Wednesday, August 31, 2016

The Hodgepodge Blues

Welcome to another week of Hodgepodge fun. If you've answered the questions add your link at the end of my post, then hop over and leave a comment for the blogger linking before you. Here we go-


1. Are there any men or women in blue on your family tree?

Not that I know of. My sister has a brother-in-law who's a retired Detective and I will claim him as family by marriage. He's a good guy. And we do have a man in blue (retired) in our Hodgepodge family...if you have time today go say hi to Life SPR. We generally have a couple or three men link with the Hodgepodge every week, and I enjoy reading their answers.

2. Are you someone who suffers from the Sunday night blues? What helps you get over it?

Occasionally. There's something a bit wistful about a Sunday evening, particularly in the autumn and I can get a little melancholy if I choose to go there. Which I don't. Not often anyway. Getting up and out for a walk late afternoon helps. Also making a to-do list for the coming week, breaking jobs to be done into manageagble chunks, and putting them into my calendar. A good list and plan of action can help snap me out of a 'mood'. 

3. I read the color blue is an appetite suppressant sincer there are very few naturally blue foods out there. How do you feel about blue cheese? Love it or blech? If you're a fan, what's something you like that's made with blue cheese?

I'm not really a fan of blue cheese cooked into dishes, but I do love a nice blue cheese as part of a cheese tray or cheese course. I normally find blue cheese dressing too heavy, but don't mind blue cheese crumbles on a salad. 

4. We can't head in to the Labor Day weekend without a related question, can we? Complete this thought: I work best when______________________.

I have a set to-do and a plan of attack to see it through (see #2).  If the job is mental as opposed to physical then I work best in a quiet space. If it's physical labor such as house work or gardening then I work best with music in the background.  

5.  'Everything yields to diligence.' Antiphanes Your thoughts? (on this particular quote or on diligence in general)

'Most' everything yields to diligence. A person can be diligent in their pursuit of another, but in the end they may not be successful in gaining that person's affections. When it comes to work, life goals, dreams then yes I do think those sorts of things yield to diligence. 

6. The National Park Service turned 100 years old on August 25th. Have you been to many of America's National Parks? If so share with us a favorite or two.  Which National Park would you most like to visit before the next birthday rolls around?

I love our nation's parks, national, state, and local too. What a treasure to have so much incredible natural beauty accessible and protected. Acadia is probably my favorite (of the parks I've visited), and in my opinion is one of the prettiest places in America. I also love the Shenandoah area of Virigina and of course the Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. 

On my to-see list? Definitely Zion, Yosemite, and Yellowstone. Hubs and I hope to do some sort of car trip out west while Daughter1 is living on that side of the country, but I'm not sure if it will happen before the parks have another birthday. 

7.  Bid farewell to August in seven words or less.

Still not living in my lake house.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I'd written a whole big long rant-ish kind of random here today, then grabbed the book I'm reading, soaked in a hot bath, came back and deleted all the words. I have some rants in me, but I don't want to be a ranter. The world has far too many as it is. 

As I was reading I remembered I wanted to share this book title with anyone who feels a bit burned by religion or by 'religious people' or by Christianity or who just needs to know that life isn't as complicated as we make it. 

Love Does by Bob Goff

The book was published several years ago and has been on my to-read list for ages, but I'm just now getting to it. I like opening a book and discovering it feels exactly right for the place in time I'm currently navigating. Love Does is part memoir, part something else and a big message of the book is saying yes to a life that is not ordinary. 

'I used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now I'm more afraid of succeding at things that don't matter.' Bob Goff

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25 comments:

  1. Wendy introduced me to this meme. So I participate for the first time ! I loved the Yellowstone park too !

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  2. I would love to visit Yosemite and Yellowstone, too! I've always wanted to rent an RV and drive out west and hit some landmarks along the way. Sounds like so much fun! Thanks for the book recommendation...I'll definitely have to check it out. Have a great weekend, Joyce!

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  3. I saw this on FB this morning and your random thought reminded me of it: "Everyone should smile. Life really isn't that serious. We make it hard. The sun rises. The sun sets. We just tend to complicate the process." How's the lake house coming along? Is there a tentative move-in date? Have a great day!

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  4. Thanks for the book suggestion. By the way, I have ranted on a blog post, and then deleted it before making it public. Sometimes it is just good to get the words out. Cleansing. Then - hit erase!

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  5. I will check out your book title. Thanks for sharing! I've had a few rants lately and I really don't feel better after the rant. Your example is a much better one to follow. Thanks for another fun HP!!

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  6. Hi Joyce! Great questions. Just realized I missed one of them though. Oh well. Hope you have a great weekend.

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  7. I read the National Parks question wrong, I took it to be before MY next birthday!! LOL!I would also like to go to the parks you listed.
    There is a lot of ranting going on at the moment and everyone seems to think their comments worthy of a "mic drop".
    I actually bought that book last year in Virginia but did not get around to reading it. Should remedy that.
    What is your ETA in the lake house?

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  8. Thanks for the good example of thinking before publishing a rant. I need to remember that before speaking. Thanks for another great week of Hodgepodge :)

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  9. # 4 - yep, I am a To Do List person too. I make a plan for all my projects and tweak as needed. I really find it helps me stay on task.

    I like the ideas you suggested with getting out of the blues. I agree walks help so much.

    Have a great weekend!
    Carla

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  10. I used to get the Sunday night blues when working, but thankfully Monday mornings are just like any other and I kind of like the beginning of a whole week of possibilities.

    P.S. Don't you have a connection to Furman - your daughters? They are coming to MSU for the first football game Friday night!

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  11. How blessed we have been to have had President Theodore Roosevelt who worked on getting the parks set in place. I love when people have such amazing visions. Thank you for the book suggestion. Enjoy the rest of your week.

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  12. Nice to have an end-of-summer roundup!

    Note to Debbie at Just Breathe--you've linked back to the original post here.

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    1. Thanks for the heads up. I corrected her link : )

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  13. I didn't even think of the personal side of diligence as in pursuing someone. I've known some very diligent people in that regard for some they succeeded and others failed miserably. Hope you have a good week with progress to the goal of moving into the lake house.

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  14. Sounds like a great book! I like to rant...get it off my chest...then move on!!

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  15. I like to do housework while listening to music, as well.
    Good answer for #5. I didn't think about relationships when I answered.
    The book you recommended sounds like one I might need to read.
    Believe it or not, I was able to see the link today, long enough to add my blog--then it disappeared from sight. Crazy stuff!
    Kathy (Reflections)

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  16. Oh, I so enjoyed Love Does! Such a great book. I'm sure as you enter this last leg of your house building that you can surely rant about some stuff. I do hope you are about to see it to completion.

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  17. I love following the Hodgepodge; it gives lots of interesting reading on Wednesday! I would love to visit Yosemite and Yellowstone.

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  18. A good rant can be helpful in clearing your mind or the air sometimes but then it's important to move on and not to ruminate. I find to do lists really helpful most of the time until I overload them!

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  19. I agree whole-heartedly with your answer to #5. No matter how hard we may try, we can't make someone love us that doesn't. It just won't happen. All we end up doing is wasting our lives trying and maybe missing out on the one that is truly intended for us. I've seen it happen and it is very sad.

    That is a great quote and sounds like an interesting book. Thanks for sharing it.

    I would love to go to Yosemite some day, too. To be able to photograph the same places that some of the great photographers in history have photographed, to stand where they've stood...that would just be awesome. :)

    I hope that you'll be in your house soon! Have a blessed day.

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  20. I love that you chose not to rant! But I would have been interested in hearing your rant! 😊 Yellowstone Park is one of the best parks, but I did love Acadia, too. There are so many beautiful places in America. I agree so much with you about how we work best.

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  21. Hang in there on the lake house. It will happen. This type of project always takes longer than expected. I think Murphy wrote his law while building a house.

    As far as the house cleaning goes, a few tools like a 700hp leaf blower comes in handy. Just blow everything out of the house, then set it on fire. The cleaning is done. Now, you know why Suzanne won't let me near power tools.

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  22. I enjoyed participating today, Thanks for a fun meme and thoughtful questions. I hope you get your lake house soon!

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  23. Thank you for the shout out in your reply to question #1. What annoys me about people like C.K. is that they seem to enthusiastically accept a false narrative and base their criticism upon that false narrative when a cursory examination of the facts would set them straight. People in this country are free to be ignorant jerks and to speak freely and ignorantly. Have a great week.

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  24. Love Does is one of my all time favorite books. We skyped with Bob Goff during our stewardship campaign at church last year. We've done his study with two different groups. I always say that I want to be in a supper club with him!!

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