Sound Off - Wednesday Hodgepodge

A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!

Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  America celebrates turning 250 years old this year. Primary cities set to lead the celebrations on July 4th are Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C. Other significant locations for celebrating will be Charleston SC and the 'historic triangle' which includes Jamestown-Williamsburg-Yorktown Virginia.

Of the cities listed, how many have you seen in person? Of the cities listed which would you most like to visit this year? Any plans to do so? What's one place in America you think everyone should see? If you're not American what's one place in the US you'd like to see?

 

I have driven through Boston, but we didn't have time to really see anything there. I've been to Philadelphia quite a few times as we lived in south Jersey for a few years. We've visited New York a couple of times. We lived in Maryland for about twenty-six years, so I've also been to Washington DC many times. I haven't been to Charleston or the 'historic triangle'. Yet. Jamestown-Williamsburg-Yorktown is the area on the list I'd most like to visit, although it's very unlikely to happen this year. I do think all Americans should visit Washington DC at least once. See the Capitol building and the White House at least from the outside. Definitely see the Lincoln Memorial and the war memorials on the Mall. Pick one or two of the Smithshonian Museums to vist. Must see. And while you're in that general area, you should also visit one of the national battlefields from the War Between the States - Monocacy, Antietam, Manassas, Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania, Harpers Ferry, and Gettysburg are all in that general area. Different war, but Fort McHenry in nearby Baltimore is also very interesting.

 

2. Three sounds you love to hear?

Happy giggles from a little kid (especially if it's my granddaughter), birdsong and birdcalls (even crows and jays!), rain on the roof of a covered porch.

3. Three sounds you hate to hear?

 Crunching or scraping metal (sounds like a vehicle accident), sound system feedback, a fork scraping a plate. I would have said nails on a chalkboard, but thankfully that's a seldom heard sound any more, with whiteboards and electronic chalkboards being more common.

4.  February 24th is/was National Tortilla Chip Day. Are you a fan? With salsa, guacamole, queso, or just plain please? Do you like nachos? with what on top? Is there anything (besides nachos) you make that calls for tortilla chips?

 I do like tortilla chips, but they're not often my first choice. I like them best with queso or plain, but I also like them with a little salsa. I don't eat guac. I really like nachos, and my favorite toppings are meat (burrito beef), lots of cheese, sour cream, and a little hot sauce. We use tortilla chips to scoop up Vault Dip* or buffalo chicken dip, but off the top of my head I can't think of anything that calls for the tortilla chips as an actual ingredient.

*see the random thought for info about Vault Dip

 

5.  We March into March with next week's Hodgepodge . . . what's one thing on your March calendar that makes you smile?

 St Patricks Day makes me smile because my annual box of Lucky Charms is such a treat. Other things on my calendar that bring a smile are: a one-day women's conference I'm planning to attend, a Blue Jackets game, and Sweet Adelines Regional Convention. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Vault Dip is a very simple crockpot appetizer dip - scrambled fried ground beef, shredded cheese, and canned chili/tomatoes (Rotel) seasoned with lots of chili powder and some hot sauce. It got its name because I used to make it regularly to serve at church youth group when I was a youth leader. Our youth building was a renovated bank building so it was named The Vault, and the youth group is known as Vault Youth. Obviously all four of our kids were members of Vault Youth during their teen years, and my husband and I both were adult sponsors/leaders for the group for years. I loved hanging out with those kids and Vault was so much fun. Crazy to think that the teens I worked with are all grown up and many have families of their own now. My own former Vault Youth kids have all taken their turn serving as kids or youth ministry volunteers, and are all servant leaders in their church now. The son pictured below in one of the Vault t-shirts is now a church board member!

My son wearing his Vault Youth t-shirt - 10 years ago!

How would you sound off on any of the questions? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm sharing in this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.

I host the Wednesday Quotes link-up every other Wednesday. Stop by and share a few thoughts and quotes on the current topic here: WQ - Living Responsibly. I host the Everyday Images photo link-up every other Thursday. And find the Scripture and a Snapshot link-up here every Sunday.

 Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to A Fresh Cup of Coffee by email. 

 ©2006-2026 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

 This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.