Wednesday Hodgepodge

I'm joining Joyce at From This Side of The Pond for the Wednesday Hodgepodge!

1. Are you more task oriented or people oriented? Elaborate

As a former producer/project manager, I can't say I favor one over the other because both are equally important to get things done. I'm personally an outgoing introvert, which says "both" too; when I'm alone I concentrate on tasks I want finished, but I try to be very conscious of others, where they do their best, and by that enjoy what they're doing the most, when I'm working with a group. I've found that both personally and professionally making sure everybody is doing something they really love and do well make anything work better for everyone involved and is better quality in the end. So I guess that makes me a little more people oriented. I place great importance on the people who are doing the tasks and I believe that anything is better with a devoted group than it is alone.


2. December 15 is National Wear Your Pearls Day...do you own/wear pearls? If you're a man answering the question, does your sweetheart own or wear pearls? Everyone share a 'pearl of wisdom' with us here today.

I don't have, nor have I ever had, real pearls. I'm a shiny stones person. I have worn plastic pearls in the past.

"Pearl of wisdom?" A good psychologist will not solve all of your problems for you. A GOOD psychologist listens to you and asks you the questions you need to answer to solve your problems yourself. Any kind of real change or repair has to come from you. But don't ever be afraid to let a professional help you find the answers that you have inside.


3. Speaking of pearls...oysters? Are you a fan or not a fan? If you answered yes, tell us your favorite way to eat oysters? If you said no, be honest-have you ever tried one or does just the idea of eating an oyster make you gag a little?

I'm not an oyster fan. Honestly I don't remember if I've tried them, but I probably have at some point during my life. As a first generation American I tried a lot of weird stuff as a child. LOL I'm told I was a huge fan of calamari when I was little. I know what they taste like and there's no way I'd eat them now. So it's probable that I did try oysters at some time but the thought of eating an oyster now is kind of gross so I don't want to try them, probably again, to see if I like them. There are so many things that I enjoy that I see no need to try to add oysters to that list.

I do know that I have tried in recent years and don't like eggplant, Portabella mushrooms, sushi, tapioca putting, salmon or tilapia.


4. Time Magazine has named President-elect Donald Trump Person of the Year. Let's take presidents and presidential candidates out of the mix for a minute. If a political figure had not been chosen who would you name Man or Woman of the Year for 2016?

Time's Man of the Year in 1938 was Adolph Hitler. Hmm...

Nani Magazine's Person of the Year 2016 is Simone Biles. Incredibly talented, 4 Gold Medals and I was blown away with how tall she looks when performing.


5. The Pantone Color of the Year for 2017 has been announced, and it's a vibrant green aptly named-greenery. Your thoughts? Is this a color currently in your home or wardrobe? Will you add something in this shade for the new year? Click here to see the color.

Woo-hoo, Greenery! It's a great color and one I can say that I have a lot of in my house and in my wardrobe. I think going forward into 2017 with greenery as the color of the the year rekindles some of my hope that, at least the color copy of, the year will look good!


6. Today I've had too much SNOW!

There was a reported measurement of 9 inches at the airport Sunday afternoon into Monday early morning. There is still snow all over the yard every time I look out the window and it's COLD. So there's the winter. I'm good with that. Bring on the warm weather and bring the spring flowers. I've had enough of winter now.


7. Share a favorite lyric from a favorite Christmas carol.

I chuckled at this one because just last night I wrote down my top 10 Christmas songs for 2016 to put in my weekly journal.

Here is that list:

Unto You This Night, Garth Brooks *
Old Toy Trains, Joe Nichols
Let It Be Christmas, Alan Jackson
Candlelight Carol, Neil Diamond *
Away In A Manger, John Berry *
Ave Maria, Luciano Pavarotti
Hallelujah (Christmas lyrics), The Osmonds
Oh Holy Night, Jo Dee Messina
Mary Did You Know, Kenny Rogers & Wynona Judd
This Christmas, Dru Hill *

* songs that have been my favorite versions of my favorite songs for a very long time and are in the top 50 or so all time. The top 10 for the year is a combination of those all-time songs that really strike me in a given year and the new songs that I'm kind of obsessed about this year.

The Osmonds version of Hallelujah is with the lyrics rewritten to tell the story of the first Christmas. I think Hallelujah is a beautiful song but the original lyrics are about a relationship ending and questioning faith. I think the Osmonds version is much more appropriate for Christmas.

I heard Old Toy Trains for the first time last year and I absolutely love the song, the Joe Nichols version being, in my opinion, the best. That's the lyric I'm sharing today.

Old toy trains, little toy tracks
Little boy toys, comin' from a sack
Carried by a man dressed in white and red
Little boy don't you think it?s time you where in bed?

Close your eyes, listen to the skies
All is calm, all is well
Soon you'll hear Kris Kringle and the jingle bells

Bringin' old toy trains, little toy tracks
Little boy toys, comin' form a sack
Carried by a man dressed in white and red
Little boy don't you think it?s time you where in bed?


8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I've always loved this time of year. Personally I decorate for and share Christmas with my relatives and many members of my family. For me it's a celebration of spirituality, family/community and of children. I honor those as three separate holidays for church, national and a Hallmark holiday for the kid in all of us. As a Unitarian Universalist I also respect and enjoy the many other holidays celebrated at this time of year. I've been one of those dreaded "Happy Holidays" people since I bowled with Jewish kids when I was about 7 or 8 years old.

I'd love it if everyone could embrace saying "happy holidays" in public/with people they don't know and share the joy they feel from their holiday with everyone in a non-judgmental way. But I also like the idea of just not correcting anybody when they say a greeting whether it's "Merry Christmas," "Happy Hanukkah," "Merry Yule," or even " Happy Holidays." They are all greetings that say "I feel blessed and like celebrating and I want to share that good feeling with you." The best way to share the loving spirit of what you celebrate is to simply smile and say "thank you, you too.” Doesn't that capture the"peace" part of all of the holidays?

Wednesday Hodge Podge - Back To School

1. Way back when (the Hodgepodge bicentennial to be precise) several of you submitted questions as part of a giveaway I was hosting. I went back to that list for inspiration today and found a question submitted by Marla, who blogs over at Marla's Musings. Thanks Marla!

She asks-At what age did you feel like a 'grown-up'? What keeps you young now?

When I was 43. That’s how old I was when Grandma died. She was my last grandparent and it marked not being able to run away and be a grandchild anymore. What still keeps me young is my dad; I’m still Pop’s little princess.


2. When did you last buy a vehicle? Was this by design or because you had no other option? Was the car/truck purchased for your own personal use or was it bought for someone else to drive? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being delightful and 1 being 'pass the Excedrin') how would you rate the experience?

My last vehicle purchase was the 1994 Camaro which is the only car I bought new and paid for every cent. The whole experience from purchase to hanging up the keys was fantastic…well, maybe notsomuch the hanging up the keys part.

Quite recently, I was part of the decision making process of the wheelchair van David purchased. It’s recent enough that the jury is still out on rating the experience.



3. Corn bread, corn chips, corn pudding, corn on the cob, cornflakes, corn chowder-your favorite of the corn-y foods listed? What needs to be served alongside your selection?

Corn bread with apple or peach butter.


4. What's something in your life that regularly requires you to 'put your thinking cap on'?

Movies. I’m not a big movie watcher so I usually have to think hard and then make something up if the question is about movies.


5. Share a favorite movie set in a school or classroom, or whose theme relates to school days in some way.

Let me put my thinking cap on…


6. Reading, writing, and 'rithmatic' are commonly referred to as the three R's. What are the three R's in your life right now?

Resting, Rehab Medical (company that does my wheelchair) and Resonance (The R in MRI)


7. What's something you've learned or tried recently you can say was as 'easy as ABC'?

I pronounced “ABC” in German to give myself a little slack. ;)

Lucidchart, the software I used to create the first proposed floor plan for the new bathroom. It’s basically a knock-off of Visio which is software I used for a few floor plans and technical drawings in school, but it’s been a few years since I’ve used it. It’s like riding a bike, though.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

Whoever coined the phrase “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” to describe the difficulty of learning new things has never tried to teach a young cat anything. I just say “you can’t teach a cat” and be done with it. David just went out the door to take the van to the mechanic and Marco went right out with him and trotted on ahead. A few seconds later the porch door reopened and Marco was unceremoniously dropped inside. Marco is the 7th cat who has lived here (that includes when Azzie and Kaline were here for a few weeks before Kaline moved in and a 3-month trial with Morgan) and out of those 7 cats he is the only one with a consuming desire to go outside. We live near a busy street and our cats are absolutely house cats. I just don’t get it. He was born in a garage and stayed there with his mom and siblings until he came to live with us at 7 weeks old. He was never wild cat. Where does this desire to be outside come from? He was named after an infielder not the explorer. Sigh; you can’t teach a cat.

Wednesday Hodge Podge

1. Did you watch The Oscars? How many of the Best Picture nominees have you seen? (American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, Selma, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash)

Do you think actors should use their acceptance speeches as an opportunity to promote their political and/or social agenda? Does that sort of speech make you more or less inclined to change the channel?

This is an easy quickie answer to all three parts of the question: Nope, none of them, don’t care. Although for the last one I suppose if I did watch some political stuff would keep my interest since I’m not familiar with any of the movies. ;)


2. Speaking of the movies... are you comfortable going to a movie alone? How about dinner in a restaurant (not fast food, but an actual restaurant)? The second half of this question was posed by Carrie who blogs over at It's Not Easy Being Queen. Thanks Carrie!

I’m fine going to the movies, a restaurant or a baseball game alone and have done the latter two on more than one occasion. The movies no, but I don’t go to the movies much anyway. I’m fine being alone; I really do like my own company. And I also make acquaintances pretty easy if I feel like talking to someone too. I consider it a treat when I take an occasional day to go out to lunch on my own.


3. What's the last home repair or home improvement project you had to pay someone to complete? In hindsight was this a project you could have done yourself?

The last big project we had someone in to do was updating the electric outlets several places to three-prong outlets after we got the new TV. Even in my more mobile days I only did basic electric wiring, so no, it’s not something we could have done.


4. Have you ever had Indian food? Like it or no? If you're a fan, what's your favorite dish? Have you ever prepared this yourself at home? Is there an Indian restaurant in your current hometown?

I tried Indian many years ago and didn’t care for it. Mom and I tried the Indian place near where I used to live. I found it too spicy-hot and too salty for my taste. The Naan was good, but I’m not a huge bread person either.


5. A song that reminds you of your parents?

Cecelia by Simon and Garfunkel; it was the song that always played when we crossed the Mackinac Bridge when we went camping. We always sang the chorus together but as an adult I was shocked that given the verses that was our family fun song when we were kids! I didn’t turn out too warped though.


6. The 26th of February is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day. What's your favorite, or one of your favorite, fairy tales? Do you have any childhood memories associated with a particular fairy tale?

Hmm, I guess Cinderella? I don’t have any particular fairytale memories from my childhood, but later in the day, or sometimes early in the morning, now I’ll ask David to “Cindy me” when I need help getting my shoes on.


7. What's a problem you solved yesterday?

Technically I guess I came up with the solution Sunday, acted on that solution Monday but it was yesterday that the solution was finalized and authorized. My doctor is sending the prescription update to increase my pain meds as I’d asked. That means I’ll take one at noon and one at bedtime and if will quell my daytime pain. YAY!


8. Insert your own random thought here.

I regained my hope for the near future and shook out of my winter doldrums when I saw this photo on the Tigers’ Instagram feed yesterday:

There WILL be spring like usual. The Boys of Summer are getting ready to bring sun and warmth with them and come home!

Wednesday Hodge Podge

I'm joining Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodge Podge this week!

1. What's something you take for granted, that when you stop and think about it you feel truly grateful for?

Walking

I never thought about how great walking was or how much I enjoyed the walks I took, my ability to do walking things, until I started losing that ability. I don’t dance anymore or play mini golf, there are no more walks at the park choosing the uphill dirt paths because it felt good to stretch my muscles. When I could do those things I did them because they felt good and never gave a thought to how fortunate I was to be able to do them. Why would I? There were always lots of other people who did the same things.

But at that time there were also lots of other people using canes, crutches, walkers or wheelchairs. Now that I’m one of those people in a wheelchair walking seems like a pretty special thing. Looking back I’m glad I got to do it for well over 40 years. I miss it, sometimes to the point of tears, but there are those that had far less than 40 years of walking, some who never had it at all. And I have to grab things and gimp into the bathrooms at home or grab things to stand up to reach things. Every time I’m successful at those things I celebrate it. I’m thankful I succeeded. Oh, it’s not always with a sincere celebratory smile, but when I think back, I feel victory. There are those that can’t do even that much; I still have some determined independence. For that I’m grateful.

I used to not even think about being grateful when I danced but now I dance in my mind every time I take a couple steps.


2. The color brown-love it or no? What's your favorite shade of brown? Most loved something in your home or closet in a shade of brown?

I don’t wear brown or choose brown when I have a choice except as an accent. You’ll never see a scrapbook page in brown created by me either. So, not really a huge fan of brown.

However my favorite brown shades are milk chocolate and coffee…my favorite things in those colors are their namesakes.


3. What's something you're looking forward to today?

Spring


4. The word 'feminism' is not new, but it has been generating all kinds of headlines in recent days and months. What do you think/feel when you hear the word? If you're a woman, do you want to be described as a feminist? Why or why not?

When I hear the word “feminism” it think it should be an archaic term that isn’t used anymore and it makes me sad that it’s a term that’s still relevant. I don’t even think “equality” should be a term used much because with an ounce of intelligence or humanity they should be “duh” words. But unfortunately there are too many people in more secure positions of power who are afraid they’d have to work harder to earn those positions if all things were actually equal. My altruistic 9-year old self expected youth hockey teams to all be coed and that there would be girls on NHL teams by now. Isn’t that what our team beat (and beat up) the boys travel team for?

Feminism means equality. Yes, I’m a feminist and many other “ists.” I believe that people are equal. We all have strengths and weaknesses; that why we’re ALL here. We need each other.


5. What's something you personally can't eat without making a mess?

Ooo…I HATE messy food! I’m a nibbler so there’s a lot of finger food in my world and I can’t eat without a napkin!

I guess I’d have to say popcorn. I’m popcorn crazy but I can’t eat popcorn without dropping a few pieces. I think that’s why David hides my popcorn popper.


6. When did you last surprise someone with a little gift or when were you last surprised by someone with a little gift? What was it?

David and I get little gifts for each other all the time. He brought me home pumpkin spice goodies from the post-Halloween sales and “Nani visits the eye doc” always means I bring him a treat from Panera, so I don’t think I count the everyday husband and wife little gifts. Those are just the underlying romance that keeps our marriage strong, part of “getting each other.”

My last surprise gift, and I don’t call it little, no gift is little, was a bracelet from my friend Stephanie during the baseball playoffs. We enjoy the friendly rivalry of I’m a Reds fan and she’s a Cardinals fan. She sent me the Reds colors bracelet. Bracelets are my favorite piece of jewelry and this one will definitely see a few ballparks.


7. Share a favorite quote, saying, song lyric or scripture relating to gratitude.

I don’t so much have a quote of thanks that’s a favorite. I’ve always stepped back and was grateful for the people and things I have in my life. I realize that those parts of my life are important for me to be able to overcome the challenges in my life. So I guess that’s my quote:

“Be grateful for the people and things you have in your life because they are essential to meet the challenges in your life.” -Nani

8. Insert your own random thought here.

It’s Ambrosia Apple season! Ambrosias, originated in British Columbia, Canada, in the early 1990s, are my absolute favorite apples, SO SWEET! David picked up a half dozen for me last night. There are five now. Maybe the bananas he also brought me will help the ambrosias last longer…and maybe I’ll just be eating lots of fruit the next few days!

Nuts About Hodge Podging!

1. April showers bring May flowers, or so the saying goes. When did you last 'shower' attention on someone or have attention 'showered' on you? Did you love it, or did all that attention makes you squirm?

Christmas is good for showers. In 2012 during the hockey strike, David and I gave my hockey nut brother a large box with 12 individually wrapped gifts in it calling it a “12-Step Program for the Hockey Strike.” It had everything from York Peppermint Patties because to a hockey fan going through withdrawal they look like pucks to a Red Wings bar clock to a Red Wings greatest games DVD set. He loved it and laughed and smiled the whole time he opened it.

Last year, Dave, Laura, Rina and Tori returned the spotlight on me with my “Box Full of Sunshine. Every gift in the box was yellow from a yellow lip balm, to the DePauw t-shirt and mug Tori added to the “Ain't I just a freaking ray of sunshine?” travel mug, all packed with yellow wrapped candies. Did I squirm? I love giving gifts like that on occasion and I’ll probably do it more after feeling how loved and fun it is to receive them.


2. Share a favorite 'spring break' memory. Not talking about just the 'college spring break' thing, but any favorite spring break memory you'd like to share. Keep it family friendly please!

I always loved it when Tori and Rina were little and they spent half their Spring Break with me. Whether I was working outside or at home or if I wasn’t working, I took that time off so we could do some fun things. Once they moved to Indiana and were in high school spring break wasn’t so much aunt-niece time anymore, but now that they’re adults we still get together when they’re up this way. And they still get cooler and cooler as they get older like they always have! (I love them like they’re mine and I’m just as proud!)


3. It's National Pecan Month...are you a fan? If so, what's your favorite dish that calls for pecans?

I am definitely what I eat and I love nuts! ;) My favorite nuts are almonds and PECANS!! I love pecans plain, in salad, as part of caramel corn, cinnamon roasted and I do a cheese ravioli dish with roasted vegetables and either crashed pecans or walnuts that’s to die for!


4. 'Put all your eggs in one basket', 'egg on your face', 'rotten egg', 'walk on eggshells', or 'a good egg'...which egg-spression could most recently be applied to your own life?

I guess I always “walk on eggshells” if David gets upset with something inanimate. She can be snappy when he’s grumbly and he has a loud boomy voice. I try to let him be when he’s upset with something. It’s usually a 5 or 10 minute walk on the eggshells, but for a yapster like me it can be hard to keep quiet that long.


5. In my experience___________________________________.

It’s often better not to tell someone something that starts “In my experience” when your advice is unsolicited.


6. What's a favorite song with the word rain in its title or lyrics?

Kentucky Rain – I often love me some Elvis and that’s one of my favorites…which I need to listen to now.


7. What does the word hope mean to you?

It means doing what you can when you know you can’t do it alone and “knowing” it’s going to work. Walk MS is all about hope.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

Yesterday was not a good baseball day. The Reds and Red Sox had already lost and the Tigers were in Los Angles in a game that started the scoring with an Austin Jackson home run (his first of the year) which I missed watching the end of the Reds losing effort in St. Louis. Then, when the game was on the west coast and I had a morning appointment so, in accordance with Murphy’s strict laws, it went into extra innings! The Tigers lost in the tenth.

Some days it would pay to have a crystal ball and just leave Investigation Discovery on.

Hodge Podge and Countdown To Walk MS

1. March is known as the windy month. Which of the following phrases best fits your March so far...'throw caution to the wind', 'three sheets to the wind', 'run like the wind', or 'see which way the wind blows'?

I think maybe I’m a “see which way the wind blows” kind of gal. I’m a good brainstormer in that when I get a group together on a project I don’t believe in a bad idea. I believe in throwing every thought into the mix to see what everyone thinks. Many great ideas come from throwing crazy ideas in the mix and see where they go from there.


2. Your favorite green food? Your favorite dish made with your favorite green food?

My favorite green food? Veggies! My favorite veggies include zucchini and green beans, but anything is better on a bed of lettuce.


3. Ever been locked out of your home-car-office-anywhere? Do tell!

Not in a very long time. Dave and I used to forget the key and be locked out of the house after school, yes, two kids and still no key, but we learned how to pick the lock to the garage where the spare key into the house was kept.


4. Yoda, Kermit, Shrek, The Wicked Witch of the West, Oscar the Grouch, The Grinch, or Mike Wasowski (Monsters Inc.)...of the green characters listed, which one's your favorite and why?

I didn’t know Yoda was green. I guess that means not Yoda. David reminded me that we don’t necessarily remember Oscar the Grouch as any color because when we watched Sesame Street as kids it wasn’t in color! He was gray on a black and white TV!

I guess today I’ll say Mike. It was a cute movie and Mike is the shape of monster that I can draw! He’s also my favorite shade of green!


5. "The first task of a leader is to keep hope alive."~Joe Batten Do you agree? Why or why not?

I absolutely agree! If you can’t keep the belief that your goal is reachable strong there is no reason for group members to give 100%. To get the best work from a team, you first have to sell the idea.


6. Share a favorite song with an emotion in its title.

Need You Now by Lady Antebellum. Yes, need is also a verb and a noun and some needs are beyond emotion but feeling need for another person to keep you from crying or drinking yourself silly is definitely emotional!


7. What's a road trip you'd like to take?

To Cincinnati to see The Reds on Opening Day with the parade and everything! Opening Day for the Tigers wouldn’t require enough travel to be called “road trip” and I’ve been to several Tigers Opening Day games. I’ve never seen Opening Day in Cincinnati.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

One last shameless plug for Walk MS! It’s Sunday! I’ll be doing the mile route in my power chair and David is going to walk beside me for support. I have under $100 to go in my fundraising and I’m asking for $5 donations. There’s no telling which dollar will be the one that funds the last piece of the cure and that dollar will only exist because of the ones under it so every dollar counts for someday ridding the world of multiple sclerosis.

Visit my Walk MS page for more information and to add your name to the list of awesome people who are supporting me on Sunday and will one day when there is a cure know you were part of that achievement!

Nani's Walk MS Page:  http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/davonna 

 

Wednesday Hodge Podge: A Penny For Your Heart?

1. What makes love last?

The sake of argument I’ll assume we’re talking romantic love between life partners. I think making love last requires communication, a shared sense of humor, mutual respect and the ability to feel comfortable and enjoy your time away from each other.


2. The Beatles made their US debut fifty years ago this week. Are you a fan? If so, what's your favorite Beatles tune?

I think I'd say I’m not a fan but I don’t dislike them. I don’t really have a favorite but I sometimes enjoy when I get an ear worm of Eleanor Rigby or Norwegian Wood.


3. Valentine's Day-your thoughts? Do you celebrate in any way? Do anything special for the people you love? Expect anything special from the people who love you?

Some years I enjoy sending kid-Valentines to my friends in the mail but I really haven’t done that since 2002 when most of my Valentines were returned because I put single dark chocolate Dove hearts with a recipe card for “Antioxidant Hot Chocolate” with them and the US Post Office returned them because they were too thick.

Valentine’s Day was a wonderful holiday but not a romantic holiday until I met David. Now since our wedding anniversary is so close to Valentine’s Day he takes me out for our anniversary dinner and I take him out for Valentine’s Day.


4. Steak or burger...you have to choose. Now that that's settled, how do you like it?

Oh the steak or burger part is easy; I hate steak. With that out of the way, if I have to eat beef I prefer ground beef in sauce or chili but since I had to pick one or the other and the other choice burger as in a patty we'll go with the hamburger. If I’m eating a hamburger it must be cooked beyond well done. I usually call the way I like hamburgers “hockey puck.” Really, I like the little bits that fall onto the griddle and are crunchy without anything on them. Since it would take forever to cook a whole hamburger to crunchy I settle for well done and drowned in condiments; end to end coated with about a quarter inch of ketchup and an even layer of mustard. If we havr relish a half inch of that under the ketchup is nperfect. The milder the taste of beef the better.


5. The Hodgepodge lands on the birthdate (February 12th) of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of America. Lincoln is quoted as saying, 'Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test his character give him power.' Do you agree? Why or why not?

Oh, the Hodgepodge lands on my friend Tracy’s birthday too, which she happens to share with President Lincoln.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRACY!

I have to say that I totally agree with the quote. We have too much evidence of it being true. Think of all the wonderful stories that you hear of men and women faced with incredible challenges that are doing well in spite of them. Heck even me with my occasional breakdowns behind closed doors can still remain smiling and optimistic. Now think of how corrupt most of our politicians and many CEOs are with all of their power.


6. Honest Abe's image is featured on the US penny (1 cent coin) so I'm wondering...what do you do with your pennies (or your country's equivalent)? It's been suggested the US stop making the penny, and two bills have been introduced proposing just that, but neither were approved. What say you?

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Don’t stop making the penny! I collect pennies! I have books of both American and Canadian pennies. Those include pennies minted in San Francisco, pennies with wheat or maple leaf clusters and I even have a handful of Indian head pennies. They changed the penny again and I have a few new ones too; the 2009 Lincoln series and the current shield.

When I was little the wheat pennies were already rare in change, but I remember always thinking it was special when I got one and spent it last. It’s a small enough denomination that children have them and there are pennies on the dollar sales tax and prices that end .99 for the marketing value of not rounding up to the next dollar; we need them.

Think of the travels of a penny. I don’t collect mint sets or anything like that; I want the pennies that have history, even if I don’t know the history. I look at the well-circulated penny that was shiny and new the year WW2 ended and I can romanticize where it was on V-J Day. The Indian Heads are over 100 years old and when they were new they bought a lot. Looking at one of those makes me wonder what my great grandmother might have bought with one of them when she was a child. And the old Canadian pennies with the maple leaf sprays, well, how much Canadian Chocolate would they have bought when they were new?

We can’t get rid of the penny because of those cents at the end of prices, which are valuable marketing tools, but the penny is also an inexpensive introduction to the magic and wonder of history.


7. Do you think pop deserves serious study?

If you mean historic pop culture, absolutely! Understanding daily life, popular recreation and fads in the past help us better understand and appreciate our life now. It also helps us improve upon where we are by knowing what worked in the past. Should we study ur own pop culture now? Definitely. It’s the history of everyday life we’re sending forward.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

After 2 years of no snow removal needed, the guys from Rapid LLC have been here SIX times this winter! I was chatting with the driver on my way home from my monthly MS meeting last night and we agreed with a chuckle that this year has not only made it okay, but fashionable to “talk about the weather.” That’s good as I’ve just finished week 6 of Random 2014 and gee I’ve talked about snow and cold a lot! In a few weeks I’ll be talking about Florida and the fun I’m having reading Edna’s posts about the vacation I’m enjoying vicariously through her blog! But for now, I’ll continue to enjoy fashionable Toledo conversation\; BRRRRRR!!!!!!

Happy Wednesday

 

Cartoon from Facebook

 

It’s hard to believe were halfway through the week already! Okay, I accept that the reason why this week seems to be moving fast is because the first two weeks of the year were pathetically snow-slow. As I mentioned in my last entry snow and cold had me pretty much locked up the first 10 days of the year, so the freedom to get outside even for a minute makes me smile and a smile makes time pass faster. I’m not saying frown a lot and live longer because if you live longer but you’re frowning all the time; what was the point? I just mean “time flies when you’re having fun” and it DRAGS when you’re snowed in!

So since the tenth I’ve just been enjoying little Nani-things that make me happy including meeting Lissa for lunch this past weekend and retrieving my own BzzKit from the side steps instead of asking David to do it for me. My current BzzKit is SO COOL! It’s tasty treats from Kroger’s Simple Truth line. I’ll be talking about that here in the next couple days.

Monday morning I got my first epidural steroid shot. Looking back I’m not sure what I was worried about. Okay, I was worried about how I react to IV drip anesthesia and being able to feel needles driving into my back. Actually the IV was nice, not an “I want to do it every day” nice, but in an I slept, didn’t feel anything never felt truly out-of-control nice. I saw my doctor in the hallway as I was being wheeled in the room where I would get the anesthesia and the procedure but I truly don’t remember seeing him again after that. I have a vague recollection of hearing his voice and then the next thing I knew they were putting me back on the gurney to take me into recovery. My back doesn’t feel great yet but it feels better and I’m not getting the crippling muscle spasms when I straighten it out. It was a good experience and I can say that I’m looking forward to the other two injections that will complete the procedure for now.

Okay enough prattle. I’m joining Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for the Wednesday Hodge Podge!

1. Are you a force to be reckoned with? In what way?

I don’t think I consider myself “a force to be reckoned with” but I get the feeling that there are others that think of me that way. I do acknowledge that I’m a control freak and pretty much always have been in the past. I think those things have made me a good organizer and even a good project manager, but a force to be reckoned with? Nah, I don’t think so. “A force to be reckoned with” gives the impression of someone people are afraid of. I don’t think I’m anything to be afraid of, at least I know I don’t want to be


2. What are two things you love about the wintertime? Or, if love feels like too strong a word, what are two things you 'like' about winter?

Two things I like about winter; hot cocoa and peppermint schnapps.


3. Pomegranate, kumquat, persimmon, kiwi, and guava are all fruits said to have health benefits, particularly during the winter months. Do you have a favorite on the list? Are there any on the list you haven't tried?

I’ve never tried guava. I don’t care for kiwi. Kumquats are good but not a staple in my fruit basket. Right now I have a pomegranate that really needs to be cut open. I like pomegranate a lot but cutting them open and getting the seeds out is a pain.

There are two persimmons in my fruit bowl that have been there over a month and are not ripening correctly. This is frustrating to me because I’ve loved persimmons since I was a child. I know that a ripe persimmon is so soft on the inside that it almost feels like touching it will make it explode. I also know that they’re not sold ripe and many people try them for the first time when they’re not ripe and get that furry feeling inside their mouths and never try the persimmon again. That’s sad because they are wonderful. A persimmon in the basket surrounded by apples will ripen faster and better. I don’t know why; it’s an old Italian thing. But the three I bought at three for a dollar last month have only yielded one that’s ripened so far. I eat all the apples that are supposed to be helping the persimmons and then buy more apples… for the persimmons. My dad tells me to be patient and they will ripen.

Maybe I need to buy different apples…


4. I passed a local church yesterday and noticed they had this on their outdoor sign- 'When all else fails, do the right thing.' Your thoughts?

If you wait for everything else to fail before you do the right thing you’re doing things way out of order. Do the right thing first.


5. Do you ski? According to one list I've seen, the top 5 ski destinations for 2014 are-St. Anton Austria, Whistler Canada, Cortina Italy, Tahoe USA, and Zermatt Switzerland. Of the five listed, which would you most like to visit? We can make skiing optional if that helps the non-skiers with their answer.

I’d most like to visit ski resort that has the hottest fireplace and the best hot chocolate, and I like to visit there in the summer.


6. What's the last thing you looked for online? (Besides my blog!)

Scrapbook kits. One of my favorite designers, Twin Mom Scraps, is retiring at the end of the month and has a super retirement sale. So I wanted to see if there was anything I “needed” but I don’t already have.


7. What saying, slogan, quote, or motto have you seen lately that inspires you for the new year?

My mantra for 2014 is “it’s not only about you.” I think that’s true for everyone; there’s not a decision that we make that doesn’t have an effect on at least one other person, usually more. I’m making a conscious effort to remember that before I act selfishly.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

Um, I need another cup of coffee and lunch.

Wednesday Hodge Podge

I’m joining Joyce at From This Side of The Pond for the Wednesday Hodge Podge.

1. Are you settling for something?

Interesting question. One could say I’m settling for a lot of things because I have to but I don’t think that’s really settling. That’s making the best of it when I have no choice of something better. I don’t think that’s settling that’s taking the most I can. I don’t think I’ve ever settled and I don’t know that I ever will.


2. It wasn't that long ago almost every store in the US locked doors and turned out lights on Thanksgiving Day. This year many will be open all day Thursday, giving shoppers a jump start on 'Black Friday'. In your opinion is this a good thing or a not so good thing? Will you be shopping on Thanksgiving Day?

Well this is a hot topic. No, I’m not shopping on Thanksgiving Day and while some services should definitely be open on every holiday including gas stations and restaurants for people traveling, providers of news and people who work in television and radio as well as hospitals and even the emergency veterinary clinic, shopping is NOT a vital necessity. Thanksgiving Day is an American holiday and as Americans probably the most important holiday of the holiday season.

Truth be told, I pretty much stay away from the mall and large retail stores from now until after February 1.


3. Speaking of shopping... I saw a recent article on the twelve best shopping cities in the world. In order they are-

New York, Tokyo, London, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Vienna, Dubai, Madrid, Milan, and Seoul.

Ever shopped in any of the cities listed? In which city would you most like to pull out the plastic or cold hard cash?

Of the cities listed I’ve only been to New York and you could only say I “shopped” there if you include souvenirs and a couple of pieces of chocolate. I’m not what they call a “pleasure shopper.”


4. When did you last dine by candlelight?

David and I usually light candles during dinner when we’re at home on Valentines day and Christmas Day. Since we ate out for Valentine’s Day this year I guess it would’ve been last Christmas Day.


5. What do you have too much of?

Clutter; I can’t do housecleaning for more than a couple of minutes and David works full time and does other more important than housecleaning things that I can’t do. The hous is cluttered. I’m learning to ignore that most of the time unless we are expecting someone to come over.


6. The Hunger Games...are you a fan? Did you read the book(s)? Will you/have you seen the movie? Will you/have you seen Catching Fire? No spoilers please!

The Hunger Games… um… no.


7. Share your plans for Thanksgiving Day. The who, the where, the what...especially the what! As in what's for dinner? If you're one of my International visitors, whose homeland doesn't celebrate American Thanksgiving (the whole world doesn't ya know!), then still tell us your plans for Thursday.

For Thanksgiving Day David and I will have brunch at Cracker Barrel before he goes to work and I will scrap pretty much all day while I watch football and enjoy French toast-style Italian toast with tomato basil bread from Panera. We’ll enjoy leftovers from Monday for dinner gets home.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

Okay my random thought today kinda explains my answer to #7. We celebrated Thanksgiving with my dad and aunt on Monday. David works for the newspaper and Pop works retail. Yes, it’s working on a holiday but keep in mind there wouldn’t be retail stores open if shoppers wouldn’t rather shop than be with their families on holidays. It’s still holiday pay for the hours worked. And David, well remember what I said about media; we still need necessary information. So it’s okay to celebrate on the day they both have off work and can relax and enjoy family and the meal.

We had turkey that Pop roasted with the traditional fresh sage stuffing I made with Mom’s recipe. I made cranberry relish with my recipe on Saturday and brought it with me. Pop made mashed potatoes cream cheese, spinach and bacon; oh my! Aunt Judy made wonderful sautéed squash with zucchini and summer squash. She also made a dessert to go with the pumpkin pie. It’s a four layer pumpkin pudding something… Who really cares what it’s called; it was fantastic and everyone had a second helping.

It was a small gathering and a wonderful day with family talking about family and enjoying a great traditional feast. So our Thanksgiving wasn’t on the Thursday. We still have each other and glorious abundance for which to be thankful. And it was Monday so it was a very authentic Thanksgiving; there was still football.

Birthday Themed Hodge Podge – More Cake?

It's Joyce's birthday at From This Side of the Pond. Won't you stop at our Hodge Podge host's place and wish her a great day?

1. When did you last sing happy birthday to someone? When were you last sung to? Does that embarrass you or do you enjoy being the center of attention on your special day?

The last time that I sang happy birthday to someone, David and I sang happy birthday to Carla before we dispensed the birthday treat. The last time someone sang happy birthday to me was Pop and David saying to Aunt Judy and me when Pop grilled our birthday feast. I don’t ever find it embarrassing when someone sings to me I always think that is sweet.


2. Name a famous or 'infamous' person (living or deceased) who shares your birth day and month. Is that someone you'd like to meet in person if it were possible?

Country music star Martina McBride was born same as me. On Friday, July 29, 1966 Martina’s mom and my mom were doing the same thing. I don’t think meeting “famous” people is a big deal. (Probably from my background working in entertainment and sports.) But I like Martina’s music and it might be fun to have a cup of coffee with her and chuckle about what our moms were doing that day.


3. Someone hands you a box tied up in a lovely bow...what are you hoping to find inside?

Something thoughtful or handmade. Truth is for birthdays I really prefer cards and company.


4. What can you guarantee about yourself?

I will find the positive side of any situation.


5. Talking art and beautiful cities here...'The Last Supper' in the Santa Maria della Grazie Abbey in Milan Italy or 'The Mona Lisa' in The Louvre, Paris...which would you most like to see up close and in person? Why?

My taste in art is as diverse as my taste in about everything else. I love da Vinci and all the Italian masters and either painting would be fabulous to see in person. Both Milan and Paris are beautiful cities rich in history and both have a Claes Oldenburg sculpture.

In Paris, there is the buried bicycle.

In Milan, there is Needle, Thread and Knot, celebrating the fashion industry.

I really can’t decide which I want to go see. I speak a little bit of French, I read a little bit of Italian and while I really love Italian Master portraits, I wonder if it might not be difficult to get close enough to the little Mona Lisa to enjoy the detail. Also while I love them both, I’m more drawn to Needle, Thread and Knot. I guess I’m going to Milan.


6. Your favorite dessert?

Actual in a restaurant dessert? I hope everyone reading this guessed black forest cake.


7. This coming weekend marks the official start of autumn (in the Northern hemisphere)...what is something you do to get ready for fall? What is one thing you're looking forward to on your fall calendar? Spring or fall-which do you prefer?

To get ready for fall I stock up on pumpkin spice everything. I always look forward to the baseball playoffs. While I have reasons I love them both and after the winter I’m dying for spring, I must say that I love fall the colors, flavors and harvesting spirit more. The wonder of autumn is the one thing that helps me deal with summer being gone.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Yanno, I have so many random ideas in my head almost all the time and on Wednesdays when I come to question number eight on the Hodge Podge I draw a blank. Performance anxiety much? Yeesh!

Well since I’m posting late anyway I’ll get another cup of coffee take a power nap and see if anything random hits me and I’ll probably post that tomorrow.

Happily Frosted (Hodge Podge)

Click photo to visit "Recipes, Recipes, Recipes" blog for the original post and recipe!

1. What's the best thing about growing older?

It’s better than NOT growing older.

Every year I have more knowledge, more experience and more people in my world. I can look back every day and realize I am richer for every year, every day that I have added to my life.


2. When did you first feel like a grown up?

That assumes I already feel like a grownup. ;)

Really, I’d have to say out was the day Grandma died. She was my last grandparent and there was no one left to cherish me like a grandchild, nowhere to run to and shed my adult side. I’m the matriarch on Mom’s side of the family now.


3. Chocolate cake with white icing or white cake with chocolate icing?

Chocolate cake with white (buttercream) frosting!

What made our wedding cake so perfect; David had his chocolate frosting on the bottom (With chocolate cake) and I got my white buttercream on top (with cappuccino cake) The cake flavor wasn’t the big thing. David and I agree that cake is just a frosting delivery system. But a quality cake with the same quality frosting is THE BEST! Our wedding cake was divine, even after we cut it!

4. What's the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

As a disabled person, strangers do nice things for me all the time. From the little girl who stayed in the bathroom so she could hold the door for me when I left to the fellow customer who threw my garbage out for me at Panera, I don’t weigh one deed from a stranger against another. They don’t have to but they are all part of making me a little less disabled.


5. What's something you learned from your grandparents?

Hehe.. From Noni (paternal grandmother); “Don’t show too much bosom,” as she buttoned one more button on my shirt. From Mums (maternal-maternal great grandmother): “You have to leave the boys just a little ‘to think about’” as she Unbuttoned TWO buttons on the same shirt that same day.

I think they taught me that I’d learned a lot about balance from them. In between the “suggestions” from Noni and Mums was where I’d buttoned my blouse to anyway!

I was blessed to have known all four of my grandparents, two of my greats and one great-great. To say I learned a TON from them is still an understatement.


6. Wednesday marks a sad day in the history of planet earth-9/11...what's something you do (or can do) to bring peace to your little corner of the world?

Never really thought about it. I try to be kind to everyone and not take advantage of people; I really do think that world peace starts with mutual neighborhood respect and grows out from there. Yes, that’s a bit pollyanna-altruistic and we have a LONG way to go to even get started, but I try to do my part every day.


7. Share a favorite quote, scripture, or song containing the word peace.

Let There Be Peace on Earth

I don’t know why it’s considered a Christmas song now; it was an everyday church hymn when I was a kid.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

It’s anniversary time at The Studio again and I’m playing along with the Layout Artist Challenge. Each week we get a full kit and instructions for creating 2 different layouts with it. In addition to the four free kits during the contest, there is a bonus for completing all four weeks and a random drawing from those who do all four for an EHD. I need to buy a new extended hard drive, but I am putting that off until the beginning of next month, y’know, just in case.

Here are a couple of the layouts I’ve done for weeks one and two:

Credits: Morning Memories Collaboration by Nibbles Skribbles, 

The Urban Fairy and Jilbert’s Bits of Bytes

Credits: Holiday Hoopla by Snickerdoodle Designs and Kimberkatt Scraps.

Journaling:

She’s a CAT TV addict! When she hears the squeak of the door in the morning that means her Daddy had turned on the tall screen in the front room, she rushes to sit right in front and wait for her favorite show, Chipmunk.

She loves all the shows; Wild Birds of Ohio, Robin Fights, the Falling Leaves Special and she even watches when the screen looks black to catch Midnight Bunny. But she doesn’t watch alone, that one, she’s an enabler! She wakes her sister up to watch Nut Wars, starring the Squirrely Brothers. She’s even taken to introducing her baby brother to Kitten’s Programming, although he didn't quite get the point of the show Patience which promised a guest appearance from Chipmunk at the end.

It could be worse than a CAT TV addiction though. She uses catnip in moderation and isn’t beating anyone up for their tuna.

I do wish it hadn’t been called a challenge, because it’s a competition. One layout artist for each week is going to be asked to join the Studio's store creative team. I didn’t realize that until the contest had already started. I really don’t have the time to be on a site creative team, but I also don’t ever do well in contests where your layouts are “judged” against others.

I am NOT dissing my own work by any means! I think my pages are great; they are personal and I spend time working on them. I’ve also been digi-scrapping for 6 years and that experience shows, but for store CTs they want layouts that focus more on the kit, after all, you get the kits to add to the advertising value, not just for your own personal layouts. I don’t have time to NOT be scrapbooking for me right now. Maybe next year when I’m more caught up. Anyway, a simpler layout with a small nice cluster might sell ME a kit, but they generally want more of a kit focus on the layouts for CT work.So, I really am doing it for fun, but if you visit the Studio there are some really great professional-looking layouts with these kits!

Happy Wednesday!

I’ve really wanted to blog more, but as of late I’ve been doing a lot of letter writing with this self-advocacy thing. It’s neither totally selfless nor selfish. I write letters to favorite stores that aren’t accessible, which by law they have to be. If I can gently urge them to comply and they do, it makes it better for me, for them because they neither lose a customer nor experience down-time in their store and lost hours for their employees when the ADA hears the whistle blow on them, and it makes their place of business more welcoming to disabled customers they don’t have yet because they weren’t accessible. It’s a win-win-win again thing. If it’s something they legally have to do and someone (me) is ready to do whatever is necessary to make them comply, might as well get the good PR instead of the consumer advocate news story at 6, right?

This morning I was writing city council members in a couple cities that aren’t served by the Toledo paratransit service what they can suggest so I can get my hair cut and teeth cleaned. Two providers I have no interest in changing, but they aren’t served by TARPS. (Toledo paratransit) A private paratransit service may be more than I can afford, but I won’t know if I can’t even locate the service to call! Wish me luck on that.

So, instead of morning Hodge Podge, I bring you my afternoon answers to the Wednesday Hodge Podge, hosted by Joyce at From This Side of the Pond.

1. July 24th is Amelia Earhart Day. Earhart was the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. What's something you've recently accomplished solo?

Aside from getting out of the house and taking care of my own errands? That is a feat of sorts. Golly, I’ve always done a lot of things solo and I still do. I don’t know that I’d call them accomplishments. I think and actual accomplishment can’t be achieved solo. My biggest achievements have always been group efforts. I may have been the leader, but there is no point in leading if you don’t have a capable group to work with. Five dozen cookies in one day at Christmas isn’t an accomplishment, neither is a week’s vacation on my own. Even sales is nothing without a product to sell. It’s not even possible to successfully get a business to change to become more accessible without the ADA behind me. Truly big accomplishments are not done solo and anything I can do solo really isn’t that big to me.


2. What's one product you use that never ever fails?

Neosporin! I use it on cuts and they heal remarkably fest. I also use it on rashes or breakouts, canker sores in the mouth, hangnails and if I put a light coating on the posts or wires, I’ve been able to wear the absolute cheapest cute earrings without any irritation!


3. Have you found your place in the world? Where is it?

I kinda think my “place in the world” might be as an advocate for persons with disabilities. It’s starting to form now. I’m collecting information, writing lots of letters and getting ready to do some small presentations.

What I really do need to get there right now is the transportation service I need to get to my hair stylist so I can get a haircut and look decent for public speaking. ;)


4. Worst movie you ever saw?

Blair Witch Project(ile)


5. What's the last fun thing you did?

We have a new kitten; everything is fun right now!


6. The month of July is named for Roman Emperor Julius Caesar...ever been to Rome? What's your favorite Italian dish?

I was in Rome just before, and I mean JUST before, I turned 13. We were in Italy/San Marin for a month between mid-July and mid-August in 1979. On my birthday I had a traditional Sammarinese “fruit animal” on a tray of French and Italian pastries with one American candle in it!

My fruit animal was based on a lemon and I think 

it was a cat or dog, but this is the general idea,

My favorite Italian dish? Wow, I was raised on the real stuff! Mt dad makes some awesome pasta sauce starting with a prosciutto end. I remember making ravioli with Noni string with flour and creating the pasta dough, the meat or cheese filling from scratch and rolling out the dough and placing the filling on the dough and then another sheet of dough and creasing around the filling to seal the pieces before cutting them. Lots of work but SO worth it. I also regained an immense appreciation for Noni’s crostada after working on refinding the flavor and texture for a few years. My favorite Italian food in Italy was any flavor of gelato!


7. What is one piece of advice you'd offer new mom Kate Middleton?

I was officially so over caring about a “royal baby” about two minutes after hearing about the royal conception. Didn’t we win a war so we didn’t have to care about the royals in England?


8. Insert your own random thought here.

My glasses are in and I have to plan a bus trip to go get them. I’ll probably do that Friday. Friday at 5 is the beginning of Nanifest XLVII, but I’ll get my glasses earlier in the day. My eye doc is sandwiched between Panera Bread and Coldstone Creamery. I want to stop and pick up a few grocery items on the way home, thus spending three fares instead of four to make the two stops. But the important question is; do I get a sandwich at Panera for lunch or a like-it-size treat at Coldstone to start my festival early before the bus picks me up? Hmm…decisions, decisions.

You Mean It’s Not Tuesday?

Today’s title is for Edna. I left a comment at Miss Edna’s Place saying I thought I’d be back blogging on a regular basis Tuesday. Well, Tuesday was a busy day for me, with the holiday tomorrow I lose at least a day of phone calls and such. Yesterday was a day of leaving voice mails that included “I’m not sure what your holiday schedule is like, but if you could call back tomorrow or Monday…” Lucky for me, every call I made was returned yesterday and I have half of next week full of appointments! This afternoon I’ll be trying to get weekend baseball tickets and scheduling several busses for next week. So this is my “Tuesday Take 2” or Tuesday continued. With the Independence Day holiday tomorrow the days this week are a mish-mosh anyway.

There was no Monday Quiz About Me this week because our Canadian native hosts are visiting family in Canada and Monday was Canada Day! I hope everyone in Canada and Border States celebrated a great day. I include the Border States because of my own childhood as a border baby. I was born closer to Canada than Ohio and in Metro Detroit when I was growing up the entire week surrounding Canada Day on July 1 and Independence Day on July 4 was “freedom Week,” punctuated by the Detroit/Windsor Freedom Festival which included the huge fireworks display set off from a barge in the Detroit River. If you couldn’t or didn’t want to battle the traffic and crowds downtown, the fireworks display was always on TV. To me, Canada Day and Independence Day have always been a joined holiday and there has never been a question that if I wasn’t born American, Canadian is the only other nationality I could possibly want to be. Yeah, even though I’m proud of my dual citizenship and Sammarinese heritage, if I was picking of all the nations of the world to define my dual citizenship, I’d choose to be American-Canadian. I even know more French than Italian.

Now before I find myself editing because my intro addresses a Hodge Podge question (I copied and pasted but haven’t read the questions yet) I’ll get on to the Wednesday Hodge Podge!

1. What's one simple small pleasure on your summer 'to-do' list?

I think my new pleasure I want to indulge in this summer is getting out with the new powerchair. I can actually get out for fun without any increased fatigue from wheeling myself. I think maybe I’d like to treat myself to lunch at Panera Bread, where I can sit at an outside table with my Nook and a bowl of gazpacho with a salad; just me and just because. I miss doing that.


2. Do you have strong feelings or opinions regarding the immigration debate in your home country? Feel free to share your thoughts, but please play nice.

As a First Generation American I’ve always had very strong opinions about illegal vs. legal aliens in our country. My opinions have softened a little lately. There are so many other things wrong with this country and so many stupid things our government argues about to avoid real issues, I’m for a little amnesty to get it all done with and make our government go back to the old days when they served us. I still don’t want anyone who isn’t a citizen to vote.

But for illegals, and I don’t have a problem defining someone who is here illegally by their crime, it’s not “people who are not here legally” to me, but illegals who have been here and working for a very long time and haven’t broken any other laws should be given an opportunity to become legal aliens and pursue citizenship. We let the problem become too big to just fix it with anything absolute and I’d much rather see our government work on real issues instead of where someone’s parents were born and what religion should rule the formerly free and oppressed by religion again land. (Personal opinion, if your title isn’t Mr. or Ms. you don’t belong in government or talking about it to groups.)

I say let’s work on what the government can do to stimulate the economy, fix the medical crisis without spending all their time arguing about the band-aid and better ways to be safe but still free.


3. What's something in your home or wardrobe that could be described as 'star spangled'?

Um… The All Star Game on TV? ;)


4. Is your house set up for a party?

Absolutely not! We have one party at Christmastime and that would be a small party by many standards. Neither one of us likes big parties and I don’t ever see us even wanting to host one.


5. What one never-before-visited city in America, would you most like to see?

I want to visit San Antonio (by way of Luling, Texas to see and photograph the watermelon water tower.)


6. Your favorite red food? White food? Blue food?

These are my favorites right now. They could be different as soon as tonight.

Favorite red food: gazpacho
Favorite White food: Baseball Nut ice cream (vanilla base with cashews and swirl of raspberry) or vanilla Greek yogurt
Favorite Blue food: Blue (food coloring)buttercream frosting…I guess you could put it on a cake, but a spoon is fine too


7. What freedom do you value the most, and why?

Speech. I value to right to disagree with my government and I greatly value my responsibility to call my country out when I think it’s wrong. Being a patriot is more than waving a flag; sometimes it’s putting that flag down and demanding the country restore itself.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

The thing about random thoughts is that I usually get out a lot of randomness in my intro and anything else is addressed in my answers to the questions, so I’m not feeling so random by the last of the Hedge Podge.

I’ll wish everyone celebrating this week to enjoy your countries’ holidays safely but with vigor.

I’m Ba-ack Hodge Podge

No, it’s not a weird Terminator Hodge Podge! Separate from the usual Wednesday questions, I’m back from our trip East. In addition to some great train photos, 4 baseball games, perfect bananas, the Turkey Hill Experience (and sample scoops of THREE ice creams), David and I are now the proud Uncle and Aunt of three high school graduates! In addition to Rina and Tori last year we planned our spring/early summer vacation around Ben’s commencement ceremony and party this year. It was a nice weekend with family and getting to meet Ben's friends and their families.

Our 12 days started with a Heritage Unit and a baseball game on the first weekend and ended with a Heritage Unit and a baseball game on the last day. The baseball was balanced by extremes seeing The Red Sox at Baltimore on the first Sunday and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Class A short-season affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The home teams won all but the last game we saw. That was good except that we cheer for the home team unless we have a vested interest in the away team. It would have been nice to see a Scrappers win and the Orioles would have been more polite hosts to surrender a loss to the Red Sox!

The game in Baltimore was my birthday gift to David. I took him to Red Lobster for dinner on his actual birthday a few days before we left and I jokingly gave him a FIVE BLADE RAZOR! The men’s razor was a freebie I got in the mail the day before, so I presented it to him as his “first present.” Even though the Red Sox lost, I think the baseball game was his favorite event of this year’s Davidfest!

I’ve been catching up over a week’s worth of home obligations and projects, so I haven’t even sorted through my photos from vacation. I’ll post a few at a later time. Now, let’s join Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for the Wednesday Hodge Podge!

1. Summertime is a season of reunions, weddings, and other family celebrations and gatherings...are any of the above on your calendar in the next two months?

Nothing really planned. Nanifest XLVII is a one-week festival with the 29th on a Monday, so it runs from 5PM on Friday, July 26 to Midnight, Sunday, August 4. No events are planned yet.


2. June is National Iced Tea Month...are you an iced tea drinker? If so, how do you like yours (sweet, flavored, etc)?

Turkey Hill makes a ton of iced tea drinks and one of the sample stops at The Turkey Hill interactive museum was iced tea. I tried the peach iced tea there. I usually like my iced tea sweet now although I used to drink it plain. I still buy plain and add Splenda for the sweet taste without the sugar calories.


3. When were you last nervous? Looking back, was the 'event' actually nerve-worthy?

I was last actually nervous when I was going through testing for everything including heart problems, terminal illnesses and a brain tumor when I was being diagnosed with MS. I’d call those things VERY nerve-worthy! But they did make it a relief when the MS diagnosis was confirmed.


4. The bristle toothbrush was invented in China on June 26, 1498...not sure how that date was pinned down so precisely but, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being sick to your stomach and 1 being not at all, how nervous do you feel when you're headed to the dentist? Do you see your dentist twice a year?

I’d say my dentist nerves are 1, only because I wasn’t offered 0! I see my dentist twice a year and if it were free, I’d look forward to it! I brush and floss every day and the dental hygienist always has compliments about how well I take care of my teeth.


5. What's making news in your town this week?

I guess the state budget? It includes more limitations on women’s rights, which I find irritating because it has nothing to do with the budget. I guess they squeeze those things in wherever they can. Ohio is a somewhat backwards white-man-loving state, after all. We wouldn’t want to appear like we care about 21st century problems or have even read the first amendment or make it seem like we look at equality as part of the country’s social future.

All right, that’s in my state, but I don’t think anything in town has grabbed my attention in a ranty or happy way just now.


6. Curtains, drapes, blinds...your window treatment of choice? Are there any bare windows in your house? Is that by choice or because you haven't gotten around to covering them?

I don’t really care what’s covering the windows; I just want them covered when the lights are on at night.


7. Summertime is officially here (in the Northern hemisphere anyway)...what one song is a must-have on your summer playlist?

Back when I drove, it was officially summer when it was warm enough to drive the Camaro with the windows down blasting Motley Crue’s Wild Side on the stereo. Really, when the “new” Camaro was released and the first commercials in late 1993 were out, they showed the fun car and said “soundtrack not included” at the end of the ad. When I got my car the first stop after work was the music store to get A Decade of Decadence, Motley Crue’s Greatest Hits, on cassette to have a soundtrack for my car. That was my summer driving song.

When I’m not driving, I love classical music, especially outside or with the windows open. Marche Slave (Tchaikovsky) is one of my favorites in the summer.

Marche Slave (MP3 plays in another tab)

(If you read my playlist yesterday, you know my taste is eclectic enough to love Motley Crue AND Tchaikovsky, always has been.)


8. Insert your own random thought here.

I had really hoped to have a lot of the 30 Day Blog Challenge done and scheduled ahead of time during vacation. I also wanted to check emails and comments, maybe add some blog material, keep up with my comments as a Sugar Cookie a Ginger Scraps and scrap a few pages on my “Lasix mornings" when David would go out in the morning and I’d stay in the hotel and let the medication run its course so my feet wouldn’t swell up so bad while traveling. That really was my intent. Well, I didn’t get all the days prewritten and scheduled, I got ONE scrapbook page done in 12 days and the last two days I was in socks because my shoes didn’t fit.

We’re still tweaking the every other day or three with a hotel morning for me plan; it will work!

But today is Day 26 and I’m jumping back in real time with the challenge hosted by Katie at So, Funny Story…


Plans for the weekend ahead

We’re planning a Father’s Day get together with my dad. We were in Baltimore on Father’s Day. I left him a message from Orioles Park and talked to him on the train after the game, but we’re actually celebrating with him this weekend. I’m, putting my grocery list together to make cookies. You see, Pop is where I get my fiendish cookie cravings from; a hereditary factor, you know.

Father's Day 2011

He’s going to grill, which almost makes it more of a treat for me, except that many years ago Pop established his greatest Father’s Day wish, “just stay home.” Now that I’m not living with him anymore, I try to “come home” for Father’s Day every year.

Don't Sweat 30 In June

Okay, okay, that's probably the weirdest title I've come up with in a long time. But it works, really it does. The "don't sweat" part is from this week's Hodge Podge with Joyce from From This Side of the Pond and the "30 In June" part is from segueing into my Day 5 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge with Katie at So Funny Story... If I just used "Multitasking" as a title, it would have been boring.

Now onto today's actual post!

1. Have you learned more from success or failure? Explain.

I definitely have learned more from failure. Failure is the education that makes success possible. Be it from failed attempts in business or failed relationships, it’s only failure if you fail to learn from it.


2. What did you call your grandparents when you were growing up? If you have children, what do they call your parents? If you have grandchildren, what do they call you?

As the oldest grandchild I got to name all four grandparents! Nono, my spelling of nonno, was simply the Italian equivalent of grandpa and Noni was my version of nonna, the same for grandma. My maternal grandparents were “grampapa” when I first named them because they were always together when I saw them. Later when I decided on individual names, they became Grandma and Papa.

My parents were Grams and Papa to my nieces. They are the oldest on their paternal side. Grandma was already on their Mom’s side, so they decided go with Grams for my mom to differentiate. Poppy is their maternal grandfather and my dad became Papa because they always heard me call him Pop. I am Nana to them because it was their first pronunciation of Aunt Nani and it just stuck.


3. You're invited to a luau. In keeping with that theme, what dish will you bring to share?

I don’t have a ton of Hawaiian recipes in my repertoire, so I’d bring tropical fruit salad with fresh pineapple, mango, papaya, small chunks of coconut and garnished with plenty of slices of starfruit.


4. Besides Jesus, what one person's life story do you think everyone should know about?

Mohammed , Buddha… I think age-appropriate world religions should be taught in school starting at grade 1. Disrespect and misunderstanding is at the core of the rampant hate in our society. Maybe the next generation could begin to repair the world we’ve screwed up with our egotistical self-importance that breeds disdain for everyone who isn’t exactly like us.


5. "Don't sweat the small stuff." Agree or Disagree? Why?

I have to agree. One of the sillies David and I do is that he presses my nose and I say “beep.” This comes from my telling him about how amazed Tori and Rina were as babies because my nose went beep when they pressed it.  I press his and he goes "honk."

This morning he “made my nose beep” when he was passing through he room and I returned that but my arm was wavering and it lightly hit his nose a few times before actually pressing it. He went “haw, hu, haw-ha-haw HONK.” The wavering is from muscle weakness and nerve issues from the MS. It makes us both laugh. It is one of the small symptoms of the disease and laughing at it is not just not sweating it; it’s a coping mechanism. Not sweating the small stuff means better dealing with the big stuff.


6. June is National Rivers Month. When were you last on a river? What's the prettiest river you've ever seen? What's a river you'd like to see?

Probably The Ohio River on a sightseeing cruise. I’ve done sightseeing or dinner cruises on the Mississippi, Savannah, Cumberland and all three rivers in Pittsburgh too


7. Speaking of rivers-paddling, fishing, swimming, or bird watching safely from the shore? Which activity would you choose? Yes-you have to choose.

Since there is no choice for riding on a riverboat, maybe the question means smaller rivers. Hmm… The two important things for me to be floating over water are that it must be a very big boat and I must be able to see the shore. I think the fishing choice refers to being in a little boat, which would make me too nervous to fish, so I guess I’d have to choose the bird watching because it doesn’t entail being over the water in a little boat, although I’d really be fishing from the shore.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

I’m going to add my Day 5 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge I’m doing with Katie at So, Funny Thing…

Day 5 prompt:

Favorite quote and why.

You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true.  -Richard Bach

I have this quote on a plaque my mother gave me as a gift when I was an early teen. I never parted with the plaque or the message. As I began the struggle of the years of one foot in the child-world and one foot in the adult-world, never quite owning either, but belonging to both, it was to remind me that the things I wanted were always in my grasp. As an adult, they still are.

You can see all the prompts for the month here and join in any time, for one day or the rest of them. The 30 Day Blog Challenge is fun and a great way to meet new neighbors in Blogland!