A Hodgepodge For The Ages

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge, our last one in July. If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go...

1. On July 29th 1957 The Tonite Show premiered with Jack Parr as it's host. This marked the beginning of the modern day talk show. Do you watch any daytime or late night talk shows today? Do you have any thoughts on the hubbub surrounding the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, or are you more in the camp of 'who is Stephen Colbert? 

I don't watch any talk shows these days. Mostly because I find celebrity culture exhausting and not all that interesting. In my opinion the night time shows have become less entertainment, more political commentary and who wants that when they're trying to quiet their mind for sleeping???

Eons ago we would fall asleep to Johnny Carson or David Letterman, but this new crop is too full of their own self-importance for me to enjoy. Sure there are some funny bits now and then, but the overall content is very one-sided. Not everyone shares my opinion and that's fine, but I'm not tuning in and apparently I'm not the only one. 

I paid very little attention to the outrage over the cancellation of Colbert's show. It wasn't making the network money, and there's a merger happening, and entertainment is business so it's gone. Pretty sure it's not the end of democracy as some folks want us to believe.  

2. What's the best part of your day? 

"The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup"....raise your hand if you remember the jingle? I checked to see when that ad first ran and it was 1984. The year I got married. 

I don't drink Folgers but that first cup of coffee in the early morning hours is definitely one of the best parts of the day. Early morning in general is the best part of my day. I like the quiet, the sunrise, and easing in to the day with my coffee and what feels like endless possibilities. 

3. What's something your generation does that you actually dislike? 

I can't think of anything I truly dislike. I will say I think it's normal as we age to become more resistant to change...our routines, technology, the way the way the world works...we want those things to stay as we've always known them to be. 

We're all a product of the times in which we're raised, but...the world does change and we have to cultivate some flexibility if we're going to age gracefully. I get it. Sometimes you just don't want to learn how to do something a new way. 

Time marches on with our without us, and we can't always be looking blissfully at what was and criticizing what is. I want to keep learning and growing and that means accepting that the world in 2025 looks a lot different than it did when I was 'young' (er). Some things are better, some are worse. I'm sure my parents felt the same. 

4. When you cook do you clean as you go, or clean it all up once you're finished cooking? What's the last thing you cooked/baked in your own kitchen? 

I don't exactly clean as I go, but I don't save it all til the end either. Hubs is 100% clean as you go. He's been known to wash a pan I'm planning to use again.  If he enters the kitchen while I'm baking it can make him twitch a little. 

I would say I clean as I need to, but save most of it for the end because I like to focus more on the actual measuring-sifting-mixing. If my hubs were answering he'd say I definitely lean more towards the clean it all up at the end side of things. Hi hubs! 

The last thing I cooked in my kitchen was a pesto pasta dish I made for dinner Monday night. I answer the questions Monday or Tuesday usually.

5. Sum up your July in ten words or less. 

An ankle fracture. That's it. That's July. 

I mean there were lots of lovely bright spots too, but if I'm summing it up that's the highlight. Or lowlight depending on your point of view. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

When we added the waterfall to our backyard we asked the guys doing the work to add a few plants around it...

That's it. That was the level of instruction we gave them regarding landscaping which, if you know us, you know this is not us lol. 

Mostly we didn't get specific because we didn't realize at the time how large the finished space would be. 

But no matter because they made it so pretty. There's actually a fair amount of planting all around and we love it. These verbena have been blooming since May and show no signs of slowing down. 

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Peachy Keen

 Linking with Joanne today for Talking About It Tuesdays

A little over a week ago hubs and I went to a country orchard to pick peaches. I know everyone hears the word peaches and thinks Georgia, but did you know South Carolina grows more peaches than Georgia? True story. 

And this year they're exceptional. Some of the trees had morning glory vines growing up their trunks which made them extra pretty. 

We probably came home with about 30 or so peaches and have enjoyed them so much. 

We ate quite a few of them for breakfast, sliced atop some plain yogurt, sprinkled with granola, sliced almonds, and a drizzle of honey. If we had other berries in the frig we added those too. 

The breakfast of champions. 

I like to make a peach cobbler once every summer so that was on our July menu. I love Paula Deen's recipe (linked) and it makes a lot. Since it was just hubs and I here for the consuming I made one recipe, but put it in two pans and that worked out fine. 

We had one to keep and I shared the other pan with friends. I like vanilla ice cream on mine, but whipped cream is good too. 

One night hubs roasted peaches on the grill. We followed this recipe but I used cinnamon instead of pumpkin pie spice. 

 A warm peach with a dollop of whipped cream on top is a really yummy dessert. 

Up close the bowl looks like it needs to go in the dishwasher, but it's just the sugary peach juice that dripped while moving from the grill to the bowl. 

This week I was down to the last few, and had about five peaches left that I worried were going to go mushy. On Monday I made the most scrumptious (if I do say so myself) peach bars I found by randomly searching Pinterest. 

Sidebar here, but does anyone else get super frustrated by all the ads and videos that pop up when you're trying to read a recipe on Pinterest? 

I dropped the ball in terms of picture taking but here's the pan just before it went into the oven. 

I should have snapped a picture of the bars on a tray, but here's a snap of what they look like cooked. 

I had some women here for a meeting Monday afternoon and everyone wanted the recipe. They're similar to a lemon bar, except of course are made with peaches instead of lemons, and the filling sets up nicer I think. The texture is good, and the topping does its job by quite literally sending it over the top. 

And now I'm a little bit sad we're out of peaches. Happy Tuesday! 

Hello Monday, So Long July

Hello friends. August is just around the bend and here we have a full and mostly fun calendar of things coming our way. 

I know many people feel like July flew right on by, but I enjoyed the pace. Ours was not too fast, not too slow, or as Goldilocks would say 'it was just right'.  We had very few big events on the calendar, and spent a lot of time at home, enjoying the lake, grilling out, and resting my foot. 

Maybe that's the upside to a stress fracture mid-summer. It forces you to consider what you'll say yes to a little more carefully than you normally would. We had company over the 4th, but other than that the house was all ours. While we're never people with nothing to do, we had lots of down time which was nice. 

So how did you spend this last weekend in July? Here's how ours looked...

Friday I was supposed to have a mani/pedi. It was going to be a bit wonky with the boot and all, but I was okay with one foot having a full pedi and the other just a polish. Hubs was golfing and I was going to drive myself for the very first time since I started in the boot. The Dr. said I could drive if needed, and I considered this a need.  

I left the house and got about a mile down the road when I was forced to turn around due to a very serious accident ahead. Turning around meant I would have had to go around the lake in the opposite direction of my appointment so I gave up, called the salon, and went back home. I wasn't meant to drive I guess. Or get my nails done. Bother. 

Friday night hubs and I went to a nearby spot we love for a glass of wine and a charcuterie board dinner. It was nice. We got home a little before eight and my son-in-law dropped our two oldest grandsons off at our house to spend the night. Saturday was the mancub's birthday and they wanted the boys out of the house while they got things set up. 

Everyone put on pjs and piled in our bed to watch Honey I Shrunk The Kids. I hadn't seen it in many many years, and I often think I remember a movie as being fine for certain ages only to watch and discover I remembered wrong. That was not the case here and they enjoyed it. 

The boys are not normally early risers, but were up early on Saturday. I think the birthday party adrenaline was amping up and when I said the party wasn't for nine more hours they sighed a little. We had a lot of time to fill in between, so they worked on a lego creation I had here, and then hubs made blueberry pancakes on the griddle. 

We went for a lake swim, came back inside for lunch, and then my son-in-law arrived to take them home. We followed soon after to help with some of the pre-party tasks. 

Planning and hosting birthday parties for my girls was one of my favorite things to do when they were small, and my girls love it too. Daughter1 has an art background and this is a fun way to be creative. The theme was Star Wars and she made a Death Star pinata out of paper mache which was awesome. 

Also I hated pinatas as a kid. All that chaos and the anxiety of chasing down the candy. Whew. These boys were all in though and they loved it. 

Her goody bags which she made herself were also super cute. There was a ginormous inflatable water slide for entertainment and it was a good thing because it was hot with a capital H. If my foot wasn't in a boot I'd have tried it myself. 

These pictures make it look like no one was there, but kids were there lol. Parents too. We stayed until the very end so we could help with some of the clean up and when we came home we flopped on the couch and agreed birthday parties are the best kind of exhausting fun. 

I always write my grandchildren letters on their birthdays...you can read the birthday boy's new letter here (2922 Days).

Sunday we went to church. The 'kids' had a meeting after so hubs and I went to our usual breakfast spot for lunch, then came home, changed, and took the boat out to meet friends. 

Someone is always organizing impromptu float parties and they'll text a map with a pin telling us which cove they're in, and we tie the boats up together...

... and then we float. 

We got home late afternoon and I called my sister to catch up, then hubs grilled salmon for dinner. I made a spinach salad to go with and we watched a couple more episodes of The Lioness. Have you seen it?  I'm not really invested, yet it's somehow still managing to make me tense. We're about eight episodes in so I guess we'll finish the season. 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their Hello Monday weekend recap party. Hop over if you want to share your own or read what others have to say. Have a great week! 

2,922 Days

I like to write letters to my grandchildren on their birthdays and today is one of those days. No they don't read my blog, but I keep these letters for them to have when they're older and need reminding of how very much they are loved. 

Dear Mancub, 

2,922 Days. That's how long I've known you. And while that sounds like a long time it feels like just  yesterday I walked into your home on the other side of the country and met you face to face.

You had a full head of very dark hair, the most perfect little face, and a sweetness about you that remains there still today. 

And now you're eight. 

You're kind and tender hearted, and you're funny too. You're such a good big brother to your baby sister, and also to your little brother who loves and admires you whole heartedly. Like your momma, you are so very intuitive about people and their feelings, a truly wonderful quality to possess. 

The change from little boy to 'just a boy' happens seemingly overnight, but you're there now. No longer little, but also not too big to hug your Nana. 

fyi-you are never too big to hug your Nana. 

You love the great outdoors and since moving to our neck of the woods have spent a lot of time literally in the woods. You love climbing trees and wading in creeks and fishing with Daddy and brother, and hikes to the many nearby waterfalls. Exploring the woods and wide open spaces the way all boys should. 

You're a lego wizard and still love building all sorts of things. Currently you're a big fan of Star Wars and are busy collecting the lego sets that go along with that. You are rarely without a book in your hand and love to talk about what you're reading too. 

You loved playing baseball this year and grew so much in terms of skill and grit. You had a lot of fun cheering on the local college team too. 

You still eat and sleep like a teenager and the water is where you want to be. 

After five moves in seven years you're happy to say this is where I live. Happy for friends you won't have to move away from in a year's time. Happy to let your roots sink down deep into the red clay soil of South Carolina.  

We're happy too. 

Happy to be near enough to say come swim. To sit beside you in church on Sunday mornings. To watch you play baseball, rock the paddle board, and celebrate birthdays and the ordinary days in between without a plane ride, a passport, or a Facetime screen. 

Happy birthday to the one who gave me my favorite name. I'm grateful to have a front row seat to watch all the ways God is working out His perfect and unique plan for your life. I pray your love for Him grows more with every candle added to the cake, and that you seek Him daily in all things. 

Know for always your Nana loves you deep and wide xo 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 613

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you'd like to join the fun answer the questions on your own blog, then jump back here on Wednesday (July 30) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. On July 29th 1957 The Tonite Show premiered with Jack Parr as it's host. This marked the beginning of the modern day talk show. Do you watch any daytime or late night talk shows today? Do you have any thoughts on the hubbub surrounding the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, or are you more in the camp of 'who is Stephen Colbert? 

2. What's the best part of your day? 

3. What's something your generation does that you actually dislike? 

4. When you cook do you clean as you go, or clean it all up once you're finished cooking? What's the last thing you cooked/baked in your own kitchen? 

5. Sum up your July in ten words or less. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Beachy Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then be sure to leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go...

1. When does time pass slowly for you? When does time past quickly for you? 

Slowly? I could answer this in a number of ways but let's go with the obvious...time passes slowly while  wearing a boot in the middle of summer in order to heal a stress fracture. 'nuff said. 

Quickly? Now. This season of life. After a certain age you are just hyper aware of the passing of time, or at least I am. 

2. Do you have a favorite beach? What's your favorite 'beach' activity? Tell us what we'd find in your beach bag.

I wrote a post on Tuesday about my favorite beach. I love many beaches but if I have to pick a favorite the one I wrote about would be numero uno. Marco Island Florida. You can read the post here-Just Beachy

My favorite beach activity-a low beach chair at the edge of the water,  just far enough in to the surf to feel it wash over my feet, but not so far in that the water swamps me and the book on my lap. 

In my beach bag-sunscreen, a towel, a book, snacks, goggles, a coverup, chapstick with spf,  diving rings for the kids, a comb, a pair of quick dry shorts, and my accupressure bands for any unanticipated rocky boat rides.  

3. Your favorite book or movie with a beach setting? 

Book-The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher...if you've never read this one I recommend. 

4. What's a food you love, but find it's a pain to eat? Is it worth it? 

Steamed blue crabs coated in Old Bay. Is it worth it? 1000% yes. Now look at these babies...

This picture was taken the day we met our now son-in-law for the very first time. He was doing a stint at Walter Reed Hospital, daughter1 lived in D.C,  and we were in Annapolis for something, so we all met to spend the day together. You should know we lived in Annapolis for nine years and are crab snobs. 

Maryland blue crabs (they're blue before they're steamed) eaten beside the water are the best and I won't argue about this. 

Anyway, we walked around town and made him  asked him to pose in front of the Naval Academy sign, much to his dismay (he was Army). Afterwards we had a crab feast at one of our favorite places on one of the hottest days of the year. And now here we are twelve years later, they have three kids and are living 4 miles from us in a South Carolina lake town. Time is funny. 

5.  Do you like roller coasters? What's the best (or worst) roller coaster you've been on? 

I am not a fan of roller coasters. I have never been a fan of roller coasters. In fact, I will go so far as to say if I never get talked into taking a ride another roller coaster ever ever ever it's all good. 

I liked The Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney. Is that considered a coaster? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We've been living on tomato sandwiches this month. Daughter1's mother-in-law brought us a big bag full from their garden,  and now we're dining on some from our own plant too...

I know I'm breaking one of the cardinal rules of tomato sandwiches here by making ours on wheat bread, but we don't eat white bread and wheat, very lightly toasted, is delish.  I do use the required mayo which is a no-brainer since I live in the land of Dukes. 

Also it's the best. 

Just Beachy

We have a beach trip coming up later this summer, plus the Hodgepodge questions this week have a beach theme, plus this month's Share Our Lives link up (which I missed) had everyone sharing their favorite vacation memories, and all this to say (finally!) I've been thinking beach-y thoughts. 

We live on a lake now which is beautiful, crystal clear, unsalted, and shark free. We don't do a lot of summer beach trips anymore because it takes a lot to peel us away from our happy place in peak season. 

Lake life is chill and there's no sand to sweep out of every nook and cranny at the end of the day. Our lake is big and there are quite a few islands scattered throughout that have small beaches which we occasionally pull our boat up to, and then haul chairs and snacks and sand toys over to spend a few hours beachin' it. 

Mostly though we swim off our dock, we jump off the back of the boat when we're out in the wide open water, and we motor over to friends docks for float parties and relaxation. 

Still I periodically need to see the ocean. 

I need to remember I'm small and the Creator of the universe knows precisely how many grains of sand lie beneath my feet. I need to feel the remnants of saltwater on my skin as I watch the sun sink into the water at the end of a glorious day. 

I've been to a lot of beaches on American soil and elsewhere but when someone says favorite I always return in my head to one place- Marco Island. 

When we started going to Marco, only people who lived in Florida seemed to know about it.  Marco was a sleepy town without much going on, and while it's not a crazy tourist trap today, it's not unknown either. 

The first year we went to Marco daughter2 was still sleeping in a crib so we're talking many many many moons ago. Hubs helped organize a meeting there and got to know the hotel manager, so when he brought us back later that summer the manager upgraded our room to one with a walk out which was perfect. We'd spend the morning at the beach then the girls would nap and we'd open the french doors and park ourselves in lounge chairs on our porch. It was perfect. 

This trip made it our place and we went back often as the years rolled by. 

Marco is covered in seashells and sorting through them to find ones that were special and unbroken was always a favorite activity. 

We spent our days sitting on the beach, reading books, talking, thinking, making plans, walking, exploring, eating at our favorite places and just soaking up all the family time our hearts could hold. 

I've read that while children may not remember every detail of a family vacation they do remember the overall sense of family closeness that develops when you travel together. Sounds and smells and tastes later in life can trigger memories from trips taken when they were young, and these trips become part of your family lore. 

It's been a number of years since we've been back to Marco. Life and all that jazz. But in my mind Marco Island will always be 'our place'. 

One that holds precious memories from the days when we were a family of four...

 When little girls waved goodnight to the sun as it sank into the sea...

of laughter shared...

and problems solved...

...a beautiful peaceful place where plans for the future that is now were born. 

This post is linked with Talking About It Tuesdays hosted by Joanne at Slices of Life

Everyday Images on a July Monday

Trying something a little different today and linking with Kym (A Fresh Cup of Coffee) and her Everyday Images blog hop. She posts a list of photo prompts every two weeks and leaves the party open until the next link rolls around. 

I'm also joining Holly and Sarah for their Hello Monday hop since today's photos are a reflection of my weekend activity. 

I want to take more pictures...better pictures. I have a crummy phone camera, and think I want a 'real' camera for my birthday this year. About fifteen years ago my hubs bought me a nice Canon. He bought it from our local camera shop and the owner of the shop gave me several lessons in how to use it. So helpful. The Canon needs a repair that is costly so buying a new camera makes more sense. My birthday isn't until September, so for now a phone camera it is. 

I looked at the most recent prompts Kym posted, and tried this weekend to snap some pictures when one of the words came to mind. Here are the most recent prompts-

doorway • on my plate • on the road • glowing • hills • community 

Doorway-

Hubs and I made a drive to pick peaches at a country orchard on Saturday morning.

Besides the fruit trees there's also a cute shop...

...a cafe with patio seating, a distillery, wedding reception space, and a view that literally takes your breath away-

The doorway pictured above takes you to the covered patio dining space. When you cross the patio you'll see the orchard which is where these beauties can be found-

on my plate: After the peach picking we drove a couple of miles up the road to a well known, but very much off the beaten path, pizza restaurant. It's a hot spot for hikers and kayakers coming off the nearby trails and river. We arrived close to noon and it wasn't busy, but I know it gets really busy as the day goes on. 

Hubs and I shared what they call their Chattooga White Pizza which is named for the river, and is made with a pesto base, spinach, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and feta. Hubs is normally not a big fan of feta, but the guy behind the counter said it was his favorite pizza so that's what we ordered. The feta was not overwhelming at all and the pizza was delicious and perfectly cooked. Hubs loved it too. 

In keeping with the prompt we went next door and walked through this bright yellow entrance for ice cream... 

We sat outside and shared one scoop of peach and one of banana, both were yummy. 

on the road: my favorite summertime drive-

glowing: Sunday morning sunshine sets the lake aglow-

hills-technically they're mountains but close enough. More specifically The Blue Ridge and the farm we visited on Saturday offers you a 270-degree view. Didn't measure it myself but I trust their website. 

community: we went to church Sunday morning which is community of the best kind, but no photo. After church we changed clothes and took the boat to meet up with friends for a float in a nearby cove. It was a scorcher of a day so the water felt wonderful. I didn't capture the whole group, but I was trying not to break my other ankle lol. 

Lake people are also our people. 

This little photo challenge was fun. The prompts helped make me mindful of what I was seeing all around me and that's one reason I love blogging. If you'd like to participate visit Kym's blog (A Fresh Cup of Coffee) for the prompts, which are updated every two weeks. 

And if you want to chat about your weekend visit Holly and Sarah and add your recap there. Happy Monday everyone!