No foolin' - it's Hodgepodge time.

Happy April everyone!    Wow, it's nice to turn the calendar page and see this spring month appear!  I know we are ALL happy to get the winter of  '14 over!

Here are today's Hodgepodge questions from Joyce, our fearless leader, and my answers….

1.   Since these questions are going up on the first day of April it seems only right to ask - when was the last time you did something foolish?  Or, when was the last time someone fooled you? 

The last time?  Hmmmm….  there certainly have been MANY times when I've done something foolish.   I think I have blocked them out of my mind cuz I want to forget! ha   I'm sure my hubby could answer this question quickly.  And, speaking of my hubby, he fools me easily.  Let's say I'm rather gullible and there are times he says something because he thinks it's funny, and I take him seriously… and I'm the fool!  

2.  What's the last biography or non-fiction book you've read?  Was it good? 

A perfect question - because right now I am reading the book "I Am Malala - the Girl Who Stood up for Education and was shot by the Taliban"….written by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb.  I am over halfway through it and I am totally enthralled with Malala and her story about living in the valley in Pakistan where the Taliban came in and took over. I recommend this book to everyone to learn about the tactics of the Taliban.  Horrible. Gut-wrenching.   Yet, it's not a difficult book to read.  Written simply - but with impact.    I suggest high school students read it to learn about what students in other parts of the world go through - and how much they value education when it's not easy to get.   What a brave young woman!  What an amazing family!   We Americans can certainly learn a thing or two from reading this biography.

3.  Garlic - friend or foe?  What's your favorite dish made with garlic? 

I like garlic - in moderation.  I know it has healthy effects so I sprinkle it on most meats.  And, yes, I love warm, buttery garlic bread!   That's my favorite way to eat some garlic.

4.  Several Spring flower festivals happen in the US during the month of April.  Of those listed, which would you like to see in person…    The Skagit Tulip Festival in Skagit, Washington, the Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, the North Carolina Azalea Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina, or the Daffodil Festival Weekend in Nantucket, Massachusetts? 

I've never made it over to Holland to see the tulips when they are in bloom, so I suppose going to the Tulip Festival in Skagit, Washington would be the second best thing.  I love all the colors of tulips. I know they are "delicate" blooms that don't last long.  Around here deer like to eat them so I don't plant any bulbs.  Plus, tulips don't come up year after year, and they don't spread like daffodils.  Right?

I must suggest that if you don't go to North Carolina to see azaleas, you can see an amazing array here, just up the road from me, at Brookgreen Gardens, in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.  Brookgreen Gardens is the saved plantation lands of the Huntingtons and it has been preserved as an amazing huge flower and sculpture garden area - with something every season blooming.  Plus, it has a walking zoo through some woods, and lots of classes on the history of the area and the plantation era of the past.  It's really quite and amazing place to visit!  (Gee, perhaps I should be a tour guide?? lol)

5.  How do you choose which blogs to read?  What is something that will make you stop and read every time?  Something that makes you say, 'eh, think I'll skip this one and move on to the next?'

Before joining the Hodgepodge group I used to randomly check out blogs… and I suppose I looked for posts that I could relate too - or I found amusing.  I prefer to read blogs that are written with a positive spin.  I don't like people who write a blog just to complain.

Once I find one I like, I add it to my list…so when new posts are written they pop up for me to see.

Can I say that reading blogs has been a bit eye-opening for me?  I have discovered that a lot of bloggers are rather conservative, which I thought would not be the case - because, you know, this is a "forward" way to communicate.  But, as I read posts I do see a "heartland" mentality - and that's good for me to see (read.)  I do NOT think of myself as a raging liberal but I do lean that way more than many bloggers that I read.  

I decided to blog as an outlet for ME - and to leave my thoughts for my daughters.  It has become much more than that.  I discovered a whole community out there.

6.  April is National Mathematics Education month. So tell us, when did you last use math? 

The only time I really "use" math is to do some simple addition and subtraction in my checkbook.  Yes, I still carry one - and I occasionally use it.  Most things I buy do go onto a credit card, but I still write a check for a donation or a one-time bill through the mail.

7.  In honor of the A to Z Challenge kicking off on April 1… choose one word beginning with the letter A to describe yesterday.

One word?   No way.     Adorable - I filled in as church secretary yesterday morning and got to see and listen to the ADORABLE children at the preschool down the hall.    Attire - I transitioned into flip-flops yesterday.  The weather was beautiful and today is going to be the same!  Appreciative - I had a nice dinner and time with my hubby last evening, and then we took the doggies out for a walk and it was a lovely evening.

8.  My random thought. 

I saw Scotty McCreery in concert Saturday night at the House of Blues. I love that venue because you can get "up close and personal" with the artist.  It's my favorite (and closest) place to see live music around here.  I have seen Jason Aldean, Kellie Pickler, Josh Turner, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Josh Thompson there. I'm probably forgetting someone.  It's the perfect place to catch a "rising star" before they move into the big arenas.    I had a fun time, with friend Jane.  

Have a good week bloggers and friends!!