Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! If you've served in our country's military or are the spouse of someone who has served I truly thank you. I hope you feel honored and appreciated every day, but especially so on this Veterans Day.
Now on with the questions. Add your blog link with today's answers in the space at the end of my post. And please leave a comment for the blogger linking before you so everyone has a little company in their corner of the internet. Here we go-
1. It's the 11th day of the 11th month and bloggers often make lists on days like today. Let's go with a list of eleven things you're feeling grateful for today.
daughters who stand firm in their faith, grandbabies who make me forget for a minute the troubles of this world, the colors of fall, insurance, nice neighbors, books, God's word, imagination, new mercies, time
2. What's something you decided to do or act on at the '11th hour'?
Hmmm...I'm not really much of an '11th hour' operator. I am more of a let's plan weeks in advance and also have a plan B and maybe a plan C too. I guess I'm often an 11th hour blogger-ha! As in let me just sit down for a minute and see what words happen.
3. Apparently the Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe contains 11 herbs and spices. What's a dish you make that calls for exactly eleven ingredients? Feel free to share the list and/or recipe.
Well this question sent me on a ridiculous hunt through my most used 'shared recipe' cookbook and what I discovered is most of my recipes call for nine ingredients or fewer than six. My momma's enchilada recipe does list 11 ingredients as best I can determine. I have it written down in narrative form as opposed to a list so if I counted correctly it's eleven.
It would be a lot to share here and not gonna lie, this recipe is super labor intensive. Hubs says I use every pot and pan in the house when I make them, but they're his absolute favorite thing.
4. Something you remember about your 11-year old self?
It was 1970-something which would have been the end of grade five and the start of grade 6. In the 'old days' 6th grade was the last year of elementary school before moving on to Junior High and I remember loving that year...my teacher, my friends, lots of fun experiences, one foot still planted happily in childhood, the other stepping tentatively into adolescence...
I found a couple of pictures from that year in a scrapbook my mom made me. That summer I turned 11 we traveled out west to visit my grandparents in Colorado and New Mexico. I'm the one in the middle with the ginormous smiley face button on my shirt, standing between my sisters. It was always exciting to make a big trip like this one. Families didn't travel the way they do now so this was a big deal to my 11-year old self, and to most kids I knew.
Later that summer we took my sister to college. In Tennessee. A hop, skip and jump from where I'd eventually meet the hubs. Life is funny isn't it?
Here I am in Maggie Valley NC, not far from where I live now, wearing what we used to call 'hot pants' and now I guess would be called just plain old shorts. Hot pants were short shorts which in 1970-something earned them a name all their own. There's Adidas on my feet and my very own camera, the kind that needed flashcubes for indoor picture taking, hanging in my hand. I don't even know what to say about those skinny legs, except I promise my mom fed me very well.
Sidebar-I look so much like my own daughter here it kind of makes my heart beat fast. Hey Daughter2...I bet my momma said the words 'too leggy' when I walked down the stairs in a short skirt too.
Mostly I remember this year as one of carefree innocence. I grew up knowing I was loved.
5. The 11th of November is Veterans Day in the US of A. This is a day to honor those who have served their country in war or peace-dead or alive-although according to the government's website it's largely intended to thank living veterans for their sacrifices.
Memorial Day is when we honor military personnel who died in service to their country.
Share a thought relating to Veterans Day or tell us something about a Veteran you know-love-admire.
I have many friends who are veterans, I'm the daughter of a career Marine, and I have a son-in-law currently serving in the US Army so I guess you could say this day feels very much worth the pause. I honestly don't think a lot of people in this land I love recognize the quiet sacrifices made every single day on their behalf and I find that disheartening.
Hubs and I watched a movie over the weekend called The 12th Man. It had subtitles but was so good we didn't care. It's based on the true story of a Norwegian man named Jan Baalsrud, who was a commando in the Norwegian resistance trained by the British in WW2. It's the story of bravery, fortitude, and survival, but also the courage of those who helped him along the way. It's the story of selflessness, sacrifice, and truly doing something for the greater good of humanity. It's a far cry from what's happening in our cities today.
I'll hush now.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
We went to church in person this past Sunday, our first 'live' service since March. We had to reserve a spot ahead of time, wear a mask, sit spaced apart, doors were wide open, and there was no singing along, but still it was wonderful to be back in the building.
Afterwards we went to brunch with friends which felt almost like the good old days.
Almost.
