These Are The Days

Somehow it's the middle of July. I can't quite get my head around that but the calendar doesn't lie. It's been a month since I blogged anything other than the Hodgepodge, and declaring today the day I'm gonna try. I'm tempted to photo dump and call it a day, but words are more my jam so here goes.

We've been busy. I wonder how many times I've written that here? Hmmm....

A fun sort of busy though, filled with comings and goings and grand babies, new houses and cousins and fireworks. 

Floating and popsicles and sunshine and stories. 

Meals shared and messes made and whew! we.are.tired, but in the best sort of way you can be.

Daughter1 and her family moved from south to mid-west (ish) right around the 4th of July. My son-in-law has completed his Army commitment and is embarking on a one-year orthopedic fellowship in a new city. This new city is slightly further away than their previous city, but! an easier drive and in our same time zone so we'll take it. 

My son-in-law brought their two oldest to his parents house a few days prior to their move so the boys could have a little summer fun, and they could pack and load without the boys underfoot. Then, once the moving van pulled away, they would all come to our house and spend the week of July 4th at the lake. They'd meet the truck sometime after. 

Moving y'all. It's a bear. The movers decided to deliver their furniture to the new place on July 3rd, which meant my son-in-law had to go on ahead and start the unpack. Daughter1 stayed here with baby girl and both boys, then daughter2 and her hubs and sweet baby J joined us and it was a big loud happy holiday party. Minus one son-in-law who I'm sure was having a lot of fun too-ha! 

Daughter2 and her family headed home the Thursday after the 4th, and Daughter1 and baby girl drove on to the new house to finish unpacking and rearranging (if ya know ya know lol). Hubs and I had the boys here a few more days and we kept them moving. They kept us moving? Whatever. 

All I know is I have jumped off my dock no less than 700 times at the request of the mancub and that is a lot of jumping. A LOT. 

We had the most fun one day taking the boys to a little beach on one of the lake islands. We packed a picnic lunch, fished (the mancub reeled in 8!!) and did more jumping and swimming and floating and of course both boys had a turn taking the wheel. 

Loading and unloading and remembering to bring all the gear -snacks-sunscreen-snacks-hats and more required for a day on the lake ain't no joke. Sometimes you need a nap after-

There were s'mores one night, and yes it was 90 degrees but one does what one must. 

They were delish, and conveniently there's a lake to jump in right after. 

I was thinking recently about parenting versus grandparenting, and how when you're a parent the years can feel so long. 

As a grandparent you know that isn't true. You're more in tune with the passage of time, your own health, and growing older. Oh sure we love our grandparents all of our lives, but the days of exploring the world one rock-fish-firefly at a time are fleeting and precious. 

So I yell cowabunga as I jump off the dock for the nineteenth time, a little boy's hand held tightly to mine. I play Sorry and Crazy Eights and Uno ten times in a row. I finish a book then 'read it again Nana' because they love it and I love them and these are the days. 

Simply The Hodgepodge

I have much to catch up on here, but for now let's get back to Hodgepodging. If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for your neighbor there. Here we go-

1. Is your life simple? Elaborate. 

Hmmm...yes and no. I strive for simplicity but sometimes life mucks it up. In terms of responsibility my life really is pretty simple. We live a mostly quiet life except when it's loud and chaotic-ha! We tend to have two speeds here-180 mph or parked. 

2. What simple pleasure are you are currently enjoying? 

Having a few quiet minutes to answer these questions. We have been busy busy busy since July rolled in and it's nice to be able to sit with my computer and think about what to say here.  

3. Travel by plane or go on a cruise? walk or ride a bike? swim or ski? ocean or mountains? 

I've never had a desire to cruise so travel by plane for sure. I love to walk and swim and I'll say mountains, although I love the ocean too. 

4. What's the last thing you bought online that you really loved? 

I've done a lot of Amazon-ing this month, mostly items we needed/wanted to have in the house for our grands. I've bought birthday presents, a new life jacket, two children's books, a baby float, a board game, pulleys to hang our ferns and more. I guess my favorite recent purchase would be some summer pajamas that are super soft and comfy. 

5. What’s your 'back in my day we__________' story? 

I use this expression every now and then, mostly when I'm writing here, reflecting on life now versus life 'back in the day'. 

'Back in the day' we learned to wait. 

For pretty much everything. The newest toy (Christmas is coming), new clothes (your birthday is almost here), Saturday morning only cartoons, holiday television specials, a turn to use the telephone, to get in  the bathroom shared with all your siblings, etc etc etc. 

Waiting is something of a lost art in 2023. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

We've had a jam packed couple of weeks, and I’m sure I’ll catch up on all of that here eventually. We're traveling home all day today (Wednesday) so for now let's just take a deep breath and exhale nice and easy...

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 511

The Hodgepodge is back in action this week and here are today's questions. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with the universe. See you there! 

1. Is your life simple? Elaborate. 

2. What simple pleasure are you are currently enjoying?  

3. Travel by plane or go on a cruise? walk or ride a bike? swim or ski? ocean or mountains? 

4. What's the last thing you bought online that you really loved? 

5. What’s your 'back in my day we__________' story? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Driving Into The Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. 

Please note-there won't be a Hodgepodge next week (July 5th). The Hodgepodge will return the following week, July 12th. God bless America! 

Here we go-

1. What's one thing you're excited about in the coming month? 

Having both girls, their husbands, and all the grands here to celebrate America's birthday. 

2. What was your life like when you were ten years old? 

That would have been the summer before I started fifth grade. I had very long hair and the skinniest legs imaginable. Life was sweet. I was loved and well cared for. I enjoyed school but also the freedom of summertime. I'm sure my sister and I spent a lot of time at the pool and riding bikes. I had a lot of friends in the neighborhood. I spent a week at sleep away camp. I don't remember too many specifics, just an overall sense of a happy childhood. 

3. What's something from your childhood you still enjoy today?

reading, swimming, freezer pops, having someone else do my hair, Sunday morning church, and time spent with family 

4. What state (that you haven't been to) do you most want to visit? Tell us why. 

I've been to more than 30 of the 50 states and honestly I'd like to see them all. I guess if I must choose just one I'll say Wyoming because The Grand Tetons are high on my travel bucket list. 

5. Do you like to drive? Tell us how you learned to drive. 

I do like to drive. I grew up mostly in New Jersey and 'back in the day' you couldn't even get a permit until you turned 17. I was a senior in high school when I learned to drive. Our Junior year we did take  Driver's Ed in the classroom, which involved no actual driving but lots of terrifying videos of car crashes. This was how we learned to wear a seat belt. And I guess they were films not videos because there was no such thing back in the mid-70's. 

My dad taught me behind the wheel, and while I can remember thinking I was a good driver, that's definitely something that comes with experience. I have always enjoyed driving and still love a good road trip. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Hubs and I spent Tuesday morning painting the Adirondack chairs that sit beside our fire pit. We've had them about six years and have never done anything to them in the way of maintenance. They were looking a bit faded so it was time. 

The chairs were made by a gentleman we met in a nearby mountain town and I have to say they've held up exceptionally well. None of the wood is rotting and all the screws are still in place. We decided to change up the very neutral color scheme and went from this-

To this -

 Spanish Tile is the color. It was a beautiful day and we got the job done. 

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 510

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. 

Note-there won't be a Hodgepodge next week (July 5th). The Hodgepodge will return the following week, July 12th. God bless America! 

Now back to today~

1. What's one thing you're excited about in the coming month? 

2. What was your life like when you were ten years old? 

3. What's something from your childhood you still enjoy today? 

4. What state (that you haven't been to) do you most want to visit? Tell us why. 

5. Do you like to drive? Tell us how you learned to drive. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Summer Solstice Hodgepodge

Welcome to summer and this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered the questions, add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. Hello Summer! In the northern hemisphere anyway. What's something on your summer bucket list? Do you have an actual summer bucket list? If not, use your hypothetical list.

It's currently raining cats and dogs here and we are so ready for summer to get with the program weather wise. On my (hypothetical) bucket list...cowabunga off the dock with my grandsons, make home made ice cream, snap one photo of the whole entire crew together, hike to a waterfall, and host an outdoor dinner party. 

Hmmm...maybe I'll make an actual list. 

2. What for you is the defining scent of summer?

A lit charcoal grill and freshly mown grass. 

3. What's a (music, food, wine, or flower) festival happening in your part of the country that you would like to attend if tickets/travel/timing was no object? 

There's a nearby foodie fest called Euphoria held in mid-September every year and I'd like to get tickets for the Michelin starred dinner. The festival also features winemaker dinners, tastings, cooking demos, and singer-songwriter events, but I'm sure the Michelin dinner would be over the top. 

4. Apparently a military whistle blower claims the US has a UFO retrieval program. What say you? Do you believe aliens are out there?

This is honestly not something I've thought too much about. Not something I'm all that interested in. My initial thought is not likely, but I wouldn't say it's outside the realm of possibility. 

5. Besides your wedding day and the birthdays of any children you may have, what are three of your top experiences in life? 

This is tough. Do I go with three big events or three small moments that I treasure? A bit of both...

• Lunch in the House of Lords as a guest of David Cameron
• Standing beneath a California Redwood
• an 8-day hike on the AT when I was fifteen years old

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Inspired by the Hodgepodge last week I did make a strawberry shortcake on National Strawberry Shortcake Day (June 14th). I tried a new recipe and it was delish. The cake was made in a cast iron skillet and you put cut strawberries on top before baking.

I sliced mine and layered with more strawberries, then topped with whipped cream before serving. 

Yum! The recipe is linked here-Skillet Strawberry Shortcake

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 509

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

1. Hello Summer! In the northern hemisphere anyway. What's something on your summer bucket list? Do you have an actual summer bucket list? If not, use your hypothetical list.

2. What for you is the defining scent of summer?

3. What's a (music, food, wine, or flower) festival happening in your part of the country that you would like to attend if tickets/travel/timing was no object? 

4. Apparently a military whistle blower claims the US has a UFO retrieval program. What say you? Do you believe aliens are out there? 

5. Besides your wedding day and the birthdays of any children you may have, what are three of your top experiences in life? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.