Having A Hodge-Podgy Summer…

Seven days (and more) of gardening and canning makes one weak!  I’m about ‘pooped’, but the freezer is full, and the garden is now on its way out. I’ve shelled so many peas and beans, I’ve got inflammation in my thumbs. Seriously!  By the weekend, the garden of 2014 will be history.  I’m sensing a celebratory trip to St. Simon’s Island in the near future 🙂

Today is my first day of blogging in a week, and it feels so good to be back! There’s no better way to get started back blogging than with the Wednesday Hodgepodge!  Thanks so much to hostess, Joyce, for providing the great questions for this fun meme.

1. What summer activity most takes you back to your own childhood?

I had to think about this one for a while, but I finally settled on ‘fishing’.  As a child, I didn’t care much for pond or river fishing, but all of the adults in my life sure did!  They went fishing a lot.  I’d usually settle for playing by the water’s edge, trying to catch some minnows.  On a good day, I’d actually catch a few minnows, and be allowed to keep them.  Fun memories of life’s simple pleasures!

2. What’s your favorite summer smell?

I love to smell of any kind of food cooking over charcoal.  Nothing screams summer more than that–except the smell of the ocean!

3. It’s beach season in the US of A…so how do you feel about sand?

I love the beach, but hate the sand that goes along with it.  I especially hate having sand in my shoes, and will be desperately looking for a shower or water hose immediately after leaving the beach area!  I don’t swim in the ocean anymore, but when I did, I hated having sand in my bathing suit, as well!

4. Sun tea, SunChips, sunflower seeds, Capri Sun, Sunny Delight, Sun-Maid raisins, sun-dried tomatoes…your favorite food or beverage with sun in its name?

Of the foods listed, I’d have to choose Sun Chips.  At first, I didn’t like Sun Chips, but I’ve since developed a taste for them.  They’re one of my favorite chips now.

5. What’s your favorite way to cool off on a hot summer day?

My favorite way to cool off on a hot summer day is to stay inside under the air conditioning!!!  Back in the day, when we had a pool, I enjoyed cooling off that way.

6. Share a favorite song with the word sun or sunshine in its title.

A particular ‘sun’ song that has special meaning to me is an old song entitled ‘Sunny’ by Bobby Hebb. You see, I used to have a cat named Sonny, and I’d always sing this song to him.  (Sonny lost his mama at an early age, and was bottle fed as a young kitten.  I never had to bottle feed Sonny, but adopted him when he was still very tiny.)  Sonny would let me hold him like a baby while I sang  this song to him. Also, if Sonny went outside, I could open the front door, start singing this song, and he would come running to me.  I loved that cat!

Sunny, the song:

Sonny, the cat:

As you can see from the photo, Sonny was quite a character!  He thought nothing of plopping himself on the dining room table,  among my autumn decorations.

 

7. Tell us about a time you had an exceedingly good or truly awful customer service experience. If it was awful, did you report it? Ever go back there again?

The most recent thing I can think of was when our mail carrier kept refusing to deliver my packages.  You see, our mailbox isn’t located next to our house, it’s down a little dirt road, and beside the highway.  The mail carrier didn’t want to take the time to come down our dirt road to deliver my packages, so she’d just leave a paper in the mailbox, claiming to have attempted to deliver the package.  (I’m always home, so I know this wasn’t true.)  So I’d have to drive 7 miles, one way, to the post office, just to pick up my package!  I put up with this for a while, then decided I’d had enough!  The next time I went to town (to pick up another package), I filed a complaint with the post master.  My packages now get delivered to my house–every time.  If only I could get UPS and FedX to deliver my packages, too, I’d be happy.  They often leave my packages at our son’s house–simply because it’s located beside the highway, and they’re too lazy to drive down the dirt road to my house.

Random:

Today, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish our son, Brad, and his wife, Jennifer, a very Happy Anniversary!  Three years ago they said “I do!”

After a couple of years of marriage, the family of two became a family of three, when this cute little fellow arrived…

Evan William will be 8 months old in five more days!  Brad and Jen, enjoy your anniversary, and treasure your time together as a family.  My your years of marriage be long and happy ones 🙂