Summer's Last Gasp: The Weekly Hodgepodge

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

I read here four creative activities to try this month. They were-calligraphy, make your own cookbook, dance or learn a new type of dance, and letter writing. Which activity on the list appeals to you most? Will you add it to your August?

All of them appeal to me, but I'd say letter writing means the most.  I've actually been sending out letters and handwritten cards.  I want to do more of it.  They are much more personal than an e-mail, text, or direct message.

Bertrand Russell is quoted as saying, 'To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.' Agree or disagree? Explain. 

I had to read the statement several times to try to figure out what it meant.  I'm still not sure, but I'll dive in   Yes, we can be happy even if we don't get everything we want.  Some things we want are actually detrimental to us and we're better off without them.  However, if we go through life never getting anything we want, it will tend to depression and hopelessness.  Does not Scripture say in Proverbs 13:12, "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life"? 

August 17th is National Thriftshop Day...are you a 'thrifter'? If so, tell us about one of your best or favorite finds.

I do like to shop at thrift stores.  However, I don't look for clothes as much as I used to:  items never fit quite right, plus many tacky people donate smelly, faded,  unwashed clothes in need of mending, rather than viable wardrobe items.   

My favorite item to search for is books.  Years ago, I had a rather large book collection.  A "temporary poverty" (that lasted way too long) necessitated my selling most of my collection.  I've slowly been rebuilding it through thrift stores, library book sales, and used book purchases from Amazon.com.  Two of the most recent finds were the great classics Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon and The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

On a scale of 1-10 (with 1= almost none and 10=loads) how would you rate your sense of wanderlust? What kicks your wanderlust into high gear? 

I'd say a strong 9.50.  I'd love to travel; I simply don't have the wherewithal to venture too far from Calhoun Country right now.  This time of year when parents and kids are coming home from vacation and starting school makes me wish I'd gone on some adventurous trip.  Right now, my biggest adventure was my drive to Lincoln, Alabama this past weekend.  I told y'all, "I ain't never been nowhere."

Has life felt more like a marathon or sprint so far this month? How so?

A sprint.  This month is going by so quickly.  That's fine with me.  That means cooler weather, time outside, and football season are right around the corner.

What do you need to get a jump on before fall officially arrives? 

Nothing I can think of.

What's the last thing you did with friends or family where you lost track of time?

My sister-in-blog, Annie, and I talked on Skype for the first time last week.  It was delightful.  We looked up and had been talking for more than an hour.  It felt like mere minutes.  We're planning on making a habit out of it.

Insert your own random thought here. 

Last weekend, I participated in a 5k I'd never done before; the Historic Lincoln 5k in Lincoln, Alabama (thus my comment above).  Again, I was at the back of the pack, but I did it.  I could have done better, but portions of the course was very uneven ground.  Keeping my balance was more important than my finishing time.  Now, I'm in training mode until October.