It's time for a bit of green.

It's Hodgepodge time….  so let's get right to it!

1.  Do you have an interest in learning about your family's heritage?  Why or why not?  If you know a little bit about your roots, share an interesting piece of trivia or a fun fact about someone who goes way back on your family tree. 

Yes, I am interested in "where I came from" and I have researched it a bit. A few years ago I signed up for the 6 month introductory time on Ancestry.com and I was able to find out a little bit on my own.  Thankfully, my cousin Kay had already done extensive research and put together a notebook of information and pictures from my Dad's side of the family.  My mother's sister also was able to give me some family heritage info from that side.

Both my father and my mother's families came from Germany.  Although my Dad's side (the Milheims) lived in the south-western part of the country and there were a few times that area became French controlled.  A few years back my hubby, daughters, and I traveled there - and actually visited the town of Millheim, just a small little town in wine country.  (No wonder I love my wine so much!! )

A bit of trivia, my mother's maiden name was Fogt.  Her ancestors settled in Ohio.   But researching back to Germany, I discovered the family name was Vogt.  I think they changed it here in the states, as many people did, because the pronunciation of the V sounded like an F.

2.  Branch Rickey, the baseball exec credited with singing Jackie Robinson, is quoted was saying - "Luck is the residue of design."   Agree or disagree?  Why? 

First, let me say, if you have not seen the movie "42" about Jackie Robinson GO SEE IT!  It came out a few years ago and it was a wonderfully made movie about Jackie's rise in baseball,  and his personal life, about his relationship with Mr. Rickey, and all that Jackie endured when he broke into the all-white major baseball league.

Now, as for Mr. Rickey's quote….  if I understand it right, I do not agree and  do not believe that things always happen for a reason and that everything is planned out.  I think in life sometimes we can make the best decisions, and plan out what we want to do, but a twist comes along - for good or bad.  We can't control other people, or nature.   So, although it's good to have a design, or plan, we must also except that it may not always happen.  Learning to accept unexpected changes is what builds character.

Am I way off base (get it?? ha ha) on this?

3.  In the town where you reside, what's your favorite green space? 

For this answer, I will consider 'green space' as an open area of nature.   Therefore, my favorite spot is the view of the marshes between the island of Pawleys Island and the mainland.   We are lucky to have many beautiful nature spots here, including this one (my first attempt at uploading onto my blog):

Morning time at the beach…

4.  Who is your favorite comedian? 

This is an easy answer for me.  Stephen Colbert!  I love watching "The Colbert Report" and laugh out loud at the way Stephen plays his character of the pompous newsman.  Of course his staff of writers are amazing…but Stephen, the man, is an expert at portraying Stephen, the character.   He is funny, funny, funny!

5.  March is National Nutrition Month, and almost everyone needs to improve their diet in some way.  What about you?  How can you improve your nutrition on a daily basis? Will you try? 

In general I'm pretty good at eating a balanced diet.  But, I lack including fruit into my daily intake and I try to make a point when grocery shopping to buy the prepared individual sized fruit containers.  If I buy small mixes of fresh fruit from the produce section then I'm more likely to open one, and eat it along with a sandwich at lunch.   I buy individual packages of sliced apples…grapes, melon, etc.  Anything already to go - easy to grab and eat.

6.  Which of these green expressions have you 'experienced' in recent weeks - green with envy, green thumb, green around the gills, or given the green light?  Explain. 

I will say I have experienced a 'green thumb' the past few days.  If you read my blog post before this one, you will see that I have been itching to get out into my yard and my garden and plant!  We have had a few lovely weather days in a row now, after such a cold rough winter, so I have already found myself in the garden department at Home Depot. It's still early, but I could not help myself - I bought a few plants and put them in the ground.   Now, stay away cold weather!!

7.  Where is one place you don't mind waiting? 

This is a great question because I think in general we all have trouble with having patience - especially with how fast paced life is, and how over-scheduled we have become.  I try to live my life without the stress of deadlines.  In general I don't mind waiting…  at a doctor's office, at a long red light, or behind a slowpoke in the fast lane.   But to pick one place?  I tell myself on the road if I get into a bad backup, perhaps its a total stop, that whatever is happening way up in front of me can't be good…and that that situation is much worse than my sitting in my car, listening to music, running just a little late.

8.  My random thought.

I don't know why I didn't take time to add pictures in my blog before. I wasn't sure how, but I have now discovered it's easy.  Part of me has thought all along it's my thoughts in words, not in pictures.  But, heck, occasionally I can add in one or two!  So, I'll end today's Hodgepodge with just a couple more.
Have a GREAT week!

 This is our pug Miss Honeybee.   She now has a rescue sister, Miss Daisy.   We are a pug crazy family!

A pic of some green space along the PeeDee River.  We love to boat the beautiful rivers in this part of the low country.