Rolling The Dice In The Wednesday Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Hodgepodge! If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger linking before you. Don't forget to add a link back here in your post somewhere, so your readers can play along too. Here we go-

 

1. Ever played the game Farkle? Are you a risk taker? In games only or also in life?

For those who don't know, Farkle is a dice game and yes, I've played. My daughter2 also gave me a yard version of the game with giant wooden dice to throw onto the grass and it's a lot of fun. 

I will take risks while playing games, but am less of a risk taker in life. I guess it depends on the potential reward?

2. What's your favorite thing about your yard or whatever outdoor space you may have?

The view. I've posted a million pics but what's one more?

Or two?

It's a dog's life for sure!

3. Tell us about the most interesting building you've seen or been in.

Now this is hard, because I've been in so many interesting buildings. Countless castles, castle ruins, and cathedrals all across Europe, sky high towers in Asia, and closer to home NYC. A few favorites are The Houses of Parliament in London, The Guggenheim in NYC and The Colosseum in Rome. 

If I have to pick a 'most interesting' I'm going to say the Abbey at Mont-St.-Michel sitting high atop a tidal island in Normandy France. It was built in the 11th century and the notion of it's intricate and ornate construction on this piece of land in that time period is truly amazing. 

4. In this current season of social distancing, what's something you've come to realize you take for granted in more ordinary times? Do you think you'll make a conscious effort to appreciate whatever that 'it' is once normal life resumes?

A well stocked grocery store. Making plans for future travel, family gatherings, and events. Sitting beside someone in church, at a ball game, concert, restaurant. 

One reason I enjoy keeping up with my blog is it helps me remember things and how I felt about them at the time. When life resumes some sense of normalcy I think reading back will be a gentle reminder to feel gratitude for the ordinary everyday things we missed during this season of strangeness.  

5. Share a favorite song with a springtime flower in the lyrics somewhere.

I love Wildflowers by Tom Petty- 



6. Insert your own random thought here.

Hair salons are reopening in our state next week but sadly my appointment was for this week. Good news though! I was able to get an appt for later this month which felt like a real coup. It's the little things, right? 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 368

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. Here we go-

 

1. Ever played the game Farkle? Are you a risk taker? In games only or also in life?

2. What's your favorite thing about your yard or whatever outdoor space you may have?

3. Tell us about the most interesting building you've seen or been in.

4. In this current season of social distancing, what's something you've come to realize you take for granted in more ordinary times? Do you think you'll make a conscious effort to appreciate whatever that 'it' is once normal life resumes?

5. Share a favorite song with a springtime flower in the lyrics somewhere.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Mother's Day Post Game Analysis

Good Monday morning! I know it's afternoon but I started typing hours ago and just now got back here for sentence number 2. It's been a while since I wrote a 'what I did this weekend' kind of post, but I have some pictures I want to save and this is where I'm going to let them land.

We've had the loveliest spring, although I could do with a bit less wind and there was that tornado a couple weeks back, but mostly we've had true springtime weather. Blue skies, pleasant temperatures, and no humidity. Next weekend we'll hit the upper 80's so going to enjoy this while it lasts.

Daughter2 is in the house and her boyfriend has joined us for a few days which has been really nice. Friday night we made pizzas on the big green egg and while we're still perfecting the technique (mostly the sliding it on and off the peel without any naughty words being said), they do get better every single time.

This one was delish! I made the Pioneer Woman's pizza dough recipe and it's a keeper. This recipe makes a thinner crust which is what we all like best.

Mother's Day was just gorgeous. Daughter2 gave me the most fun gift called Yardtzee which is the backyard version of Yahtzee and Farkle. Giant wooden block dice that come with a plastic bucket for tossing them onto the grass.

The set includes big wipe off scorecards with a dry erase marker, and we had a great time breaking it in. #winning

We took a little boat ride mid-afternoon but decided it was too breezy to be out on the water so we made our way back and spent most of the afternoon relaxing beside the fire pit. Hubs grilled steaks for dinner which were 5-star and my resident baker, aka Daughter2, made the most scrumptious Victoria Sponge for dessert.

She and I love to watch The Great British Baking Show and they make a lot of sponge every season, which was her inspiration. She used Mary Barry's recipe and we all loved it.

We also Facetimed with Daughter1 and our favorite little men and on the other side of the globe which is always a day brightener. This picture isn't from our call, but I saw it on her page and swiped it because I'm the mom and I can do that.

She gave me a really interesting gift that I'm super excited about, but I'm not going to say too much more just yet. It falls into the category of 'an experience' so I think I'll wait and share details later.

It was a good day. A strange day as all days are in the age of Corona, but it felt almost normal being outdoors, hanging with my girl, calling my mom, and texting with my sisters. I know Mother's Day is a jumble of emotion for so many, but I appreciate the pause to think about what the mothers in my life mean to me.

 And the gift of motherhood I never want to take for granted.

Hodgepodge Fiesta

Welcome to another edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. Grab your chips and salsa and make yourselves at home. If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post. Then leave a comment for your neighbor because that's what good neighbors do.

1.  Question day this week lands on Cinco de Mayo. Are/were tacos on your Tuesday night menu? Hard shell, soft shell or just gimme all the tacos? Are you even a fan of Mexican food? Do you like your salsa mild, spicy, or somewhere in between? Margaritas-Frozen, on the rocks, or no thank you? Have you ever been to Mexico?

Do we even know what day it really is anymore? I'd truly lost track, but this question was a handy reminder prior to my grocery shop today (Tuesday) so yes to tacos for dinner. Also not gonna turn down a margarita if hubs offers to whip one up because grocery shopping, y'all! It's not for the feint of heart these days.  

Back to the question...I love Mexican food, tacos of any kind, my salsa somewhere in between but more spicy than not, and I'll have that margarita on the rocks with salt.  

I've been to Mexico, but it's been a number of years. 

2. What's something you may do this month?

I may get in the lake. Oh there are people swimming, my across the cove neighbors have been in for weeks now, but I like the water (and the air) to be a bit warmer before I take the plunge. The water is currently around 70 degrees, and I need it to inch up a few more notches. Plus while we've had a few hot days, we've also had a few cool days (not complaining!), and if I'm getting in 70 degree water the air needs to be consistently hot hot hot. 

3. Tell us what's happening in your state or town as far as restaurants/salons/parks/beaches/businesses opening up. How do you feel about it? Are you out and about or hunkered down? Do you wear a mask?

Well I can tell you what's not open-my hair salon. Sigh. I had an appointment scheduled for Friday, but it was cancelled. I have another scheduled for next week just in case things change by then. They seem to be opening new areas of business daily so we'll see. My salon is tiny and I'm usually the only one in there besides the stylist so I would feel comfortable going to see her. She wears gloves to do my hair, we can wear masks, and she cleans the chair between customers anyway, so the risk feels low. I understand a larger salon might be problematic. 

State parks, some coastal hotels, and the beaches are also now open and outdoor dining at restaurants is permitted, as long as distance is maintained. Large groups and parties are still banned. 

I have mixed feelings I guess. I don't have a problem with parks and beaches opening up as long as people spread out, which is fairly easy to do. I know hubs and I are not ready yet for group activities and we are wearing our masks when we go to the grocery store or the post office or the hardware store which are the only places we've been. We'll keep that up until we see how things go. 

4. Mother nature, everybody and their mother, mom jeans, like mother like daughter, soccer mom, mother hen, mother lode, necessity is the mother of invention, stay-at-home mom...pick one and tell us how it applies to your life right now.

So many apply which makes it hard to choose. Certainly necessity being the mother of invention has proven true in recent weeks. People are so creative and have come up with all sorts of ways to do their jobs, to keep us laughing, to connect with one another, to share information...it's been pretty amazing to see, and I think some of these 'new ways of operating' will stay with us post pandemic. 

5. April showers bring May flowers...what's blooming in your yard or garden today?

My knockout roses have started to pop and I love it. 

I have them in a couple of different places in my yard and they're absolutely loaded with blooms. 

We'll enjoy them all summer long. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

One of the casualties of the Corona was the trip to SC my mama had planned back in March. We had to cancel which was so disappointing and now here we are rolling in to Mother's Day many many miles apart.  I'm thankful for siblings who live near enough to take care of grocery shopping and celebrating her on this very special Sunday. 

Happy Mother's Day to the one who loved me, taught me, raised me, showed me.

Always and forever a mama's girl. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 367

Here are the questions for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with the universe. See you there!

1.  Question day this week lands on Cinco de Mayo. Are/were tacos on your Tuesday night menu? Hard shell, soft shell or just gimme all the tacos? Are you even a fan of Mexican food? Do you like your salsa mild, spicy, or somewhere in between? Margaritas-Frozen, on the rocks, or no thank you? Have you ever been to Mexico?

2. What's something you may do this month?

3. Tell us what's happening in your state or town as far as restaurants/salons/parks/beaches/businesses opening up. How do you feel about it? Are you out and about or hunkered down? Do you wear a mask?

4. Mother nature, everybody and their mother, mom jeans, like mother like daughter, soccer mom, mother hen, mother lode, necessity is the mother of invention, stay-at-home mom...pick one and tell us how it applies to your life right now.

5. April showers bring May flowers...what's blooming in your yard or garden today?

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Zee End Of The A-Z Challenge

We've come to the end of the alphabet and as per my usual way of completing these sorts of challenges I go out with more of a whimper than a bang.

Today's word comes from my nephew (yes, another one), a high school student currently finishing up the school year you know where. While I'm sure the academic side of life is happening, what's missing are all those little extras that make the high school years so memorable.

Memorable in a good way, not memorable in a global pandemic sort of way.

Day 26-Z is for Zest

Is it wrong that when I first saw the word I immediately thought food? Lemon zest. Lime zest. Which leads me to thinking of lemon curd, and key lime pie, and maybe I've been spending too much time in the kitchen? Hey, in the age of Corona you take your zest where you can get it, right?  Life lately has been less salsa, more clear chicken broth and we're ready for a bit more spice.

I read a quote attributed I think to Bertrand Russell that said, 'Hunger is to food as zest is to life.'

Hunger sends you in search of food. Zest sends you in search of life.

As we move into month number three of social distancing confusion abounds. Should we stay in or should we get out and mix it up a little, see what happens? Numbers are up or numbers are down or nobody has a firm grasp on what the real numbers might be? On a scale of 1-10, what is the current crisis level? Expert A says we're a 2 and Expert B says we're at least an 11 so who do we believe?

We're home too much and concerned about the long term effects the precautions we're taking will have on children, the elderly, and the anxious. We miss our people, our paychecks, our classrooms, and our plans.

What is zest for life anyway and how do we find it in this very strange season?

For me having a zest for life means approaching life with enthusiasm. A sense of excitement for what's ahead, but also satisfaction in the here and now. Easy peasy, right? Ha! Sometimes it actually is a pretty simple thing, but lately I think we're all finding it more of a challenge. How do we retain our zest for life when one day looks a whole lot like the next and everything seems to end in a question mark?

Here's my personal strategy for times when zest is waning-fake it til you make it. 

I'm a big believer in the idea that if I tell myself what I want to feel, then act as if I already feel it, eventually there comes a day when I discover I really do. It's not foolproof, but more often than not it works.

Thanks for reading along in the A-Z Challenge this month. And thank you especially to friends and family who've supplied the words. You add zest to my blog and to my life.

Young At Heart In the Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge and Day 25 (whoop whoop!) in the April A-Z Blog Challenge. You'll find my thoughts on Letter Y at the end of this post.

If you've answered this week's HP questions add your link to the list, then hop over to read what your neighbor had to say. Here we go-

1. Expect the unexpected on From This Side of the Pond. Here's my x-ray question...when was the last time you felt like Superman? What's your superpower? Explain.

Completing this A-Z challenge. It was a lot of words, even for me. 

What's my superpower? Lately it feels like cooking. 44 days in a row yowza! 

2. Are you a fan of the 'superhero' type movies? If so what's your favorite?

Not especially. I haven't seen any of the Captain America Marvel blahblahblah. Just not my thing. If I had to choose a favorite 'superhero' movie I'd say I liked some of the Batman series of movies. 

3. Have you postponed or cancelled a trip to the dentist in recent weeks, and if so when do you think you'll feel comfortable going back? How about other routine medical procedures?

I'm supposed to go to the dentist next month but I don't even know if they're seeing patients for routine cleanings at this point. I go three times a year, so can easily postpone this one until things settle down a bit and I likely will. 

I do have two other routine medical checkups coming due that I would rather not postpone. I guess I'll have to see if having them done in May is even an option. They're not urgent, but definitely need to happen to keep something that truly would be urgent from occurring. 

I do wonder how many more serious illnesses will be diagnosed in the general population as a result of everyone postponing their little preventative tests and procedures that spot trouble early on?

4. What's something that makes you feel youthful? Something that makes you feel 'not so youthful'? Tell us why.

I'm going to expand on this one in my random thought today (see #6) because my A-Z word of the day is-youthful. 

Something that makes me feel youthful? Keeping up with technology as much as I can, doing a plank or a push up, a great haircut, hearing see ya next year from the doctor, traveling somewhere I've never been before, and using my brain.

Not so youthful? Trying to keep up with technology, exercising beside a 20-something, roots that need to be dealt with, being introduced to someone and promptly forgetting their name, my eyesight, and in general all the body maintenance that needs to happen on a regular basis. 

5. I feel compelled to include some sort of corona related question in the HP these days. What's the strangest thing you've seen in relation to the virus? Something that really struck you as odd, made you stop and think, 'Dorothy we're not in Kansas anymore?'

Lots of things...people being arrested for kayaking alone in the middle of the ocean, city governments dumping sand in a skate park to keep people away, playgrounds roped off, swings tied up, basketball nets cut down...the list goes on. 

But I'm going to say walking into the supermarket wearing a mask is near the top of my own personal list. It feels weird and it is weird but I suppose before too long we won't think twice about donning a mask, and this will be our new way of life. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I've been participating in the April A-Z Blog Challenge all month long, and have really enjoyed it this year. Today's word comes from a friend I met while living in England (she's American) and we moved back to the states about the same time. We both loved to hike the English countryside, and she reads my blog and leaves me lots of kind comments, so thanks M for the word of the day-

Day 25-Y is for Youthful 

I have a pretty big birthday coming up a little later in the year and at this point I have no idea how I will be marking the occasion. Once upon a pre-Corona time I thought hubs and I could hop the pond and celebrate with tea and scones in the land of tea and scones, but given all the current crazy I don't see that happening. Plan B it is. 

As soon as I figure out a Plan B then Plan B it is. 

Let's talk about this word. Youthful. I feel like my kids would say if you use the word youthful then you're not. Ha! There are several definitions, most relating to your actual age, but one says something along the lines of having the vitality or freshness of youth so that's the one I'm going with. 

My girls are what I would describe as fresh faced. The glowing skin, the silky hair that looks adorable no matter if its perfectly styled or stuffed into a messy bun, no angle they need to avoid while being photographed, and most especially that unidentifiable quality towards living that I'm going to call exuberance. 

Me on the other hand, well my hair needs a professional and my skin care routine is probably too little too late, and a messy bun on me just looks plain messy. Also nobody better snap a photo without a little warning if they know what's good for them. 

In other words, I'm not fresh faced. 

Except in my head I kind of am. I'm often taken aback by the image I see in the mirror because that's not me, is it? It is me, but it's not the me I am on the inside. 

On the inside I am still exuberant. Maybe not every single day, but mostly I still feel like there is so much to look forward to and there are so many beautiful places to see and interesting people to meet and experiences to be enjoyed and that makes me feel youthful. 

Is youthful a fact of the calendar or a state of mind?  

Asking for a friend.