Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday again ... and time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge.  Won't you join us in the fun?  Just click on the button above.

1. Do you think the world became a more dangerous place on September 11, 2001 or did we just become more aware of the danger? How has your own life changed as a result of that day?
I don’t know that the world has become more dangerous … I suspect that most of us had no clue that danger was right here among us.  I think we were “forced” to become more aware of the danger.  I’ve never been a fan of flying, but I hate it even more after 9/11 … with packing restrictions, with long lines at airports, with full body scans and pat downs. 
 
2. Did you think your parents were too strict when you were growing up? How about in hindsight?
My parents were strict, and when growing up, I thought they were a little too strict, but what teenager doesn’t?  I will say that their strictness probably wouldn’t haven’t been as chafing had it been tempered with some communication (besides “as long as you live in my house, you’ll live by my rules”) and with some love.  However, in hindsight, when I’ve see what happens to kids whose parents weren’t as strict, I cannot say that they were too strict. 
 
3. Share one random but candid fact about yourself.
I am such a creature of habit.  I have the same thing for breakfast every. single. day … except for Wednesdays when DH has breakfast at the Bread Co. (and is sweet enough to bring me a bagel for my breakfast ).
 
4. Would your nearest and dearest describe you as simple or far too complicated?
Too complicated.  I prefer to think of myself as complex.  ;-)
 
5. What is your favorite stadium or carnival food?
When we go to the ballgame, I’ve “got” to have a brat.  I haven’t done a fair or carnival in years, although if I would ever go, I’m sure I’d have some kettle corn.
 
6. Tornado, hurricane, earthquake...how many of these natural disasters have you experienced? Which event do you think would be the scariest?
I’ve never experienced a hurricane.  I think it would be the least scary, if only because there’s enough warning to get out of danger.  We are near enough the New Madrid Fault to experience some affects of seismic activity.  The most vivid and most “severe” was on a Saturday morning in November, 1968.  I was home alone, up on the 2nd floor of our house ironing something to wear on my date that evening.  I felt the tremors and ran outside … where everyone else was, too!  I live in Illinois, land of the tornados, and tornado warnings are as much a part of spring as daffodils.  Just this past spring, we had tornados that touched down way too close for my comfort.  At the end of February, an EF1 touched down 12 miles to the west and an EF2 touched down 3 miles to the east.  But the scariest one was the F4 tornado on Good Friday that touched down and destroyed a good bit of Lambert Airport in St. Louis; it crossed the river and touched down as an F2 just 12 miles to the west and again about 14 miles to the east.  And I’ll never forget the F4 that touched down a half mile or so from where I was living in April, 1981.     
 
7. Labor Day weekend is approaching so a work related question seems appropriate. Growing up, did your parents assign you regular chores? Were you paid for doing those chores? If you're a parent do you assign chores to your own children? Why or why not?
That last question was inspired by a post Mindee wrote on Monday. Everyone go say hi to Mindee. She blogs at Our Front Door and she's funny
I had chores when growing up, but I wasn’t paid.  I did receive an allowance, but it wasn’t payment for the chores that I did. 
 
8. Insert your own random thought here.
I had a wonderful day yesterday.  I spent a good part of the morning/early afternoon cleaning out the closet (and bundling up stuff for Goodwill) and dresser drawers and under the bathroom vanity.  After I finished that, I spent several hours working on T#4’s big girl quilt.  It’s coming along … hand quilting is such slow work, but I’m not complaining … I love to hand quilt!

Miscellany Monday

 

 

Once again, a weekend has just flown by (where DID it go??) and Monday’s here … which means that it’s time for Miscellany Monday. 

 

1.  Watched a lot of the weather channel this weekend.  Remember, I told y’all that I’m a weather geek.  And hurricanes seem to be especially fascinating to me … I don’t know if it’s the anticipation or the fact that they seem to hit in places where I’ve been or what.  So we watched a fair amount of Irene coverage.  And while she didn’t do nearly as much damage as originally forecast, that’s small consolation to those affected by her winds, rains, and flooding. 

 

2.  Got a good bit of hand quilting done on T#4’s big girl quilt.  I still have a ways to go, but I’m making some progress. 

 

3.  Watched some movies on TV … we’d seen most of them before, but at that price, they were worth watching again (and since we’d seen them before, I could quilt along while watching).

 

4.  Got our plans finalized for our alternate destination for our trip next month.  While Irene didn’t do as much damage to the Outer Banks as we were afraid she’d do, she did make a direct hit.  We decided that we’d rather wait to go next year when we know that everything should be back 100%.  We found a new travel website … www.lastminutetravel.com.  It’s similar to www.hotwire.com … you don’t know what hotel you’re getting until you’ve booked it, but they do provide some description and pictures of the rooms … and since we’ve stayed at the hotel being offered, we knew what we were getting.  And we got a rate almost 25% cheaper than what www.hotwire.com was offering.  On top of that, they do give refunds for cancellations (with enough advance notice), unlike www.hotwire.com. 

We’ll miss you, sweet girl

 

I’ve had a number of dogs over the years, but I’ve never had a better one that this sweet girl. I’m missing her so much already.  Every where I turn, I expect to see her right here by my side.  She was definitely a mama’s girl … she just couldn’t control herself whenever she saw her first mama (DD) and she wouldn’t rest easy until she knew that her second mama (me) was here.  I know … she was just a dog, and yet my heart will never be quite the same now that she’s gone.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

 

It’s Wednesday aka Hump Day (although it’s not Hump Day for me … this week’s work schedule has Wednesday as my first day at work … so I guess that Thursday will be my Hump Day ha!).  I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking forward to Wednesday because that means it’s time for HODGEPODGE!!  After you’ve finished reading my answers, why not head on over to Joyce’s and see what everyone else had to say?  Just click on the button above.

 

1. What is something that bothers you if it's not done perfectly?

Just about everything!  It might be easier to answer what doesn’t bother me if it’s not done perfectly.  And I hate it because when I’ve needed/asked for some help, I am never quite satisfied with how it’s done.  :-(  Remember, I was an accountant for almost 30 years … and you’ve got to be a little (ok, maybe a lot) anal-retentive/OCD to be a good accountant! ;-)

2. Do you think a 6th sense exists? Explain.

I’m not sure that we have a 6th sense, but I do believe that we have an intuition about things, often based on our personal experiences and perceptions.  And often, I believe that it’s the Holy Spirit guiding and directing us. 

 

3. Do you say your goodbyes slowly, quickly, or not at all?

Quickly.  I hate dragging things out, especially goodbyes.  Of course, if a certain little one happens to run to me wanting one more hug, I don’t mind dragging it out … I’ll do just about anything for one more hug or kiss from one of my Ts! :-)

4. On a scale of 1-10, with ten being hot hot hot, what level of spice do you like in your food? What's your favorite 'spicy' dish?

I’d say 7, depending on the dish, of course.  Hot simply for the sake of hot may not necessarily appeal to me, but I do like some kick to some foods.  My favorite would be hot wings.  I know, I know … that’s so unimaginative, but I do love me some hot wings.

 

5. What is one of your all time favorite commercial jingles?

Ok, I KNOW no one else is going to come up with the same answer as me.  Whenever I think of a commercial jingle, I can’t help but think of the jingle for Frederic Roofing, a St. Louis roofing company.  They had their commercials on TV, on radio (especially on the baseball and hockey games) … everywhere.  I couldn’t find a video on youtube.com, but if you go to their website, their jingle will play.  It’s the best I can do.

6. Plane, train, boat or auto...your preferred method of travel?

Auto!  DH and I do NOT like to fly – AT ALL.  We’ve never traveled by train or by boat, so my answer is auto.  I love that our only constraint on what we can take is the space inside the vehicle … I can take my pillows, I can take a good supply of Diet Coke, I can buy as many souvenirs as I’d like, and I can hang our nicer clothes.  We can stop where and when we want to.  I love the time in the car where DH and I have no interruptions, no distractions and can talk … really talk.  And we get to see some of this beautiful country on our way to our destination. 

 

7. What is something you take for granted?

I’d like to think that I don’t take anything for granted, but I’m sure I’m like everyone else.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I thought we were past the worst of the hot days, but we’ve got another heat advisory for today.  Thankfully, this heat spell will be short lived because we’ll be back to the mid 80’s for the next several days.  Hopefully THIS will be the last of triple-digit temperatures and triple-digit heat indices!

 

Ok, I know Joyce said thought, not thoughts, but it’s my blog so … it looks like Irene might not interfere with our trip next month.  Every forecast update shows that she’s shifting further to the east, and while the current forecast shows that she’s making a beeline for the Outer Banks, a lot can change in the next 2 1/2 days.  We’ve got a Plan B (and a Plan C) in place, so whatever Irene brings, we’ll be ready for the beach!

Miscellany Monday

 

 

I haven’t done a Miscellany Monday in a long, long time … and I don’t know why since my life is the very definition of randomness.  ;-)

 

Another weekend has come to an end.  If only the week days would go by as quickly as the weekends, right?  And yes, even though I’m retired (ok, mostly retired), I still look forward to the weekends and hate to see them come to an end. 

 

Saturday was a lazy day here (haven’t had one of those since mid-May), I went to the slider to just look outside and saw this out on our deck. 

I have no idea what kind of lizard that is … I had no idea that little lizards like this even existed this far north. 

 

Yesterday I got a bit of quilting done.  I quilted in the afternoon while watching Steel Magnolias.  That’s a movie that I can watch again and again … and never fail to have tears in my eyes in certain parts or recite some of the memorable lines. 

 

DH seems to be coming down with some kind of respiratory bug … hoping he keeps that to himself! 

 

This morning I’ve got an Italian beef going in the crock pot.  I don’t know why I don’t use my crock pot more often.  I need to be more intentional with my meal planning; DD has found some kind of meal planning program that she likes … I’m going to have to ask her for more details. 

 

I read on another blog that some readers are concerned about the Feedjit app.  While IMHO there was nothing to be concerned about regarding privacy (the information I see is the same that any reader would see … the general location [by city] of the readers’ ISP), I can understand how some might be a little concerned and removed that from my blog.  I will say that it was interesting to see how many readers stopped by; my mind was completely boggled by some of the locations … places within an hour’s drive and places halfway around the globe.   

 

We have a hibiscus plant that we put out on our deck … they’re not hardy here, so we bring it inside over the winter.  This summer, other than a smattering of blooms in early June, that hibiscus hasn’t bloomed.   Finally we’re getting a second round of blooms.  I love seeing the color … and love that the blooms draw hummingbirds.  Granted, this bloom was a bit past its prime when I took the shot, but it still is beautiful.

 

It looks like Hurricane Irene might decide to visit the Outer Banks ahead of us, so I guess that means that I’ll be doing some research on an alternative destination for our trip next month.  I realize that it’s way too early to call off the visit to the OBX, but it won’t hurt to have an alternate in place … just in case. 

Camera Phone Friday–Nature Edition

I neglected to take my camera with my on our weekend getaway, but I did have my iPhone with me and used it.  I was pleasantly surprised (and pleased) at how well the photos turned out using the iPhone.  I am going to definitely remember to pull it out in the future when I see blog-worthy photo-ops. 

Here are some pictures, taken with my iPhone.  If you click on the collage, it’ll open to a larger picture.

1. Our hibiscus on the deck.  This is its 3rd summer out on the deck (we take it in to the basement for the winter).  We had at best a half dozen blooms in June … and nary a glimpse since then … until early this week when we found a good number of tiny buds.  We just might see a few more blooms yet this summer.  2. The Chihuly exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.  We visited on Sunday … it was a gorgeous day for a tour of the garden.  3. An orchid … inside the Climatron at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  We learned that 10% of all plants on this earth are orchids … I didn’t know that and I didn’t really appreciate the beauty of orchids until Sunday.  4. Busch Stadium in St. Louis.  We took in a Cardinals-Rockies game Saturday evening … we got there plenty early, long before most everyone it would appear from this photo.  5. The Outer Banks.  Where we’ll be in exactly one month.  I can’t wait … I haven’t had any beach time since our Spring Training trip last March.  6. A clump of grass growing in the standing water in a gutter drain.  I saw this on my walk last night and thought it was strange.  Obviously these neighbors have a sprinkling system because we have had only 1/2 inch of rain in the last 2 months.  7. On Wednesday’s Hodgepodge, I answered one of the questions with “gathering shells”.  As most of you know, I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the beach (see #5 above) and enjoy gathering shells as we walk along the beach.  The shells in the glass container (sorry for the glare) are from our trip to Sanibel Island last year.  There are a few sand dollars there, from trips to Hilton Head.  There are some pieces of granite … from Hilton Head, Hunting Island State Park, Isle of Palms, and St. Simons Island.  And there are a few rocks from our non-beach trips – Rocky Mountain National Park and the Oregon coast.  8. This is “Lucky”, the “butterfly” that T#2 caught (actually it’s a moth, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her that).  She has a butterfly net that she’s been wanting to use, so she brought it with her when the Ts came over the other day.  While the littles were napping, she asked me to help her.  I didn’t expect to be able to catch anything … especially when she’d move sooooo slowly trying to sneak up on the butterflies (aka moths).  So when she caught one, I was totally unprepared.  I had to leave her out in the empty lot behind our house, with the net on the ground, trapping Lucky while I had to run into the house, find a jar (spaghetti sauce in the fridge), clean it out, dry it, and poke holes in the lid … all so Lucky would have a “home”.  She took Lucky home with her that evening, and while she was trying to slip some grass (for food) into the jar, Lucky made his/her escape.  Fly away, Lucky. Be free!  (For those of you who aren’t parents or grandparents of toddlers, that’s a nod to a line from Cars, T#3’s favorite movie … although he’s also a big fan of Cars 2 – imagine that! ha!)

Thankful Thursday

 

 

It is impossible to be negative while we are giving thanks.—Donald Curtis

 

Thursday’s here … and so is my opportunity to take a few minutes to be intentionally thankful. 

 

I’m thankful for:

 

• a good start to the school year for DD and the Ts.  She’s decided to get a head start on kindergarten for T#3.  He’s such a wild man and so full of energy … she’s going to have her hands full with him. ;-) 

 

• a nice visit at the Missouri Botanical Garden on Sunday … the weather was wonderful, the plants were beautiful, and I’d forgotten how fascinating the Climatron is.

 

• the nice visit with friends from out of town … it was just so good to see them and catch up on what they’ve been up to since they left the area.

 

• the gorgeous weather we’ve been having.

 

• my sweet hubby, who has willingly picked up some of the slack while I’m back at work.

 

• sweet voice mail messages left on my cell phone … hearing “I love you, Nana” never grows old.