The hodgepodge is HOT this week!

After a week off while our leader Joyce moved,  and with me just returning from my CMA Fest trip, it's now time to get "back to business" and tackle another list of Hodgepodge questions.  The temperatures are hot right now - and so is the Hodgepodge!

1.  June is National Great Outdoors month.  Have you spent any time appreciating the great outdoors this month?  If so, where, and if not do you have any plans to enjoy the great outdoors before the calendar turns? 

First, let me say that I love the great outdoors so I try to get out and get fresh air ALL the time...  not just in June!  But, as I mentioned above, I did just return from the CMA Festival in Nashville and many of the events (the stages, the booths, etc.) are outdoors.  During the day, all day, there are 4 or 5 stages with live music happening all at one time... so I brought along my blanket and we laid it out, and listened to great LIVE country music.  It was awesome!   It got pretty hot by afternoon.  So, we  took some breaks and went indoors into the honky tonks and we went on a Grand Old Opry backstage tour.  At night, the big names played at LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans, so we were outdoors again.  It was hot but nothing got rained out! 

In general, I enjoy being home, sitting on my front porch or back deck.  I also love to do yard work - when it's not quite THIS hot!   I play some golf.  I walk the dogs.  I love being outside.

Yesterday as I drove home I went through Charlotte and my car's outside temp reading said 102 degrees!  Back here along the coast it was well into the 90s and that's not accounting for the humidity and the "feels like" temperature.    It was steamy!!! 

But...still, I prefer HOT over cold anytime. 

2.  What's a current hot button issue for you? 

It's current, but it's not new for me:  it's the mentality of Americans and their guns.  No other people of other countries on this planet have such a love for them, and feel the need to own one (or more).  I deplore the NRA's power over Congress.  I have joined a grassroots organization called "Moms Demand Gun Sense in America."  Every day guns in America are killing innocent people, and often it is children.  It's lunacy.  We should all feel responsible for not having tougher gun laws - and tougher penalties for unlawful use of them.  

I could go on and on...   yes, it's a HOT button for me!!

3.  What's a food or treat that 'disappears like hotcakes' in your house? 

I'm having trouble coming up with an answer.  It's just hubby and me at home now and we try to be careful about what we eat - and how much of it at one time.

Thinking back to when our daughters were home if I made cinnamon buns for breakfast they certainly were a treat!  Hubby used to sell Edy's Ice Cream and the cartons of Double Fudge Brownie always went pretty quickly in our house! 

4.  How hot is too hot? 

For me, It has to be so hot that it doesn't cool down much at night. I don't mind hot days if the evening is not so hot, and at least there's a nice warm breeze and I can get outdoors then.  For me, I prefer heat over cold temps so it takes a lot to make me too hot!  (lol).   

5.  Do you have an artistic outlook on life?  What does that mean to you? 

I try and have an artistic outlook - because I think it's what makes life beautiful, and it helps me keep a positive attitude.   What does it mean to me?  An artistic outlook is seeing the beauty in everything! It's music, and it's the flowers, and the scapes of the beach and the marshes here.  God created an amazing world - and it has beauty everywhere - if you look for it!  "Stop and smell the roses" is a great expression.  Don't let it go by too fast, or go through life with blinders on.  Take time, listen, see...  it's there. It's wonderful!

6.  What's one question you'd like to ask your father, or one you wish you could ask your father? 

I know this question comes from Joyce because this coming Sunday is Father's Day.  For many, it's probably a simple question... for me, it's a bit challenging.  I don't know if this is the proper place to bring it up.  So, I will leave it at....  "Dad, why can't you be more positive?"

7.  Something you have learned from your father? 

I have learned many things from my dad.  He was a man of faith - a man of the church, so he gave me religion too.  He was the head of our family... and growing up I felt like we were a "typical family" unit - and these days they are so different, or "varying".  (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)   Dad used to have a sense of humor that I admired.  And, he was a game player.   We played ping-pong together.  Our family played cards on vacations.   He was frugal but never to the point where I felt we missed out on getting things.  Life was more simple growing up - in a nice way.  I owe that to him.  

8.  My random thought for the week. 

We have reached the "lazy days of summer" and it's such a nice time.  Not as many expectations, or deadlines, or things to get done.  It's a nice break. I think that's one reason I love summer so much.  It's a calm time.  It's about being outdoors - and having fun.      Do you agree??

Have a wonderful HOT week ahead!  Get outdoors, enjoy the nature, breathe in the air!  See you next time.