I have been nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award by a young lady that I follow by the name of Cecilia Kennedy and her blog is “fixin’ leaks and leeks.” Now before anyone accuses me of being any kind of -ism, I referred to her as a young lady, first, because nowadays everyone seems to be younger than I am, and second, because she is a lady, which to me means that she is a woman, who also happens to be married and a mother, so I think that covers all of the bases. Anyone that has followed my writing for any period of time would realize that I am the type of individual that would doff my hat, and hold a door open for a woman, things like that were just done without thinking, when I was growing up. Of course, since I wear a hat properly, I guess that I am from another era, so everything goes hand in hand.

So, without further ado, I will list the rules as I received them, and I will respond accordingly as best as I can, as I do seem to ramble at times. The award is “for amazing bloggers with ingenious post. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging, and they do it with so much love and passion.” I am not sure if that really describes me, but I will accept Cecilia’s nomination and hope that I can live up to the ideals that she has graced me with.

– Put the award logo/image on your blog. I think that I can handle that one, even though I came from the middle of the Twentieth Century.
– List the rules. Which I think I am doing, even though I am a bit of rebel, it is inherent from my generation.
– Thank who ever nominated you and provide a link as well. That would be Cecilia Kennedy and I enjoy and follow her blog “fixin’ leak and leeks” which can be found at https://fixinleaksdiy.blog and I highly recommend that you take a look at her writings.
– Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well. The creator of the award is Okota Enigma and he can be found at https://www.okotoenigmamasblog.com/ and I am sure that this has made this blogger very endeared over the years.

– Tell your readers three things about yourself.
– 1) I guess that I am a bit of a packrat when it comes to wine, because I have saved labels and corks and even a few bottles of note. This has all come in handy for my writing, because it has given me visual aids for all of my articles. Every bottle of wine that has been mentioned, has been bought over the years, and I have saved the labels for a scrapbook, but I also have used the labels as “wallpaper” for the walls of my cellar to make by bottles feel more at home, and eventually when I get my arse in gear, the corks will become the crown molding in the cellar. I guess that I was raised by parents that survived the Great Depression with the concept of waste not, want not.
– 2) Another thing that I have saved that makes for great visuals are the matchbooks from the restaurants that I have eaten at, over the years. I still lament that restaurants no longer still use them as mementos, even if they are not socially and politically acceptable. There are a few matchbooks that somehow have slipped through the cracks of some great places, and a lot of times when I see one of the books, it makes me remember a meal and the bottle of wine. In conjunction with the matchbooks, I have saved other memorabilia from the restaurants, which just make me smile when I see them. I have somehow even managed to save some wine retail price lists from when I first got into wine, not to mention some menus and wine lists.
– 3) The thing that some people don’t realize about me, is that I am told that I have a great sense of humor, but a most of the time that is buried in my articles, but as I have looked back at some of the articles, I am pleased with the quality of improvement as I progress with my writing.
– I am to nominate ten to twenty people for this award and since I follow such a diverse range of bloggers, and I have noticed that other bloggers have also refrained from putting others on the spot, feel free to take your nomination from me.
– Ask your nominees any five questions of your choice with one weird or funny question (specify). Since I was not asked any questions of this sort, I will refrain from asking others in the future.
– Share a link to your best posts and since I am an amateur Raconteur, I will list my two favorite stories about wines, that I tend to still regale people with over a meal or a glass of wine. I am like that one favorite uncle that sometimes repeats himself with the same stories, sometimes enhanced and sometimes they are quite terse, depending on the reception of my audience at the moment.

Screaming Eagle Wine – My Favorite Story
I mean how often in one’s life, does one get a chance to try one of the famous cult wines of California?

A Celebration of the Women and Wine of 1961
The best dinner and wine selection I have ever had in the privacy of a home with other like-minded wine and food lovers.
So, in conclusion I will once again thank Cecilia Kennedy for this honor and I hope that she and others will be pleased with how I answered this. Now I think that I need a glass of wine.