Fourth Down: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Join the fun! 

Come on over to 

From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

 

This week, Miss Joyce gave us questions focusing on the number four in honor of her grandson, who she affectionately refers to as "The Man Cub" who turned four recently.  Happy birthday, little dude!

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Four words that tell us something about your July?

Short:  After coming off of Commencement in May, it seemed like May and June would never end.  July, however, has gone by so quickly.  It seems weird that the first of August is Sunday.  School will start before we know it.

Long:  In the month of July, the Denver metropolitan area got less than two inches of rain and there's only slight chances of precipitation to close out the month.  Paired with wildfire smoke from Colorado and California and pollution held in the atmosphere by the mountains and long stretches of high temperatures has made for terrible air quality.  Getting outside has made me more tired than usual.  Add to that the cottonwood tress to which I am allergic, and my eyeballs don't love me anymore.  Here's hoping for a rainy fall ... that will hopefully keep the ragweed down.  Sheesh!

Fun:  Maintaining community is a hard process (especially in this environment), but so much fun.  I've had a great month of reconnecting with people I haven't talked to in a while and getting out a little.  I got a chance to go to the local paint and sip, Painting With a Twist, and paint a fun piece with Emily.  In the coming months, I'm hoping to contact even more family and friends.

Relaxing: With all the heat and the nuttiness with smoke and allergens, I've had no choice but to sleep and rest more.  However, I'm believing that it will help with my energy and stamina for the coming school year.  Along with my job as Admin, I'll be teaching my first Theology course online as an Adjunct Professor at CCU.  So, back in the teaching world I go.  Anybody got a box of Wheaties I can have? 

Four of your favorite summer foods?

Do drinks count?  If so, iced tea in limited quantities would be one. The others would be cherries, Palisade peaches (which are better than Georgia peaches and rival Chilton County, Alabama (Clanton) peaches, and any form of barbecue or cookout food.  BTW--my next big cooking celebration and experiment holiday is Labor Day, so stay tuned.

What were you doing at a quarter past four yesterday?  A.M.? Watching eyelid movies.  P.M.? I was still working at 4:15 p.m.

fore!, four letter word, four sheets to the wind, ten-four, 24/7, four eyes, these four walls....pick a 'four' phrase and tell us how you relate currently.

OK.  I've worn glasses since I was four (ironically), so "four eyes" does relate.  However, I've never found that phase funny.  When you hear it for twelve straight years of school, it gets old...really old, really fast.  "These four walls" relates more for a couple of reasons: One, I'm still in the process of decorating my apartment, so I look at the walls and think of ways to decorate, arrange, and re-arrange in ways that are more aesthetically pleasing.  Two, With the world still struggling to get out of pandemic mode, I'm wanting to find a way to get out more and away from the same four walls.

Something you own that is four years old? 

Nothing that I can think of.  The stuff I brought with me from Alabama is either older than four years, or doesn't exist anymore (i.e.: my last car that died, a couple of Bluetooth speakers that died, and some books that got ruined in the move...RIP).  The stuff I bought new after the move (almost everything) is less than four years old--I didn't move into my apartment until November of 2017.

Insert your own random thought here.

In case you missed it:  

*My last Hodgepodge post, "French Twist," is here.
*My latest Five Minute Friday post "Summer." is here.
*My latest Simple Woman's Daybook "A Buggy Full of Lemons," is here.
*My latest Auntie's Workshop post "Finishing and Fixing III," is here.
*My latest 2021 Flip and Sip Reading Challenge review of Love Does, is here.

A Buggy Full of Lemons: The Simple Woman's Daybook

If you would like to join in and post your own Daybook, please head on over to visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook

 

For Today: Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Looking Out My Window ...

I really like the texture of the bark of this tree outside my apartment.

 

One of the things I appreciate about our leasing office is that they plant

flowers every summer for us to enjoy.

 

I am Thinking...

• About variety packs and why companies don't use them anymore.  I remember the old Kellogg's cereal variety packs and how enjoyable they were.  I got to try all different kinds of cereal without having to buy a whole box of any one cereal.  I know that potato chip and oatmeal companies still make them, but there are other things like flavored water and craft supplies that need variety packs.  
• About adding Blogger's Ad Sense to my blogs. I'm not sure how it even works or whether I have any control over what gets advertised.   I'm sure I'd make a little extra money, but is it worth it?  I loathe the new trend of ads in EVERYTHING.  I can't even read some people's content because it's loaded with ads--video ads, audio ads that can blow an eardrum, and of course, the ads that take up half the webpage and cover up everything.  BTW--This doesn't make me want to read more, but to move on to another site.  I just don't know if I want to do that to y'all. What do you think?  Comment below.
  
• 
  About the important question, "who keeps stealing the little buggies?"  Whether it's the grocery store or Wal-Mart, the smaller grocery carts...er...little buggies are becoming an endangered species.  It's annoying.  I like having a cart buggy just the right size for when I need to buy more than what will fit in a hand basket, but not enough for a big buggy.  Even at the King Soopers right down from my apartment that has buggies that lock when someone tries to take them out of the realm of the parking lot, they are slowly disappearing  Y'all quit!
  
• If you are a regular reader of my blog, you've seen the posts from the prompts provided by Miss Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond.  As in my last post, Miss Joyce is fond of asking questions about travel.  Since my travel within the United States is limited and international travel is nonexistent, I'm very interested in visiting and learning about new places.  My question is: where would I be welcome?  Our last travel question was about France where I know I wouldn't be welcome (they don't take kindly to American tourists or people of color from anywhere).  Of course, it took a long time for me to feel welcome here in Colorado and there are places in my home state where I still wouldn't feel welcome. So, should I be content to stay in place or should I venture out and see more of the world?
  

I am Thankful for...

• For signing my first teaching contract at CCU.  
• For when I do ocassionally find "little buggies" at the store.
• For face-to-face meetings with friends complete with hugs, laughter, tears, and everything in between.
• For little kindnesses and secret little delights only God and I understand.
  

From the Workshop...  

See my latest post "Finishing and Fixing III" here.

From Auntie's Test Kitchen... Did you know that I've never made fresh lemonade?  It's true, I've only made it from Kool-Aid packets.  Years ago, I had some fresh lemonade that Miss Rosie, our church Secretary (or as she called it COI - Collector of Information).  It was so great that I asked her for the recipe...and waited nearly 20 years to muster the courage to make it myself.

The recipe is quite simple: Into a gallon container, place juice from 3 lemons and 2 1/2 to 3 cups sugar. Add water to 3/4 mark, stir good, add ice cubes and stir again. I cut up the lemon and add to the container but remove them if I store overnight because the lemon rind makes it bitter.

This recipe went by the wayside for so long because I didn't have the tools to make it "right"--no lemon juicer or gallon container.  I found an inexpensive one-gallon pitcher and decided to just juice the lemons by hand.  It was pretty good and may be even better using a juicer.  Don't just take my word for it.  I actually served it to people who had no idea that I didn't know what I was doing, and they liked it. 

I am Reading...  

 

The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith

Breaking the Pattern of Depression by Dr. Michael Yapko

Prevailing Prayer by Dwight L. Moody

15 Minutes Alone With God by Emilie Barnes

Completed volumes since my last Daybook: 

1. As You Wish:  Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
2. Be a People Person by John C. Maxwell 
   
3. Be All You Can Be by John C. Maxwell
4. The Ministry of Intercession by Andrew Murray
5. Depression is Contagious by Dr. Michael Yapko 
6. A Diary of Private Prayer by John Bailie
7. Soul Feast by Marjorie J. Thompson 
8. Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn for Kids by John C. Maxwell
9. The Rule of Saint Benedict by Saint Benedict of Nursia
10. Till He Come by Charles Spurgeon
11. Atomic Habits by James Clear -- a recommended read
12. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
13. The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola by Ignatius of Loyola
    
14. Sit Walk Stand by Watchman Nee
15. Follow the Leader by John C. Maxwell
16. The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius by Ignatius of Loyola

Favorite Quote(s) of the Week ... 

Yet when this morning prayer is finished, do not let me think that my worship is ended and spend the rest of the day forgetting you. Rather, from these quiet moments, let light and joy and power pour out and remain with me through every hour of this day. - John Bailie, A Diary of Private Prayer, p. 4.

I sometimes think it is about time to give up preaching to the ungodly and preach to those who profess to be Christians.  If we had a higher standard of life in the church of God, there would be thousands more flocking into the kingdom....What we want is to encounter God in prayer.  You are not going to reach the masses by great sermons.  We want to 'move the arm that moves the world.'  To do that we must be clear and right before God. - Dwight L. Moody, Prevailing Prayer, pages 11 and 49.

Now For Something Totally Different ...

Five Minute Friday word of the week:  Summer.

 

 

French Twist: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Join the fun! 

Come on over to 

From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

 
Tell us about one small blessing you have counted in the past week? 

One?  Nah. There have been several:

• Gala apples
• Ice cube trays
• Clean water
• Bosses with a sense of humor
• Mediocre food that still satisfies
• A paper coffee cup that doesn't leak
• Command hooks
• Lotion
• Chap Stick
  

Bastille Day is celebrated on July 14th...have you ever been to France? Any desire to visit there, and if so what would site or city would you most want to see? (pretend for a minute international travel isn't an issue) 

No, I've never been to France.  My desire to visit there comes with a bit of trepidation.  I've heard from more than one person that the French do not take kindly to American visitors, much less people of color from anywhere.  I don't speak French, so I would be in a world of hurt if I tried to visit there alone--which I would never do.

 

A food associated with France that you love? 

 

I'm extremely ignorant of French cuisine, so I can't really answer this question (Yes, I do know that French fries aren't really French.  I'm not that stupid.).   As a kid, I loved to watch Julia Child on PBS.  I had no idea what kind of food she was making; I just enjoyed watching her antics in the kitchen.  One thing I wish I could do is experience food from different countries and take cooking classes on said food.  I don't even know if they do that here in Colorado.

Something you recently purchased where a coupon was involved? Do you regularly shop with coupons? 

 

I use coupons all the time.  Now, I'm not an extreme couponer or anything like that.  If there is a coupon for something I plan to buy (groceries, craft supplies, etc.), I use it.  I get coupons in the mail and through e-mail from stores I frequent.  I can't take up hours and hours hunting and clipping coupons for items I don't need or even want simply because there's a coupon for it. I am brand conscious about very few items, so I save money by buying the generic or "off brand" version of an item.  Usually, the prices on these are cheaper than the name brand with a coupon.

You have to give something away this week...what will it be? 

 

Well, it depends on what someone needs or wants that I can give.

Insert your own random thought here.

In case you missed it:  

*My last Hodgepodge post, "Salty Dog," is here.
*My latest Five Minute Friday post "Summer" is here.
*My latest Simple Woman's Daybook "Junior Asparagus," is here.
*My latest Auntie's Workshop post "Finishing and Fixing II" is here.
*My latest 2021 Flip and Sip Reading Challenge review of Love Does  is here.

Five Minute Friday: "Summer."

 

 

Luke 9:25 (NIV) - "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?"  

The Monkees "The Door Into Summer" was among my favorite songs when I was a teenager (this was their resurgence in the 80s--I'm not that old).  While I still enjoy the Nesmith/Dolenz harmonies, the great blend of the instruments, and of course, the prominent bass line I would love to learn, the lyrics (that I didn't understand when I was younger) speak of gloomy regret:

[Verse 1]

With his fool's gold stacked up all around him
From a killing in the market on the war
The children left King Midas there, as they found him
In his counting house where nothing counts but more

[Chorus]

And he thought he heard the echoes of a penny whistle band
And the laughter from a distant caravan
And the brightly painted line of circus wagons in the sand
Fading through the door into summer

[Verse 2]

With his travelogues of "maybe next year" places
As a trade-in for a name upon the door
And he pays for it with years he cannot buy back with his tears
When he finds out there's been no one keeping score

(Lyrics by Chip Douglas and Bill Martin.  Copyright 1967)

To me, the "door into summer" speaks of the fun moments and joys of life that were traded for "fool's gold" and "a name upon the door."  I can easily shake my head at such nonsense and lament over someone wasting their life on doing nothing but seeking riches and status while ignoring simple joys and the possibility of friendship and love. But what am I trading for a chance to step through the "door into summer"? I've never been rich or been important enough to have my name on the door (Ok, I had a name plate on my cubicle at work, but that's not the same).  The past 18 months have found me fighting the temptation to trade my soul (mind, will, and emotions) for following arbitrary, fear-filled rules and regulations; trading mental and physical health for vegging in front of escape entertainment; and trading loving friendship for depressing isolation and incessant scrolling through "anti-social" media.  

My "door into summer" isn't about a season, it's about an attitude. Even with the great things that happened in 2020 and the tragic events in my own family, I can't shake the feeling that the year was a wash and never really happened. I can't shake the feeling that I literally lost a year.  Joel 2:25 (NIV) says, "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten." My "door into summer" is regaining the attitude of summer fun and joy, regaining what I lost, and keeping that "door" open all year long.

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In case you missed it:  

* My last Five Minute Friday post "Quiet" is here.
* My last Wednesday Hodgepodge post, "Salty Dog" is here.
* My last Simple Woman's Daybook post "Junior Asparagus," is here.
* My latest 2021 Flip and Sip Reading Challenge review of Love Does is here.
* My latest Auntie's Workshop post "Finishing and Fixing II" is here.

Salty Dog: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Join the fun! 

Come on over to 

From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

July 5th is National Hawaii Day...have you ever been to Hawaii? Any desire to visit or make a return trip? Pineapple, mango, or guava...what's your pleasure? 

I've not yet been to Hawaii, but I think I would really enjoy it if I did go.  I like pineapple and mango, but I'm not sure if I've ever had guava.  Sounds good.

Last time you were 'thrown in at the deep end'? Explain. 

This fall, I will be thrown into the deep end of adjunct teaching at CCU.  My only previous teaching experience has been with preschoolers or adult Bible study participants, so this is all new to me.  I'm excited, but nervous at the same time.

Sun, sea, sand, salt...your favorite when it comes to summer? 

Well. since I don't normally have opportunities to go to the beach, I can't really answer this question.  If budget was not an obstacle, I would love to get together with friends here and in Alabama and go down to Orange Beach for a girl's getaway.  That would be awesome and I would enjoy it all.

Bury your head in the sand, the sands of time, draw a line in the sand, pound sand, shifting sands...pick one and tell us how the phrase currently relates to your life in some way.

I've been in a creative slump lately, so as of right now most things feel like pounding sand. This is the first time this month that I've published a blog post or started a new creative project.  Not sure where the "blockage" is--I've got tons of ideas, but not much energy to carry them out.

On a scale of 1-10 (1 = make your own rules and 10=like a warden), how strict were your parents? If you're a parent where on the scale do you land? 

I'd say five out of ten.  My parents had definite rules and expectations of behavior.  However, they weren't overly strict.  In all fairness they didn't have to be because I was they type of child who wanted to please and not rock the boat.  I only a had a VERY brief rebellious phase of attention-seeking bad behavior.  When I got the type of attention I didn't want, I straightened up pretty quickly. 

Insert your own random thought here.

In case you missed it:  

*My last Hodgepodge post, "Cutie Patootie," is here.
*My latest Five Minute Friday post "Quiet" is here.
*My latest Simple Woman's Daybook "Junior Asparagus," is here.
*My latest Auntie's Workshop post "Finishing and Fixing II" is here.
*My latest 2021 Flip and Sip Reading Challenge review of Love Does  is here.