Yeehaw!

I'd call this post a weekend roundup except it's Tuesday.
Do we say Tuesday is part of the weekend now?

If you're retired you do.

Anyway, happy birthday to the hubs! This picture is from last year back when you could really celebrate life's milestones. No worrying about masks or hand sanitizer or gatherings of whatever size you wanted. 

Today is still his day though, and while we won't have a houseful like we did last year, won't have any daughters in the house like we did last year, or a fun lake party like we had last year, we'll still mark the occasion with a birthday dinner of his choosing and a homemade dessert. Topped with a candle because that's the law.

We had a fun couple of days this past weekend with shhh...out of town company. I feel like I need to whisper that or at least explain, because people feel free to weigh in on whatever anyone is doing right now. Rest assured we spent pretty much the entire weekend out of doors. 

Our friends haven't been anywhere and we haven't been anywhere so we decided to be nowhere together. They arrived from the Volunteer State late Friday afternoon, and hubs grilled wings on the Big Green Egg, his best batch yet if I do say so myself. We had a charcuterie board to go with and we sat on our deck and fell right back into our old ways of talking and laughing and remembering and it was so so good. 

True story-hubs and I spent nearly every weekend of our first year of married life at their house and we're all still exactly the same. I didn't take a single picture so you'll have to trust me on that. 

Wait. I did take one picture of... guess what? 

The evening sky. 

The weather was supposed to be stormy on Saturday, but the wind blew those clouds right on out of here and weather wise it was one of the most beautiful weekends we've had all summer. We spent the day on the water boating and swimming off the dock and the sun shone and it was Grand. 

Yes, with a capital G. 

I made a pot roast in the crock pot Saturday because I thought we'd have rain but it ended up being the perfect thing. I was able to enjoy the whole day outside without worrying about dinner and I don't know why I don't use my crock pot more in warm weather. Of course we dined al fresco since that's our favorite thing, and also because it's 2020.  

Our friends headed home late Sunday morning then hubs and I boated over to Daughter1's in-laws house to catch up in person, everyone on their own raft. We ended up talking and floating for hours. Summer has been so weird and we were overdue for a full weekend of lake living. 

Also we never tire of talking about all the fun things our grand boys say and do and agreeing on how completely adorable they are and how we're the luckiest of the lucky. 

Speaking of adorable...this little guy is ten whole months old.

He's still chill, still darling and daring and precious, and still 7000+ miles from his Nana. And I know the mancub would love to be here sitting on his Pawpaw's lap today, helping to blow out the birthday candles...

...but a kiss blown from the other side of the world is pretty great too. 

Three Things August

Since I can't talk about the weather every day I decided today I'd participate in this fun little hop I saw on Rebecca's blog (Knit By God's Hand). It's a nod to another month winding down, the good, the bad, and the ugly. The plans, no-plans, and the cancelled plans too since it's been that kind of summer. Bonus! You get to hear what I've been eating and googling this month. You're welcome.

Also, I think we know I could (and probably will) talk about the weather every day.
It's gorgeous here at the moment btw.

Okay,  here we go-

Three things I like about August
1. Sunday evening sunset kayaking with the neighbors
2. my knockout roses still a-bloom
3. it's almost my birthday : )

Three things I dislike about August
1. flies-they've never been a problem before but this summer they're a nuisance. Thanks 2020.
2. chaos, law-breakers, and violence in America's cities
3. we're still not doing much in person with our people

Three goals for the rest of August (guess I better get busy-ha!)
1. buy a birthday gift
2. mail a baby gift
3. finish the book I'm reading-Irreversible Damage by Abigail Schrier.

Has anyone read this one? It's really disturbing and it's non-fiction.

Three things I thought I'd use more this year
1. my car
2. my calendar
3. my guest room

Three things I never thought I'd use as much this year
1. ZOOM
2. hand sanitizer
3. a face mask

Three things I'm into right now
1. FaceTime with the grands
2. Home Chef
3. Coffee with the sunrise from my back deck

Three things I've googled lately
1. best baby/toddler board books
2. home owner's insurance comparison quotes
3. matching family Christmas pajamas

Three foods I've survived on in Corona summer
1. watermelon (let's be honest...this is what I survive on in non Corona summers too)
2. home grown cucumbers
3. tomatoes right off the vine...so thankful for my daughter's in-laws who've kept us well supplied

Your turn...leave me a comment if you play along. And if these questions don't suit you feel free to change 'em up.

The Dog Days Of A Summer Hodgepodge

Welcome to another edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions  add your link at the end of my post, then be sure to leave a comment for the blogger linking before you. That's how the Hodgepodge rolls-

1. The Hodgepodge lands on National Dog Day this year (August 26th). Do you own a dog? Did you have a dog when you were growing up, or maybe some other kind of pet? Would you say you're more of a dog person or a cat person? Neither is okay too : )

Do we own a dog? Trick question-ha! Technically no, but we have two living with us and one will likely stay on as ours once our daughter and her family return stateside. We haven't set that in stone, but he's so happy here and loves the lake so I imagine he's going to stay with us for good. 

Plus they might have to wrestle hubs down to get him back even though he sometimes makes us a little bit crazy. Don't all dogs sometimes make you crazy? 

Daughter2 will be taking her sweet pup with her into married life many states away. 

And we'll cry in the driveway because her dog never makes us crazy. 
Well almost never. 

I grew up with a dog in the house and am definitely a dog person. I'm allergic to cats. 

2. Last time you felt 'dog tired'?

That's extra extra tired, right? Utterly exhausted as opposed to the normal 'age I am' kind of tired? I probably haven't felt dog tired since the Asia jet lag we experienced back in the fall. 

Although there was one morning this summer hubs and I pulled weeds in the high heat and ridiculous humidity and I pretty much felt like I'd been run over by a truck the rest of the day. 

3. It's said you can't teach an old dog new tricks. When did you last prove this idiom true or prove it wrong?

I feel like I mostly prove this true, but every now and then I figure out some trick of technology (usually with a lot of help from my girls) and when that happens I feel like I could rule the world. It's the little things people.

4. A favorite book, television show, or movie featuring a dog. Why did you love it?

Without a doubt my favorite dog book is Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, which I've sobbed through more than a time or two. Pretty sure to qualify as a good dog book tears should be shed in the reading. 

Why do I love it? It's an old fashioned-never gets old story of a ten year old boy and his coonhounds living in the Ozark Mountains, which sounds like it might be boring but I assure you it is not. The writing is so wonderful and the story nestles right into that part of your heart where the memory of childhood remains. You really just need to read it for yourself. 

5. Last time you had reason to (literally or figuratively) exclaim 'hot diggity dog'?

This phrase is defined as an exclamation of surprise or delight so I'm going with earlier this summer when our soon-to-be son-in-law asked Daughter2 to be his bride. Hot diggity! 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

The weather, like so many things this year, has not been super stellar. Still we are taking advantage of pretty sunset skies when we can and Sunday was one of those days.

In 2020 find beauty where you can. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 383

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. I think you know the drill, but in case anyone is new I'll go ahead and re-state the 'how-to's. Answer the questions on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party.  See you there!

1. The Hodgepodge lands on National Dog Day this year (August 26th). Do you own a dog? Did you have a dog when you were growing up, or maybe some other kind of pet? Would you say you're more of a dog person or a cat person? Neither is okay too : )

2. Last time you felt 'dog tired'?

3. It's said you can't teach an old dog new tricks. When did you last prove this idiom true or prove it wrong?

4. A favorite book, television show, or movie featuring a dog. Why did you love it?

5. Last time you had reason to (literally or figuratively) exclaim 'hot diggity dog'?

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Time Passages

In yesterday's Hodgepodge I asked readers what they were doing five years ago, and decided I'd make that more or less the subject of today's post. When not a lot is going on in your corner of the world you have to reach a little for blog content.

After I asked the question it occurred to me that we've been at this whole Corona mess for five long months (feels like years) so I started wondering what we were doing just prior, and decided to take a peek back at that too.

Five months ago...we were in the first few days of everybody stay home !!! Stay far and away from everybody else in the entire world including your own extended family !!! Now in our house we'd been discussing the virus for a solid two months prior as it hit South Korea hard in January. A friend reminded me yesterday how we'd had a conversation back then, so concerned about my daughter and her family, never imagining we'd be in the same boat just a short time later.

Five months ago hubs and I drove home after spending a long weekend with friends in Florida. Things were open when we headed down, but closed by the time we headed home. The shutdown happened almost overnight. We ate lunch at Chick-fil-a coming back and it was only their first or second day of strictly take out. Of course Chick-fil-a is awesome and handled the upheaval like it was no big deal.

I don't know if anyone imagined in March we'd still be slogging through this insanity five months later, yet here we are. Who's over it?

Five years ago...I wrote a post entitled Retirement Day 187. Currently we are in Retirement Day 2000 so I guess time really does fly when you're having fun. By the way, it's going swimmingly.

Except for the pandemic and the unrest across America and the general nastiness online and the no travel-no-houseguests-no making plans, but other than that it's going swimmingly.

Five years ago we took a fun trip up the East Coast to attend a friend's daughter's wedding.

We drove from New Jersey to Prince Edward Island Canada and thoroughly enjoyed eating our weight in lobster rolls, the staggering beauty of Maine and PEI, and in-person time spent with real life friends.

Also, five years ago I apparently still took pictures with a good camera and not just so-so pictures with a phone.

I would so love to jump in the car and take a road trip somewhere new and pretty and not give a thought to hotel cleanliness, gloving up to pump gas, masking up to get out of the car, or doing math to calculate how many gallons of hand sanitizer we'd need for the journey.

Five years ago we sold our house in New Jersey and spent six weeks living with my mama before heading south. I'm sure she was ready for us to take all our stuff and get on with things, but five years later would give anything to have us back in her house for six weeks.

Six days even.
I haven't seen my mom in person since January.

While we were living with my mom our old and beloved dog died. Five years later her name is still mentioned on a fairly regular basis with an ache in our hearts and smiles on our faces.

NJ winters could easily last into summer, but this photo wasn't actually taken in August. I like it though, and it is five years old. This beautiful pup was something else and when she was gone we said we'd never have another. Letting them go is too hard and we travel too much and have too much company and blah blah blah.

About that same time Daughter1 brought a puppy into her Washington State home and now that puppy is a five year old dock diver living his best life on a Carolina lake. Go figure. And his mama is raising our two favorite boys on the other side of the world, which is something else we didn't see coming five years back.

Five years ago we moved from New Jersey to South Carolina. Not to this house, but to a cozy apartment just across the parking lot from Daughter2's cozy apartment. Those were the days!

Well maybe not really 'the days' because it wasn't a huge amount of space, and we were so anxious and excited to get this house built, but also yes it kind of really was 'the days'. Apartment living meant we didn't have to think about home maintenance and repairs, dock maintenance and repairs, boat maintenance and repairs, catching beavers before they destroy the landscaping, and a host of other assorted bits and bobs that go hand in hand with home ownership.

Then again, there were no early morning lake sunrises where the sky turns pink before your very eyes, no magical light dancing on the water, no boating to dinner, no big porches for napping and reading and enduring this weird season that in 2015 we didn't know was coming, and for that I'm grateful.

Five months may have dragged, but five years have flown.
Time is funny like that.

"The best thing about the future is it comes one day at a time." 

attributed to various speakers...true for us all

High Five From The Hodgepodge

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

1. Five years ago this month hubs and I relocated from New Jersey to the Palmetto State. What were you doing five years ago this month?

I mentioned we moved, but when I glanced back at my photos I saw a few other things were happening too. I have some thoughts so instead of writing a short answer here I think I'll make this the subject of my Thursday post. Why use fifty words when you can use 250? 

2. What was the last 9-5 job you worked? Tell us about it.

It has been a long time since I've worked a 9-5 job. The last full time job I held was serving as the Director of a local church preschool in the state of Maryland. To put it another way that was four moves ago. 

I loved it though. I remember standing in front of a crowded sanctuary filled with parents, and telling them I was leaving. I got so teary I could hardly speak. It was a job that was well suited to my temperament and training, the people were wonderful, and it was a really nice place to work. 

3. Plead the fifth, high five, take five, it's five o'clock somewhere, or the big 5-0...which number five phrase relates to your life in some way currently? Tell us how.

Hmmm...maybe the big 5-0? I wrote a whole post about that decade here (Check Engine Light), and with another big birthday coming up fast I suppose the calendar turning has been on my mind.  

4. During this season of spending so much time at home, what distractions get in the way of being your most productive? Or have you been extra productive since this whole thing started?

Definitely not standing in the extra productive camp. I need a little pressure to get things done and the past few months have (in a sense) been pressure free. No deadlines, no company coming, no trips  to plan, nothing to shop for...everything feels like it can be done another day.  

I do meal plan, grocery shop, cook, and all the basic household chores get done, but I'm not one of those people who've learned to speak Italian, took up painting, or reorganized their attic just because they've had a lot of time to fill. I'm more of a let's read a book on the porch kind of pandemic survivor. 

5. Give us a list here of your top five anything.

Not sure if this is my top five, but here are five Instagram accounts I enjoy following, all pretty much politic-free. I am so over that side of social media. 

Chateau de Gudanes-the ongoing restoration of an old chateau set in the south of France. 
Cristin Cooper- a semi-local instagrammer sharing southern style, home and all things beauty
Half Baked Harvest-NYT best selling author of HBH Super Simple Cookbook
National Trust -protecting special places and outdoor spaces in the UK
Ruth Chou Simmons-mom to six boys, artist and author, founder of @gracelaced

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Life feels like a whole bunch of random lately, which is maybe why I've been struggling to fill this question #6 space the past few weeks. We had friends come for dinner Tuesday night (on the patio because 2020) and I made a delicious creme brulee for dessert. How's that for random? I use the recipe found here.

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 382

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with all the other world wide webbers. See you there!

1. Five years ago this month hubs and I relocated from New Jersey to the Palmetto State. What were you doing five years ago this month?

2. What was the last 9-5 job you worked? Tell us about it.

3. Plead the fifth, high five, take five, it's five o'clock somewhere, or the big 5-0...which number five phrase relates to your life in some way currently? Tell us how.

4. During this season of spending so much time at home, what distractions get in the way of being your most productive? Or have you been extra productive since this whole thing started?

5. Give us a list here of your top five anything.

6. Insert your own random thought here.