Hodge Podge Wednesday

1. June is National Great Outdoors Month. Have you spent any time appreciating the great outdoors this month? If so where, and if not do you have any plans to enjoy the great outdoors before the calendar turns?  We have three porches – does that count as “outdoors” – we actually ate watermelon on the front porch on Sunday afternoon!  I plan to spend as much of Saturday as possible floating around the neighborhood pool.

2. What's a current hot button issue for you? well . . .I'm so sad about the church shooting in Charleston.  I know this probably sounds stupid and naive but I just wish we could all get along.  I wish for a world where those who need help can get help.  I wish for a world where "red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight" could be real.

3. What's a food or treat that 'disappears like hotcakes' in your house? Peanut M&M's or Fritos - both are dangerous foods in our house.  I usually only buy them if we are entertaining . . .and then we only have left overs!!

4. How hot is too hot?  Today, perhaps?  It is so hot in Alabama this week.  We also have high humidity so when you walk outside, you immediately begin to sweat.  Our air conditioners are all running as hard as they can run . . .and we find it difficult to cool spaces.  We went in a store around 5:30 p.m. yesterday and the sun was shining directly in their front windows.  INSIDE the store, with their air conditioner running, EVERYONE in the store was sweating.

5. Do you have an artistic outlook on life? What does that mean to you?  I think I might.  I've never thought of my outlook in those terms before but I tend to be a creative person.  I tend to see colors - like the variety of greens - from pale yellow green to deep dark green.  I want to live life to its fullest - not wasting a moment.

6. What's one question you'd like to ask your father, or one you wish you could ask your father? Oh daddy - I would love to ask you all sorts of questions.  What was it like when you were growing up?  What was it like when you were raising us?  What was it like when momma died?  What was it like when you became a pawpaw?  What should I do about multiple things (too many to list)?  My mom died when I was a sophomore in high school and my dad died when I was 25.  I would love to have some adult conversations with them.  I would love to know all sorts of things. (not too long before he died - I'm on the right and Becky is on the left)

7. Something you learned from your father?  Gosh - that is hard.  He has been dead for longer than I knew him.  He taught me how to drive a stick shift!  I bought it and had no clue how to drive it and I jumped it and jerked it over to his house and he taught me how to drive it that very evening.  He also taught me to love.  I always knew that my daddy loved me - even when he was mad at me - even when he told me that my jeans were too tight!  I knew that I was loved.  He also taught me that there are a whole lot of things we do in life because they are the RIGHT thing to do.  Someone had died and I didn't want to go to the funeral home.  Daddy said that he didn't want to go either but that we were going because it was THE RIGHT thing to do.  That is a simple example but that advice has carried over into my adult life.

8.  Insert your own random thought here. So, I had planned to blog every day.  What happened to that?  My sister has been visiting and I've enjoyed spending time with her.  I'm ready for a vacation.  We have a mini trip planned to Savannah and Charleston and I'm looking forward to that!! (sorry - that was several random thoughts!!)