Strawberry Hodgepodge Forever

Good Wednesday morning, and welcome to the Hodgepodge. This party is hosted each week by Joyce, who asks thought provoking questions and invites us to answer on our own blogs, and link back to hers. It's lots of fun, so come along for the ride! Click on the button below to participate (or just to say "hi" to Joyce and the others).

Now it's time for her questions and my answers:

1. What's something you're looking forward to in the month of June?

A wedding, some birthdays, and weekends spent here:

Ahhhh...


2. In what way have you come full circle?

I have mentioned it before, but living in the house that Jim's grandparents built, and where he grew up, raising our family, and now welcoming grandchildren here, feels like full circle to me.


3. Lonely Planet lists 10 spots in America you should see in 2015 and the reasons why. How many on the list have you seen? Which one on the list would you most like to see? 

Queens NY, Western South Dakota, New Orleans, Colorado River Region, North Conway NH, Indianapolis IN, Greenville SC, Oakland CA, Duluth MN, and the Mount Shasta Region CA.

I have been to New Orleans (love it! Who Dat!), Indianapolis (know it well, since it's just an hour north of my home), and North Conway, NH. 

There is a story about my visit to North Conway (isn't there always a story?). It was mid 80s, and Jim and I, along with my brother and his wife, and my parents, took a trip to Vermont. We stayed in lovely bed and breakfast inns along the way, and ended up at the lake cottage my grandparents had owned, which we remembered from our childhood. Well, we actually ended up at the nice new inn just up the road, which included comfortable beds and room service, but that's another story. :) In the course of our visit to Lake Willoughby, while the guys played golf one day, I decided we should drive over to North Conway. There was 'outlet shopping' there (a new thing) and one of the stores was a favorite children's catalog of mine, The Wooden Soldier, based in North Conway. (I was surprised to learn that it is still in existence. A good thing for this Granny to know!) With no iPhones and no internet, I looked at my paper map and decided it was 'about an hour' away. Trouble was that the route crossed the White Mountain National Forest which included, well, mountains. Beautiful, but slow going. Google maps says 101 miles. Now you tell me. By the time we arrived in North Conway, it was almost time to turn around a go back. (No cell phones to advise the guys that we would be late for dinner.) My mom was not a happy camper. At all. It is a lovely little town, though, and I wish we had had time to stay (and shop) longer.

Here is a photo of my brother, Ted, from that trip, looking down at Lake Willoughby from our hike up Mount Pisgah. Are we having fun yet?

I almost forgot this part: I would most like to see Greenville, South Carolina, a southern town in the mountains, because, well, it's a southern town in the mountains. :)

4. A song that describes your mood right now?

It's a quiet morning here, and I'm praying for a couple of family members. His Eye is on the Sparrow reminds us that we are children of the living Lord. Loved.  Important. Valued. Every last hair on our heads.

I like the Selah version. Enjoy.

5. Strawberry ice cream, strawberry short cake, strawberry pie, or strawberries right off the vine...your favorite?

My dad grew strawberries after we moved to the 'country' when I was in high school, so my favorite is definitely right off the vine. I remember taking a flash light to the patch after dark to pick enough berries to put on my ice cream for a late night snack. I can still smell them. Mmmmm...

6. Aesop's birthday is celebrated on June 4th, although there is some disagreement as to whether or not that's accurate, or if he was even a real person. Regardless, the name Aesop is associated to this day with many well known fables. Which of the following best applies to something in your life right now? The Tortoise and the Hare (Slow and Steady wins the race), The Ant and the Grasshopper (Be prepared), The Fox and the Goat (Look before you leap) or The Crow and the Pitcher (Necessity is the mother of invention)?

The Ant and the Grasshopper, since I've been doing some preparing for weekends at the lake. Can't run out of toilet paper with a houseful of family and friends!


7. The answer is yes...what's the question?
Will the sun come up tomorrow?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We had a busy weekend at the lake with our third (I think?) annual Miller-Stewart Weekend. Tyler and David became friends and fraternity brothers their freshman year at Purdue. Andrew joined the friendship when he got to Purdue, and Tyler was a true friend to both David and Andrew through thick and thin during college. We met Tyler's parents at 'parent events' during the college years and connected through our boys. Tyler was in both David's and Andrew's wedding, and they were both in his. Meanwhile, Shylah worked at Outback with Amy, who dated (and married!) Tyler's brother Bret. A little bit full circle.

We have spent time together celebrating weddings, graduations, and tailgates, and a few years ago decided we needed to schedule a lake weekend. It's crazy crowded and lots of fun, and, as is true many weekends, the arrival/meal time chaos is a bit like the opening scene from Home Alone.

I learned a few months ago, that Tyler's mom, Kelli, had never tasted sugar cream pie. I decided we needed to remedy that situation!

I took very few photos, but I did 'borrow' a few. :) Darci took this one from the upstairs window, of Kelli and me with Haleigh and Ella enjoying morning on the deck.

The weather forecast for the weekend wasn't too good, but Saturday turned out to be just about perfect. Kelli posted these photos, saying she liked how Sweetwater does 'thunderstorms.' :)

The younger set enjoyed our neighbors' new 'beach', and we (almost) all got in the water on Saturday afternoon for floating, fun, and refreshment. Baby Piper was too little for the beach, and by next summer, there will be three more little ones added to the group. We're gonna need a bigger house!!

Ella found a new best friend, Tyler's youngest brother, Kyle.

We played Linkee, Heads Up, and Bananagrams, and the boys managed to fit in a round of golf on Saturday morning. It was great to catch up, relax together, and spend the weekend with special friends.

In other news, happy birthday today to son-in-law, Bryan, who took the day off to celebrate. He sent me this photo this morning, saying it was "way better than being at work." Way better indeed.