Hello friends and welcome to the middle of the week. I missed posting on Monday (sigh) but hope everyone enjoyed the weekend…whether you were celebrating the holiday, avoiding it altogether or just live elsewhere. After three (or was it four) consecutive days of days with temperatures over 100 degrees, we finally got rain. About an hour before the fireworks were to begin! Really?! Sure, I was happy for rain but it did put quite a damper (pun totally intended) on the festivities of Saturday night. We retreated to our car and tried to watch from there but we were totally getting wet and, well, I guess I’m just not that patriotic. We headed home. I did, however, make a delicious no-bake “fireworks” cheesecake type dessert and, in the end, was not disappointed that we decided against going downtown. Those we know personally who did venture that way were not home before three in the morning! Um, no.
And that is the perfect lead to this week’s first Hodge Podge question (not planned but I’ll take it)…..
1. What’s something you enjoy now that your younger self would never have appreciated? Going to bed early. There was a time that I thought “real adults” stayed up late. Silly me. I also love getting up early. Without an alarm. Sleeping in (however my younger self would have defined that) is way overrated. There is so much you miss when you sleep through the first hours of the morning, but I’m pretty sure my younger self would not/did not appreciate them even when the alarm forced me up early. Ah, and I will add a nice cup of coffee in the morning. Younger self did not drink coffee. Hard to remember but it is true.
2. What was peaceful about today? We had a HUGE thunderstorm last night. The kind that wakes you from sleep, completely rattles the windows but eventually turns to hypnotic rain once the thunder rolls out. This morning, everything was soaked and completely refreshed from all the heat of late. The cloud cover was still heavy creating a slow to awaken feel to the day. It was an incredibly peaceful morning.
3. It’s National Blueberry Day. Will you celebrate? A slice of blueberry pie, a warm blueberry muffin, or a stack of blueberry pancakes…which would you choose? Now that you mention it (and/or let me know), I think I just might celebrate it. I have fresh blueberries in my fridge just waiting to be celebrated:) Blueberry pancakes sound yummy but I will always go for a delicious muffin. Delish. I’m writing this on Tuesday but, hey, maybe I will “celebrate” today. Why wait?? This or that-blueberries or raspberries? blueberries or strawberries? Blueberries. Blueberries. And more blueberries!
4. Do you need a break? From what? From Instagram. I had an account several years ago. I cannot even remember exactly when. I enjoyed taking photos and creating little snipets to share. But it got to be too much with blogging. It became so time-consuming (if it involves technology, I’m slow), I deleted my account. About three months, I got the notion to reload IG. Just to “check it out.” Which was going fine, at least for awhile. Not only has the platform “grown” into something much more than I remember (not nearly as much fun as it was) but I cannot believe how quickly I have been drawn into the magnetic force (and tremendous time waster) that is social media. It is befuddling how mesmerizing, almost intoxicating, it can be.
5. What has surprised you most about getting older? How difficult it is to stay in shape. And to maintain a healthy weight. (Hint: I am struggling with both.) I eat healthy. I stretch. I drink my water and walk every day. I’m adding strength training. But the struggle is real. No, I am not trying to have the body, in strength or size, that I did 25 years ago but I would like, one day, to be “a senior” who can get herself off the floor, can walk a flight of stairs without being completely winded and/or who can maneuver her own luggage through an airport (and stow it in the overhead bin). Yoga might be a stretch (ha…look what I did there!) but, then again, maybe not. I admire this woman’s focus, though!!
6. Insert your own random thought here. Did anyone happen to see this? I thought it was cool. Obviously, I see red, white and blue boats but I cannot see/figure out how the stars are made? Can you tell??
Thanks for stopping by. As always, check out the rest of the Hodge Podge here! Thanks Joyce!!
The boat pic is cool. I’m going to have to make it bigger to tell what the stars are though because my eyes are one thing that make me feel ‘old’ : ) I feel like my social media feeds are mostly ads and reels from people I don’t know but the algorithm thinks I might like? It is easy to get lost there for too long, and I try to reach for a book more often than m phone. Not easy though. I’m also slow with tech stuff so don’t post much on social media. My blog is enough. I link it on my facebook page because a lot of people read it there, but I don’t spend time on Facebook other than that. It’s definitely changed into something I don’t love like I did when it started. The cozy corner of the internet that has homey blogs is my favorite. Have a great day!
The cozy corner of the internet…I love that, Joyce! Thanks for the reminder as to why I blog!:)
Our blueberries are about finished but I was able to put several quarts of them in the freezer to enjoy this winter.
I totally understand about social media, my friend. I had a Facebook account for several years but deleted it probably 10 years ago. I did miss keeping in touch with family, so I opened an Instagram account. Then even it got to be too much with what people were willing to share. So, blogging has been my outlet for staying in touch with folks I care about. So thankful that I met YOU through that adventure. xx
I agree…blogging is for me. It is not only enjoyable but a much more manageable outlet and place for engagement. Thanks, Dianna.
I enlarged your “flag” pic (which is cool!) but I couldn’t tell what the stars are unless some kind of sail? like on sailboats?? no idea! HA!i
Love blueberries and I also wrote mine yesterday but this AM I ‘m leading a small mountain hike so opted for healthier blueberries and raspberries on steel cut oats vs making pancakes or muffins.
I don’t need to lose weight BUT I would like to shrink the small “bulge” of my post menopausal belly. To do so, I am choosing way less chicken and salmon and opting for plant based proteins along with sticking to pilates combined with weights. I use you tube videos for those and I do very brisk as in swinging my arms power walking most days. It does help to up the cardio. And with my spine issues I of course have to do the stretches/yoga stuff my chiropractor taught me.
The morning you described sounds perfect! our humidity dropped last night and I’m loving it alhtough i know it’s supposed to creep up again by the weekend. Oh well. It’s summer in the northeast!!
Blueberries on oats sounds delicious!! Hope your enjoyed your hike this morning! So glad you stopped by the blog today..it seems like awhile since a visit! Happy Wednesday!
Agree with Joyce- blogging is my only foray into sharing pics and words electronically. IG and FB are not for me though IG was once for me. SUCH a time drain!! Glad you did not go downtown for fireworks. A 3:00 am arrival home might have messed with your early wake up :). Jealous of the rain you received. Notta here so I am the water lady for my plants. Have a great one!
Time drain is exactly my experience with IG. I let it go (aka deleted) today. Hope you get some rain soon:)
That’s good the rain came but a shame it came just before the fireworks!
hahaha! I always wanted to stay up late when I was younger, now I am older I am sometimes looking at the clock thinking it might be too early to go to bed.
That does sound like a peaceful morning. I love the morning after a lot of rain!
Oh wow! The flag made out of boats is clever.
Some people are just so clever..and creative, aren’t they?? Glad for your visit today!
Hello Friend,
Coffee, I said coffee too.
Oh yes, I agree with your social media shout out. I deleted it all, IG and FB. I like the community we have built here in blogland. I honestly would love to meet so many of the bloggers in person.
I did not see the boat photo. Thank you for sharing.
Carla
I like the blogland community as well!! No need to waste time and energy on IG or other platforms. This is nice:)
We had a similar answer to the first question. I have that problem with Facebook, I keep feeling it’s time to part with it. I stick with Instagram because my kids are on it but I don’t update as much as I used to. I cannot see myself leaving the blogging world. That boat picture is cool.
Glad you stopped by, Dawn. Happy Wednesday to you!:)
While I do Instagram (I put a limit as to how much time I spend on it), I don’t do Facebook (a holdover from my teaching days). I don’t eat berries, so it is easy to pick a favorite – NONE. What a cool picture of the flag using boats! I would love to know how the stars were created. Happy Wednesday, Jennifer!
No berries? Have you always disliked them? Blueberries are really the only ones I really enjoy…and I thought that was unique:)
I’m nearly 73 and was doing fine until 2 falls; one at a dog park when a group of big dogs were running crazy and ran into me. I got 2 rotator cuff tears and banged up my knee. So, I’m not what I used to be. I used to run. I still dream I am running. Oh well, life goes on, and we manage.
Don’t even get me started on social media. I detest wasting time. I read once where it was FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. That actually makes sense. I’m glad I broke that addiction back in 2020, and believe me, that first month without Facebook was a realignment of my time, my brain…
Always enjoy your thoughts –
A realignment of time…and my brain. I get that. I deleted IG this morning. I can tell some realignment is going to be needed! Sigh. You still dream you are running…oh my. Thanks for your encouraging comment, Debby.
I agree- Instagram is not what it used to be! It takes so much work to both blog and be on Instagram, and it seems like every year we add some new social media platform that I have to learn how to use. I should probably spend much less time on Instagram, though!
Another fun Hodgepodge! I actually met Joyce in person last week!! Lovely lady!! I agree with you about the quiet peacefulness after a steady rain! I quit Instagram very soon after I signed on. There were too many people wanting to connect and asking questions. I refuse to go there now. Blogger and Facebook are more than enough! Have a happy week ahead!
Hello friend,
Your dessert from the fourth sounds like it was so good. I love blueberries. Pancakes and muffins are the best with them to me. Oh, I also make this blueberry cobbler (dump cake) that I love!!!! Hmmmm…. now I need to get some berries.
I enjoyed your answers. I’ve seen the boat photo and haven’t decided how they did any of it or if it is even real. I hate that we even have to question if something was AI created. I love social media for the connections but there are aspects of it I wish weren’t there. I love a good thunderstorm. We don’t get intense ones here where I live. Also, yes to everything in #1! As I read peoples posts I think of more things I could add.
My younger self would absolutely be surprised by what a morning person I’ve become. I spend a lot of my day wondering how early I can go to bed and looking forward to my quiet morning hours with my coffee-hot chocolate! Hahaha!