Wednesday Hodgepodge

It once again time for the Hodgepodge. 

1) 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.' How does this saying ring true in your own family, either the one you grew up in or the one you made? 

This saying is very true in my life. I am a lot like my mom and Clark is a lot like me. Preston is more like my husband but has certain traits of mine as well.

2) Something you're nuts about these days. How about something that's driving you nuts?

I am nuts about fall. Football, changing leaves, Halloween are all things I love. Something driving me nuts is the current presidential administration and their hateful and dangerous rhetoric

3) What does abundance mean to you?

Having enough of the important things - food, safety and love.

4) Caramel apple-caramel cake-caramel corn-caramel sundae-caramel macchiatto ... what's your caramel treat of choice?

I am not really big on caramel but I do love caramel corn. I make some every year around Christmas.

5) What's a childhood memory that always comes to mind as the leaves start to fall?

Going trick-or-treating with my mom and when I got older my friends.

6) Insert your own random thought here.

Even though I do love fall I can feel the start of my fall/winter ennui coming on. I am trying to just remember that the arbitrary deadlines I place on myself do not have to make me crazy.

Books Read: 3rd Quarter 2025

I am still working on getting my reading in every day. Some days I just do not have the brain power to read at the end of the day. For the 3rd quarter of 2025 I finished 4 books.

1) Own Your Past Change Your Future: A Not-So Complicated Approach to Relationships, Mental Health & Wellness by John Delony - I found Dr. Delony through some videos on Facebook. I really enjoyed his no nonsense but kind and caring approach to the callers to his show. His voice really comes across in this book and I also enjoyed that he shared his own issues and struggles.

2) And the Killer Is ... : A Savannah Reid Mystery by G.A. McKevett - this is the 25th book in the series. In this book Savannah is helping her friend solve the murder of his friend, a former Hollywood starlet, while taking in a child after her husband arrests his mother. This is one of my favorite cozy series and I enjoyed this one.

3) Outliers: The Stories of Success by Malcolm Gladwell - I have always been interested in nature versus nurture. This book is an interesting look and what makes some people successful while others who should also succeed don't.

4) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - I have heard about Henrietta Lacks' story but only had a general idea of what occurred. The book was an interesting look at what happened and also how Henrietta's living children dealt with what happened to their mother.

Monday Musings

As the first full week of October begins here are the things currently on my mind.

1) I feel safe ordering Preston's Halloween costume. He has not changed his mind and says that he wants to be Peely. Of course once I actually order it he will change his mind.

2) I never took AP classes in high school so I didn't know that you had to pay to take the exam. I guess I should know that everything costs money but the cost surprised me. And we have to pay by the end of the month.

3) Clark has been receiving a lot of fliers in the mail from different universities. Last week one came in from the Marines. When I handed it to him he looked at it and said "well that's not going to happen." LOL

Here are the pictures for the week.

I know that the stupidity of MAGA shouldn't surprise me but it always does.

He said this was the worst day of his life.

Friday Funnies

I hope that you all have a wonderful first weekend of October.

Three on Thursday

As the second day of October comes to an end these are the things I am currently thankful for.

1) That a health scare I had ended up being nothing.

2) That this week has been much better than last week was.

3) That we should be able to finally get hubby's car fixed. It is drivable but there is an issue with his brakes and with winter coming up it needs to be resolved.  

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It is once again Wednesday which means that it is Hodgepodge time.  

1) What's your favorite fall scent? Would we find this in or around your home right now?

I love spicy smells like clove and cinnamon. Right now those are not found in my house.

2) October is country music month...are you a fan of country music? Do you have a favorite country artist? Ever been to Nashville? In terms of lifestyle are you more country mouse or city mouse?

I do not listen to music mush anymore but I do like country music. My favorite artist is Garth Brooks. He put on one of the best concerts I have ever been to. I went to Nashville when I was I think 15 years old. My sister and I drove there to visit her good friend who lives there. I really loved the city and since at the times I had dreams of being a country star it was really cool to be there. I love cities but only to visit. To live I am more of a country mouse.

3) How about 'country cooking'? (loosely defined as rich flavors, familiar foods, large portions, often fried, and often associated with the southern region of the U S of A.

chicken and dumplings-fried chicken-shrimp and grits-biscuits and gravy-mac and cheese-fried green tomatoes-cornbread-collard greens-deviled eggs-'barbecue'-gumbo-banana pudding

Which of the foods listed is your favorite? Are there any on the list you haven't tried or would say a firm no thank you to if offered?

I love fried chicken, grits, biscuits, mac and cheese, cornbread, deviled eggs, some barbecue.

I have never had banana pudding but wouldn't turn it down. I do not like shrimp, tomatoes, gravy or greens so those are all out.

4) What's something that always has a positive impact on your mood?

Spending time with my guys, a good nap, reading a good book.

5) As we say so long to September share a noun, verb, and an adjective that tells us something about how the month looked for you.

Family, fast, crazy

6) Insert your own random thought here.

Preston has said many times that he wants to be Peely (a character from Roblox) for Halloween. I am a bit afraid to order the costume though since last year he changed his mind about 20 times before settling on Deadpool. 

True Life Tuesday: Timothy Evans

Born on November 20, 1924 in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales. His father abandoned his mother and older sister before he was born. As a child he had trouble speaking and struggled in school. After an accident when he was 8 years old he developed tubercular verruca (a painful rash) on his right foot which never fully healed. Because of this he missed a lot of school and had low literacy throughout his life. Evans would often create wild stories about his accomplishments to boost his self-esteem. This lead to problems with his credibility with police and the courts. In 1935 he moved to London with his mother, step-father and sisters to London. While there he worked as a painter and decorator while attendind school. He returned to Wales in 1937 where he worked briefly in the coal mines before he had to quit due to issues with his foot. In 1939 he returned to his family in London and in 1946 they moved to Notting Hill.

Evans married Beryl Susanna Thorley, who he met on a blind date, on September 20, 1947. The couple lived with his family for a time but ended up moving to the top floor of a flat, also in Notting Hill, in 1948 when they found out the Beryl was pregnant. Their daughter, Geraldine, was born on October 10, 1948. The marriage was marked by arguments, mostly about money, and physical violence that was witnessed by neighbors. In 1949 Beryl advised that she was pregnant again. Due to financial problems she convinced Timothy that she should have an abortion, which was illegal at the time. 

On November 30, 1949 he informed police that his wife died under unusual circumstances. He first told them that she died after he gave her something a man gave him to induce an abortion. He said that he disposed of her body in a sewer outside the house When it was searched nothing was found and it was found that it took 3 police officers to remove the manhole cover. He then said that their neighbor, John Christie, offered to perform an abortion for them. When Timothy returned home from work on November 8 he was told by Christie that Beryl had died. He said that Christie told him that he would take care of the body, would find someone to look after Geraldine and that Evans should return to Wales. He left for Wales on November 14. On December 2 the bodies of Beryl and Geraldine were found wrapped in a tablecloth in a wash house in the back garden of the flat. Both of them had been strangled. When he was questioned again he confessed to both murders. 

Evans was put on trial for Geraldine's murder on January 11, 1950. Legal practice at the time was to only prosecute one charge at a time. However, evidence of Beryl's murder was used by the prosecution to show his guilt. He would recant his confession and stated that the story about Christie performing the abortion was the truth. Christie and his wife were the star witnesses for the prosecution and would testify to the arguments and violence in the marriage. However, there were issues with his confessions that were never explored along with witnesses who would testify to his innocence that were never called. After a 3 day trial and 40 minutes of deliberation Evans was found guilty of Geraldine's murder. His appeal was denied on February 20 and he was hung on March 9, 1950.

Three years later the bodies of 3 women were found in the home of John Christie, During his interrogation he confessed to the murders of Beryl and Geraldine Evans. Christie was found guilty of murdering his wife and was hung on July 15, 1953. An inquiry into Evans' execution was undertaken. His conviction was upheld because the tribunal stated that Christie only confessed to support his insanity defense. After many inquiries and calls for justice from the media Evans was granted a royal pardon in October 1966. In January 2003 his sisters were awarded payments due to the miscarriage of justice. Outrage over Evans' execution contributed to the suspension and eventual abolition of capital punishment in the United Kingdom.