Government Cheese: The Weekly Hodgepodge

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From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

Big week in the US of A...do you do your own taxes? What's something you've found 'taxing' lately? 

Absolutely not.  I probably could learn, but this is one of those areas that's best that I trust the professionals and save my self time and consternation.

I'm going to just leave this here... 

I'm feeling a little on the "taxed" side right now.  Though I'm busy all year at my full-time job, spring is my busiest season.  With commencement and all of the end of the school year reports and preparations, I'm ready for a long break.  I've been taking a vacation day here and there and having some long weekends, but I need some extended time away from my desk.  I've already put in for my summer break at the end of May, so that should do the trick.

When it comes to travel are you a last minute packer or a lay it all out a week in advance type? Do you struggle to pack light? Share a packing tip that has worked for you. 

At present I don't travel enough to share any tips, but when I do travel, I mull over what I need to bring while trying to keep it light.  I pack what I can a few days ahead (some things like medicines have to wait until the day of). 

April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Hmmm...who knew it got its own month? Do you like a grilled cheese sandwich? What ingredient do you add to take yours to the next level?

I enjoy the occasional grilled cheese sandwich.  I don't add anything special to it--just Colby-Jack cheese between slices of wheat bread, cooked with either butter or Blue Bonnet spread.  Hey, I'm simple; I grew up eating grilled cheese sandwiches made with "government cheese" and white bread, so my sandwich now is an upgrade.  

What would be the "next level" of a grilled cheese without turning it into a melt or panini?

There's a well known quote that says, "A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." - John A. Shedd.  Is constant growth necessary or do you think it's more important to prioritize stability and peace in your life? 

Stability and peace come with growth.  I believe that regular periods of growth are more achievable than  constant growth.  Stagnation leads to undesirable regression. 

Let's wrap this up with a fun spring this or that-

• daffodils or tulips? Yes.
• lemonade or iced tea?  Mix them to make an Arnold Palmer.
• gardening or hiking?  Gardening (of sorts).  I'm looking forward to being able to safely put annuals in my flower pots in front of my apartment.
• ladybugs or butterflies?  In nature?  Both.  To paint?  Butterflies.
• umbrella or raincoat?  Stay in the house out of the rain.
• floral patterns or polka dots?  Floral patterns.

Insert your own random thought here. 

In case you missed it:  

• My previous Hodgepodge post "Fake Spring 2026" is here.
• My latest Weekly Digest "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" is here.
  
• My latest First Line Friday post:  #43 - Looking for the King by David Downing is here. 
• My latest Five Minute Friday post:  "Lazy" is here. 
• My "2026 Baby Got Stacks" reading challenge is here.  (Updated regularly).  
• My "26 for 2026" challenge is COMING SOON. (Updated regularly)
• My "26 for 2026" art challenge is COMING SOON.  (Updated regularly). 

Fake Spring 2026: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Join the fun! 

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From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

 

From Pinterest

It's officially spring in the northern hemisphere. Does it feel like spring in your part of the world? If you're in the southern hemisphere it's officially autumn where you live. Does the weather say autumn? Which do you prefer-spring or autumn? Why? 

Here in Colorado, we've seen every season in rapid succession.  So far this month we've gone from snow and freezing temps to summer-like temperatures near 90 degrees.  The Bradford Pear Trees are blooming and the birds are singing, but I'm not fooled.  We've gotten snow as late as the week before Memorial Day.

What's your favorite thing about spring? 

Even if it is Colorado's traditional "fake" spring or the real one, getting outside for sun and fresh air is so invigorating.  The longer days means the mulligrubs are better held at bay.  Late May is also when I take my yearly week-long spring stay-cation. This season presents so much to thoroughly enjoy and eagerly anticipate.

Spring into action, spring in your step, spring to life, spring to one's feet...which spring idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain.  

Actually, "spring cleaning" seems to be more apropos.  I'm not just speaking of the physical cleaning of the home (although I'll be slowly doing that too).  I'm thinking more of a clean reset both mentally and physically.  I'm in a good place, but though we've had a mild winter so far, this year has had a very slow start.   

Which spring food from this list is your favorite? What's a dish you like that includes your favorite spring ingredient? asparagus, strawberries, salad greens like mesclun (spring mix), artichokes, spinach, eggs, peas, spring onions.

Out of the list, spinach is my favorite...although I have been craving deviled eggs lately.  Speaking of spinach, one way I like to use it is in protein shakes.  However, the company that made the whey protein power I used went out of business a couple of years ago.  I am now on the hunt for vanilla whey protein powder that doesn't contain artificial sweeteners and doesn't cost as much as a full bill of groceries.  The closest I've come is the Naked Whey on Amazon.  However, it's only 16 ounces of powder (only about 12 servings) and costs almost $30 a canister.  Yikes!  I may have to give up on the idea of protein shakes a little while longer.

What's one task on your spring cleaning list? Do you actually have a list? 

From Google

I have a list of sorts in my head.  The big nagging cleaning task I've been putting off is cleaning the interior of my car.  It's organized enough, but it needs a good wipe down and vacuuming.  I can go to the car wash to clean the outside of the car, but I can't figure out how to use the car vacs for the inside. So I have to use a small broom and dustpan to clean the floorboard and seats.  Our apartment complex doesn't have any outside electrical outlets (that I can find), otherwise I'd use the attachments on my vacuum cleaner.

Insert your own random thought here. 

In case you missed it:  

• My previous Hodgepodge post "Flat as a To-Do List" is here.
• My latest Weekly Digest "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" is here.
  
• My latest First Line Friday post:  #43 - Looking for the King by David Downing is here. 
• My "2026 Baby Got Stacks" reading challenge is here.  (Updated regularly).  
• My "26 for 2026" challenge is COMING SOON. (Updated regularly)
• My "26 for 2026" art challenge is COMING SOON.  (Updated regularly). 

Flat as a To-Do List: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Join the fun! 

Come on over to 

From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

From Volume 641:

Pancakes...are you a fan? Syrup or no syrup? Plain, blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, or some other add in? Are pancakes on your menu this week? 

I'm a big fan of pancakes.  My favorite recipe for them is here. My preferred way to eat them is topped with fruit and with a side of scrambled eggs.  I'll eat them with syrup or little honey if fruit is in short supply.  This week I do plan to make a batch and freeze the extras.

Tell us about a time recently when you felt 'spread too thin'. 

From Pinterest

This past couple of months have felt that way to some extent.  Along with my full-time job, I taught a course at the university, so I've not had much time left for blogging or other creativity.  The winter weather here in Colorado has been very mild, so I have been getting out and walking as much as I can.  So that's something.

There's always tasks to complete on my job, but this is the beginning of my "busy season."  The university as a whole is preparing for commencement, and the College of Adult and Graduate Studies is preparing their portion of the annual board of trustees report (what I lovingly call the "Big Bad BOT Book").  I have a list of related tasks a mile long to get done.

To keep my sanity (and my hair), I'm planning some mini vacations before my yearly week-long vacation the end of May.      

From Volume 642: 

Three sounds you love to hear? 

1. The laughter of children.
2. Any good music.
3. The morning crows, magpies, and geese that have been chiming through my windows lately. 

Three sounds you hate to hear? 

1. The screeching of tires.
2. Any loud-pitched noise.
3. The strident belting out of unnecessary vulgarity.  Y'all know that I'm no prude and I come from a very "cussy" family (and I even let one fly every once in a while), so it takes a lot of potty language to get me ruffled.  Some folks don't have any larger vocabulary than the F-word.  Come on, you're better than that.

From Pinterest

We March into March with next week's Hodgepodge...what's one thing on your March calendar that makes you smile? 

It's not on my calendar yet, but March 23-27 is the on-campus student's Spring Break.  The online students do not have a spring break this year (it happens occasionally). However, Lord willing (and I can swing it), those days will be my spring break.. If not, I'll take days closer to Good Friday since we get that holiday off anyway.  

Insert your own random thought here.  

In case you missed it:  

• My previous Hodgepodge post "The Skip Ad Button" is here.
• My latest Weekly Digest "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" is here.
  
• My latest First Line Friday post:  #43 - Looking for the King by David Downing is here. 
• My "2026 Baby Got Stacks" reading challenge is here.  (Updated regularly).  
• My "26 for 2026" challenge is COMING SOON. (Updated regularly)
• My "26 for 2026" art challenge is COMING SOON.  (Updated regularly). 

The Skip Ad Button: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Join the fun! 

Come on over to 

From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

 

Do you struggle with the commercialization of the holiday season? What helps you keep your focus when the season’s busyness and commercialism start to take over?

Quite honestly, I'm bombarded with so many advertisements in my daily life that I've become irritatingly numb to it all.  No, seriously, I can't play a game, watch a video, listen to a podcast, partake of any social media, or even enjoy come calming music--even if I bought it--without being jarred mercilessly by some goober screaming at me to buy something I don't want, need, or care about.  Thank the Lord for the occasional "Skip Ad" button.

I don't know if it's because of a lifetime of fighting abject poverty, or having practical parents who reared us by the words of the Rolling Stones, "You can't always get what you want.  But if you try sometime you'll find you get what you need," or a combination of both, but the attitudes of excessive consumerism and overconsumption present not only during Christmas but year-round depress me--they literally hurt my soul.

I know it's become a cliche, but I've learned that having things isn't wrong, but when things have me, I'm in deep trouble.  When having the next big thing is more important than connecting with a neighbor, when standing in line at 4:00 in the morning and pushing people out of the way to buy a tumbler that costs more than a tank of gas when you can buy that same tumbler for $13 at Hobby-Lobby without the famous name on it means more than showing up at 9:00 a.m. to worship God, and when having friends is based on who looks good and has goods takes precedence over who is good to others, this person's existence is one dimensional and quite sad.

What keeps me grounded are the words of Agur:  "Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God" (Proverbs 30:7-9, Holy Bible:  New International Version). My goal in life is to have enough to be well taken care of so that I can be more generous to others in need.

What's one small thing you want to savor before the year ends? 

 

Time with people.  I had a good friend here in Colorado suddenly pass away the day before Thanksgiving.  It was tragic and totally unexpected.  She'd invited me to spend the holiday with her family, but it wasn't to be. This makes my desire to savor every minute of every face-to-face interaction with people more crucial.     

December 9th is National Christmas Card Day. Do you still send Christmas cards? If so does yours include a photo or is it a more traditional card, or maybe homemade? How do you feel about the tradition of exchanging cards at the holidays? If Hanukkah is the holiday you celebrate in December do you send cards to mark the occasion? 

Ah, here's where I can safely ask the question that's been a burr in my saddle for a number of years.  I do enjoy sending/receiving cards whether homemade, customized through a printing service, or storebought.  Having family photos as part of, or an addendum to a card is nice.  However, I've got a real dilemma about the yearly "newsletter" type cards. 

Stick with me here.

If we're friends and see each other's events on social media and/or in-person, I find a family newsletter redundant (and depending on who it is and how it's done, tacky). The ironic thing is that I don't get those kind of updates from anyone I'm not as closely connected to (where they would be welcome and informative).  This is where my question comes in:  would it be tacky for me to create a kind of yearly wrap up to send to my friends and family back home who may not see (or take time to read) a blog post or social media post?  No, I don't have cute kids, pets, or men to show off, and I don't have the self-inflated idea that my life is all that memorable or important.  In all honesty, I don't want to be forgotten and want to share even the little joys of my life that add up over the year with the people I love.

What's your least favorite holiday related task? What's your favorite? 

Sometimes decorating can be a pain, but not something I dislike.  I'm just not great at making my decorations look like a Normal Rockwell painting or a Hallmark card...and I don't care.  My favorite "task" is anything that I can create for the holidays, whether it's and arts/crafts project or a recipe.

Speaking of the holiday:  Instead of the 40 days of thanks I normally do on my blog, I'm doing a 30 day photo challenge over on Instagram.   Check it out if you're interested...or bored (at this point, I just appreciate the interaction).

Insert your own random thought here.

In case you missed it:  

• My previous Hodgepodge post "Plating It Up" is here.
• My latest Weekly Digest "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" is here.
  
• My latest First Line Friday post: #40: Put Your Dream to the Test by John C. Maxwell is here. 
• My "25 for 2025" challenge is here.  (Updated regularly)
• My "2025 I Can Only Blame MyShelf Reading Challenge" is here. (Updated regularly)

Plating it Up: The Weekly Hodgepodge

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From This Side of the Pond 

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Do you feel like you have a 'full plate' at the moment? In what way?

Yes, and no.  I finished up teaching a course a couple of weeks ago, so one huge thing was removed from my plate.  Now I'm heading into the fun season of a full plate.  I'm prepping for holiday celebrations and my upcoming two week Christmas break.  I'm also looking over my 25 for 2025 list to see what fun things are left to complete.

How did you learn to cook? If you have children did you teach or encourage them to cook? Do you like to follow a recipe or is your cooking style more 'let's wing it'.  

Most of my cooking skills came from observation mixed with trial and error.  I took Home Economics in 7th grade.  However, as I've mentioned previously, the teacher's "Pitchfork and Torches" technique of instruction did nothing for either my sewing or cooking skills. Fortunately my mom and my older sisters Ida and Margie were great examples to observe when I was younger.  I "inherited by osmosis" their propensity to be able to either follow a recipe to a T, or tweak it depending on what's needed.

Last time you bit off more than you could chew? Elaborate. 

Although I've been at this for four years, every new college course I teach feels that way to some extent. The students who dig deep and challenge me with questions aren't the problem--they are a delight.  The students who don't care, don't do the work, and have no respect for the subject (and sometimes the instructor) infuriate me and occasionally send me into existential dread.

Hey, I take theology seriously. 

When did you last say 'the more the merrier' and mean it? 

Whenever any of my friends and I get together for something fun, I'm game for as many as are able to enjoy. 

Write an acrostic using the word T-H-A-N-K-S. 

Today
Have 
A
New
Kind of 
Song in your heart 

"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." - Colossians 3:16 (The Holy Bible: New International Version)

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all. 

Insert your own random thought here. 

In case you missed it:  

• My previous Hodgepodge post "Puppy Power" is here.
• My latest Weekly Digest "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" is here.
  
• My latest First Line Friday post: #39:  The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald is here. 
• My "25 for 2025" challenge is here.  (Updated regularly)
• My "2025 I Can Only Blame MyShelf Reading Challenge" is here. (Updated regularly)

Orange is the New Chicken: The Weekly Digest and Hodgepodge

Looking out the window....

People here in Colorado are hollering about needing to go to Aspen or upstate to see the fall colors.  Hey, y'all, just walk around the block.

This is the last of the Hibiscus blooms before a wind storm took them all away.

I don't know whose kitty this is, but he (or she) sure is pretty.

 There's sill more fall beauty around town...

These Dahlias were putting on a show in my friend Diana's neighborhood
before our first frost.

These were in a planter box in front of the Panda Express on Colfax.

I was heading home on a Sunday and got this shot while waiting at a stop light
on N. Speer Blvd. in Denver.  This may have been their last soiree before heading south.

As frost starts to zap the colorful blooms and fall foliage, I'm thinking about what kind of beauty I can find during the colder months.

Favorite quote(s) of the week... 

 

God will give us full assurance and close communion with Himself, as well as access into all truth, and boldness with power at the mercy seat. If we do not have these, it is from our lack of faith to receive, and not from any unwillingness of God to give. A calm and heavenly disposition, great patience, and fervent love – all these will He give as a result of holy diligence. - Charles Spurgeon, Faith's Checkbook, p. 321. 

 

In Authoritative Prayer we are calling forth the will of the Father upon the earth. Here we are not so much speaking to God as speaking for God. We are not asking God to do something; rather, we are using the authority of God to command something done. - Richard J. Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home, p. 419. 

 

It's hard to make pain smooth, and jazz doesn't attempt to do so. Consequently, a jazz-shaped faith knows how to redeem pain. It recognizes that it is fashioned in the circumstances that cause the heart to ache. When we sanitize suffering, we create a soulless faith. - Pastor Robert Gelinas, Finding the Groove, p. 130. 

 

I have achieved my 70 years in the usual way-- by sticking strictly to a scheme of life which would kill anybody else. It sounds like an exaggeration, but that is really the common rule for attaining to old age. - Mark Twain, Mark Twain's Helpful Hints for Good Living, 2:40:24 in audiobook version. 

 

I'm thinking about...

From Hodgepodge questions:  Volume 623.

Join the fun! 

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From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

What does abundance mean to you? 

To me, abundance is being well cared for along with the ability and willingness to help care for others.   Being well cared for doesn't mean overconsuming for the sake of ostentation (being bougie); it means having what is needed when it is needed without having to go into crisis mode to handle the need, and having some of the things we want (within reason). 

I also think that like rich, abundance is relative to experience.  I was having coffee with a friend and we were discussing (of all things) credit cards.  

No, I'm not going to go all Dave Ramsey here....this time. 😁

She described her upbringing as middle-class, not rich.  Because of my experiences, I told her that for me middle class is rich.  So, it's all relative. 

What's a childhood memory that always comes to mind as the leaves start to fall? 

I don't have a specific memory; it's more of the "back to school" feeling. As I said here, a few traditions spark the feeling such as buying school supplies and new (or at least new to me) clothes and shoes.  As a teacher--even though I teach online--that feeling hasn't left.  I'm still working to start new traditions that scratch that "back to school" itch.

From Hodgepodge questions:  Volume 624. 

What's something in your life you have to do-watch-or participate in that's about as exciting as 'watching paint dry'? 

Umm... actually watching paint dry.  Hey, I'm an artist; what else did you expect?   😁

From Hodgepodge questions:  Volume 625.  

Do you like the color orange? Besides a pumpkin and an actual orange, what's something orange you love?

Orange is not my favorite color.  I know, that's blasphemy in Broncos county (and with friends and family who are Auburn, Tennessee, and Clemson fans), but my mediocre response to the color isn't team related.  Like yellow, certain shades of orange do not look good on me because of the undertones of my skin.  So, I don't have orange-colored clothing (save the orange dress my sister Ida gave me--it's a darker burnt orange, so I like how it looks).  Some of the orange items I do love are fall leaves and flowers.

From Hodgepodge questions:  Volume 626.  

What's your favorite candy? Would you say you have a sweet tooth?  

• Candy bar:  Snickers
• Hard candy:  Butterscotch disks or Werther's Originals
• Fancy candy:  Dove milk chocolate
• Homemade candy:  Crockpot candy.  The recipe I use is here (minus the sprinkles)

I certainly have a sweet tooth.  For health reasons, I have to reign it in like taming a spoiled child in the Wal-Mart toy section; I let her have something once in a while, but the rest of time the answer is no regardless of the fit she pitches. 

From Hodgepodge questions:  Volume 627.   

What's a food, trend, activity, or thing people love but you think is just so-so?  

Pumpkin-spiced lattes.  I know, I know, 'tis the season, but ew!  As sugary as Starbucks drinks are, it doesn't put a dent in the bitterness of pumpkin spice.   

From Hodgepodge questions:  Volume 628.

A song you love with the word thanks (or some form of that word)  in the title or lyrics?

Give Thanks by Don Moen

  

 Thankful Heart by Petra

From Hodgepodge questions:  Volume 629. 

Let's do our gratitude question first this week...what's the best thing about your home, and have you taken time to enjoy it lately? 

I joke all the time about my patio door that doesn't go anywhere.  As much as I hope our building owners buck up and build patios/balconies for all of us on the ends of the buildings who don't have them (we pay enough rent; they can more than afford it without jacking up our rent), I turned the annoyance into a feature.  I treat it as a big picture window.  It gives plenty of light in my living/dining area.

What I've read since the last digest...

• The Quilt by T. Davis Bunn  ✮✮✮✮  (a glorious reread)
• Prayer:  Finding the Heart's True Home by Richard J. Foster ✮✮✮✮   
• Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer  ✮✮✮1/2
• C. S. Lewis:  A Biography of Friendship by Colin Duriez  ✮✮✮✮   
• Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Donald S. Whitney ✮✮✮1/2 
• Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall ✮✮✮1/2 (Category:  Kiddie Lit)
• The Quilt by Gary Paulsen ✮✮✮✮
• A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards  by George M. Marsden ✮✮✮✮
• Finding the Groove by Robert Gelinas ✮✮ (Please see my review here). 
• Augustine for Armchair Theologians by Stephen A. Cooper ✮✮✮✮
• Calvin for Armchair Theologians by Christopher Elwood ✮✮✮✮
• Mark Twain's Helpful Hints for Good Living by Lin Salmo (Ed.) ✮✮✮✮
• The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking ✮1/2
• Reclaiming Quiet by Sarah Clarkson  ✮✮✮✮
• Why I am a Christian by John Stott  ✮✮✮1/2  

I'm currently reading...

• The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
• The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis by Jason M. Baxter 
• Mansions of the Heart by R. Thomas Ashbrook 
• Streams of Living Water by Richard J. Foster 
• Faith's Checkbook by Charles Spurgeon

Recent blog posts...

• My latest book review on Finding the Groove by Robert Gelinas is here.
• My previous digest, "Trail Blazer'" is here.
  
• Puppy Power:  The Weekly Hodgepodge is here. 
• My "25 for 2025" challenge is here. (Updated regularly)
• My "I Can Only Blame MyShelf" reading challenge is here.  (Updated regularly). 

From the Workshop... 

"Hibiscus 01"

 

This is one of the quilts I made with the Loving Stitches ministry.
I don't know the recipient, but her daughter-in-law let us know that she loved her gift.

I am thankful for...

• God's protection and provision.  
• An honest, trustworthy mechanic.
• My therapist.
• My support group. 
• The lovely fall we've had here in Colorado. 
• My class is finished and I can now relax and enjoy the holidays.
• The great people with which I work.
• I'm thankful that our lead pastor had a great time away on sabbatical.  His new sermon series has been intriguing.  
• The cathartic and creative nature of journaling.

 

 

 

Fall in the Country: The Weekly Digest and Hodgepodge

NOTE:  I thought that my combining the digest and hodgepodge would be a once in a while thing.  However, scheduling seems to be going in that direction at present.  Plus I'm teaching soon, so if I get to blog at all, it will most likely be a combo deal.  Enjoy. 

Looking out the window....

Had the opportunity to go on a walk around another part of the neighborhood: 

The shrub (knockout) roses are still doing their thing.

All this holly needs is a little red cardinal perched on it.

The leaves are starting to show fall colors.

Black Dalea

I caught some other gorgeousness while I was out and about this week:

The petunias in the flower box in front of the UPS store are still showing out (mine are dead).

These beauties were in a planter outside of the Hobby Lobby in Belmar.

Favorite quote(s) of the week... 

 

The Father has accepted the great sacrifice of Calvary and has declared Himself well pleased with it; how can He now be pleased to kill us! Why would there be a substitute if the sinner still had to perish? The accepted sacrifice of Jesus puts an end to fear..- Charles Spurgeon, Faith's Checkbook, p. 281. 

 

"That is what equality is, Jim.  It's the capacity for becoming equal.  The same way a black man in Martinique can learn French, and so become French.  He can also acquire the skills of equality and so become equal."

 

"I hate you." - Percival Everett, James:  A Novel, Part one, Chapter six.
 

I'm thinking about...

Join the fun! 

Come on over to 

From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

From Hodgepodge Questions Volume 621

Fall officially rolls into the Northern Hemisphere on Monday (9/22)...what's your favorite thing about fall? 

• It's not winter.
• The changing colors.  I know that many of Colorado think that you have to go find the Aspen trees to see great fall color.  However, I've found some fiery reds, browns, and golds just walking around the neighborhood.  Sure, I'd love to see the Aspens, but at present, I have to work with what I've got. 
• The cool evenings and mildly warm days. 
• It's now soup, stew, and chili weather. 
• Football.
• I know that I teach year-round, but fall gives me the new school year feel. 

What's one thing on your real or proverbial autumn bucket list? 

World Card Making Day is Saturday.  I'm considering participating.

Apples, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and cranberries are some of the top fall foods. Which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Any on the list you don't eat? Which one have you had most recently? 

The only one I don't eat is butternut squash.  In all honesty, I don't know how to prepare it properly.  The couple of times I've cooked butternut squash, it came out bitter.  Anybody got any simple recipe recommendations?  Out of the list, I eat apples the most.  They are a year-round food for me.  The jury is still out on pumpkin.  I normally don't like pumpkin (it has a whang to it) or pumpkin spiced anything (too bitter) however, flour-based baked goods with pumpkin seem to not have that malady, so I'm thinking about trying my hand at making pumpkin bread.  I'll let you know how it goes.

From Hodgepodge Questions Volume 622 

What's your favorite fall scent? Would we find this in or around your home right now? 

It's more of a fall-winter scent, but I like the smell of orange spice.  I have an oil diffuser and mix a few drops of Mainstays (Wal-Mart) Cinnamon Leaf and Sweet Orange.  Smells like fall but also like Christmas.  It puts me in the mind of Wassail.  I also like pumpkin scented candles.  However, I'm on candle restriction until I finish the Lavender Lemonade candle I got for my birthday and the Beaver Nugget candle I bought a Buc-ee's earlier this summer.

October is Country Music Month...are you a fan of country music? Do you have a favorite country artist? Ever been to Nashville? In terms of lifestyle are you more country mouse or city mouse? 

I know it's hard to believe with me being from the South (and a country mouse in the middle of the Denver metro area), but country music isn't my favorite genre. I do have a few country songs (or songs with country flair) I enjoy:

 

 

 

 

 

How about 'country cooking'? (loosely defined as rich flavors, familiar foods, large portions, often fried, and often associated with the southern region of the US of A)? 

chicken and dumplings-fried chicken-shrimp and grits-biscuits and gravy-mac and cheese-fried green tomatoes-cornbread-collard or turnip greens-deviled eggs-'barbecue'-gumbo-banana pudding 

Which of the foods listed is your favorite? Any on the list you haven't tried or would say a firm no thank you to if offered? 

Miss Joyce, my scale (and homesickness) is mad at you right now.  😅

What's something that always has a positive impact on your mood? 

Anything creative--whether it's my creativity or someone else's.  The comfort of a quilt, the color splash of a photograph or painting, or the sweet melody and/or driving rhythm of an upbeat song can bring me out of a funk pretty quickly.  Even if I'm in low-energy depression mode, I try to hunt for those positive influences.  Other things that improve my mood are good comedy, fun books, naps, and comfort food (not too much).

What I've read since the last digest...

• Gospel Evidences for Saving Faith by John Owen ✮✮✮✮  
• J. R. R. Tolkien by Colin Duriez  ✮✮✮✮  
• On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior (a glorious reread) ✮✮✮✮ 

I'm currently reading...

• Finding the Groove by Robert Gelinas
• James:  A Novel by Percival Everett 
• Mansions of the Heart by R. Thomas Ashbrook 
• Streams of Living Water by Richard J. Foster 
• Faith's Checkbook by Charles Spurgeon

Recent blog posts...

• My previous digest, "Head of the Class'" is here.
  
• Puppy Power:  The Weekly Hodgepodge is here. 
• My "25 for 2025" challenge is here. (Updated regularly)
• My "I Can Only Blame MyShelf" reading challenge is here.  (Updated regularly). 

From the Workshop... 

I'm not quite finished with the project I hinted at last digest.  So, here's another hint:

 

 

I am thankful for...

• Coupons and sales
• All-purpose thread
• My subscription to Creativebug that I get from the Jefferson County Library.  I've been watching videos and plotting and planning.
• Double-sided tape
• Slow cookers/Crock Pots
• Pre-grated cheese
• Walks outside
• Bluetooth technology 
• Good hearing