That life is full of surprises! And you never know when it can throw a curve-ball at you or shower you with gifts  – so take both in stride…

2.  Sweet potato fries, sweet potato casserole, a baked sweet potato, a bowl of butternut squash soup, a caramel apple or a slice of pumpkin pie…you have to order one thing on this list right now. Which one do you go for?

the soup for me!

3. What’s a famous book set in your home state? Have you read it? On a scale of 1-5 (5 is fantastic) how many stars does it rate?

With Steinbeck being a native Californian and having many books set in the state, there are many famous books just by Steinbeck alone – and I am ashamed to say I am yet to read any of them though I have at least three of his books in my home library (and my son just finished reading ‘Of Mice and Men’ for school; he has asked me to read it as he really enjoyed it so that will be my first Steinbeck). Based on my son’s review, it rates 5 stars!

4. There are 60 days until Christmas…have you started your shopping? How do you stay organized for the holidays?

Not yet.. will only start sometime November 🙂 Lists, lists, and more lists for me to stay organized.

5. October 26th is National Tennessee Day. Have you ever lived or spent any time in Tennessee? Is this a state you’d like to visit one day? The top rated tourist attractions in Tennessee are-

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Gatlinburg area), Elvis’s Graceland (Memphis), Birth of the Music Biz (Memphis and Nashville), Dollywood (Pigeon Forge), Tennessee’s Military Heritage (many battlefields), The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson’s home), The Parthenon (Nashville), Oak Ridge American Museum of Science and Energy, Chattagnooa and the Tennessee Valley Railroad, Downtown Knoxville, Lookout Mountain, The Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge), The Museum of Appalachia (Clinton), and The Lost Sea Adventure (Sweetwater)

How many on this list have you seen? Which one on the list would you most like to see?

None yet. Have not been to Tennessee. Great Smoky Mountain would be first on my list.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Do you have times when an acquaintance chances up on you suddenly and stops to greet you (meeting after a long time, too) and you were in the middle of something else, so you do have a conversation that you hope was good.. and later, you recall things you should have made part of the conversation (maybe you saw on Facebook earlier about an award he or she won; or something else worth bringing up and making them feel good).. well, that happens to me every once in a while, and it happened today too…

For ABC Wednesday‘s Round 21 – Letter P, I have here an image

P is for Plumes – my son, as I have mentioned earlier in the blog too, is in his high school’s marching band. Marching band is loads of hard work, loads of commitment of time and energy, and loads of fun and learning in the process!! When they are performing in events and competitions in full regalia, the marching band looks and sounds awesome! As parent volunteers, we sign up for various jobs. One of them I signed up the last time was to insert these beautiful white plumes into their shakos (hats).