Wednesday HodgePodge

a place where I go to pray and meditate
trail at Fox Preserve 

I liked today's "hodgepodge" questions so decided to participate before I head over to the bike path to do my daily power walking. It's grey and dreary but walking outdoors is preferable to yet another indoor work out video. 

Head to this blog, the host of the Wednesday HodgePodge meme to join in. 

1. The Hodgepodge lands on Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Do you mark this season in some way? Will you be giving something up or adding something to your life in this Lenten season? 

I was raised in a Free Methodist church where we didn't celebrate Lent like the Catholics do, but it was a time to reflect on Jesus and the Good News which led to knowing the Redemption Story.  As an adult, I've gone on mini-fasts during this time...usually from things that sap me mentally and emotionally/spiritually such as social media, the national news, etc. I tend to really dig into a Scripture study based either in the Gospels or one of the minor prophets leading up to Good Friday. This year I'm doing a different Psalm each day of Lent to meditate on or journal about. 

2. Pancakes...are you a fan? Syrup or no syrup? Plain, blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, or some other add in? Are pancakes on your menu this week? 

Pancakes once in awhile are ok. Not something I eat daily or weekly. We did go get the pancake combo at International House of Pancakes for Valentine's Day.  I love real maple syrup either ours here in NYS or Vermont. I prefer either raspberry or blueberry pancakes.  My father in law used to make the best blueberry pancakes for us adults and chocolate chip pancakes for the grandchildren. My girls loved going to the beach house as that's where they'd get the chocolate chip pancakes. 

3. Tell us about a time recently when you felt 'spread too thin'. 

I haven't felt that way since December. Almost every December (yes even with now being retired from teaching), I feel "spread too thin", although this year was better than last year as we said no to a couple of events.  

4. What's your favorite jewel or gemstone? In terms of your wardrobe would we find more gem tones, pastels, black and white, or primary colors? 

I love jade. I also love my diamond engagement ring. 

I'm a NYer so we have a lot of black and white and classic colors. (navy, hunter green, cream). I don't often do pastels......if I do, it's usually a shade of blue or green. Most of my clothing that isn't the bohemian patterns in rich gem tone colors are black, white, cream, grey. I tend to dress either bohemian style or preppy. 

5. What responsibility do you think is hardest about being in charge? 

Trying to please everyone. (you can't). Also getting people to actually follow the guidelines (I'm thinking of my hiking group I lead) and finding someone to back you up in major decisions. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm so over Winter. I'm very ready for Spring and getting back to this: 

on the summit of Mt VanHoevenberg
This mountain is located in the town where
the bobsleds used in the Olympics are made!
High Peaks, Adirondack Mountains
l-r: me, Celine, Evelyn, Joan....
 some of my hiking tribe

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

2026 Book Review #6:In Times of Rain and War

 

I first discovered this author in 2025 by seeing The Rent Collector on our town library historical fiction shelf. Then I read The Orphan Keeper.   This latest book was sent to me as a Christmas gift from my blogging friend Deb from this blog.  If you like historical fiction with a bit of mystery and romance, I recommend this author's book.  He does extensive research and there's a good clean vibe to his books (no swearing nor explicit s*x scenes).  However, if you're looking for a happy ending book, as in "happily ever after",  this is not it. 

STORY SUMMARY

It is September 1940 during the Blitz of London, England with World War II raging all around Europe. Audrey Stocking is  working in England and trying to blend in with other civilians who are just trying to survive the nightly bombings. 

But, Audrey has a secret! She is not British...she's  a German Jew and her fake passport and almost perfect English have allowed her to work hard to blend in and help take children out of the city into the country where it's safer.   Audrey really wants to reunite with her family in Germany, but this double life she is leading is forcing her to stay in England.  Combine  that with the British Military Intelligence and the bombings, and she must stay put. The one thing that greatly disturbs Audrey and the woman she calls Aunt Claire who is helping to rescue children, is that she has horrible nightmares that are vivid and seem all too real. Are they a premonition of what's to come or are they stemming from past trauma? 

Wesley Bowers (aka Wes) is a lieutenant for the United States of America. He is over in England to train with London's Bomb Disposal Company 5.  He meets Audrey when an air raid leaves an unexploded bomb in the flat she is living in. Wes finds Audrey to be an attractive, intelligent and very compassionate person and of course there's an immediate connection between them. They get to know each other and Wes realizes that she is the one bright spot in this horrible war.  Even with the constant threat of death, he finds himself drawn to Audrey and she to him. 

But...will Wes still feel the same way when he discovers the secrets that she's hiding? 

MY THOUGHTS

This is a well-developed story with good character sketches and descriptive settings. 

There's a bit of science in the story regarding the bombs and fuze things and honestly I found myself getting bored with those parts.  Probably because I just don't like bombs, war, the science behind it is something I don't fully understand, etc. 

The plot moves quickly though despite the description of the fuze team work and I was intrigued as to where the author was going with the fictional character of Audrey.  There are actual real people who appear in this book: characters that were real, I mean during this time.  One of them is the American, Wesley Bowers. He really did survive, along with only two of the other team members.  The rest of his story in the book is fictionalized. The fictional character Colonel Moore was based on the real person named Stuart Archer, who really did dig the explosive out of a damaged and ticking SC 250 and discovering a new type of fuze because of it. 

The real men who lost their lives that day were William Ash, Leslie Foster, Leslie Hitchcock, Jackie Lewis, and Titchie Websdale.  

The character of Lady Reading is also a real person.  She was  the founder of the Women's Voluntary Services and her background which is described in the story is real. 

Other real people  who are depicted in the story are Bob Davies, Herbert Gough, and the Backroom Boys.  None of these names were ones I knew about regarding WWII and I had never heard anything about the Backroom Boys. 

The gifted German fuze designer, Herbert Ruhlemann, who tried to sell his designs to the British government before the war only to be turned away, then did return to Germany and convinced his own country's leaders of their worth, and therby history was changed. I never knew this!!  This is all discussed in the back of the book under Author's Notes. 

The book deals with trauma and how the brain hides the trauma of the horrible things we see but that eventually it does have to be dealt with. I won't go into the trauma that Audrey witnessed as that would ruin the plot for you. I also am not going to tell you how this book ends but I will say it was unexpected, sad, and just so.....indicative of what war does. 

The very last part of the ending though is wonderful and it raised my rating from an 8 to a 10. It is so well done and everything wraps up so poignantly even though sad. 

 There's a lot of foreshadowing in this book that I loved and there were some good quotes that jumped out at me.  Here are a couple I really liked: 

"...a meaningful life---one in which you step outside of yourself and make a difference in the world---comes only when you face tribulation head-on with determination and perseverance." (pg 41, In Times of Rain and War by Camron Wright, c. 2021)

"....life isn't a scale where the good is balanced against the bad, squaring the sides to declare a winner.  Rather, our experiences, both the despair and the joy, are weighed on the same side, intertwined together to create the thread that weaves the cloth of our lives." (pg 273)

"If this sad and sorry war is teaching me anything, it's that what counts are friendships and family.  They will be the measure of a life well-lived." (pg 289). 

 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older. 

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.

Valentine Nine

I was only 2 years old when the song shown above came out but I liked the questions to today's "Saturday nine" meme so decided to play along. Herb Albert to me is the "Taste of Honey" and I only know this because I had a jazz type album once with it on it. 

Saturday 9: Won't You Be My Valentine? (1961)

 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) Dore Alpert sings that while he considered asking others to be his Valentine, he's sure that this is the girl he wants to love "forever more." What do you think is the secret of a long-lasting romantic relationship?

In my opinion, long lasting relationships are enduring due to good communication skills on both people, along with shared interests as well as outside interests/friends. 

2) Dore is better known as Herb Alpert. He used the name "Dore" early in his career because he thought it was more befitting a teen idol than "Herb." Who made you swoon when you were a teenager?

David Cassidy made me swoon when I was in 6th grade.  Also Andy Gibb and Shaun Cassidy followed by Parker Stevenson and Robbie Benson.  Can you say age 12-13???? 😂

 

3) Herb found he was a better trumpeter than singer. Between 1962 and 1969, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, had 12 consecutive gold albums. They were so popular that in 1966, they sold more records than Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Of those artists (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones), which is your favorite?

the Beatles.  My husband would say it's a tie between Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.  I do like both of them, too Rolling  Stones I can do without although they had a couple songs I liked. 

4) He found his greatest success as an executive. Herb and partner Jerry Moss founded A&M Records and signed an array of talented artists including Cheech and Chong, The Carpenters, and Cat Stevens. Herb was happy to step away from performing and run the record label. Are you comfortable in front of an audience or crowd? Or would you prefer to be behind the scenes?

Of course I'm comfortable in front of a crowd. I had to conduct/lead IEP meetings as a special education PreK teacher, act as a family court advocate for certain students, and perform piano as a piano major. I also was on a music ministry team years ago in various churches in my late 20s/30s and currently I sing with our church choir. We average about 1200 people at the 11 AM service or special services like Xmas Eve or Easter so yes, I'm used to being in front of an audience. 

I like being in charge as well as behind the scenes.  In high school I was often the stage manager, house manager or props manager for our spring musicals. I was only in one play my senior year.  

5) Karen admitted that when The Carpenters were first signed by A&M, she had a crush on Herb and liked his aftershave lotion. Do you usually wear a fragrance?

yes my fragrane is Satsuma:  i have it in perfume, body butter, shower gel.  If I can't get Satsuma then some other combo of orange/lemon/citrus is what I lean towards. Fresh and crisp. Other scents I like (these are my Spring ones): Peach, Cherry Blossom, Jasmine.  In the summer, because I do a lot of hiking in the woods/mountains and scents are to be avoided as they do attract bears, I typically use an unscented deodorant or a very light fragrance like Avon's Skin so Soft body lotion as that also helps to keep biting insects away.  For my hair I use a purple shampoo for my silver tresses that smells like wildflowers or a coconut/lychee scent by Raw Sugar. I also like jasmine scented body sprays for summer leading into Autumn.  But usually....it's something orange-y/lemon-y. 

This is our Valentine's Day Saturday 9 and so this morning we shall focus on the holiday. 

6) The holiday is also known as The Feast of St. Valentine. Do you have a special meal planned for February 14?

We decided that if we don't go out to breakfast or brunch, we will order from my fave Italian restaurant and bring it home to have picnic style in the family room. We are also making our own hot fudge sundaes with oat milk ice cream (mint chocolate chip and mocha fudge are the choices). 

7) Thames River Cruises offers special dinner cruises for Valentine's Day that give lovers a view of London. Some cruises offer live jazz, others classical music. Which would you prefer: jazz or classical?

I'd like both!!  I love classical of course and jazz is wonderful. in fact, we had a dinner cruise down the Hudson one year and the band was all jazz.  Super fun!

 

8) Women buy and send more Valentines than men do. Who received the last greeting card you sent?

My friend Ann in Ohio got the last card I sent. It included a gift card as she won a contest I was having on facebook. 

9) Men buy and send more roses at Valentine's Day than women do. What's your favorite flower?

My fave flowers are tulips but I also really love the wildflower known as "Indian paintbrushes" (found in the Adirondack mountains) and trillium, another wildflower in the mountains. 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

OLYMPIC WEEK FAVES

I for one am glad it's Friday.  It's been a long, kind of slow and boring week for me. I was fighting my first head cold (started on Saturday with very mild sore throat) since 2018!  The last time I was sick, was when Dave and I both had covid during my Winter Break in February 2023.  I'm thankful I don't get sick often and that the head cold was pretty much over with by Wednesday evening...so...I need to be intentional about finding the blessings this week because honestly, the week sure did seem to drag. 

I'm sharing FIVE blessings that make my "Faves" list and joining up with other grateful bloggers over at this site, hosted by Susanne. Join us!

• OLYMPIC OPENING!  I settled onto the couch last Friday evening with a wine spritzer Dave made me after dinner and a warm, fleece blanket to watch the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics. I loved it. Class act this year!  I loved the theme of creativity with harmony and all of the Italian culture that was represented but most especially the 3 Italian composers (Verdi, Rossini, and Puccini) who were depicted. It was so well done!  Much classier than the last couple of opening ceremonies for sure. (this is my opinion).  I didn't think the coming together of the 5 rings looked like a pentagram at all although I know certain groups are saying it was a satanic symbol.  How sad that they can't see it for the beauty and symmetry that it was intended to be!!  Our world sure does love controversy doesn't it? how sad.  But I'm thankful that I personally didn't see it that way at all...I thought it was a beautiful piece of Italian art and the music was gorgeous.  I've enjoyed watching some of the highlights at 8 pm this week: alpine skiing, cross country ski racing, figure skating. I'm thankful for the unity of the Olympics and the hard work and talents of the athletes. 

backyard on a warmer Wednesday 

• FLAG FOUND!  About a week ago the little Valentine garden flag I had in the front yard blew away and I thought it was lost down the street somewhere. It was far too bitter  cold to go searching for it so I gave it up as lost and told myself well....there goes the $12 I spent. When I went out to re-fill the bird feeders on Wednesday morning (because it was warmer!), there was the flag stuck to the side of the house between  the siding and the gutter pipe.  I gently peeled it off the pipe/house and brought it inside to thaw out.  I put it up again on a different garden pole in the backyard which gets less wind than the front yard. I like the cheerful color  with the white snow. I'm thankful I found our little flag and that the temps have warmed up to the mid to high 30s this week, finally!

more clothing donations

• ERRANDS DONE:  Because the head cold was finally pretty much gone by Wednesday, I was able to get out and do a couple of errands: return books to the library and get 2 more; take Dave down to our mechanic so he could pick up his car from a needed repair; and bring a huge trash bag full of donated clothes to the local thrift shop.  Most of the clothes in the bag were old clothes I used to wear to teach in:   3 pairs of nice jeans, pants, blouses and tunics, a couple of dresses and skirts, leggings, and a couple of nice short sleeved summer shirts. These were all things I hadn't worn in the last year and know I most likely never will in the future. A couple of things were brand new and I maybe wore them just a few times. I'm thankful I had a half day to purge the closet and trunk. 

pots, frying pans, covers, small glass containers

mixing bowls, stock pot
slow cooker and
in the far left of this corner  cupboard:
large plastic bowls and party platters

the microwave cart now has the cereals and crackers on the bottom shelf
healthy snacks like protein bars, nuts, quinoa chips on the upper shelf
Drawer holds foil, waxed paper, freezer baggies, extra pot holders

• CUPBOARDS CLEANED:  Usually I wait until  Spring to thoroughly clean out some  cupboards but this week, because of the bitter cold and my own head cold, I stayed indoors and decided to go through the bottom cupboards/corner cupboard and re-organize all the cookware. It felt so good to do this! I used a lightly scented Mrs Murphy's spray on the shelves. I like the end result and even Dave likes it better (he could usually care less about how I arrange the cupboards). (note: I also love the lemon verbena hand soap scent for using in the kitchen...the one I used for cleaning cupboards and counters is Rain Water).  Since we no longer buy lots of processed snack foods or store bought cereals, I was able to utilize the lower part of the microwave cart for this. In the plastic bin on the higher shelf (to the right) we have a variety of low sugar protein bars, boxes of raisins, nut mixes, and low sugar fig bars.  We keep these stocked for tossing into our beach bag or hiking backpack. Dave also likes them in his work lunches. Sometimes I'll grab a protein bar, fruit,  and sparkling water for lunch in place of a salad or sandwich. I'm thankful this chore is done.  

• COFFEE and READING:  One of the errands I had to run this week was to  purchase a gift certificate for my oldest daughter for Valentine's Day.  This year I went with gift cards for both girls.  Courtney first introduced me to this fave coffee shop awhile ago and now that they're in the new space in the town just to the north of us, I head there at least once a week for a coffee and my book or Bible study. This week I brought a library book I was finishing up.  I spent a wonderful 45 minutes nibbling on one of the almond croissants and a maple latte. (my lunch) There's a book section where you can borrow a book while in there or you can buy certain ones. Many are used.  They also sell some local artists'  wares (goat's milk soaps/lotions; jewelry; small tote bags; candles) and not only do they have nice tables for 2-6 people, but they also have cozy armchairs spread around the  cafe. I love it. I'm thankful I had this break in my routine. 

Those are the simple things that made me smile this week...just simple blessings but they all warmed my heart. 

I hope whatever you have planned for Valentine's Day, if you celebrate it, that it's a memorable day for you.