Et Tu Hodgepodge?

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

1. Are you a naturally trusting person? Is trust built on logic or 'gut instinct'? Does everyone deserve a second chance? Elaborate. 

I'm a naturally trusting person for the most part. I like being given a second chance myself and I want to extend one whenever it seems like the right thing to do. That being said I do think a second chance might depend on the nature of 'the initial crime/offense'. We can forgive wrongdoing while also setting boundaries to prevent being taken advantage of, lied to, hurt in some way a second time. Or third, fourth, whatever the case may be. 

Wow, that got deep fast. 

Is trust built on logic or gut instinct? Hmmm... a bit of both I'd say, but I'm going to lean more towards gut instinct. Like I said. I'm a naturally trusting person. 

2. 'Beware the Ides of March'...March 15th on the ancient Roman calendar, these words were made famous by William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar.  Caesar was assassinated on March 15th 44 B.C. Have you read any Shakespeare? If so, do you have a favorite? Have you ever been to Rome? 

When I was in the 6th grade, which was still elementary school where I grew up, we put on the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I think was my first exposure to Shakespeare. I remember not quite understanding it all, but also having so much fun with the play. 

I feel like I want to re-read some Shakespeare as I don't know it well and probably haven't read any since high school. I started thinking about some of his well known titles and realized I've been to more than a few of their settings...

The Merry Wives of Windsor-

Only one of of us was actually a wife when this was taken-ha! We spent a lot of time in this town when we lived very nearby. 

Romeo and Juliet aka Verona-

Celebrating our birthdays with pottery, opera, and amazing food in the beautiful city of Verona 

The Globe...

And his birthplace, Stratford-Upon-Avon to name just a few. Quick sidebar-Daughter2 went on an overnight with her grade 8 classmates to Stratford and they did some cool things like a wig workshop and a sword fighting demo. I know she remembers it well because there was also a little mischief made, which the moms remember. Hi Daughter2 teehee. 

I've been to Rome and loved it. 

Europe has changed so much since we lived abroad and I don't have a burning desire to go to some of the bigger cities there anymore. I adore the countryside and village life and wouldn't mind more of that in terms of European travel. 

3. Do you like a Caesar salad? If given the choice between a garden/house salad or Caesar which do you order? Anchovies or no? What's your favorite salad dressing? 

I love a Caesar salad and will most often opt for that if there's a choice. I do not like it (or any salad for that matter) swimming in dressing, but I do like Caesar dressing. 

With or without anchovies? Either way is fine. 

My favorite dressing is currently a champagne vinaigrette. I like Hidden Valley Light Ranch too, but again I go really light on the dressing. My family always wants to add more.. 

4. Where do you typically work (or blog if that's easier) at home? Do you have a dedicated home office space? Are you happy with that space? 

Right here whenever possible-

I do have a semi-dedicated office where I sometimes work and sometimes blog. It's mostly where bills are paid but I do blog there now and then too. I like the space, it's roomy and I can see the lake so there's that. We had a Murphy bed added to the room for the overflowing houseguests we often have here. The room is mostly an office, but also serves as additional sleeping space when needed, which is useful. 

I often blog from the couch in the evenings while watching tv. I really like blogging while sitting at my dining room table with a view to the front yard. It's a sunny spot and there's something about the order in this particular room I find helps with my concentration. 

5. Snow drops, daffodils, lenten roses, crocus, hyacinth, or early tulips...what's your favorite early Spring flower? 

Impossible to choose! If you make me pick I suppose I'll say daffodils because they're generally the first ones up here and are bright and cheery against the gray skies we so often see in February. I have iris popping up now and they usually arrive on the early side of spring too. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My March mantra-

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 644

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here Wednesday (March 11th) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. Are you a naturally trusting person? Is trust built on logic or 'gut instinct'? Does everyone deserve a second chance? Elaborate. 

2. 'Beware the Ides of March'...March 15th on the ancient Roman calendar, these words were made famous by William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar.  Caesar was assassinated on March 15th 44 B.C. Have you read any Shakespeare? If so, do you have a favorite? Have you ever been to Rome? 

3. Do you like a Caesar salad? If given the choice between a garden/house salad or Caesar which do you order? Anchovies or no? What's your favorite salad dressing? 

4. Where do you typically work (or blog if that's easier) at home? Do you have a dedicated home office space? Are you happy with that space? 

5. Snow drops, daffodils, lenten roses, crocus, hyacinth, or early tulips...what's your favorite early Spring flower? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Montly Musings-June

It's too hot to think deep thoughts. Plus today's my volunteer day followed by a trip to see the orthopedist,  so keeping it simple. I'm linking with the Monthly Musings girls, Holly (Pink Lady) and Patty (Good Better Best), who offer ten topical questions to answer on the last Thursday of every month. This month we're talking Summer Vacation Guide, and everyone is welcome to jump in...here we go- 

1. Share your summer trips for 2025. 

Our backyard is a summer destination so we try not to do a lot of traveling this time of year. 

We love company in the summer months and typically have a lot of it. We prefer to do our own traveling in other seasons. 

That being said, this year we've booked a house in Hilton Head for a family beach vacation late summer, and I'm looking forward to that. All the grands will be there, along with their parents and I'm sure it will be crazy fun. Have you ever been to Hilton Head? 

Fun fact...this is me on the beach at Hilton Head, aged 3. 

We lived in the nearby area that year. I've been several times as an adult and the island has a relaxed, family friendly vibe, great restaurants, fresh seafood, and plenty of sun, sand, and water for everyone to enjoy.

2. How do you manage the post vacation laundry? 

Pretty much the same way I manage laundry year round. Just get it done. If we're in a rental with a washer and dryer I'll do laundry before we head home, even though that goes against my personal motto NOT to do laundry while on vacation. 

Also I feel like hubs and I have a lot of laundry for two people. Not the point of this question, but true nonetheless. 

3. Most memorable summer vacation? 

Ooh, this is a toughie. From my childhood or my grown up life? How about one of each? 

We didn't take a lot of summer vacations when I was growing up. We belonged to the local swim club and spent our days there, lived an hour from the 'Jersey shore' so always had a couple of day trips there, and went to sleep away camp for a week which we loved. 

But! My grandparents all lived out west and every so often my parents would buy six plane tickets and take their whole crew to Colorado and then New Mexico. 

We absolutely loved these trips. My dad grew up on a farm outside of Denver and my mom grew up in Albuquerque so the landscape, the food, everything was big and exciting and so different than our East Coast life. 

We loved seeing some of our cousins on these trips too. Everyone was spread out far and wide and people didn't travel the way they do now so it was all very special. 

Now as an adult I've had some pretty fabulous trips so picking just one favorite is nearly impossible. Our family trip to Lago Maggiore definitely makes the top five. 

We spent the mornings taking the wooden boat taxis out to various islands in the lake, exploring and lunching and shopping. The afternoons were spent at the pool reading stacks of books. The food was fabulous and we ate our weight in gelato. 

It was 2007 and my oldest had just finished her first year of uni, my youngest was getting ready for her senior year of high school. 

Time moves fast in those young adult years and I'm so glad we hit pause and just enjoyed being together in a beautiful place. A core memory for all of us. 

4. Do you cook or eat out on vacation? 

Depends on what sort of vacation we're having. If we're in a rental house at the beach with five littles ages 8 and under, then we'll definitely be preparing many meals at home. Our plan for the summer beach trip this year is for each couple to plan one dinner, eat one dinner out with the whole group, pizza on the beach one night, and take out seafood at some point. We'll mostly do breakfast and lunch at home too. It's just easier and more enjoyable in this stage of parenting/grandparenting. 

Now, if it's just me and the hubs then I'm all about eating every meal out. 

5. Are you an overpacker, underpacker, or a just right packer? 

If we're traveling by car there's no such thing as overpacking lol. I'm a just right packer when it comes to air travel. 

6. Beach, lake, or mountains? 

Yes please. 

7. Road trip or fly? 

I prefer a road trip, but sometimes flying is necessary so I deal. 

8. Favorite vacation activities? 

A book and a beverage and a beach chair. 

Walking on the beach. 

Walking the countryside.

Exploring foreign cities. 

Going where the locals go. 

Eating where the locals eat. 

museums and history 

Coffee or wine sipped in a European city square.

9. Best packing tips? 

I'm a fan of packing cubes and use those when I'm trying to save space. For road trips I like to pack in tote bags, which hubs is not super keen on, but I feel more organized this way. 

10. Favorite road trip songs? 

I like a mix of 70's (best music ever), country, upbeat, and laid back. It might depend where we're going too. For a beach trip there will be lots of beach music which is one of our favorite genres anyway. On car trips we usually listen to Sirrus radio and switch between the 70's, 80's, The Bridge, and Y2country stations. 

Also, we listen to books on Audible when we have long car trips, and break it up with music. 

Enjoy your summer travels everyone, wherever you may roam.

Beware the Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for your neighbor there. Here we go-

1. March 15th is known as The Ides of March, the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C....have you ever been to Rome? If so what did you love most about the city? If not, is this a place you'd like to visit? 

I have been to Rome, but it's been a while as evidenced by my short and naturally brunette hair. Also my teeny tiny teenagers who are now grown married women with children of their own. 

While I've been to other parts of Italy since, it's been 20 years since I set foot in Rome and I would not be opposed to going back. 

What did I love most? Well, pretty much everything...the food, the wine, the light, the history, the architecture, the fashion, the language...did I leave anything out? 

2. 'Rome wasn't built in a day.' What project/activity/improvement (of any kind) do you have going on right now to which this saying might be applied? 

We have some lingering bits and pieces to take care of in order for the outdoor space to be considered truly done. We still need the electrician to come out, still need to purchase and install a big fan, and add a couple of other decorative touches to make it feel complete.

3. Let's do a little this or that with some Italian foods...

• Caprese salad or Prosciuto with melon? Caprese salad
• Bruschetta or Antipasto? Antipasto
• lasagne or ravioli? Ravioli
• bolognese or Carbonara? Bolognese
• Risotto or gnocchi? Risotto
• tiramisu~gelato~cannoli? Tiramisu

4. Of the colors red, white, and green which would I find most prevalent in your home? Which one do you think is most flattering to you in terms of your wardrobe? Have you ever had your colors done? Is that something you'd be interested in doing? 

I have a rug in my main living space with a very dark shade of red in it along with some navy and golds. I live on a lake, so while there's not a lot of green in my home decor there are a lot of windows, so you see a lot of green. 

As far as my wardrobe goes...I love white pants, but it still feels too early to bring them out even though I don't think that 'Labor Day' rule applies anymore. Once it warms up here I'll be wearing a lot of white. I have never had my colors done but think it would be a fun thing to do. It was really popular to do this a few decades ago and it's true that with fashion everything eventually comes round again. 

5. Life would be boring without____________________? 

My hubs who still makes me laugh, nudges me to step out of my comfort zone, encourages me to write more, and is so sweet with the grands it makes my heart melt. 

6. Insert our own random thought here. 

This little guy turns ten on Friday, pictured here with his first love my Daughter1. He was hers before he was ours. 

Then she went and moved to South Korea so he came to live with us. He was four years old then, and full of mischief.  

And now he's ten, still full of mischief, living his best life beside the water. Never was a dog more attached to a human than this one is to the hubs. Where hubs goes, he goes. 

Happy birthday to the little brown dog! 

The smartest, most exasperating, handsomest, sweetest, most loved pup I know.

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 593

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (of course),  March 12th, to share answers. See you there! 

1. March 15th is known as The Ides of March, the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C....have you ever been to Rome? If so what did you love most about the city? If not, is this a place you'd like to visit? 

2. 'Rome wasn't built in a day.' What project/activity/improvement (of any kind) do you have going on right now to which this saying might be applied? 

3. Let's do a little this or that with some Italian foods...

• Caprese salad or Prosciutto with melon? 
• Bruschetta or Antipasto? 
• lasagne or ravioli?
• bolognese or Carbonara?
• Risotto or gnocchi? 
• tiramisu~gelato~cannoli? 

4. Of the colors red, white, and green which would I find most prevalent in your home? Which one do you think is most flattering to you in terms of your wardrobe? Have you ever had your colors done? Is that something you'd be interested in doing? 

5. Life would be boring without____________________?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The Hodgepodge Wasn't Built In A Day

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

1. It's March 15th (Tuesday) and as the saying goes-"Beware the Ides of March"...have you read/studied much Shakespeare? Do you have a favorite Shakespeare play? How do you feel about a Caesar salad? 

I wouldn't say a lot, but some for sure. I lived in England, visited the Globe in London, Windsor (those Merry Wives!) and Stratford-upon-Avon which was his birthplace. The exposure to Shakespeare venues and so many references in the language made me want to know more, and consequently I read more. 

I honestly don't remember reading a lot of Shakespeare in high school (Hamlet and Julius Caesar, I think?), but when I was in the fifth or sixth grade I was in our elementary school's very small production of Midsummer Night's Dream. That was probably my first introduction to Shakespeare and it's probably my favorite.

I love a Caesar salad! 

2. Have you ever been to Rome? If so what do you love about the city? If not, any desire to go?

Yes I've been to Rome...what's not to love? The traffic maybe, which is ka-razy! I love the food, the light, the people, the history, the air, the beauty, the shopping, the language, and the wine. It's a city I'd love to get back to one of these days. 

3. What's your favorite place to 'roam'? 

Europe. Since that's not been possible in recent years I'll say a woodland path with hubs acting as gps. I'm directionally challenged and never is that more obvious than when we're hiking through some unfamiliar woods. 

4. Do you like pizza? Thick or thin? Red sauce-white sauce-other? Your favorite toppings? How do you feel about pineapple on a pizza? 

I love pizza, thin as opposed to thick but not too thin, red sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, tomatoes and mushrooms. No thank you on the pineapple. 

5.  'Rome wasn't built in a day'...tell us how this expression applies to something in your home-life-job currently (or recently)? 

Have I mentioned our home improvement project? Ha! I think maybe only once or ten times here on the blog. Here's the latest-the electrician was able to install the lights in the stairs so that section of the project is essentially done. Except! He needs to come back and sort out something with the wall switch, which still needs a cover. 

The office is almost-almost done. Shiplap is up, murphy bed installed, window treatments made and installed, new table purchased, new chairs purchased, new lamp purchased. What I still need in there would be a new chair for the table, a small table/chest for between the two chairs in the sitting area, a couple of pillows, and art. We have a plan for the art so we need to wrap it up. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Here's what we did to our stairwell...it was a lot of wall. A lot of wall for little hands to run across (big hands too!), a lot of wall for luggage to ding on the way to the guest rooms, a lot of wall to fill period. 

We have a stained coffered ceiling in our foyer so we had judges paneling installed all the way down the stairwell, stained to match our trim and ceiling. 

The paneling comes halfway up the wall and the trim guys (who did our original trim work) did a fabulous job. We love it so much we can't remember how it looked without the wood.

The green tape was to mark which steps would get lights. We had small lights installed every other step to help at night. The lights are on a dimmer and the effect is really lovely.

Now we just need to get the switch sorted and the switch plate attached and we can call this part of the project well and truly done. 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 455

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. It's March 15th and as the saying goes-"Beware the Ides of March". Have you read or studied much Shakespeare? Do you have a favorite Shakespeare play? How do you feel about a Caesar salad? 

2. Have you ever been to Rome? If so what do you love about the city? If not, any desire to go?

3. What's your favorite place to 'roam'? 

4. Do you like pizza? Thick or thin crust? Red sauce-white sauce-other? Your favorite toppings? How do you feel about pineapple on a pizza? 

5.  'Rome wasn't built in a day'...tell us how this expression applies to something in your home-life-job currently (or recently)? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Random Thoughts From Home

I think you all know random is my forte, and I've had a busy day so I'm going with what I know in the A-Z Challenge today.

R is for Random Thoughts From Home

Not necessarily about home, but since I'm at home there's your connection. 

Firstly, let's just talk about the darling Prince George. I'm sure by now everyone has seen the picture of him standing beside the Queen, Prince William, and Prince Charles. He always looks like he's up to something with that twinkle in his eye and his big beaming smile. The photograph will be a postage stamp, and that's almost enough of a reason to visit England. I need to write myself a letter and send it back across the pond. 

There's another photo making the rounds too, showing the Queen with all the great grands and her two youngest grandchildren. The little one (Mia) holding the purse is positively too cute for words. I thought they were wonderful photographs and the Queen looks lovely too. 

I saw something today where the creator of Downton Abbey is producing a new program called Jamestown, about the early British settlers in America. I'm looking forward to it because I'm sure it will be well done, and because when hubs and I lived in Virginia we visited the Jamestown settlement. We both remember it well because my parents were with us, and as we were leaving my dad drove down the road going the wrong way. As in heading for oncoming traffic, which thankfully there wasn't much of, and hubs mentioned it to him in a casual offhand way, and my dad moved to the correct lane and all was well. 

The word Jamestown cannot be mentioned here without my girls telling the tale of our own version of the settlement. It started off as Daughter1's fifth grade social studies project. She and a friend were to create a model of the settlement and they were busy working away in the garage with toothpicks and clay and their own ideas, struggling a little to make it come together, but giving it all they had. The dads popped in to see how it was going and I think you know how this ends. Hubs likes to say he got an A. 

Yesterday Daughter2 stopped by after school and we had tea on the balcony. It was a beautiful sunny day, and our balcony sits back a bit so it was the perfect temperature. We had a long leisurely chat and Daughter1 facetimed us which is the next best thing to being there. 

Few things say home to me more than an afternoon cup of tea with my girls. 

I drink a cup of tea almost every afternoon. When we moved to England I remember thinking it was odd that people asked for hot tea on warm summer afternoons. I'm sure they found the idea of  tea poured over ice every bit as strange, and I fully adopted their way of thinking. I drink hot tea no matter what the thermometer says. 

Hubs and I are meeting some NJ neighbors tomorrow evening. They're headed south to see their very talented son perform in the opera Carmen, and since we're practically in the neighborhood we're going too. 

Neighborhood is a term we use very loosely on this side of the pond. 

I've only seen one opera in my life and that was Romeo and Juliet, sung expertly in Italian in the Verona coliseum under a starry night sky. It was completely magical...

And also my birthday. 

We're looking forward to seeing friends from tinytown NJ and catching up in person. Next week I'm having dinner with one of my bridesmaids, a college friend I haven't seen in a number of years, and I'm excited to catch up with her too. I'm also having lunch with a blog friend next week, our first time to meet in person but of course I feel like I know her.  

I guess that's enough random for one day. There's a lot of that other R word happening round here lately (real life) and I need to get back to it.  Happy weekend everyone! 

Thursday is the weekend, right? 

Sky Blue Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! Grab your coffee or your tea or your ice water with a slice of lemon and settle in for a chat.  Be sure to add the link to your own answers at the end of my post.  Here we go-

1. When I look at the sky I feel ______________________________________.

...anything is possible. 

I'm completely enamored of the sky. A soft summer blue, a deeply royal cloudless October, a pale hopeful white it's gonna snow in January...they all make me feel quite a lot. 

2. If you had to run for political office, which one would you run for? Do you have any real desire to actually do this?

Sometimes I feel so frustrated with our government I think I'd like to get in there and do something, but isn't that how most politicians begin? Then somewhere along the road from idealism to accidentally-making-it-a-career they lose sight of why they ran in the first place. Not all, but most. I'm for term limits.  If there were term limits, then maybe.

When I think of which office I'd run for, I'm stumped. School board? No. City council? Even at the local local local level of government politics seems to rule the day, so no. Mayor? Maybe I'd start there. If I were starting anywhere. Which I'm not. Next question.

3. What scent makes you think of home?

freshly mown grass, laundry right out of the dryer, a turkey roasting in the oven  

4. How often do you take a step back to think about where you're headed in life? Do you need more or less self-reflection?

I think in this empty nest stage of life a bit of self-reflection is warranted. Too much is never a good thing, but I do like setting goals, knowing my purpose, and figuring out new ways to use my gifts, no matter what season of life I'm in. 

5. July is National Ice Cream Month...besides a cone, what's your favorite food item to top with ice cream?

I'm going with a brownie. A scoop of vanilla ice cream atop a warm brownie is one of the best things I know. I haven't had a brownie in eons, but when I do it will be topped with a scoop of vanilla.  

6. What might your autobiography be called?

If I tell you now, you won't be surprised when I write it. 

You think I'm kidding. 

I have a title, I just need the story, and it wouldn't be so much an autobiography, as a memoir. That's as far as I've gotten. 

7. Your least favorite mode of transportation? Why?

Ferries. 

Why? I don't know what it is about ferries, but I cannot ride one without wanting to lose my lunch.  I'm always pretty susceptible to motion sickness, but ferries really do me in. 

Here I am on the ferry from Capri to Amalfi. It was chilly up top, but I'd ridden over down below and (barely) lived to regret it. I told hubs I didn't care what the weather was doing, I was making the trip back to Amalfi up top. He thought he was hilarious taking my picture, and I look a little mad, but I'm not. It was blowing a gale and water was pelting my face. My stomach was a-okay though, and that's all I cared about in that moment. 

Here I am (barely) recovering from a ferry ride to an island off the coast of Hong Kong. I'm the one nursing a Sprite. We rode a ferry over to a fishing village. 

That smelled like fish. 

Which is not what you want to smell when your stomach is rebelling against a ferry ride.  

So yeah, ferries. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

So it's that time. Time to begin the great mother-of-the-bride dress hunt, and I'd like you to weigh in on something. If the bridesmaids are in long gowns should the mothers be as well? Or can we wear short without breaking some kind of unspoken law of etiquette? The only request my daughter has is that we both wear the same length. She doesn't want me in short and his mom in long or vice versa.  

Bella Hodgepodge!

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! Add your link at the end of my post then travel around and see what your amiche are saying...here we go-

1. The month of July was named for Roman Emperor Julius Caesar.  He's quoted as saying, 'Experience is the teacher of all things.' So, what has experience taught you lately?

Well I've learned a few things in the people department this past year, and I'm still kind of mulling it all over. I think I'll write about it eventually, not the specifics per se, but more the lessons learned. 

As cliche as it may sound, experience has taught me, or maybe it's more accurate to say, experience has confirmed for me, the importance of acting with integrity, staying true to who I am on the inside, and how a kind word can encourage someone who feels like quitting to stay the course.

2. Where did you last 'roam'?

Portugal.  

Roaming around foreign cities makes my list of favorite things. 
I don't actually have a written list, but there's one in my head and that's on it. 

I wrote several posts about our trip, beginning with this one. 

3. Speaking of 'Rome'...pizza, pasta, gelato...you can only pick one, which would you choose?

Pizza. Eaten in one of those amazing city squares Rome is famous  for. 

4. 'Rome wasn't built in a day', 'All roads lead to Rome', 'When in Rome...' which 'Roman' idiom have you most recently encountered? Explain.

Definitely 'when in Rome...'  That's kind of my travel mantra and it's a good one. That little saying is the pep talk I give myself when I'm handed an unidentifiable 'local' food in a foreign country. It's the proverbial push I need to embrace all sorts of opportunities that arise when trekking someplace new and different. 

Sometimes I need to be pushed.  
Just ask the hubs!   

5. What's a movie you've seen or book you've read, that makes you want to book a trip to Italy?

Under the Tuscan Sun makes me want to move to the Italian countryside and buy a fixer upper villa. Except from what my friends who've lived in Italy tell me, dealing with the red tape there is not quite as 'charming' as the movie makes it seem. 

6. Walt's original Disneyland opened almost sixty years ago this week, on July 17, 1955.  Have you ever been to the California park? How about any of the other Disney parks around the world? What's your favorite amusement park ride or attraction?

I've never been to Disneyland California, but I have been to Disney World in Orlando several times, and also Disneyland Paris, some 9102 km from the original.  The sign said so.

  
I haven't been to a Disney park since 2007, so way overdue for a visit. 

I don't know if I have a favorite ride, but I do have a definite do-not-ride list. Ha! I'm not a fan of roller coasters, or any ride whose sole purpose is to spin me ad nauseam or turn my stomach upside down. I like the Disney parks because they have so many rides that fall more under the category of attraction, and attractions are more my thing. 

7. It's that time of year...when were you last bitten or stung?

I honestly can't remember, unless you count a couple of mosquito bites I acquired while sitting outside this past weekend.  

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

My random thoughts on Wednesdays have been a little lame lately-sorry. There's plenty of random in my head, just not enough space left over to formulate it into something coherent. How about a dog video? One minute guaranteed to make you laugh.

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 182

I guess I won't bother saying that eventually I'll catch up around here, because I'm beginning to doubt it myself. How about I just post the questions for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge, and we'll see how the day goes?

Whether your brain feels too full lately or not full enough, there's always the Hodgepodge to provide a little mid-week focus.

1. The month of July was named for Roman Emperor Julius Caesar. He's quoted as saying, 'Experience is the teacher of all things." So what has experience taught you lately?

2. Where did you last 'roam'?

3. Speaking of 'Rome'...pizza, pasta, gelato...you can only pick one, which would you choose?

4. 'Rome wasn't built in a day', 'All roads lead to Rome', 'When in Rome...' which 'Roman' idiom have you most recently encountered? Explain.

5. What's a movie you've seen or a book you've read, that makes you want to book a trip to Italy?

6.  Walt's original Disneyland opened almost sixty years ago, on July 17, 1955  Have you ever been to the California park? How about any of the other Disney parks around the world? What's your favorite amusement park ride or attraction?

7. It's that time of year...when were you last bitten or stung?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Come back tomorrow and add your link to the party...see you there!

Nurturing the Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge Hodgepodgers!  If you've answered this week's questions add your link to the end of my post. Then go say hi to some of the others who also joined the party today. Here are my answers-

1.What is something you'll never forget about the age you are right now?

Relating to my daughters as young adults. I love their wit, their sense of independence, their huge hearts, and their confidence. There's something completely amazing about watching those tiny creatures you've raised take on the grown up world.  

2. What's a household chore you've never done? How have you managed that???

Changed the filter in the furnace.  
Is it the furnace that has a filter?  
I think so.

I haven't consciously avoided this job, it's just not one that ever crosses my radar.  

I don't wash the cars either (unless we're talking drive it through a professional car wash). This is a job hubs prefers to do himself because apparently my idea of a perfectly clean car doesn't match his idea of a perfectly clean car. 

I'm okay with that. 

3. Does nature shape our personalities more than nurture? Explain.

Ah, the age old question of nature vs. nurture. Here's what I think-

I think its sometimes one, sometimes the other, but most of the time its a combination of the two. I'm sure we all know of children who've gone off the rails in spite of their loving parents and a warm nurturing home life. We can also find plenty of children who've thrived in spite of horrendous circumstances and a significant lack of nurturing. 

I think most children can be trained and nurtured into well adjusted adults, and its a parent's job to do the best they can to make that happen. I've never read any studies on this, but I'd imagine that most (not all, but most) seriously troubled adults were not born that way, nor can they blame their troubles entirely on a lack of nurturing.  

I'll leave it at that, because this answer could quickly become an essay.  

4. Friday (February 28th) is 'Something on a Stick Day'...funny because Zoanna at A Penchant for Pens recently sent me a question for the Hodgepodge relating to this topic.  What's your favorite food eaten on a stick?

A perfectly toasted marshmallow, preferably eaten beside the campfire upon which it was roasted.  A starry sky overhead only makes it better. 

5. Which of your five senses do you treasure most, and why?

It's hard to imagine being without any of the five, but I'll say the one I treasure most is sight. I'm a very visual person, and the idea of never seeing my children's faces, the ocean, the view from a mountaintop...I think that would be so hard.  

6. What's the best music, theatre, or sporting venue you've been to? What made it great?

I've been in a lot of wonderful venues but probably the best would be The Coliseum in Verona. What made it great? 

Uh, Italy.  
Also friends-

Italian opera

and the intoxicating magic of Italian night air.  

7. It's the last week of the month...in five words or less bid adieu to your February.

Loved your big beautiful snowfalls!

p.s.-Note to self, next time I ask something like this make it 10 words or less. Five is not nearly enough!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I received a really nice surprise in the mail last week. Susan, who blogs over at Stew Mama Says, had emailed asking for my address. She said she'd seen something she had to buy for me...that when she saw it she thought of me, my brand, my blog, and my word for this year. That's a lot to squeeze into a gift, so I was really curious.  

The big box arrived on Friday and here's what was inside-

Another big box.  Fun!!
Inside that box was this-

A small globe. 

In my blog colors. 

With my verse written around it.

And a word closely linked to my word for this year on the other side of the world.  

Well, yes I guess she did have to buy it! 

You know, when I started my blog back in 2009 I never imagined that one day someone I'd never met in person would see something that so perfectly fits where I am right now, that they would somehow recognize that, and then would go to the trouble of buying, packing and mailing it to me. As a bonus, the box arrived on a day when I needed a little help remembering these words, so thank you for that Susan!