Longest Day of the Year Hodgepodge

 I'm joining up with the Wednesday Hodgepodge Bunch. Joyce writes the questions and we answer!

1. Hello Summer! In the northern hemisphere anyway. What's something on your summer bucket list? Do you have an actual summer bucket list? If not, use your hypothetical list. For the longest day of the year, I had originally planned to go downstairs to Moss Rock Tacos and Tequila and buy a margarita and sit outside on the park bench until dark. I’m afraid that by the end of the day, it might be raining. I also want to make time to go to our neighborhood pool. I know we aren’t supposed to love being in the sun . . .but I love a tan. I use tan towelettes but they aren’t the same as a real tan.

2. What for you is the defining scent of summer? The smell of freshly mown grass . . .which kills my allergies but I love to smell it!  The other defining scent would be of tomatoes fresh off the vine or peaches fresh off the tree.

This was last June in Austria . . .
and they were cutting the field below
us and I actually said to Mark, "fresh
mown grass smells the same in
Alabama and in Austria!"

3. What's a (music, food, wine, or flower) festival happening in your part of the country that you would like to attend if tickets/travel/timing was no object? We used to have a summer Jazz Festival in our park but they discontinued it several years ago. I wish they would bring it back. I think it was a lot of work for those in charge. I know I had some pictures of the Jazz Fest and thought I had used them in the blog but I can't find them. I love fireworks so maybe I’ll go somewhere and watch fireworks! I know that isn’t a music, food, wine, or flower festival but I can’t think of one!!

4. Apparently a military whistle blower claims the US has a UFO retrieval program. What say you? Do you believe aliens are out there? My husband has been talking about this . . .and I think he thinks there may actually be some UFO’s out there. I’m not so sure.

photo cred - Wikipedia
I don't think they would look like this
if they do exist

5. Besides your wedding day and the birthdays of any children you may have, what are three of your top experiences in life? This is a hard question!! Let’s see . . . the first time I gave a talk on an Emmaus Walk was a spiritual high. When I was in Israel for the third time, I was able to climb to the top of a big hill that I had been unable to climb two years before. That was an amazing feeling. Speaking of Israel, my trips to Israel and our trip to Ireland and then our trip to Austria, Italy, and Germany have ALL been top experiences. As I'm typing those things, I realize that the day Granddaughter #1 was born and they placed her in my arms . . .oh my goodness. I didn't know you could fall in love IMMEDIATELY with a grandchild. I felt the same way when #2 came along. (you said children . . .not grands :-))

6. Insert your own random thought here. Our granddaughter #1 is staying at granddaughter #2’s house this week. Our daughter has been sending us updates and pictures and oh my goodness – they are so cute together. I feel like we’ve missed a whole year of their lives. I know we’ve seen them a lot but we haven’t had everyone in our “home” in so long. The apartment isn’t big enough. Speaking of the house, they bumped the date again . . .final cleaning on July 7. One year anniversary of the fire is July 9. I am beyond ready. We won’t be able to move in that weekend because we will be at granddaughter #2’s birthday party and I had to miss her party last year because of emergency surgery the week after the fire. Our lease is up on the apartment on July 26 so we have to be out by then.

story time at their library