Journaling on the Front Porch

Today's writing prompts were provided by Joyce with her Hodgepodge questions for June 3rd. Click on the link below if you want to link up with your blog.

http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2026/05/hodgepodge-questions-volume-656.html

1.What's something you find extremely difficult that most people would say is simple?

I cannot snap my fingers. Never have been able to do it. When I needed to snap my fingers to get my small children's attention without speaking, I would wave my hands or pat the floor -- neither of which is anywhere as effective as snapping one's fingers.

2.  "And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow fast in movies I  had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." 

~F. Scott Fitzgerald

Does the season of summer make you feel this way? Elaborate. 

Summer is not my favorite season, mostly due to the heat and bugs, so I don't relate to this piece by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I do remember the wondrous freedom I felt as a schoolgirl when summer vacation began.

3. Pickles. Love 'em or no thank you? What's your favorite type of pickle? What's something you eat that definitely needs a pickle added?

Yes, I like pickles, especially sweet ones. These are some of the best I've ever had: Fickle Pickles

4. Tis the season...do you know any June brides? Are there any weddings on your summer calendar? What's your favorite movie wedding? 

Right off hand, no, I don't know of any June brides nor am I aware of any summer weddings this year.

My favorite movie wedding? How about my favorite movies with a wedding in them? 

5. June 1st is/was National Say Something Nice Day...say something nice here. 

The kind comments left on my blog have encouraged me time and again over the years.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Sharing snapshots of current events around here, none of which is terribly exciting but definitely has helped us to fall asleep easily while watching TV! 😆 Posting in the order in which the pictures were taken (which is the order in which these thrilling activities happened):

Modeling my new wide-brimmed hat for the cute photographer (see his shadow). I'm pulling weeds and depositing them in an old bucket. 

Look closely to see the metal tool in my right hand. We have had a Black Racer snake patrolling our property for a couple of years. Said to be "the good kind," because he's not venomous and he eats mice, etc (geckos, too, I assume), neither Mr Snake nor I want to encounter each other. 

🙄 You may have seen on the TV news this past weekend Robert Kennedy Jr. (our current Secretary of Health and Human Services) at the Florida home of Dr. Mehmet Oz (our current Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) handling a couple of these Black Racer snakes as they were mating.  They bit him in self-defense, which is painful, but he was not especially concerned because they are not poisonous. 

HOWEVER, snake mouths carry bacteria. Treatment should be a thorough washing with warm soap and water, followed by application of an antibacterial ointment and a bandage. Then the wounds should be monitored for signs of infection. 

Anyway, I carry a defensive tool with me when I am outside pulling weeds, and sometimes I sing to myself -- both activities to inform the snake that I'm around with the hopes he'll slither away.  I promise you I'll not be purposefully touching any snakes!!!

In another snapshot taken that same day, Gary was blowing pine needles off our rock, a noisy but much less scary aspect of yard work! You can see in this picture one of several examples of Asian art we have as a tribute to Gary's 3 military assignments in that part of the world in years past.

These are clippings from some of the rose bushes in our front yard.  Years ago I embroidered the clusters of flowers on this doily. There are a lot of French Knots in there!

As I type this while sitting on our front porch, we are waiting for our landscapers to show up with new sod (St. Augustine grass) for our front yard. As Gary has often said, "There's a secret to growing grass in Florida, but I don't know what it is!!" We live in a gated +55 community with a hefty monthly HOA fee, so there's pressure to have a smart-looking lawn.

With the new sod coming, we decided to take out the ring of curved bricks and rocks surrounding the Holly tree and have the grass grow right up to the base of the tree trunk. Gary set the curved bricks out on the driveway and I posted this snapshot on our neighborhood Facebook page. That was right after breakfast. Long before lunch, somebody took us up on the free offer!

We both knelt on our rubber knee pads to scrape up the rock from the tree's base and carry it to the driveway where Gary hosed it off thoroughly. Then the rocks were added to other ares of our landscaping. It was a labor-intensive task in our Florida heat and humidity (sweat rolling down the center of my back...); but as I said earlier, we later fell asleep in our recliners while watching our TV shows!

This is a Crepe Myrtle tree. They are blooming all over around here now and are just gorgeous. Most of them are pink, lavender, and sometimes white. But the ones I like the best are this dark red (almost crimson). We don't have one in our yard (they are kinda messy when the flowers fall off). I took this snapshot while on one of our bike rides.

Bringing this summary of our current events to a close, this is the puzzle I'm working on now. I found it in Gary's china hutch when we got married. He's had it for so long that he doesn't remember how it came into his possession. The design is CRAZY, but it's only 300 oversized pieces, the kind of puzzle I like the best, so every day I work on it for a few minutes. 

My readers know I don't discuss politics on my blog. I just don't want to field the comments it brings.. With that said, I close with this verse that is an excellent prayer prompt:

So then let us pursue the things

which make for peace

and the building up of one another.

Romans 14:19

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara