Wednesday Hodgepodge - 14 September 2016

Please click the button below to hop on over and say howdy to Joyce and play along with her fun Wednesday Hodgepodge. Be sure to wish her a happy birthday while you're there!


1. What's changed in your life, home, or community since your last birthday?

My last birthday was about 27 days ago.  Davey has gone to sea in a ship to who-knows-where since then. There has been one change that I'm not really at liberty to discuss. And, our little Dandelion has apparently moved on. I haven't seen her in well over a week now.

In our little town, there are construction cones going up all over the place. More road work. YAY.

2. September is Classical Music Month. Do you like/listen to classical music? If so what's a favorite piece and/or who is a favorite composer?

Yes, I like classical music and listen to it sometimes. I like Mozart and Handel and several others. I can't name a specific piece at the moment.

3. Besides The Bible, what's a book that has positively changed your life, relationships, career, or perspective? How so?

I don't know about changing my life or anything like that, but reading The Hiding Place helped me to more fully realize as a child that many people had situations far worse than my own. It helped me to better put things into perspective. If Corrie could forgive after what she and her family endured, then surely I could do it, too. It was something that I needed to learn how to do. Her sufferings were far greater than my own. I'm still learning.

4. I read here these ten hobbies will make you smarter...play a musical instrument, read voraciously, meditate regularly, work out your brain (puzzles, sudoku, board games, etc), exercise often, learn a new language, write your feelings down (blog, journal, just write), travel to new places, cook different kinds of meals, participate in sports actively

Are any on this list your current hobbies? Which hobby on the list would you be most inclined to try?

I love to read, though not much of it is being done via books these days. Most of my reading is online for now. I LOVE to work puzzles. Word puzzles, Sudoku, and jigsaw puzzles, too, though it has been a very long time since I've done a jigsaw puzzle. I didn't think that I would like Sudoku because it involved numbers, which generally indicates math, to me. I came to realize that math has absolutely nothing to do with it. It is about patterning and I can handle that. It is great! The word puzzles are self-explanatory…they involve WORDS and I love words.

I very much like the idea of traveling to new places...new, as far as me having been there. I love to go to historical places.  Old is where it's at!

5. What sports traditions does your family have?

We don't really have any sports traditions. I am not a sports nut and have better things to do with my time, like history research. David has, on occasion, watched football. We both watched the college world series when USC-Gamecocks were there and they won two years in a row. That was great!

6. In a few words, weigh in on the current football/National Anthem brouhaha. Keep it family friendly please.

There's something going on with football and the National Anthem? To quote a former 'friend', "I don't know dis." Okay, so I did a search to find out what's going on.

I don’t understand the problem with the people kneeling during the National Anthem. It is a time to show respect and going down on one's knees has been a show of respect and humility for years. We should show respect for those that have gone on before us to make this country what it is and those that are serving now for trying to protect it. We should be humbled by the sacrifices that they have made and are making…and may be called to make…to keep this country free.

So, standing or down on the knees, both with the hand over the heart, either way works for me. What doesn't work for me is those that are able to stand, but don't, and sit there running their mouths all through it, rather than being silent or singing along.

Update after reading Joyce's post on this matter:  

The site that I had found about this issue said nothing about it being a protest against the police (or anyone else for that matter).  It didn't really say much of anything other than football players were kneeling during the anthem and that they didn't think it was right.  So, I made my post accordingly. Kneeling is typically a show of respect, but if they're kneeling as a protest about something, that is a different matter entirely.  That is kind of like turning a kneel into a birdie-shooting/the finger of sorts.  Not nice.

7. Where do you have loads of patience, and where do you most lack patience?

Patience has not been one of my strong suits, though I am trying to be better. It is not, however, something that I will ever pray for. I do not want to invite the tests into my life that will earn me that patience. Life post-strokes has brought many of those. I'm ready to get my grade and be done with the tests.

I often lack patience with those who have no patience with me. If you're going to rush me when I'm trying to do something, don’t expect me to be quiet when *you* are the one dawdling. I'm also not very patient when I am waiting. If you tell me you will be here at 10am, then be here at 10am, not noon. I have more to do with my time than run back and forth to the door to see if you're here yet.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

There was something that I thought of during the last Hodgepodge that I was going to save for this random thought and now I can't remember what it was. How frustrating…and very much me.:)

So, here is a quote that I saw somewhere yesterday that I think is a great quote.  The image is one that I took for Instagram quite some time ago.

©2014-2016 Suzanne G. McClendon (and Cicero!)

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Random Thoughts and Observations.

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