Milestone Weekend

I am so proud of myself! I went camping with no electricity or running water! And I wasn’t scared or uncomfortable one bit! It's not the kind of primitive camping that Confessions of a Catholic Mutt does (so I'm sure she's getting a good laugh out of this!), but for me, it's a milestone! I guess I really should preface that with it was only for 1 night, and it wasn't like it was out in the wilderness. There were no bears, and we didn't even see any raccoons. The only sign of wildlife were the bullfrogs that serenaded us all night long. And I mean...ALL.NIGHT.LONG.

I've never heard frogs sound like that; I really thought they were ducks the first time I heard them. (City-girl)

We went to this place because: 1) once again, we waited too long to try to get a reservation at a campground, and 2)  there were some offroad people riding the trails where we were. (That's the talking/music you hear in the video.) They stayed across the pond from us; the "campground" was just a field that had been roped off, so we couldn't stay there with our trailer.

We thought it was going to get really dark after the sun went down, but the moon must have been fairly bright. CH put the solar panels out and we were able to charge our phones and my tablet. AND, we did have service, so I was able to chat with some friends on FB. So...not exactly roughing it, and I did have my "luggable loo" to save the day.

As I said, we were right next to a pond, which supplied an opportunity for some "reflection" pictures.

Monday, we just hung around the house and made a trip to Lowe's. I loved that they were playing patriotic music pretty loudly. While I'm on this...does anyone else think it's inappropriate to say, "Happy Memorial Day"? It's kind of like saying, "Happy 9/11", isn't it? It's a tragedy that so many young men and women sacrificed their lives so we can have our freedom; it just seems odd to hear/see "Happy Memorial Day".

We invited Daddy up for burgers last night; YS had the idea to have brownies and ice cream, topped off with caramel sauce spiked with Jack Daniels. He was spot on! It was fantastic!

Reminiscing

I don’t know about you, but I get very reminiscent during the summer. Life in the Small Town was good all year round, but in the summer, it was heaven.

The past couple of days I was able to have the air conditioning off and the windows open…even during the day. I didn’t like having the windows open when I was growing up, but, not having air conditioning, it was a necessity. My current house has traffic noise, but it’s not the horn-blowing, annoying traffic noise. It’s just "the cars going by the front of the house" kind of noise. The house where I grew up is on a side street, so not much traffic goes by, meaning it was a bit quieter.

I love being able to feel a breeze blow through the house as it comes through the windows. And to smell that fresh air that accompanies it.  The night air is especially wonderful to feel. Hearing the crickets chirping at night and the birds singing during the day truly is music to my ears. Even hearing people talking down the street as dusk falls is extremely comforting.

Summer days were filled with walking to the pool to spend the day. Cinnamon suckers (you know, the big thick kind that were rectangular) were "pool treats". Spreading out your towel among what seemed like a million other towels on the grassy area, and having to run on the concrete to the pool since it was so hot, only to be stopped by a lifeguard's whistle and a quick shout to "Don't run!" once we crossed the bridge over the little creek were daily occurrences.  Having your brother(s) getting kicked out of the pool for the rest of the season for doing something stupid, but then having one of them turn out to be  one of the best lifeguards the pool has ever seen (because he knew all the tricks) is part of my best memories. Walking home at the end of the day, through the park, with my sister; towel and shoes in hand are right up at the top, too. 

Evenings were filled with playing kick the can, hide & seek, and roly bats in our yard with the other kids on the street. I don't know why we didn't go to anyone else's yard...probably because the majority of the kids playing were my siblings. There were arguments, but there was also a great deal of laughter and competition. Once it got dark, it was time for the other kids to leave and for us to go into the house for baths, or at least to wash off our feet after being barefoot most, if not all, of the day. 

Getting stung after stepping on a bee...do kids today even know what that feels like?  Bike rides around the neighborhood, looking for change on the sides of the road so we could go to the neighborhood store and get some candy...I know kids can't do that anymore. Even if they found change, they wouldn't have enough to buy anything.

Other memories of childhood summer:

Going to sleep with the fans on and waking up cold in the middle of the night if they didn't get turned off.

Hearing the rain (since the windows were open) and having mama or daddy quickly closing the windows. 

Hearing music that takes me back to the pool, especially Brandy by Looking Glass (for some strange reason I remember that song being played while at the pool.). Or Dancing in the Moonlight  by King Harvest.

Yep, having the windows open the past couple of days brought back all of those wonderful memories. The only thing that's missing is the slam of the screen door.

Dancing into June Hodgepodge!

1. How should success be measured? Using that as your standard, who is the most successful person you know? (Or one of the most successful?) 
Success is measured by living a good life. My daddy is the most successful person I know. He & my mom raised 10 healthy, responsible children; he has his health & faith.

2. Have you ever been to a hot air balloon launch/fest/party? Ever taken a ride in a hot air balloon? Is that on your bucket list? According to Frommers the ten best hot air balloon adventures in the world are-

No, No, and NO!

Loire Valley (France), the Serengeti (Tanzania), Napa Valley (California), Lake Champlain (Vermont), Cappadocia (Turkey), Istria (Croatia), Gstaad (Switzerland), Yarra Valley (Australia), Muelle (Costa Rica), and Albuquerque (New Mexico). 

Which one on the list would you most like to experience? 

I'd like to go to Napa, but be securely on the ground.

3. May 25th is National Brown-Bag It Day. Did you/will you pack a lunch today? When did you last pack a lunch for someone and what are your go-to ingredients for a brown bag lunch?
Absolutely NOT. School is out; I packed my last lunch last Thursday. I usually take a turkey/cheese sandwich (I really like the "Really Thin Bread" from Pepperidge Farm; it's 1 way to cut down on a few carbs and still feel like you have a whole sandwich & a few baked Lays with it!), carrots, and some kind of fruit. Or, I'll take some leftovers from dinner the night before.

4. What's one of your favorite dance scenes from a movie or television show? 

This is an easy one! I absolutely LOVE seeing Hugh Grant shake his behind in "Love, Actually" 

5. John F. Kennedy made famous the line, '...Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." So what can you do for your country?

Pray. Seriously. This county is in such a world of hurt. Oh, and I guess being a good citizen and doing what's right should be up there, too.

6. Weekends are made for __________________________________.
Catching up on sleep, housework, etc.

7. On this last Wednesday of the month, bid farewell to the month of May in seven words or less. 

Looking forward to June!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Day 3 of summer break, and I need a break! I've been trying to get to the grocery store for the past 2 days. I finally got my list together yesterday, but then decided I needed to take a nap. Today, for sure!
1 more random:
One of our former priests from my parish is now the chaplain where I went to undergrad. I went to their page this morning to see what the summer schedule is, and I actually got chills when I read what is on their homepage:

See the quote? "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire"--St. Catherine of Siena. The quote is still following me around!

It "May"be the Middle of the Month Hodgepodge

1. Tell us about a time you found yourself 'in the middle of nowhere'. Was this deliberate?

 A couple of years ago, we were coming back from The Keys, and the traffic as we hit the Ga. line was horrible. The weather was really weird, too...very foggy and just weird. The GPS took us off the interstate into the middle of nowhere. That was the first time in a very long time that I was a little nervous.

2. What's something you're 'in the middle of' today or this week? 

 This week, I'm in the middle of the last week of school!!!  WHOOP!!!

3. At what age do you think 'middle age' begins? What does it mean to be 'middle aged'? 

 At 54, it's hard for me to imagine myself as "middle age". I suspect I am, but I sure don't feel like it!

4. Ravioli, stuffed peppers, samosas, deviled eggs, steamed dumplings, pierogis, or a jelly donut...your favorite food (from this list!) with something yummy in the middle. Your favorite not on the list? 

 I do love some pierogis!

5. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying ''In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.'Would you agree? Have you found this to be true in your own life? Feel free to elaborate. 

 Absolutely. You just have to get through the difficulty to find the opportunity!

6. What's a song you remember loving from your middle school years? Do you love it still? 

 I checked the top 100 songs from when I was in 6th grade; man, there were a lot of good songs back then!  "You're so Vain", "Crocodile Rock", "The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia", "Killing Me Softly With His Song". But, this is the song that I really loved then and still do today:

But, WAIT! I have to pick this one, too:

7. May 18th is National Visit Your Relatives Day. Will you celebrate? Which relative would you visit if time, distance, and expense were not considered. 

 I'll be celebrating, but it will be my anniversary.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

The dove that nested on the wreath on the front porch is gone, and so is the egg. I feel bad that they wasted all that time sitting on it, just to have it not hatch. 

Mother May I Hodgepodge

The Edisto Post still isn't happening, y'all, but I do have some answers for the Hodgepodge!

1. What's something fun you're looking forward to on your May calendar? 

Camping. Hopefully. If we get our butts in gear and make reservations for Memorial Day Weekend.

2. What are some images that come to mind when you hear the word mother? 

3. What's something beautiful you own or have seen that's made of glass? 

I don't own anything special that's glass. The last time I was in Copenhagen, we went to this glass exhibit that was in an old cistern. THAT was cool.

I found a blogpost that someone wrote that included some pictures. The thing is, you're not supposed to take pictures! I guess the blog author got away with it, but even if I had taken any, I wouldn't have dared put them on my blog because I for sure would have gotten busted! 

You can see the pictures here if you're interested.

4. Was today typical? If not what made it unusual? 

Tuesday was pretty typical. Nothing out of the usual happened. 

5. What is a quality you wish you could have more of?

Not overeating; especially with sweets.

6. What's the next major purchase you need to make? Will it happen in the month of May? 

I have no earthly idea. I don't have a major purchase planned, so I hope it's not going to happen in May!

7. What responsibility/job/work did you dislike while growing up but has proved helpful to you as an adult?

When I was little, it was my job to clean the bathroom. To this day, I detest cleaning the bathroom, so I can't say that! I really don't mind hand washing the dishes now, but it wasn't my job.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

Just a couple more weeks before Summer Break is here. This year has flown by, but I'll be glad to have a few weeks to get my house back in order, read, and just relax!