Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 458

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. Do you celebrate Easter? If so what are your plans this year? Did you have egg hunts as a kid? 

2. What's your favorite bread to find in a bread basket? 

3. Your favorite chick flick? 

4.Tax day is rapidly approaching in the US of A...what's something you currently find 'taxing'? 

5. Have you ever ridden in a taxi? Do you have a funny-scary-crazy-interesting taxi story to share? Do you use any of the newer taxi-like services such as Uber? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Fresh Ink

Hello Monday morning afternoon evening. Did I take advantage of the weekend and write ahead a post or two for the April A-Z Challenge?

No I did not.

I spent the weekend out of town with friends celebrating a birthday (not my own), arriving home Sunday afternoon in time for a nap on the couch and the end of the Masters. What that means is we're winging it here today. 

I actually don't mind winging it. Sometimes those are my best posts. 
But probably not this one because letter I is tricky. 

Day 9-I is for Ink

I like the written word. 

I like reading and I like writing. I love blogging, poetry, historical accounts, smart writers, funny writers, travel writers, and especially writers who capture the bittersweet moments of life using tender words I wish I'd written myself. 

I know blogging is a bit passe in the year 2022, but I still enjoy it... still need some place to dump all the words in my head and still love recording life as it happens or viewing it through the technicolor lens of hindsight.

Writing about life has taught me to notice life. Time speeds up with every turn of the calendar page and sometimes we forget to pay attention.

I like to pay attention. 

The written word. Ink. One of my favorite things. 

If You're Happy And You Know It Make A List

For the past two or three years I've dubbed Saturday 'list day' in the A-Z Blog Challenge. Blogging six days a week is a lot for me so I give myself a small break come Saturday. 

On Saturdays I use the letter of the day to make a list of little things I love. Think counting your blessings, but only those that fit the letter of the day-ha! This year a gratitude list actually ties in nicely with my theme ('these are a few of my favorite things'), and in no particular order here's today's list-

 Day 8-H is for Little Bits Of Happy 

hubs
humor
hopeful people 
an empty clothes hamper
hearing little boys say 'Nana' 
a hug around the neck from those same little boys
a great hotel
a helping hand
the view from somewhere high
friends with bees who give me honey
Honfleur
a good hair day
houseguests
Hunley (the dog, not the submarine)

a beautifully set holiday table
trips to historical sites
the scent of honeysuckle on the breeze 
a perfectly grilled hamburger 
a waterfall hike

coming home 

It's All Fun And Games

Still blogging my way through the alphabet with the April A-Z Challenge. People related to me will not be surprised by today's entry-

Day 7-G is for Games 

Listen up. There are two kinds of people in this world-those who love to play games and those who don't. Guess which one I am-ha! I'm not talking athletic competition, but I am talking competition because I do like to win. 

I've taught my grandson how to play Crazy 8's and apparently he played with his grandfather during a recent visit. My daughter texted saying the mancub didn't cut granddad any slack when it came to winning, just like Nana. 

Is that a compliment? 

I'm going to say yes. 

The mancub also likes to play Go Fish, Candyland, and Guess Who, and you need to know if you play once you're going to play twenty times. I love that he asks to play games and that it's something we can do together. He's a very good sport and seems to know he can't win every time. 

Hubs would say especially if he's playing with Nana. 

He's not wrong. 

Hubs is not a big game player, but he'll humor me now and then with a game of Rummy or Backgammon. Whenever we play a new game with people, one I already know how to play, he likes to remind me not to go overboard with the rule keeping. 

I don't deny it. I mean games have rules and rules are meant to be followed, right? 

Our next door neighbors love to play games too and we get together pretty often for cards or Sequence or Dominoes. We play Euchre with them too and Darts which is a game of a different sort, but also fun. We have Cornhole and Yardtzee and also a pool table, all fun games to play with a big group. Hubs may not love games but he does love a houseful of people. 

fyi-games that involve too much eye hand coordination are not my strong suit.

When Covid was in full force and everyone was hunkered down alone I started playing a card game with my mom via Facetime. It's called Hand and Foot and while we had to tweak some of the rules, we've made it work. It has been such a fun way to connect with her every week, and do something 'normal'. 

Also, she likes to win too, so I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree. 

During Covid I learned from another neighbor how to play MahJong, and I really enjoyed it. I haven't played much lately as we've had so much going on here, but I hope to get back to it. MahJong requires focus and strategy and it's quick so you need to play regularly if you want to be any good. 

Daughter2 and I played a lot of games when she was living with us and we still play at least one or two or ten games of Skipbo every time she visits. We got a fun game for Christmas called Chronology and it seems everyone likes that, which is good for a group.  

I play an online game, which I call brain training because that's what the makers of the game call it, but hubs rolls his eyes when I say that so we'll just say game. And like the rest of the world I do the daily Wordle and also Quordle, which I think is a bit more challenging. 

So what games do you like to play or don't you? 

Are you a person who loves games or are you no fun? teehee. 

Enjoy your weekend everyone! 

Family Matters

More A-Z blogging on a Thursday afternoon-

 Day 6-F is for Family

How could this not be one of my favorite things? 

Actually I do know not everyone can say that. Families are complicated because people are complicated. I'm one of four children and hubs is one of four children and we are so very fortunate to be the ages we are and still both have our mothers in our lives. Everybody speaks to everybody including the moms, which feels like such a gift in a world filled with angry, impatient, opinionated people. 

When I thought about today's letter and thought about the word family it wasn't my children, but my siblings, who first came to mind. The 'kids' I grew up with and the ones I claim by marriage. The ones who've seen me at my absolute worst and also my very best. The ones who love me, tease me, root for me, and only sometimes annoy me. Hi family! You know you're never annoying-ha! Me neither-ha!

The people in our family do not all share the same political ideology, or even the same religious beliefs. We have varying interests, occupations, home lives, incomes, child/childless status, personal tastes, and abilities. 

What we do share is history...memories rooted and watered in our mostly happy childhoods. A sense of home and belonging that neither time nor distance can erase. We support one another in a variety of ways but we also argue, forgive, hammer things out. We gather round tables where food and laughter and stories are shared, and only sometimes exaggerated. The ties that bind may stretch and fray from time to time, but there's an unspoken agreement they'll never break. 

Family is forever and it's my favorite. 

PB and 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 leave a comment for your neighbor there. Hodgepodge links only, please and thank you. If you're visiting from the April A-Z Blog Challenge you'll find today's entry at the end of this post.  Now here we go-

 

1. What puts a spring in your step these days? 

Thinking about the baby boy joining our family in a few long short weeks. 

2. April 2nd was National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Did you celebrate? Do you like PB and J? If so how do you like yours? What's your favorite kind of jelly? 

I did not celebrate. I like PB and J but need to be in the mood for it. When I do have a sandwich I like mine lightly toasted, the peanut butter not too thick, and the jelly piled high. I am more of a jelly and peanut butter girl as opposed to the other way round. Actually I'm more of a peanut butter cookie kind of girl, but that wasn't an option here today. 

I'm not sure I can pick a favorite jelly but apricot, red raspberry, and blackberry are all good. 

3. What's a memory you associate with spring flowers?

I've mentioned this a time or two on my blog in seasons past, but my mom used to grow the most amazing iris in a big bed at the corner of our yard. They were as tall as me and whenever I see iris I think of her. I wish I had a picture. I have a pile of slide carousels to go through someday and I'm pretty sure there's one in there. 

4. Three things on your spring bucket list? Do you have a spring bucket list? If not pretend you do. 

I don't have an official written down bucket list, but there's always a seasonal list in my head. Three things this spring-

• a baby shower
• old friends coming to the lake for the first time
• an extended visit with my mama who is coming to town for the baby shower and staying a while

5. One place you will travel this spring? (It might be Europe or it might be the grocery store)

Well sadly it's not Europe but I think we can do better than the grocery store. First up will be a fun trip to Atlanta to celebrate a friend's birthday. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm going to try to use this random space on April Wednesdays for my A-Z Blog Challenge entry. If you don't know what I'm talking about go to the first post in my series linked here-Raindrops on Roses. 

Day 5-E is for Easter

Of course it is.

Easter, 1993

I mean look at these cuties from a long time ago and far far away. 

Easter is one of my favorites, and while I may not have a clue whether we'll attend a sunrise service or something later, have no idea who will be round the table and who will be many miles away, don't know if I should mail Easter goodies or will be able to hand some out in person, have not one crumb of dinner purchased, or for that matter one crumb of dinner even planned, I do have the main thing, and that's hope. 

Easter is all about it and if there's anything this world needs more than hope right now I don't know what that might be. Not just any hope though. What this tired trouble earth needs is the hope ushered into the world in the form of a newborn babe and brought to fruition with an empty tomb. 

May you know that hope this Easter. 

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 11:11 

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Morning Has Broken

You know it's hard to stay caught up in the April A-Z Blog Challenge when you start off two days behind. I'd like to think this weekend I'll write ahead a letter or two, but who am I kidding? We all know I'll be scrambling til we reach zee end. 

Which is a long time from now. 

 Day 4-D is for Dawn

Is anyone surprised? Certainly not hubs who likes to ask me why I take the same picture every morning-ha! He's a little bit right but not entirely. One amazing thing about the sunrise is that each one is unique. Some more pink than purple. Some more orange than red. Some a little bit of everything splashed across the sky. 

You miss it if you're not careful. You can run for one quick second to grab your camera only to return and find that sun shining high and bright, more risen now than rising. 

I've learned to be still. To not look away. 

I like to get up in the wee hours of the morning before the sun even thinks about coming up. I like to make my coffee and sit in the quiet stillness of a not-yet new day and watch color slowly seep into the world.  Sometimes the light is just right and not only is the sky a pastel paintbox, but it's reflection on the lake is too. 

It's a dreary rainy day here now, but this morning? This morning looked like this-

Even when storm clouds are brewing the sun still rises. Still fills me with gratitude. Still helps set my mind less on earthly things, and more on things above.  

It's a visual reminder we are loved. 

That His mercies are new every morning. 

And we are not forgotten.