TAG TEAM TUESDAY HODGEPODGE!

1. What news story are you following right now?
Since our son and his family live out in San Diego, I've been following the weather channel and the fires out there.

2. What's the last thing you wanted but didn't get?
Well I live a spoiled life because there is nothing that I can think of that I didn't get.  Hubby takes very good care of me and I have whatever I want or need.  I know that I am blessed.  If it were possible for my son and his family to live closer to us that would be divine.

3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day...when did you last have a hamburger? Other than your own kitchen or BBQ grill, where is your favorite place to go for a hamburger? And for all you non-meat eaters out there...when you're invited to a cookout what is the one side dish you hope is on the menu?
I had a hamburger on Monday. Hubby cooked some BBQ pork ribs and hamburgers on the gas grill and he added a touch of BBQ sauce to the burgers. It was delish. He is a great cook.

4. How have your priorities changed over time?
Since being diagnosed with cancer I don't care as much about the small stuff, you know, dishes in the sink, or laundry not folded right away.

5. What's a favorite memory with your grandparents?
My maternal grandmother lived across the street from a bakery. A person could buy a loaf of bread that was not cooked yet and you could put it in your oven and bake it.  When asked if it was home made, she would say "Well it came out of my oven, so yes."  We ate at her house after church often.  She was a good cook.

6. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being fantastic!), how good are you at multitasking? Share an example.
10!! I'm a woman after all!  I can take a bath while talking on the phone, get dressed and apply make up  and start cooking a meal all without the person knowing anything.

7. How would you summarize your highs and lows for the month of May?
My highs would be sitting out front with Hubby on the faux patio that Hubby and I made with beautiful flowers all around us.  Just holding hands, sitting there and enjoying watching life go by was my high.  My low would be that a transplant may be in our future sooner, rather than later.  Yuck to transplant.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
We had the chance to watch our grand girls on Tuesday.  They are  5 and 3 years old.  Watching them color with crayons was so much fun. The little one would declare "I need a green one." and the older one would hand her a green crayon.  They share so well, and they play together so well.  I am so proud of the children they are and how our daughter is such a great mom.  How did she become such a great person with me as her mom?   I'm impressed by her.

HUBBY LOVES ME HODGEPODGE!

What a week this has been!! Playing with grand girls, gardening, cleaning, showing hospitality to a house guest and life in general.  Thank goodnes my Hubby loves me and copied the questions for me.  Come play along with us, won't you?

1. Under what circumstances do you do your best thinking?
Early in the morning after a really good nights sleep.  I seem to be clear headed and make much better choices then.  As the day goes on, my head just becomes too full of information and my thinking skills just goes down hill.  

2. Are you a risk taker? What's one big risk you've taken?
No not really.  I like to play it safe.

3. Some of the most common phobias according to the National Institute for Mental Health are-fear of spiders (arachnaphobia), snakes (ophidiophobia), heights (acrophobia), fear of spaces from which escape is difficult (agoraphobia), fear of thunder and lightening (astrophobia), fear of dogs (cynophobia), injections (trypanophobia), social situations, flying (pteromerhanophobia) and fear of germs and dirt (mysophobia). True phobias affect only about 10% of adults, but of those listed which would you rate as your greatest fear?
WOW! As I read the list my brain was going "Yup, yup, yup"  Holy cow!  I guess my greatest fear is  is flying and heights which really go together don't they. After all one is pretty high when one is flying right?  
  4. Are you settled or do you feel the need to move somewhere new?
I would like to move again.  Don't get me wrong, I like the town we live in and being in the country but I would like to be closer to the grand girls and on one floor.  It makes walking better on these old bones. We could still be in the country and still be closer to the girls.

5. What is something you find annoying when dining in a restaurant?
Over tired kids that really need to be home and in bed instead of out so late eating dinner.  I feel bad for the parents, but really people, take that poor tired child home and put him/her to bed. They don't care about eating out, they want to sleep!

6. Daffodil yellow, sunset orange, spring green, or sky blue...your favorite color this time of year?

Sunset orange for sure.

7. If you were going to take a holiday all by yourself, where would you go?
In the woods, in a log cabin, by a pond, lake or some other water source. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
This week, Thursday in fact, we are back at the doctor's to see if I'm still in remission.  I test every month and although I try not to think about cancer it's hard when every month I have to test and then wait for the results.  I am growing hair, it's blond!! It's short - oh my is it short - but it's growing.  The doctor thinks it will grow at the rate it did when I was a baby so I'll need a hair cut July 2016!!!  

Now it's your turn, jump in and answer  these questions.

TOO POOPED TO POP HODGEPODGE!

Thank you Joyce for coming up with the questions and thank you Hubby for copying them for me.  It's been a long week and I'm tired.

1. It's still May, right? When were you last in the middle of something that might be described as mayhem?

We had our granddaughters over on Tuesday and played and played.  Ever see two girls 5 and 3 years old and not see mayhem as well?  Me neither.

2. When did you last feel dismayed?

I can't think of a time recently when I felt dismayed, I guess it would have to be when my doctor told us I had a incurable cancer. That was pretty dismaying.

3. What's a food combination you like, but other people may find strange?

Moxie tonic and vanilla ice cream.  I love Moxie but most people don't know what it is as it's a New England thing.

4. "It is never too late to be what you might have been." Do you think that's true? Why or why not?

I guess that depends on what you might have been.  I might have been a research scientist but at my current age, do I want to do all that school work? No.  So for me that is too late, however, I do research the drugs I'm on and research items I am thinking of buying so in a way I am what I might have been  just not the same way.  See, it's all in what you might have been.

5. US News and World Report listed the best historic destinations in the US as follows-Washington D.C, Philadelphia PA, Williamsburg VA, Charleston SC, Boston MA, Richmnd VA, Savannah, GA, Santa Fe NM, Yellowstone, San Antonio TX, San Francisco CA, New Orleans LA, and Charlottesville VA.

Of those listed how many have you seen in person? Which two sites on the list would you most like to see in person?

I've been to Washington D.C., Philadelphia PA, Charleston SC, Boston MA Santa Fe NM, and New Orleans LA. I would like to see Yellowstone and San Antonio TX.

6. May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. If you had to participate in a single fitness activity for the next half hour, which activity would you choose?

Playing with a 5 and 3 year old! Best work out anyone can ever have.

7. What did you like best about the city, town, or neighborhood where you grew up?

I grew up right across the street from a ball field.  It was a huge field where in the winter time there was an ice skating rink, in the summer you could play baseball, football, and soccer all at the same time!  It was bordered on 2 sides by woods where the best ghost stories were told and many forts were built.  It was elevated so in the winter we would use our "flying saucers" and slide down the side of it and across the street and end up in our driveway.  It was a blast!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
New Hampshire has lost another police officer this week. He was called to a home and was shot shortly after her got there.  He leaves behind a wife and 2 teen aged girls.  It's a sad day around here.  Our police officers run into danger all the time knowing full well that they may not go home.  If you see a police officer today, thank them and say a prayer for them to be able to go home today.  

The last Hodgepodge of April

Joyce once again found time to come up with the Hodgepodge questions along with writing the A-Z challenge which was really challenging.  Hubby took part in the A-Z challenge and it was really a hard challenge.  So thank you Joyce.  Come play with us.

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Are you blooming where you're planted as we begin the month of May?
Yes, flowers are blooming finally and the sun has been shining for a while now but this week we are getiing a lot of rain, the left overs of those heart breaking storms that the south got.  The rain is filling wells and helping our flowers to bloom.

2. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being no big deal, and 10 being full scale panic, rank your fear of spiders.Spiders! oh I'm a good 7.  Depends on where they are, if they are moving, how fast are they moving, and of course HOW BIG. I've woken up Hubby to have him kill a spider so that I could take a shower.  It was just that big!!

3. May is National Salad Month (who knew???)...besides lettuce, what are two must-have ingredients in your favorite salad?Onions and strawberries.  Love that combo in a salad!

4. I mentioned on my blog last week that my Daughter1 will be moving to Washington State after she is married. Of the following sites in the Northwest, which would you most like to see in person-Crater Lake (Oregon), Seattle (Washington), Vancouver (British Columbia), San Juan Islands (Washington),  Mt. Rainer (Washington) Oregon Coast (Oregon), Mt. St. Helens (Washington), or Olympic National Park (Washington)Olympic National Park sounds like the perfect place to be and camp. It looks beautiful don't you think.

5. This coming weekend marks the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby...when did you last race (literally or figuratively) to cross a finish line?Running with the grand girls and losing to a 5 year old counts, right?  

6. What is something little you love?My wedding ring. It's a symbol of love from a boy to me. A promise to love, honor, of cherish, sticking with and sometimes puting up with me.  We are looking at our 42nd anniversary this July.  He kept his promise.  I love my rings. More importantly, I love the man that boy became. 

7. Would you say you are more of a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner? Elaborate.Visual for sure! Most of the time when I sew, I use no pattern.  If I can see it I can sew it.  Show me and I can repeat it.  

8.  Insert your own random thought here. This week in NH is school vacation week so both dogs are either home with daddy or in my office as all the day care and boarding space is full!  I've been taking one and leaving one at home as my office is too small for both dogs and me.  Hubby is tired and worn out.  Poor Hubby.

Hello World!!

 

Yes, I'm alive! No I'm not sick. Thanks for asking.  

The things I love to do all day now take all day to do because my energy level is still low. We are finally declairing "Snow Out" as the last of it has melted!! Now the clean up begins.
The backyard wasn't too bad but, oh my, the front yard was a mess.  I got August' agility equipment up and he is running and jumping like mad.  

Both dogs hang out with me while I clean up the front yard. One watches me and one watches the road.  Can you guess who is doing which? 

Yup, August watches the road.

Becke watches me.

So once I get home, it's feed the dogs, putter around the house for a bit because if I sit down at all, I fall asleep on the couch.  On the weekends, I work on the yard and then stop once I am tired. I curl up on the couch to watch a movie and wake up 3 hours later. There are just not enough hours in the day.  I remember working in the yard all day and getting it all done in one day. Now I work till I'm tired and have to go back the next day (and the day after that) to get it all done.  I think the yard got bigger!

I love being outside in the warmth and feel the grass, dirt, and mulch under my feet.  I love the heat bearing down on my fuzzy head.  I look like a Chia Pet in the first few days of watering it.  I wish my hair grew as fast as a Chia Pet but it's not. OH WELL!  I still love feeling the heat on my head.

There was a nasty bug going around the office and church and just about everywhere and I didn't get it!! My new immune system seems to be working really good!  I sleep really well and I wake up feeling strong but oh how I wish I could move faster and get more done in one day.  I know Baby steps.


Monday night we got to play with our granddaughters while their parents were working. They work split shifts so that someone is home with them but every so often one is starting at 3pm and other doesn't get out until 5:30pm so we get to have the girls for that "between time".  It's been way too long since that has happened.  What fun to play outside with them!  I'm going to teach them to garden, then they can teach their parents!  What fun it is to dig in the dirt with kids.

So thank you for checking, and even for worrying but I'm good. Back to the dirt.....