WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE #667

Thank you Joyce.

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1. August 19th is National Aviation Day...do you like to fly? Last time you were on an airplane? The date is chosen in honor of the history and development of aviation, and celebrated on the birthday of Orville Wright. Have you ever been to the Kitty Hawk area of North Carolina? The city of Dayton in Ohio (their birthplace)

I believe the last time I flew was in April of 2025 for a wedding in Georgia. I don't mind flying, however the time spent at the airport can be frustrating. No, I haven't been to Kitty Hawk. 

2. In what area of your life do you tend to 'wing it'? Is this an area you should be winging? 

I'm not sure how to answer this one. I don't seem to know. 

3. A favorite book, song, or movie that relates to flight in some way? 

I'm going to say the movie Sully and Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver.

4. Soft serve, gelato, sherbet, fro zen yogurt, or good old fashioned ice cream...what's your pleasure? Your favorite flavor? How often do you indulge? 

Soft serve is good at a Dairy Queen. We stop sometimes when we travel.  However I do like a good old fashioned ice cream cone although I haven't had one in a long time. We also buy some chocolate covered ice cream bars from time to time. I don't indulge very often. I like vanilla. 

5. I never get tired of, seeing James, Adam, Gabby, Amber and Dylan. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

So the shot I had at the surgery center seemed to help but then I had some pain again.  I still need my ankle to be fixed. I see my doctor next week and also another foot doctor to see if I can have an ankle replacement. My doctor only does the ankle fusion. Either one has a recovery of 5 weeks. I'm really getting tired of these things. 

My lungs have been giving me a lot of issues too. I just had some x-rays done on Friday of my lungs for the pulmonary doctor. I went for blood work on Monday and saw my dermatologist yesterday. I go for a breathing test next week. 

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We had seen James over the weekend and he loves to look for things for me to buy on Amazon for him. So of course I can't help myself. So he received a package on Sunday and was so happy. 

MAMMOTH LAKES

These are the photos that were taken on the trip to Mammoth Lakes, CA when Mark, Adam and James went for 3 night starting on August 8th. They had a wonderful time and I'm so happy for them. 

They didn't catch any fish.

James can't wait to go back.

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE #660

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1. What do you love most about your country? 

The freedom we have. 

2. Your favorite patriotic song? 

I'm going to go with "God Bless America" but I also like "My Country, 'Tis of Thee

3. Red, white, or blue? Stars or stripes? Something you own besides a US flag with some combination of those colors or decorations as part of its design? 

Blue - Stripes - A Pillow 

4. What's one thing you want more of this summer: fun, rest, adventure, connection, quiet, or confidence? Elaborate. 

Fun with James but also the adventure of a trip to Montana to visit Amber and Dylan. 

5. What was your ultimate, go-to summer activity when you were a kid? Do you still do any version of that today? If you answered yes, does participating in this activity as an adult make you feel like a kid?  

I think riding bikes was a go-to summer activity for me. 

No, I do not ride a bike anymore. Well actually I have a recumbent bike.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We had the pleasure of having James spend the night with us last night. I will have to get back to you on how that went and what we did. 

Adam and Gabby picked up Jersey Mike's before arriving with James and we spent some time together. Today Mark is taking James to his cousins house and he will spend 2 nights with them. 

However, before that they will be going to Bass Pro Shop because James loves going there. It's on the way to their house. 

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE #658

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1. June 17th, 1994 was the day of the infamous O.J. Simpson car chase. What were you doing in 1994? I'm guessing somebody is going to tell me they weren't born yet but that's part of the fun of the Hodgepodge. Lots of generations are represented here. 

We were living here in California but we were in a different house in another town. Adam would have been 15 and Amber would have been 13. I know for sure that we were watching the case on TV. I believe he was guilty. 

2. What's your favorite summer salad that isn't the traditional tossed green lettuce kind of salad? Do you like fresh fruit in a salad (other than in a fruit salad of course)?

I don't have a favorite summer salad. We usually make our salads with romaine. No I don't like fresh fruit in my salad. I do like having canned chicken in my salad now. 

3. Is chivalry dead? Should it be? 

Online they say it is definitely dead but I'm sure that's not true in all cases.  They also say this: "Chivalry" has transitioned from men performing acts for women, to a broader, gender neutral expectation of respect, active listening and consideration. 

4. Would you rather spend a week of your summer vacation in Hawaii or Alaska? Have you ever been to either? Are they two places you really would like to see? How do you feel about 'Hawaiian pizza' aka pineapple on a pizza? Have you ever eaten Baked Alaska? 

I would say Hawaii. Adam, Gabby and James just got home yesterday from Hawaii. I have never been to Hawaii or Alaska. I am not into having a Hawaiian pizza and have never had baked Alaska. 

5. World Cup play is happening now...are you interested? Watching any matches? Did you or your children play soccer/futbol? There are eleven US cities hosting matches-

-Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York with the stadium in NJ, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle

along with  three cities in Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey)

and two in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver)-

You get free tickets to one of these matches. Which city do you choose? Tell us why.

I can't choose one. It would be fun to go to some of those cities that I've never been to. Obviously we could go to Los Angeles. If I have to pick then I pick Houston so we can visit family. I would love to visit New York again. 

We haven't watched it yet but I would like to see a game. Adam and Amber did not play soccer but James is a big fan and loves to play. He's really pretty good at it. 

 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm going to share a few photos from Adam, Gabby and James' beautiful trip to Hawaii....

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE #653

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1. What's one piece of advice you would give a recent or soon-to-be graduate?

 I'm not really sure what I would say. Maybe "Don't rush into anything! If you know what you want to do in the future then follow your dream."

2. May 15th marks the birth date of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. At this point in time are you more in need of brains, courage, heart, or a trip back home? Explain. 

 One of my favorite movies. I think I need courage with all the medical issues I am going through. I would love to see my sister in Florida but don't have any plans to travel. 

Back home would be nice so I could visit my family members who are buried there. That would be a suburb in Chicago. 

3.  "There's no place like home" is an often repeated line from Baum's book. When was the last time you felt the truth of that statement? 

Since I had to stop bowling a few years ago I am home a lot now. Home is great but I want more than that now. Because I've been home so much I find it hard to push myself to go out. I used to run errands each week after bowling. 

4. May is National BBQ Month...do you own a grill? Who does the grilling at your house? What's your favorite thing to throw on the grill? What's the last thing you grilled? 

Yes we have a grill and we use it often. Mark does all the grilling. He grills a lot of the meats we eat like pork chops, chicken and steak. Not that we have steak that often or the pork chops. I try to stay away from red meats. Anyway, we had chicken breasts on Monday night. 

He also makes a great meal of onions and colored peppers which are delicious. He also grills some Italian sausage with that. Those onions and peppers are cooked in a foil tray on the grill. 

5. What's a memory you replay in your head when you need a little joy? 

That's a hard one. I do have wonderful memories when I was young and going to my grandparents summer home in Michigan. We would walk to the little town and shop. 

I also have memories of my dad's cottage in Illinois. This is when our kids were young and growing up. We would often go on the weekends. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We had a lovely evening with Adam, Gabby and James for Mother's Day. We celebrated on Saturday night. Had a lovely dinner in downtown Orange, CA. That's the town they live in. I didn't get any pictures. 

 These are the gifts I received from Mark and the kids.

Here's some good news. We will be babysitting James and the dogs this coming weekend at Adam and Gabby's house. I can't wait. 

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My health issues are still going on. As I type this I am having lung issues today. I was at my doctor last Friday and he removed the bandages from my ankle. I had a spot that he had to squeeze out. He decided not to take the stitches out yet. I go on the 21st. I am still having pain. We will start steroid shots again but I'm not sure he is going to do it that day. 

I am still having issues with the sciatica in my left leg. Waiting for a call back from pain management to get an appointment. I am not a happy camper at this time. Your prayers are always appreciated. 

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE #652

Thank you Joyce.

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1. What's something you may do this month?

I'm not sure. I know we are going out to eat with Adam, Gabby and James on Saturday to celebrate Mother's Day. 

Mark will be going out of town on his yearly fishing trip to Canada with his brother. 

I'm not really sure about the dates for that yet. I believe he is going to stop and visit with his mom in Texas also. (I'm not ready to be alone right now with all that I've had going on.)

2. Hola! Hodgepodge Day lands just after Cinco de Mayo... how do you feel about Mexican food? What's your favorite dish? Do you make it at home or is it a strictly dine out option? 

I like Mexican food. We don't get it very often. We don't seem to go out to eat like we used to all the time before the pandemic started. We do end up getting some Taco Bell. No, we really don't make it at home. 

I like their Chicken Cantina Bowl. It's my favorite. 

However, Mark made a delicious meal in the crock pot on Tuesday called Chicken Enchilada.

3. When the children of today grow up what do you think they'll say about this time period? What do you most hope they remember? 

Seriously I can't even begin to think how they are going to feel about this time period. I don't like that AI is around. I hope James remembers Mark and I with great love as his grandparents. 

4. What advice would you give a new mother? 

Love your baby with all your heart. It's okay to let them cry themselves to sleep. It's okay if the house gets a little messy. Time flies by quickly and they grow up too fast. 

5. What's a phrase your mother often said to you? If you're a mom do you say it to your own children? 

I don't recall my mom saying a phrase to me. 

I just tell my children how much I love them all the time. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Adam, Gabby and James went out of town this past weekend. Gabby's sister's kids has some water polo finales. They went along to watch and they brought the dogs too. I believe they had cabins that they rented. They were in the San Diego area. Adam sent me a few photos. 

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE #647

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1. March is rolling on out of here. Sum up your March in ten words or less. 

March was kinda quite. Not a lot of doctor's appointments. However, for the past 8 days I have been dealing with lung issues. It's been extremely hard on me. 

I didn't want to go to the ER because they do nothing different than I do at home, except for a chest x-ray. 

2. Are you afraid of heights? When was the last time you found yourself dealing with a height, and did it make you nervous?

I can't say that I am but I imagine I could be. I can't remember anything dealing with height recently.

3. What's a word you struggle to spell on a regular basis, and sometimes need to double check before writing it down? Use the word in a sentence that tells us something about your April calendar. 

Nothing is coming to mind but I believe there are several. I'm always looking up the spelling of something.

Sorry, not a lot of answers from me today.  

4. Love 'em or hate 'em, with Easter comes the sweet treat known as Peeps. So... do you love 'em or hate 'em? Speaking of peeps, what's your favorite way to have chicken? 

I have enjoyed them in the past. Now they have a lot of flavors that also sound pretty good to me. 

I like chicken on the grill. We also like chicken from Costco from time to time. 

5. This week's Hodgepodge lands on the first day of April, which happens to be National Poetry Month. Do you like poetry?  Share a favorite line or two from one of your favorite poems. What makes this one a favorite? 

Poetry is okay but I can't say that I read it often at all. I will just have to go with.....

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Adam, Gabby and James are on a cruise with Gabby's sister, husband and their two kids. They went to Cabo San Lucas. They should be home today. 

T

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE #644

Thank you Joyce.

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1. Are you a naturally trusting person? Is trust built on logic or 'gut instinct'? Does everyone deserve a second chance? Elaborate. 

I believe that I am in most cases. I think it would be a gut instinct for me. No, I don't believe that everyone deserves a second chance. It obviously depends on what they did. 

2. 'Beware the Ides of March'...March 15th on the ancient Roman calendar, these words were made famous by William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar.  Caesar was assassinated on March 15th 44 B.C. Have you read any Shakespeare? If so, do you have a favorite? Have you ever been to Rome? 

I really haven't read William Shakespeare unless I had to in school. I have not been to Rome. 

3. Do you like a Caesar salad? If given the choice between a garden/house salad or Caesar which do you order? Anchovies or no? What's your favorite salad dressing? 

Yes, I enjoy a Caesar salad. I'm not sure which I would order but maybe I would pick a Caesar. No anchovies. 

I like ranch dressing and we usually have Caesar dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette along with Thousand Island in the house which I like on a burger. 

4. Where do you typically work (or blog if that's easier) at home? Do you have a dedicated home office space? Are you happy with that space? 

For some reason I like my Chromebook on the kitchen table but I do have a desk in my office. Right now I have an old Toshiba computer sitting there. It still works but hasn't had any updates in years. I like sitting at the table and I have a nice view outside from there. 

5. Snow drops, daffodils, lenten roses, crocus, hyacinth, or early tulips...what's your favorite early Spring flower? 

I will go with tulips but we don't have any growing in our yard. I would also like daffodils. We have several bushes planted that get little flowers on them which are nice. My favorites are our Bird of Paradise. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

So on Friday night, Mark, Adam, Gabby and James went to a hockey game. Gabby was given 4 tickets and because of my ankle, it would have been difficult for me to go anyway with all of the walking. However, I stayed at their house with the dogs. I didn't feel like sitting at home and at least I could see all of them. They had a great time. 

Then on Saturday James had soccer and he ended up getting the first goal and his team won 5 to 0. We were not there to see the game. 

On top of that, James got an award  Friday at school for math. We are so proud of him.