A Thoughtful Hodgepodge

It's time again to visit with friends on the Wednesday Hodgepodge.  If you are interested in seeing how others answer Joyce's questions, Click Here!

1. What's a characteristic you admire in others? Elaborate.

Thoughtfulness!

This is just not my gift, but I do so admire others who give graciously and without effort.  I have friends who always think of the most thoughtful things to do for others, such as preparing a meal, giving a simple gift, or sending a card.  I have even been the recipient of such thoughtfulness, and wonder what made them think of that?  I marvel and wonder, "Why didn't I think of doing that?"  But it never crosses my mind.  I do try to do nice things, when I think about it, and am an encourager in other ways, but I really do admire those who have this natural gift without effort.

 

2. Do you have a favorite mug? Let's see it. Why is this one your favorite? 

I rarely drink out of a mug; instead, I have my morning hot drink from my Yeti.

3. July 15th is/was National Give Something Away Day...will you (or did you, depending on what day you answer these questions) give something away? If so what? Do you regularly give away or do you tend to  'accumulate'?

 I did not give anything away today, as I write this.  When we clean out our closets, we donate to our church's mission dumpster near our house.  We don't normally accumulate and try to clear out what we no longer use at least twice a year. 

4. You're planning a trip. Do you prefer exploring big cities or smaller, more off the grid towns? World Atlas lists these 12 'off the grid' towns to see in 2025. How many on the list have you seen? Of those listed which one would you most like to visit? Tell us why? 

Boothbay Harbor Maine, Middlebury Vermont, New Hope Pennsylvania, Rehoboth Beach Delaware, Brevard North Carolina, Saugatuck Michigan, Medora North Dakota, Ouray Colorado, Lamoille Nevada, Neah Bay Washington, Hood River Oregon, or Cambria California

*You can read more about each destination by clicking the link above. 

We are more off-the-grid travelers.  From the list, we have visited Saugatuck, MI, several times and always enjoy this delightful town.  There are other harbor towns along Lake Michigan that we also enjoy.  We have also been to Ouray, CO, and love its quaintness and especially the Million Dollar Highway we travel to get there.  We have driven through Brevard, NC, but did not spend time there.

As we have not traveled in the Northeast, any of those towns would be great to visit.

5. Have you ever...ridden a motorcycle?  Yes

been to a Disney park?  No

met a celebrity?  Yes

won a contest?  Yes

Tell us something about whatever you answered yes to on this list.

 

My husband owned a motorcycle, and I rode it daily for a year to the bus barn where my school bus was parked.  It was not my favorite mode of transportation, and I especially felt extremely vulnerable after driving a 60-passenger International Blue Bird bus.

I am not a celebrity hog, so do not seek them out.

I attended an event where Tim Tebow's mother was the featured speaker.  She was delightful, and though not really a celebrity, it was a pleasure to meet her.  

The most recent is Scott Turner (I don't think he would consider himself a celebrity), the current U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.  He was one of the pastors at our church before his appointment to the Trump cabinet.  

I was Homecoming Queen my senior year in high school; in college, I was voted "Miss LSUA" for this country freshman, which was an honor.  I then won the "Miss Rapides Parish" contest.  Several years later, I won a blue ribbon at our local parish fair for my cornbread.  How about that?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

These are pictures to prove it, except for the cornbread one.

High School Homecoming 1962

Miss LSUA 1963

Miss Rapides Parish 1964

In Times of Trouble

Last summer, we made a trip into the beautiful Hill Country of Central Texas.  One day, we took a drive through the Guadalupe River area.  It was the most interesting, winding road that followed the path of this pretty, flowing river.  There are camps, homes, and campgrounds all along the edge of the river, where people flock to on weekends and especially on holidays.  Having seen this area personally, it is easy to understand how a flash flood of such magnitude could absolutely overwhelm those who are there.  May God bless the people of Central Texas.

1. What's an adult problem nobody prepared you for? 

How to graciously deal with the limitations that come with being 80+, even though my mother was a great example.

2. How tuned in are you to all the recent food related health news? Have you gotten rid of your scratched cookware? Did you pay attention to food additives before they made the news? What's one healthy eating/cooking/food shopping habit you need to adopt?

Obviously, I am not tuned in at all.  What health news?  I thought that the more scratched and dented our pots and pans were, the more confident we became as cooks.  Neither have I been overly concerned with additives, and to the dismay of some, we use food past the "Best used by" date.  At this point, I am not planning to change any habits.  We eat and cook as healthy as both of us desire, and I am not about to change Dick's shopping habits.

3. What's getting worse and worse as you get older? How about better and better?

Patriotism!  I find it appalling that so many young adults no longer have any national pride or love for their country.  How can we expect things to improve when so many people are unwilling to make a positive difference?

There seems to be a spiritual revival among many young college students.  This week, over 300 youth and adults from our church will be going to the UK to minister through music and personal encounters.  I find this encouraging, and am so proud that our youngest granddaughter will be among them.

4. Are you more of an indoor person or an outdoor person? Elaborate. 

These days, I am more of an inside person, but that's simply because I'm old and can't stand the heat.

5. If you had an expert personal assistant today, what would you have them do?

Clean the bathrooms and change the sheets.  I'm sure with her extra time, she could cook and do the floors as well.

 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

On July 4th, the Hill Country in Central Texas experienced the most devastating historical floods, taking the lives of more than 100 children and adults.  There have been both heartbreaking and inspirational stories to come from this horrible experience, such as finding the bodies of sisters aged 11 and 8 still clutching hands.  Or the family of six, whose bodies were still enveloped in the arms of the daddy.  There was the rescue of a young girl from a tree 13 miles from her camp.  And so many more who are still missing.

Through the most disastrous times of our lives, we have a choice: to believe in faith that there is still a loving God who will carry us through in His arms, or reject the idea of a loving God and seek answers and comfort elsewhere.  Thankfully, many of these families know the God of truth and loving kindness, even in times such as these. May we all be as strong.

A Blog Post 10 Years Ago

I thought it would be interesting to look back and see what I was doing 20 years ago today.  Not much has changed.

Women Over 50 or 60 or 70 or....

 Elizabeth "Libby" Day  7/06/2015

As a general rule, I believe women over-60 are more comfortable in their skin than younger women. Why do you think that may be?  Well, I've given it some thought, and have come to a very simple conclusion.

Wisdom, maturity and fulfillment are huge boosts to one's sense of well-being.

Usually, by the time a woman turns that big age corner, she has achieved a degree of wisdom in at least one subject.  If she has been married for a while, then she is wise regarding the male species; if she mothered at least one child, then she is wise enough to not have any more at the age of 60.

Maturity is not necessarily the same as wisdom.  Maturity means one does not have to wear the latest fashion trend any longer; she can wear red lipstick to the grocery store if she wants to; and she can embrace every wrinkle or ounce of cellulite because she knows shes earned them.

Fulfillment comes with having done just about all the hard stuff life requires before getting old.

We have time to enjoy being alone or with carefully selected friends.

By now, we have a pretty good idea of what is important in life and can let go of what isn't.

 We still care about staying healthy and living long enough to enjoy our great-grand children.

We no longer have to fit into an expected mold but can be free to express ourselves as we feel comfortable and appropriate for us.

We 60 and above aged women are a very blessed age group, I think.  And, I love it!

There are a few things though that I think are worth thinking about regarding clothing for us wise, mature and fulfilled women.

The challenge, I think is simply finding wearable, modern clothes to fit my lifestyle, budget and figure.

Keeping up with trends can be even more difficult because many fashion magazines ignore women over a certain age.

 

As a matter of fact, practically any fashion trend can be adapted if you know some general guidelines.

Some Real Quick Tips:

•  To keep current, dressing sexy doesn't mean you have to bare every body part.
• Show your sensuality with luxe fabrics (silk, leather, cashmere, fur) and rich colors (wine, chocolate, plum, champagne and midnight).
• Watch your handbag: it is usually a dead giveaway to your age - proportion to your size.
• Know that today you don't have to trade style for comfort and ease. Shop for wearable, updated shoes. Wear stretch fabrics whenever possible.
• Use accessories to create maximum impact.

• 
  Getting older and looking great while you're getting there can be a challenge but an exciting one.

Here are some Don'ts:

Be healthy but Don't get too skinny and don't gain too much weight!

Don't wear baggy, shapeless clothes, but tunics are a great item for all shapes.

Don't wear ditsy and fussy prints like tiny florals.

Don't wear overdone, fussy styles or details (gold buttons, gold trim, etc.). They are terribly aging.

Don't think you have to wear skirt suits.  Pants are generally much more youthful.

Don't shy away from all black.

Don't expose your upper arms and neck: these are both tricky areas for most women over a certain age.

Don't wear fussy, frilly evening attire. Go for tailored instead!

Now some Do's:

• Do think young. Be unpredictable.
• Do effect a natural look in beauty.
• And finally, Do follow the old adage: Aging is a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!

Every day is a gift so wrap it up and make it special!