Answering the Hodgepodge Questions

Before I respond to this week's questions, I want to thank all of you who commented and have prayed for me regarding my health adventures, detailed in my last post. 

Once again a tough experience has taught me valuable lessons, proving no experience is wasted in God's economy. 

On a comical note, my iPhone 16Pro has facial recognition, as well as a passcode. It automatically uses facial recognition when I use it, but when my nose was stuffed with that packing ("Rhino-pak"), my phone did not recognize me at all. I had to use my passcode. 

On to the Hodgepodge questions ...

Young Love
my maternal grandparents in the 1920s

1. Next Sunday is Grandparent's Day. Share a favorite memory, photo, recipe, or something you learned from a grandparent. 

For most of my life, my family has not lived even in the same state as my grandparents, let alone close by, so I don't have a lot of memories spent with them. However, my maternal grandmother would always greet Sister and me with a nearly bone-crushing hug when there was a visit. I mean, BONE CRUSHING! We couldn't even breathe. But we were her only grandchildren and the visits had to be, of necessity, infrequent, so she really let us know how much she loved us and missed us. 

my grandparents (a few years later)

That experience effectively communicated to Sister and me how our "Grammer" (as we called her) felt about us. I am reminded of the famous quote by Maya Angelou, "... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

2. What's a quote from a book (besides The Bible) that has stayed with you? 

As I remember it, "Me thinks she doth protest too much." 

When I looked it up just now, this is what AI had to say: 

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks" is a famous line from William Shakespear's play Hamlet, spoken by Queen Gertrude. 

Queen Gertrude

Shakespeare was not my favorite because I did not understand much of his writings; but now, these decades later, I can appreciate him more.

3. What's your number one food pet peeve? 

I'm not sure I've ever had a food pet peeve, but I have a life-long abhorrence for liver. My mother used to cook it when Sister and I were very young. It has a very strong smell when cooking, so we would begin to cry, knowing dinnertime was going to be a bad experience with gagging and tears, reprimands, and so forth.

Years later I asked Mama why she didn't prepare liver any more. She shook her head and said, "It just wasn't worth it!" 🤭

Sister and me:
united in our dislike of liver
and in our love of puppies
~1956~

4. What's one thing about you that is still the same as it was when you were young? 

My eyes are brown.

5. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have some sort of preparedness kit you keep on hand? If so, tell us one thing that's kept there. 

As Florida residents, we feel prepared for a hurricane, although we live inland some 60+ miles, so a tornado or fire  would be more of a threat. We have extra water on hand and plenty of canned food in the pantry, along with a can opener, of course. If we had to grab our meds and leave in a hurry, we could probably manage. As for documents, we have the most important ones in a very safe place, keeping in mind that most truly important documents are on-line these days. (that goes for photos, too) 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

And we know that in all things 

God works for the good 

of those who love Him,

who have been called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 NIV

from my FB friend Karen L.

Until next time, grace and peace.

If you want to answer these questions on your blog and then link up with like-minded participants, click here: 

http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2025/08/hodgepodge-questions-volume-618.html

Augghast!!!

 

morning dew on our red Knockout Rose

I haven't written in nearly two weeks. My 'excuse' (as shared in my previous post) was that I had a stack of books waiting on me.

reading books in progress

I've not completed reading all of the books in this stack. Some are done and on the shelf; others wait for me in the various places scattered throughout the house, wherever I 'land' throughout the day. I read more than one book at a time. I'm sure I'm not alone in that. 

organized collection of books and puzzles

Some books are beside my recliner, as well as my Sudoku, Word Search, and coloring books. They're within easy reach when TV doesn't interest me. 

stopping for water on our bike ride

The hot weather that has affected most of our outdoor activities beyond the commitment to bike riding every morning and the necessary yard upkeep. Plants grow really fast in Florida's summer heat and almost daily afternoon rain storms.

cutting the branches down for disposal

With that said, one fun thing we did was to take a road trip to one of our favorite lunch destinations to meet up with some of our kids. On that day an intermittent breeze helped us to tolerate the heat.

them

There was the usual "I take your picture; you take mine"...

Us

We were seated beside the water under colorful canvas shades to block the unrelenting sun. Yes, people wore sunglasses but I made them remove them for the photo shoot.

Crump's Landing,
Homosassa, Florida

Some tables had those tiki hut roofs that promote the tropical theme.

looking west where the river empties into the Gulf

Our table was literally on the edge of the deck over the Homosassa River with the watercraft passing by. This is one of my favorite things about living in Florida.

a fellow diner

Sometimes the birds at these outdoor restaurants can be a real nuisance, but in the several times we've dined at this place, that has not been a problem. Our daughter-in-law did a quick search on her phone to determine this dinner companion was a Goliath Heron. We had apparently not ordered what he had in mind since he did not bother us.

from my nephew

Back at home this special piece of mail found its way to me. I have obliterated the address for security reasons, but kept how my nephew addressed this card. My sister's son, she tells me he addresses his cards to her as "Gram," so I'm not the only one who gets this fun personalized treatment. 

unexpected footwear

Speaking of Sister, she met with some adversity this month. A trip to the doctor to address one issue revealed another problem and resulted in some fancy footwear. Blessedly for her it was her left foot, so she was able to drive herself home. We're hoping it's all healed before the snow flies in her part of the country -- those toes could get pretty cold!

Some adversity visited me this month, too. Avoiding gory detail, I'll tell you just enough for you to understand what happened. Within less than twelve hours, I ended up in two hospital Emergency Rooms for two different issues. 

I am not one to live dangerously, unless you think swabbing the inside of my nose with a Q-tip is a dare devil act. 

Earlier in the month I was advised by my doctor and others to apply petroleum jelly to the insides of my nostrils because a number of brief nosebleeds had become a problem. Apparently one evening I poked myself, causing a more serious bleed. I nursed it along for four hours before deciding we'd better go to the ER. 

*Note: I have learned since then that after only 15 minutes of a bad bleed, one should seek help.

The ER packed my nostril TIGHT and left a long plastic thing dangling in front of my mouth.  They kept watch on me for well over an hour before releasing me to go home, just after midnight.

One would think at that hour of the night, I would have no trouble sleeping. However, the tight pack in one nostril nearly closed off the other side, so mouth-breathing was my best option for breathing. The packing was so bulky and tight that I wondered if the size of my nostrils would match when this was all over!

I was miserable and could sleep for only a couple of minutes at a time. There was plenty of time for me to consider the more serious aspects of my life as Gary slept soundly beside me. Yes, I prayed pitiful, me-centered requests.

The next morning we followed instructions given the night before to see an ENT (ear, nose, throat doctor). I had high hopes the packing would be removed, but not only had the bleeding not yet entirely stopped, but another problem had presented itself. 

My blood pressure was above 200. The doctor kindly said he did not want to alarm me, but that kind of blood pressure could bring on a stroke. I was dispatched immediately to the hospital ER.

This was a shock to me; to my knowledge I've never had high blood pressure before. We spent several  hours in the ER as they did all sorts of tests in search of the cause for the high BP. All the results came back as normal, so the conclusion was heredity, age, and stress. I was given the appropriate medication and sent home.

The next day the ENT removed the packing and to my great surprise and delight, there was no need to cauterize the affected area. 

from She Shines

It's been over a week since that adventure and I am doing well. Daily monitoring of my BP, taking my pills, and lots of contemplation of changes I should make -- all seem to be helping me to cope with calm.

The above chart popped up on Facebook in the midst of all of this, clearly from the Lord Himself! While it's easy to say I already knew these things, obviously it's time for me to give this advice more thought and application.

I say "farewell" to August, which (with tongue-in-cheek) I'm referring to as "augghast!!!" 

Until next time, grace and peace.

morning dew on our pink Knockout Rose

Maid of the Mist

Mexican Petunia

Our Mexican Petunia bush is having an exceptional season with blooms popping out all over. Today's post is hosting the Hodgepodge questions, celebrating summer. 

While summer here in the South is not my favorite time of year, I do admit to some undeniable benefits:

wearing toeless sandals every single day 

pretty pedicures are in full view on most women's feet

even with sunscreen, the skin turns tan

the humidity gives body to my straight hair

white bermuda shorts go with every top I have

afternoon rain showers are brief but refreshing

lots and lots of floral color

air conditioning, air conditioning, air conditioning

Here are the Hodgepodge Questions - Volume 607 for this week. If you want to answer these questions on your own blog, click on this link: http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2025/06/hodgepodge-questions-volume-607.html

1. Summer officially begins this week (in the northern hemisphere) ... what was your favorite thing to do in the summer when you were a kid? 

To be completely honest, my favorite thing about summer when I was growing up was not having to go to school. I went to 13 schools in 4 states and 2 countries from the ages of kindergarten through high school graduation, and in the first grade I threw up twice in class (at 2 different schools) and had a mini-breakdown one morning in the 3rd grade due to nerves. By the grace of the Lord, I graduated with a B average but school, especially in my pre-teen years, was not my favorite. 

One of my favorite things to do in the summer was to run through the sprinklers outside with my sister and our friends.

What do you like most about summer now?

Again, to be frank, I don't care much for summers here in Florida due to the heat and humidity. The months of October through March or April are much more enjoyable. 

However, even in the most miserable of summer's morning heat, as soon as I get on my bicycle to ride some 4-5 miles through our retirement community, the motion of air passing over my arms and legs is a wonderful relief, surprisingly cool. It's a motivation to keep moving!

I purposely steer my bike through the sprinklers that may stretch out onto the street! It's really just a very quick, refreshing spray. This morning Gary, riding behind me, said "Watch out for those sprinklers!" I called back, "Just call me "Maid of the Mist"!

Maid of the Mist

On the subject of which, I have a little story. My family lived a 30-minute drive from Niagara Falls when I was in the first and second grades of school. One thing my parents really wanted to do was to take the four of us to the Maid of the Mist boat ride at the base of the falls. 

I was seven years old and Sister was five. We both were terrified of that idea. We didn't even like to get our faces wet in the shower, let alone ride in a boat at the base of the thundering waters of Niagara Falls!! 

The day came when that was our destination. I'm pretty sure I cried in the car on the way (my default response to all fear and terror). Most likely my irritated parents told me to stop. We got to the parking lot and Daddy left us in the car to go buy our tickets. 

Can you imagine my absolute joy when he came back to say we couldn't go because my sister was too young?!!!! At the time the rule was you had to be at least seven years old to ride the Maid of the Mist. We did not go back and to my knowledge neither of my parents ever returned without us girls.

Many years later, when I was forty-six years old, my husband and I with our three children (all over the age of seven) visited Niagara Falls from our (then) home of Northern Virginia. Yes, we rode the Maid of the Mist and it was wonderful. I highly recommend it.

Maid of the Mist

2. Something you'll celebrate this summer?

Just being alive and enjoying life with Gary is enough. I really mean that. We've been together well over three years now, so we have our little habits, routines, and preferred ways to celebrate whatever is current. After losing a spouse, my mother, and some friends in recent years, as well as seeing harsh medical circumstances take over the lives of others, I am not looking forward so much as I just enjoy each day in which I exist. There is so much for which to be thankful. So much. It can disappear shockingly fast, so contentment in the moment is my preference.

But to get off the philosophical soapbox and answer the question, I do enjoy watching the 4th of July festivities in Washington DC on TV. Gary will probably grill us steaks or burgers and I may prepare a dessert befitting of the occasion. Our community will probably have a 4th of July golf cart parade. They decorate with lights and froo-froo and wave and honk their horns as we sit on the sidelines. I like stuff like that. 

3. Summer tastes like?

Simply Dipped Drumstick
enjoyed on the front porch today

Many days we each enjoy an ice cream cone, or an ice cream sandwich (whatever was on BOGO sale the day we were grocery shopping). I prefer the pre-packaged ice cream treats over a carton where you have to scoop it out. (The pre-packaged servings also help with not over-indulging. 🤭)

Summer smells like?

Our summer here in Florida began (weather-wise) in April when we were in a drought and daily high temps already stretching into the 90s, therefore the smoke from fires was prevalent. Now, I can't think of any particular scent.... maybe flowers. But as I've said before, when I had a mild case of COVID in 2020, I lost my sense of smell and have regained only some of it back. 

Summer sounds like?

The air conditioning running and I'm soooo thankful for that!

4. June 18th is National Splurge Day...what's the last thing you splurged on? What might you splurge on this time?

As a senior citizen on a sufficient but fixed income, splurging is not a big part of my vocabulary. (Caution is the rule.) 

But with that said, I do tend to splurge over-indulge when I bake chocolate chip cookies.

5. Share a favorite summer quote, saying, song lyric, or meme.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headin' my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder
It's the truth, it's actual
Ev'rything is satisfactual
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day, yes sir!

When we moved to Jacksonville, I was in a choir that visited nursing homes every week. We always began our program with the words to Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, from the Disney movie, Song of the South.  It was so cheery. I loved it.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Repeating one of the photos of Niagara Falls. As beautiful as this is, I can well imagine how this scene struck my heart with such terror as a little girl. 

Maid of the Mist

Now I can look back and be thankful for the life the Lord has given me, even the scary times. We tend to learn best through adversity. When the most terrifying thing in my life happened four years ago, scripture became my lifeline to sanity. This was one of the many verses that kept me from total despair:

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Until next time, grace and peace.

Memories of My Mother

Knock Out Rose 
from our front yard

Today is my mother's 100th birthday. I am sharing some of my memories of her and will conclude with the tribute my sister posted on Facebook.

Sister (left), Mama, me
probably around 2014

Mama's birthday on May 10th often coincided with Mother's Day. I don't remember what I did while still living in my parent's home, but as an adult I would send her a gift and a card for each of those days because it wasn't her fault that her birthday landed on a holiday. 

Since I've known her all of my life and I'm no spring chicken myself, there are a lot of memories I could share. But I'll narrow it down to just a few.

Mama took a home nursing course when I was probably about 4 or 5 years old. She attended the classes with our next door neighbor. I don't know specifically what she learned, but clearly she wanted to know how to handle the illnesses, mishaps, and emergencies that can come up when raising a family. 

The summer after I completed kindergarten, my father's new career in aviation moved us from Oklahoma to the New York City area where he was a co-pilot flying out of LaGuardia. Culturally, it was a hard transition for Mama and me (my sister, well, she is younger than me, so I don't think it affected her as much). Tulsa to Long Island in the mid-1950s -- that was a lot of change!

One morning in my first grade class, I vomited all over myself (most likely from nerves) and ended up in the nurse's office. Mama was called. She came as quickly as she could, bringing clean clothes. I have never forgotten that she brought a red skirt, a white T-shirt and a red scarf to tie around my neck. Mama said the scarf was so I would feel pretty in spite of feeling sick. 

a popular style in the 1950s

After just a couple months of coping with East Coast culture, Daddy took the opportunity over Thanksgiving weekend to relocate us to upstate New York to a small town along the Erie Canal (but within an hour's drive of the airport in Buffalo, where he would now fly). This proved to be a little less of a change from the life we had in Oklahoma. But there was no avoiding having to cope with shockingly deep snow and freeze-your-bootie cold temperatures as well as the lack of family living even remotely close by.

A lot of change was going on in my young life. Still in the first grade, by my 7th birthday I was in my third elementary school. On my birthday that year, I wore a green plaid wool skirt to school and was looking forward to the tradition of sharing cupcakes with my class that afternoon. 

However, that morning I again upchucked all over myself! Mama made the trip to school to rescue me for the same reason for the second time that year. This time she took me home to change and after lunch I returned to class. My miraculous recovery was surely due in large part in my desire to share those cupcakes with my class.

In addition to my mother's compassion for physical ailments, she also became, by default, the one to teach me how to read. Changing school districts from one end of the state to the other, the lesson plans for reading instruction were not the same. At the second school we quickly realized I was sorely behind. Mama worked with me at home during Christmas break and got me on track with my class.

I know she was terribly homesick for Oklahoma, where she had lived all of her life with lots of family in town. With Daddy's job flying for the airlines taking him away from home, adjusting to so much change was very hard. Surely having to cope with my frailties in all of that was no help but perhaps served as a distraction. She stepped up to the plate and handled it well.

Eventually Daddy's job would transfer us to Southern California, British Columbia, New Jersey, back to Oklahoma, and then to Denver. Mama learned to be resilient. After Denver they moved on to Chicago (I did not go with them). She knew Illinois as "home" for the last 54 years of her life.

Lennon Sisters sing I Remember Mama

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nifym3G7OKw

My love for sewing and singing comes from my mother. She was very good with both. She sewed most of the clothes for Sister and me and we girls learned to sing alto from our mother. While Sister did not enjoy sewing, we both followed the example of Mama by singing in church youth choirs, music classes at school, and watching the Lennon Sisters on the Lawrence Welk show. We both also got a formal secretarial education after high school, again following the influence of our mother. (Sister went on after that to get a 4-year university degree and to become a radio announcer with a focus on rock'n roll oldies, but that's another story for another blog post. 🎶😊)

Of the greatest importance is the fact that my mother led me to know Jesus when I was very young, 6 years old. She was teaching a children's Sunday School class with the use of flannel graph. (if you are interested and don't know what that is, click on the highlighted link.) She wanted to practice telling her Bible story and asked me if I wanted to watch, which I did. 

By the time the story had come to an end, I knew I needed to have a relationship with the Lord. My mother helped me to pray about it and both of our parents helped Sister and me to grow in our faith for the rest of their lives. 

In closing I share the tribute Sister has posted on Facebook this weekend for our mother. I could not have said it any better:

Mama

Today (May 10) would have been my mother's 100th birthday. She passed last October, 7 months short of that milestone. Though I miss her, I don't regret that she didn't hang on that additional 7 months. God's Word says "Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8) She IS at home with the Lord, which is a far better place to be.

Until next time, may you experience grace and peace. Happy Mother's Day.

Blog Fodder Discoveries

from Sister on FaceBook

Do any of my blogging friends refer to their writing ideas as "blog fodder"?  I've been using that phrase for years, as those closest to me are well aware. (and sometimes they have been labeled as such!) Herewith are my most recent inspirations. I'll start with books.

purchase information

My mother passed away this past October at the age of 99 years. Sister has been finishing up with the disposal of those things left behind. We both have been purging from Mama's house for years as she moved from her house to assisted living and finally to the nursing home, so the vast majority of everything has long since been gone. This book pictured above is one of the things still on hand. 

Our dad had some very old copies of Dale Carnegie books. If you knew my dad, you knew he successfully applied Mr. Carnegie's lessons on how to relate well to people and business problems. I now have those books, and this one by Don Gabor. His writing is like an updated version of the concepts by Mr. Carnegie. The first chapters talk about first impressions, how to make good ones and why bad ones fail. It seems to make common sense, but when relationships go sour, that "common sense" proves to have been in short supply.

purchase information

Recently we were in another city where my husband needed to occupy himself while I met with some people. He found lunch at Chik-fil-a and then poked around Barnes and Noble. 

Finding this book written by "The Fonz" of the 1970s-era "Happy Days" sit com, he made the purchase, read it, and now I have completed reading it, too. To make a quick summary of the book, Henry Winkler was type cast after his 6 years with Happy Days ended. Thereafter he battled with his insecurities and rejections as an actor. It was interesting; you can see more about this book if you scroll to the top of my blog and click on "Book Reports."

purchase information

I know I am not alone in saying I tend to read more than one book at a time. My current read tends to be whatever book is beside whatever chair I have landed upon. This one, Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer, is a favorite with me, and I'm not done with it yet. Of all the many books she has written, this one has been the most popular. I would enjoy taking an entire day to do nothing but read its pages from cover to cover, but the information is so applicable that I dare not go through it quickly. For those of us who have a bent in the direction of melancholy, this book explains how to do battle with that tendency and be successful.

link to the movie trailer

Gary records a lot of what we watch on TV. One afternoon when he was viewing the options, this movie popped up. He had not seen it, but I had and recommended it, so we watched it that very day. Based on truth (with some things changed), it's an endearing story for family viewing. (You may want to have the tissue box close at hand....)

We're retired, so it's really nice that we can sometimes ignore our To Do List to watch an unplanned movie.

Mari's WonTon Taco Cups

Those of you who read Mari's My Little Corner of the World blog may have seen her recipe in late March for WonTon Taco Cups. I made my adapted version of her recipe (due to what was on hand and the dietary preferences of my roomie 🙄🤭). This is one of those recipes you can prepare with a myriad of things, as long as you have the basic WonTon wrappers in your 'fridge. (find them at your grocery store somewhere in fresh produce, refrigerated) You can also make as many or as few as you want -- it's a delightfully flexible concept. 

Case in point: before sliding these cups into the oven to bake, the last instruction was to sprinkle shredded cheese on top. I wanted to save some of my cheese for other uses, but I had pre-cut Cheddar cheese squares on hand, so I put one square atop each filled wonton cup. These squares are sliced a little thick, but if you love cheese, this is the product to use.

By the way, Mari posts the most wonderful recipes every week, as well as cute cartoons, pensive photography, and really clever crafts to do with visiting grandchildren. Go see it all by clicking on this link: My Little Corner of the World.

While I'm on the subject of food (and this will not appeal to everyone), one evening this week I had a sardine sandwich. My mother used to encourage me to eat canned sardines for their health benefits. 

Once you get the square can open (no easy feat for my arthritic hands), they look kinda icky (as a lot of fish does), but I bought the boneless and skinless variety. They are salty and do not need to be heated up or cooked. 

I laid the 4 fishies on a slice of bread that had a thin layer of Dijon mustard. That was topped with a large leaf of Romaine lettuce and another slice of bread and thoroughly enjoyed. I offered to share with Gary, but it did not appeal to him, so I got to eat all of it myself. Find sardines on the grocery shelves near the tuna.

Morphing from food to shopping and gifts .... I baked my tried and true recipe for chocolate chip cookies, taking the advice of my good friend, Betty Crocker, to add an extra half cup of flour to the dough. That makes the end product a little taller and softer. 

As for shopping, first a little history: in 2018 when my first husband and I were building a house in this town, Ona came across my blog. Not a blog author herself, but one who enjoys reading blogs, she followed my adventures from Jacksonville to our current location, realizing that I was moving to an area she and her husband were considering for themselves some day in the future. 

Of course, not only did she watch our house under construction and the moving in (via my blog), but also the arrival of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the most unexpected passing of my husband. Then a year or so later came the Hallmark movie-type of romance when I met Gary, our commitments to each other and the blending of our lives -- all in that same community that had originally interested Ona in the first place!

End of the history lesson and moving to present-day: just this week Ona and hubby moved into our community, so we are neighbors! Well, it's a huge community, so they're a mile or two from us. 

We have stayed in touch all this time and today Gary and I got to see their new house. In my shopping this week I searched for something "Florida" to give to them as a house-warming gift: the star-shaped picture frame was perfect and she loved it. We also included some of those chocolate chip cookies since they are still in the unpacking process of their move. (by the way, I found the frame at Home Goods.)

Shopping... I'm sure many of you are unhappy with the closure of JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts. I gave up sewing, quilting, cross stitch and crafts when my life got turned upside down 4+ years ago. I'm a different person now in so many ways, but I do pull out one of my sewing machines when mending is required. 

me in 2014 surrounded by my quilts 
and making more in my
unfinished basement sewing room

Now my hobbies are bike riding, reading, a little cooking (since Gary is King of the Kitchen), and Sudoku.

my local Jo Ann's emptying shelves

I have probably been inside a Jo Ann's store barely a handful of times in recent years, but as a tribute and a way to put closure on that part of my own personal history, I walked through the store this past week. Some aisles were absolutely empty of everything while others still had merchandise for sale, greatly reduced. I did buy one thing, a white crochet doily for our coffee table. 

I walked nearly every aisle but then realized I was wandering close to grief over things best left alone, so I paid for my purchase and left. 

BRIGHT yellow jacket

I made an on-line purchase of late: a very bright yellow hoodie to wear on the cooler mornings on our bicycles. I've been wearing an orangey hoodie for well over a year, but I've read research that says yellow-green chartreuse is more easily seen. I've not been able to find that exact color at a reasonable price, so I opted for this one and I just love it. 

Our recent after-breakfast outdoor temps have been in the mid-50s, so this jacket has felt very good. My color scheme for bicycle wear has evolved into black pants/capris/shorts and yellow tops (T-shirts, tank tops, and hoodie) with black athletic shoes or Keens sandals if the weather is hot. It's very important to dress so others can see us easily on our bikes.  My helmet (a gift from Gary) is purple, to compliment my purple bike.

my lawn boy

While I'm on the subject of outdoorsy things, Gary cut our grass this past week for the first time in over a year. Not a lazy bone in his body, it's taken this long to thoroughly heal from health matters this past year. He really enjoys outdoor work and it's good to see him out there once again.

me and grandchild number 10;
granddaughter number 5

This has been a long post of "blog fodder discoveries." With Easter just a week away, I'll move toward conclusion with this snapshot taken in 2019 when granddaughter was a lot shorter and wearing her bunny ears and I had a little less gray hair. Of course Easter, the real significance of the day, has absolutely nothing to do with rabbits and chocolate eggs but we do include the fun with the serious. 

In recent years as I've had a lot of time and reasons to ponder some weighty topics, I have found very good examples in a personal study of how Jesus handled that last week before His crucifixion. People lauded Him with great enthusiasm one day but very shortly after that, He experienced scorn, cruelty, injustice, rejection, and profound loneliness, all combined with tremendous physical pain.

While we are spared all of that, we do experience some of it in various forms at different times in our lives. We do well to study the responses of Jesus. One thing He said that continually shows up in the forefront of my mind is this:

Father, 

forgive them

for they know not what they do.

Luke 23:34

Until next time, grace and peace.

The eternal God is your refuge, 

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 33:27

P.S. I have promoted books and other products in this post but have not been paid for any of that. I just share things that have benefitted me that could be useful to my readers.