Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Home For the 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.  What's one piece of advice you would give a recent or soon-to-be graduate?
 
Choose your college or career path based on what you feel called to spend your life doing, and don't feel pressured to go to college just because that's what's expected of you. And don't feel rushed into making those decisions if you're not sure yet. Now is the time to really "guard your heart" as you're starting to strike out on your own, and that doesn't just mean to be careful who you're dating! It's about guarding your mind and thought patterns and influences, because that's what will shape your life choices. 
 
2. May 15th marks the birth date of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. At this point in time are you more in need of brains, courage, heart, or a trip back home? Explain.

I could use some courage to fortify me for the task of packing up and preparing for a move. It's not that it's scaring me, but it seems overwhelming. And I'd always be up for a trip back home, but at the moment, I'm just over a month away from being together with all my kids and my parents, and the move happens first, so courage it is.

3. "There's no place like home" is an oft repeated line from Baum's book. When was the last time you felt the truth of that statement?

 Probably on our last trip "back home" to Maryland. It's so good to be there in the house where we raised our family, and where our son is now raising his family. So good to be with the family that we love so much and wish we lived closer to. But it is also good to come back home to where we live now, which is also home. It brings to mind another oft repeated line: "Home is where the heart is" and is a reminder that home is more than just a place, and can be more than just one place too.

This is home . . .

and so is this, for now . . .


4.  May is National BBQ Month . . . do you own a grill? Who does the grilling at your house? What's your favorite thing to throw on the grill? What's the last thing you grilled?

We sure do own a grill, and generally we use it quite a bit during the warmer parts of the year. My hubby is the grill master, but we tag team on a lot of the grilled meals. I prep the food, marinate or rub the meat and then hand it off to hubby to actually throw on the grill and tend while I do any meal prep that needs to be done in the kitchen. Ours is a pellet grill that is also a smoker, so we very often smoke meat as well. My favorite thing to do on the grill is burgers, because they're quick and foolproof, and I think I could eat cheeseburgers every other night and be perfectly happy. Don't get me wrong, I love steak, and kebabs (especially lamb kebabs) and brats or dogs; and I love smoked meats, but you just can't go wrong with a simple cheeseburger. I'm pretty sure burgers were the most recent thing we did on the grill, actually. We haven't had a whole lot of nice days for grilling so far this season.

5.  What's a memory you replay in your head when you need a little joy?

 I don't know that I have one specific memory I keep going back to, but happy memories like having the whole family together for a special occasion or at a vacation house doing something fun. In keeping with the theme this Hodgepodge has, the potential bittersweet of savoring those happy memories is that it might also make me a little homesick for my people.






6. Insert your own random thought here.

This past weekend the family here let me choose our Saturday adventure in honor of Mother's Day. We went to Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs and wound up on a slightly more challenging hike than we'd anticipated, but it was a lot of fun, and I think there was a sense of accomplishment that we did all that climbing and stream-fording. We wished there would have been a spectacular view at the apex of the trail, but that wasn't the kind of route we were on. Dinner was at Ye Olde Trail Tavern, which I'm told is the oldest restaurant in Ohio. 






What does "Home" mean to you? Leave a comment and let me know!



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 - Family Ties. I host the Everyday Images photo link-up every other Thursday. And find the Scripture and a Snapshot link-up here every Sunday.



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Simple Meal Planning - Plan to Eat

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