Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. Have you ever been 'asked' to report for jury duty? Were you chosen to serve? If not, were you happy or disappointed? Twice in my life I have been notified of jury duty. The first time I was a young mother and they were still allowing that as an exemption from duty, so I didn't have to serve. The second time, my employer wrote a letter asking them to postpone the duty because it would fall during the annual summer conference that I run -- the county exempted me and never asked again.  The first time, I really didn't want to serve. The second time, I'd have been happy to come back and serve in the Fall if they had asked me.

2. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very), how mechanically inclined are you? Give an example to back up your answer. I believe I've never come to my full mechanical potential because my husband takes care of all of that for me. Thus, in my underdeveloped state of unrecognized potential, I'd say I'm a 2 on a scale of 1-10. I can use a screwdriver effectively.

3. Beets-cabbage-cauliflower-butternut squash....of the four, which is your favorite fall vegetable? BUTTERNUT SQUASH!  Ahem. Pardon my shouting. I really (really) like butternut squash, followed by cauliflower and then cabbage. Beets not so much.

4. What do you recommend to overcome self-pity? First, prayer. Follow that with service to someone else along with a healthy dose of uplifting/fun music.

5. Do you enjoy classical music? Yes. I took my Aunt to the symphony a couple of weeks ago and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We do have a classical station on the local radio scene, however I don't listen to classical on a regular basis -- I prefer popular music most of the time.

6. October is National Book Month...what's on your reading list this month? Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping (I've just started that one). I also have The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff lined up, as well as Patchwork: A Story of 'The Plain People.' I just finished an excellent book entitled Annie's Ghost: A Journey into a Family Secret, by Steve Luxenberg.  This is a fascinating true story that is part family history research, part coming to grips with family secrets, and part redemption of a young woman put aside and forgotten in the early years of the 20th century.

7. What is your idea of 'cute'? Something that is pleasing to the eye at the same time that it evokes a cozy feeling in your heart. How's that? No one has ever asked me to define "cute" before!

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, Charley-o is a year old now and remains as much a puppy as ever. Unfortunately all that puppy-ness is bound up in an 80 pound body that stands three feet tall when he's on all fours.  Life with Charley is never dull, that's for sure.

 


- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. What is one piece of advice you would give a 'just turning' 21- year old adult?

Don't be an idiot.

2. Besides cooler weather (or warmer weather, depending on your hemisphere) what is one thing you are looking forward to this fall?

NFL football on Sunday afternoons, cozily ensconced in the TV room with my two best guys (and two best dogs).

3. What sound lulls you to sleep? 

 

A fan can lull me to sleep, and that's about the only sound I can tolerate.  Any other sound will likely keep me awake.

4. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency 'kit' and/or disaster plan in place? 

 

Prayer is our only disaster plan. We live in an area of the country where the dominant religion emphasizes preparedness, so there are lots of resources at my fingertips. But we still don't have a plan.

5. How has your blog changed since you started blogging? Or has it? 

 

I don't think it has changed because it's never been about just one thing.

6. What's something you've recently learned to do on the computer?

 

Ummm ....  I don't know. My skills improve whenever something new comes out, but I've no idea what has been recent.

7. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

Yes and no. (Nothing is black and white with me!) Yes, a picture can convey a deeper and clearer sense of a situation, that's for sure. But pictures without words can be very misleading, even damaging. And words well put together can create an amazing picture in the imagination of the reader -- which can be better than a photograph.

8. Insert your own random here. Randomly speaking, I despair of the current political situation. I decry the polarization of our country. And like Rep. Jim Cooper, I think that those politicians who continually and blindly put their own partisan gain before the good of our country are bordering on treasonous activity.

I hate ending on a downer, so let me also say this -- I'm glad God is sovereign over all, and that's pretty much the only sanity in my world.

Thanks Joyce, for another set of thought-provoking questions. If you, dear reader, wish to play along, skip on over to Joyce's blog and link up your own answers there.


- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

Another edition of the weekly meme. Thanks once again to Joyce for putting this together!

1. Do you think the world became a more dangerous place on September 11, 2001 or did we just become more aware of the danger? How has your own life changed as a result of that day? I think the danger has been there all along and that we are just more aware. The consequence of Sept 11 is that flying in a commercial airliner has become cumbersome to the traveler. I can't travel with only carry-on luggage because my shampoo and hair products will always exceed the 3 oz. requirement for liquids. And I hate the intrusiveness of the security processes that are now in place. Moreover, I've learned that the machines go out of date very quickly and have to be replaced with whatever is the latest and greatest technology -- can we say "waste of taxpayer money?" (Does anyone still go through those elaborate puffer booths? I think not...)

2. Did you think your parents were too strict when you were growing up? How about in hindsight? Didn't most of us think our parents were too strict while we were being raised? I certainly did. In hindsight, I'd say their ideas about raising kids were correct but they really failed in the communication department. "Because I said so" is something that we heard more than once a day in our house. My parents should have taken the time to explain things to us in a little more depth, rather than taking the easy way (for them).

3. Share one random but candid fact about yourself. Randomly and candidly, I agonize over my hair way too much. It is curly and dry, and the water here in the West is aggressively hard. It's very easy for me to have a bad hair day, believe me. I hate piling on the products (at least three), but there doesn't seem to be any other way to make it satisfactory to my eyes.

4. Would your nearest and dearest describe you as simple or far too complicated? Far too complicated, I'm sure. I can be very mercurial. In some things I am very laid back and in others (probably rather random) I am very inflexible. Also, when I'm upset, I tend to become very agitated and loud for a brief time (I'm working on it!).

5. What is your favorite stadium or carnival food? Hmmmm .... there are so many at our annual State Fair that it's hard to choose just one. I love bacon dipped in dark chocolate, I love funnel cakes, I love fry bread, I love fried salmon .... and on and on and on!

6. Tornado, hurricane, earthquake...how many of these natural disasters have you experienced? Which event do you think would be the scariest? I've felt the very distant rumblings from a couple of earthquakes, but not intense enough to qualify as actually experiencing an earthquake. I've never experienced a tornado. Coming from New Jersey, though, I've experienced my fair share of hurricanes. Hurricanes don't frighten me, but I think a tornado or an earthquake would scare the daylights out of me.

7. Labor Day weekend is approaching so a work related question seems appropriate. Growing up, did your parents assign you regular chores? Were you paid for doing those chores? If you're a parent do you assign chores to your own children? Why or why not? We had regular chores. Our amount of allowance wasn't based on the chores, but we could end up being "docked" our allowance if we failed to get our chores done without a lot of nagging by my mother. My own daughter had chores and her allowance amount was based, in part, on the number of chores. But I don't think I ever had to nag her about one single chore in her life!

[That last question was inspired by a post Mindee wrote on Monday. Everyone go say hi to Mindee-she blogs at Our Front Door and she's funny.]

8. Insert your own random thought here. Another moment of randomness (see #3 above) -- this time I'll just say that I am experimenting with Wen haircare to see if I like it.

If you want to play along, be sure to link up over at Joyce's blog!

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. July 20th marks the anniversary of the first time man stood on the moon. Flash forward 42 years to July 8, 2011 which marked the start of the final Space Shuttle mission. Should we continue to explore space? Should nations devote more or fewer of their resources to exploring space? Would you want to go into space if the opportunity arose? I would never want to go into space -- I'd hate the cramped quarters, the inconveniences, and the never ending darkness outside my window.  As for whether or not space travel should continue, I don't know. There must be a huge number of factors to be considered in that decision.

2. What are three things in your freezer? Bread, ice cream, and ice packs (the kind you use when you've injured yourself -- yeah, I keep a bunch on hand for that).

3. If you could see any band/artist perform live tonight who would it be? It has to be someone living...no Beatles, Elvis, etc.  Amy Grant. Love her music -- it's been the soundtrack of my life in so many ways. And her concerts are very relaxing and always interesting and well done.

4. Ice-cubed or crushed? Or are you one of those people who don't like ice? I don't much like ice in water, but I like ice in certain other beverages -- in which I prefer it to be cubed, thank you.

5. The owner of a small restaurant outside of Pittsburgh recently announced he was banning children under six, saying they regularly disrupted other customer's meals. You can read the story in more detail here but isn't this a perfect topic to discuss in our Wednesday Hodgepodge? Have at it friends...what are your thoughts? Personally, I hate paying good money for a meal and then having the experience ruined by the family at the table next to mine -- where the 2 year-old is carrying on fit to beat the band and Mommy and Daddy are futilely trying to placate little Cletus instead of whisking him out of the restaurant for a good sit down outside. And, my personal opinion aside, the bottom line in our free country is this: privately owned businesses are free to make their own "house rules" in order to better their business. Period. It's not illegal to say "no children under 6" in a private establishment.

6. What was your first car? How did it come to be yours? It was my mother's car, and it was a 1961 Chevy Impala (which I got in 1975). I really loved it and was heartbroken when the transmission blew out.

7. If I had a nickle for every time I _________________ I'd be rich. Say the words, "Close the door -- we're not heating the great outdoors here!"

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, I am peeved as all get out at J.K. Rowling and all the others who had a hand in the recently released film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2."  What WERE you all thinking? You completely removed all of the depth and nuance from the final showdown between good and evil and turned it into nothing more than a shallow action movie cum star vehicle for the three leads.  The wonder is that Rowling allowed it -- she crafted the books with such care, and the last was incredibly satisfying, bringing the story full circle. Thumbs way down on the movie -- and I'm disappointed in Rowling for selling out like that.

Thanks to Joyce, as always, for some great questions! You, dear reader, will find other entries at Joyce's blog  today or you may even play along and link up your own answers there.

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. How has your hometown changed since you were a kid? What has changed most about the neighborhood you grew up in? I grew up on a farm in a rural township in NJ, about 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean (as the crow flies, that is). The area is no longer rural nor are there any farms except for a few horse farms that breed thoroughbred horses (you know, the expensive ones!). So, it's all changed completely and the population is much larger than when I was a kid. The modest houses that lined the rural roads are gone too -- razed and replaced by McMansions. All house and almost no yard in some cases. The township still has only one high school, but it's gargantuan now -- if you look carefully, you can just about discern parts of the original building that is still at the core of the monstrosity.  Hope they have more than a 3-minute pass between classes! Oh, and the houses I grew up in? Gone, as is the farm. It's a strip mall, of course.

2. What song makes you laugh?  "I'm Still a Guy" by Brad Paisley

3. Are you a fan of Harry Potter? Read the books? Seen any/all of the movies? Will you be standing in line somewhere close to midnight later this week? For those of you playing along today who live outside the US or UK is Harry Potter a phenomenon in your part of the world?  I'm a big fan of the books, less so of the movies. I've read all the books more than once and seen all the movies more than once. I won't be standing in line at midnight to see the upcoming movie (although I did just that for the last two books, I must admit). We'll see the movie a day or two after it opens, I think- -- and I am looking forward to it, although I'm afraid I will be disappointed by how they depict the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. The book did it so very, very well! I can't imagine the movie being as satisfying.  We'll see ...

4. If the truth hurts, will you tell a lie? Are we better off as a society in a world that allows no form of deception whatsoever? Hmmm .... this is tough, Joyce!  Okay, I'm not fond of falsehoods, and I think that lying to manipulate a situation for one's own benefit is truly despicable. But sometimes the situation actually can warrant a fib -- such as when someone who is senile needs to be reassured that everything is all right, and the only way to cure their agitation is to say what they need to hear. So, while I believe that truth is an overall must in life, especially life lived in the presence of God, there are shades of gray for me: sometimes it is kinder to the other person to occasionally omit information or to carefully dance around it.

5. What is your favorite 'sauteed in garlic and butter' food? Or garlic and olive oil if that makes you feel better.  Shrimp. Kale. Brussels Spouts. I can't decide! Pretty much anything sauteed in garlic and butter will be good, right???

6. Attending any reunions this summer/year? High school? family? Other? Do these events stir up excitement or dread? My 35th High School Reunion is taking place in early August and I am going. I'm really looking forward to this one because so many of us are now in touch via Facebook, and the excitement has been building among us since the reunion was announced. 

7. Lilac, hydrangea, peony...pick one.  Lilac! I love the look of the flower, and the scent is just extraordinary on a spring breeze!

8. Insert your own random thought here. Vacation is two weeks away -- I can't wait!!

Thanks, Joyce, for another round of questions! I'm glad I was able to participate this week!

- Catherine

Wednesday Hodgepodge -- the start of summer!

1. Do you and your family enjoy camping? What do you enjoy most/like the least when it comes to family camping? When was the last time you camped? We love camping, especially if we are at our favorite Wade Lake, where clocks and cell phones are put away and time is measured strictly by the sun and our own hunger pangs. The pictures below are from our last camping trip -- August of 2010. Can't wait for this year!!

2. Did you attend a summer camp when you were a kid? Is that a happy or not so happy memory? I attended a week of church camp each year at a place called ... no joke ... Mt. Misery. Overall I enjoyed it, although I recall the food being practically inedible.

3. Over the course of your life, what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else? Injustice. It is something that really, really bothers me and that I find impossible to accept -- both for myself and for others. 

4. Which of the seven natural wonders of the world would you most like to see? There are many lists of 'wonders' but this is the standard natural wonder list-Mount Everest, The Great Barrier Reef, The Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, The Harbor of Rio de Janerio, Paricutan Volcano and The Northern Lights. I don't have a preference. Is that bad? If I ever had the opportunity to see any of them, I'd be happy.

5. What was your first real job? Working the counter at a local flight training school. Happily I was there for only six months or so -- longest six months of my life. The pilots/instructors were arrogant creeps who sexually harassed all the female employees. Unfortunately, those were the days when sexual harassment was something you either had to put up with or you changed jobs. I changed jobs.

6. Lemonade or Sweet tea...which do you prefer on a hot summer day? Lemonade, especially if it's fresh!

7. What is something that always brings a smile to your face? These days, it's our back yard. I could sit there for hours, enjoying the warm weather and the sunshine. And the gnomes.

8. Insert your own random thought here.  Randomly speaking, life is sweet, sweet, sweet!  

Hodgepodge Wednesday

The Gang of Seven staged another prison break this morning and this time they headed for the road. Thankfully there was a cop coming in the opposite direction so he turned on his flashing lights -- whereupon the Gang of Seven turned tail and thundered back toward our place. By standing in the middle of the street I was able to herd them into our driveway.

We need to replace a couple of gates it seems. Soon.


Now, on to the Wednesday Hodgepodge, hosted by Joyce!

1. How many times in your life have you moved house? I'd never thought of that before, but the total is nine. Wow!  This last move was truly the last move, though. We're here in this house to stay - we leave either feet first or by Rapture.

2. What subject would you study if you had a year to devote to it?  British history. I'm part Brit by birth and I've always had something of an affinity for their culture. Love to read the history, and if I had the time, I'd delve into the period of World War I and how the aftermath affected England.

3. What in this world breaks your heart?  Too many things, that's for sure. Some are personal to our family, others are broader. One broad thing that breaks my heart is the political climate in our country. The loudest mouths are at one extreme or the other, vilifying each other with every petty thing they can think of. Too much time and money is spent digging up dirt on the opponent. And the voice of the center is nowhere to be found.

4. What is one item that symbolizes the times in which we live? Why?  The cell phone. It rules us all, and I must admit that I am as much a willing subject as anyone else. The vacation that my family and I take at Wade Lake every year -- with no cell phone service or internet service -- proves it. Only in that time do we relax fully and deeply without the constant intrusion of the world.

5. Share a favorite bumper sticker or t-shirt slogan. Of all the things I've ever lost, I miss my mind the most.

6. How do you like your spaghetti? With meat sauce or meat balls -- preferably with my homemade sauce, thank you very much.

7. What is one piece of advice you would give a recent, or soon to be recent, graduate?  Assume that life is long and that seasons of life will come and go.  Don't make impulsive choices when it comes to the direction of your life. And do NOT get into any kind of substance abuse. EVER. Your abilities as an employee, as a functioning adult, as a parent, will be significantly diminished, and your quality of life will suffer.

8. Insert your own random thought here.  Randomly speaking, I really like the assisted living place where my aunt now lives, and I am consciously making an effort to connect with more of the residents each time I visit.

Happy Wednesday all! If you wish to join in the Hodgepodge, you can click on the "hosted by Joyce" link above and link your post with those of everyone else!

- Catherine
 

Hodgepodge Wednesday

 1. What are your plans for Easter Day/weekend?  Friday night: Good Friday service at church. Saturday: cleaning our former home, which is the final step in getting it ready to sell. Sunday: church in the morning and then probably some batting and catching practice at the local park.

2. Besides Jesus, what one person from The Bible would you most like to meet and why? Simon Peter (a.k.a. Mr. Impulsive). He argued, he doubted, he denied -- and yet ...

3. What is one modern day convenience you didn't have as a child that was easy to live without? An e-reader. I became a weekly visitor to our public library at an early age. I love the feel and the look of books as well as their content. As a child, the books were all that I needed and I wouldn't have wanted any other format. BUT, times change, and the e-reader can't be beat for adult convenience. It's great to tote along with you if you know you're going to have to wait somewhere for something (car service, doctor's office, etc.). Best of all, though, is having it on an airplane. E-readers take up virtually no room in your purse or carry-on and you've got a great selection of reading material at your fingertips!

4. Are you more right brained or left brained? If you don't know what that means there is an interesting little quiz here.  I took the quiz and I am left-brained. Hmmmm ....

5. What is something you intended to do today but didn't? Why? I intended to vacuum my floors, but I ran out of time, plain and simple. Generally, I don't do housework after dinner, so if it isn't done by the time we sit down to eat, it isn't going to get done that day.

6. Cadbury Creme Eggs or Reeses peanut butter?  Really, neither. But if I had to choose, it would be the peanut butter.

7. Who was your favorite cartoon character when you were a child? The old Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons were my favorite when I was very small.  I graduated to the humor of Bugs Bunny and crew as I got a little older ("I wanna easta-egg!! I wanna easta-egg!!).

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, there are random tulips and daffodils springing up around our house in various and sundry (read: random) places. There is also a random patch of tiny purple violets near the back fence. Happy Spring!

Many thanks, Joyce, for another round of questions!

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time or have a significant conversation with two people?   I'd rather have a significant conversation with two people. I'm not good at small talk and it's very easy for me to tune out a crowd of people. The exception -- a family party. Then I want to talk to everyone because it's not just small talk.

2. What objects do you remember from your parent's living room?   The green couch with matching chair, the dark knotty pine paneling, the big black rotary phone on the wall, the Wurlitzer piano on one wall, the black and white Zenith TV, the old screens on the window (more like narrow columns of screening material rather than one continuous piece of screen).

3. Do you hog the bed? Steal the covers? Snore? I steal the covers. I leave the snoring and hogging to my hubby.

4. Speaking of Easter dinner....what is your favorite way to cook/eat lamb? Or does just the thought of that make you squeamish? If you're not cooking lamb what will be your entree du jour on Easter Sunday? On Easter Sunday I don't know that there will be any meal at all. Probably we will go out for something after church. I like lamb but haven't found a way that I can cook it to my liking.

5. Let's throw some politics into this week's mix-oooohhh...Do you know the whereabouts of your birth certificate and when was the last time you had to produce it to prove you're you? I do know where my birth certificate is. And the last time I needed it, I THINK, was to get married 10 years ago.

6. As a child, how did people describe you? I spent the better part of last week with my aunt and she describes me as cute, independent, smart and different. "We had to watch you!" was what she said. I guess my penchant for doing research was already manifest when I was a toddler -- I did research in those days by wandering off and exploring my surroundings. I think what pleased me the most, though, is when my aunt told me that Grandpa thought I was something special -- precisely because I was different.

7. What do you complain about the most?  There are not enough hours in the day nor are there enough days in the weekEND (the week is plenty long enough, believe me).

8. Insert your own random thought here.  Randomly speaking, I covet the prayers of all my friends and family, for I have a difficult task ahead of me in the coming weeks.

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. National Read a Road Map Day falls on April 5th. Would people say you have a good sense of direction? Do you rely on a GPS when you drive somewhere new? When was the last time you used a map? 
I inherited my father's very good sense of direction (unlike my mother, whose then-four year old son had to tell her how to get around the town she'd lived in for six years already). I've used my Blackberry's GPS feature exactly once. I was seriously annoyed by the voice talking to me, plus it runs down the phone's battery very quickly. I do, however, frequently use the map feature on both my Blackberry and my Droid, and I love that! It's wonderful to punch in an address and get the written directions plus a map within a few seconds. I haven't used a paper map in years!

2. What's your favorite cookbook? Mine. (My notebook binder of recipes that is.)

3. What painting would you like to "walk into" and experience? Why? Hmmm ... shades of Mary Poppins! I would like to walk into a painting that I picked up at a flea market some 25 years ago. A lovely young woman, dressed in gauzy pale pink, is sitting in the foreground gazing wistfully out over the moonlit water. I'd like to sit where she's sitting for a while -- it looks so incredibly tranquil. I'd also like to own the gauzy pink dress.

4. What annoys you more- misspellings or mispronunciations? Misspellings. I don't know what schools are teaching in the way of spelling these days, but it doesn't seem adequate, based on what I see. I recently found a letter written in 1950 by my great-aunt, Florrie. Florrie had had to leave school at a young age in order to go to work (we're talking the late 19th century here), yet the spelling in this letter was impeccable. Today it seems that too many kids graduate from high school and are still unable to spell.

5. What is something your mother or father considered important? My mother thought it was important to stand up straight, and since I had the round shouldered slump of so many tall teenage girls, I heard about that A Lot.

6. Do you like or dislike schedules?  I both like and dislike them. It depends on the circumstances. Schedules surely have their place in life or we'd all be living in chaos. But the use of schedules (on a personal level) can be carried too far and even abused, impinging on a person's well being.

7. Let's have some fun with National Poetry Month (that would be April)...write your own ending to this poem-

"Roses are Red

Violets are blue..."

I should be sleeping

At quarter to two.

(Written in the wee hours of the night.)

Incidentally if you'd like to read the history behind that little ditty you'll find it here.

8. Insert your own random thought in this space. Randomly speaking, I am not cut out for whirlwind tours. I wake up in the middle of the night and have no idea where I am.

Thanks, Joyce, for another Hodgepodge of great questions!

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. April rolls in at the end of this week and in celebration of that infamous date (April 1st) answer this question-What is something foolish you've done? Just one? This is hard, because some foolish things I've done have hurt people while some foolish things I've done have just been funny. I tend to forget the latter. And I remain, in some cases, deeply embarrassed by the former. So I think I will just conclude here by reiterating: Just one??

2. With April comes Easter and that classic edible treat known as Peeps...so tell me...what's your favorite way to fix/eat chicken? That wasn't what you were expecting, was it? I 'fooled' you. teehee. Roasted whole chicken with garlic and rosemary rubbed under and over the skin. It's a little bit of heaven on earth while cooking and again while eating. And for the record, dear readers -- I think I'm one of the few people in America who really cannot abide the taste or texture of Peeps! (see #8)

3. What's the best museum you've ever visited? Or your favorite? Or the one you'd most like to visit? The many museums of the Smithsonian in Washington DC are incredible. I especially love Air and Space, the Natural History museum, and the American History museum.

4. You know what they say about April showers...what's your preference-a shower or a bath? While I enjoy the occasional bath, I'm mostly a shower girl. There is something soothing about hot water flowing downward from your head to your feet.

5. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"...fact or fiction? Why? I'm afraid I could write a book here. For two hearts that are in tune with each other, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. Every time I'm away, I miss my hubby terribly! But for two hearts that are showing the strain of unresolved problems, absence can be the catalyst for divorce.

6. What's your favorite product made/grown in your home state/province? I'm from New Jersey, and there are two fruits you cannot find better anywhere else:  1) STRAWBERRIES! Nothing beats a New Jersey strawberry, picked freshly off the vine and still warm from the sun. 2) TOMATOES! The soil in NJ is particularly well suited for them, and again -- freshly picked and eaten, they are incredible.  Note: I grew up on my grandfather's farm -- strawberries and tomatoes were annual crops and all we had to do was walk out of the house and pick to our hearts content. Thanks, Grandpop!!

7. What is going on in the world today that affects you the most? The insane and uncalled-for rise in oil prices. No way is it necessary for the price of crude to jump just because of the financial headlines or because summer is coming. Yet that is what happens. I wish the U.S. Government would take some action! There is oil to be found in North America, for pete's sake.  And I wish the American people would look carefully at the profit and loss statements of the big companies like Exxon-Mobil. They are making an absolute fortune (billions of dollars) while our personal budgets are strained to the max.  And that's my rant for the day, folks.

8. Insert your own random thought here.  Randomly speaking, my mother surprised me many, many years ago by admitting she absolutely LOVED Peeps. I could never fathom it because her sweet tooth wasn't all that dominant and Peeps are incredibly sweet. But, to each his/her own. It was one of the things about her that amused me during her last years.

Thank you, Joyce, for another round of great questions!

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

Ta-da! Today is the Hodgepodge and I'm back in the game. Thanks to Joyce, our hostess, for the weekly questions!

1. Sunday was the first day of spring. So they say. Ahem. What is your favorite outdoor springtime activity?  Cleaning up the yard, actually. I love getting it spruced up and planted -- such a great and thorough change from the dead winter!

2. Who would you want to come into your kitchen to cook dinner for you?  My friend, Erin, who is an amazing cook. Any time she'd like to come on over, I'd be happy to see her ....

3. When did you last fly a kite? When I was about 11, I think -- at our house. There is quite a lot of kite flying on the beaches of NJ all summer -- beautiful and complex kites -- but I never was part of that particular activity.

4. What topic puts you to sleep faster than anything? Philosophy; i.e. man's thinking about man. I'm much more interested in God's thinking about man, actually.

5. Which flowers do you associate with specific people, places, or events? Daffodils -- my mother. She affectionately called them her "daffy-down-dillies" and she looked forward to their return every year.

6. What significant historical events took place during your elementary school days? The early space missions (John Glenn, all the way up to the early lunar missions). The assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK.  The Vietnam War. Kent State. Hmmmm..... I was in elementary school from 1963 to 1969 (6th grade). I could google for additional events, but it's more fun to try to remember them myself and to read them from the blogs of others who are participating today.

7. Do you swear? Do you pseudo-swear? (You know crap, shoot, friggin'?) I occasionally swear and often pseudo-swear. I'm not proud of the swearing. The pseudo-swearing bothers me less.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, I miss the cookies known as Mallomars. A Mallomar, which is an incredible dark chocolate shell coating a teaspoon of marshmallow on top of a graham cracker crust, is truly is the world's most perfect cookie. They are (were?) a staple of New Jersey grocery stores all winter long. And they are neither seen nor heard of out here in the West.  Sigh. I could eat the entire package in one sitting. Of all the "native foods," of NJ, I miss Mallomars even more than pork roll -- and that's saying something for a Jersey Girl.

 

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

Well, it's Wednesday and you know what that means -- da Hodgepodge!

This week the Hodgepodge is, for me, a welcome break from bad news, bad news, and more bad news. Seriously, there is insanity at every level in our lives!  When does this end???

Okay, without further ado...... drum roll please.... I bring you Joyce's questions of the week, along with my incredibly pithy answers:

1. March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's birthday so I'm wondering...do you like green eggs and ham? Okay-how about this instead...how do you like your eggs? Or don't you?  I love eggs.  Breakfast eggs definitely should be scrambled, preferably with a little onion and a little Jack cheese. I also love Deviled Eggs.

2. Is March coming in like a lion or something less ferocious where you live? We're having gentler temperatures this week and I am soaking it in. No doubt there is wind and more snow to come, though -- this is Idaho after all.

3. Do you work better or worse under pressure?  Better under pressure.

4. March Madness-are you a fan? It's college basketball in case you're wondering. And if you're outside the USA tell us-is there any sort of 'madness' taking place during March in your part of the world?  I am so NOT a fan. I just can't get into the basketball thing. In fact, I will be sulking until football starts up again.

5. Under what circumstances do you do your best thinking? When I'm settling down to sleep at night or when I'm awake in the middle of the night. I'm not sure why that is or what it says about me, but that's the truth.

6. What item of clothing from your wardrobe do you wear most often? My sage green, cotton "Park City" hoodie. I've owned it for more than six years and it is very worn, with frayed cuffs and grease spots.  But it is so comfy that I can't give it up!

7. Do you use sarcasm? Like I need to answer that.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking: Charley, bless his 4-month-old canine heart, is almost as big as Hank. He is sloppy, floppy, loving, lovable, and somewhat dense, but it seems that potty training MIGHT just finally have gotten through to him. I am relieved that he hasn't relieved himself on my rugs for four days straight. AND -- he goes in for his operation next Wednesday and there will be no hodgepodge about that!

 

- Catherine

PS -- if you want to play along, use the graphic above to get to Joyce's blog and link up your own answers.

Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. Did you know there is a National Day of pretty much everything in the universe? February 23 happens to be National Inconvenience Yourself Day...when was the last time you were inconvenienced?  In my case, taking care of our now enormous, 4-month-old puppy is pretty much a daily inconvenience of some kind or other.

2. When a room in your house needs painting who does the job?  My hubby. And he gets a wee bit antsy if we help -- he's a perfectionist about that stuff.

3. Are you friends with your cousins? Yes indeed! Thanks to Facebook, we found each other again after many years apart. It's wonderful to have them in my life!

4. Do you use an alarm clock? If yes-is it an actual alarm, music, or something else?  My cell phone is my alarm clock and it is set to a nice ethereal kind of sound for the morning alarm. Because otherwise I might throw it across the room.

5. What do you put ketchup on?  Occasionally I put it on fries, but that would be only be when there isn't any "fry sauce" available (fry sauce is a regional concoction of ketchup, mayo and horseradish). So it takes us a long time to go through ketchup in our house. 

6. What smells make you nostalgic?  The sweet, musky scent of very old houses in the East. I once worked as a docent for a historical site in NJ, and that peculiar aroma always takes me right back. Now that I live in the West, though, no such scent exists -- I have to get it through a blend of essential oils that I purchase locally (it's not intended to mimic the scent of an old house -- it just does).

7. Have you heard about the high school English teacher recently suspended as a result of some things she wrote in her personal blog? You can read the story here but in a nutshell she vented a lot of frustration onto her blog. She didn't mention individual students by name but she did make some harsh comments about kids in general and their parents.

What are your thoughts-If you're a parent is your child's teacher online and are you 'friend' or 'follower' there? If you're a teacher are you on facebook and do you accept or friend students on fb? How about their parents? If you're a student are you friends with your current or former teachers online? Do any of them have blogs you read? If you're a teacher or a parent do you ever use your blog as a place to vent your frustrations with our educational system? So much to discuss...

 

Teaching is an incredibly frustrating job these days. Teachers have always been viewed as "villains" by their students, but now they are viewed as real villains by the parents, the district administration and the school boards. They are in a precarious position with little to no support, yet are expected to bring about top results in every class. Kids ARE unruly in school. They do talk back, they are disrespectful and too many of them don't know how to work hard (nor do they want to). Too many have parents who live vicariously through them, believing their child can do no wrong -- these are the parents who will come after a teacher just on the say-so of their disgruntled child. I don't know how anyone stays in teaching as a long-term career anymore. 

 

All that said, I think the teacher in this case should have either refrained from making those comments or should have rewritten the post to tone down the inflammatory level. The online community is an extremely public place to be. She probably should have found another avenue by which to vent her frustration. 

 

8. Insert your own random thought here. [rant on] Randomly speaking, there are days when I think the entire world is going to hell in a handbasket. The unrest in the Middle East is disturbing. The media distortion of world and national news is disturbing. 

 

Just on the local level, our state is on the brink of enacting a package of so-called "education reforms" that will, in the end, gut public K-12 education and deliver it into the hands of privately owned, for-profit, on-line curriculum companies (many of whom contribute to the campaigns of our politicians).  In addition, one of our state universities had its Faculty Senate summarily dissolved by the university President, with the backing of the State Board of Education (all political cronies of the Governor).  Our state seems to believe that it will be able to survive with an ill-educated citizenry. Our state will one day be very surprised, no doubt, at the hole it finds itself in. What corporations will settle and stay here, providing well-paying jobs to the area, if they can't get a decently educated workforce?  How will these corporations attract their upper-echelon employees to a community with lousy schools? What college students will want to come to this state for their education if the universities are unstable? The short-sightedness of the state of Idaho is deeply disturbing. [/rant]

I hate to end on a downer note. So I think I'll go play racquetball with a couple of local teachers. We can all vent our frustrations on the little blue ball.

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. Your favorite chocolate treat?  "Death by Chocolate" is the customary name for an incredible flourless chocolate torte. Love all that deep, dark, gooey richness!!  Love the name too!

2. What more than anything else makes you feel loved? Surprise moments of recognition of someone's affection for me. More specifically, when it dawns on me, through something that is said or done, that I am loved by that person more than I realized. It's an incredible feeling!

3. Cherries or blueberries? Blueberries. Except for the purple tongue, which I hate. But fresh blueberries are a thing of beauty, both to look at and to taste. Especially when they adorn my cereal or yogurt.

4. What is the one trait you most want the leader of your country to possess? Integrity, hands down. Because integrity will lead a person to be honest and fair, and will lead him/her away from manipulation and politic-ing.

5. Are you a saver or a spender?  Sadly, I am more of a spender. I do try to be a saver -- I do actually save, and I'm doing better all the time, but I take after my father in that the overwhelming natural inclination is to spend.

6. If you gave a party for all of your friends would they already know each other?  No, because I have lived in New Jersey, Utah and Idaho, and I have friends in all three states. Also, I have made friends through my work -- and they are as far-flung as South Carolina, Florida, California, and everywhere in between.

7. Are you interested in antiques? Yes, but out here in the West they don't seem to be as high quality nor as historically interesting as they are in the antique marts and flea markets of the East Coast. I don't know if that's my own East Coast bias creeping through, or if the antiques out here aren't as, well, antique (nothing from the 1700s or early 1800s out here, folks!). Whatever the reason, I don't bother looking around much here. And I miss the lazy Saturday afternoons spent poking around a good old fashioned flea market.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, I am in the process of perfecting my electronic signature technique. I purchased a Bamboo pen and touch pad, which hooks up to my computer and allows me to sign my name on a document as I am creating it, rather than after I print it out on paper. In theory, this will save me from having to print out every document and will be a big help when I'm on the road. Using the Bamboo pen and pad is easier said than done at first, however, although the quality of my signature is improving all the time.

- Catherine 

PS -- if you wish to play along, answer the questions on your own blog and use the graphic at the top to link up at Joyce's blog.

Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. What is more important-doing what you love or loving what you do? Loving what you do, because that's a choice to love no matter what the circumstances.

2. Do you like bleu cheese?  Only with Buffalo Wings.

3. What is the most difficult emotion for you to handle?  Anger. I stop thinking clearly and ride my emotions instead, which just fans the flames even more.  Very discouraging. Thankfully, God isn't finished with me yet ...

4. Fresh flowers or a box of chocolate? Not both????  Knowing how much I love chocolate, you might expect me to prefer that. But I really LOVE to receive fresh flowers as a gift, so that would be my choice if I could have only one. (But I think it's mean that I get to choose only one.  Just sayin' ...)

5. What's a song you love that has the word 'love' in its title? It doesn't have to be a 'love song'.You know, I can't think of a single one right now.  Eeek!

6. Are you the person you wanted to be when you grew up? I could go on for days about this one, Joyce! Let's see. When I was young and thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up, I only considered the outward aspects -- career, car, husband, house, etc. In that sense, I'm not the person I wanted to be. I wanted to be a librarian and live in a nice apartment or house in a city. As it turns out, I'm happy that didn't come to pass because I love the life that God has blessed me with (with which God has blessed me, in case my grammarian cousin is reading this).  As for inwardly, I don't think that I ever gave a thought to what KIND of person I wanted to be when I grew up. I wasn't close to my parents and didn't really pay attention to the people they were.

7. Any special Valentines Day plans?  We will be in Salt Lake City for the weekend. I'm working. Tim and Number 7 will be playing. That's it.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, one good game of racquetball is worth several hours of talk therapy.

- Catherine

PS -  If you wish to play along, you may answer the questions on your own blog and then link up over at Joyce's, using the graphic at the top of this post.

Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. Would you rather be seen as a person who did their duty or forged their own path? Probably Id’ rather be seen as someone who did her duty (because occasionally that might involve forging my own path, whereas the reverse isn't probable).

2. This week's Wednesday Hodgepodge happens to fall on Groundhog's Day. In keeping with that theme, if you could have a do-over of any one day out of the last seven, which day would it be and why. If you haven't seen the movie Groundhog Day this question will make absolutely no sense but that's okay....you can answer anyway.  Out of the last seven days I'd wish to do Sunday over because it was such a great and fun day! We had an amazing time of worship at church, listened to an excellent sermon, and then spent most of the afternoon playing racquetball and having a lot of laughs in doing so. After that, it was the Pro Bowl with my hubby. A terrific day!

You thought my question was going to be weather related didn't you?  Well. Yes.

3. Hot cocoa...yay or nay on the marshmallows?  Nay. Why muck up a perfectly good cup of hot cocoa with the cloying sweetness of marshmallow?

4. Do you wear makeup every day? What are the top two must haves in your daily makeup routine? I wear makeup most days but not every day.  The two must-haves are powdered eye liner and mascara.

5. Is it more important to you in a relationship to be loved or understood?  To be loved, because sometimes I don't think I can be understood (heck, sometimes I don't even understand myself these days). But love covers a multitude of sins, understood or not.

6. Parsley sage rosemary or thyme... your favorite?  Rosemary, just for the scent. It's clean and pure and calming, and I gladly drink it in whenever I have occasion to use it (which is often because I love it).

7. What do you do when you feel angry? My first reaction is sarcasm, but I now try very hard to shut my mouth. Sarcasm used in humor is funny. Sarcasm used in anger is extremely damaging. It took me a long time to realize that, and now I try very hard to either leave the room, work it out on the racquetball court, or (on admittedly rare occasions) be objective and reasonable in my response.

8. Insert your own random thought here.  How many of you have a tennis ball suspended on a string in your garage? This is new to me, but it does help keep my car away from Tim's work bench!

If you wish to play along, answer the questions on your own blog and then link up at Joyce's (use the graphic above to get to her blog).

Thanks, Joyce!

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

1. Will you watch the Super Bowl? If so who will you root for? If you are outside the USA what is the 'big deal sporting event' in your own country?  I will definitely be watching the Super Bowl, however there is a real dilemma about who to root for. I like both teams, with perhaps a small preference for Green Bay. But Number 7 is a diehard Steelers fan and may not allow me in the family room unless I promise to cheer on the "right" side of the battle.  Sigh.

2. Is ignorance bliss?  YES! As I have aged, I've discovered that very often, ignorance about the goings on immediately around me really is bliss. That said, I read voraciously and communicate frequently with the world, so in that regard, my heartfelt sentiment is NO, ignorance is not bliss. 

3. Which of the seven dwarfs are you? (and just in case your Disney is a little bit rusty, here they are-Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy)  Grumpy and Sneezy (just couldn't keep it to one, could I?).

4. When you are riding in the car with another couple how do you organize the seating? (Men up front? Women up front? Couples sit together?) And thanks to Lori at Mountain Woman at Heart for the question! Everyone go say hi to Lori. Hi, Lori!  It depends on who is in the car. With couples our age, it's usually seating by couples. With my parents-in-law, it's seating by gender.

5. What is beauty? An inner or innate quality that is completely compelling.

6. If someone asks you to bring an appetizer or a dessert to a party in their home, which would you choose? Parmesan/artichoke dip (heated).

7. What is your crowd pleasing go-to appetizer? Parmesan/artichoke dip (heated). As much as I love to cook, appetizers are not my favorite thing to prepare, for some reason. This dip is easy.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, I've decided that I would love to own a small apartment in Washington DC so that I could visit this lovely city anytime I wanted to.

 

Thank you, Joyce! Another set of good ones!

 

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

It's time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge, hosted by Joyce. Thanks, Joyce, for dreaming up these questions every week!

 1. Do you like your name? Were you named after someone? If you have children how did you settle on their names?  I like both of my names -- Catherine Elizabeth (which, by the way, is the given name of Kate Middleton, who is about to marry Prince William. How's that for trivia?). I was named Catherine after my mother's favorite cousin, and Elizabeth after her favorite aunt. Mom thought about making it Elizabeth Catherine but decided that she couldn't live with any of the usual nicknames for Elizabeth.   I'm just glad she didn't name me after her great-great aunt Hephzibah.  As for my daughter -- her name is the only one that her father and I could agree on.

2. How do you define success?  That's a tough one for me tonight. I guess the only real success is knowing that you are doing right, no matter what the situation.

3. Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy?  Neither. But if I had to watch one, it would be Jeopardy.

4. If you could own any single object that you don't have now, what would that object be? A Bosch mixer. I do like my Kitchen Aid, but I covet (!) my sister-in-law's Bosch.

5. What is something that inspires you? Besides the Bible, I take it? I'm inspired by my husband's battle with chronic illness and pain, and how he keeps on going and doesn't give in.

6. Meatloaf-yea or nay? If its a yay how do you make yours? A good meatloaf is truly wonderful and a bad meatloaf is The Worst. Alas, I do not make a good meatloaf, so it's a dish that is never seen in our house.

7. Which is more admirable- the ability to organize and be methodical or the ability to adapt and make do? My middle-aged, menopausal brain isn't as good at organization as it used to be.  So it's definitely better to be able to adapt and make do. Because half the time I can't remember why we're adapting anyway. Sigh.

8. Insert your own random thought here. There is nothing quite so sweet as a puppy who has just awakened from a nap. He stretches, he yawns, his ears are floppy and he's just as cute as can be. For one brief moment. And then he wakes up completely and his ... shall we say ... exuberance ... returns.

Thanks for reading! If you wish to play along, answer the questions on your blog and the link up over at Joyce's (use the graphic above to get to her blog).

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

I'm traveling all day today, but I still wanted to participate in the Wednesday Hodgepodge of questions hosted by Joyce. Thank goodness we can schedule the publishing of blog posts!

1. What three words would you use to describe 2010? New, amazing, settled.

2. If fear were not an issue what is something you'd like to try?  I can’t think of anything for this one. I’m really not interested in trying anything that I’m afraid to do.

3. What do you add to your coffee or tea?  Coffee: cream.  Tea: nothing extra (my British grandfather would roll in his grave if he knew).

4. What historical sporting event would you like to witness?  The first (American) football game.

5. What is one piece of advice you would like to give your sixteen year old self?  The pain doesn’t last forever, so do NOT make life choices based on it.

6. Are you a planner or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants?  Depends. Sometimes I need it all to be planned out. Sometimes, within a given set of parameters, I like to fly by the seat of my pants. Notice that it’s still within a set of parameters, though – I have to have boundaries at some point.

7. What is one thing you are looking forward to in 2011? My 35^th high school reunion. It’s to be held the first week of August and I am truly hoping that nothing gets in my way!

8. Insert your own random thought here.  I purchased an e-reader the other day because it suddenly occurred to me that this would be much better for traveling than schlepping around the stack of books that goes with me everywhere.  I really didn’t expect to LIKE it, but I do!  It’s not a substitute for real books but rather a different way to read.  The newness of it has resulted in me purchasing a few books that I wouldn’t normally have wanted in paper, which is great!

- Catherine