Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Post Birthday Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge-Volume 94.  Yikes! Volume 100 is looming and I'm feeling a little pressure to come up with something great for that one.   Maybe now that I'm a whole year older the questions will just roll right off my brain and onto my blog.

You knew I couldn't let my birthday just end, right?

Speaking of (and you knew I would)...thank you for the birthday wishes left here yesterday. Hodgepodgers are not only random, they're also super thoughtful!


1. What's the best and worst thing about growing older?

I think the worst thing about growing older is forgetting I'm growing older and then being caught by surprise when I pass a mirror or get out of bed and have to consciously straighten my back.  In my head I can still do a cartwheel and my roots are never gray.  In my head I'm still so young and I feel so relevant. That isn't necessarily the message society sends back.  

The best thing about aging? 
Wisdom

2.  Autumn  arrives in the Northern Hemisphere this week...what one thing do you love most about the fall season?

Such a hard question since fall's my favorite season,  but I'm going with the color.  

3. Speaking of fall...pumpkin seems to be flavoring everything these days-are you a fan?  What's your favorite pumpkin flavored food or beverage?

Am I a fan?  eh...I do like pumpkin pie as long as there's some whipped cream to go with, but definitely no pumpkin flavored beverages.  I don't dislike pumpkin, but it's not my favorite flavor.  

4. Since we're on the subject of fall...what's the worst fall you've ever taken?

I'm kind of clumsy so you'd think this would be easy but its not.  I've had my fair share of mishaps but most were not falls.  When I was in elementary school I slipped on an icy sidewalk in front of our house and landed on my chin.  I needed stitches and it was all very dramatic.  Or perhaps I made it feel that way?  

Oh, and there was also the time when hubs and I were first dating, early early days, before he knew me well, and he pulled up beside my dorm to drop me off.  It was raining and someone was going into the dorm just ahead of me and they were holding the door so I hopped out in a hurry.  

Just as I stepped out of the car I caught my foot on the sidewalk and went all out flat.  I mean face first, arms and legs sprawled out for all the world to see.  Hubs had already started to pull away from the curb so I told myself he hadn't seen my belly flop onto the pavement but in my heart I kinda knew he did.  I jumped up so fast and ran inside without ever looking back.   I skinned my knees but that was nothing compared to my pride.  My stomach is doing flip flops just writing about it. On the bright side-he still married me.  

5. If you could own a prop from any film what would you choose?

This question could go in a million directions.  Maybe the gazebo from The Sound of Music because I could make that work somewhere on our property.   We saw it on a trip to Austria but you can't go inside anymore.  At one time you could,  but according to our guide some tourists were injured re-enacting the scene where Liesl and Rolf leapt gracefully between the benches.   These tourists were not 16-going-on-17 either, ahem, and as a result the door is now locked.  


6. What's the most interesting word you've read or heard in the past week?

I read the phrase 'quotidian minutiae' in a book review and think that's an interesting phrase.  It was in reference to the daily pile of mail that comes into the house.  Pretty sure I can work that into a sentence at some point.  

7. When was the last time you locked yourself out of your house, car, or office?  Was it a big deal?

Shortly after we moved in here I locked myself out, so that was about three years ago. We hadn't given a key to a neighbor or stashed one anywhere yet, so I had to wait on a locksmith.  It was early morning, but fortunately I was dressed and hadn't decided to let the dog outside while still in my nightgown.  A mere $110 later all was well.  

Last week I went to visit my daughter2 in South Carolina.  I already mentioned the long delays getting out of NJ so my nerves were slightly rattled.  Upon landing I turned on my phone and listened to a voice mail message from her.   She said that somehow she'd broken off the key to her front door in the lock as she was leaving to get me.  We weren't locked out but we weren't locked in either, which might actually worry me more.  

That child is so her mother's daughter.  

She left the apartment unlocked and came on to the airport.  All was well when we returned back home, and fortunately for her I was there to wait on the repair while she went to work Monday.  
8. Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of mothers 'being there'...I posted this link on my facebook yesterday, but if you haven't seen it and you're a mom of daughters it is most definitely worth a read.  Absolutely beautiful! 

Click here to read.



39 comments:

  1. Oh, that gazebo!! What a classic scene!! I'm hearing the song even as I type this comment. Thanks for the flashback!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooh, good movie prop! Wish I had thought of that one! And what a wonderful link on motherhood... made me teary eyed. I think I'll print it out for my daughter's album. Perhaps someday she will understand.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is quite a fall! I haven't lived around snow but we've had icy sidewalks in the morning during the dog walking, it is painful ;( My grandpa was the king of locking himself out of the house & car!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You do come up with some great questions. But, they are a lot of fun answering and reading how others answer them too.
    My daughter broke a key off in our door once. I used a magnet and a pair of tweezers to get it out.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would say that any fall that involves stitches qualifies as dramatic. Falling is terrible. I always feel this uncontrollable desire to pop right up, as if to prove that I'm okay, even if I might not be.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your answer for #1 is perfect, I never know who that person is in the mirror! That is definitely an interesting word for #6. Broken key in the door is a big deal, glad all was well. Probably a good thing Mom was around to help. Thanks for the link, I will go check it out. Have a great post birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love your movie prop answer. I was thinking ' darn it I'd love that too!' it's one of my favourite films!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yes, I feel that growing older brings a lot of wisdom, though I'm not sure my daughters would always agree.;) Your falls sound horrible! I don't think I've ever done a face plant, but I've come very close! I saw the link you posted and I sat there and BAWLED like a baby! So very true to how I feel.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love the gazebo choice!!! And I'm with you, pumpkin just does not sound 'right' mixed for flavor in a drink. Ewwww. I wish I did Facebook [NOT!], but I'd like to read about the mothers/daughters ditty. Is it found online somewhere, or was it written in your own words?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy belated birthday! Also thanks for being a wonderful hostess of the hodgepodge.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Happy post birthday, we know how you like to s-t-r-e-t-c-h it out!!
    I totally get what you said about being young in my mind! I am always surprised when I do something that I have always done, and there is a hitch in my giddy-up. The under eye circles are alarming as well.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Joyce, I think I could write an entire post of comments on this one post! I'm still young in my head, too. I just wonder how long before it becomes obvious to everyone but me that I'm not anymore. (Or maybe it already has.) I love the colors of autumn, and I miss them here in Florida. I'm also clumsy and the fact that your Hubs married you after the face plant says he's something special. And that he was warned before hand. : ) Pumpkin is not my favorite flavoring either, and I found it quite amusing that you talked about the people who fell in the gazebo after the clumsy question. I know I would have tried the leaping from bench to bench if I had the chance. And I also know it wouldn't have ended well. : ) I love the phrase in #6, and I'll be working that into a sentence this week! And the link you posted for #8 made me cry. Thanks for a great start to the day!

    ReplyDelete
  13. We may have to flip a coin to see who gets the gazebo for the backyard. Great minds...
    And we wouldn't be sitting in it whilst sipping pumpkin spice latte, either. :)
    Thanks for the fun questions, happy birthday week, and have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  14. That link you posed in #8 ... made me cry. I had to share it with my daughter who is now the mom of two daughters ... no doubt it will make her cry, too. ;-)

    Ah yes, the wrinkles ... you know, if you don't get too close to the mirror, they're not nearly as noticeable. ha!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love the gazebo, so beautiful and I love that scene in the movie and probably would be tempted to try it too. haha

    I agree with your answer to number 1 too. I'm always so surprised when I walk past a mirror that that is really me. Sure don't look like that in my head.

    Great questions (and answers) this week Joyce.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Isn't it the truth, wisdom! So glad there is some redemption in growing older. Well, as long as we're growing older, we're still alive as well. :o)

    Oh, the mention of The Sound of Music brought back so many wonderful memories of that movie.

    Thanks for being so faithful to us gals week in and week out. Happy mid week!

    ReplyDelete
  17. The link you shared really touched my heart! Thank you for sharing it with us. That gazebo is beautiful. I have a couple of similar falls in front of my husband when we were dating...I'm so happy he saw past my clumsy ways and married me:) He still picks me up quite often! Happy Birthday(a day late) to you! Have a wonderful week!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Your answer to #1 is the same as mine - except that you stated it much better than I did.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh man - that's so the truth. In my mind, I'm still young - my body reminds me I'm not.

    That would be an AWESOME movie prop... makes me want to run in circles in a gazebo!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Loved your number one answer. The gazebo from Sound of Music would be amazing. I am a klutz as well. It is a good thing my middle name is not Grace. Hope your birthday was amazing. Fall colors rock my world.

    ReplyDelete
  21. So true about society's perception of relevance. But don't worry, you're still young! And it is true that we feel young until we walk past a mirror (especially in the morning). lol

    ReplyDelete
  22. I wish I appreciated my youth more....love the gazebo! That was a hard question! Fall colors are my favorite too...we are driving to PA next week and I hope the colors are amazing! Happy Day after Birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Happy Birthday Joyce!I hope you have a great time in celebrating and I'm like you, I enjoy my birthdays. We're not getting older, baby, just better! =D Thanks for hosting such a fun meme!

    ReplyDelete
  24. #1 answer makes me giggle. Some mornings I look in the bathroom mirror and wonder who that old chick is

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh my, your face-plant story makes me think of another of my falls...not the one I used in my post. Our big hound tripped me and I went flat out on the side walk and let go of his leash. He's not one to stick around so I started yelling his name. His name is Elvis. I have lived in fear of finding out anyone saw me lying on the sidewalk screaming for Elvis.

    ReplyDelete
  26. So glad you got "the issue" fixed, and I could get on your blog today. I didn't want to miss out!

    Your "fall story" made me grimace :( I enjoyed the questions this week, along with your answers. You always have the most interesting stories to tell! Wishing you a belated Happy Birthday, I hope it was a good one :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow somehow I thought you WOULD be a fan of pumpkin.

    Oh my gosh your fall was dramatic! I bet your Hubby fell in love with you at that very moment. haha

    ReplyDelete
  28. The O's are looking good this year! I don't think i know one single player though. ;o

    ReplyDelete
  29. I loved this week's questions! They were really interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I went to read that post you mentioned and it really is beautiful. And heart felt. I also saw your comment, and I wanted to tell you that my heart goes out to you. I have been through the stage you mentioned and it just breaks your heart. But I am sure you are everything your daughter needs right now. Hang in there, it will get better!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Happy day after your birthday! I bet y'all get a lot of great color up your way in the fall. We used to get more than we do now but after Hugo came through here in 1989, it just never came back. That darn storm took out all the pretty trees.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Thanks for the great questions Joyce. This was fun...and I LOVE the gazebo!

    ReplyDelete
  33. I have been doing the wed hodge ever since I started blogging, but today I linked up. :)
    Mine is entry 48

    I can't wait to see Wednesday Hodgepodge-Volume 100! So exciting!

    ReplyDelete
  34. The gazebo from The Sound of Music- what a great answer! Love it!
    My stomach dropped when I read about your fall too!

    ReplyDelete
  35. That description of your fall was classic. You're right - skinned knees are nothing compared to injured pride.

    ReplyDelete
  36. PS....thank you, thank you....when you left the comment to click on the link to read about mothers/daughters ---yesterday, I assumed it was a link on Facebook so I didn't even try. I'm glad you clarified it for me.

    And.......it's tearfully beautiful. Especially one part in particular...
    "When your husband’s out of work. When you’re down to one car and have moved in with his in-laws. When your job threatens to break your heart. When toddlers make you question your sanity. When you realize that you’ve made the worst mistake a woman can make. When you’ve run out of tears and still the tears keeping coming." ...

    We just recently lost our son-in-law from liver problems, and the tears both for my daughter and two grandsons, keep coming and I try to hold them in my arms and thoughts. It's been a long road.

    I enjoyed this beautiful prose you've shared Joyce.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Thanks for being such a faithful bloggy friend to me! I was so excited to finally have time to participate this week. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

    ReplyDelete
  38. I forget that I am older and am shocked when I see pictures of myself, or catch a glimpse in the mirror, as well. Like the line in 'Miss Congeniality', "Who is that old man wearing my pajamas?"

    ReplyDelete