Wednesday Hodgepodge!

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy;

they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” 

― Marcel Proust

Today, I thought I would Join in with

the hodgepodge questions by

Joyce

over at

www.fromthissideofthepond.com

1. What summer activity most takes you back to your own childhood?

Swimming in the lake with my family, jumping off those high rock cliffs and swimming to the boat, floating on my noodle Except back when I was a child, we used our Dad's old inner tubes with that pointy air stem thingy poking us. We used to wait in line to get them all together and make sure they were aired up and tied down in the back of his old work truck. My Dad loved the water and could throw us kids off his shoulders time after time, after time!



2. What's your favorite summer smell?  A campfire!

Especially if it has some hickory in it. My Grandpa used to put an 8 inch copper pipe in his campfire then we would all wait for it to get pitch black outside and we could see the different colors coming from that pipe as it heated up. We called them rainbow flames.

3.  It's beach season in the US of A... so, how do you feel about sand?

I haven't had much experience with sand.  My first trip to the beach was when I was 8 years old in California. They had just had an oil spill (yeah, they had them way back when) and I got that black tar all over my feet. It was hidden in the sand, so you couldn't see it. After we got back to my Grandma's, my Dad took gasoline and had to scrape the tar off the bottom of my feet. I am very ticklish so they had to hold me down to get it done. The second trip to a beach was in Galveston, it was storming. I walked along the beach while getting plastered in the face with ocean spray and sand. So both visits were not fun. But I plan to give it another try, maybe this time at a resort in Mexico?

4.  Sun tea, SunChips, sunflower seeds, Capri Sun, Sunny Delight, Sun-Maid raisins, sun-dried tomatoes...your favorite food or beverage with sun in its name?

That would have to be sunflowers. Whether in a salad or chocolate covered, they are delicious! And healthy too! Sun tea comes in second, though, sun maid raisins third. This list could go on and on!

5.What's your favorite way to cool off on a hot summer day?

Swimming in the pool. What is better than having your own pool? Your neighbor having one!  My cousin Thomas lives two doors away and has the biggest pool with a large deck and a pavilion for parties. I had my last birthday party there and we sang karaoke and danced till midnight!



6.  Share a favorite song with the word sun or sunshine in it's title.

That would have to be "You are my sunshine" (not quite sure of its name though) "My only sunshine".  I sang it all the way to California on a trip when I was a child. I remember my Dad telling me he never wanted to hear that song again. I guess three days of me singing the same song over and over was a bit much. So I sang "Zippity Doo Dah" all the way back home. My Dad was a very patient man.

7.  Tell us about a time when you had an exceedingly good or a truly awful customer service experience. If it was awful, did you report it? Ever go back there again?

It was a nightmare experience.  I was born with ulcerative colitis and was in the hospital for an attack, too weak to walk, so the nurse helped me to the bathroom. She left and told me to pull the string when I was ready to get back to my bed.  I pulled the string, no one came. I could hear a birthday party happening down the hallway at the nurses station. I kept pulling the string and I finally ended up on the bathroom floor. I then crawled out into the hallway and begged for someone to come and help me. A nurse finally came with a half eaten cupcake in her hand. The next day my doctor moved me, in an ambulance, down the road to another hospital at no charge to me. I think he addressed and fixed the problem.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I am realizing that I have different favorites almost everyday. I change my favorite color almost daily, I never eat the same snack twice, and I am constantly moving things around.  And each time, it is my new favorite?  Today my favorite food is sliced strawberries and my color for today is pink (it is usually yellow or blue).  Only in America, could I celebrate so many choices! Have a wonderful American Day!

As life goes...
Yesterday I was fitted for a "bone growth stimulator" at my spine surgeons office.  I must wear it for four hours a day for four months. It sends electrical impulses through my spine and hopefully convinces and assists the cadabre bones to fuse with my other bones. I am now 5 weeks out after having 2 discs replaced in my neck and am feeling good! I am hoping to get to drive soon!

We have a big family reunion over the 4th of July with one of the tripe'ts getting married on the 5th. We are working to finish some projects around the house so we can do nothing but visit over the holidays! We just found out that our adopted K2daughter (adopted at the age of 28) is pregnant! She is feeling great, no morning sickness (yet) and the due date is February 28th, my brothers birthday! It's a happy day today!