Wednesday, July 13, 2011

No lie... it's time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge-Vol 35


1. How has your hometown changed since you were a kid? What has changed most about the neighborhood you grew up in?

I guess like most towns there's a lot more shopping and dining than there was when I was a kid. People didn't shop and eat out the way we do now. We shopped when we needed to buy something and eating out was a rare treat. There used to be a big 'circle' (roundabout) in town that was converted to a regular highway a few years ago, but that circle was a landmark for giving directions when I was younger and a test of your patience and ability to drive in traffic merging ten different ways.

My mom still lives in the neighborhood I grew up in and the biggest difference is the landscape. When my parents bought their house way back when there were small shrubs and tiny trees. Those little trees are all grown up now and the neighborhood is green and leafy. The houses still look mostly the same from the outside, only the people living in them have changed. It was a fun place to be a child.

2. What song makes you laugh?

This one-


3. Are you a fan of Harry Potter? Read all the books? Seen any/all of the movies? Will you be standing in line somewhere close to midnight later this week? For those of you playing along who live outside the US or UK is Harry Potter a phenomenon in your part of the world?

I'm a fan but I'm not a fan-atic like some people I know (Hi girls!). I have seen the movies but won't be standing in line at midnight to see the newest and last. I will see it eventually. I feel like my girls grew up right alongside Harry...Daughter1 was nine when the first book was released. I do believe I have a gift for making all things sentimental.

As a side note hubs and I saw Emma Watson (Hermione) up close at a polo match in the UK...she was adorable in person too. That's her, third from the left-


Here she is again-


What? You thought they'd let me duck under the ropes and get a picture of us side by side? Think again.

4. If the truth hurts will you tell a lie? Are we better off as a society in a world that allows no form of deception whatsoever?

Whoa! What a question for the middle of July when our brains are taking a little rest.

So, is it bad to lie when you answer a question about lying? I am going to say for the first part of this question that yes, I think we all do that. I wouldn't lie about important truths but if it would spare someone's feelings and its something small and insignificant then yes, I might not tell the whole truth. Let me give you an example...say I'm a guest at a dinner party and the hostess is a terrible cook and she asks me if I like the meal she's prepared... in that case I will lie and say yes because good manners seem to outweigh the benefit of the truth in that sort of instance. And yes, I know that's what liars say about all their lies

I think if there were not 'deception' of this sort in the world a lot of people would be walking around hurt and angry all the time. Now the big stuff, the stuff that matters in the grand scheme of things, (actually anything larger than 'the meal was delicious')...well, that's another matter. Sometimes the truth hurts but it usually needs to be heard. I know there are those who will say truth at any cost but sometimes the truth, while harsh, is also helpful and sometimes the truth is just mean.

All sorts of thoughts relating to those in public life are swirling around my brain...telling the police you work in a theme park and leading them all the way to the door all the while knowing you don't actually work at said theme park, 'forgetting' you have an illegal nanny/housekeeper/whatever when you fill out your tax return, the inability to identify a questionable tweet or even your very own 'love child' as your own may seem like little things to some people but I'd put those actions in the category of 'big things'.

Oh and this is where it gets all sloppy and complicated. I know truth is truth and maybe we shouldn't be arbitrary and decide what's big and what's small but that's a lot to whittle down here in a Wednesday Hodgepodge.

5. What is your favorite 'sauteed in garlic and butter' food ? Or garlic and olive oil if that makes you feel better.

Mushrooms-yum!

6. Attending any reunions this summer/year? High school/class? Family? Other? Do these events stir up excitement or dread?

I don't have any class or family reunions on the calendar this year but I think reunions in general stir up feelings of excitement for me. I did attend a reunion at the end of June with former summer camp staff I hadn't seen in over 30 years and that was a fantastic weekend ...I wrote about it here. And here. Later this month I'm going to a reunion with some of my college sorority sisters and I can't wait for that one. I think it's safe to say it will get a mention here.

7. lilacs, hydrangea, peony...pick one.

Oh dear. Three of my most favorite flowers...I'm going with peony but only because you made me choose. I made me choose? Whatever. We just added five hydrangea and a lilac bush to our back yard landscaping. I had peonies in my yard in England and my next door neighbor there had a collection of rare varieties that was positively stunning. I need to add peonies to this yard. Do deer like peonies? Probably. They have a highly discriminating palate...if a plant is blooming, beautiful and expensive they love it.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Here is something that is making me happy at the moment-


29 comments:

  1. Funny we both chose a Steve Martin song for this question! And I concur with your "lying" answer, I think. Love child? Yeah, I'd say that's in the Big Thing category, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So nice getting to know you a little bit better!
    have a lovely day - and - those tomatoes are gorgeous! A miracle really!
    Ann

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree with you. Mushrooms....YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I immediately thought "No" to the question about lying but after reading your response you have a good point. Especially with the manners component :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I loved the questions this week! Such fun!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I totally agree with your take on lies!! Congrats on your tomato's I love garden tomato's ! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I don´t even know what Peonies are. :) But I¨ll be checking them out now.
    Lovely tomatoes you have there! I bet they taste wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aw...tomatoes!! Have you ever tried frying green tomatoes-they are great this way!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have not heard Steve Martin do King Tut in years and yes it still makes me laugh. I love your tomato plant! I'm having fun with my little garden this year too.

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Steve Martin's old comedy kills me...so much so that I bought a DVD of his routines (including King Tut) a couple of years ago. And nearly ripe tomatoes? Jealous! Ours are still as green as they can be.

    ReplyDelete
  11. King Tut! I'd forgotten that one! LOL I can't wait to see all of the answers to this question.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I couldn't pick on of the given flowers-my allergies don't like any of those. LOL

    I ADORE Steve Martin! And this meme!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks Joyce for hosting...where do you get your questions? I enjoyed reading your answers...the video is new to me....why doesn't your tomato plant have leaves?
    Mama Bear

    ReplyDelete
  14. So true, even getting a pizza at home was big deal and you had to pick it up! Great choice with King Tut. I'm with you on the mushrooms and then smother them with parmesan. I only have a tomotoe plant and that's about how it looks, just not turning red yet!

    ReplyDelete
  15. always loved Steve Martin. I forgot all about the King Tut routine. Thanks for sharing! Now, if you would only share those tomatoes, it would be a wonderful day! :) Ours are still small and green. Eventually, right?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Joyce,
    Love that song by Steve Martin. He's so funny. Have a great day!

    Sherrie
    Food for Thought
    http://100sweets.blogspot.com/2011/07/wednesday-hodgepodge_13.html

    ReplyDelete
  17. Steve Martin is timeless. I've always been partial to the thermos song myself. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Loved the Steve Martin song and dance!
    I should go check our tomato plants.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Congratulations on your tomatoes!! We're just about tomatoed out here and with the drought have let the ones remaining go to the birds. I feel sorry for the animals in this kind of weather and my husband is just sick of dealing with it!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow you got to see Emma! Cool. Your tomatoes look great, we have 2 small green ones but hoping soon they grow and turn red! Hoping......

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love the post today!!! the lying I agree with about the manners :) our tomatoes are dying like Donna says from the drought and heat. I have to water my dogs 3-4 times a day right now, thankfully they have lots of shade. We are almost to where they are going to start mandatory water rationing...

    Thank you for doing this hop
    Rainbow

    ReplyDelete
  22. Fun answers, and a funny song! You put a lot of thought into the lying question, and I think it's not an easy yes or no, no matter whether you're looking at big or small issues and no matter who thinks it's big or small. I just think it's too hot to think about it at all anymore, so I'm going to go have a cool drink and not think at all! : )

    ReplyDelete
  23. I completely forgot about "King Tut"!! What a hoot!
    Reading your answers make me laugh! You answer the questions as if you haven't read them before! :D

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love Steve Martin...so funny! Your tomatoes look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Joyce, wow great questions and answers to read. I agree about the lying, I would tell a friend she looked nice in a dress if she really loved the dress but I didn't like it!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Peonies smell heavenly! Just wished they lasted longer. A few years ago, my husband brought me a couple of those boxes of bulbs from Sam's Club. I planted 14 peonies in my front garden, never expecting them all to come up. Guess what? They did! And this year, they all bloomed. It was gorgeous, if I do say so myself. I'm going to have to move some of them though, because I planted them too close together--again, not planning on all of them surviving.

    ReplyDelete
  27. can't believe you made you chose a favorite flower, too. ;) that's just too hard. i honestly know nothing of harry potter. should i?

    ReplyDelete
  28. hydrangea. hands down.

    King Tut=uber funny

    ReplyDelete