Hosted by Joyce.
1. Tell us a little bit about the best birthday you've ever had. It would have to be this past one in July. It was during our Scotland trip and we made a very special day of it. We got tickets on the Scotrail from Fort William to Mallaig, a seacoast town in the north of Scotland very near the Isle of Skye.
2. In what way(s) have you changed in the last five years?
I think I have mellowed out a bit. Those thirty years of teaching school were special, but after retirement I realized just how much they had changed me. I was uptight and it had actually affected my nerves. But in these last five years I have become much more calm and trusting the Lord in all things. Oh, there has been spiritual testing , especially in my health, but in every circumstance He has proven to me to be my faithful strong tower , seeing me through each struggle and bringing me through each one. Those tests have proven me to be so trusting of God and His love for me that now I can face victoriously any thing the world throws at me!
3. What's your favorite thing about the street on which you live? I was thinking just the other day that in some ways I wish we were a close neighborhood where we knew our neighbors well , but at the same time I love the privacy we enjoy. I can name our side neighbors, the ones directly behind us, but generally, this isn’t a friendly neighborhood. One neighbor is sweet and between us we send Christmas baked goodies back and forth. We have seen the neighborhood go from lots of kids, to teenagers to a bunch of oldies but goodies in our nigh unto 40 years here! It is now showing more and more school kids walking to the school right across the road from our home. I am glad we live well back from the street with many oak trees that give us ample privacy from all sides.
4. The Hodgepodge lands on National Beer Day...are you a beer drinker? What's a recipe you make that lists beer as one of the ingredients? If not beer, how about yeast?I suppose it is confession time. There is beer , and there is beer. I hate American beer. But when we lived in Germany, to drink the water brought on terrible sickness, so everyone drank beer, it was a much milder beer and we just got used to drinking it. We felt it was better than sugary drinks. When we were in Ireland I drank a Guinness and thought it was most enjoyable. But not generally!
5. As I grow older I would like to be a woman (or man, if there are any men in the HP today) who __lives a life that demonstrates the love of Christ and others need for Christ in their life. Truly, I do not understand how anyone without Christ can live with any peace of mind or spirit in the wicked world in which we live.
6. Insert your own random thought here. One never knows what on earth they will find when they rip out some section of their home to redo and make it better. Our window seat was built over the radiator which never put out enough heat in this room to really be comfortable in the dead of winter. Besides the two double hung windows seemed to make the room ever cooler. So after nigh unto 40 years of putting up with it we finally had the impetus to do something about it. So Lynn ripped out the wooden seat which covered the whole radiator. That radiator was hideous, so grimy and it actually reminded me if a swamp creature of the black lagoon!
Actually , Lynn vacuumed and scrubbed it clean so it is ready to be painted now , and even though we had originally thought we would finish the job by recreating a bench topper that has a lift hinge built in so it could be lifted in winter, but now we are planning to go ahead and paint the radiator teal and then finish off the inside ends of the book cases and call it a day. The plantation shutter folks will be here early next week, and by waiting for a spell on the seat, we can better come up with a structural plan. I think Lynn hopes I’ll love it more without a seat! Uh, don’t count on it!
Your photos are gorgeous! My grandmother is from Scotland and always said the Isle of Skye was one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
ReplyDeleteOh I agree, I don't know how people get through these very topsy turvy times without trusting God is overallm the He is with us as we navigate the turbulence that is 2022. Your photos from Scotland are beautiful. I love the countryside there too.
ReplyDeleteYour Scotland trip sounds amazing. You really did see some iconic sites. Glad that since your retirement you have become more peaceful. I'm with you on not understanding how people can live without Christ. We will be enjoying pints or half-pints of brew soon when we arrive in the land of Pubs. Hope the rest of your week goes well.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos of your trip and of your family. You look so happy in them too. I hope you show pictures of the radiator when its all done. I think the plans sound wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI recently watched a documentary on the Scotrail and the Glenfinnin Viaduct! It's beautiful country! I can relate, well, I think I would relate to the mellowing out in retirement. My job the last 4 years has been extremely stressful and I can't wait for retirement! Only a couple more years! :)
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