Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Late-May hodgepodge

(The delightful graphic above is by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings.)

 Here it is Wednesday again!  Time for the weekly Hodgepodge with Joyce and friends at From This Side of the Pond.  Joyce asks the questions; bloggers copy, paste, and answer the questions on their own blogs, then link up.  If you've never participated, why not give it a try?  Here goes with this week's questions:

1. What color is prominent in your home? Are you glad about that or wishing you could cover it up or remove it?

I guess the most prominent would be wood tones.  Our living room is entirely done in wood -- ceiling and all, as of a few years ago.  We love it.  If we can, we would eventually like to do the same with the other rooms, except possibly the bathrooms.
Sam reading to cousins and his brother; this shows a corner of our living room.
2. What's something you'll NEVER do again?

Even the little Polar Coaster at Story Land is too much for me!
Ride a roller coaster.

3. Tell us a couple of ways you fit the stereotypes associated with your gender, and a couple of ways you don't.

Hmmm.... Joyce is making us think again.  Well, I guess I tend to be emotional.  Also, I don't like mice or spiders and would prefer that someone else deal with them (although I did kill a small mouse with a broom not too long ago).

Didn't even like dressing up back then!
Ways that I don't fit the stereotypes: I don't enjoy dressing up or shopping.  I'm not one of these women who goes crazy over infants; I really don't enjoy baby showers or other such events.  I enjoy children more when they get to the interactive stage.
Fortunately, we balance one another out.
4. May is Motorcycle Awareness Month. Have you ever owned a motorcycle? Ever ridden a motorcycle? If the opportunity presented itself would you hop on a motorcycle and go for a ride?

No, no, and no.  Just not interested.  Not even a little bit.

5. If someone wanted to understand you, what should they read, watch, and listen to?

Reading my blogs would probably be a good start.  Reading the Bible, especially Psalms and the Epistles,  might give some clues as to why I look at things as I do.

Another lovely graphic from Abby at Little Birdie Blessings
For what to watch ... hmmm... maybe Andy Griffith gives a good idea as to the era I grew up in.  Listening to ... maybe music of the 1950s.  And gospel songs and hymns, of course.  I really like some of the newer songs being written that are very scriptural; songs like I Run to Christ, His Robes for Mine, Christ is Sufficient; and many others.   At our church we try to learn a new song every month, and there are some really good ones being written these days.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm preparing a post on our most recent little getaway.  This was a two-day trip to Bangor, Maine, for the Loggers' Expo (among other interesting things).  One of the fun highlights for me was getting to watch my hubby compete in the Loader Competition.  (The object is to move blocks of wood from one checkerboard to the other and to be sure they are placed squarely on the black squares.  Then one has to move them back.  It's a lot more difficult than it looks.  Penalties are assessed for knocking blocks over, not having them squarely in place, and so on.  Every penalty adds seconds to the competitor's final time.)

  He's done this a few times before, but I had not been along on those trips.  Of course he didn't win, or even place very high, because he just did this for fun.  Some people, I hear, have checkerboards at home or work and actually practice for this contest.  Mr. T's "practice" is just what he does in the course of his everyday job.  I intended to add a video here, but the videos were too long. So I will just add a photo. He was the third one to compete and, for a few minutes, he was the top one because he did have a better time than either one of the other two.  It was fun while it lasted!

Happy Hodgepodge day,  everyone!

17 comments:

  1. I loved the graphic at the beginning and your random! What fun! A few years ago we had a load of logs brought in and it was fun to watch how precisely the operator could place those logs! I laughed when I read the lines under the picture of little girl you. Those lines could have been written by me! And of course the same selections in your reading.

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    1. Yes, the loader operators are pretty amazing. In the course of a day my hubby uses his to cut logs to length, place them in piles according to species or quality, and feed the chipper. Sometimes he has three skidders pulling wood to him at once. He's a busy guy.

      Funny how much we find in common (or otherwise) reading others' Hodgepodge answers. So interesting and enjoyable!

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  2. What a fun contest! I've never seen anything like that. That's a cute picture of you all dressed up...even though you didn't like to dress up (I don't either). Hope you have a great week!

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    1. Yes, the contest is fun to watch (especially since he is not focused on winning, only on doing his best and having fun).

      Yes, that dressed-up picture is cute ... if you disregard the sulky expression on the model's face!

      You have a great week as well, Ann!

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  3. Wow, Mr T has talent. Lots of the men in my family have been involved in logging so I understand it does take skill and patience to get those big trees from the forest to the mill. Looking forward to hearing more about your trip to Bangor...I always think of Stephen Kind when I hear of that city.

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    1. That's neat that you have loggers in your family too, Arlene! My husband worked in the sawmill business for 30 years before going into logging, so he has seen both ends of the spectrum. I think he enjoys logging more, as there is so much variety to it and they are always traveling to different areas of the state and region.

      Hope to get my Bangor post up on Friday. I'd forgotten about Stephen King living there ... remembered it was somewhere in Maine, but not what city.

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  4. Shall I call you Victoria? I understand that she was not delighted with infants either. LOL! Fun to catch a glimpse of the little girl you and the picture of Mr. T cuddling a grand I am supposing. Fun to see Sam reading to an audience in the corner!

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    1. You may call me Victoria if you like, Vee! It's a pretty name!

      Yes, that is Mr. T with Arielle (now mostly called Ari, and 2 1/2!) just hours after her birth in November 2015.

      I had better pics of the living room wood, but they were Christmas pictures, and I happened to remember this summer one of Sam reading to the other boys. Fun times!

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  5. I love wood so much. I am not into all the white kitchens these days. A dream home would include lots of stained, not painted wood. I am not the biggest baby person either. I am really much more comfortable as well when you can talk to them and they understand:) I feel as if I am very nurturing, but I think I feel uncomfortable a bit with babies.
    I would imagine your hubby could work circles around those that do loader competition all the time. My step dad was a logger in his early days.

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    1. Sandy, it sounds like we have a lot in common. I, too, think in general that I tend to be a nurturing type of person. I'm just very inept around babies. I'm always afraid I'm going to put the diaper on backwards.

      I love wood too. I'd be happy with wood everything. We've stayed in cabins like that and really liked them.

      Interesting that your step dad was a logger!

      Have a great rest of the week!

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  6. Great answers! I do like the wood walls in your home. We had a cabin that was completely knotty pine...everywhere...and any color goes with it for accents! You sure don't look very happy in your cute little outfit. I have to say, I was exactly opposite, especially when I was little. I LOVED getting dressed up and primping! Enjoy the rest of your week!

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  7. PS. Do join Instagram. It's easy, friendly, and fun. No bickering or TMI.

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  8. Oh I love wood on walls! Such a homey look and feel. Sounds like a fun and different contest! Oh and as far as getting dressed up? Never cared for it when I was young, and I still don't, lol Have a good day!

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  9. I Love riding roller coasters!

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  10. I never knew such a thing existed, which is something I love about the Hodgepodge. Always learning something new : )

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  11. It's always fun reading your hodgepodge posts, Mrs. T. Even though life has pulled me out of the blogging loop these days, I sure do enjoy when I get to "visit" with you. Love your cute youth picture--you didn't look thrilled to be dressed up, which just adds to it! 😁. I never have been either, nor a fan of clothes and shoe shopping, yet I get excited on those rare successful shopping trips once I finally have something to wear. I think of you so often!💕 Take care, Dear Mrs.T!

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  12. Interesting Hodgepodge today! I love the wood tones in your home! Your husband is very skilled to just be able to try to do such a thing, glad it was a fun experience for you both :) I love children of all ages, especially babies, but my husband is like you, he likes for kids to be a bit older to interact with them, although when it was his own children, he loved it all. And I can't ride roller coasters either! Fun to share these kinds of interesting things with each other :)

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