Well, Happy Hump Day friends. Or Wednesday:) A good day for some Hodge Podge fun. I think I will jump right in….
1. The Hodgepodge lands on National Picnic Day…will you celebrate? Do you enjoy picnics? Dining out of doors picnic or otherwise? What are three or four things I’d find in your picnic basket? No picnic today, although the weather certainly does call for a picnic! Goodness but it has been beautiful. We had actually planned to enjoy a picnic on Easter afternoon but we (somewhat) chickened out. Tick season has begun in our area. Ugh. The dog takes internal tick prevention (which is supposedly the most effective) but we have already found a tick.
It was not attached (maybe that is what the medicine is supposed to do…I dunno) but it was still there. Yuck. Having to worry over ticks, honestly, takes a lot of enjoyment out of hiking and/or picnics. We do enjoy eating outdoors. We do so as often as we can – at restaurants or on our patio. Somewhere without tall grass, etc.:) If I were to pack a picnic, there would be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on raisin bread. The absolute perfect thing to pack in a lunchbox or a picnic cooler!! (In my humble opinion.)
2. A time recently where you felt ‘antsy’? As much as I enjoy going downtown, as we did on Saturday, I am always a bit antsy – nervous and/or on edge – while I am there. When we came out of the restaurant, there were people screaming at each other across the road. Most of the time, they are screaming just to be screaming, but it makes me very nervous. There was also a homeless man who kept stepping into the road to dance. And I could go on….but I will just answer with this past Saturday.
3. As the saying goes…’when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.’ Do you like lemonade? When did you recently need to make lemonade out of lemons, figuratively speaking? I do not particularly care for lemonade. If it is served to me (at a picnic maybe!), I will drink it but I’m really not a fan. I have a friend who loves the frosted lemonades at Chick Fil A. She is often trying to get me to try one. It looks like a hybrid between a milkshake and a slushie. I do not like slushies, or slurpees, at all and don’t think a milkshake that involves lemonade sounds very appealing…so that one is an easy pass. As for making lemonade, figuratively? I have to admit that I am not very good at doing so. With things tend to sour, I typically throw out the nasty lemons and either move on or (maybe) start over. Figuratively speaking.
5. Favorite thing about the ‘space’ you’re sitting in right now? I’m in my office. I really enjoy my office. I would say it is “my happy place” in my home! It is a collection of favorite pictures, gathered treasures and favorite trip reminders. Like a photo of my sweetie from another era:) That red heart was made my sweet Tyler shortly after we began his treatments and were visiting NIH every week. The group of friends (in the smaller photo), visiting the cherry blossoms downtown, are from my old church and all of them – and that season of life – hold many, many good memories for me.
6. Insert your own random thought here. Looking at that photo of my husband, I am (randomly) thinking about uniforms. My husband is wearing a long sleeve uniform shirt while working the Fourth of July parade. He remembers it was scorching hot that day but long sleeve shirts were required every day. He was thrilled when that requirement changed. His own father drove a dry cleaning truck (for home pick up and delivery) and his required uniform (back in the day) was a suit. A wool suit. That he wore all year long. Without air conditioning, of course. Ugh. His mom was a nurse and wore the starched white uniform with matching white shoes, hose and even a white hat. In many ways, changes in uniforms and appropriate work attire have been a good thing; however, I often think the new standards are less than ideal, or even appropriate. My random thought here is: I appreciate a doctor who looks professional. If they wear the rather traditional white jacket…even better. Somehow I have much more confidence in the ones who do so – as opposed to the ones who opt for a more business casual (or just plain casual) appearance. I know some are “put at ease” with a surgeon in cool jeans and a slouchy sweater, but I am not one of them. Just sayin. And, yes, very random.
Most weekdays we watch 2 episodes of Leave It To Beaver. We marvel at so many things that have changed since those days (I am 2 years younger than Beaver). June (the mother) wears dresses 99.99% of the time, and Ward (the dad) wears a suit and tie bout 95% of the time, even while sitting on the couch after dinner, reading the paper! Yes, indeed, clothing has changed dramatically since the late 1950s-1960s. Some of those changes are for the better and some are absolutely outrageously impractical, disrespectful, and even obscene.
I’m glad I am not the only one that finds some of the changes disrespectful. I had no idea one could still watch Leave it to Beaver on tv. That’s cool. Might have to look for some older shows. Glad you stopped by, Barbara!
I feel kind of silly that I’ve never had PB&J on raisin bread but I bet that’s delicious. We are not big fans of tick season either though I up the whole families’ intake of garlic this time of year (my father swears that ever since he started feeding garlic pills to his dog– who used to get Lyme annually and upped his own garlic intake that neither one of them have had a tick bite since!). I figure I like garlic and have had Lyme disease and I’d much rather eat more garlic on the off chance it could help prevent another round of doxycycline!
Joanne, thanks so much for a suggestion. I’m up to try anything. And I LOVE garlic. I’m with you on more prevention….and less treatment!
I am not a fan of Lemonade either – it makes my throat dry out which I feel is counter-productive to drinking a tall cold glass of something! Lately I have discovered chunky peanut butter on toasted sweet waffles and its the bomb diggity.
I truly love picnics!! I enjoy making attractive picnic baskets. Pretty cloth napkins, sandwiches on cresants, veggies and fruit. Those were days in the past. Picnicing is not possible with the health issues of my dearest, but we picnic on the balcony and I try to make it as lovely as under a tree somewhere. We don’t deal with ticks in Southern CA but we do get nasty knats and flies. Enjoyed seeing your happy place and the pictures of you hubby. Have a great “Hump” day!!Wanda
Wanda – no ticks?? That is amazing! Gnats are gross but they give you Lyme’s disease (at least I don’t think so)!:) A picnic on the balcony with your dearest sounds perfect!! Thanks for stopping by –
That is a shame you missed your picnic over Easter. Eek to the ticks! I would have chickend out too!
I always feel antsy when I go to town, especially with loud and unpredictable people about.
Your office sounds wonderful, full of happy memories and things.
Thanks much, Kim. I really do like my office:)
I get antsy in downtown areas, too. Just spent too much of my life in the country and suburbs to not worry about the mischief and misfortune occurring in the big city that I could get caught up in. Your husband was a cop? That’s what I thought the uniform looked like. I get antsy thinking about the men who wore suits a lot even in the hot summer when there was no AC. Yikes! And I say that as someone who is cold often and hates to be cold. The thought of long sleeves in the heat is just too much!
My husband is a retired cop, indeed!!:)
I wrote you a long email and then I had to look up my website link for your comment and then I lost it.
Anyway, ticks are not good for anyone. Sorry about the tick you found. Eating outside at a restaurants can be nice. Yes, going downtown to eat can make us antsy’ and now that you saw people yelling at each other makes is scary. I used to like lemonade and just stopped drinking one day. I don’t know why. I agree, planes make me nervous now and I am flying on Friday. Say a prayer. I’m glad your office is your happy place. I really enjoyed your random thought. It was a nice read. Thank you.
Ticks are nasty…plain and simple. We do love a good picnic though. A few months ago, I was able to purchase a couple of old-time picnic baskets at an auction, and I plan to use those this summer for picnics…even if it’s just at the picnic table on our deck in the back.
I’m with your friend when it comes to Chick-fil-A’s frosted lemonades! Oh, my goodness!
Thank you for sharing your happy place with us. I can understand why it’s your favorite place in the house. I’ve recently created a space like that in our home for myself. It just makes me happy!
I looooooove peanut butter and jelly on raisin bread! How funny that two bloggers like the same thing people call odd. At least some of the people I know lol. I also like toasted raisin bread with my homemade honey butter. I usually buy the cinnamon raisin bread at our Farmer’s Market when it’s available.
I don’t like Chick-fil-A. Period. I had it once several years ago when we took our American Heritage Girls troop there to eat… I’ll never go there again. Just something about the way they do their chicken. Yuck.
What wonderful photos of your husband. and friends. I can remember when the police here had wool uniform suits. And the doctors and burses wore white uniforms. So long ago. Now the doctors and nurses wear the color uniforms. I thought it odd years ago when Walmart began selling those uniforms. I actually bought a brown pair of the uniform pants and found them very comfortable, but since they’ve changed the fiber content, I can’t stand them. But I clearly remember the nurses’ white dresses, caps, shoes and stockings …. they were so very formal and smart-looking.
I’ve added your blog to my list and will be back to visit again! Have a great day, Jennifer! Be blessed!
I’m so glad you stopped by and left your comment. So nice to make a new friend here. I look forward to visiting back and forth more in the future! Thanks much, Diana!!