Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Sweet Seasons In the Hodgepodge

Welcome to another edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you're visiting from the A-Z you'll find my post on letter S by scrolling down to #8.  

If you've answered the questions today add your link, then run say hi to your neighbor. Also Hodgepodge links only please! Don't make me bring out the wooden spoon. 

One quick item of business-I'm calling Spring Break in the Hodgepodge next Wednesday, April 29th. I need a day and think a break now and then helps keep things fresh. We'll resume the week after on May 6th.  

Now on with the show-


1. Have you ever had to wear a uniform? If yes, tell us more. Did you love it or hate it?

It's been a long time since I've had to wear any sort of uniform. 
Yoga pants and my favorite sweatshirt don't count do they? 

My senior year of high school I worked in the dining room of a local nursing home. I had to wear a white uniform, white hose, white shoes, and a hairnet. That last bit was particularly delightful to my 17-year old self.

I also worked as a camp counselor and we wore uniforms on Sundays. That was the day new campers arrived and parents were able to identify staff by their awkwardly cut, bright red, polyester shorts, and red and white striped t-shirt. 

In college I worked as a waitress and wore a gingham dress with coordinating apron tied around the waist. It wasn't too bad, not something I'd wear out in public but as far as uniforms go, not the bottom of the barrel either. 

2. April 22nd is Earth Day. What is one thing you do personally to be a good steward of planet Earth.

We spend a lot of time outdoors, hiking and exploring parks or whatever natural beauty there is in whatever place we happen to be. We never ever leave any rubbish behind. Why do people litter? I don't get it. 

3. Brown rice, quinoa, or couscous...your healthy grain of choice? How often are one of the three on your menu at home? Given a choice between white rice, brown rice, wild rice, and fried rice which would you go for?

Brown rice is my favorite and that's what I would go for. We have brown rice about once a week, couscous maybe once a month, and quinoa rarely. My Daughter1 gave me a fabulous recipe for black bean burgers that calls for quinoa, and that's about the only time I use the grain. Quinoa is okay, but not my favorite. 

4. In your opinion, who has the best job ever?

Mothers of course. 

And then doctors, nurses, teachers...jobs where you're making a tangible difference in someone else's life. Maybe not the easiest jobs in the world, nor are they without challenges, but I think the sense of personal satisfaction one feels in helping another makes for the best kind of job.

5. What's a situation in your life currently requiring patience?

We're selling our house.  
I don't need to elaborate do I?

6. Do you live your life around the days of the week?

Somewhat, but much less so than in the past. We don't have children in school anymore and hubs just retired, so the days are pretty wide open here at the moment. I wrote about this very thing in a recent post (here) if you're curious. Or bored. Ha! 

Anyway, in spite of all this freedom, we do try to take care of any household chores and business during the week, so the weekends still feel like weekends. Since we go to church on Sundays they've always been different and I like that. Sundays mark the start of something new...fresh and full of promise. 

7. In a nod to the A to Z challenge happening around town this month, what 'R word' best describes your April?

How about relaunch? I sound like a broken record, but since hubs has only recently retired we're still figuring it all out. Everything from how a day looks to setting up new accounts to dealing with real estate on both the buying and the selling end. We're talking about the big picture and navigating our way round the small stuff too. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Using this space again today for this week's A-Z Challenge post. We're into the final third of the alphabet so whoohoo!
S is for Sweet Seasons

I took this picture on Sunday afternoon. Hubs and I went for a walk in a nearby park and spied this little burst of color straining from the rocky woodland hillside.  


Sometimes the smallest unexpected bit of beauty can give our hearts the most hope. 

I'm not gonna lie, it's been a long cold winter, and spring has struggled to break free. I know it's arrived in some parts of the country, but  here in the northeast the earth has a tight grip on the loveliness lurking beneath. 


Normally these daffs beside my dogwood tree are in full bloom mid-April. This year they're still yawning and stretching, reaching for the sun. 

When the seasons change I always feel a new sense of awe and wonder at the miracle of creation. Of God's grand design to bring both order and beauty to the world through change.

How a blanket of snow protects tender roots and a brilliant warm sun wakes them up.  How we long for summer, but welcome cooler nights and the vibrant golds of autumn too. 

Like God knew we needed changing seasons to see life in all it's technicolor glory. 

There are times its felt like spring would never show up, yet she does. When the earth finally submits to the changing of time and tide and temperature, growth and beauty abound. 


That little purple bud can teach me something. 



18 comments:

  1. Ugggg, house selling!
    Glad I am not the only one with misgivings about the quinoa.
    That little purple bud teaches me something too.
    Enjoy your week off!

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  2. I'm a brown rice kind of gal, too...quinoa isn't for me. We have neighbors whose house has been on the market for about 8-9 months. Here's hoping your house sells quickly. It can be such a tedious process. So glad that signs of springtime are popping up all around...it's about time, huh?

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  3. I just love your answer for #4! It must be neat to see your daughter impacting young lives in her own classroom!

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  4. I love your word: Relaunch!! We're no where near retiring - but we've "re-launched" into a new career and home state in the last few years. I tended to think of the transition as "regressing" - ha - but I am going to re-dub it RELAUNCHED! :)
    Have a lovely rest of the week. It's been a while since I joined HP ... glad to be back today.

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  5. Not sure I'm getting comments to work ... but wanted to say HI after being gone a few weeks. Good to be back in the HP!! :)

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  6. You need A LOT of patience when selling a house. I sympathize. Great pics and Spring inspiration in you "S" essay. Hope you sell your house today.

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  7. Yeah, quinoa isn't my favorite either. Kinda bland. Love the wee flowers photo. I think these long winters give us so much more appreciation of springtime..... when it finally arrives.

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  8. Your descriptions of spring's arrival were especially good today. From my days on the East Coast, I remember that springtime was incredibly beautiful. The dogwoods, the azaleas, and bulb flowers were all so beautiful.

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  9. Well, duh, why in the world did I not think of Mothers. Goodness! I was thinking more corporate world but I wouldn't trade motherhood for any corporate position.

    I'm always amazed at how you come up with such fabulous topics for your A-Z challenge. I'm thinking you should probably write a book once you and Hubby get settled in your retirement home. :o))

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  10. When I was a teenager I used to think the Friendly's uniforms were so cool. They were navy gingham dresses. I'm not crazy about quinoa but it tastes good with taco salad. I totally agree with you on the best jobs!

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  11. It took us a while to adjust to retirement and now we wonder how we ever managed to have time to work. Hubs retired early and was actually afraid I would ruin his routine however we both have the rhythm now.

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  12. I love the pictures of flowers. I love this time of year, the 18 minutes our area has between cool and hot (because we seem to have those two seasons, cool and hot). Flowers blooming, life peeking out.

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  13. I know that most of us who are in a certain age group and I would like to call originals, who grew up in the 40's,50's,60's & 70's (including our parents before us) seem to really care about our earth. I'm not saying that our own children don't care because I know that mine do but so many other people just don't care and it breaks my heart. That burger sounds good, I love black beans. Relaunch is a great word. When your house is on the market it does take a great deal of patience. Best of luck!

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  14. Relaunch is the perfect word to describe retirement! It is sort of like starting all over again, isn't it?
    I'm happy to see spring is finally trying to show itself in your part of the country. Here in the south, we're almost in summer mode!
    Enjoy your time off, next week :)

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  15. Hi,
    I agree with your random thought. My boys are growing up. We are in the teen years. My oldest will be starting Driver's Ed on Monday.
    A new season for our family in many ways.

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  16. Relaunch sounds like the perfect word to describe your life right now. How exciting and maybe a little scary all those changes must be.

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  17. Another fun Hodgepodge, and thank you!! I like your choice for "S" and the photos are quite descriptive even without words.

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  18. I LOVE your questions! Thanks for allowing all of us to link up with you!

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