite - and only - Winter Olympic sports to watch are the skating events.  Both the figure skating and the speed skating are so graceful.  Neither looks like the hard work that they are.  

Well, that's it for this week.  Great questions, Patrice.And thanks to you - and Wendell - for the great job hosting.  If you want to join in the chat, just click on Everyday Rurality.