Hello Wednesday. Welcome July!! (It is sooo good to see you…and to say good-bye to June. But that is just me and my June.) And happy Hodge Podge Day! Joyce has us thinking about the country, patriotism and all things RW&B. Just a bit longer:) For my friends outside of the states, please bear with us. You only celebrate 250 years once! And, well, we could use all the patriotism we can get lately. So, let’s wave the flag and enjoy the fun for another blog post!
1. What do you love most about your country? Not only the freedoms that this country was founded on but that we currently enjoy. I am beyond grateful that I can attend church, read (and even carry) my Bible and am able to share my faith. Christians around the world would love to be able to do the same and I can (too) quickly that these privileges for granted. Shame on me. Will our country always protect these freedoms? I’m not so sure but I am blessed to have them today. And to know they are the foundation of this country.
2. Your favorite patriotic song? Our national anthem always evokes feeling in me. No one would ever really call me the most patriotic one among us, but I am moved by the anthem. There are some others that have very poignant lyrics, but I think I would pick God Bless America. Surely, we need God’s continued favor on the United States.
“…….Let us all be grateful for a land so fair, As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer……God Bless America, My home sweet home.”
3. Red, white, or blue? Stars or stripes? Something you own, besides a US flag, with some combo of those colors or decorations? A few years ago, as a surprise gift for my husband, I had a quilt made our of our son’s jeans. They had been packed into a tote and were simply in storage. I was introduced to a local lady who did wonderful quilt work. I simply shared with her some general ideas I had for color and design (rag quilting was not something she did often) and I let her choose the fabrics. I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when I picked it up and she had used red, white and blue. Not exactly what we had talked about and not actually colors for my home but, nonetheless, the blanket has been a treasure. By the by, I had the hardest time trying to get a photo of our quilt. The two sides are different and was trying to show both of them. But, it does not typically lay crumpled in a mess like this. Just sayin.
Honorable mention would be red, white and blue M&Ms!! I picked up a bag of these holiday-themed treats afew weeks ago. When I filled my star dish with them this week, I thought I should get a back-up bag. Do you think there are any red, white and blue M&Ms in the store now? For sure, no. I was, however, able to find large containers of orange and black ones. As in, Halloween!?! Ridiculous.
4. What’s one thing you want more of this summer: fun, rest, adventure, connection, quiet, or confidence? I see a couple of good choices here but I will go with: connection. Not that there has not been much connection so far but summer just seems like the perfect time to connect. To make the invitation. For sharing long days, slow evenings or whatever brings you all the summer happiness. Summer makes you happy – and how nice to share that summer feeling with others!!:)
5. What was your ultimate, go-to summer activity when you were a kid? Swimming and/or bike riding. Do you do any version of that today? No. Sigh. Occasionally I think it would be enjoyable to do some early morning swimming at the gym. But, for some reason, that just seems like a lot of effort. We do have a community pool but I have not once been there. The longer I think on it, for the sake of this question, the less and less swimming in public places appeals to me. As for biking, I would enjoy that but I don’t own a bike. Had one, at a time, but I gave it to my nephew a few years ago when he was in college and without a car. In Boston…that must have been fun!! I do think I would feel like a kid again on a bike:)
6. Insert your own random thought here. Still no concrete plans here for Saturday. For some reason, I would really like to go downtown. Do I like crowds? No. Do I want to fight crazy traffic? Or filled to capacity subway trains? No. And now the forecast is for temperatures over 100. Do I really want to go downtown? No. Well, sorta. I did go in 1976 and still remember it vividly! Ah, but I was just a youth:) Maybe I should be grateful for that memory and call it good…lol. We will see….
Thanks for reading my Hodge Podge today. Happy Wednesday to you. If you are under this heatwave, please be safe!! Phew – it is hot!
You will have to let us know if you make it downtown! It would be neat but… overwhelming to say the least. I have to say that I’m team Go Downtown because I want to hear about it :). The quilt sounds lovely and the M&M’s of course sound tasty. Agree about swimming in public! We have a pool at the end of our street and I will likely not get into it this summer. I forgot about biking- I did a decent bit of that as a child and really enjoyed it.
I can’t have m&m’s in the house because I’d eat them all up. Peanut is my favorite.
I so enjoyed reading your responses to these questions in the hodge podge, Jennifer. Since Flag Day, I have been pondering patriotism (what it means in general and to me, in particular) along with our freedoms. We, and I am speaking generally, have so much to be grateful for with our rights/freedoms. I love your star bowl filled with M&Ms. Your quilt is a beauty. Happy July, Jennifer!
Ok, now I will have to go get some M&M’s, lol. Wishing you a beautiful day and thank you for your post. smiles
Hi Jennifer. I won’t be able to get things in order, but I do remember loving jumping in the canal for swimming when I was a kid in the summer.
I love “American the Beautiful”
I do hang our flag on the Balcony for patriot holidays
Love your Star bowl of M&Ms
I just bought a light blue Demin skirt and a blouse with stars on it.
Have a lovey 4th of July.
The quilt looks perfect to me. 🙂
I love to swim and up until last year I went swimming most every day at a pool club I was apart of. I loved it and went for years. Going to the pool or swimming in ours when had one was a summer tradition for many many years. Last year due to changes at our pool club I no longer felt comfortable with the place and cancelled years of membership. I miss having our own pool! I do belong to a gym and would love to swim but for this summer that will not take place. I also love swimming in a good waterfall or creek area. I am the one that loves to swim in the ocean. BUT again I become chicken the last two years because of all the shark attacks recently in the area we go.
I loved riding a bike too. LAST year I thought it would be such a wonderful idea after years of not pedaling to ride my daughter’s bike for a moment of whimsy and joy! Yeah, well I realized this frame and the frame of me a few years back are not the same and that whimsey and joy did not follow me. What followed me was shaky legs and a behind and lungs burning. I decided this will not be something I will do for a while. LOLOL!
I just bought red, white, and blue m&ms at our grocery store for a 4th of July dessert I’m making Friday. Though I nearly had given up on finding them as they were on an end cap by themselves. We’re in Boston right now. I always think those bikers are a bit crazy. If be a wreck riding bear busses and these crazy drivers but I bet it beat waking everywhere.
I forgot all about riding our bikes all over town! I do ride a stationary bike everyday — I don’t feel the breeze in my hair haha!
Part of me wants to go into the crowds to see the fireworks, but the smartest part of me says to stay at home and watch some on TV!! I’m too old for the crowds and the traffic. Good memories, though, from other years. Joyce gave us another fun Hodgepodge. I enjoyed your answers. Happy 4th!
We’ll be with a crowd on the 4th, at a wedding though, so a contained crowd. I love the quilt and am glad you have it. Although it may not be your color scheme those colors do work perfectly with denim. I never got any red white and blue m/m’s this year. I looked everywhere and found none and wasn’t going to order on Amazon because the cost was a bit crazy. My daughter and I were in Hobby Lobby the other day and we laughed when we heard a woman ask for something specific related to the season. We said, oh you needed to get that in February. It’s all pumpkins and spice now and no I don’t want to see that yet! Enjoy your 4th, at home or in the crowd.
Jennifer, I’m with you on #6! I’m not all that sure about heading off to the local parade in this humidity. Thankfully we can celebrate our freedom wherever we are. And that’s a very good thing!
Stay cool, friend! And let’s hear it for July!
Maybe you could go downtown, but stay in your air conditioned car! Well, it’s a thought anyway.
Enjoyed your answers. I thought we were probably just going to stay home, but we are going to go down to our oldest daughters house. I don’t always like to try navigating the neighborhoods. Yikes. Have a great holiday