And then there were four (Hodgepodge questions)

 

 Yes, it seems as if maybe this week I can answer four Hodgepodge questions quickly and easily.  Recall, the Wednesday Hodgepodge is hosted by Joyce at From this Side of the Pond.  Joyce asks the questions, bloggers answer them on their own blogs and link up.  Want to get in on the fun?  There's still time, so head on over!  Here are the four questions I picked, and my answers.

1. Ice skating, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, playing in the snow, or a snowy walk...which winter activity do you choose? Have you done any of these activities so far this winter? 

I'm going to say a snowy walk.  We've had a number of those as we try to walk every day possible.  Last week we walked in a nearby tourist town, and here are a couple of fun photos from that walk.

This welcoming candy-themed snowman was in front of a Christmas Loft store.  I loved the snowflake ribbon on their wreaths, too.

This take a stick, leave a stick library for dogs was on the main street of a little town.

2. Everyone is posting pictures from ten years ago on their social media sites so let's jump on the bandwagon too. Share one photo and one thought to go with said photo from the year 2016. And maybe everyone isn't doing this, but many are and we're going to be part of the fun. 

I had been resisting this trend, but Joyce pushed me into it.  I wanted to show a winter photo from January 2016, but what I ended up with was a photo of my winter hutch that year. 

And then because I wanted some type of outdoorsy photo, I ended up with this one from late April 2016 when we took a mental health hike with some of our loved ones.  It's one of my favorite posts that I've ever written, so you might enjoy reading it too.  Link is here: Poems and a post for the last day of April.

4. 'They' say there's a day for everything and January 21st proves it. National Granola Bar Day. Do you like granola bars? How about just regular granola? Do you like bars of other kinds? 

I seldom eat granola bars.  I do like them, but not the crunchy kind.   I don't really care for bars of other kinds all that much, although some of the Clif Bars are quite good.  Here is a great recipe for Homemade Granola Bars.  I do like regular granola, especially as a topping for yogurt.  I usually give granola as a Christmas gift each year.  Here's my recipe: Christmas granola.

5.  A frozen lake, a trickling stream, a raging river, or a deep well...which one describes something about your life right now? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. 

I'm going to say a trickling stream.  For the most part life is moving along quite smoothly and calmly right now, which is good because I'm really embracing the idea of easing into a new year. But yet there are the inevitable things that might disturb the stream, and do -- sickness, for example, or life events either joyous or difficult that make the stream take a temporary turn.  There are those places where the stream bubbles along very swiftly indeed and I see those as the busy times of life.  I had such a day yesterday, filled with ministry and phone calls.  So in general, I'll compare life right now to a trickling stream.

Above photo is from a winter walk, photo below from a snowshoe hike.

And there are my four answered Hodgepodge questions for this week.