This week we thought we'd ask a few probing questions of a staff member. This one is with Jude Ruhm, who works out of our Holderness office. Our roving reporter Elspeth asked the questions:

  I am currently reading? S.H.E.D. Your Stuff, Change Your Life by Julie Morgenstern and The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon What is your favorite restaurant in the area? Six Burner Bistro in Plymouth and Thai House in Tilton Favorite board game? Scrabble The person that influenced you the most? My mom and my first employer, Bill Isaly, who had faith in me and hired me as soon as I could get a work permit! Your favorite song? Mood and day dependent … I like a variety of genres and songs … but my favorite artist of all time would be Van Morrison. What is your favorite thing to cook? Love trying new recipes … especially ethnic foods Favorite family tradition? Christmas Eve dinner with my Italian family. We would have wedding soup, and the seven fishes which included anchovies in the salad, fried smelts, squid pasta sauce and baccala. I love big family get-togethers. What is your favorite winter activity? Snowshoeing and cross country skiing … and of course competing for first place with my PSR ski team! What do you like to do in your spare time? Wow! What counts as spare time? I do enjoy doing a variety of activities outside of my job and sleeping … taking care of my chickens and garden on my one acre farm are the first to come to mind. Splitting wood, kayaking, biking, running, spending time with Emily, my Circle Girl and friend … so much to enjoy from this buffet of life! What is your pet peeve? When someone snaps their chewing gum or chews gum with their mouth open!! Do you have pets at home? What are they? What are their names? Well, I had 2 cats. Chicco, my rescue cat from Spain, ran off and became 'the hunted' last summer and Jake, my Swiss Maine Coone who died on July 1, 2015 at the ripe old age of 14. Do you like coffee or tea? I LOVE espresso … coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon Do you prefer the Ocean or the Mountains?  I like to go to the Ocean for scuba diving, running along the beach and searching for sea glass. I like the mountains for hiking and skiing. What is your ski mountain of choice? Cannon for close to home. Chamonix for most challenging and longest runs. For a more serious bio on Jude, click here!