Dandelions, Flowers, and Hodgepodge Wednesday

Dandelions, After

I love those cute little Roundheads when the late afternoon light hits them and makes them glow.

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1. Since you weren't Hodgepodging last Wednesday, how did you pass the time?

You're expecting me to remember what I did a week ago? It might have involved texting one or both of my daughters, trying to figure out what to make for dinner, planting something, picking asparagus, or sorting through stacks of books.

 Dandelions Before

2. What's the first word that comes to mind when I say marriage? Yes, one word.

Good.

Dandelions in early evening

3. Summer officially arrives in the Northern hemisphere later this week. Does it feel like summer where you live? Describe your idea of the perfect summer day.

We've had a very cool, very late spring. Last night we had storms and a power outage. Today it's hot and muggy. Eighty degrees F., no breeze, very humid.

The perfect summer day is 73 degrees, sunny, with a nice breeze. Farmers are cutting alfalfa in the fields and I can smell the alfalfa and sweet clover. I can sit on the front porch and read something on my Kindle while enjoying the breeze and hearing my wind chime (if it hadn't got completely tangled during the storm.)

4. "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."(Sam Keen) Is laziness ever respectable? Do you have a lazy summer planned, or something semi-ambitious?

I have a hard time thinking that laziness is respectable, but I'm feeling lazier these days, so I'm happy to hear it. Summer is Mr. Cranberry's crazy-busy, 12 hours a day, often 7 days a week work schedule, so it's not a time when I plan get-togethers. And yet I don't want to wish summer away because our winters are so incredibly long. Visiting grandkids (and their parents) is at the top of my list. If I can get this slipped disc under control, I might feel like tackling something semi-ambitious. Many of the projects I want to do involve painting, like on a ladder.

My crazy roses, beautiful for a few days in June

Horrid and ugly for the rest of the year

5. Past or present, who's your favorite television dad? Why is he a favorite? Is he anything like your own dad?

I have always liked the dad on Father Knows Best. I don't know why that old show gets mocked as it does. I hadn't seen it in years, but the other night I saw a couple back to back episodes. Unlike what we think of when we think of the show 'Father Knows Best,' the father is not a male chauvinist, the wife is not a doormat, and the only criticism I can see is that the kids behave normally - getting into trouble now and then, being lazy and stupid, but not rude, crude, and disrespectful.  

In the 1950s moms were usually seen wearing dresses (thank goodness that trend is over), but other than that, I can't see why the show gets mocked. I liked the show and liked the dad. It was cute, fun, and entertaining. And yes, I think he was a lot like my dad - Smart, Normal, Nice, Thoughtful, Reliable, Reasonable, Good Sense of Humor - all traits that are often missing in today's TV shows. Other than PBS and the occasional old TV show, I don't watch network TV because I'm tired of TV trying to 'reflect society.'

Doggone Thirsty

6. June 18th is International Picnic Day...share a favorite picnic memory.

My mom was a great lover of swimming, so we would take a picnic to the lake and swim (I think we had to wait an hour after eating before swimming.)  Shell Lake was a nice place to take a picnic. It was so shallow that one could get exhausted just walking out to where it was deep enough to swim. And of course there was a canteen where we could get ice cream cones, Popsicles, or Cheetos (crisp fried to a crackly crunch).

Beautiful Wisconsin.  Lake.

7. The travel site Trip Advisor lists the top five islands in the world for 2014 as- Ambergris Caye in Belize Cayes, Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Marco Island Florida, and Lewis and Harris in The Outer Hebrides (Scotland). Have you been to any of these? Of those listed (and if price were not a factor) which would you most like to book for a holiday?

Okay, I guess Providenciales in Turks and Caicos. I bet a visit there in February would help break up our ridiculous winter. Unless there are stingrays in the water.  I was going to say The Outer Hebrides, but wow, they really are 'outer' and I would want to make sure the weather was 73 degrees and sunny, with a nice breeze. I don't know if they can accommodate that.  And no, I've been to none of the above-listed places.


8.  Insert your own random thought here

Today is both my mom's birthday AND my mom and dad's wedding anniversary. I miss them.

Do you suppose that my mom was responsible for creating International Picnic Day?

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Although I usually forget to do it, there is a chance that this post will be linked to one or more of these great linky parties: Inspiration Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and  Making the World Cuter Mondays and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday and Treasure Box Tuesday and Rubbish Tuesday and Tuesday with a Twist and  Knick of Time Tuesday (vintage)  and   Tweak it Tuesday and Adorned From Above  and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and Good Fences on Thursdays and  Time Travel Thursday and Freedom Fridays and Junkin' Joe and Vintage Inspiration Friday and A Favorite Thing Saturday