From An Empty Nest to Ocean Travel

free image by StockCake.com

Joyce's writing prompts for this week ushered me into some pleasant thoughts and recollections of family, food, sports, and travel. If you would like to link up your blog with this meme, click here:

http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2026/06/hodgepodge-questions-volume-658.html

1. June 17th, 1994 was the day of the infamous O.J. Simpson car chase. What were you doing in 1994? I'm guessing somebody is going to tell me they weren't born yet but that's part of the fun of the Hodgepodge. Lots of generations are represented here. 

In 1994 I was living in Colorado Springs. I had two sons in college and a daughter beginning her senior year in high school. The "Empty Nest" season of my life as a parent was fast approaching.

(internet photo)

2. What's your favorite summer salad that isn't the traditional tossed green lettuce kind of salad? Do you like fresh fruit in a salad (other than in a fruit salad of course)?

I like just about any salad. Taco Salad comes to mind right now because it is hearty with ground beef, beans, and cheese and crunchy corn chips. 

Yes, I like fresh fruit in a salad, especially blue berries and pineapple.

3. Is chivalry dead? Should it be? 

Chivalry is not dead. It has a lot to do with how Gary won my heart! 

Us in Gainesville, Florida
April 2025

(By my observation) rare is the woman whose heart cannot be won with kindness, gentleness, and genuine consideration. While it seems to be overlooked (maybe even intentionally avoided?) by younger people, chivalry remains a wonderful asset to relationships . . . . . And the women who are treated with such generosity of manners should not resent it.

4. Would you rather spend a week of your summer vacation in Hawaii or Alaska? Have you ever been to either? Are they two places you really would like to see? How do you feel about 'Hawaiian pizza' aka pineapple on a pizza? Have you ever eaten Baked Alaska? 

I've been to Alaska* and enjoyed it. I've never been to Hawaii and probably never will at this stage of my life. For one thing, that long airplane ride to get there is not appealing. As for pineapple on pizza, yes, I like it. As with salad, I seldom encounter a pizza I don't like. 

Over half a century ago at my high school senior dinner in a downtown ritzy hotel ball room, Baked Alaska was served for dessert. The waiters brought it in on trays held high with sparklers brightening up the presentation. 

Baked Alaska with sparklers
(internet photo)

5. World Cup play is happening now...are you interested? Watching any matches? Did you or your children play soccer/futbol? There are eleven US cities hosting matches-

-Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York with the stadium in NJ, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle

along with  three cities in Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey)

and two in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver)-

Forgive me, sports fans, but the World Cup does not especially interest me. If it's on, I'll give it some attention to be polite. My children were active with track, dance, wrestling, and cheerleading. There was a brief venture into soccer by one of my sons, but the arguing of the parents on the sidelines with yelling at the players turned us off. Other interests were pursued with no regrets.

You get free tickets to one of these matches. Which city do you choose? Tell us why. 

As for free tickets (and since we're dreaming here, I assume those tickets include free airfare, lodging, and food), I would choose Vancouver, British Columbia because I lived there for 5 months as a teenager and would love to see it again. Sooo beautiful!

Vancouver, British Columbia
Stanley Park is the large forested area above downtown.
(internet photo)

My family lived in one of the downtown high rises while looking for an apartment. The apartment we found was just outside to the left of this photo, en route to the University of British Columbia. We lived on the 8th floor with a balcony and had a beautiful view of the ships entering and leaving the harbor. The Pacific Ocean is to the left (west) of this picture, beyond Vancouver Island. This photo is looking north.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

*Since Alaska came  up in Question #4, I pulled out the photo album from my cruise within Alaska's Inside Passage  in August 2006. Here are just 3 photos from the 8-day trip:

our ship, Princess cruise lines;
photo from my camera

For me, the ship itself was exciting enough. HUGE, BEAUTIFUL, very interesting, lots to do, comfortable.

photo from my camera

We arrived at our first stop in Ketchikan at dawn. I remember the ship's engine got quieter as we glided slowly into the harbor. I got out of bed to peek out on our balcony to see the sleepy town's first lights dotting the hillside down to the water's edge. It was serene, so peaceful, very beautiful. That experience alone is one of my very favorite memories of this trip.

the small pilot boat that guided our ship into the harbor;
photo from my camera

Another aspect of ship travel that fascinated me was the small pilot's guide boat that would appear as we approached each harbor. I leaned out over our balcony to take this picture. It was interesting to me that this huge ship with all of its navigational equipment would rely on this (by comparison) itty bitty water craft to show the ship's captain where to "park" at the dock. There were several other large cruise ships just like ours and we all traveled pretty much the same route, so "parking attendants" were needed. 

Of course, I have many more snapshots from this trip, but these 3 are special to me. 

While I'm on the topic of ships, here are the lyrics to an old hymn that I love:

Jesus, Savior, pilot me

over life's tempestuous sea:

unknown waves before me roll,

hiding rocks and treacherous shoal.

Chart and compass come from Thee:

Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

When at last I near the shore,

and the fearful breakers roar

'twixt me and the peaceful rest,

then, while leaning on Thy breast,

may I hear Thee say to me,

"Fear not, I will pilot thee."

Author: Edward Hopper, 1816-1888

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

Post Script: We finished our jigsaw puzzle that was featured in my previous post. I did most of the work, but Gary found a lot of pieces, too. For the last ten, he called me to the table to finish the project. Yes, he is very chivalrous!

500 pieces, extra large pieces
that fit together very well

Summer Afternoon Musings

 

Although summer doesn't officially begin until something like June 21st, for all intents and purposes, it is in full swing here in Florida. That is probably true just about everywhere: summer begins "unofficially" on Memorial Day weekend. 

Then it seems to sort of end, in a sense, just a few days after the 4th of July when the stores begin advertising their school supplies merchandise, with some schools beginning the first week or two of August!! What is left of actual summer is a lot of very hot and humid days, and here in Florida, a wariness regarding the possibility of hurricanes. 

Since I much prefer cooler temps over HOT!, my survival philosophy for Florida summers is to not go out of my way to spend time outdoors (without being unreasonable, you understand). Just like I used to stay  indoors in the coldest of weather when I lived in Colorado and South Dakota, here in summer I station myself inside, or on the lanai with a ceiling fan AND a tower floor fan blowing directly on my skin. 

We do ride our bicycles in the summer, heat and all. An interesting observation I've learned in the 4+ years that we've been riding, even on the hottest and most humid of mornings, once we begin pedaling down the street, the movement of air over our skin is delightful. We don't think about the heat until we stop for water (which we do twice in our 5-mile route). 

(I've edited the headstones for privacy)

Another survival habit in this climate is to, as much as possible, get our appointments, shopping, and other running around town done before lunch, when the greatest heat of the day is still ramping up. 

This includes our trips to the cemetery to "visit" our people. My late husband and Gary's late wife are buried in the same general area of the Veterans' cemetery, although far enough from each other that we reach both via car. We usually go to Tom's grave first because his headstone is in the very last row at the back of his section. Unfortunately the trees are too far away to comfortably sit in shade. (we didn't get to choose the grave sites; you accept what you are given)

Edith, by contrast, is buried in the second row from the road and very tall, shady oak trees are nearby. So after "visiting" Tom, we go to Edith's place and sit in our canvas lawn chairs in the shade. It's quiet and peaceful at both locations, but the shade tends to win out, of course. 

What do we do at the grave sites? I wonder how people would answer that, but it's really a very private question, so I don't inquire. I will say that visiting Tom's grave is always an opportunity for me to, once again, sincerely thank God for getting me through this far. Psalm 3:3 is often the foundation for my prayer: "Thou, Lord, art a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."

I love to watch Gary at Edith's grave. Although we found new love in each other after the passing of our spouses, his love and respect for Edith is very apparent. It's beautiful. And the blessings of my years with Tom continue long after his passing.

(I've edited her headstone for privacy)

We usually take flowers that we've bought at the floral counter of the grocery store while en route to the cemetery. For the trip a few days ago, we did not do that. The weather is so hot that the flowers would not have lasted the afternoon before wilting and looking more sad than had we not made the effort. The above picture is from our visit earlier this spring. 

To help with the heat and glare, we took our wide-brimmed hats!! "Hat's a good idea!" 🙂

our hats on the back seat of our car

It's good to take time out to "visit" our people like this, just as it's good to observe holidays that remind us of our faith, those who have given their lives for our freedoms, and the birthday of our nation! We must not take any of these special people and times for granted.

Well, life goes on. I remember after Tom's passing the song made famous by Skeeter Davis came to mind:

Why does the sun go on shining?

Why does the sea rush to shore?

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

It ended when you said 'goodbye.'

As profoundly sad as grief is, life has continued and somehow the hurt is less with time and God's grace. It has taught me so much that I simply was unaware of until I had to experience it myself. Good, bad, ugly, and delightful. The world kept on turning with days morphing into night and then back to daylight again. Bills had to be paid, groceries needed to be bought, and the car gas tank had to be filled. 

Relationships were affected in ways I did not anticipate. Now, years that have passed, I understand that when massive changes come to us, we all respond in our own ways. Some of that is good and helpful; some is not so good. 

In a very simple way of explaining it, some people can tolerate liver and onions and some of us gag at the very smell of it cooking, let alone taking a bite of it. I'm learning I need to allow people the freedom to be who they are and to forgive those who are not so open to allowing me to be who I am. It's just life. We all have feelings and our own ways of coping.

Disrespect and true harm are not acceptable, of course, but we just need to let people be who they choose to be. We are all working things out in our minds and with time, patience, and choosing to be considerate, even liver and onions MIGHT become more appealing.

On our bike ride this morning, this turtle was lounging in the very middle of the asphalt multi-purpose path. I stopped to take a couple of pictures.

Pig-nosed Turtle, very long neck;
can give a very painful bite 

He is not the most handsome of God's creatures, but to his credit, he did not shy away from allowing me this "photo op," not behaving badly in any way. We did not touch him but just marveled at his "hose nose," and then left him alone. With reference to my earlier words, we just let him be who he chose to be. 

Our progress on the puzzle is good. I added several pieces and then Gary took over. I think he's done more than I have. It's a wonderful diversion for the mind when we have exhausted our thoughts about everything else. 

current Indoor status at 4:30pm

The TV said our "feels like" temp today would be close to 103 degrees. It's time for us to think about what we might want for a light supper, which means we'll close the windows here in the lanai, turn off the fans and go back into the AC for the evening. 

I'll close with the words to a song our junior church choir learned when I was in the 4th grade. They have both instructed me and comforted me in the hardest of times.

Trust and obey

for there's no other way

to be happy in Jesus,

but to trust and obey.

Until next time, [stay cool] in grace and peace.

Barbara

Pondering Puzzles, Psychology and Peanut Butter

my current afternoon hobby in progress

Today's writing prompts come from Joyce. Click here if you want to join in the fun.

1.  How would you define 'the good life'? 

Owning a lot of neat stuff, living in a perfect climate, friendships with really great people, and solid financial arrangements could define the good life, but I have found all of those advantages to be not enough. They can disappear for many reasons and with shocking suddenness in spite of my best efforts to hold onto them.

Jesus Christ is recorded in John 10:10 as saying, "I am come that you may have life, and that, more abundantly." He emphasized significance and purpose over material stuff. He promises us peace, and satisfying connection that is ours for all of eternity when we trust Him. 

The key to the good life is to rely on God, even when the harsh realities of life slam and break us. The Lord is working for our good. One day, for those who believe  Him, it will all make sense.

To sum it up, the "good life" is peace with God.

2.  What's the most used app on your phone (and are you proud of that)? 

I feel certain that as a blogger, I am not alone in saying the camera on my iPhone is the most used app/feature. Can I eat a restaurant meal without taking a snapshot of it?!!! In the world of blog authors, it's nuthin' to be ashamed of! 🤭

Piesano's Pepperoni Rolls

3. 'Every rose has it's thorn', 'everything's coming up roses', 'looking through rose-colored glasses', 'it's no bed of roses' or 'stop and smell the roses'...which rose idiom best relates to something in your life currently. Explain. 

Because it is true that "every rose has its thorn," and nobody has "everything coming up roses" all the time, etc. my answer to this question is to "stop and smell the roses." With few exceptions, no matter what our troubles may be, there are always some roses to enjoy. I'm talking about gratitude here. 

Gary and me

I'm alive; I have a closet full of clothing to wear, the house where I live is much more than adequate, and the kitchen is well-stocked with plenty of food. My health is pretty good, and by the grace of God, I have a second marriage after becoming a widow.

ALL my sins are forgiven by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and when I die, I'll be instantly whisked off to Heaven. The thorns in my life take a back seat to all of the "roses."

4. How do you feel about floral flavorings in food or drink (rose, hibiscus, elderflower, lavender)? 

Floral-flavored/scented ice water is a pleasant luxury but not anything I crave. A slice of lemon in the water is nice.

5. Over the course of your life what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else? 

The "hay and stubble" of life (which includes but is not limited to hair styles and home decor) ..... Just being honest here without revealing too many of my foibles!

In recent years, I've been more preoccupied with human psychology: why humans behave as we do and how I should be handling myself as a Christian woman. I want to validate people, encourage them, and try not to be a stumbling block.

my most recent escape from banality

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Here is a personal 'survival tip' that comes in handy for me. Sometimes I find myself in a situation where I should listen or feel obligated to listen to a speaker, or a TV program or such that is long and not all that interesting or personally challenging, a circumstance where my voice and rapt attention are not required. 

If this is happening in the privacy of my home (where I won't be a distraction or a discouragement to others), my colored pencils and I scribble designs and record random notes while my ears half-listen to whatever is going on. This is a huge help to keep me from exasperation.

I'm off to bake some peanut butter cookies. What are your plans?

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara