Wednesday, October 29, 2014

The Spooktacular Hodgepodge

'Twas the Hodgepodge before Halloween, and all through the web...

So glad you've joined in this week, October's last Hodgepodge hurrah! Next week we're into November and all things gratitude, turkey and wedding.  

That last bit might just be me. 

If you've answered the questions today, add your link at the end of my post.  Then go say hi to the blogger who linked before you because everybody loves company.  Here we go-


1. My hubs spent last weekend pheasant hunting. Are there hunters in your family? If so, what do they hunt? Which of the following have you tasted-pheasant, rabbit, venison, duck, goose? Which of those would you most like to taste or be most willing to taste?

Vegetarians keep calm and Hodgepodge on.

Hubs enjoys the great outdoors, but is not a big hunter. He really loved the pheasant hunt though, so perhaps there is more of that in his future. Not deer hunting because deer are like family in our neck of the woods.  

That being said I have tasted venison and it's okay. I've tasted all of the above with the exception of rabbit and I really have no interest in trying that one. Course if you served it to me I'd try it, but I wouldn't order it in a restaurant if there were other options. 

I like duck, but am not a big fan of goose. Unless we're talking roasted potatoes with Sunday lunch like they serve in the UK...pretty sure they cook those in goose fat which is what makes them so completely delicious.  

2. What high spot have you visited that gave you a wonderful 'bird's eye view' of something below?

I started to answer this question and realized there were far too many to name. I have a lot of favorite high places, and I think I might give them their own blog post one day soon. Or not soon, but eventually. For today let's keep it simple and go with the one closest to home-



Highpoint...the literal highest point in NJ. It's a great place to hike, you can see NJ, Pennsylvania, and New York from up here, and the surrounding parkland is gorgeous. 

3. Do you have any birds in your home? These could be either real live pets or decorative, as in prints, fabrics, knickknacks, or pottery.

I don't have any birds as pets, although I do refer to the hawk who lives in our backyard tree tops as mine. I love incorporating birds into my decor. We have a couple of Audubon prints in our dining room, framed bird prints in my sunroom and powder room both, and wooden duck decoys in the office. 

I also have a real live bird dog, who can most often be found in her favorite chair, but who also loves to be out stalking birds, squirrels, rabbits, fox, groundhogs, and the occasional fly away plastic grocery bag.



Everyone wave to Dixie.  

4. Tell about a time you killed two birds with one stone.

These kinds of things are always a little hard to come up with off the top of my head. Kinda lame, but a couple of weeks ago hubs needed something from the hardware store and he was going to trek north to a place we frequent. However we were going to grab breakfast at the diner first, and that's south. Then I remembered there was a hardware store practically next door to the diner, so we sort of killed two birds with one stone. We avoided going both north and south in the space of an hour so that was nice. 

5. Your favorite song with a bird in it's title?

Freebird by Lynrd Skynyrd. Everyone knows this one, right? If not, you can listen here, but be forewarned it's gonna shave 9 minutes off your life. Back in the 1970's lots of songs went on for more than two and a half minutes. 

6. What most recently gave you goose bumps?

I can't think of a thing. 

Check back with me on Friday...I've heard talk of a snow shower, but lalalalala.

7. Halloween is this Friday...any plans? Did you trick or treat as a child? Carve pumpkins? Share your most memorable costume.

This is the first Halloween we've been in town for a while so our plan is to dole out candy to the brave, athletically inclined children who hike up our steep drive in the dark of night.  I might make a pot of chili or some kind of soup because it's supposed to get cold here Friday evening. When my girls were growing up we always had chili on Halloween, something warm before they headed out for candy collecting with the hubs and other dads/kids in our little cul-de-sac. 

Did I trick or treat as a child? Of course. Just ask my dentist. We'd go in a big group and walk for what felt like miles, but was probably more like blocks. I grew up in a big neighborhood with sidewalks and street lamps and a more innocent world all the way round, so trick or treating was a much anticipated event. My dad usually carved the pumpkin, but we helped scoop out the guts. 

My most memorable costume was the year I wore a Japanese kimono and wooden shoes, and one of those plastic masks over my face that made it hard to see. The kimono made it hard to walk and I was chased and knocked down by a big German Shepherd. Good times! 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

How 'bout a throw back, Halloween style? That's the bride-to-be on the right, with her maid of honor on the left-


October 31, 1991. 
Be still my heart. 





24 comments:

  1. I love your picture! You guys looked so cute! Thanks for hosting, Hope you have a great Halloween!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dixie is a Gordon, right? Sweet pic. And so much of this post made me smile. Love your little trick or treaters. How fast they grow up. Couldn't help laughing at the mental image of little kimono girl being herded by a German Shepherd. Sorry, I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time. :-) thanks for the hodgepodge.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gosh, but I can't believe that your daughter's wedding is coming up so quickly! I am eagerly awaiting pictures and details of all of the things you've been hinting about! Have fun handing out candy! My dogs go crazy...it's one of the most stressful nights of the year for them, second only to New Years (the fireworks are horrid for my scaredy-cat pups). We're keeping the lights off. Bah humbug!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your bird's eye view in your part of the country is breathtaking. I love it there. You reminded me of the hawks we see throughout the winter that sometimes rest upon our fence. So I guess maybe we do have a bird.
    Your girls are precious.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So, why is deer meat called venison? Just wondering. Is it to "fool" people into eating the meat without knowing it's cute little Bambi?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. According to the always reliable internet...venison comes from the Latin word meaning to hunt. It used to be applied to any type of meat but became more widely used for deer when royalty in England had forests with deer that could be hunted only by royalty and their guests.

      Delete
  6. I have eaten venison however I did not kill it. It was okay although it tasted like tough beef. Love the Halloween picture. Have a great Halloween.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Adorable random!! Thanks for such a fun Hodgepodge, Joyce!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This was certainly an interesting Hodgepodge this week! The questions sure covered a wide variety of subjects, for me anyway :)

    I loved the sweet photo of your girls, and loved your own Halloween memory. I laughed when you wrote, "I went trick-or-treating. Just ask my dentist." Ha! A lot of us can probably fall into that category, myself included!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh look at Dixie! What a precious animal she must be! We are past having pets anymore, but we do thoroughly enjoy the dogs of others. This particular set of Hodgepodge questions was especially fun.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Funny that I never gave thought to Mark's office which is full of ducks. Hi Dixie! I'm having Adam & Tristen over for Chili on Sunday. Have fun evening handing out candy. Such a sweet picture of the girls......

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dixie is adorable. Enjoyed your commentary on all the questions for Hodge Podge.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Cute Halloween throwback picture!

    I had wondered too about the term venison, interesting answer you shared above.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dixie you are gorgeous!! I love bird dogs:). What a great throwback picture of Halloween, and I love your idea of doing a bird eye view post. Have a great day Joyce!

    ReplyDelete
  14. We have a pair of red-tailed hawks in our back yard, too! Love hearing them call to each other :-) Love your view from Highpoint - There is something majestic in looking down from mountain tops.

    This week's Hodgepodge was tough for me - no creative memory juices were flowing, but I feel better knowing you were stumped on a few as well. I really shouldn't try to answer these questions late at night....

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh, I forgot! That picture of your girls... "Be still my heart. " is right!!! Where do the years go? They are adorable and the bride is going to absolutely lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love your little trick or treaters soon to be bride and moh! So much fun, and do enjoy all of the wedding planning. It was a special time for my daughter and me. Thanks for the HP, and have a great Wednesday.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh, indeed, be still my heat! What a precious picture.

    And, Dixie, what a great looking dog.

    Think we're having chili tonight with hot dogs. Not all that chilly here but we love chili, so it doesn't matter.

    Great questions!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Highpoint is a lot like Mount Cheaha here in Alabama. Pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I think I got burned out on Freebird when DoodleBug was a percussionist in the band. I listen to her play that song repeatedly for YEARS. I'm pretty much over it. I'm surprised I didn't get over it as much as I listened to it back in the day. LOL What cuties you girls are. Is your bride-to-be getting all excited?

    ReplyDelete
  20. It is amazing how fast our kids grow up. One minute they're hugging your legs saying I love you, the next they are married, or getting married. Where does the time go?
    Thanks for stopping by blog and leaving a comment. You may use my ideas at your discretion! I might have borrowed them myself, you never know!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi, Joyce!

    I love this week's questions!
    You would like squirrel, if you didn't know that was what you were eating...lol
    Venison is good, nice and tender, if it's cooked right. Otherwise it's tough.

    I love the view from Highpoint. It's been so long since I've been in the mountains. Too long..

    Chili sounds really good.
    We are coming from record highs this past weekend, to record lows this weekend. I don't think they are calling for any precipitation. So I guess no snow for us. Stay warm!

    As for costumes..I never could understand those store bought masks that you could hardly see where you were going.

    I love the picture of the bride-to-be and maid of honor.

    Hi, Dixie! (waving)

    Thanks for another fun week, Joyce!

    ReplyDelete