A Mostly Tax Free Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge, and bonus the letter M in the A-Z Blog Challenge. You'll find my entry for that in today's random thought. Scroll down to question #6.

If you've answered today's questions add you link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. It won't be taxing at all. Now here we go...

Wait. One more thing. Hodgepodge links only here today, please and thank you. And now here we go for real...

1. Big week in the US of A...do you do your own taxes? What's something you've found 'taxing' lately? 

We do not do our own taxes. Actually our accountant phoned us at 8:30 PM Sunday evening to discuss, so thank your CPA because this time of year is brutal for them. 

Something I've found taxing lately? Hmmm...how about blogging my way through the alphabet every day in the month of April? I really do enjoy it, but it's also a lot. 

2. When it comes to travel are you a last minute packer or a lay it all out a week in advance type? Do you struggle to pack light? Share a packing tip that has worked for you. 

I am not last minute except for those things that can only be added last minute. I am more of an overthinker when it comes to packing. I like options, and I like to have somewhat of a plan for what I will wear each day. If I'm flying I have more self-discipline, but with a car trip all bets are off. 

My packing tips? I have traveled a lot but still am not sure you want packing advice from me. Use the packing cubes. It keeps things organized in your suitcase and you can group items in whatever way works for you. 

3. April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Hmmm...who knew it got its own month? Do you like a grilled cheese sandwich? What ingredient do you add to take yours to the next level? 

In hosting the weekly Hodgepodge for many years I've learned there is a national day and/or month for everything under the sun. Not complaining though because it helps me come up with questions when my brain cannot. 

I love a grilled cheese sandwich, and it's even better with a side of tomato soup for dipping. I feel like grilled cheese is a winter lunchtime meal and rarely make one in the summer. I will order a fancy grilled cheese on occasion, but my favorite is the plain old fashioned kind with bread, butter and plenty of melted cheese. No need to doctor it up. 

4. There's a well known quote that says-

'A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." John A. Shedd  

Is constant growth necessary or do you think it's more important to prioritize stability and peace in your life? 

I've had seasons where I've been tucked safely in the harbor and that felt necessary. There have of course been many seasons where I've been tossed on the waves which, while unpleasant and confusing, were also likely very necessary. 

I'm not sure anyone's life is all smooth sailing. I think we can and do grow in rough water, but growth can also happen while in a place of stability and peace. Sometimes we need a more gentle environment to be able to look at our lives and see what's working and what's not. 

Ideally we need a balance of growing and rest. Think about the natural world where plants lie dormant in the winter and grow like wildfire in the spring. We humans need something similar. 

Now in terms of spiritual growth I want that to be ongoing. I want to always be growing more like Christ which I think is what we're made for. 

'Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.' Colossians 3:2 

5. Let's wrap this up with a fun spring this or that-

• daffodils or tulips tulips
• lemonade or iced tea half tea half lemonade is my favorite
• gardening or hiking both, but if I have to choose I'll say hiking 
• ladybugs or butterflies butterflies 
• umbrella or raincoat both, but I am partial to a cute umbrella 
• floral patterns or polka dots I like both...my answer would depend on where the pattern is going; is it a top? a dress? a pillow? my bedding?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm using this space for today's letter in the A-Z Blog Challenge, continuing my theme which is The Things We Keep: An A-Z of Ordinary Objects. 

Day 13-M is for the MGB

Technically the MG is hubs baby but what's mine is his and all that jazz. Plus, I enjoy being a passenger in this little beauty who must have it's own garage bay in whatever home we own. 

We bought the MG in the UK and brought it back with us when we returned stateside. I will say we have more money in the car than the cost of the actual car but I think that's how it often goes with old vehicles.

The MG is a right hand drive vehicle which can freak people out when they pull up beside us at a traffic light. Hubs used to sometimes take our dog with him and the dog sits in what would be the driver's seat in the US so there are lots of double takes by people passing by. 

We drive it on country roads mostly, and try not to get into interstate traffic or super congested areas if possible. We never put the top up so we only drive it in good weather. It wreaks havoc on my hair but we don't get out in it every day so I deal. I am strictly a passenger because she's a tad fussy. 

The car is almost sixty years old, and we've owned her for more than twenty ourselves. I can't imagine getting rid of her, and hope maybe someday hubs can hand over the keys to a grandchild. None of them will be driving for years yet so it won't happen anytime soon, but maybe someday. 

For now...

...we cruise. 

Finding Gold in the Weekend

Hey, guess what?

We were at home this weekend.

And by home I mean we weren't sitting around doing nothing but we were also not standing in a queue at the airport or packing and lugging suitcases or stripping down for security.

Wait.

Hubs was at the airport. He'd been in Delhi all last week and his flight touched down in the US of A at the delightful hour of 4:25 am. Of course to him that felt like 2 PM so we did what we always do when he gets back from one of these upside down business trips-we went out to breakfast. Its possible we also went out to lunch later that same day but who's counting. He always has stories to tell when he's been to India, some interesting and some sad, so we spent the day catching up and running errands. And eating out obviously. He wanted some regular American beef for dinner so we grilled steaks and caught up on the DVR. Riveting stuff, isn't it? I've written an entire paragraph on our weekend eating habits.

Hubs finds it amusing that he travels half way round the world but I'm the one who kind of collapses when he gets home. In my defense I do not sleep well when he's in these places, so as soon as he's safely home I let my adrenaline crash.

Saturday it was off to the races. We were guests of someone business related (I don't know-I just go along for the fun day out) and they have a lovely tent at this event which raises money for a local hospital. The weather was very fall like with alternating sun and clouds and I was glad I wore my down vest.

(oh good, she's moved from discussing her dining habits to weather talk)

This horse race goes all the way back to 1870 and is host to the Breeder's Cup, the most prestigious race in American steeplechasing. I don't follow horse racing but I do read a lot of Dick Francis novels which are set in that venue so I think that counts. Do you think they saw this back in 1870?

Let me just say for record that he was not with us. Also, the rules clearly stated no pets but somehow this girl managed to sneak in a chicken.

Whyyyy? As you can see, the event attracts a wide ranging crowd. We were up on the hill above the chickens and the superheroes-

There was plenty of wonderful food and pretty table decorations-

I loved the centerpieces and they would be easy to recreate-

There were no Marvel Comic characters in our tent but we did spend a lot of time talking to some British guests which was fun. Will we ever lose that sense of feeling an immediate connection to every Brit we meet? These boys (they were men, but they were young men) had spent a lot of time in our little village, primarily in the pub there but still, it was fun talking about our mutual love of their homeland.

Hubs needed a bit of a low key day on Sunday and what a gorgeous fall day it turned out to be-

We took the little red car for a spin and enjoyed feeling the sunshine on our faces and the seeing the view from atop New Jersey's highest point.

We came home and relaxed on the patio (finally) and even had a fire in the outdoor firepit where this deliciousness happened-

That's hubs marshmallow...he has no patience for a lot of things but he could sit all day and roast a marshmallow to perfection. I have patience for most things but managed to burn two right off the bat with my impatience. He was nice and shared.

And what would your week be without a picture of my hillside?

The sunlight sparkled thru the leaves yesterday and made for a most peaceful and perfect late autumn afternoon. How can you not love the fall?

"There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!" Percy Bysshe Shelley

Ode to a Spring Weekend

spring sprung

for now

hiking at Highpoint

warm temps and sunny skies

feel the last flakes of snow under our feet

picnic by the lake

soak up the sun

pup seeks shade

amazing views

feel lucky

convertible weather

late afternoon

top down

sip a latte by the lake in our little town

feel content

spring cleaning begun

dead leaves collected

windows wide open

curtains blowing

feel the fresh air

convertible once more

country roads

Rita's Italian Ice

Do you have Ritas?

feel sorry for you

longer days

later sunsets

chops on the grill

seasons go round

feel thankful

The BBC and our MGB...you know, British stuff

I know you are on pins and needles waiting to hear how the car show went and I promise I will get to that in a minute. And you can rest assured there are trophies involved. Before I get to that bit though I wanted to let you know that back in the autumn of 2008 I was part of a program recorded and broadcast in the UK on BBC Radio4. The women's club I've mentioned here before was featured in a 30 minute BBC Radio programme called Lives in a Landscape. The show highlights all sorts of things going on in the villages around the UK and back in the fall of 2008 our club was the story. I was interviewed as the outgoing club president along with the incoming president who was leading her first general meeting, two ladies newly arrived in England, our hiking activity group leader and a club member who has lived in multiple countries and is something of an ex pat pro. The interviewer also attended that first general club meeting of the year, a newcomers coffee and he even went on a hike with our hiking group.

Anyway, all this to say that the program is going to be rebroadcast on Monday evening, 11:30 PM UK time which is 6:30 PM East Coast time in the US. If you are at all interested in listening in I think this link will allow you to connect (Lives in the Landscape). If not it will most likely be on their website for a few days following the broadcast so click here if you'd like to listen online sometime after Monday.

Now, you may have zero interest in this and if so just skip on down to the next bit of today's post. I do think the program is an interesting little glimpse into what it's like settling into life in another country. And of course I must also add that I am speaking in a couple of places and will be easy to identify because (1) I'm the first segment and I was interviewed while driving. Uh-oh. If you read my blog you already know about my expertise at operating a motor vehicle in the UK and (2) I was interviewed in a later segment while hiking and a hilly part at that so when you hear the person speaking who makes you think, "Why is that woman so out of breath?" you'll know that's me. I'm in a bit at the end as well but I don't think that requires any forewarning. Click here if you'd like to listen online sometime after Monday.

Now for the car show...I have a few thoughts (you're not surprised) starting with this....it was hot. Really really hot. And, because I wanted to be all into the spirit of the event I wore my London Polo shirt which is short sleeved but heavy and did I tell you it was HOT?

And is there such a thing as a car show tan because if there is I'm gonna be sporting one for the next couple of days?

Next thought...convertible hair. Not good. At all. Thankfully I grabbed a hat at the last minute because convertible hair definitely needs a hat and that's all I'm gonna say about that.

The car show was held on the grounds of a local community college and all the proceeds from today's event will be donated to the 9/11 memorial charities. There is a lovely memorial on the college grounds that stands 9 feet 11 inches tall and its centerpiece is a steel beam from one of the towers.

When we arrived at the car show we collected our entry number and our goody bag. Oh, I do love a goody bag and I'm really not too particular about what's in it. This one held mostly 'car stuff' but I did get a little bit excited about the miniature tape dispenser. The couple next to us informed me that Mars Candy sponsors a car show and their goody bags have Mars candy in them. I think I can manage to attend another show if chocolate is involved.

Anyway, besides our goody bag we were given a ballot so we could walk around and vote on cars in the various categories. And get this...you cannot vote for your own car. Huh? What is that all about? We were also given a ticket for a door prize and whoohoo! we won something. In keeping with the car theme it was a little plaque to hang somewhere in the house about God holding the 'key'. And technically it doesn't match my decor so it might need to hang in the garage right beside our trophies. That's right I said trophies. As in two. And it's fun to win stuff y'all. One trophy was for our category (sport something or other) but the second trophy was the fireman's choice. The local fire dept was at the show cooking hotdogs and hamburgers and they also got to award trophies for their favorite cars so we got one of those too. And while I love the actual winning of the trophy I don't get as excited about the displaying of them in the house so I think they will be beautifying the garage...that's good, right?

Today was kind of fun. I think I'd have enjoyed it more if it weren't 175 degrees but all in all it was an experience. We got a kick out of the number of people who looked at our car and didn't register the fact that the steering wheel is on the right hand side. And we did meet some nice people and there were lots of great cars at the show...

And boy do car collectors take the competition bit seriously. I mean they're just cars people.

Oh, and did I tell you we got TWO trophies?