Skeeter Beater: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Want to join the party?  Go on over to From This Side of the Pond  for the Hodgepodge link-up!

June is National Great Outdoors Month. Have you spent any time appreciating the great outdoors this month? If so where, and if not do you have any plans to enjoy the great outdoors before the calendar turns?

Not yet.  With getting ready for my trip, taking my trip, and now recovering from my trip, I've not made time to get outside.  Short morning bike rides and evening walks on the Ladiga Trail are on the schedule in a couple of days.  Sitting on the porch sounds great, but I need some Off! The 'skeeters are fierce this year.

What's a current hot button issue for you?

Employment.  'Nuf said.

What's a food or treat that 'disappears like hotcakes' in your house?

For me, almonds.  I've had to start purchasing them more often, but in smaller quantities since Wal-Mart thinks we're stupid enough to believe charging the same price for 12 ounces of almonds they were previously charging for 16 ounces is considered a "Rollback" deal.  Really?

How hot is too hot?

It's not really a specific temperature, but a feeling.  When I was in Oklahoma, the temperatures were comparable to those in Alabama.  However, there is much less humidity in Tulsa than in Weaver, so it wasn't as oppressive.  The southern combination of heat and humidity are like running around with a wet quilt wrapped around me.  Or, as one comedian put it, "It's like walking around the inside of a dog's mouth."

Do you have an artistic outlook on life? What does that mean to you?

Definitely.  I've been asking God to help me see the hidden beauty around me and the ability to express it in art.  I have to remember to not be married to one specific medium of expression.  Also, to stop and experience the realms of beauty that stimulate all the senses, not simply the visual.  By the way, one of my fellow bloggers, Annie, wrote an excellent piece on that very thing.  If you're interested, it's here.

What's one question you'd like to ask your father, or one you wish you could ask your father?

My dad, ML Maddox

I wish I could ask my dad what his childhood was like.  He didn't talk about it much that I remember.  I'm sure he would be able to tell me about the rough times, but he was also magnificent at telling funny stories.  I would love to hear about all the mischief he got into.

Something you learned from your father?

I learned a lot about cars from my father.  Now, let me be clear, I can't change a tire, check my transmission fluid (the dipstick is too short), or fix anything, but my ears are good at diagnosing trouble.  Daddy taught me how to listen to the sounds a car makes (or doesn't make).  If something sounded amiss, he could usually tell you what's wrong (and no, he couldn't fix anything either--but he could change a tire).  I learned the same thing. 

Insert your own random thought here.

I don't have any inspiring salient comments right now, but I do have a song to share.  Everybody and their grandma may know this one already, but I heard it for the first time this weekend.