Farewell Hodgepodge

 (Above image made using a free image from The Graphics Fairy)

It's Wednesday -- time again for the Hodgepodge with Joyce and friends at From This Side of the Pond.  Sadly, but understandably, Joyce has made the decision to retire the weekly Hodgepodge.  Even as a relative newbie with the Hodgepodge myself, I had come to rely on it as a means of ensuring at least one blog post per week.  I will surely miss it, but completely understand Joyce's decision.  She has been hosting this for nearly nine years ... an incredible time commitment!

So why not join in for this final Hodgepodge? Just head on over, copy the questions, then paste and answer them on your own blog.  Go back over to Joyce's to link up, and you're done!   Here are this week's questions:

1. What has been the highlight of your summer so far? (It's still summer, people!)

I don't think I can pick just one highlight.  It may have been the wedding we attended in Maine, or meeting up with Vee,

or our recent visit to the Inn at Crotched Mountain.

Or it could be any one of the fun picnics we've enjoyed, or simple get-togethers with family or friends.

2. What do you wish you'd done more of this summer? Less of?

I should, and probably eventually will,  wish I had done more housework.  I wish I had done more walking.  My walking partner hates humidity (as do I) and was dealing with some hard things over the summer, so we didn't walk as much as we might have otherwise.  But I also wish I had spent more time at the lake.

I will probably come to wish I had eaten less ice cream, but for the moment I'm glad we enjoyed that as often as we did.

3. Something you're looking forward to on your September calendar?

A fantastic time of making memories with loved ones from far away.  Memories a little bit similar to (but in most ways vastly different from) those above, as these people are all together again for the first time in three years.

I'm also looking forward, very much, to a ladies' retreat at The Wilds of New England.

4. Best/favorite book you've read this summer?

 Have I even completed a book?  I'm nearly finished reading Gladys Taber's The Stillmeadow Road, so may have to call that the best.  I've also dipped into The Fringe Hours, by Jessica Turner, and have also been enjoying reading a cookbook -- Ken Haedrich's Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family.  I picked that one up at our local library and liked it so much that I ordered a copy from Thriftbooks.  Lots of good ideas in it.

I was always a reader.  Learned to read very young and always enjoyed reading, to an extreme at times.  I still like to read, but carving out time is difficult.  Hence, I am more apt to use books as seen below ...

5. Share something positive, encouraging, or uplifting here.

Oh, let me think.  I know!  Every year for the past few, I have been printing out the Best of My Days cards by Ashley at Under the Sycamore.  Every December for some time, Ashley has offered a new set of these to download and print for free.  Essentially, each card has a month's worth of numbered spaces, one for each day of the month, on which one writes the best thing that happened on that day.

I often give these as Christmas gifts to young women in my life, and usually make a set for myself as well.  (Below you see some that I have done as gifts.)  This year I failed miserably to write anything on my own set, but in August I determined to get serious about it.  As I recognized things to thank God for each day, I found my gratitude increasing so much!  This has been such a blessing in my life this month, especially when I would have preferred to complain about the heat and humidity.  I plan on continuing this for the rest of the year.

Why not try this yourself?  At the very least, why not number some notebook pages or scrap paper with the days of the remaining months and jot down a blessing each day?  You'll find it so encouraging to see all that God is doing in your life.


6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Not all that random, but it has to be a thank-you to Joyce for keeping the Hodgepodge going all these years.  A huge commitment of time and energy on her part -- and a blessing to her readers and Hodgepodge participants.  Thank you, Joyce, and may the Lord bless you as you move on in your writing and blogging endeavors.  Lots of fun family things going on in your life as well!

So ends the final Hodgepodge.  Happy Wednesday, everyone!