Rolling With The Hodgepodge…

 

Summer is rolling right along, and so is The Wednesday Hodgepodge!  If you’d like to join in the fun, just click the button at the top of this post.  As always, I’d like to shout out a big thank you to our hostess, Joyce, who keeps things rolling smoothly for all of us.

1. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your summer so far? Why?
(1=eh and 10=best summer ever)

Well, it hasn’t been the best summer ever, but it hasn’t been the worst summer either, because that would’ve probably been last summer when I suffered with sciatica all summer!  No, scratch that, the worst summer, ever, was the summer of 2010, when our [now] daughter-in-law, Jennifer, discovered she had cancer, then lost her mother, unexpectedly, just a few weeks later–on the morning our family was all scheduled to go on vacation together!  That was a bad summer! 

I’ll rate this summer a 7, because even though we’ve encountered a few ‘bumps in the road’, we’ve still had lots of enjoyable moments, nobody’s had serious health issues, and nobody in the family has died!  There’s a lot to be thankful for 🙂

2. July 26th is National Aunts and Uncles Day. Did you have many aunts and uncles growing up? Were you especially close to any one or maybe all of them? Are you an aunt? (or uncle for the men who join here on Wednesdays) Share a favorite memory relating to one of your own aunts or uncles or relating to a niece or nephew who call you Aunt (or Uncle).

Okay, are you ready for this?  Follow closely.  My daddy’s brother married Ed’s mama’s sister–so Ed and I have always had an aunt and uncle in common, as well as two first cousins (their children). The family lived in St. Petersburg, Florida, so we only saw them once a year, during the summer.  The oldest of those mutual first cousins, Susan, who was just a year older than me, is the one who set Ed and me up on our first date, while she was visiting one summer!  The rest is history.  Three years later, we got married on Susan’s birthday (June 18), and our mutual aunt and uncle helped with our rehearsal dinner!

3. What’s your favorite food dipped in chocolate? What’s your favorite food dipped in cheese?

My favorite food dipped in chocolate would be peanuts or raisins.  I don’t have a favorite food that’s dipped in cheese.

4. When were you last astonished by something? Explain.

I was last astonished when Ed and I received a mystery package in the mail, from 1600 Colonel Sanders Lane!

If you visited my Hodgepodge, last week, then you know that package contained a nice gift basket from Kentucky Fried Chicken.  What a pleasant surprise!

 

5. Surf board, paddle board, ironing board, Pinterest board, score board, clip board, bulletin board…which board have you most recently encountered?

Sadly, I last encountered my ironing board–something I don’t enjoy doing!

6. What’s your favorite story from scripture? Why that story?

I’m going to say The Parable of the Good Samaritan because I recently heard a very good sermon using that parable!  The pastor took the parable in an entirely different direction than I’ve ever thought about before.  It was an awesome message, and it made me look at myself in a different light.

7. If you were to travel from the east coast to the west coast in your own country, which five cities would you most want to see?

That’s a very good question!  I’m not much of a traveler, but I think I’d like to visit Miami, Florida,  revisit Nashville, Tennessee, maybe visit Denver, Colorado, Los Angeles, California, and, perhaps, Seattle, Washington.  How’s that for variety?

Random:

I shared a picture, yesterday, but I wanted to share another, for those who may have missed it. Here’s a picture of Ed with the 42 pound watermelon that he grew:

We cut the watermelon, yesterday, and it was pretty good!  We may be eating melon for quite a while, though.

A Simple Woman’s Daybook Post…

For Today…

It’s shaping up to be another hot and sunny Monday.  Yesterday’s high topped out around 100 degrees, before scattered showers arrived and lowered the temperatures, shortly before the evening church services.  We didn’t get any rain at our house, though.

Looking out my window…

I see nine pesky hens hanging around the front door, waiting for some handouts!  This morning, I let them out of their pen, early, so they could search for food before it gets so hot, but their idea of searching for food is hanging around the front door–not scratching for bugs or worms!  Every day, while we’re eating lunch, they stand outside the door begging for table scraps.  They know what time we eat!

the red hen, leading the flock

I am thinking…

I’m glad I don’t have to take the van to the Ford dealership this morning!  We took it to the dealership, last Monday morning, and spent the entire day waiting to get it back!  Unfortunately, a part had to be ordered, so, this Wednesday, we’ll have to make the trip again, to have the  gas tank’s over-flow hose put on, then have them recheck the radio which seems to be having problems ‘rebooting’, sometimes. And to think, we bought a new car to avoid having to deal with car repairs!

I am thankful…

to have been blessed to hear [not one, but] two good messages at church, yesterday. I’d never heard anything like either one of the messages, even though the scriptures used have been spoken about many times.  An added blessing was hearing our son pray a closing prayer that complimented the morning message perfectly.

One of my favorite things…

is traveling to St. Simon’s Island and sitting under our favorite oak trees in The Village.  Thankfully, Ed and I were able to do that on Friday.  The get away was much-needed, and I could, literally, feel my stress level lowering as I sat and enjoyed the view.

There was only one problem.  It appears that Pokemon Go has hit St. Simon’s Island with a vengeance!  Everywhere we looked people were walking like zombies, while holding their phones in front of their faces.  As we lounged in our chairs, we were almost trampled, a time or two, by over-zealous “hunters”.  It was ridiculous!

I am wearing…

another of my old faithful sundresses.  I do get tired of wearing the same old dresses, all summer, but dresses work best for me whenever it’s hot…and, believe me, it is hot around here!

I am creating…
something new out of something old.  I’m going to give some of my ‘garden accents’ (rabbits and birds) a make-over by painting them.  Ed’s really better at doing this than I am, but I’m going to give it a try.  Ed’s already painted the squirrels for me.

I am reading…

Sunday Morning Memories by Don Reid (of Statler Brothers fame).  It’s a book of short stories, with Don reminiscing about [his] church memories.  I’ve just finished reading Random Memories by Don and his brother, Harold (also of Statler Brothers fame), and enjoyed it so much I decided to read Sunday Morning Memories.  I’m glad I did!  Who knew Don could write good books in addition to writing and singing good songs?!   Did you know that Don and his brother Harold wrote a large portion of the songs The Statlers recorded? I’ve featured one of my favorite gospel songs that they wrote, below.

I am watching…

the show ‘Big Brother’ on television.  That’s really about the only show we’ve been watching on a regular basis, lately.  So far, it’s been a pretty good season, but I think things are just about to get complicated.

I’ve been listening to…

 

I am hoping…

my back will behave itself!  Lately, I’ve been having some occasional pain on the right side of my back.  At times, my right foot/leg feels a little ‘tingly’, too.  These are not good signs. Due to stomach issues, I’m off of my arthritis medication, again, which may be contributing to the problem.

I am learning…

to roll with the unexpected bumps in the ‘road of life’–or at least I’m trying to.  It never seems to get any easier, but I’m sure getting lots of practice.

In my kitchen…

I rarely bake anymore, but, last week, I made a ‘Mandarin Orange Cake’, also known [here in the south] as a ‘Pea Pickin’ Cake’.  Ha!  (Ed and I have wondered why in the world it is called a “Pea Pickin’ Cake’!)  It’s a refreshing refrigerated cake, made with a mixture of yellow cake mix, mandarin oranges, eggs, and oil, then frosted with a mixture of cool whip, vanilla pudding mix, and crushed pineapple.

In my garden…
it’s hot and dry!  All of the sunflowers are all gone, but some of the zinnias are still in bloom, believe it or not!  I’ve cut and enjoyed several bouquets of flowers from the garden, over the course of the summer.

Ed still has some peanuts, watermelons, gourds, and sweet potatoes growing in the garden. Below is a photo of Ed with a 42 pound watermelon that he grew!

Shared Quote…

I read this quote the other day, and it spoke to me:

“Every moment that you spend upset, in despair, in anguish, angry, or hurt because of the behavior of anybody else in your life is a moment in which you’ve given up control of your life.” (author unknown)

A moment from my day…

some beautiful sunflowers from the garden, when they were still in bloom.

Closing Notes…

Ed’s been as busy as a little bee!  In addition to tending to our garden, he’s done a great job of keeping everything around the place trimmed and mowed all summer.  Let me just say, that’s no easy task!  In addition, he’s repaired our broken walkway, painted the back deck, painted underneath our car port, and helped me hang some new [summer] wall decorations on the side of his storage shed.  We have a couple more ‘home improvement’ projects planned, but things are looking much better already.  I appreciate all of his hard work so much!

Thanks so much to Peggy Hostetler for hosting The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

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Collecting With The Hodgepodge…

The theme of today’s Hodgepodge is sort of about “collecting”, which is right up my alley!  I wasn’t able to collect things as a child, but I’ve more than made up for it as an adult.  In fact, I confess, things may have gotten a bit out of control over the years…  That being said, let me take a break from dusting these “collectibles”, and answer today’s questions.  Before I do, though, I must say “thank you” to our wonderful hostess, Joyce, for all she does!

1. Pokemon Go…your thoughts? Are you playing? Do you even know what it is?

Yes, I do know a bit about what Pokemon Go is–it’s an interactive game for mobile devices.  My thoughts about Pokemon Go are these: people already spend way too much time on mobile/electronic devices.  We don’t need to encourage them to spend even more time there.  The other day, while I was relaxing on beautiful St. Simon’s Island, I noticed many people had their faces in their phones– some, even while riding bicycles or swinging their children!  I thought, this is so sad… You’re surrounded by all of this beauty (including your child), and you have your face in a phone!  And, no I won’t be playing Pokemon Go!

2. What was something you collected as a child?   Do you still have that collection?Sadly, I didn’t collect anything as a child (there wasn’t much money).  However, as a teenager, I began a record collection, which I still have [most of] today.   If you’re a parent what’s something your own children collected?  Our oldest son collected NBA basketball cards.  I can’t remember the others collecting anything special.

Have you ever camped out, stood in a crazy long queue, or paid a ridiculous sum for a ‘collectible’?  Yes, I’m afraid I’ll have to plead guilty for paying a ridiculous sum for collectibles. One of the most memorable is a hand- painted Coca Cola toilet seat, which now hangs on the wall in our bathroom!  Nobody’s bottom will ever touch that toilet seat during my life time!

I also have an extensive doll collection.  I’m too embarrassed to tell you how much some of my dolls cost, but many of them cost a lot more than that toilet seat.

3. “Collect moments, not things”…tell us about a moment you’ve added to your collection this summer.

This has been a somewhat difficult summer for us, due to some family problems, but at the same time, it’s had its share of “collectible moments”, too…watching the grandsons playing together under the water sprinkler (old-fashioned fun)…attending a July 4th fireworks show (after years of not doing so)…watching our sons playing baseball with their sons–right up until both plastic baseballs broke in half (funny)…and receiving a ‘mystery’ package in the mail, from Colonel Sanders Avenue! (see random)

4. What’s something collecting dust in your home right now? Any plans to do something about it?

I ashamed to admit it, but I have a collection of various “stuff” sitting all over our pool room.  Some of the stuff I want to keep, but have no room for.  There’s also pet food that shouldn’t be stored outside during the heat of summer.  Then, there is the food that we recently canned, but have no other place to store, at this time.  Eventually, I’ll get around to doing something about all of this, but not today!

5. A favorite song relating to time?

Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce.  The poignant video footage, below, was taken of Jim and his family, shortly before his death in a plane crash (in 1973).  It’s sad how prophetic this song turned out to be.

6. What’s been your most frightening or your most interesting encounter with wildlife?

Many years ago, a couple of foxes used to come and eat the left-over table scraps we put out at the edge of the woods near our house.  One day, we opened the door, and there was one of those foxes, underneath our carport!  The poor fox was clearly sick, but we didn’t know if he had rabies, had been poisoned, or what.  Finally, Ed had no choice but to put it out of its misery.  It was sad, but a bit scary, too.  In the end, we pretty much decided the poor fox was probably the victim of a poultry farmer’s poison.  We live in an area with several poultry farmers, and they’ve pretty much wiped out most chicken predators, over the years.

7. On July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong set his foot down on the moon. If you could travel to the moon would you go? Why or why not?

No, I wouldn’t go.  As most of you know, I’m not much of a traveler–especially that far!

Random:

For any readers who may not know,  Ed and I have celebrated every one of our 44 wedding anniversaries at KFC, beginning on our wedding night, when we were given our meal for free by the manager, after he realized we were newlyweds.

This year, our son, Brad, decided to share our story with the nice folks of KFC.  He sent them a message via their Facebook page, and they, in turn, asked for our address.

Last week, Ed and I received a surprise package in the mail–from Colonel Sanders Lane–in Kentucky!  At first Ed and I were quite skeptical, but, boy, were we surprised when we finally opened the box!!!

celebrating 44 years (with the Colonel) 

The box contained a gift basket/bucket along with a personal letter, signed by the late Colonel, himself 🙂  The letter was actually my favorite item, but the bucket contained several useful gifts (two red beverage cups, two white chef’s aprons, two gift cards, and much more). There was two of everything, except for the little red Louisville Slugger bat, which Ed said they sent for him “to keep me straight with.” 🙂

The letter in the bucket read as follows:

Howdy Ed and Kathy,

I always considered love to be like a bucket of chicken, you’re all snuggled together in a striped container.  No wait, I think love is more like a freshly made biscuit, soft and comforting and goes great with honey.  Actually, now that I think about it, love is like coleslaw: there’s little bits of lots of stuff all chopped together.  No, no, no.  Mashed potatoes.  Mashed potatoes and gravy.  Love is like mashed potatoes and gravy.  That’s it.  That’s love. Nailed it.

In truth, one can never compare love to anything on my menu.  That’s a fact.  What you two have had over the last 44 years can never be put up against anything on this earth.   The memories you’ve shared, the life you’ve built, all the beautiful successes and the tough failures, helping the other when one of you were down, being helped when you were down, raising a loving son, who looks at his parents as a shining example of what two people can do in this world together.  I don’t serve anything that amazing.

Congratulations on your anniversary, and thank you for letting me be a part of it.  Please share your future anniversary photos with me on Facebook, as it warms my heart, not unlike the warmth of one of my biscuits.  There.  Now that’s something I can compare to a food item.

Yours truly,

Col. Sanders

 

 

An Out Of This World Hodgepodge…

It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means… It’s Hodgepodge Time!

Many thanks to our hostess, Joyce, for coming up with another ‘out of this world’ set of questions to exercise my aging brain 🙂  I really appreciate all that you do, Joyce!

Also, many thanks to the readers who faithfully stop by to visit  and read my blog.  I love and appreciate your visits and comments so much!

All that being said, here are today’s questions to The Hodgepodge, along with my answers:

1. Do you find yourself influencing your world, or is it more the other way around?

I do my best to control my own little world by trying to limit outside influences. Ed and I have never been much into the ‘social scene’, so we prefer to be at home, with each other, or family.  This is a lot easier now that we’re both retired!  I’ve never had a problem with being different, so I usually don’t get caught up in current fads, trends, or whatever, either.  A while back, I made the choice to limit how much media I read or watch, as well.  My mood is a lot better, now!

2. July 14th is National Tape Measure Day…the device was patented on this date in 1868. When did you last use a tape measure?

I used a tape measure, yesterday, to measure a fan.  We bought a new one, and I wanted to make sure it was the same size as our old one.

Do you always know where to find one in your house?

Yes, I always keep my tape measure in the sewing box.

Tell us one way in which you feel blessed ‘beyond measure’.

I figured out, a very long time ago, that I am blessed beyond measure to have Ed, in my life!  He’s truly one of a kind.

 3.The Plaza Hotel (Eloise), The Land of Oz (The Wizard of Oz), Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia), The Hundred Acre Wood (Winnie the Pooh), Wonderland (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland), or Never Never Land (Peter Pan)…which storybook land (on this list!) would you most like to visit and why?

I’m a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh, so, of course, I’d most like to visit The Hundred Acre Wood.  I love the characters, and can identify with most of them.  I love “sweets” as much as Pooh loves honey!  Ed is somewhat like Tigger, usually bouncing around, full of energy,  and getting the job done.  Meanwhile, I’m moving around like Eyeore.

4. Where and when do you get your best ideas?

This question reminds me of the teacher I used to work for!  She always said she got her best ideas while in the shower!  I don’t know that I have a particular time or place for getting good ideas… Perhaps when it’s quiet.  Maybe at night, in bed, when I should be sleeping?

5. So what have you been watching on TV this summer? Anything good?

Ed and I have been watching a lot of Dateline reruns and the new season of Big Brother.  So far, Big Brother has been pretty good.  I like the twists and turns they’ve added this season.

6. ‘Don’t swim for an hour after you eat’, ‘Dog days of summer’, ‘Knee high by the Fourth of July’…choose a summer saying from the list or share one of your own, then tell us what image or memory comes to mind when you hear it spoken.

‘Dog days of summer’ conjures up an image of hot, sweltering days with lots of gnats and mosquitoes–sort of like it is now!   It also brings back the memory of a fund-raising event I once chaired for our local animal shelter, called “The Dog Days of Summer Festival”, which took place during the ‘dog days of summer’.

7. In a single sentence, sum up one life lesson you’ve learned.

At some point, your life will change, drastically, in the blink of an eye.

Random:

Praise the Lord!  Yesterday, I woke up feeling better than I have in over a week!  This could be attributed to finally getting back on my arthritis medication, or it could be attributed to the fact that  there are no vegetables waiting to be canned!

Anyway, a great opportunity is a terrible thing to waste, so Ed and I quickly threw our beach chairs and our cooler in the car, and headed for St. Simon’s Island!  The weather was ‘picture perfect’ (95 degrees, but with a nice sea breeze) and we spent several hours lounging under the shade our favorite oak tree.  Finally!  We feel like our summer has officially begun 🙂

Random Thoughts On Monday…

Let me begin the week by wishing someone special a very happy birthday! Our youngest son, Brad, was born, thirty-one years ago, today. Brad was a very welcomed surprise addition to the family, and our family wouldn’t be the same without him.  Delivering Brad proved to be difficult (10 lbs, 9 oz. natural childbirth), but raising Brad was easy. He was a delightful, easy-going, baby and child, always willing to go along with whatever his siblings wanted to do.

Brad made good grades in school (except for the year he refused to do a required project, and had to repeat the class), and worked his way through high school and college, at a local bank, paying most of his tuition costs, himself. Brad’s easy-going personality kicked into overdrive during adolescence, and he got along well with everyone.   My chief complaints with Brad, as a teen, were these: his room was always a mess, he was tardy to high school a lot, and he was [and still is] a procrastinator.

The years have flown by, and now our baby boy is a grown man with a family of his own. In fact, we took note, this weekend, when we celebrated his birthday a little early, that, on this birthday, Brad is [almost] one-half as old as his mama!  I celebrated my 31st birthday, shortly after giving birth to him.

Happy Birthday, Brad!

In other news, I’m happy to report that Ed mowed down most of our garden over the weekend! I don’t know which one of us was the happiest to see it go, but it’s gone.  The last of our tomatoes are in the kitchen, still waiting to be canned, but, after that, we’re done!  Look out beach, here we come–as soon as I am able to travel!  I haven’t been feeling my best, lately.

Man, this summer heat is really oppressive!  Being outside is miserable, unless you go out first thing every morning, which I do.  Once I finish with my chores, I just stay inside until late in the afternoons.  Ed spends more time outside than I do, but the heat doesn’t seem to bother him as much as it does me.  I’m hoping the temperatures will be a little milder under our favorite oak tree at St. Simon’s Island, when I get there.  The highs are supposed to be in the upper 90’s all of this week.

We’ve had a couple of news worthy incidents happen in our area, lately.  First of all, a few days ago, our oldest son spotted a rattle snake crossing the road beside his house.  He ran over the snake with his car, but it didn’t kill it.  So he called our son-in-law, who went down and shot it.  This makes me nervous, because this is the same road I walk on for exercise!  I’m always vigilant, but I’ll need to be extra vigilant from now on!

Late one afternoon, last week, a freak storm blew up.  The wind was so gusty, it blew our grandsons’ trampoline out of their yard, and across the road! (the same road with the snake crossing)  The trampoline flew up on its way out of the yard, hit the roof of the back porch, and did a little damage there, too.  Fortunately, our oldest son was driving his wife’s car that day, or her car would have been parked in the path of the flying trampoline, as well.

Fortunately, the trampoline looked worse than it actually turned out to be. It’s been repaired, and is still usable, thank goodness.

Today has started off with a bang–literally!  A family of squirrels recently moved into the pine trees above my windmill/flower garden.  They’ve been making quite a mess, while feasting on pine cones each day!  This morning, Ed declared war on them by shooting up among the trees with his shotgun–at 7:30 in the morning!  Would you believe two of the squirrels actually had the nerve to stay in place after being shot at?  They vacated following the second shot, but I’m sure they’ll be back. I got a look at them, and they looked mighty fat and happy!

In other morning excitement, for the second day in a row, we had to give another one of our hens a cold-water bath! (Yes, we bathed a hen before attending church, yesterday!)  Actually, in this heat, that cold water felt pretty good to me. Once caught, Mrs. Hen didn’t put up much of a fight while in the cold water, so she may have felt the same way!  Hopefully, the second cold bath will be enough to break Mrs. Broody Hen out of her cycle of wanting to sit on eggs.  Ah, we live such an adventurous life, don’t we?!  With that thought in mind, I’ll close by saying…

Have a great Monday!

The Welcoming July Hodgepodge…

Welcome to the 272nd edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge!  It’s July and it’s hot!  I’m sitting under the comfort of the air conditioning, as I write.  I’m so thankful to have a/c, and I’m also thankful for our gracious hostess, Joyce, who is probably sweltering in this southern heat, as well.

Let’s get on with today’s questions, shall we?

1. How did you welcome the month of July, and tell us one fun thing you did to celebrate the 4th. (or the weekend for any non-USA residents playing along today)

I didn’t do anything special to welcome the month of July.  The first day of July came and went, just like any other.  Ed and I got up, fed the animals, picked some vegetables, and I spent most of the rest of the day canning.

As for something fun on the 4th, we enjoyed watching our three little grandsons playing under the water sprinkler while jumping on their trampoline.  What a fun time they all had!  We also got to watch our youngest, Evan, experience his first fireworks show.  He went from crying, at first, to telling us what colors the fireworks were!

2. Right now..what’s your favorite red thing? white thing? blue thing?

My favorite red thing is a soft red pillow that’s shaped like a foot.  I’m not ashamed to say that I sleep with it every night.  My favorite white things are the white banisters surrounding our porches, and the blue things I treasure most are the two flags (folded with blue/star side out) that were presented to family when Ed’s parents died.

3. Wave the white flag, raise a red flag, fly your freak flag…which ‘flag’ have you flown most recently? Explain.

Most recently, I  believe I waved the white flag.  Unfortunately, we’ve had a bit of a ‘family situation’ going on, all summer.  At one point, I [figuratively] raised a white flag when I asked, “Can’t we just agree to disagree?”  The jury is still out.

4. According to Cond Nast Traveler these are the seven best places to visit in July-

a boat safari in Botswanna’s Okavango Delta, Riviera Maya Mexico (it’s whale shark season and apparently you can swim with them), Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, Pamploma Spain, St. Petersburg Russia, the Fuji Rock Festival at Mount Naeba Japan, the Salzburg Festival in Salzburg Austria

If time and money weren’t factors would you want to see any/all of these? Which would you most like to see and why?

I’m not much of a traveler, so I wouldn’t care about traveling to see most of those places.  I’d consider going to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, though, because [in pictures] it looks like beautiful country, and it’s not too far away!

5. Grilled cheese, pimento cheese, or mac and cheese…your favorite from the cheesy treats listed?

Although I like all of the foods listed, good ole’ mac and cheese is my favorite.  Our favorite mac and cheese recipe is made in a crock pot!

6. What makes you sweat?

These days, just sitting outside on the front porch makes me sweat–even though we keep a fan running on the porch, all day long!  Our temps have been reaching into the upper 90’s or higher.

7. Your favorite movie with a ‘patriotic’ theme of some sort?

I’m going to have to go with “Born on the Fourth of July”, starring Tom Cruise.  I’ve watched it several times.  It’s not an easy movie to watch, but, after all, it’s based on a true story.  It’s one of those movies that’s both riveting and heat breaking, all at the same time.

Random:

A little July 4th family fun…

and some cute (and delicious) July 4th treats…

A Simple Woman’s Daybook Post…

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For Today

Monday, July 4th, 2016

Looking out my window

It’s a hot and sunny day outside.  The weather is supposed to be quite warm all week.  Today’s high is predicted to be 96 degrees, and that’s the LOW for the week.  Thank the Lord for A/C.  Summer has officially arrived!

I am thinking

how quickly this year is flying by!  I can’t believe the month of July is already here.  I’m also thinking about our youngest son, whose birthday will be coming up in exactly one week!  If you ask me about my most memorable July 4th, without batting an eye, I’ll tell you it was the year I was pregnant with our son, Brad!  It was HOT and I was MISERABLE!  At that point, the baby was four days overdue, and weighed in excess of 10 pounds.

I am thankful

to be spending another July 4th with my husband, Ed!  Since Ed’s heart attack,  a little over 8 months ago, every day has been cherished and appreciated, because now I realize–we never know if today could be our last.  I’m also thankful for our family, as well as the little church we’ve been attending for the past three months.

One of my favorite things

is having a few chickens.  If you’re a regular reader, this should come as no surprise!  We currently have nine hens, who keep me on my toes and laughing, each day.  They give me a reason to get up and get moving each day, even when I really don’t want to.

Well, now, just come right on in…

I am wearing

a comfortable, polyester knit sundress that has a handkerchief hem.  The dress I’m wearing is red and white, but I also have a blue and white one, too.  FYI: It’s not uncommon for me to buy multiples of a garment I like.

I am creating
a stockpile of food to last us through the long months ahead.  Lately, most of my time has been devoted to canning/freezing vegetables.

I am reading

the book, Random Memories, by [the former singing group]The Statler Brothers.  I’ve really enjoyed this book, written by the two actual brothers of the group, Harold and Don Reid.  Did you know they actually got their name “Statler Brothers” from a box of tissues?  Neither did I, until I read their book!

I am hoping

and praying, that, in time, some of the ‘issues’ our family has been dealing with can be eventually resolved.  Life is too short!

I am learning

to have a lot more patience than I used to.  I think it’s one of the benefits of getting older!

In my kitchen
I’m currently in the process of canning some tomatoes, this morning.  After lunch, we’ll be  boiling the first of Ed’s home-grown peanuts, in honor of “The Fourth” and our family cookout, this afternoon. We’ll be grilling hamburgers/hot dogs at our oldest son’s house.  I’m grateful not to have to host, this year.

In my garden

things are winding down.  The end of our gardening season is almost  here!  We still have some peanuts, a few tomatoes, and some peas/beans, but they won’t last much longer, especially with this heat.  I can’t say that I’ll be sad to see it all go.

last week’s butter beans

Just a quick note:

I’ve missed my blogging friends (and St. Simon’s Island) very much.  I hope to get back into a more regular blogging routine (and visit St. Simon’s Island) in the days ahead.  I’m looking forward to “life after gardening”.

Shared Quote
“Struggles can be our greatest blessings” (Andrew McCutchen, of Pittsburgh Pirates)  I know he’s right, but, sometimes, it’s hard to realize in the midst of the struggle.

A moment from my day

Some flowers from the garden…(they’re fading fast)

Closing Notes:

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July.

As we celebrate our independence, today, Lord, help America to remember that “freedom isn’t free”.  God bless the men and women who’ve bravely fought, and/or will continue to fight to keep us free.

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Thanks to Peggy Hostetler for hosting The Simple Woman’s Daybook Community.