100 Questions, Part Two with MK and Rhona

This is part two of 100 Questions I came across at 4 Hats and Frugal. For this next set, I'm going to have a little help from Rhona Blackwood.

Don't miss reading part one with Brenna Gallagher.

26. What movies could you watch over and over again and still love?

MK: There are many that I’ve watched many times and still enjoy. "The Scarlet Pimpernel" with Anthony Andrews often tops the list, but there are more than I can think of right now.

Rhona: Movie?

MK: Modern-day plays.

Rhona: Oh, well, I’ve only attended a play once, when Christopher and I visited London. We saw “The Bells of Haslemere” at the Adelphi. It was interesting.

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you?

MK: Technically that would be my dog. I gave her a kiss a few seconds before answering this question. As for the last human . . . he’s a great kisser. I’ll leave his name out of the spotlight.

Rhona: Christopher. He kissed me goodbye before you whisked me off for this little adventure.

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?

MK: I was not.

Rhona: I don’t think so.

MK: You weren’t. A British Agent’s wife is pretty cool, though.

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?

MK: Never

Rhona: Never

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

MK: A few months ago. I don’t write them as often as I should. I used to be regular pen pals with my great-grandmother, and then my grandmother after her.

Rhona: I wrote a letter yesterday, in fact, to Anne Clayton. She and Devon are in Northumberland for a few months.

MK: I miss Anne and Devon. I haven’t said hello lately.

Rhona: They miss you, too.

MK: That’s nice.

31. Can you change the oil on a car?

MK: Only if I don’t want the car to run after.

Rhona: Car?

MK: Automobile. Driving without horses.

Rhona: No, I . . . Wait. I recall Tristan and Christopher talking about talk of a man who has been working on such a contraption. It sounds wonderous, and dangerous.

MK: Horses are better.

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?

MK: Too many, though not for years. Wide, open roads in Montana will do that to a person. However, a year spent in New England cured my penchant for speeding.

Rhona: Speed is good.

MK: She didn’t mean that the way it sounded.

Rhona: Yes, I did. I love to ride fast over the meadows and hills.

MK: Yes, but what you said . . . never mind. You and your horse are very fast.

33. Ever ran out of gas?

MK: No. I came close once on a cross-country road trip. I took the scenic route and miscalculated how long the fuel would last. I got lucky, though.

Rhona: Gas?

MK: Grain for your horse.

Rhona: Of course not.

MK: Of course not.

34. What’s your favorite kind of sandwich?

MK: Pastrami and Kerrygold Dubliner cheese on wheat sourdough roll with horseradish mustard, Veganaise, and fresh spinach greens.

Rhona: I don’t know what any of that is, but it sounds interesting.

MK: It’s delicious. Have you had a sandwich before?

Rhona: Not often. I do like beef, so a meal made with that is quite satisfying for my tastes.

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast?

MK: My Saturday morning breakfast is oatmeal with chicken sausage and whole-wheat toast, and it’s one of my favorites. I eat it a little more often during the winter.

Rhona: Our breakfasts are rather large in scale, though we do not each much of it. I am partial to scones, poached eggs, sausage, and tea.

36. What is your usual bedtime?

MK: I wake up early, so I go to bed somewhere between 8:30 pm and 9:00 pm. If I’m really caught up in a book I’ll stay awake until 10:00 pm, but that’s rare these days.

Rhona: We are in bed around 10:00 pm most evenings. When we entertain, we are often awake until early morning hours, which is why we do not entertain often. We spend most of our time quietly in the countryside.

37. Are you lazy?

MK: Is anyone really going to say “yes” to this? No, I’m not. I enjoy downtime, but I consider that rest, not laziness. I stay pretty busy every day.

Rhona: There is no time for idleness when one’s husband is a British Agent and there is a household to manage.

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?

MK: I remember being a princess, Mini Mouse, a witch, and . . . I don’t recall what else. I think it was something new every year.

Rhona: My father did not approve of dressing up for Samhain. Many children dress up as evil spirits and go guising.

MK: Guising?

Rhona: Disguising one’s self.

MK: Why evil spirits?

Rhona: To blend in with the spirits out on that night.

MK: No candy at doors?

Rhona: Fruit or nuts

MK: Definitely not like our Halloweens.

39. What is your Chinese astrological sign?

MK: Monkey

Rhona: I do not know.

MK: Neither do I. I’ll figure that out for you.

Rhona: I would appreciate it.

40. How many languages can you speak?

MK: Fluently? English only. I took two years of Spanish and two and a half years of French. I barely remember any of it.

Rhona: English and Gaelic. I am working on my French.

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

MK: Country Living British Edition and Scotland Magazine. I buy Victoria and Mindful on a issue-by-issue basis.

MK: Rhona doesn’t have any.

42. Which are better: legos or lincoln logs?

MK: Lincoln Logs. I preferred them over Legos.

Rhona: Neither.

MK: You don’t know what they are.

Rhona: Which is why I said “neither.”

MK: I see you as Lincoln Log person.

Rhona: Why?

MK: Because they’re cool.

Rhona: You’re very odd.

MK: You didn’t think that when I gave you Christopher.

Rhona: I stand corrected. Of course, in the first draft you did make me rather—

MK: Moving right along . . .

43. Are you stubborn?

MK: Depends on the circumstances.

Rhona: My husband says that I am.

MK: So is he.

Rhona: It would help if you could remind him.

44. Who is better: Leno or Letterman?

MK: I never watched late-night shows, so I can’t answer objectively, but I like Leno on “Last Man Standing.”

Rhona: I do not know these people.

MK: And you never will.

45. Ever watch soap operas?

MK: Not that I recall.

Rhona: I—

MK: You haven’t.

Rhona: Would I like them?

MK: They aren’t as exciting as your life, so probably not.

Rhona: I would like to see one.

MK: Read a romance novel. It’s much more entertaining.

Rhona: I do like novels.

46. Are you afraid of heights?

MK: Depends. I’m more afraid of heights when standing on a manmade structure. I went cliff-jumping a few times in high school, and I tried to overcome my fear of heights by sky diving. It didn’t work.

Rhona: You jumped off these cliffs willingly?

MK: Yes, into water.

Rhona: Why?

MK: It was fun.

Rhona: How is jumping off a cliff fun? MK: You’d have to try it.

Rhona: I think I will pass.

MK: Probably a good idea. You would drown in those skirts.

47. Do you sing in the car?

MK: Often

Rhona: I am a terrible singer.

MK: I didn’t know that.

Rhona: It’s true.

MK: Are you sure? That seems like something I would know.

Rhona: Trust me, I cannot sing.

MK: Not at all?

Rhona: Not well enough to be heard outside of the nursery.

MK: Christopher thinks you sing well.

Rhona: Christopher cannot be trusted on this. He is a dear man, though.

48. Do you sing in the shower?

MK: Sometimes

Rhona: I am a terrible singer

49. Do you dance in the car?

MK: No. I’m usually driving.

Rhona: . . .

MK: Do you dance?

Rhona: With Christopher. He’s a wonderful dancer.

MK: Like he thinks you’re a wonderful singer?

Rhona: You and I need to have a talk before you write the next British Agent book.

MK: *Duly Silenced*

50. Ever used a gun?

MK: Yes, though only target shooting with rifles.

Rhona: I learned to shoot from a young age.

Don't miss part three!

*This post was originally published in 2019. It was updated in 2022 to update links.