Do you have a favorite mug? Let's see it. Why is this one your favorite?
My favorite mug changes with situations and seasons, but the mug pictured here is my current favorite. I bought it from Amazon a few months ago. I thought it would be fun to use in Zoom team meetings. My co-workers think it's a hoot.
From Volume #616
What's worth standing in line for?
Friendly customer service. I will wait in a long line of families with buggies full to bursting if I know the cashier is polite and attentive. I will avoid a much shorter line if the cashier looks like--as my mother would say--"Dammit, I'll eat you!" That's why I enjoy an establishment that doesn't have high turnover and I can recognize a familiar face.
Now, don't get me wrong, "polite and attentive" doesn't mean they have to be sugary sweet and hold a long conversation with me. It means that the employee looks me in the eye and treats me like a person. I don't think that's too much to ask.
What are some things you find particularly peaceful or calming?
Classical music
The sound of a box fan (or in my case, an oscillating fan)
The laughter of children (especially babies who will laugh at anything)
A mug of coffee or tea and a good book
Hugs
The whir of the sewing machine, the scratch of a pencil, or the swish of a paintbrush as I create
The sound of rainfall
Bird calls (yes, even the crows)
Insert your own random thought here.
My niece (right), and her daughter, my grandniece (left) just recently ran their first 5k. I'm so proud of them both. They have been working on their health for a while.
In case you missed it:
My previous Hodgepodge post "Where No Couch Has Gone Before" is here.
Saw all these beauties in the flower beds outside my doctor's office.
Favorite quote(s) of the week...
Souls indifferent to the achievement of human things cannot be expected to exert themselves in divine things.- Robert Miner, quoted in Karen Swallow Prior's On Reading Well, p. 133.
When people are treated
as objects for long enough, they see themselves as someone else’s
property. They don’t value self-stewardship because they relate to
themselves the same way that significant others have related to them.
Many people are told over and over again that nurturing and maintaining
their souls is selfish and wrong. After a while, they develop a deep
conviction that this is true. And at that point, they place little value
on taking care of the feelings, talents, thoughts, attitudes, behavior,
body, and resources God entrusted to them.. - Cloud and Townsend, Boundaries, p. 306.
We need our God. He is
to be had for the seeking, and He will not deny Himself to any of us if
we personally seek His face. It is not if you deserve Him, or if you
earn His approval, but simply if you seek Him. - Charles Spurgeon, Faith's Checkbook, p. 242.
I'm thinking about...
Fall. Most of my friends are in back to school mode right now. Most--if not all--of the K-12 schools have resumed classes and both online and in-seat classes at CCU begin tomorrow (08/25). Since my teaching schedule for the year started more than a month ago, I've been in school mode since late July (my own version of it anyway). Football season starts for JSU on Thursday, Alabama on Saturday, and the Broncos on September 7th. I'm just not sure how to get into the swing of Autumn. Maybe I'll think of something by the time the first day of fall rolls around on the 22nd.
The Feather Reed Grass in the church parking lot is interesting.
I know that this is a terrible shot, but I've been passing (and ogling over) these plantings all summer and there's no way for me to safely get out of the car to get a shot. They are along 1st Avenue in Denver from the intersection of University Blvd up a few blocks. They are full of gorgeous blooms and greenery. I hope they fill them with seasonal plants as the weather changes. BTW--I did take the picture while I was stopped at the light, not while I was driving.
Favorite quote(s) of the week...
Prayer is all the more
sure to succeed because it is for the Father’s glory through the Son. It
glorifies His truth, His faithfulness, His power, and His grace. The
granting of prayer, when offered in the name of Jesus, reveals the
Father’s love to Him and the honor that He has put upon Him.- Charles Spurgeon, Faith's Checkbook, p. 239.
Some people feel so hopeless because they have no memory of being helped in the past. - Cloud and Townsend, Boundaries, p. 291.
Egotism is pathological self-obsession, a reaction to anxiety about whether one really does count. It is a form of acute self-consciousness and can be prevented and healed only by the experience of being adequately loved. It is, indeed, a desperate response to frustration of the need we all have to count for something and be held to be irreplaceable, without price. - Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, p. 15.
I'm thinking about...
Yes, I know I shouldn't be thinking of it, but I am. This too shall pass.
What I've read since the last digest...
Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend ✮✮✮✮ (a glorious reread)
Silence by Shusaku Endo ✮✮✮1/2
Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster ✮✮✮✮ ( a glorious reread)
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin ✮✮✮✮(a glorious reread)
Letters to a Young Pastor by Eric Peterson & Eugene Peterson ✮ (an impulse read)
August is National Golf month...do you play? Do you enjoy following golf? Have you ever been to a professional tournament?
I'm not a big fan of golf. I appreciate the skill needed to play, but it just doesn't appeal to me. I'm more of a football and baseball girl. The closest I've ever come to playing golf was going to the Putt-Putt course with some friends during undergraduate school.
Astronaut Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 fame passed away this past Thursday.
Are you interested in outer space and what's happening today in terms of
space exploration? If space travel became common in your lifetime would
you go? How do you personally relate to the idea of exploring something
vast and mysterious...does the idea excite you, intimidate you, or
something else?
As an avid Trekkie (TOS - some of Voyager--it got too weird as it went along) I enjoy the fantasy and romanticism of space exploration. While many inventions have been inspired by the Star Trek universe, space travel has certainly been a jarring example of "expectation vs. reality." I'm not even talking about tragedies like the Challenger accident; mishaps happened in the fictional space universe. I'm talking about how space exploration has become space exploitation. It's become too political, to "woke," and too ostentatious. It's not about exploration and science anymore; it's about sending celebrities into orbit (using tons of fuel) so they can come back to tell the regular people that their cars are putting too many carbon emissions into the air (yes, I'm looking at you William Shatner).
Nah, give me Roddenberry's fantasy any day. Someone like me would be welcome in that universe, not the current version of "space exploration."
Describe your communication style in three words.
GET IT SAID!
Do you have a favorite cookbook? A favorite celebrity chef? Do you watch any cooking shows on TV?
I've collected many good recipes from the internet that I keep in a notebook, but my go-to cookbook is the Betty Crocker's New Cookbook published in 1996. I think I bought it when I was part of the old Crossings Book Club (the book version of Columbia House). Nearly 30 years later, I still pull recipes from it.
I never had just one favorite celebrity chef, but among my favorites were:
Julia Child (especially when she cooked with Jacques Pepin)
Justin Wilson ("add one cup of wine")
Martin Yan (his Yan Can Cook on PBS was hilarious in the 90s)
Paula Deen (pass me the butter, suga')
Rosanna Pansino: I know that technically she is a baker not a chef, but her Nerdy Nummies YouTube series was great. She changed the format, so now I can't stand it.
B. Dylan Hollis: His YouTube shorts that feature vintage recipes is more about waiting to hear what crazy thing he's going to say next than learning to cook anything.
As a child did you have any back to school traditions? If so, did you
carry on those same traditions with your own children? Do you have any
back to school traditions you've started on your own?
My two favorite back-to-school traditions as a child were getting a new outfit (when we could afford it), and buying school supplies. I enjoyed the same traditions for my classroom when I taught preschool. Now, teaching online doesn't lend itself to the need of new clothes or supplies. However, each time I walk through the school supplies sections of my favorite stores this time of year, I get giddy and I want to buy something. I don't, but I want to. Maybe I need to come up with some sort of appropriate traditions for this time of year.
Anybody got any ideas?
Insert your own random thought here.
I had to say goodbye to a dear old friend a couple of weeks ago...
This IKEA couch was passed down to me from my friend Annie's parents. Who knows how long they had the couch before they gave it to me, but this thing was in great shape and lasted nearly eight years before it got too "wallowed out." Rotating and/or flipping the cushions didn't work anymore, so it was time to say goodbye.
I had Big Ass Junk Removal dispose of her for me. These guys were great.
I used IKEA's delivery service for the first time. Unlike Wal-Mart delivery, this service (and everyone else) found my apartment just fine (giving Wal-Mart the side eye). My friend, Emily, came over this weekend and helped me put the couch and chair together. I've got some more accessories to make or purchase, but I'm so pleased with the new digs.
In case you missed it:
My previous Hodgepodge post "Sometime in the Morning" is here.
I'm enjoying the changing blooms in the flower beds around the Green Mountain Recreation Center.
Veronica.
Canada Goldenrod.
I noticed something at the church that's probably not new, but it was new to me. There are flower boxes strategically placed in different areas of the outside of the building:
These Hostas remind me of the ones from my mom's flower garden.
These are called Coral Bells.
Favorite quote(s) of the week...
In this day’s labors or
trials say, The Lord God helps Me. Go forth boldly. Set your face like a
flint (Isaiah 50:7), and resolve that no weakness or shame will come
near you. If God helps, who can hinder? If you are certain of omnipotent
aid, what can be too heavy for you? Begin the day joyously, and let no
shadow of doubt come between you and the eternal sunshine. - Charles Spurgeon, Faith's Checkbook, p. 232.
Refusing to be happy
because someone else is unhappy, though, is a bit like cleaning your
plate because babies are starving in India. Your unhappiness isn’t
making anyone else happier—in fact, quite the opposite, given the fact
that happier people are more likely to act altruistically. - Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project, p. 216.
Practice purposeful
giving to increase your freedom. Sometimes people who are building
boundaries feel that to do someone a favor is codependent. Nothing is
further from the truth. Doing good for someone, when you freely choose
to do it, is boundary enhancing. Codependents are not doing good; they
are allowing evil because they are afraid. - Cloud and Townsend, Boundaries, p. 138.
On makeup foundation: There's full coverage and then there's 'calm down' coverage. - Robert Walsh, Professional Makeup Artist.
Social media has made y'all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it. - Mike Tyson
Don't train like you're having a panic attack and your psychiatrist is not around. - Dr. Mike Israetel, Exercise Scientist
I'm thinking about...
Nasty gym rats: This is a mini rant, but it needs to be said. I went to the community center gym the other day. Green Mountain has two stationary bikes that don't cause taint trauma. BTW--I tagged the city recreation department in my first post about this when I shared the link on Facebook. All I've gotten is crickets. Very tacky.
Anyway...
A patron was cleaning off one bike (the center provides disinfecting spray and paper towels). As I adjust and prep the bike for use, I watched the patron on the other bike get off, walk away, and NEVER come back to clean it.
Keep in mind gyms, community centers, and YMCAs providing some means of cleaning off equipment has been the norm for a long time. So, after everything we went through during "the thing" with sickness, viruses, quarantine, masks, and death, who in his right mind gets off a piece of publicly used equipment and doesn't clean his germy goo and butt sweat off the machine? There's spray and paper towels on BOTH ends of the cardio room.
Why? Just. Why?
To the nasty gym rat: May a rabid dog bite you and pee on your leg and may a sick toddler sneeze directly into your mouth.
Chew and swallow it, you big nasty!
What I've read since the last digest...
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. ✮✮✮✮(Category: Kiddie Lit)
Changes that Heal by Henry Cloud✮✮✮✮
The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Glorious Reread)
How to Be Filled With the Holy Spirit by A. W. Tozer ✮✮✮✮
The New American Standard Bible✮✮✮✮
The Dangers of a Shallow Faith by A. W. Tozer ✮✮✮1/2
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain ✮✮✮✮
Real Artists Don't Starve by Jeff Goins ✮✮✮✮ (a glorious reread). Please see my review here.
A Theory of Everything (That Matters) by Alister McGrath ✮✮✮1/2 (An impulse read).
Experiencing Prayer with Jesus by Henry and Norman Blackaby ✮✮(An impulse read).
I'm currently reading...
Silence by Shusaku Endo
Mansions of the Heart by R. Thomas Ashbrook
Streams of Living Water by Richard J. Foster
Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior
Faith's Checkbook by Charles Spurgeon
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster
Recent blog posts...
My previous digest, "Reset the Play Clock'" is here.
First Line Friday #38: The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard is here.
Sometime In the Morning: 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).
On July 29th 1957 The Tonite Show premiered with Jack Parr
as it's host. This marked the beginning of the modern day talk show. Do
you watch any daytime or late night talk shows today? Do you have any
thoughts on the hubbub surrounding the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, or are you more in the camp of 'who is Stephen Colbert?
I don't know what the deal is with Colbert's show's cancellation. I didn't watch the show, so I don't know enough about it. I haven't watched any daytime or late night talk shows since Craig Ferguson (pictured above) left The Late Late Show (and yes, I'm still mad about it).
What's the best part of your day?
Mornings. After I get ready and make my bed, I start the day with my quiet time (prayer and Bible reading) and journaling. I start work between 7:30 ad 8:00 a.m. and have coffee around 9:00 a.m. If I don't have a meeting or phone calls, I can listen to music or a podcast as I work. My weekend schedule is a little different, but I try to keep the morning routine the same.
What's something your generation does that you actually dislike?
For clarification, I am Generation X (Sorry, but some folks think everyone over 16 is a "Boomer"). With that being said, I don't want to do to my generation what they seem to do to other generations: generalize behavior and assume that everyone the same age acts and reacts the same. We don't. Nobody does.
When you cook do you clean as you go, or clean it all up once you're
finished cooking? What's the last thing you cooked/baked in your own
kitchen?
OK Miss Joyce, this is a trick question. 😄 I know I should clean as I cook but most of the time I don't. In all fairness, I have a "one butt" kitchen, so waiting to clean up is easier with limited space. Otherwise, I might end up with dish soap where I don't want it. The last simple thing I cooked in the kitchen was scrambled eggs yesterday. The last "more complicated" thing I made was vegetable lasagna in the crock pot last week.
Sum up your July in ten words or less.
It went by so fast!
Insert your own random thought here.
In case you missed it:
My previous Hodgepodge post "Summer Breeze" is here.
My latest Weekly Digest "Reset the Play Clock" is here.
My latest First Line Friday post: #38: The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard is here.
My "25 for 2025" challenge is here. (Updated regularly)
My "2025 I Can Only Blame MyShelf Reading Challenge" is here. (Updated regularly)
