Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 325 Tuesday, October 10, 2017

1. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your sense of direction? 1=can't find my way out of a paper bag and 10=if I've been somewhere once I can find it blindfolded ten years later.
I would guess about a 5.

When was the last time you looked at/used a map you could hold in your hand? (phones don't count!) 
Probably about 15 years ago.

back east, down south, out west, up north

Choose one of these directional expressions and tell us why you chose it.
North because I live way up north in the U.S.

2. Did you do more talking or listening yesterday? Is that typical? Describe your yesterday in one word.
Listening. Yes that is typical. I'm not much of a talker except to very close friends. Yesterday was exhausting.

3. Time, money, water-power-resources, opportunity...which one on the list are you most guilty of wasting? What might you do to change that?
Time. It's so easy for me to get distracted or there are just things I'd rather do than the things I'm supposed to do. I'm actually working on changing this...making lists helps some.

4. Did  your family take regular vacations when you were a kid? Tell us something you remember about a family roadtrip from your own childhood.
Not regular vacations, but we did travel some. I remember visiting Disneyland and loving it!

5. If you could grow anything you wanted, what would you grow? Why?
Money because I'm so very tired of living hand-to-mouth.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
I'm working hard to catch up on work around the house this week. It's wearing me out, but I hope it will be worth it come the weekend when I can have time to relax and enjoy friends. 

Bible Study and Sunflowers

Lots of random thoughts going through my mind today. 

I already mentioned my mother's birthday which was Tuesday this week. I decided to make her cake after all, it was just the thing to do and because my 9x13 pan was in the sink soaking off the baked on BBQ sauce from the ribs this week, I pulled out her old round cake pans that have the lever (for lack of a better word) that slides around the pan to loosen the cake. They don't make 'em like that anymore...I always thought that was so cool, so much so that I found some at a garage sale and bought each of my daughter's a set. Both girls took them for a while and then returned them saying they would never use them. 😮 I saved them for a while but when my daughter began to complain about how much stuff I had I decided to let the garage sale pans go. My mother's pans will have to be pulled from my cold, dead hands LOL! 

This is an Oatmeal Cake. Funny story...I was recently chatting with my brother online, we don't talk much...haven't talked much...ever. Anyway, we were chatting about things Mom used to cook and he was asking for some of her recipes. I asked him if he remembered Oatmeal Cake and he said no but that he remembered her spice cake. I didn't remember any spice cake but got to thinking maybe he meant the Oatmeal Cake after all. I asked him about the frosting because the frosting on Oatmeal Cake is very different and he said that was the spice cake. I then had to laugh out loud because I remembered my Mom telling him it was spice cake because she knew he wouldn't eat it if he knew it's real name! I even remembered her telling me it was our secret. Oh the memories that story brought back. My brother was a bit put out that I had kept that secret all these years, but honestly, I had forgotten about it. Oddly enough there are many people I serve this cake to that won't take it because of it's name. The same holds true for my Oatmeal Pie. Their loss. 

Technology has not been kind to me this week. Has anyone else recently tried to change the background on their blog? I tried again last night and still no go. I do not understand why this won't work. I even went to a different background site and the same thing happened so it must be an issue with blogger. I will try again when I'm finished posting this. 

A while ago...probably a long while ago now, I posted about taking some friends from church on an organ crawl to several of the organs in our area. This was shortly after we got the new organ at church and I had sent out an invitation for people to come take a look at it and see how it worked and what it could do. These two were the only ones who took me up on it. After we looked at it, it only gave them an appetite for more so we visited pipe organs and had a great time getting to know each other. As a result of that day, they have become great friends and she and I started to walk this summer and have a Bible Study together. I can tell there are many more adventures ahead for the two of us. I had noticed she's been carrying around a tumbler for water that has a lid and a straw...she takes it everywhere and I thought if I had one like it, maybe it would be easier to drink the large amounts of water I'm supposed to take in each day. I looked and looked and couldn't find one and today she brought me one she found and bought for me. It holds a big 32 oz., I have already put it to use and I can already tell it's going to be helpful! 

Is anyone familiar with the movie Calendar Girls? 

I watched it again recently and find myself identifying with the characters so much more this time....probably because I'm much closer to their age this time and have been feeling so pushed aside because I'm old. If you know the movie, you've heard this: 

The flowers of Yorkshire

Are like the women of Yorkshire.

Every stage of their growth has its own beauty,

But the last phase is always the most glorious.

Then very quickly they all go to seed.

Which makes it ironic my favorite flower

Isn’t even indigenous to the British Isles, let alone Yorkshire.

I don’t think there’s anything on this planet

That more trumpets life than the sunflower.

For me, that’s because of the reason behind its name.

Not because it looks like the sun

But because it follows the sun.

During the course of the day,

The head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky.

A satellite dish for sunshine.

Wherever light is, No matter how weak,

These flowers will find it.

And that’s such an admirable thing.

And such a lesson in life.

We talked about this at Bible Study today (not the movie but the idea of feeling put on a shelf or shoved aside) and it seems it's a real problem with many our age in our church lately. I found out it's not just me feeling this way. I don't know what I'm going to do about it, if anything but I can't help but feel I want to be respected and listened to and like the women in the movie I want to make a change...do something that matters. My friend and I invited others to join us in our Bible study and I'm excited to be reaching out to these women who are feeling the same way we are. I hope this is the beginning of something wonderful for us and for the church.  

"Every stage of their growth has its own beauty,

But the last phase is always the most glorious."

The strangest thing happened this year, we had some sunflowers pop up unexpectedly in our garden. We didn't plant them, but there they were and perfectly situated right in the back corner. So lovely! Such a gift! Again I am reminded of the prose from the movie,

"Wherever light is, No matter how weak,

These flowers will find it.

And that’s such an admirable thing.

And such a lesson in life."

The sunflowers in my garden have now withered and gone to seed...but I have not! I still have years of service left if the Lord so wills. So when I think of following the sun, I am reminded to follow the SON.

Hodgepodge

It's been a while, but I am looking forward to touching base with the great folks over at Hodgepodge this week:

 1.  Have you ever spent time on a farm? Tell us a little bit about it. Have you ever grown your own pumpkin? Been on a hayride? Driven a tractor? Milked a cow?

I can't think of any particular visit to a farm, although I think I was on one or two during my years in high school/college when I toured with choirs. I have never grown a pumpkin, but this year my husband planted squash and we enjoyed our first one tonight for supper. It was quite tasty! I have been on a hayride or two but I've never driven a tractor or milked a cow. 

2. What's something younger you would like about you now? 

That's a tough question and I've very interested to read the answers from others. I guess I would have to say that I'm young at heart. 

3. What are three things you'd like to do more often? Three things you'd like to do less often?

Three things I'd like to do more often...exercise, scrapbook, generally have more time for myself. Three things I'd like to do less often...cook, clean, put my needs last.

4. What's on your nachos?

Cheese, onions, black olive, taco meat
5. What's the most random thing in your purse or wallet? Does it need to stay there?

I guess it would be my eyeglass  cleaning cloth. I suppose it doesn't need to stay there seeing as how I never use it...just my shirt tail. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

I cannot figure out what's going on with my blog. I have tried for 2 evenings now to change the background with a code from cutest blog on the block. I have completely erased the code I no longer need and replaced it with new code but the old background keeps coming up. Yes...I made sure to hit save. How is this even possible?? 

Good Evening

I wanted to touch base with all of you dear people who read and responded so kindly to my last post. I see I could have some very dear friends here and I hope we get to know each other well and that happens sooner than later. I know the ball is in my court so to speak. 

Thank you Terri D. You're right in many ways and not the first to suggest we leave. My husband and I have discussed the possibility of changing churches, but there are people there we have worshiped with for 30 years now and to think of leaving just makes our hearts ache. Someday that "last straw" may fall, but until then I must find a way to cope while I continue to serve in my limited way. 

Barbara, I LOVE how you refer to your husband as Beloved!! That is so beautiful and I wish I had thought of that. I refer to mine as Hubby, but I don't care for it. I would love to find something else. Thank you for your understanding comments. Our church is indeed trying a blended service, but it just isn't working yet because there is no unity and because they insist on choosing new music that doesn't work well for congregational singing. It's so terribly sad. I would love to visit a church where they have done this successfully. I maintain it can be done...but certainly not the way we're doing it. 

Thank you too Mrs. T. I agree it is more of a heart issue than a music issue, but it seems they always seem to use the music and the organ specifically as a scapegoat. 

I will have an update on the situation again soon...there is more to tell. I have so much to catch up on in my blogging world. 

Today is my mother's birthday. She went to be with her Lord and savior in 2008, but today would have been her 90th. We were extremely close so I always celebrate. If she were here today I would have taken her to the new fish and chips restaurant in town and I would have baked her an Oatmeal Cake. I almost baked the cake anyway, but decided against it for diet/health reasons. I would love to share a picture but I can't get my Chromebook to recognize my external hard drive and I don't know what to do about it. I read somewhere that I would have to back up the files then reformat the drive but that is where I back up my files. I'm a tad miffed. I may have to take over the ancient desktop in the basement. 

I also tried to change the background on my blog today. I love the pink roses, but I wanted something more fall like. I found some nice ones at cutest blog on the block and copied the code etc. but it still comes up roses! How is that even possible when I erased one code and added a new?? I may post this, then try shutting down my computer and trying all over again. 

I have more to share, but I think I will try to visit some of you instead. Daughter and I were watching the moon light up the moving clouds tonight so this sig tag is perfect.