Scraps and Such 04: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Join the fun! 

Come on over to 

From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

From Volume #611

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.
• My latest Weekly Digest "Almost Autumn" 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)