Living in America: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Join the fun! 

Come on over to 

From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

We're approaching Memorial Day Weekend in the US of A...will you mark this in some way? If so tell us how. According to a list found here some things you might do in honor of Memorial Day would be-shop in a Veteran owned business, learn to play a patriotic song, watch the Memorial Day concert, take a virtual tour of the White House, write a letter to a soldier or a soldier's family, fly a flag, attend a Memorial Day parade, donate flowers for a soldier's grave, put together a care package for a soldier, and take a moment of silence at 3 PM (the National Moment of Remembrance)....of the ideas mentioned are there any you will try? 

Along with the traditional cookout, our family would go to Ragland, Alabama, where my mom is from, to clean and beautify the family graves.  I think some call it Decoration Day.  Though it's a serious time, it was also a fun time of seeing relatives I hadn't seen all year and watching my aunts boss my uncles and cousins around about how to tend the graves. If I could go home for that holiday, I'd at least go and decorate my oldest brother Melvin's grave (he served in the national guard). He's buried by my parents in Jacksonville (very easy to access)--I wouldn't dare try to take a rental car on the dirt road that leads to the family cemetery in Ragland. 

Since I won't get to see family for the holiday, I'm not sure what I'm doing.  I don't want to simply commemorate the day with food. I will, like every patriotic holiday, listen to my favorite version of the National Anthem (here).   I did see where PBS will be live streaming the Memorial Day concert on YouTube on Sunday (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlSj6PwmYA8), so I'll be sure to tune in to that.  These other activities sound good, but I'm not sure how to find the information I need to participate.  I searched for Memorial Day activities around Lakewood...and they aren't doing anything.  So there's that.  Oh well.

What's something recently that made you 'come to attention'? 

I'm not going to go into any details or throw anyone but myself under the bus, but it wasn't a positive experience.  This weekend, I learned a very hard lesson in a way that I wouldn't want anyone else to learn it.

In what area of your life do you need to 'soldier on'? 

My health journey.  The aforementioned situation has sent me into several days of binge eating and depression.  I still have difficulty with finding positive coping strategies for times like this. Breaking through in this area will get me off this roller coaster ride and back on track to the healthy habits I had previously established.

As a long weekend approaches and summer draws near, what's a favorite food from your childhood you think about adding to the menu?

I pretty much eat the same things I ate as a child, so I wouldn't really need to add anything.

Your favorite patriotic movie? 

I haven't seen very many patriotic movies, so I don't really have a favorite. The movie Rocky IV comes to mind.  I think that counts.  I saw this movie in the theater when it came out in 1985 and haven't seen it since.  The soundtrack was good though.

Insert your own random thought here. 

In case you missed it:  

*My last Hodgepodge post, "Being on the List," 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.
*My latest Five Minute Friday post "Broken" is here.