Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 555

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. June 12 is National Simplicity Day. In what way is your life simple? What's one way that it's not? 

2. Something you remember from a 'simpler time'? 

3. Do you like squash? If so what's your favorite variety? What's a favorite way to prepare squash? 

4. Do you shop the warehouse stores (such as Costco, Sam's B.J's, etc)? If so how often do you go, and what's something you always buy in this type of store? 

5. Father's Day is this coming Sunday. Any plans to make the day special? Tell us something about your own father, or something about your hubs as a father, or about someone who stepped into your life and acted as a father if yours was not a part of your life. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Weekend Roundup

We had the absolute best weather this weekend and enjoyed spending lots of time outdoors. A friend I've known since childhood (and her hubs) arrived from the Garden State around noon Thursday, and after lunch on the screened porch, we moved over to the covered deck, and eventually down to the dock as we caught up on our lives and all the goings on since last we spoke. 

There was very little humidity and a lovely breeze, so pretty much perfect. The little brown dog thought so too, and he went for a swim which is always entertaining. As a bonus, it wears him out a little. 

B and I met here-

A summer camp on Maryland's Eastern Shore many decades ago. We discovered we lived in the same town (opposite high schools) and the friendship grew. We spent a few summers together working at camp, time marched forward and we both married, then time kept marching and we had our first baby girls about a month apart, then our second baby girls a couple of years later. Then hubs and I moved and moved and moved some more and time rolled on and on, but whenever I'd visit my mom B and I would also get together for a visit. 

It's always like no time has passed, and aren't those the best kind of friends? 

Thursday night we had an event with our wine club and B and her hubs were able to attend as our guests. It was a fun, low-key event which included wonderful French wines served alongside a delicious beef bourguignon. 

We relaxed with our coffee on the deck Friday morning, then spent the rest of the day on the water. We could not have asked for more beautiful weather which I know I've already told you, but it's worth mentioning again. 

Even though we've had our boat summer ready for several weeks now, this was our first all day outing of the season and it was a winner. Adding more of the same to our summer calendar please. 

We saw a lot of wildlife while we were motoring around the lake, including a juvenile eagle perched beside a nest at the top of a tall tree. Hubs has eyes like a hawk (no pun intended) and he is always the one to spot birds and other animals in the wild wherever we happen to be. 

B's hubs has a fancy camera with a long lens so we look forward to seeing some of his pictures once they're back home. We encountered the same blue heron several times throughout the day and he snapped lots of really great shots of him. 

That night hubs grilled our favorite coffee rubbed pork tenderloin recipe then we went back out on the boat to check out the sunset. 

There was not a cloud in the sky which, believe it or not, doesn't make for the most spectacular of sunsets, although there's no such thing as a bad one. 

A few clouds bring out the best colors but ours was still beautiful.

On Saturday morning B and I went for a semi-power walk in the neighborhood before heading in to the nearby small big city for a late brunch. Balance, right? 

The city was bustling as we'd forgotten there was a Jazz festival happening, but fortunately we'd booked a table and were seated quickly. 

Brown butter pecan pie and a bite of banana pudding which were both super delish! 

Our friends were heading on to another city that afternoon so hubs and I had a fun Costco date. Not! I do not recommend Costco on a Saturday afternoon, but we were already in town and needed a few staples. We didn't do the usual up and down all the aisles, but we did get what we came for and got out in a reasonable amount of time so there's that. 

We actually got more than what we came for because can you not when you shop in these kinds of stores? 

Hubs and I went out for breakfast Sunday morning, then I spent a few hours trying to upload two different templates to a print site which was only a teensy bit frustrating because my files were too large or some such nonsense and then I had to rename everything and blah blah blah technology. 

We also read, watched some college baseball, and I did some laundry, spent another hour or so booking flights for a trip later this year (blah blah blah technology) and then caught up here. I had a home chef in the frig I needed to cook and that made for an easy dinner prep wise. 

And that's the weekend that was. 

What fun or not-so-fun things did you do this weekend? 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their regularly scheduled Hello Monday morning party. 

Show Us Your Shelf-May

It's the first Thursday of a new month which means it's time to Show Us Your Shelf. I read quite a bit last month, and listened to two books on audible as we spent what felt like a lot of time in the car. A good book definitely makes the road trip miles pass more quickly. 

Here's what I read in May-

Foster by Claire Keegan, who manages to say so very much in so very few words. 

At only 128 pages this tale still manages to pack a punch. The story of a young child taken to live with foster parents on a farm in rural Ireland. Simple on the surface, but the depth of emotion portrayed (and felt) is immense. Five stars for me. I previously read her novel Small Things Like These, and again would say wow. Keegan has such a gift for the written word. 

Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen

Harry Crane, who is a lifelong lover of trees and is employed in a desk job with the U.S. Forest service makes his way to the woods following the death of his wife. Part fairy tale, part sad realities of life, we follow Harry on his journey through grief into healing with the help of a young girl and her mother who are walking a similar path. It was a little on the long side, but still a very enjoyable read. 

Homecoming by Kate Morton-

One of my favorite authors...if you've never read The House at Riverton or The Forgotten Garden I recommend. I absolutely love her voice and the way she brings a story and it's setting to life. Homecoming is a multi-generation tale set in Australia with a timeline both past and present. 

The story revolves around a tragedy in a small village where a mother and her four children are found dead after a Christmas Eve picnic, with no obvious cause of death. Lies are told and secrets kept and the resulting consequences of those actions and their impact on a family and community make this one worth reading.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi-

One man's journey from Islam to Christianity. The transformation in his belief system doesn't happen overnight, but takes place slowly, methodically, and carefully, and comes at great cost. Qureshi does a wonderful job of explaining Muslim beliefs and practices as well as showing the evidence for Christianity. He was a man who valued and pursued truth, and grew to love Jesus wholeheartedly. 

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang-

A little known author, June Hayward, a white woman, steals an incomplete manuscript from a fellow author and sometime friend who happens to be Aisan and also dead. The stolen manuscript's plot is the story of Chinese migrant workers in labor camps during WW1, so themes of cultural appropriation and race feature heavily in Yellowface. Cyber bullying also comes in to play as there is much online drama when the stolen manuscript turned book hits the market. 

I liked the book, but maybe not as much as all the hype led me to believe I would. I found the main character (June) very unlikable and when I dislike the main character it taints my review. A couple of years ago I read a book called The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz and liked it better than Yellowface. They're very different but share the common plot line of a stolen story. 

What have you read that you loved lately? 

Hop over to any of the host blogs -Slices of Life, Overflowing With Thankfulness, Memphis Bridges, and The Other Side Of The Road- to add your link and see what others are reading. 

Say Cheese! It's The Hodgepodge

Welcome to June and 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 hop over and leave a comment for your neighbor there.  

1. It's National Cheese Day (June 4)...does anyone not like cheese? What's your favorite? Last thing you ate or made with cheese? 

I know people who can't eat cheese, but I don't know anyone who doesn't like cheese. How to pick a favorite? It depends on what we're doing (is it dinner? an appetizer? a sandwich?) and the time of day. Actually time of day doesn't factor in as I can pretty much eat cheese anytime. 

I love a good hard cheddar, mozzarella melted on pizza or atop a red ripe tomato with a sprig of fresh basil, a warm Brie in France, parmesan shaved over a salad or chunked on a cheese board, and even a good ole slice of American on a ham sandwich. 

Last thing I ate with cheese was a turkey wrap I made for lunch that had just a sprinkle of cheddar on it. 

2. Last time you were instructed to 'say cheese!'? How do you feel about having your picture taken? 

A few pics were snapped when we were with friends this past weekend, so that was probably the most recent. I don't mind having my picture taken if the person taking the picture aims for a nice angle. I don't need it perfect, I like real, but hubs has been known to snap my picture while I'm still mid-sentence, talking with my hands, or pushing my hair away from my face, and I'm not so much a fan of that. 

3. What's your travel packing strategy? Are you typically a light packer or do you throw in everything but the ktichen sink? When flying do you check a bag or aim for carry on only? 

With all the travel we've done and still do you'd think I'd be an expert, but nope. I've improved, but have not mastered the art of traveling light. And if it's a road trip I adopt the motto of 'just throw it in the car. in case we need/want it' whatever 'it' may be. No need to pack light if we've got a whole car we can fill, right? Hubs may or may not agree. Also I like a suitcase, but then I also love to have a couple of totes for different things. I like to use packing cubes and have clothes separated by outfit or day/night etc. 

I'm better with air travel because space is limited. For years I never worried about checking a bag for a week long stay someplace, but now we try our best to get everything in carry ons to be sure we have it on the other end. When we took a nine day road trip up the coast of California about a year and a half ago (which included a wedding along the way) I got everything into my two carryons.  

4. What is it about people's cell phone habits that you find most annoying? 

The list is long, but lately it's people on their phones in the car. Speaking as someone who has been on the road a lot recently, it seems like everyone is on their phone. I'm not talking about people using hands free, or their speaker, I'm talking about people literally holding their phone up in front of their face. I can't tell you how many people we saw facetiming!! while also driving on our most recent road trip. 

Oh, and one more annoying phone thing (I told you the list is long). People talking on their phone in a bathroom stall. Ewwwwwww!!!

5. What will be your summer mantra/slogan? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My daughter1, who has the loveliest way with words, and who is just the sweetest, and who manages this adorable crew all day every day...

...and who blogs at Sincerely Shannon is celebrating a birthday later this week. If you have a minute, hop over to her blog and wish her a happy day. 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 554

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 National Cheese Day (June 4)...does anyone not like cheese? What's your favorite? Last thing you ate or made with cheese? 

2. Last time you were instructed to 'say cheese!'? How do you feel about having your picture taken? 

3. What's your travel packing strategy? Are you typically a light packer or do you throw in everything but the ktichen sink? When flying do you check a bag or aim for carry on only? 

4. What is it about people's cell phone habits that you find most annoying? 

5. What will be your summer mantra/slogan? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Monday Mornin' You Sure Look Fine

June rolled in over the weekend and what's not to love about that? Linking with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday today and the weekend recap. Ours was fun and of course involved a short road trip, because there's always a road trip when you're us. 

Friday hubs played golf and I had a mani/pedi which was lovely. OPI Dutch Tulips which is one of my favorite colors. Personally I don't enjoy seeing pics of feet on the internet so I won't be posting one, but trust me, it's a good color. Hubs grilled salmon for dinner and we watched a couple of episodes of our recent show-Tracker. Who else is watching? 

Saturday morning we dropped the little brown dog at the kennel then headed to the ATL. Atlanta traffic is not for sissies and I'm so glad for a little app called Waze which will scoot you around all the many city snafus as best it can. Somehow it made sense (to Waze) to exit us off the highway, circle us around to the south even though we were going north, bring us into the heart of downtown!! which then required about six quick turns until voila! we were on I-75 without losing even a minute of our ETA. 

Technology! Whoohoo! 

Later this summer I'm helping host a bridal shower with two friends for another friend's daughter, and we needed to have an in-person meet up to get everyone on the same page. Hubs and I rolled into town and met up first thing with our friends for lunch at Jekyll Brewing. 

I had a butter lettuce salad topped with grilled shrimp and it was so good. No picture because I'm a mediocre blogger. After lunch we girls left the guys to hang out while we headed to the house to talk details, make lists, divvy up responsibilities, and create a menu, rental order and timeline for the day of. We did not include the bride's mom in our planning because we think it will be fun to surprise her with all the pretties on the day too. 

The bride's parents did join us for dinner at the house later and we had a wonderful meal and relaxed evening together. We've been friends for decades and never run out of things to talk about. Our host made a yummy rosemary lemonade cocktail that was just the right amount of citrus and not too sweet.

Been friends with this guy since we were eighteen years old which is a while now-ha! 

He grilled steaks and his Mrs. made a delicious appetizer with smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, chopped egg, and red onion which I will definitely be recreating all summer long. 

It was scrumptious. 

After dinner we played Dominos, told stories, and laughed til we cried. 

Like yesteryear...

...like always. 

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME SUMMER!?!

It's 4:30 and I'm finally sitting down with my cup of afternoon tea. I volunteer on Thursday mornings so left the house at 8:30. We wrapped up about 1, then I needed to pick up a few groceries after being out of town all week, plus my gas gauge was on empty, and I wanted to grab a little hostess gift for a friend we'll see this weekend. 

I called my momma, cut up the watermelon I bought, and optimistically just now threw in a load of laundry. I hope it makes it all the way into the closet tonite. Sometimes when I start laundry late in the day I forget it's happening. 

And even though it's late in the day, I'm going to link up with Patty and Holly for this month's edition of musings. 

1. What are you looking forward to this summer? 

Lots of things including starting every morning with coffee on the covered deck. 

And because dining al fresco is my favorite thing breakfast and dinner most days will happen on our screened porch. Jumping off the dock with my grandson is a yearly tradition we'll continue this summer too. 

I bought all the grands matching t-shirts and I love the noisy happy chaos of having everyone together at the lake. We also bought paddleboards this year from a neighbor who was selling theirs and I'm determined to master it.  

We have houseguests coming next week which is always lots of fun, I'm helping host a bridal shower in August, two of my grandsons plus my oldest daughter all have summer birthdays and we love celebrating their special days. 

I guess what I love most about summer is everyday lake life...the view, boating out to one of the islands on the lake with a picnic lunch...

Swimming, people randomly pulling up to the dock to say hi and hang out, float parties with neighbors where everyone brings a float and a beverage and we just chillax in the water and of course...

...chasing the sunset, which never gets old. 

2. Favorite summer traditions? 

I think I mostly answered this in question one, but one tradition I didn't mention would be the July 4th fireworks my across the cove neighbor hosts every year. Boaters come from all around the lake and anchor in the cove and channel and wait for the show to begin. The fireworks are spectacular and the show lasts a long time. When there's a really ginormous firework all the boaters honk and it's so fun and festive and God Bless America! 

3. Favorite summer recipe? Please share. 

I don't have pictures but have linked the recipes. I love this tomato pomodori recipe. It is the absolute perfect starter or porch snack with a glass of wine. Delicioso! 

I make my favorite pasta salad a lot in the summer months too. I use grape tomatoes, black olives, red and yellow peppers, and cucumber for the veggies. 

4. Summer vacation plans? 

We don't typically take any big trips in summer because that's prime lake time. We enjoy traveling in the fall and have a big trip on the books in September. Which is still lake season, but also our favorite month to travel. 

5. Cole slaw or potato salad? Recipe to share?

Yes please. I love both but I rarely make potato salad. I don't really have a recipe, I just make it like my mama did with mayo (Dukes because we live in the land of Dukes and also because it's the best), onion, celery, chopped sweet pickle, and a little pickle juice. 

I do make a lot of cole slaw in the summer because we do a lot of BBQ. Hubs loves his Big Green Egg, and makes the best pulled pork, brisket, wings, and brats all of which taste better with a side of slaw. 

6. Favorite ice cream or frozen treat? 

A margarita lol. 

I like an occasional scoop of ice cream but it's not something I crave. Hubs on the other hand...

I do love homemade ice cream and that's something we'll do at least once this summer. Probably when the grands are visiting. 

7. Favorite summer beverage? 

A Pimms cup. I first had one when we moved to the UK and it's basically summer in a cup. It's one part Pimms to three parts Sprite, add cucumber, slices of citrus, a few sliced strawberries, and a sprig of mint. There are variations, but this is how we do it here. You can add some gin if you're so inclined but I like mine without. 

8. Beach, lake, or mountains? 

I love all three, but since the lake is in my own backyard I'm going with lake. As the saying goes...'unsalted, no sharks'.

9. Best ways to beat the heat in summer? 

10. Favorite sunscreen?

I don't know if I have a favorite. We go through a lotta sunscreen here and I'm not neccessarily loyal to one brand. I currently have Neutrogena Faces, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch, Banana Boat Sport, Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch (I like the feel of this one), and Tula. 

Happy summer everyone!