The Whites of Winter

a winter sunrise at Daytona Beach, Florida 
2022

This week Joyce's Hodgepodge questions focus on winter. If you want to link up with her blog to answer these questions, click here.

1. What kind of winter person are you-snow lover, fireplace snuggler, winter adventurer, or indoor hibernator? Elaborate. 

My preference over the years has changed from the thrill of being in snow to just observing it from inside a warm house. After years of living in snowy climates (Upstate New York, New Jersey, Colorado, South Dakota, Northern Virginia), when asked if I miss snow, my reply is I don't miss shoveling it. 

my last month in Colorado, May 2017;
6 inches of snow to be cleared from our deck

Been there; done that. Now my preference is the white caps of ocean waves.

collecting sea shells at Florida's Atlantic beach
after moving here in 2017

2. The Pantone color of the year is cloud dancer, described as a gentle, billowy off white shade. The color symbolizes 'peace, clarity, quiet reflection, renewal, and a soft reset'. Of the terms just listed which do you need most in your life this winter? 

I choose "clarity." Some baffling issues have been on my mind in recent years that could benefit from some clarity. 

I'm seeing that there are things in life we just need to accept, make our peace with as much as possible, and move on. 

God has everything in his control. I'm learning to trust His loving character in my life.

1957 "Colonial White" Ford Thunderbird

As to the subject of white, here is a gorgeous car we saw at a show this past November. While I much prefer driving newer vehicles for the techie additions they provide, I am also partial to T-birds since Gary dated me in his 2002 T-bird (a turquoise that was called "Thunderbird Blue").

December 2021

3. Every cloud has a silver lining, on cloud nine, head in the clouds, storm clouds gathering, or cloud of suspicion...which 'cloud' idiom do you most relate to currently? Explain. 

Thinking of current events in our world, "storm clouds gathering" is very accurate. We need to be praying for our leaders and asking God to bring calm to our streets.

4. Coconut, cauliflower, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, onions, ranch dressing...of the white foods listed, which would be the hardest for you to give up? Do you like all or any of the foods on the list? 

Without a doubt, mayonnaise would be the hardest of the listed foods for me to give up. I grew up with Miracle Whip, which I loved at the time, but my desire for that has long since disappeared. Now it's Hellmann's Real Mayo for me!

5. Thomas Wentworth Higginson is credited with this quote-

"How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year." 

Agree or disagree? Tell us why. 

Yes, I agree. Winter teaches us to slow down, review where we are, and to consider if adjustments should be made. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Here are the words to an old hymn that fit well with today's theme of winter whites:

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;

I want Thee forever to live in my soul,

Break down every idol, cast out every foe;

Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

Whiter than snow, yes whiter than snow,

Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

James L. Nicholson United Kingdom/USA 1828-1876

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

Elvis and Other Topics

 

our Saturday lunch locale

This is one of those days that exonerates the decision to leave a colder climate to endure steaming, oven-hot summers. (uh, but don't ask me to repeat that in July!!)

Today I'm taking my writing prompts from two blogs I don't normally follow but did visit this week from the Hodgepodge: My Joyful Life and Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa. (click on the titles to access them)

Loving? 

Well, this guy, of course! Not only is he handsome, kind, smart, energetic, organized, and accomplished, but he serves as excellent 'blog fodder', putting up with candid photography by the paparazzi. 

Resolving? I choose to not be specific, but there are things I don't understand in spite of much research. I am wiser for the investigations but still have questions.

Planning? We live in a place where the potential for a variety of day-trips are abundant and we take advantage of them when our calendars allow. At this time of year, the manatees congregate in the warm springs of Florida (which maintain a year-round temperature of 72 degrees). We may venture over to one of the state parks to gaze at them one day soon.

Eating/drinking?

Lunch

As implied in an earlier snapshot, today we had lunch on our back patio with a menu of hot dogs and French fries. 

The outside temperature is in the upper 70s and there is only a slight breeze. We dined in the shade of several palms overhead with sunshine filtering through the many tall pine trees. 

Rosy pink Camellias and reddish-orange Hibiscus bushes are also in easy view of our chairs. Our fellow Floridians agree this kind of weather in JANUARY is why we live here.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

But returning to the subject of food, yesterday I baked a casserole recipe printed on the box of Stove Top Chicken Flavored Stuffing: Bruschetta Chicken Bake. Mavis Butterfield has the recipe on her blog at this link. (click) The only change I made from what's printed on the box is I used some leftover Swanson Chicken Broth for the 1/2 cup of water and I used the biggest can of shredded chicken on the store shelf instead of raw chicken. 

It was very easy to prepare and so tasty that my mouth waters now just thinking about the small amount that is left over in our refrigerator! Were I not trying to have a slim figure, I might have given myself a larger serving yesterday!

Watching/reading? 

Lost at Sea

Earlier this week I finished reading Lost at Sea by John Wukovits, which is a biography of World War I hero, Eddie Rickenbacker and the detailed story of being lost at sea on  life rafts with seven other men. 

Gary had checked this book out from the library. We often sit out here on the lanai in the afternoons, reading our books and talking about what we've read. I became convinced to read this book for myself and in spite of its close to 400 pages, I could hardly put it down!

approaching the Cultural Center from the parking lot

Then to address the rest of this prompt, what am I watching? ELVIS! (January 9th was his 91st birthday)

Cote Deonath as Elvis Presley

Yes, and also Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and Garth Brooks. 

If you don't already know, retirement communities tend to invite a lot of "tribute" artists and bands to give monthly concerts. One of Gary's Christmas gifts to us was the purchase of tickets for 4 of these concerts, this being the first of the season. 

Michael Cullipher as Johnny Cash

Samantha Chambliss as Dolly Parton

Alex Mitchell as Garth Brooks

These concerts are a lot of fun. Old folks of all shapes, sizes, and physical abilities/disabilities flock to these things to be reminded of our younger days and to sort of "cut loose" (some concerts more than others). This one was titled, "Elvis and The Legends of Country." 

All of the performers were skilled in their talent, but Elvis was our favorite. This fellow really put on a good show.

where we sit

We like to get there early to secure the parking location we like. We choose our seats when the tickets are purchased ahead of time, on line, preferring seats on the aisle and toward the back. .... and we DON'T wear our hearing aids for these concerts. Like all concerts, the music was LOUD.

us

To amuse ourselves as we waited for the show to start, we took the SMOS (social media obligatory selfie). Then I left Gary at our seats so I could inspect the raffle items on long tables in the lobby.

the entire event was sponsored by Habitat for Humanity

Lots of Elvis memorabilia was displayed for the raffle event. About the only thing Gary and I gamble on is each other (which has turned out to be a WIN WIN! for both of us), so no money was spent beyond our concert tickets. (I will say that we have both purchased and donated items to our local Habitat for Humanity store located here in town.)

It was a good concert; we are glad we went. The show began at 6:30pm, so we were home 🥱 in time to get to bed 😴 easily before 10pm -- a good consideration for concerts in a retirement community! 💤

Sister and Bob

I want to give a shout out to Sister and her husband on this, their 50th wedding anniversary!! Although they look like just kids in their wedding picture, they were married in their last semesters at the University of Illinois where she graduated with her Bachelors Degree and he completed his Masters Degree. They went on from there to settle in farm country where his career in agriculture (cows, crops, and a corporate sales representative) helped to support their family of triplet daughters(!!!) and a son. Now, these 50 years later, their 4 happily married children have given them a total of 11 grandchildren. Congratulations!

https://thechristianlounge4u.blogspot.com

My last item of interest on this post is to direct you to a blog where I have been invited (along with many other writers) to contribute occasional posts of a devotional-type nature, The Christian Lounge. Today my first contribution to the site is featured: 

https://thechristianlounge4u.blogspot.com/2026/01/black-eyed-peas.html

If you would like to write for this blog, check out the links I've provided for further information.

In the meantime, thanks for stopping by here. 

Grace and peace,

Barbara

A Week into the New Year

our Poinsettia
(a leftover from Christmas)

Here are Joyce's questions from her weekly Hodgepodge. If you care to join in on your blog, click here. 

My responses are hi-lited with blue.

1. What are three words phrases you would use to describe your 2025? 

road trips, museums, instructive books

FDR and Gary at the National World War II Museum,
November 2025

2. I ask this question every January, and I always get comments about how we shouldn't be banning words. This is fun and games so just play along : ) 👍🏻

Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness (go here to read about how the words are chosen). Here's the list for 2026- 

67 • demure • cooked • massive • incentivize • full stop • perfect • gift/gifted  • my bad • reach out 

Which one (if any) do you use most often? 

cooked, as in "Gary cooked lunch"

(I realize that today people use the word differently, 

 as in "I'm very tired.")

Which one of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? 

67 -- because it's just a fad that many people 

don't understand, including me

Is Are there a word words you think should have made the list? 

robust

(I've noticed that politicians like the word "robust." 

While it's not a bad word, it is over-used.)

 honestly -- has become a "filler," like "umm" 

all crude words and phrases

(I don't need to spell them out....)

an essential when composing my blog posts

3. What are your nightly rituals? 

brush my teeth, put on my jammies, 

kiss my husband goodnight and

fall asleep no later than 9:15pm

Is that different from your 'ideal' nightly ritual? If so what's your ideal? 

Nope. If I didn't like my nightly ritual, I'd change it.

4. January 6th is/was National Bean Day. Do you like beans? Which one is your favorite? Last thing you ate made with beans? 

There is no bean that I don't like. Red kidney beans are my favorite; but with that said, the only legumes in this house are canned green beans. Gary had major intestinal surgery a couple of years ago that dictates what he should not eat, what time of day to eat, and how much to consume. We have learned to live with his guts calling the shots, so to speak and are doing well.

5. Are you easily embarrased? Elaborate.

That's too embarrassing. 🤭

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This past Sunday afternoon I baked the Blonde Brownie recipe recommended by Debbie at her blog, 

Millie's Cozy Cottage. The only thing wrong with them is that they disappear too fast!

My blogging friend, Victor at Time for Reflections, has initiated a new blog called The Christian Lounge. It has recently made its debut. For clean reading and some occasional humor as well as pithy knowledge, the link for it is here.

When you visit this site, you may recognize some of the authors. I have added its link to "My Blog List," in the column to the right.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

Truth and Encouragement for 2026

our back yard 
(before we replaced the mulch with river rock)

Well hello everybody! It's good to be with you in this New Year of 2026. 

my neighbor's Bougainvillea -- in January!

North Central Florida has been experiencing the depths of winter (about as cold as it gets here). I've enjoyed wearing my socks, ankle-length blue jeans, long sleeves, and (on some days) even an undershirt! Some mornings it's just been too cold to ride our bicycles here in the neighborhood. Forty-five degrees is just about my breaking point, and at that, there needs to be little-to-no wind! 

"Me and My Shadow"

But I usually still take a walk in our immediate community (our +55 neighborhood has some 16 of these communities). That walk, which is a BIG circle, is 1.3 miles. I don't walk fast these days, maintaining that movement, the sunshine, and fresh air are benefitting me even if I don't get the heart rate pumping hard and fast. (excuse the honesty, but I don't like to sweat!!)

yellow cornbread in the cast iron wedge pan

Cold weather calls for warm comfort foods. For New Year's we did not have my family's traditional black-eyed peas. I'm not at all superstitious but in my growing up years it was my mother's habit to include these legumes for "good luck." 😏

While I like black-eyed peas, a few years ago I decided to give up on them. Superstition or not, I had a terrible year, so maybe discarding the peas would be a little helpful? 

I did bake a pan of cornbread and accompanied that with sliced ham. We plan to have the leftovers of that for our supper tonight.

our dining table

All of the Christmas decorations have been packed away with the exception of this table runner. I bought it at Hobby Lobby in early December and just love it. The table may stay this way until I pull out a runner for Valentine's Day!

the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California

Gary turned on the Rose Parade but we did not watch all of it. Even with the benefits of HD TV, it doesn't hold my attention as much as it used to. But there are still some very clever floats.

Some people tend to get philosophical at this time of year as they assess the past 12 months, their lives, current events, and so forth. I've collected some thoughts that have come my way that are worth pondering. This one (which I may have shared before) came from Sister:

It's true. That makes me smile every time I read it. There is no doubt that carbs tend to comfort the broken heart, at least temporarily!

Then there is this, which may frustrate at the first reading, but it carries a lot of good sense:

Literally just let people be wrong about you.

It does not matter.

Live with integrity and

let inaccurate opinions fall away on their own.

The rest will sort itself out.

(by Liz Ann on Facebook)

This is a quote I've had in the right column of my blog for about a year and I think it's worth leaving there:

(from theologian Randy Alcorn)

All of us have not always responded well to things in life, so we need to forgive ourselves, as well as others. Hard circumstances often bring out the worst in us. We need to keep that in mind when observing people. Given time, kindness, and the grace of God, people work through the tough stuff and are often better for the experience. (and if they don't forgive us, then scroll back up to the quote about letting people be wrong about you. God knows the heart.)

As I said in my last post, we can't take our next breath or even blink our eyes except with God's mercy, so no matter what our situation, God has been good. Quoting from faithful grace.com:

When you recount God's faithfulness in the past twelve months, it strengthens your trust for the year ahead.

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

Psalm 77:11

I close with this very pretty picture and another encouraging thought from CoffeeWithMyFather:

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

My Last Post for 2025

a good goal for every year

This is the last Hodgepodge for 2025. If you want to join in by answering these questions on your blog, click here.

 1. Did you make resolutions or set goals for the year we're waving goodbye? How did that work out for you? Will you set any goals for this new year, new season, or new month? Share one or two if you'd like to share. 

I don't remember making any specific New Year's resolutions for 2025. But I do try to not repeat past mistakes, striving to "get it right!!!" -- whatever the issue is at hand.

wisdom from FaceBook

2. When did you have the most fun this year? 

We have visited a lot of historical places this year (which I wrote about in our Christmas newsletter). I have discovered how much I enjoy museums and learning life lessons from the experiences of others. (with the hope maybe I can avoid some of their pitfalls??)

3. What's a song or song lyric you'll associate with 2025? Tell us why. 

One of my sons and I were talking about music from years ago that we have recently enjoyed again. "Praise the Lord" by The Imperials has blessed me any/every time I hear it and it's been revived for me in 2025. This is the link on youtube: Praise the Lord

4. Best (or a favorite) bite of something delicious you tasted this year? 

The day after Christmas we met family at Da Vinci Pizza and Pasta in Gainesville. I ordered an entire pizza for myself so I could take home the leftovers for supper. At the first bite I knew I'd made the right decision. It tasted so good that I had to remind myself to save some for the take-home box!

I am also infatuated with the sweet, spicy pickles served at Couchon Butcher, a popular casual sidewalk cafe in New Orleans where we dined 3 times during our November trip. 

photo from Couchon Butcher website

5. What do you want to do more of in the new year? Less of? 

More laughter, more bike rides, more walks, more time to read, more pizza, more laughter, more quiet meals with loved ones beside water (ocean, Gulf, rivers, streams, lakes), more blogging, and a better understanding of the issues that trouble me. 

Less concern about those things I cannot change (although prayer about them will continue).

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This, from Marcus Stanley on Facebook, really says it for me: 

It is a fact that we cannot blink our eyes or take a breath of air without God's grace. He could "pull the plug" at any time! We need to express our gratitude to Him for everything.

One of my girlfriends is distributing these tickets for New Year's Eve.  I got one for YOU! 🤭🎉🥳 (Thank you, Ona!)

Thanks for reading my blog this past year. I hope we can continue this relationship in 2026! We all need validation and kindness. You so considerately do that for me in your comments, and I try to return the favor on your blogs as well. 

Both now and into next year, grace and peace to you.

Barbara