Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 420

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...see you there!

 

1. Realist, idealist, optimist, pessimist...which one are you? Elaborate. 

2. What's something currently on your wish list? 

3. Three things on this week's shopping list? 

4. According to Trip Advisor here's a list of the top ten things to do in the US this summer-

Chicago Architecture River Cruise, Skip the Line Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tour, New York In A Day  guided sightseeing tour, Charleston's Old South Historic Horse and Carriage tour, Grand Canyon helicopter tour, Full day iconic sights of LA, Beverly Hills, Beaches and more, D.C. at Dusk guided night tour, Beneath the Streets Underground History tour (Seattle), New Orleans Swamp and Bayou Boat tour, Gangsters and Ghosts tour in Chicago...read more about each excursion in the link here. 

Of the ten attractions listed which do you find most appealing? Have you already experienced anything on this list? 

5. Besides home and work where do you spend the most time? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Perfect Spring Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post then leave a comment for the blogger before you, because that's what good neighbors do. Here we go- 

1. It's like my mama always said, "__________________________________________." 

If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all. 

2. May 11th is National Eat What You Want Day. What will you be having by way of celebration? 

Hmmm...hasn't this been National Eat What You Want year? It feels a little bit that way which is why I will try to make good choices. We had a weekend of indulgent eating so I guess I've already celebrated. 

3. Describe your idea of a perfect spring day.

Temperatures in the sunny 70's, morning coffee on the covered deck, dinner in the crock pot so I don't have to think about it the rest of the day, spring flowers going into patio pots, a great book read on the porch, a walk somewhere, daughters in the house and grandsons fishing on the dock...sounds pretty perfect to me. 

4. Success, fulfillment, growth, achievement...pick one and tell us how it relates to your life in some way, either currently or in days gone by. 

I pick growth. Do we ever stop growing? It seems I'm a slow learner in certain areas of my life, but thankfully God is not done with me yet. 

5. I saw this going around on various social media sites and thought it would be fun to answer here. The last thing you bought on Amazon is your weapon in battle. How will you wield it?  (if you're not an Amazon shopper, then the last thing you bought online anywhere)

Computer ink cartridges....I suppose I could frustrate you to death trying to figure out how to get it loaded into this new printer?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our new birdbath...so pretty in the sunlight-

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Tuesday

It's feast or famine here in terms of blogging. How about just an ordinary Tuesday what's new with you kind of post? 

We spent a lovely spur of the moment weekend in the mountains where we did a little bit of shopping and a lot of eating. We stayed in the charming town of Highlands NC which has so many wonderful restaurants it's hard not to indulge. 

I took almost no pictures and just enjoyed the views and the company. 

It seems like we've gone from doing absolutely nothing to a somewhat busy calendar these past two weeks which may explain why, when we pulled in the driveway on Sunday I remarked, 'Hey look, someone has gifted us a beautiful bird bath.' 

I don't know who I thought might have done that, but hubs said, 'yeah, I put that out there about four days ago and have been waiting for you to notice.' Apparently all this staying at home has messed with my powers of observation. 

We're still blaming everything on Covid, right? 

Anyway, the lovely purple finch has been enjoying the new splash pad and I'm sure has friends who will join him before too long. 

I heard from both my girlies via Facetime on Mother's Day which is not as fabulous as having them here in person, but still very special. Daughter2 sent me a framed wedding pic of the two of us that I absolutely love, and daughter1 sent Farmgirl Flowers of which I am a big big fan. Their creations are completely extra, plus there was a fun little bag of goodies tucked inside the box too...Swedish candy, salted caramels, toffee popcorn, a couple of face masks, and a candle. 

I spoke to my own mama Sunday afternoon and every Mother's Day I have with her in my life means so much to me. 

In other news we've got a couple of little-ish interior home projects going on, and I specify interior because if you know my hubs you know he has a never ending list of exterior home projects and would happily landscape, plant trees, plant shrubs, plant more trees and more shrubs if I didn't intervene. 

I'm changing up my office right down to the walls, re-doing our keeping room with a larger, lighter hued rug, and four new comfy chairs, adding wallpaper to a water closet in one of the guest suites, new bedding in that same guest suite, and reconfiguring shelving in my closet. It will be a lovely re-fresh when all is said and done. It's hard to believe we've been in this house nearly four years now but the calendar does not lie. 

Does 2020 count double time because I feel like maybe it should? 

The weekend is looking lovely so perhaps an inaugural boat ride is in order. We like to let the pollen calm down before we do too much boating, and like I said, we've been busy with projects and assorted other goings on. Hubs had the boat out once for a quick 'let's make sure it's running' spin around the neighborhood, but I haven't had a ride yet this season and I'm thinking it's time. 

Yes it's Tuesday and I'm already talking about the weekend. 

It's nice to be a little bit busy but I also know I cannot be busy all day every day. Chalk that up to life lessons learned courtesy of Corona and the crazy year that was. Is? Whatever. Here's a picture of the Cobb salad I made for dinner last night-

Because salad pics are blog content on ordinary Tuesdays. Enjoy yours! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Vomume 419

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. See you there!

1. It's like my mama always said, "______________________________________________." 

2. May 11th is National Eat What You Want Day. What will you be having by way of celebration? 

3. Describe your idea of a perfect spring day.

4. Success, fulfillment, growth, achievement...pick one and tell us how it relates to your life in some way, either currently or in days gone by. 

5. I saw this going around on various social media sites and thought it would be fun to answer here. The last thing you bought on Amazon is your weapon in battle. How will you wield it?  (if you're not an Amazon shopper, then the last thing you bought online anywhere)

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Mother May I Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Comments make the blog world spin...here we go-

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

I may jump in the lake.

2. Last time you literally or figuratively shouted mayday!?

I wouldn't say mayday exactly, but I did have a reaction to a medication last week that was cause for concern. It's all mostly sorted now so no worries. 

3. Let the chips fall where they may, come what may, maybe, Cape May, mayflies, devil may care, you may now kiss the bride, much to our dismay, mayhem, mayonnaise...choose a 'may' word or phrase from the list and tell us how it relates to your life in some way right now. 

Did you know mayflies don't always emerge as adults in the actual month of May? They hatch throughout the spring and summer and they don't live very long. Mayflies are a little bit like dragonflies, except dragonflies are prettier. 

Mayflies sometimes hang out under our dock. They're not pesky like actual flies, and since they don't bother anyone we don't worry about them too much. Do I look worried? 

Can you tell summer is nearly here and I've got lake time on my mind?  

4. If someone were serving you breakfast in bed this weekend, what would you like to see on the menu?

This question was asked in one of the very first Random Dozen posts published back in 2010. The Random Dozen was the precursor to the Wednesday Hodgepodge and was hosted by another blogger. She gave it up (12 questions every week it's no wonder!!) and I adapted her format into something a little more manageable. 

All that to say my answer is pretty much the same today as it was way back when...homemade french toast, fruit, coffee, and maybe a little turquoise box on the tray to make it extra.  

5. Tell me one true thing you believe about motherhood. 

Motherhood is sanctifying. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I know I should say something sweet and perhaps sentimental about Mother's Day, but instead I'm going to tell you we finally got our television debacle mostly corrected and that is also worth celebrating. Whoohoo! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 418

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

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

2. Last time you literally or figuratively shouted mayday!? 

3. Let the chips fall where they may, come what may, maybe, Cape May, mayflies, devil may care, you may now kiss the bride,  much to our dismay, mayhem, mayonnaise...choose a 'may' word or phrase from the list and tell us how it relates to your life in some way right now. 

4. If someone were serving you breakfast in bed this weekend, what would you like to see on the menu?

5. Tell me one true thing you believe about motherhood. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Remember The Alphabet?

Y and Z are for YowZa

Because when I drop the ball I like to let it bounce really high.

Remember how I was blogging my way through the alphabet as part of the April A-Z Blog Challenge? Yeah, me too. And now since it's May and since I greatly dislike loose ends, let's go ahead and wrap up those last two letters. 

I do think most everyone struggles a bit with letter Z. For one thing it's hard, but also because you start to run out of blog steam by Day 26. Or in my case Day 28. 

Any-y-way...I was trying to think if there was more I'd like to tell my grands about what life was like when I was a child and summer seems worth a mention.

I spent most of my childhood in the Garden State while most cousins and both sets of grandparents lived out west, one in Colorado and one in New Mexico. Going to visit was a very big deal. People didn't fly the way they do now and I don't think cheap air fare was ever a thing. There were six in my immediate family so a cross country flight was no small undertaking. 

We loved it though, and I have a lot of happy memories from those big trips. I wrote about them in a little more detail a few years back, linked here (Colorado) and here (New Mexico). 

We didn't take a family vacation every year either. We lived not too far from 'the shore' so there was always a day trip or two, but as far as what might be dubbed a real vacation there weren't many. We had a couple of fun road trips south which were part vacation/part college tour for my older sibs, and we stayed in hotels which we kids judged solely by the quality of the pool. I think we all have fond memories of our time together smooshed into the station wagon. 

We belonged to a neighborhood swim club and spent the bulk of our summer free time hanging out there. And I always went to camp for a week or two and I loved that. 

Here's the thing. I don't think I ever felt like I was missing out on anything. It was a different time and while some families took trips to places like Disney or the Grand Canyon, most of our friends and neighbors were just like us. They went to the shore for a week or a few days, or maybe the Poconos, or they went by car to visit extended family in the summer months. 

Summertime was unhurried, unscheduled, uncomplicated. 

Bare feet and sprinklers. 

Koolaid stands and made up games.  

Homemade ice cream and swinging as high as that swing would go.

Chasing fireflies after dark and neighborhood kick the can. 

No hands on a bicycle careening down a hill and impromptu games of front yard tag.

Four leaf clover hunts and watching the clouds float by. 

Dear Grandboys, 

I hope your summers are filled with lots of the same...

...with simple pleasures and plenty of room to dream. 

Love, 
Nana xoxo