Frailty, Thy Name is Pollen: The Weekly Hodgepodge

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What are two or three expectations you have of yourself?

• I expect to do a good job on anything I undertake.  I get extremely frustrated when anything gets in the way of it happening.
• I expect to be single the rest of my life.
• I expect to continue to read and learn until I leave this earth.

In what way does your outdoor space need sprucing up this spring?

It needs an overhaul that I intend to start on as soon as I get the brakes fixed on my car.  I need some kind of table on the back stoop and to repair or replace the swing.  Both the front and back need flowers, windchimes, and decorations.  I've got ideas, but I've got to make sure it fits in the budget.  I've also got to hose off all the pollen before I can even get started.

According to this site (Roadtrippers), six of North America's most wondrous waterfalls are-Webster's Falls in Ontario, Upper Whitewater Falls in North Carolina, Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon, Multnomah Falls in Oregon, The Lower Yellowstone Falls, and Niagara. Have you seen any on the list? Which one on the list would you most like to visit? Prettiest waterfall not on the list that you've seen in person?

All of those sound great, but they forgot about Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, Alabama.

Looking back, what's something you wish you'd done as a teenager?

So much regret.  Must we go there? 

Ham...yes please or no thank you? If you said yes please which of the following do you like best-baked ham with all the trimmings, a ham and cheese sandwich, prosciutto with melon, a ham biscuit, a bowl of split pea and ham soup, or a slice of pizza topped with ham and pineapple?

Baked ham with all the trimmings, but only on special occasions.

Are you typical of your generation? How so?

Absolutely not!  My peers and I are nothing alike.

April rolls in at the end of the week, and in keeping with that theme...'act the fool', 'nobody's fool', 'a fool's errand', 'could have fooled me'...which foolish idiom most recently applies to you? Explain.

Nobody's fool.  Lately I've run into too many people who assume I'm stupid and what I have  to say doesn't matter.  I'm used to it in everyday life; it's something to simply deal with...or not.  However, in a work situation, that can't fly.  My normal modus operandi of retreat and disappear will not get the job done and will only serve to keep me frustrated and unproductive.  At this point, I can't be a Golden Retriever, but I need to find my inner Lion. 

Insert your own random thought here.

At last!  I have completed my first book review of the year.  It's here.

Auntie's 2016 Bookworm Challenge 01

Book: The Tragedy of Hamlet:  Prince of Denmark.
 

Author: William Shakespeare

Info: Copyright 1958:  New York:  Simon and Schuster

Where acquired: Audio library checkout.

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 hashtags): # # # #

What it's about:  Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, sinks into a tragic depression and desperate actions as he plots to avenge his father's murder.

Favorite Quotes: 

"O, there has been much throwing about of brains."

"Frailty, thy name is woman!"

"Give me leave. Here lies the water; good: here
stands the man; good; if the man go to this water,
and drown himself, it is, will he, nill he, he
goes,--mark you that; but if the water come to him
and drown him, he drowns not himself: argal, he
that is not guilty of his own death shortens not his own life."

This passage:

HAMLET : How long will a man lie i' the earth ere he rot?

First Clown : I' faith, if he be not rotten before he die--as we
have many pocky corses now-a-days, that will scarce
hold the laying in--he will last you some eight year
or nine year: a tanner will last you nine year.

HAMLET: Why he more than another?

First Clown:  Why, sir, his hide is so tanned with his trade, that
he will keep out water a great while; and your water
is a sore decayer of your whoreson dead body.

What I Liked:

• The narrator did not simply "read" the play; he spoke with proper emphasis and diversity of characters.  His English accent also helped.
• Like The Tragedy of MacBeth, this play included a section of comic relief; the clowns in the graveyard.  Yes, it's a tragedy, but all tragedy needs some comedy to keep it from being completely depressing.

What I didn’t like: 

• A few sections were hard to follow.  For example, I didn't get the death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (which sounds like a law firm).  Why were they killed? How?
• What happened to Bernardo and Francisco (whose names kept changing in the play from what I could tell)?  They seemed to simply vanish.

To sum up:  For several years, I wanted to get back to reading Shakespeare (I'd read a couple of his plays in high school).  The opportunity arose when a professor friend of mine invited me to his lecture on Hamlet.  I thought, "well, I'd better read it so I'll know what's going on."  I enjoyed the read and look forward to more chances to read from Shakespeare, and hopefully, to see a play in action.

Five Minute Friday: "Alive"

Our Mistress of Ceremonies for the Five Minute Friday is Kate over at Heading Home.  Hope you link up with us and join the fun.

GO! 

I've watched many a weight loss story video.  All of them seem to carry the same theme:  All of the participants who have any success say the same thing, "I feel so alive.  I have my life back!"

Life back?

Back...which implies they had a life, lost it, then "got it back."

That's all well and dandy, but I've never seen anyone like me--one who's never had a "life" to "get back." 

I've not had many instances where I've felt truly alive.  Those few I've had were extremely short lived (no pun intended).  Either that, or I don't understand the criteria.

Yes, because of Christ's sacrifice, I will live forever with Him in heaven; I'd just kind of like to enjoy the trip more.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. - John 10:10

STOP!

Measure Twice, Cut Once: The Weekly Hodgepodge

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Has spring sprung in your little corner of the world? Other than the calendar how would I know? What's your favorite thing about spring?

Most definitely.  You would know by all the green and blooming things.

My favorite things about springs:

• It ain't winter
• Flowers beginning to bloom
• Warmer temperatures
• More frolicking outside
• Fresh air flowing through open windows

Besides the weather, what's put a spring in your step recently?

I know she said "besides the weather," but the weather's what's done it.

How does Easter impact you?

The true meaning of Easter impacts me eternally.  Without the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I wouldn't have any hope--not here, nor in the hereafter.

The celebrations of Easter will affect me physically.  The whole cadre of musicians and choir members are leading both services.  That means Auntie better eat her Wheaties. 

I saw this somewhere on Facebook and thought it would make a fun Hodgepodge question. Which of the following would you find most disappointing... a just stuffed taco shell breaking open and spilling out before you take the first bite? dropping a just-purchased Starbucks/ Dunkin Donuts coffee? opening the peanut butter jar and finding it empty? upending onto the sidewalk a just-purchased ice cream cone? a burnt bagel popping up in your toaster when you're rushing breakfast? or cutting into an avocado and finding out it's rotten? 

Cutting into an avocado and finding out it's rotten!  Finding it under-ripe is bad enough.

What's something held together with tape at your house? Or a paper clip? Or a wing and a prayer?

The washing machine.  The best way I can describe this is the "peg" on the lid of the machine that hits the "sensor" that tells the machine the lid is closed so it will spin has to have tape on it or the machine won't finish a cycle.  Pain the butt to keep taping it, but cheaper than getting it fixed or buying a new machine.

Do you feel underappreciated? In what way?

Honestly, yes.  But you didn't hear me say that.  I'll get accused of being a pretentious ass for answering honestly.  Oh well.  Next question.

What's something you'd build if you knew how?

A house from the ground up along with all the furnishings.  Unfortunately, carpentry and I don't get along.  Mix no formal training along with not doing well with skills that require exact measurements.  You know the old adage "measure twice, cut once"?  Give me a piece of wood and a saw and I'll measure twice, cut it wrong, measure twice again, cut it too short, measure again...Crap!  Give me another piece of wood!

Insert your own random thought here.

I have my first Grand Prix race this weekend.  Like a fool, I signed up for the Canyon Climb 5 mile race.  What the Sam Hill was I thinking? 

Five Minute Friday: "Surprise"

Our Mistress of Ceremonies for the Five Minute Friday is Kate over at Heading Home.  Hope you link up with us and join the fun.

GO! 

"What a pleasant surprise!"

That's what I want.

Surprises that bring joy instead of pain.  They don't have to be spectacular surprises; they can be perfectly ordinary.  I got one today.

From my Facebook page today:

Put this in the "God cares about the small stuff" category. Went to our Honduras yard sale and saw two boxes of the HP printer cartriges I use. A package with one color and one black normally costs around $80 (which is why I haven't printed anything for months). These were $4.00 altogether; one pack with one color and one black, the other with 3 black and 1 color. I put in the first pack; the color one worked, but the black one was dried out. Took a black one out of the other package. Boom! Working like a charm. Even if the other ones in the remaining package don't work, I've more than gotten my money's worth. So, whomever donated those THANK YOU!

How much joy it must bring the Father to give us glorious surprises in the mundane, a reason to dance where no one else sees one, smiling right at the center of a dadgum mess.  The Bible says that God answers prayers of faith so that our joy may be full (John 16:23-24).  I'm sure it makes His joy full for us as well.  Why?  because we are willing to ask for something small, only to be surprised by how big He answers.

STOP!

They Call Me Tater Chip: The Weekly Hodgepodge

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

What do you think about luck?

I'm not a fan of it; it's too fickle.

Not counting your own backyard, what's a favorite green space in your town, city, or state?

Now, you KNOW I'm going to bring up the Chief Ladiga Trail.

How do you make your life more complex than it needs to be?

I try to do too much.  When I've got energy, I want to do as much as I can before I get tired.  Another thing is that I play the "what if" game too much.  Both my mind and body play crappy little tricks on me and complicate things.

I read here the three places you should visit with friends. They are-New York City, Hawaii, and Amsterdam (rent a bike, walk along the canal, visit one of their world class museums). I felt the need to expound on that one. Moving on...Of the three places listed which would you most like to visit with friends? What's one place not on the list you think should be visited with friends?

Most all of my friends are married, so it wouldn't make sense for us to all be travelling together.  However, I would like to visit New York and see the sights.  Hawaii sounds nice too. 

What's the last live performance you saw? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being best) how would you rate it?

I saw the CAST performers in the play The Miracle Worker at the McClellan theater last month. I'd give the performance a seven (only because I've seen the movie a dozen times).

March 14th is National Potato Chip Day. Are you a fan? Your favorite flavor? Besides potato, what's your favorite chip type of snack?

Yes, I like Potato Chips.  I'm not picky about the brand, but I do like the rippled ones the best.  My other favorite types of chippy snacks are Cheetos and Mission brand Tortilla Chips.  Joyce, you're making me hungry.  :)

What rule is most important in your home?

I'm not in this.

Insert your own random thought here.

In celebration of Saint Patrick's Day, I share my favorite video about the celebration.

Five Minute Friday: "Share"

Our Mistress of Ceremonies for the Five Minute Friday is Kate over at Heading Home.  Hope you link up with us and join the fun.

GO! 

I've heard many ministers say that life shouldn't be done alone.

We're doing a series at church called "The Big Picture," where were are starting at the beginning at working through God's story--how he created the universe and all that He did to establish relationship with us, his family.

One thing that I've been thinking about is why did God make women. 

Hear me out.

Adam should have been perfectly fine with it being just him and God.  Perfect Father and sinless son, creating together, laughing together, fellowshipping in the "cool of the day."

Then there's Eve.

She screwed everything up.

I'm one of Eve's daughters.

So what does this have to do with the prompt, darling?

I'm getting to it.

Adam had God; he didn't need to share his life with anyone. 

Apparently God thought he did.

One of the secrets to a successful health journey (or any life journey for that matter) is to find you "why."  Those who've found it often relate it to someone significant they are sharing life with.  I want to get healthy for my wife/husband, kids, etc. 

 

STOP!


And I continue...

Pictures of happy families that would be even happier if said family member improved a necessary portion of his life plaster walls and Instagram accounts.

Who am I sharing life with?  How do I find a why in a life where I am no particular significance to anyone?  Sure, I'm funny, talented, and a hard worker, but what happens if that is threatened or disappears?  I can only share so much life online.  Who can I share life with face to face?

Bring on the Chicks: The Weekly Hodgepodge

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

March is National Women's History Month. In that vein, who are three women who've been influential in your life? How so?

Ok, women of history, or women in my own life?  If they mean women of history, I would say Harriet Tubman, Anne Sullivan, and Susan B. Anthony.  All three of these women worked in their own way to bring freedom to others.  Freedom from racial slavery, freedom to thrive as a disabled individual, and freedom to have a voice in governmental decisions regardless of gender.

In what ways do you think women have it easier than men? 

They don't...except in the context of marriage.  A woman can completely rule over and emasculate her husband and be praised for it.  If a man treated his wife the same way, he'd be in jail.

What do you need most right now: faith, love, hope, or peace?

I need more of them all, but what I need most currently is love and peace.  In some of the materials I'm reading, it's advised that one gives himself what he needs and not wait on someone who may or may not be there.  How do I give myself love and affirmation without feeling like an arrogant snot? 

Do you have a collection? If so, what do you collect and why?

I've been slowly restocking my book collection.  I lost most of my books during a really low time in my life when I had to sell as much stuff as possible to keep the lights on and gas in the car.  I've been careful to go to thrift stores, and search amazon.com to find good deals so that I don't wreck my budget. 

My second biggest collection is 5k t-shirts.  If I felt froggy, I would make a quilt out of them. There are companies that do that, but the price if too steep right now.

Plaids, checks, polka dots, stripes...your favorite?

Plaid (tartan), however I like cute polka dot patterns for baby items I want to make, and I like red checked table cloths.  Yes, I know I'm country.

Me at 11 years old

In what ways are you the same as your childhood self? 

• I'm still fat. 
• I still have a vivid imagination. 
• I still don't color in the lines. 
• I'm still suspicious of people. 
• I still listen to most of the same music.

You're a contestant on the TV game show Jeopardy. What category will you ace? 

80's music

Insert your own random thought here. 

Life has been nuts (in a good way, mostly).  I've been so busy I've barely had time to do anything but work, eat, sleep, and work out.  Things are starting to calm down, plus I'm making some changes to my schedule that will make things more manageable.  **fingers crossed**

Lent Photo A Day 23: "Seeds"

Malachi 2:15 - And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

This passage of Scripture is a beautiful picture of what marriage and family is all about.  Too bad it's been used to perpetuate the erroneous notion that all women are put on earth to simply breed.

This is the latest picture of Auntie's babies.  They've grown up a lot since our last Auntie's Day Out, haven't they?  They are the closest thing I have to "seed."  What is my spiritual legacy with them, if any?  Will they grow up knowing God's love, or only Auntie's love?  Is that even my place?

Sigh:  These just aren't taking me where I thought they would.  I think I'll let it go.

March Madness: The Weekly Hodgepodge

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After a week's hiatus, Mrs. Joyce's hodgepodge questions are back.

February ended with an extra 24 hours in 2016. What did you do with your bonus day?

After a very long day at work filled with computer problems, I took my stiff tired self down to Oxford Lake to walk a couple of miles on their track.  The walk wasn't memorable, but the scenery sure was.

What's something in your life that's grown by leaps and bounds in recent days, weeks, months, or years? I'm giving you lots of room to come up with an answer here, so no fair passing on this one.

Knowledge:  Bible knowledge, knowledge of technology, I'm also gaining more knowledge on how to best take care of myself so that I can help others.  Yes, it's grown, but I'm still not where I need to be.

Do you read reviews about a film before deciding if you'll see it? Did you watch The Oscars this year, and if so your thoughts on the program? How many of the Best Picture nominees had you seen prior to the broadcast? (Spotlight, The Martian, The Big Short, The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road, Room, and Brooklyn) If you watched The Oscars who gets your award for 'best dressed'?

I haven't been to a new movie in a long while.  I do like to hear from others about a movie before I see it.  No, I didn't watch the Oscars, nor have I seen any of the nominated movies.  They had a movie night at the church to see War Room a couple of weeks ago, but only the 50-ish crowd was invited, so I didn't go. 

When did you last have overnight houseguests? Give us your top three tips on being a good houseguest.

I'm kind of a houseguest where I currently live, so I can't answer that one.

March 2nd is Peanut Butter Lover's Day. Will you be celebrating? If so, would you prefer a home made peanut butter cookie, a Reese's peanut butter cup, an old fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or shall I just hand you a jar and a tablespoon?

No, I won't be celebrating, but if I did, I'd really enjoy a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  Though I don't need it.

Why is failure important? Or isn't it?

Please, no requests for depressing dissertations.  Thanks.

Share with us one fun thing on your March calendar.

My first 5k of the season is this Saturday.  It's the Parker Memorial Pancake 5k.  Part of our goodies for running is a free ticket to the Kiwanis Club pancake breakfast, so I'll be attending that.  We'll see how the month progresses and what other fun I can find.

Insert your own random thought here.

Monday's Lent Photo A Day word was healing.  I need some.  Now.