R is for Race, Reggie and Robin

 Good morning and welcome to day 18 of the A to Z challenge. This year I chose 3 themes for the challenge: Limericks, MLB sluggers in my lifetime, and A to Z wordles. For more information about these themes click here. 

Part I: A to Z Limericks

Yesterday's limerick was pep talk to others in the challenge.  This one's more for me.  

This challenge is quite like a race

It goes by at a blistering pace

Marathon not sprint

Not trying to win it

I'll  finish with grin on my face.

.

Part II: A to Z Homerun hitters of my lifetime

They call Reggie Jackson Mr. October because he excelled on the biggest stage in baseball, The World Series.  That does not mean he has many substandard April through September's by any stretch.  Like Albert Pujols who we discussed on Tuesday Jackson made the top 25 in homeruns for 2 eras in my life.  Today we will be focusing on that 2nd era 1976 through 1987. 

Jackson in a career that spanned from 1967 to 1987 played for 4 major league teams in 5 cities.  (He started with the Kansas City Athletics and finished his playing days with the same team who had since moved to Oakland.  From 1976 to 1987 Jackson hit 309 of his career 563 homers. He hit 144 for the Yankees, 123 for the Angels, 27 for the Orioles, and 15 in his final stint with the Athletics.

Jackson is ranked 14th in career homeruns.  He is ranked 5th between 1976 and 1987 behind Mike Schmidt, Jim Rice, Dave Kingman, and Dale Murphy. Interestingly enough Jackson is ranked above all of them on the all-time list.  

Part III: Wordle Starting Words from A to Z

Note: Correct letters in the correct places will be shown in bold. Correct letters in incorrect places will be shown in italics.

My March 18th starting word was robin.

R O B I  N - Robin was not exactly a rockin' way to start with 0 letters guessed correctly.

S T E P S-  Steps had some pep, with S in the correct position and T and E in the final answer.

S L A T E - From here it was a quick trip to

S A U T E - And voila!, Wordle is served in 4 guesses.

For more A to Z challenge click here. 

 

Q is for Quit, Quentin, and Quest

 Good Evening  and welcome to day 17  of the A to Z challenge. This year I chose 3 themes for the challenge: Limericks, MLB sluggers in my lifetime, and A to Z wordles. For more information about these themes click here. 

Part I: A to Z Limericks

I am composing tonight's limerick as an encouragement to anyone considering checking out and giving up on the challenge.

Stop thinking that you can't do it.

You've come too far now just to quit.

If you're working on Q

10 more than you're through.

And remember your much too Legit!

Part II: A to Z Homerun hitters of my lifetime

Traditionally Q is often the hardest letter along with X for the A to Z challenge.  For me this year Q was no problem when it came to homerun hitters because I'm a big fan of the Chicago White Sox and we had Carlos Quentin. Quentin played major league ball from 2006 to 2014 starting with Arizona and finishing with San Diego but his prime was spent with t he beloved White Sox where he hit 107 of his 154  (approximately 70 %) homers between 2008 and 2011.  That averages out to 36 homers in a 162 games season during his time with the pale hose.  That's compared to 30 homers in a 162 game average over the course of his career.

Part III: Wordle Starting Words from A to Z

Note: Correct letters in the correct places will be shown in bold. Correct letters in incorrect places will be shown in italics.

My March 17th starting word was quest.

Q U E ST- The E  is in the final answer but not in the right location

L E A R N-  I didn't learn too much from learn, no new letters and E still out of place.

C O P E D -  This got  me a new  letter in the right place.

M O V I E - Cut and print in 4 takes.  

For more A to Z challenge click here. 

 

P is for Philippians 4, Pujols, and Piano.

 Good morning  and welcome to day 16  of the A to Z challenge. This year I chose 3 themes for the challenge: Limericks, MLB sluggers in my lifetime, and A to Z wordles. For more information about these themes click here. 

Part I: A to Z Limericks

I like Philippians 4:4

I should attempt to follow it more.

Paul, in emphatic voice

Says always rejoice

Cause there's much to rejoice in the Lord.

Adapted from my 2/3/2014 Facebook post

Part II: A to Z Homerun hitters of my lifetime

From 2011 -2021 Albert Pujols hit 280 homers mostly while playing with the LA Angels.  former Ro This was the 5th most homer output during those years.  That is not why were talking about the 3 time MVP, 2 time World Series Champ. He is also the 5th all time homerun hitter in MLB history  and just has to hit 15 more in this his final MLB season to tie A-Rod for 4th place overall. 4 more dingers and he's be in the rarified air of Bonds, Aaron and Ruth the only players to have 700 or more.  If this turns out not to be his last season or if he hits a total of 35 or more long balls this season (which he has accomplished 10 other times in his storied career) he could surpass Babe Ruth for 3rd all time.  Between the years 2000 and 2010 Pujols hit 408 dingers and was 2nd only to A-Rod in that time frame.  Pujols is the only player to be in the top 5 in 2 of the 4 quadrants of my life that I divided these homers by.  Pujols hit all 408 of these 1st decade 21st century bombs for the St. Louis Cardinals.  Pujols has been reunited with the Cardinals for this supposedly final season.  He has already hit 2 homers in this young season,  

Part III: Wordle Starting Words from A to Z

Note: Correct letters in the correct places will be shown in bold. Correct letters in incorrect places will be shown in italics.

My March 16th starting word was piano.

P I A N O - The A is in the final answer but not in the right location

D R E A M-  Added the R and E but nonr of the 3 letters are yet in their proper places. Leaving only 1 spot for R in the next guess 

C A T E R - There are at least 4 words that fit with c a (blank) e r. . Caper and caner will not work as the p and n were eliminated on the first guess.  I went with Cater as it's much more common than cager and it turned out well for me.  Cater in 4. 

For more A to Z challenge click here. 

 

Last 5 Next 10 Tax day Edition

As it turns out I didn't finish any books in the  traditional way since our last edition.  Each year I read the chronicles of Narnia through.  I have been doing this for about 40 years.  This year I decided to mix it up a little and listen to the books being read rather than reading them myself.  4 of the 5 selections here are from the CHronicles of Narnia and the only one that wasn't was a comic book anthology.

Voyage of The Dawn Treader- C.S. Lewis

Listened to via Hoopla

4/1/22

The Essential Defenders - Len Wein

Read myself, borrowed from a friend.

4/1/22

The Silver Chair by C.S, Lewis

Listened to via Hoopla

4/6/22

The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis

Listened to Via Hoopla

4/14/22

The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis

Listened to Via Hoopla

4/18/22

Ten books I am currently reading or planning to read soon are .

God's Forgetful Pilgrims - Michael Griffiths

The Case For Easter - Lee Strobel

Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis

Love, Dance & Egg Rolls - Jason Tanamor

An American Marriage - Tayari Jones

Until Tuesday, A Wounded Warrior and The Golden Retriever who saved Him - Luis Carlos Montalvan

First Degree - David Rosenfelt 

Inside The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Devin Brown

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007 - Roger Ebert

The Collected Short Stories of Louis Lamour - Vol I

I finished book 15 on 3/24 and finished book 20 today (4/18). This means I completed 5 books in 25 days.  Over the course of 1 year at that rate I would finish 73 books.  In the first 108 days of this year I have averaged reading 1 book every 5.4 days.  If I keep up that pace I should finish approximately 68 books by years end. I am not sure I can sustain such a pace this month while completing the a to z challenge.  But after the challenge I hope to finish a lot of these books I've been working on.  

O is for Orange, Oliva, and Overt

 Good morning  and welcome to day 15  of the A to Z challenge. This year I chose 3 themes for the challenge: Limericks, MLB sluggers in my lifetime, and A to Z wordles. For more information about these themes click here. 

Part I: A to Z Limericks

From the thet can't all be winners department ...

Orange, is a wonderful fruit.

And has vitamin C to boot.

While it's no crime,

That it has no good rhyme.

It does make me want to say "shoot!"

Part II: A to Z Homerun hitters of my lifetime

Tony Oliva got elected to the Hall of Fame by the veteran's comittee this year receiving 12 of the 16 votes he needed.  Oliva played for the Minnesota Twins from 1962 to 1976 and hit all but 1 of his 220 career homers from 1964-1975.  

Part III: Wordle Starting Words from A to Z

C 

Note: Correct letters in the correct places will be shown in bold. Correct letters in incorrect places will be shown in italics.

My March 15th starting word was overt.

O V E R T - Guessed the E and T the T but not in their proper place.

T E P I D-  Got the T and E in their proper spots.

T E A C H  - Added a third letter in the right spot.

T E A S E - Correct in 4 guesses

For more A to Z challenge click here.  

I May Have This Read at my Funeral

 Today is Easter Sunday.  Well it still is in my time zone.  After church today I was driving to a family gathering and I heard this song. The song is over 30 years old and I have heard it plenty of times.  As I listened to it today and reflected upon the lyrics and thought about it in the context of Easter.  I realized I'm accepted by Christ, and He loved me so much to die for my sins and his resurrection shows that His love is packed with power.  I hope these lyrics minister to you today as much as they did to me .

"I'm Accepted"

by Degarmo & Key | from the 1989 album The Pledge I May not be rich Don't wear fashion clothes Don't live in a mansion Don't have much that shows Never won a contest in popularity Don't have much to offer  But Jesus still loves me I'm accepted, accepted I'm accepted by the one who matters most. Never set a record in sports agility Never was magnetic in personality That don't really matter I'll do the best I can 'Cause there's a God above me Who loves me like I am I'm accepted, accepted I'm accepted by the one who matters most. If you think you're a loser When you fail it seems at everything you do Just remember there's a Savior And you are worth enough He gave his life for you I'm accepted, accepted I'm accepted by the one who matters most. I'm accepted, accepted I'm accepted by the one who matters most. I'm accepted, accepted I'm accepted by the one who matters most.