Life's usual hodge-podge (and where does that word come from??)

atomica provides this:

Middle English hochepot, from Old French, mixture, stew : hocher, to shake together; see hotch + pot, pot.

neat =)

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and a very happy birthday in advance to your biggest baby tree frog; hard to believe my own daughter is turning *five* just a day afterward. time's a-flyin, indeed.