Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 653

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (May 13th) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. What's one piece of advice you would you give a recent or soon-to-be graduate? 

2. May 15th marks the birth date of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. At this point in time are you more in need of brains, courage, heart, or a trip back home? Explain. 

3.  "There's no place like home" is an oft repeated line from Baum's book. When was the last time you felt the truth of that statement? 

4. May is National BBQ Month...do you own a grill? Who does the grilling at your house? What's your favorite thing to throw on the grill? What's the last thing you grilled? 

5. What's a memory you replay in your head when you need a little joy? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Share Your Shelf-April

It's the first Thursday of the month which means it's time to share what we read the month prior. Between all the blogging and all the life-living, I didn't read as much as I would have liked. Here's how April looked-

The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd

This was our book club selection for May and I mostly enjoyed it. The author normally writes contemporary romantic fiction, and she couldn't quite get away from that style as much as she needed to in this book. Overall though an interesting read about a historical figure previously unknown to me. Here's a bit of trivia for you-George Washington asked to be a pall bearer at her funeral. 

The Indigo Girl is a work of historical fiction based on real life horticulturalist Eliza Lucas, who learns  how to grow and extract dye from indigo plants on her family's South Carolina plantation. 

Eliza is sixteen when her father leaves her in charge of his three South Carolina plantations. Her father was mortgaging the properties to further his military career and soon her family is in danger of losing everything. When Eliza learns how much the French are willing to pay for indigo dye she thinks this might be the answer she's looking for. 

Eliza finds allies in an aging horticulturalist, a married gentleman lawyer and a slave with whom she makes a dangerous deal. He'll teach her how to make the 1000 year old dye and in return she'll break the law and teach him to read. 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I continue to try for a classic each month and in April it was Jane Eyre. My favorite thing about reading these classic novels is the precision of the language and the deliberate word choice.  That alone usually makes me bump up my rating, and while this novel met that criteria the storyline here wasn't my favorite. My daughter told me she read Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys which is something like a prequel to Jane Eyre and she liked that much better. 

The novel Jane Eyre follows an orphaned girl, Jane, who endures a harsh childhood before becoming a governess at Thornfield Hall. There she falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester, but discovers he's hiding a dark secret that upends their relationship. 

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 

This is an older book (1989), one that was extremely popular when it was released, yet somehow I missed it. I had a one year old in 1989 so Goodnight Moon was likely more my speed. 

The Remains of the Day won The Booker Prize that same year, and was made into a feature film starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. This is also one of the books mentioned in The Correspondent and I'm working my way through that list this year. 

The story is told in the first-person narration of an English butler named Stevens. Stevens lives and has worked as a butler for more than thirty years in a stately home called Darlington Hall. In 1956 he takes a road trip from Darlington Hall to the west country of England, with his primary purpose being a visit to Miss Kenton, the former housekeeper who left twenty years earlier to get married. 

Stevens has received a letter from Miss Kenton, and believes it hints that her marriage is failing and she might like to return to her post as housekeeper. Though Stevens never says so outright, the reader knows without a doubt he has held on to repressed romantic feelings for Miss Kenton. 

Much of the novel is comprised of Stevens's memories of his work as a butler during and just after WWII.  He's an  unreliable narrator who lies to himself most of all, yet he's also a likable character which is not an easy balance for an author to achieve. 

Upon Lord Darlington's death the  house is sold to an American gentleman (Mr. Farraday) and Stevens realizes he is unable to interact with his new employer in the way  Mr. Farraday would like. He needs to learn to banter. 

"Perhaps it is indeed time I began to look at this whole matter of bantering more enthusiastically. After all, when one thinks about it, it is not such a foolish thing to indulge in-particularly if it is the case that in bantering lies the key to human warmth." from The Remains of the Day 

The voice of the butler never wears on the reader and the writing is exquisite. Stevens is stoic and ever proper in word and deed, but it's what's left unsaid that feels so profound. Feelings of regret, of love lost or missed altogether are written about in a way that's subtle, but the reader feels them nonetheless.  

The novel is quiet and moves at a very gentle pace. I liked that. It's not anything like most of what we read today, and while not a lot actually happens, the story is poignant. When I turned that last page the emotion lingered. 

This won't be everyone's cup of tea (pun intended) but it's definitely mine. Five stars for me. 

'What is pertinent is the calmness of beauty, its sense of restraint. It is as though the land knows of its own beauty, it's own greatness, and feels no need to shout it." Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day 

Hop over to (Slices of Life) or (Not In Jersey) to see what others are reading. 

I'll Give You Something To Hodgepodge About

Nothing like blogging for a month straight then dropping off the internet for a week or so. It's been busy here and something had to give. The blog it was. 

It's Hodgepodge day and if you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger there before you. Here we go...

1. What's something you may do this month?

I may get in the lake. 

I'd love to go for a float but the water needs to warm up some. There are people out there paddle boarding, swimming,  and jet skiing, but not me. I don't mind the water being on the cool side if the air is hot, but that hasn't been the case so far this spring. Soon though! Maybe even May. 

2. Hola! Hodgepodge Day lands just after Cinco de Mayo... how do you feel about Mexican food? What's your favorite dish? Do you make it at home or is it a strictly dine out option? 

I love Mexican food and enchiladas are probably my favorite dish. My mama's homemade especially. Guacamole is one of my favorite foods and I like a margarita with spicy recipes. 

I don't make a lot of Mexican food at home, but we do have tacos, tortilla soup, and a salsa style grilled chicken bowl on occasion. I make my own guac and hubs makes a great margarita. Add a bowl of chips and I could call that dinner. 

3. When the children of today grow up what do you think they'll say about this time period? What do you most hope they remember? 

What might they say? 

I think they'll say we were all a little bit crazy with the masking and the incredible isolation we forced upon them at a very important and vulnerable time in their lives.  

What do I hope they remember? 

I'm thinking of my grandchildren as I answer this one. I hope they remember feeling loved and secure, and sheer joy at the kind of  freedom they had that belongs to childhood. 

4. What advice would you give a new mother? 

The internet and complete strangers are full of opinions...trust your instincts. God made you this child's mother by design. 

Don't be afraid to ask for help from those closest to you if you feel overly tired or overwhelmed. 

5. What's a phrase your mother often said to you? If you're a mom do you say it to your own children? 

I wracked my brain, but couldn't come up with a particular phrase my mom said. My dad had a bunch of sayings he used, but we're talking mothers this month.

I think if you asked my girls they could share a few that I said often through the years, and maybe occasionally still do...'no hanky panky', 'text to let me know you made it home', and 'every little thing is gonna be alright' are some of those.  I'm going to ask them because this question has me curious. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Worth the wait...

She finally bloomed! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 652

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here on Wednesday (May 6) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. What's something you may do this month?

2. Hola! Hodgepodge Day lands just after Cinco de Mayo... how do you feel about Mexican food? What's your favorite dish? Do you make it at home or is it a strictly dine out option? 

3. When the children of today grow up what do you think they'll say about this time period? What do you most hope they remember? 

4. What advice would you give a new mother? 

5. What's a phrase your mother often said to you? If you're a mom do you say it to your own children? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Zing!

Well here we are. The end of April and the end of the alphabet. It's actually been a lot of fun thinking about some of the ordinary objects I keep and why I keep them.  

Day 26-Z is for Zenith 

I've had a long day and my brain isn't firing on all cylinders so keeping this short and sweet. The non-astronomical definition of the word zenith  is 'the highest point, peak, or maximum success'. I think we can say reaching the end of the alphabet is the highest point in the A-Z so works for me. 

In taking note of the mostly ordinary objects I've held on to through the years I've reached a conclusion. It's the memories the objects stir up, and not the objects themselves, that I've been holding all along. 

Zee end. 

And now back to your regularly scheduled hit or miss blog programming. 

Y The Hodgepodge?

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge and (yahoo!) the second to last letter in the April A-Z blog challenge. Not that I'm counting. I've included letter Y in my random thought today (question #6 for anyone new). 

If you've answered today's Hodgepodge questions add your link at the end of my post then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Y not?  

1. Are you feeling more reset, restart, or full speed ahead as we move into May? Tell us why. 

Can rest be an option here because that's what I'd like right about now? If not then full steam ahead it is. 

2. Painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, cinema, theatre, music...what's your favorite form of art? Elaborate.  

Impossible question. I like them all and while each would be considered art, they're not at all the same kind of art. My answer is all of the above. Each one appeals to me on some level. I suppose if you forced me to choose I'd say literature, but I love museums, beautiful architecture, live music, and live theatre too. 

3. What time is dinner at your house? How do you feel about leftovers? 

Dinner time varies here. In the summer it's generally sometime between 7 and 8. In the winter months we dine earlier, usually between 6 and 6:30.  My hubs would love for us to eat late year round and I'd love to eat at 5 so we're most often somewhere in the middle. 

As far as leftovers my feelings are mixed. I am good with things like pasta or pizza leftovers, but I'm funny about meat. I don't usually care for leftover meat warmed up, unless it's in a casserole. A leftover piece of chicken warmed up? No thanks. Chicken pot pie left over? Sure. 

4.What's the last thing you fell down a rabbit hole investigating? 

My husband shared something he was reading about AI doing an analysis on the Shroud of Turin and I then went down the rabbit hole myself reading about it. Don't ask me to explain it though. 

5. And now for a question from the book Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me...

At what are you 'self-taught?' 

I'm going with all things computer related. I'm the only one in my family with no formal computer classes or training. I've muddled through and learned by doing. I'm a work in progress here still. Obviously. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We're nearing the end of the A-Z blog challenge and I'm using this space for today's letter. I didn't think too hard on this one, but instead ran through a mental list of things that start with Y and picked one I could work with. 

Day 24-Y is for Yardstick 

Do you own a yardstick? Do you know where it is? I own one and bonus, I know where it is. I feel like a yardstick is one of those things you need very rarely, but when you need it you need it. 

Mine lives tucked into a corner of my pantry and it has a felt sleeve to fancy it up.  This yardstick was part of an end of year gift from a kindergarten student I taught in the year 1999. 

His mama made the sleeve and I've kept it all these years. fyi-it does have my full name down the front but I try not to put my full name here on the blog. Anyway, I've used this yardstick from time to time, and when I do I think of that super sweet kindergarten class, the wonderful parents who made that year an absolute joy, and the little boy (Brent-yes I remember his name) who would be 33 years old today. 

That's the kind of math that makes me feel another Y word-not young. 

X Is For Not A Xylophone

These last three letters might just send me over the edge. Let's get to it...

Day 24-X is for boXes 

Listen. This is totally fine. Three tough letters remain and one does what one must to meet the challenge deadline. 

My theme for this A-Z Blog Challenge has been The Things We Keep: Ordinary Objects from A-Z and when I think about the things I keep I think pictures. Ironically, there won't be pictures in this post today because I'm eXhausted, and getting this one written just under the wire. 

While I don't have nearly as many recent photos printed as I do old photos, I still have plenty of both. Some are in scrapbooks, some in frames, most though are in boxes. Now in my defense some of the boxes are actual photo boxes and they're organized with the pictures filed by year. Some are slightly disorganized boxes containing photo albums which I suppose are organized in a sense but still need to be dealt with, and some are shoeboxes filled with an 'I'll get to that later' sort of filing system. 

Hubs and I started cleaning out the attic this winter and it's in pretty good shape at the moment. But there are three large boxes filled with what I've just described and I'm determined to get to them before summer rolls around in roughly 55 days. 

Plenty of time, no? 

So tell me, do you own a real camera or do you take pictures strictly with your phone? Do you print those pictures regularly and if so, now what? Also, how do you organize the photos on your phone? 

I have a hard time letting go of pictures I've snapped. I have plenty that aren't great, yet they still mark a moment in time I want to remember. My mother-in-law used to have an end table whose drawer was filled with the most random assortment of photographs you ever did see, and you couldn't help but rifle through it every time you were there. 

I want a drawer like that.