Hodgety Podgety Birthday Fun

Before I post this week's questions for the Wednesday Hodgepodge I need to tell you that my darling Daughter1 turns a year older today. Hop over to her blog and say hi...everyone loves a party on their birthday, right?

Now, here are the questions for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge...be sure to come back tomorrow so we can link answers.

1. Do you and your family enjoy camping? What do you enjoy most/like the least when it comes to family camping? When was the last time you camped?

2. Did you attend a summer camp when you were a kid? Is that a happy or not so happy memory?

3. Over the course of your life, what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else?

4. Which of the seven natural wonders of the world would you most like to see? There are many lists of 'wonders' but this is the standard natural wonder list-Mount Everest, The Great Barrier Reef, The Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, The Harbor of Rio de Janerio, Paricutan Volcano and The Northern Lights.

5. What was your first real job?

6. Lemonade or Sweet tea...which do you prefer on a hot summer day?

7. What is something that always brings a smile to your face?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Mayhem and foolishness

We spent the weekend in the nation's capital. I did not actually see said capital on this trip although I did catch a glimpse of the Jefferson Memorial and the top of the Washington Monument as we zipped by on the motorway. Wait, we did not zip. We inched. I don't think it's possible to ever actually zip around the DC motorways. Most of our time was spent a. renting a truck to drive to b. the storage unit so we could move all the items there into c. daughter1's apartment. Finally. As you may recall, the moving saga ended with a cliffhanger.

Not really, but it did end with daughter1's belongings in storage since the roommate whose spot she was taking in the apartment wasn't technically vacating until the end of May. We then had to negotiate a window into hubs calendar so he could be there to 1. drive the truck 2. load the truck 3. carry all the heavy stuff in/out of the truck 4. hang curtains (he could be a professional at this point in time) 5. buy stuff at Home Depot and 6. paint. Oh yeah, lastly but not leastly, he needed to treat daughter1 to a birthday dinner celebration. She is lucky to have us. Just sayin'.

Friday was gorgeous and hubs took the day off so we could take our time getting into the city. We arrived about 3 and since Daughter1 was at work we decided to make a stop at Arlington National Cemetery.

My dad is buried there and we haven't been since we moved back to the states. It is a beautiful restful spot and we like to sit on the grass and think and remember.

After leaving Arlington we drove into the middle of downtown because we're crazy like that. If you've never experienced DC traffic on a sunny Friday afternoon at rush hour you don't know what you're missing. We really wanted to see where Daughter1's office was located so we braved it...such a fun location for her with lots of restaurants and people around. She is enjoying her job very much which is a huge blessing.

We had the seats down in the car in order to bring her a bookcase from home so she couldn't ride back to her apt with us. She took the train as she normally does and we continued inching our way along towards her home. Driving in DC requires patience, skill, a little attitude and a big horn. So thankful my daughter can use public transportation to get to and from work because I truly don't think I'd survive her negotiating this traffic on a daily basis.

The three of us had a nice dinner on Friday evening and then went back to her apt so hubs could re-paint a couple of walls in her space and she and I could paint the trim. She had already painted the walls but had a small mishap in the paint matching department that needed correcting. Plus she is 'not tall' and had no ladder so the top edge needed a father's touch. Saturday we spent the day doing what we do best...loading the storage unit stuff into the rental truck and then out of the rental truck and into the apartment. The boyfriend met us at the apartment for the unloading which was a huge help. We also made the requisite trip to Home Depot so curtains and pictures could be hung and various other little tasks managed.

Daughter1 has a birthday this week so we ended the night celebrating with her boyfriend and one of her roommates at a wonderful French bistro not far from her apartment.

Who doesn't love seeing a box like this one on their birthday?

What? You thought it was a purse? Rain boots. Super cute rain boots. She's a commuter now you know and super cute rain boots are an essential.

I did a mental calculation and determined this was our 14th move in/out of various dorm rooms, storage units, and on and off campus apartments with our two girls since the oldest started uni in 2006. We are not done yet. This one will stay put for a while but daughter2 is still a college student so there are a few more moves in my future. Whenever I write about moving my girls I always get comments saying people left their kids to their own devices to figure it all out. I guess we could do that too and my parents certainly weren't renting trucks to haul my belongings from place to place but I didn't have a lot. What I owned pretty much fit in my car. I wasn't moving any furniture to speak of until I got married and then I had the hubs to do the lifting and hauling. Daughter1 is moving living room, kitchen, and bedroom furniture and the reality is she needs help to do it. Both my girls are tiny so there is no way either of them could move a big day bed or heavy dresser alone. I couldn't do that myself.

We have had a lot of geography between us since our girls went off to university so we are always glad for any chance we have to spend time with them. I need to know there are locks on the doors and lights in the parking lot and the area is safe and not sketchy. Mostly though I need to see their space and have a picture of that in my head.

Sunday we headed for home...we were making a stop enroute to visit the hubs sister and her family who live about an hour now from Daughter1. She followed us in her car so she could say hi to her cousins and make the weekend last just a little bit longer. My sil fixed us a nice lunch and we sat on their lovely screened porch and chatted. There was some mulberry picking and some butterfly chasing...

...and a little swinging too. The neighbor girls stopped by so it was a fun afternoon. Here are all the 'kids' getting excited about the next and final Harry Potter movie premiering next month. I'll let you guess which one in this group is the most excited. I'll give you a hint...

It is not the eleven year olds. ahem.

You did ask....

Since I've blabbed/whined about the home improvement projects going on around here in recent months weeks and since those projects are finally finished I thought I'd share a few pictures.

I use the term 'finished' loosely.

Ahem.

We had a deck on our house which was ok but a little on the small side given the size of our outdoor furniture. Plus it was oddly situated so you felt like you were stuck back in a corner and were maybe missing something exciting happening on the other side of the yard.

The grassy portion of our back yard is wide but not deep. Our property itself is super duper deep but includes a steep hill and then woods beyond that which obviously don't need to be landscaped, in spite of what Mr. Neatnik, aka the hubs, thinks. He likes things tidy which is an admirable quality in a husband but I draw the line at neatening up the forest.

The hillside is natural and a little wild but we love it. It's kinda like having The Nature Channel in our very own backyard. There are deer and fox and chipmunks and squirrels and birds of every size, shape, and color including a red tailed hawk I'm partial to, and then of course there are your friendly neighborhood black bears. There are also bobcat and coyote but I've never actually seen one of those unless you count dead on the side of the road. I have seen the remnants of a bobcat's supper and let me just state for the record I could have done without. Ick.

Anyway, we had the deck removed and added a patio-

a sidewalk around to the driveway...

and a fire pit...

along with a bit of landscaping so we could better enjoy our outdoor space.

In addition, we had a little add on to the original project because isn't that always the case with home improvement?

When they removed the deck it suddenly dawned on us that there was no siding behind.

Oops.

To remedy this we decided to add stone around the foundation and of course it had to go all the way round, not just in the space where the deck had been because that would look awkward. And not cost as much.

I do however love the mostly finished product-

Now all that's left is to enjoy.

Well, that and wait for the gutter guys to come reattach the gutters-

and then buy a container to contain the hose and add a few more colorful flowerpots here and there and dump some topsoil so we can re-seed the lawn and then get some nice chairs for in front of the fire pit and what else???

Surely there is more.

There is always more when it comes to lawn and garden care.

In the meantime our camp chairs are working just fine and everybody's pretty happy.

And I do mean everybody.

A Capital Idea-The Wednesday Hodgepodge Vol 29

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Wednesday Hodgepodge. Everyone is invited to play...just answer the questions on your own blog or facebook page and then link back here to share answers. Be sure to include a link to this post so visitors to your blog can hop over and read more.

1. Have you ever been to the capital of the USA-Washington DC? If so what's your favorite site? If not, what site would you most like to see on a visit to that city someday in the future? Is it even on your list of places to visit?

I have been to DC umpteen times. We lived in the Annapolis area for nine years so DC was just a short hop down the road. I love DC and the Georgetown area in particular. My favorite site? That's easy-I'd have to say my daughter : )

If I have to pick an actual tourist attraction I'd say that I especially enjoyed a behind the scenes tour of the Capitol we took one summer. And I also love the Smithsonian museums. That being said, my absolute favorite sites in DC are the monuments at night, The Vietnam Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

This picture was taken when it was at least 175 degrees outside and we'd been traipsing around the city with houseguests all the live long day. Oh my word...just look at those little girls! Now one of them is actually employed in this town. Time is crazy people!

2. When did you last attend a wedding? Are there any weddings on your summer calendar? Were you a summer bride? If you're single is summer the season of your dream wedding?

We attended a really lovely wedding last October in Naples Florida which I wrote about here. It was an entire weekend of events celebrated with old friends in a gorgeous setting. We have a wedding on the calendar this July that I know will be a lot of fun too.

Yes, I was a June bride...

We're approaching the big 2-7 very soon.

fyi-when it comes to years married they are all big.

3. What is your favorite way to eat strawberries?

With cream.

On the lawn at Wimbledon.

If that's not possible my next favorite option would be shortcake or angel food cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream.

4. What is one thing you are especially looking forward to this summer?

I will be attending two little reunions this summer-one in July with some sorority sisters where I'm sure we'll laugh til we pee our pants...it is that sort of crowd. Girls (they will always be girls to me!) with whom you can completely relax and be yourself.

The other reunion is special too... fellow camp staff from summers long gone but never forgotten. We've managed to re-connect on where else? facebook and one of the girls has organized a little mini reunion. It's coming up really soon and I'm excited for both the catching up and the looking back. Oh, and I'm pretty sure there will be singing. What is a camp reunion without singing?

5. Do you use/like the self scanner at the grocery store?

I have a love hate relationship with this device. I like the fact that its usually faster. Except when its not. 'Please wait for an attendant.' 'Please remove the last item from the scanner.' 'Please wait for an attendant.' There is definitely a knack to using the machine and that's fine so long as I'm not behind someone who doesn't know there is a knack.

6. Share a favorite piece of common sense advice.

Pay attention to the still small voice inside you.

7. Barefoot, flip flops, tennis shoes, sassy sandal-your first choice for summertime?

I don't wear tennis shoes in the summer unless I'm going walking. Flip flops or cute sandals are my #1 pick.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm going to see Mr. KC in concert this summer-love him!

Memorial Days

Do you blog on the weekends?

How about holidays?

I normally don't read blogs or write on my own blog most weekends or holidays. Of course then I am left with the problem of too much to catch up on plus it's Tuesday and that's the day I always post the Hodgepodge questions sooo...

I think today I'll share just a few of the Memorial Day weekend highlights before tacking the Hodgepodge questions on at the end.

Like an afterthought.

Except they're not.

Those Hodgepodge questions require a lot of thought.

Back to the weekend... let me just say that the weather was fab-u-lous!

Saturday morning was clear and bright so we fired up the MG and took her for a spin.

Fired up is some sort of fancy car talk.

Basically it means hubs started the engine.

Fired up sounds more Top Gear though don't you think?

Does anybody watch Top Gear?

Does anybody think I'm a tad obsessed with all things British?

Sometimes people freak out a little when they glance over and see me rummaging thru my purse or looking behind me or talking with my hands when they think I should be driving.

It usually takes them a minute to realize I'm not the driver.

And that I have no steering wheel.

We bought breakfast to go from Paneras and sat by the lake to eat.

Hello sun.

It's been a long time since we've seen you around here on a weekend.

And do you know, it shone the whole weekend?

God Bless America!

Chipmunks were hunted.

flags were flown...

we even dined al fresco on our brand new patio.

We may have had a little company.

Memorial Day means a parade.

In towns large and small all across America.

In our small town.

Honoring those who gave everything in service to their country.

Our country.

So thankful to be born in a country that is free.

So thankful for those who have fought to make it so.

So grateful for those who continue to do just that.

And now, here are the questions for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Come back tomorrow (that would be Wednesday even though it will feel like Tuesday) to link answers-

1. Have you ever been to the US capital-Washington DC? If so, what's your favorite site? If not, what would you most like to see on a visit to that city someday in the future? Is it even on your list of places to visit?

2. When did you last attend a wedding? Are there any weddings on your summer calendar? Were you a summer bride? If you're single, is summer the season of your dream wedding?

3. What is your favorite way to eat strawberries?

4. What is one thing you are especially looking forward to this summer?

5. Do you use/like the self checker at the grocery store?

6. Share a favorite piece of common sense advice.

7. Barefoot, flip flops, tennis shoes, sassy sandals-your first choice for summertime?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Whatcha Reading?

I read a lot and I like to keep a file of book titles on my computer so I don't have to rely on my hormonal brain to recall title and author when I'm ready for something new. I don't know about you but I can never remember those pesky little details when I get to the library or bookstore.

I have a long summer reading list which makes me very happy. Reading is never a waste of time and I'm looking forward to lying in one of our comfy cruiser chairs on the new patio with a good book and a glass of sweet iced tea. Sometimes a good book read on the patio in the summer sun will lead to a nap.

fyi-napping is also never a waste of time.

My hubs makes fun of me for calling the lounge chairs cruisers. I think the correct term is steamer but it's one of those words I've somehow mis-learned in the too crowded brain so cruiser it shall remain.

My reading list is always a very mixed bag. Mysteries are probably my favorite but I also like to read non-fiction, biographies, award winners and will throw in a little fluff too. I usually have at least one classic re-read on my list....you know, those books read in long ago high school English classes that take on new meaning when they're re-read after life has been lived a little?

So, here's a peek at thirteen books on my list right now...there might be more but I'm linking with Thursday Thirteen and I like to follow the rules. I had trouble with the code posting so I've linked the old fashioned way today. Here ya go-

1. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

2. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

3. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

4. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

5. Parrot and Oliver in America by Peter Carey

6. Beginners Greek by James Collins

7. Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See

8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

9. Son of Hamas by Mosab Hussan Yousaf and Ron Bracken

10. The Hating Game by Tali Roland

11. American Lion-Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Mecham

12. The Beach House by Jane Green

13. The Fifth Witnesss by Michael Connelly

What are you reading this summer?

Red White and Hodgepodge-Volume 28

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge...add your link to the bottom of my post and then be sure you hop around and visit some of the other bloggers. After all, that's what keeps the neighborhood friendly.

Here are my answers-

1. What is something about living in this country that you value? 'This country' is whatever country you call home.

America is still the land of opportunity. You can dream a dream and make that dream come true. America is an optimist at heart and I pray that never changes.

2. What is a favorite something you own that is red white and/or blue?

To quote the fab four...'Oh little darlin'...its been a long cold lonely winter....' and we are definitely ready for some convertible weather here in the northeast. We don't have it, but we're ready for it.

3. Do you fly a flag at your house on patriotic holidays?

Yes...I love to see flags flying. No matter where I am it makes me feel a little bit proud.

4. What ingredients do you think should be included in a great picnic basket?

Remember when picnics were fried chicken and potato salad? Not that I'm opposed to that sort of picnic but I don't eat fried chicken and potato salad these days.

My ideal basket would include yummy cheese, great bread, a tapenade or some other spread for crackers, maybe some cold meats like prosciutto or salami, olives, and fresh ripe strawberries. Champagne would be nice too but I'd settle for lemonade.

5. What is one interesting piece of trivia you know? Interesting is of course a relative term.

Hedgehogs can float and in fact are fairly good swimmers. Evidently they cannot swim for too long and will eventually drown should they happen to fall into a homeowner's pond with no means of escape.

Go ahead.

Ask me how I know.

Shudder.

6. Wednesday, May 24th is National Escargot Day...have you ever tried them? Eww or ooh?

I like. It's not a dish I have often but when I do I like them cooked in white wine and garlic. In reality no more 'disgusting' than eating a mussel, clam, or oyster, all of which I happen to love, but for some reason we hear the word escargot and have trouble getting the slug on the sidewalk out of our head.

fyi-picking up a dead floating hedgehog with your bare hand because you mistook it for a leaf is far more disgusting than dining on escargot in a Paris bistro. Just sayin'

7. What is something you know for sure?

He's got the whole world in His hands.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Thinking of all those whose lives have been turned upside down recently, in Missouri, but also the Southland, Japan, and Haiti too. I love this song...it's a bit of an oldie (if you call the year 2000 'old' ) but its full of hope and who among us doesn't need a heaping helping of that these days?