Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Hodgepodging by Pints and Quarts


Tomatoes on the picnic table

Join Joyce and the Gang

for


She writes the questions.
We write the answers.
Plug them into your own blog
and link up!
(Thanks, Joyce!)

1. Way back when (the Hodgepodge bicentennial to be precise) several of you submitted questions as part of a giveaway I was hosting. I went back to that list for inspiration today and found a question  submitted by Marla, who blogs over at Marla's Musings. Thanks Marla!

She asks-At what age did you feel like a 'grown-up'? What keeps you young now?   

I'm still waiting for that to happen. I'll let you know if/when it does. 

 'Marian'
the littlest librarian

'You have a book that's 3 months overdue!
But that's okay. Here, have a Dum-Dum.'

2. When did you last buy a vehicle? Was this by design or because you had no other option? Was the car/truck purchased for your own personal use or was it bought for someone else to drive? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being delightful and 1 being 'pass the Excedrin') how would you rate the experience?


I don't know when that was. All of our vehicles are old. And first of all, we never ever buy new. We let someone else experience the joy of those first few years of depreciation. I don't think there's been a time when we've had no other option. We try to buy with relatively (operative word here) low miles (you know, nothing over 150,000) and something that is functional for a good price. I don't know the last (if ever) vehicle we purchased because we liked how it looked. It's pretty much a utilitarian thing for us, although by now I've become fond of my little very old white Jeep, which has too much wrong with it to make it worth fixing. It simply sits at the top of the driveway looking cute (to me.)
Corn field south of the house
Early morning fog above the creek

3. Corn bread, corn chips, corn pudding, corn on the cob, cornflakes, corn chowder-your favorite of the corn-y foods listed? What needs to be served alongside your selection?

Okay, if I must follow the rules, I'd say.........No, sorry, I just don't like any of the above-listed foods. Actually, I  avoided corn for years (I'm convinced that it's meant solely to fatten cattle and pigs - and I have no trouble translating that!).  BUT then, there's Popcorn. And I even avoid popcorn unless it's made 'just right.' Mr. C. makes it just right. I've talked about that before, but for those who may not remember, Jolly Time white popcorn is the only acceptable popcorn, and it's made in a pan on the stove with coconut oil, a wee bit of butter, and cayenne in the pan before putting in the popcorn. Let me know if you try it. You'll see what I mean. 

Served alongside popcorn? A good British mystery.



 Produce conveyors

4. What's something in your life that regularly requires you to 'put your thinking cap on'?

That would be when reading medical journal papers written for doctors, who have a mysterious language all their own. For example, when the term 'sunken down in' (referring to a hip prosthesis) would be understood by approximately 100% of English-speaking people, doctors use the term 'subsidence' instead, which the rest of us tend to use in an entirely different context, and which term (as they use it) would be understood by a small percentage of normal people.  I swear they do that just to be oblique and exclusive. It's so annoying. It's even more annoying to have a surgeon say patronizingly, 'Subsidence is the term we use for that.'  I had to suppress my inner Doc Martin response.

5. Share a favorite movie set in a school or classroom, or whose theme relates to school days in some way.

SCHOOL OF ROCK with Jack Black. He is hilarious!

 Radmilla and the last of the Gladioli
Flowers from Carla's garden (thank you, Carla!)
Be sure to stop in at her blog, The River
And don't miss her post on the Paine Museum in Oshkosh
hosting the Downton Abbey dresses exhibit!

6. Reading, writing, and 'rithmatic' are commonly referred to as the three R's. What are the three R's in your life right now?

Rcanning
Rsurgeons
Rbirthdays


7. What's something you've learned or tried recently you can say was as 'easy as ABC'?

I'll have to look up the origin of that phrase, 'easy as ABC.'  I suspect that in our society today, there would be many who would find the ABCs anything but easy. But anyway,  I'd say that choosing a birthday gift for our youngest son was 'easy as ABC.' His birthday was on Monday, but his gift didn't arrive until Tuesday. He'll open it tonight. I don't want to divulge a secret or anything, but let's just say that it's his turn to make waffles on the weekend. (I think he'll love it!)

Also, canning  is as 'easy as ABC.' It's time-consuming and messy, but easy. And very rewarding.

 We tested a jar...JUST like Mom's! Yum!


8. Insert your own random thought here.

       ♫ Oh it's canning time again, You're gonna leave me,
I can see that faraway look in your eyes...
I can tell by the way you're pickin' produce
That it won't be long before it's canning time.


Just wanted to throw that in, should I end up absent from the blog world for a bit. The tomatoes, beans, and peaches are all racing to the canner.  So if I'm not posting, that's the most likely reason. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

***

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43 comments:

Deb said...

Another fun post, Judy. Fun to read with my first cup of coffee.:) Oh, those glads are beautiful. They are one of my favorite. Have fun canning. I'd love to be close enough to sample. ;-)

eileeninmd said...

Good morning, Judy! I do enjoy your Hodgepodge post and answers. Your little librian is a cutie! And the gladioli is pretty. Have a happy day!

Joyce said...

We never buy brand new either. The car loses value the minute you leave the lot! I love that tomato pic at the top-great shot! Are you and Carla neighbors? I don't think I knew that. Enjoy waffles made by the birthday boy : )

wildirishrose said...

I love canning. I put up a bunch of homemade applesauce last year, and I'm running low. If I ever manage to get a good crop of tomatoes, I'll probably invest in a pressure canner.

Linda said...

Great answers, thanks for sharing. Have a Blessed day.

Nonnie said...

Your answers are delightful! Canning easy? I remember watching my mom back in the 50's. I remember a lot of heat and sweat!! Lol. Would love to have a few jars of that. Looks delicious.

The Cranky said...

Waffles? I'm coming to your house!

I'll be trying my hand at making honeydew preserves (for the first time!) next week.

Cheryl said...

We have the same car philosophy! That's a whole lot of hard-earned money for a new car smell (Although that new car smell is pretty intoxicating!)

Your 3R's made me smile...and then your canning song made me laugh out loud! Thanks for a fun read this morning! :)

Denise said...

nice answers.

MadSnapper said...

my favorite photo today is the jars of canning going on... i miss my mothers canning, have not had anything home canned since 1980... i know just how busy you will be.
we buy used cars to and keep them until they will not drive, we have had them over 200,000 miles. we did buy one new car, the only one in both of our lives. a 2004 GMC pickup in 04, it has less than 50,000 miles on it and looks brand new. we usally buy one that is 3 to5 years old. we both love trucks and for years that is all we had, i guess my SUV is a truck.

Joanne Noragon said...

I spent my childhood canning at my mother's side. Before that, sitting on the kitchen counter, slipping peach halves into the jars, in a lovely spiral to the top. Mom always said she knew when a child with little hands was not available; the peach halves had fork tine holes those years.

Arlene G said...

Canning...hot, sweaty work but then you eat some of that summer flavored food in the winter and you forget about that hard work and just enjoy!!

Carla from The River said...

Hi Judy,
WOW, the flowers are still blooming beautifully. :-) We have 15 more Gladioli to open. We think we have a black one.
We try to guess the color before it fully opens.

I am busy canning too.

Happy Birthday to the birthday boy!
Carla

Carla from The River said...

P.S.
Same here with the vehicles. Our little truck has just about 200,000 miles. We bought it used from Don Johnson Motor's in Rice Lake way back in 2005. Yikes, what a time we had. Still have no idea why we did not walk out. We learned a lesson. Thankfully our little truck has been good for us. :-)

Tired Teacher said...

I love to can, but I haven't done it in years. I gave all my supplies to my nephew & his wife.

I keep my cars for a looong time: current car is 11 years old and has 85,000 miles on the odometer. When I was commuting I would easily log over 15,000 miles a year, so retirement has definitely extended the life of my car.

Theresa said...

Yum, peaches! I wish I had some. I've always wanted a jeep. Pretty flowers from Carla. Love her blog too :)

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

Judy, you make me smile. Great thoughts on many things this morning. We don't have new cars either. One is a '97 and the other a '06. We go on the 20 year plan of keeping a car at least that long (If we're lucky, knock on wood).
Your canned peaches are beautiful. How great are they going to taste in the winter! Enjoy your day. ♥

Barbara said...

Loved all of your Hodgepodge responses today but since I'm a doll person, I must send my greetings to Miss Radmilla!! I have some glads in my yard. They need a dolly to sit beside them. I may copy your idea! Blessings to you!

podso said...

The canning looks wonderful. yum. You must be busy. We're certainly on the same old care wavelength. Hubby doesn't even look at a honda that isn't over 100,000---or so he says. And we have a great mechanic.

Heide at ApronHistory said...

Car shopping is the worst! It is right up there with buying pants and undergarments. I would definitely say Pass the Excedrin! So in the end I am glad I bought a newer car (less then 5 years old) because I am going to hang on to that car for as long as I can!

Happy Canning!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Your tomatoes look yummy. You know growing up that my father ran a movie theater and all they ever used was coconut oil to make their popcorn. I've never done any canning.

Cheryl said...

Your pictures are just the best! That corn field pic with the fog is just gorgeous! Canning is something I've never done except the one time in 9th grade Home Ec when we made watermelon rind pickles. haha I really should learn how to do it. Have a great rest of the week!

maddie/cadesmimi said...

Yum! There's nothing better than home-grown, home-canned fruits and veggies! Have fun :)

Kathy (from Reflections by Kathy)

Terri D said...

I so enjoy the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Some have us all answering close to the same and others have us all over the spectrum! Interesting indeed! Great photos! I never think to add photos to the Hodgepodge. Happy hump day and happy canning. It will all taste so good in a few months when the snow is deep!!

Sonya said...

I have a half bushel of peaches on my counter to can tomorrow. I have been doing a lot of canning with my daughter. She loves to can. We have done so much already- red beets, carrots, jellies and jams. We are going to make some juices and can tomatoes later this season.
We keep our cars for a long time also. I drive a 2003 with over 135,000 miles on it.

TexWisGirl said...

harvesting, canning, school returning... ah, fall in wisconsin is upon you. :)

cute little librarian. :)

carrie@northwoods scrapbook said...

I love reading your responses Judy!! I can sure tell that canning is on the brain and in the works! Lol

I'm fascinated by your whole corn aversion. Your recipe for "real" popcorn does sound fabulous!

I love the School of Rock too. Jack Black is so COOL!

Blessings on all of your canning endeavors my Dear. I did nominate you to participate in a 3 day quote challenge and you can see details on my blog. That's if you'd like to and you're not too busy. xoxo

Michelle said...

Love your answer to the vehicles...we are somewhat the same in that department. Canning, how jealous I am of you for this. My father use to harvest from his garden and can, freeze and do all sorts of things with his vegetables. Miss those days. From the Hodgepodge

Michelle said...

Hi Judy,

I especially like question #1.
I don't think I ever grew up and now I'm passed my age...LOL
Am I going uphill or downhill?

Rose said...

Just had to say I loved your 3 R's!

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

I noticed your little peasant doll by the beautiful gladioli. I made one of those for my Mom years ago, as a pin-cushion. It made me smile to see it. The photo of the fog over the river in the morning is wonderful! It must be so satisfying to fill the shelves with homegrown canning! xo Karen

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Judy, you're hilarious! The three R's -- love it! Would love to be canning with you!

EG CameraGirl said...

The little librarian is absolutely adorable! so thank you for sharing a photo of her. I hope you will also show us a picture of your white jeep. I totally agree with you that it's much better to let someone else enjoy the big depreciation years. If a car is taken care of it lasts way longer than the three years that some people seem is too old to keep. Enjoy your days canning!

Chatty Crone said...

A little late with some computer issues but they are all fixed now. So you don't eat any corn - good for you. My cars are old too. And it is canning time - yum!

Debbie said...

Lots of fun stuff Judy, I read it but by the time I get to the end I forget what I wanted to say. I love that you can, I have always wanted to, I love corn on the cob, jersey has the best corn by far!!!

I don't want to grow up but lately I have been feeling very old 😩

And thank you for asking about my knittin, I think it is so cool that you remember!!!!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Good morning! I enjoyed your hodgepodge Q & A- have a wonderful day!

Anonymous said...

Love that little librarian!

Susan said...

I love the photo of the cornfield in the fog. So pretty. I am surrounded by cornfields here on the farm in Indiana, but I also like to eat it. Sweet corn that is. :) Thanks for stopping by!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

You always make this post fun and lighthearted! I mentioned you on my blog this morning! Hope your day is happy! Sweet hugs, Diane

Alex said...

Fun post, Judy! It is a lovely time of year isn't it?
Very many blessings for anything to do with surgery, which I think I gather from your post?
I like cornbread, but last time I made it, it came out like a yellow brick!
Perhaps I should collect them to make a road!

Hannah said...

Have fun with your canning, Judy. Summer is a grand time. At one time I was consuming a lot of those different forms of corn, then I had to realize I was allergic to it and had allergic rebound where it would temporarily make me feel better.

Lowcarb team member said...

What a lovely post Judy, the little librarian is a cutie ...

All the best Jan

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I enjoyed reading your answers, Judy. I can't believe you don't like corn--corn on the cob is one of my favorite summer foods! Your little Librarian is a cutie!

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