Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Hello September Hodgepodge

Welcome to another edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered the questions this week, add your link at the end of my post. Also, since we're talking common courtesy here today...please leave a comment for the blogger or two who've linked before you. Think of it as our little contribution to making Wednesdays and the world a nicer place! Here we go-


1. What's on your September calendar? Anything fun?

Well MY birthday for starters, and that's always fun. Also hubs birthday and Daughter2's birthday, so it's a birthday palooza here in September. Besides all that celebrating, hubs and I have plans to attend homecoming at our Alma Mater aaaand....we'll break ground on the house this month so whoohoo! I love September.  

2. You might be described as a natural born __________________________?

Optimist? Procrastinator? User of too many words? 

3. September is National Courtesy Month...what one act of courtesy would you most like to see more of in your home, town, or the world at large?

I think the world in general could use a refresher course in good manners. Let's quit publicly eviscerating people for expressing deeply held convictions when they don't line up with our own. Let's stop tossing around words like bigot and racist and fill-in-the-blank-with-the-most-vile-word-you can-think-of when we don't see eye to eye. Let's have a return to civil discourse.  Is that possible in the age of social media? If so I think that would be a nice place to start. 

4. Eager beaver, chicken out, clam up, or let the cat out of the bag...of the phrases listed, which one have you related to most recently?

I'm an eager beaver right now, in that I'm so ready to get going on the house. To borrow another animal phrase, I believe all our ducks are finally in a row, contracts have been signed, and we're ready for trucks to roll in and begin work. 

5. What's your movie theatre snack protocol? Do you chow down on snacks during the previews or wait until the movie begins? Do you buy snacks or refuse to pay those kind of prices? What's the last movie you saw in a theatre? How many thumbs up would you give it?

Snack protocol-ha! Hubs came up with that phrase so I cannot take credit. We always buy popcorn (no butter) and usually share a drink. I sometimes just bring a bottle of water with me, but normally we share a diet coke. Hubs always buys candy, usually Reese's Pieces, and I sometimes have candy-milk duds. I try not to eat all the snacks before the show begins, but honestly the previews now are about as long as the film so I'm not always successful at waiting.

The last movie we saw in theatres was Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. We liked it, turned my stomach to knots like the other MI flicks did, but in a good way. If you're a fan of the MI series this one won't disappoint. 

6. Henry Ford is quoted as saying, "Nobody can think straight who does not work. Idleness warps the mind." Agree or disagree? Why?

I agree with Mr. Ford. I know when I'm busy I'm much sharper than when I have too little going on. I don't think 'work' necessarily means a paying job, although it might be that. It might also be volunteering, running a household, or any sort of project or task list that needs to be thought about and completed in a timely fashion. 

7. What's the last job you completed or task you performed where you had to 'work like a dog' until it was finished?

Emptying out the NJ house we sold in June. Whew! 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of eager beavers...hubs and I walked in a nearby state park on Monday morning, and saw the trail of destruction some actual beavers left behind.  


This poor tree was not their only project. 


  I'd kind of like to see one at work...does this happen in a few minutes or a few days? 



22 comments:

  1. We're thinking about going up for Homecoming...some of the Phi Sigs are getting together, so it will be great to see some people I haven't seen in {gulp} 30 years! :)

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  2. Great questions and answers Joyce. You definitely have an exciting September this year. Hope it all goes well.

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  3. Beavers are fascinating creatures to watch, even though they're very destructive. When one of my brothers was only three he used to call them chew bears, a name that has kind of stuck for our family. :)

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  4. Whoohoo on ground breaking-take plenty of pictures during this phase. I am not able to attend ETSU's Homecoming :( this is the same date as our community's Apple Festival.

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  5. Happy birthday to all your September birthday folk! What a beautiful month for a birthday. So exciting that work on the house will begin. I could be like a little boy out there everyday, watching the progress. About the beavers, I doubt that getting a tree down goes as fast as in the cartoons. Lol. Thanks for the Hodgepodge, Joyce. :-)

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  6. Happy birthday Joyce! So glad to be back into the Hodgepodge swing of things. Love the phrase "snack protocol." I am sure you are so anxious to get started on your house. Such an exciting time. Enjoy your week.

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  7. Thanks for the recommendation on the latest MI film. We enjoy them but are always worried that the next one might finally be the one that falls short (as so many sequels do). I have always been curious about beavers building habits. It would be fun to be able to watch them work.

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  8. So excited for you to begin the construction of your new house. And, hoping it can be done in a timely fashion. :o)) Great answer to #3! Class reunions are so much fun, Hubby just had his 50th and we had a blast! Happy rest of the week!

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  9. Well, happy belated birthday to Mr. Snack Protocol himself! And to you and your girl early. The work of beavers must surely take a few weeks. That's a lot of gnawing going on to topple a tree! Emptying a house is very near the bottom of the heap of Things I'd Rather Never Do again, but unfortunately I think I'll have to. Congrats on getting yours emptied and I'm happy to hear your proverbial ducks are in a row for the ground-breaking and heavy equipment to roll in.

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  10. My dad and brother have September birthdays. I think there are a lot of birthdays this month because.... count back nine months. It's boring and cold January! People look for "fun" things to do to help them keep warm! Wa-la!! 9 months later... babies!

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  11. It sounds like September is going to be a busy and exciting month for you! I'm glad you're getting settled into your 'new normal'.
    As always, thanks for continuing to host The Hodgepodge :)
    Kathy (Reflections by Kathy)

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  12. Joyce, loved the MI film, but am a die-hard Tom Cruise fan. Hope you will let us know when your birthday rolls around, but in case I miss it, have a great birthday month!

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  13. Happy Birthday to all. :-)
    I am excited for you regarding the house. I know my boys love to watch construction and the next thing I know,I am wrapped up watching too.
    Have a great week.
    Carla

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  14. Should be a great month of celebrations for you and the prom sounds like fun too. Best of all is breaking ground on your home. AMEN to your answer for #3! Your answer was pretty close to mine on eating at the movies. Wow, I wouldn't want to be nearby when those beavers are working on a tree.

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  15. 1. Nothing - I'm traveling a lot this year and looking forward to doing nothing in September.
    2. Butterfly - I blame the ADHD
    3. Sounds silly, but I'd like to see more people holding doors for others.
    4. Clam up
    5. Popcorn with plenty of butter!!
    6. Agree, agree, agree! Idle hands truly are the devil's workshop
    7. I'm in the middle of redoing the kitchen and eradicating mice

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  16. oh dear! Its too bad the beavers couldn't clean that up! ;0) We had a huge oak tree branch fall in our backyard a year ago. Luckily no person or animal were underneath. Even our chicken coop was okay. We don't have chickens anymore but we've left the coop. Anyway hope you're all doing well. Hope to hear from you.

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  17. Happy Birthday to everyone! Good luck on starting the house!! I love your words on courtesy for the world. Amen!

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  18. Civil discourse is gone I think. I believe the internet has allowed people to find their tribes so easily that most people are emboldened to say whatever they want because they can find a thousand twitter followers who believe the same thing and they think that make them correct and you wrong. Yucky, but what I think. Hope I'm wrong. Thanks, as always, for the great questions and your good answers, Joyce!

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  19. Hi Joyce...sorry I didn't participate today. I'm still playing catch-up after taking a blog break. Hope to be back next week! How exciting that you plan to break ground on your new home soon. I know you're beyond ready!

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  20. Thank you for the party! Best wishes on your new home - that is a HUGE undertaking to be sure!

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  21. I also wonder if the Beavers choose trees that would otherwise fall soon anyway? Like some sort of cycle of life in the lives of trees and beavers. Ha.

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  22. Beavers with trees and me with corn-on-the-cob... it's just not the same thing! Happy Birthday to you, your hubby, and Daughter 2!!

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