Lucky You! It's The 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 leave a comment for the lucky blogger beside you there. Here we go...

1. I write the Hodgepodge questions so they'll post on Sunday, which sometimes throws me off in terms of what day it is. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated on Monday, March 17th. Did you mark the day in some way? Wear green? Make a special meal? Watch or participate in a parade? 

We didn't watch or take part in any parades on Monday, but we did have a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage. I add carrot and red potatoes to mine and everyone here loves it. A once a year treat for sure. Did I wear green? Of course...

My 5-year old grandson wanted to snap our picture and he did a pretty good job. I literally handed him my phone and a nanosecond later he handed it back. Done. Not bad. 

2. Do you think luck plays a part in your life? Explain. 

Mostly I think we make our own luck in the form of setting goals and working hard to bring them to fruition. If we're talking cards or Mah Jong or a board game of some kind then I'd say yes, luck does indeed play a part. 

3. Of the 15 green foods listed, which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Any on the list that are a hard no for you? In general do you like fruits and veggies? As a kid did you eat them willingly or did you hide peas in your napkin hoping your momma wouldn't see? 

Asparagus, avocado, broccoli, celery, cucumber, grape, green bean, kale, kiwi, lettuce, lime, 

pear, peas, pistachios, spinach

I like everything on that list, although kale is not my favorite. I prefer it in salads as opposed to cooked, but I'll eat it so nothing is a hard no.  

Not sure I can pick a favorite, but if I must I'll say green beans. I like them any way you want to fix them. Sauteed with some garlic, wrapped in bacon, cooked all day on the stovetop, or the Blue Lake variety straight out of a can...it's all good. 

Cucumbers are probably my second favorite on the list. I love a summertime cucumber-tomato salad and can't wait for summer produce in general.  I've always loved fruit of every kind, even as a child, but vegetables were a different story. Growing up I liked corn, green beans, and salad but not much else in terms of veg. Definitely no asparagus or spinach, both of which I love now. As an adult there aren't any vegetables I won't eat. 

4. What's something that makes you 'turn green'? (with envy or with illness... whichever way you want to take it)

Pretty much all forms of transportation can turn me green. Planes, boats, cars on curvy roads. Hubs likes to say there is no mode of transportation we've been on together where I haven't been green around the gills at some point. Ferries are the worst and I never go anywhere without Dramamine. 

Yes we have a boat. I'm good on the boat, especially if we're moving or anchored in a cove. I don't want to sit on 'the big water' and bob unless it's absolutely completely still. And as much as I love to travel you won't find me vacationing on a cruise ship. For a few reasons, but mostly it's the potential to be miserable from the motion. 

5. Did you spend a lot of time outdoors as a child? Doing what? Do you spend a lot of time outdoors now? Doing what? 

I feel like my sister and I were always outside. We would often take our indoor toys outside, Barbies especially, where we'd set up elaborate homes for them under a huge tree in the back yard. We also did lots of bike riding, jump roping, swinging as high as we could swing, and games of HORSE at our neighbor's basketball goal. We'd bring our crayons outside and sit and color on the porch, and we also  liked to lay in the grass and watch the clouds go by, make clover necklaces, and daydream. 

There was sledding, building snow forts, big snowball fights, and ice skating on the neighborhood duck pond in winter. Summertime found us at the pool every day and in the evenings all the neighborhood kids would gather in the middle of our street and play huge games of kick the can and hide and seek. 

I still enjoy being outdoors, swimming, hiking, walking, kayaking, and my favorite-porch sitting. Just keeping it completely real-ha! 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Having the grands with us has meant exploring some of the local playgrounds. We went to one in a nearby park on Monday morning, and it was so pretty. There are Pickleball courts at the entrance to this particular park, which is as far as I'd ever been, but the playground area further back is nice and shady and sits right beside the water.

Hubs and I walked out on the dock there to watch the heron, who seemed unbothered by our presence...

Until he wasn't...

The park is huge and has an area for camping too. There's a great little camp store beside the playground  that was fun to browse, and we'll definitely come back and bring a picnic lunch next time. #lovewhereyoulive

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Tuesday Monday Blogging

If you're here looking for this week's Hodgepodge questions you'll find them one post back. 

When Monday is Tuesday it throws us all off, right? Linking with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday today because at least we're all on the same page with these shorter weeks. 

We're wrapping up a seven day visit to Cincy where we've been in charge of one set of grands since first thing Friday morning. They've been in charge of us? Whatever. It's been fun and the littles have been so good. 

We aim for a some sort of outing in the morning hours because Little Miss takes a solid afternoon nap and ain't nobody missing that. The boys have some quiet time in the playroom then, where they listen to a story on their Yoto player while working on their various lego projects and hubs 'rests' on the couch while I do a quick pick up, get dinner organized, and sometimes blog. 

The mancub is a lego master and is happy to help little brother if he gets stuck or forgets a step. Thank goodness, because the world of legos is mostly new to me. I raised daughters and can get a shoe on a Barbie foot in record time, but don't have a lot of experience with legos. I see the appeal though. There is something so satisfying about putting together a model from literal square one. 

There are wonderful parks and playgrounds in this town, and we've hit up several that are close to my daughter's home here. The kids don't really watch television and we try to stick with that household policy. We do put a movie on to watch together most afternoons because we're not the parents lol. 

Also, we're not thirty something an.y.more. 

Note to young parents everywhere...keep doing those squats and planks because one day you'll be twice your grown children's ages and will find yourself awkwardly climbing in and out of a mini van's third seat, getting up from a 'criss cross applesauce' kind of seat on the floor, squeezing yourself into a tunnel slide made for five year olds, and lifting wriggly toddlers in and out of a bathtub-crib-carseat. You’re gonna need those abs. 

Our first day here with the kids we took them to a neighborhood park. Little Miss spied a balloon stuck in a tree and this has been the topic of her very animated conversations several times a day every day since. 

There'a another park nearby, close to a small airfield, and we spent some time there one day too. The boys love the playground at this park, but honestly we chose it mostly because on our drive into town hubs spied a B-29 parked there and wanted to see it up close. Turns out you could go inside so he took the boys and they had a ball. 

It was sunny-ha! Little miss and I sat on the sidewalk (the squats! the planks!) and watched the world go by from the shade of a big tree. 

Today is Memorial Day, and while there was no parade or backyard bbq we did spend the morning visiting a farm that's part of the park system which felt patriotic in it's own way. How fortunate we are to have time with family, to see the flag fly against a bright blue sky as we enjoy the outdoors, to laugh and share and make memories with the people we love. Thank you to the soldiers who have made it so. 

We had the farm practically to ourselves, if you don't count the pigs, sheep, cows, goats, horses and chickens. Oh, and the geese. Can't forget the geese. Baby geese, momma geese, and a whole lot of goose poop, which continues to be a hot topic for discussion amongst the boys. 

We walked around a pond filled with turtles and algae, and hubs, who knows a lot about a lot, provided our science lesson for the day. 

Because the park was so empty a girl working with the horses brought one out for us to pet. Meet Hammer-

Of course we made a stop at the playground here too, built in the shape of a barn. The boys had a ball running and chasing and sliding and climbing. 

Little Miss always trying to keep up with the big brothers. 

She is too cute for words. 

Pretty sure her favorite thing about having us here is we bring the dog. He has been the absolute best distraction for her, and the first word out of her mouth every morning, and at the end of every nap time, and probably twenty or thirty times a day is 'Hunley!' 

The next word out of her mouth is always Pawpaw, but after five grandchildren I'm used to that-ha! 

Pawpaw is the man of a million faces, sound effects, tricks, and hijinks that keep everyone laughing and happy and forgetting for a moment mom and dad are not in the house. He steals that nap on the couch when he can, but when he's on he's on and all the grands adore him. 

What else have we done since we arrived? Well, we've showered every day, and that feels like a bit of an accomplishment. I mean three kids under six means you have to plan when that will happen so go us! 

Everyone has eaten and slept and played so well together and I'm grateful for the routines mom and dad have in place that make stepping in for out of town parents pretty seamless. I've made easy dinners most nights, but last night we ordered out Thai food. Two years spent living in South Korea has left an impression on their palates so we ordered what they will tell you is their favorite foods-

Sushi for the mancub and pork gyozo for Max. 

Tomorrow we have a little outing planned, will order pizza for dinner 'cuz we're tired, and will greet the parents when they pull in the drive. 

We've had such a sweet time with this high energy, tender hearted, funny, smart, busy bunch this week. I always leave with a newfound appreciation for my girl and how she manages everyone's needs with grace and patience. How she keeps her eye on the ball and what matters for eternity. 

We'll head out the next day and I know it will feel good to be home.

And also that we'll hate to leave.

In the words of my four-year old grandson...'It's bittersweet.' 

It Ain't Easy Being Green

It's Friday, which means today's word prompt is posted the day of, and we set our timers for five minutes of unedited writing for sheer love of the written word.  For more five minute posts on today's prompt visit Kate at Heading Home. Here we go-

Day 16- green

It's Fall y'all. And it's my favorite. I love the color and the light and the coolness in the air. I love jeans and fleece jackets and the way the earth yields to God's grand design. Hubs and I enjoy hiking and we're excited to explore the many parks and trails around our new home state. I wrote about our visit to Pretty Place here, and yesterday we headed back up the mountain for a hike to Raven Cliff Falls.

I know, more Dramamine, but we do what we must.
Plus this weather is sheer perfection.

We stopped first at the Visitor Center at Caesar's Head State Park, and took in the magnificent view from the overlook there.

Talk about green. That's Table Rock in the distance, and it's on our list too. As hubs says every time we see it in the distance, 'I've got to get over there. It looks high and dangerous.' And of course I say 'Me too. I love me some high danger.' Ha!

We've had an abundance of rain in the Upstate this fall, so I don't think the colors are going to be as vibrant as they might be otherwise.

Still lovely though.

I'd read in our handy hiking handbook that the hike to the falls was about 2 miles in and 2 miles out, and rated not strenuous, but that's if you take the guidebook with you and read the directions. We left the guidebook in the car, because it seemed simple enough...cross the road, hop on the trail, hike two miles in, see beautiful falls.

There were a few problems with this plan. The short version is pretty much my modus operandi whenever I go hiking in the woods with hubs. I leave the car park feeling jubilant, energized, ready to take on the world. At some point we realize we're either a) not on the right trail or b) taking the long way round instead of the direct route we intended, and I end up on the verge of frustrated tears.

Sometimes I might even fall right on over the verge.

The gentleman at the visitor's center said yes, cross the road, hop on the trail to the left and follow it around. It will take about an hour. So that's what we did. Except we were first supposed to drive down the road another mile, park there, cross that road, and hop on that trail to the left.

Bother.

What's an extra four miles on a beautiful autumn afternoon? Well it might just be the thing that sends me over the verge. Also, it was steep aka strenuous. Whatever. I got over myself, we found the right entry point, and off we went feeling almost jubilant again.

The trail was lovely and high and so serene. We were anxious to reach the falls because we'd read they're the most visited falls in the state of South Carolina.

We hiked a while before coming to this-

Hmmm....looks like police tape. Danger. Do Not Enter. Which is exactly what it was. Apparently there are a series of bridges you need to cross to get to the falls and with all the recent storms one of the bridges made the route impossible.

Unless you want to hike an additional four hours around them, but do not attempt it without food, water, and plenty of daylight.

He is seriously thinking about it y'all.

I was not.

We carried on anyway, along the un-waterfall trail, because we'd read there was an overlook that would allow you a glimpse of them. I'm zoomed in, and if you look hard you'll see there's a fabulous waterfall waaaaay across the valley.

I read the falls plunge over four hundred feet, so we definitely didn't get to appreciate the full effect, and we'll want to come back another time.

As hubs and I are standing alone on this wooden platform about three miles into the woods in the middle of nowhere admiring the far off falls, a group of seven or eight college boys hiked in. They were so polite, and really friendly, and we chatted for a bit. Turns out one of them went to high school with my brother-in-law's niece and nephew.

Oh don't you just love this big small beautiful world?

I love New York

Sunday afternoon we decided to drive into the city and by the city I mean The City...as in New York City. We live about 45 minutes from the George Washington Bridge (on a Sunday afternoon when there isn't any work traffic, accidents, road construction, snow, ice, blah blah blah). It was a gorgeous fall day, far too nice to be indoors napping on the couch watching football and reading the paper although we did do some of that later in the day.

This was our first trek into NYC since we moved back and may I just say I LOVE NY. I especially love it on a beautiful fall day, so much so that I didn't even mind paying $43 to park for 4 hours. Course the pup came along too...once she heard the word 'park' we couldn't leave her behind. Our plan was to hang out in Central Park all afternoon...

watch the boaters in The Boat Basin...

admire the art...

the green space...

maybe stalk a few squirrels

...but the city itself calls to you and pulls you in and you end up on 5th Avenue looking in the shop windows and thinking maybe you really should get a job so you can shop in this town....you wander past The Plaza taking note of the limousines parked outside...you hope to see someone famous but you don't, not today anyway.

You find yourself gazing up at St. Patrick's Cathedral...

watching skaters at Rockefeller Center...

who knew they did this in October?

You take a picture of Christies Auction House because they are flying a British flag and that makes you smile...as an aside here, did you know the Astors home in Newport Rhode Island is listed with Christies and for a mere $12,900,000 it can be yours?

You admire the rooftop gardens... love the hustle and bustle and people...

but in the end you go back to the park...because someone needs to catch herself a squirrel...or a bird...

or somethin'.

Before heading home you walk by Strawberry Fields and take a picture of the John Lennon memorial...Imagine.

You mozy past the zoo wall and take a peek at the goats and yes indeed I did just use the words mozy and NYC in the same post.

You watch the horse drawn carriages go by.

You think, Gosh this place is pretty.

I think I'll blog about it and put 19 pictures in a single post.

And I do.

Dogs are People Too

Anybody else have a dog who thinks she's human?

We drove up to Highpoint NJ on Saturday afternoon...it's about thirty minutes from our house and is the highest point in NJ, hence the name. You're welcome. I'm just smart like that.

There is a huge monument in the park and you can climb to the top for even more spectacular views. We didn't climb today because we had our pup with us and although she believes she's human she is in fact a dog and dogs aren't allowed in the monument.

The monument is 220 feet high and was built in 1930 to honor the war dead. Highpoint itself is part of a ridge in the Kittatiny Mountains and the park is beautiful...you can see into three states-New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania-depending where you stand. The landscaping was designed by the sons of the landscape architect who designed Central Park and the Appalachian Trail crosses only about a quarter of a mile away.

Dixie loved the hiking trails and of course she loved being outdoors...but really, for her...

the day was all about the view.