It’s the Merry Month of May and time for our first May Hodgepodge. Thank you to Jo From This Side of the Pond for the timely questions.
I’ll be using photos from my archives for many posts until I can figure out how to be able to add more media to my site. Such a revolting development.
1. Mayday! Mayday!…when was the last time (or a recent time) you literally or figuratively needed to call for help? Elaborate.
A few months back we had to call our son to help with our water heater that wasn’t putting out any hot water. Brrr. He was a huge help scraping out a bunch of residue and helping Greg with draining the thing and installing some new parts.
2. May Day…when was the last time you danced?
At our brother and sister’s 60th birthday party at a ranch in Texas on July 29th 2023 we enjoyed some line dancing.
Do you have a lot of baskets?
I have a few baskets.
What’s something you keep in a basket?
Napkin rings. I have a lot of napkin rings, y’all. I have sets in ziplock bags. Sets of 4, sets of 6, sets of 8, sets of 10, sets of 12 and some sets over 12. Sets of 6 and under are in a basket. Sets of 8 are in a basket. Sets of 10 and over are in a basket.
What’s your favorite purple flower?
Oh, this is a hard one. I love purple flowers. I’ll go with lavender even though we won’t see fields like these until July.
This collage is from several years ago at the Annual lavender festival held in Sequim, Washington.
3. What’s something you may do this month?
We might be putting out our outdoor furniture soon.
4. Do you like eggplant? Quick topic changes lol? If you said yes in answer to the eggplant question how do you like yours prepared? Of the following purple foods, which one is your favorite…plums, purple carrots, purple asparagus, eggplant, acai berries, blackberries, purple cauliflower, elderberries, purple potatoes, or passion fruit?
Not a huge fan of eggplant and I don’t think I’ve ever cooked eggplant. In my Russian culinary heritage there is a dish called Ikra that is a popular dish to spread on bread or crackers to enjoy, an eggplant caviar. My mother did make it and my sister Vera has made it. The recipe is in our family cookbook that Vera put together.
- 1 eggplant, peeled and chopped
- 1-2 carrots, grated
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 can tomato sauce
- Saute onion in oil until tender.
- Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until eggplant is soft, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
- If it gets too dry, add more tomato sauce.
- Another method is to bake the eggplant in the oven until it is soft and then peel and chop it. This will reduce the simmering time.
From the list of purple things, Blackberries are my favorite.
5. The calendar turns on Hodgepodge Day…
“Then you have to remember to be thankful; but in May one simply can’t help being thankful that they are alive, if for nothing else.”-L.M. Montgomery
Tell us one thing you’re thankful for today.
Just one!? I’m thankful for how our Grands are growing and learning about our God who created them and loves them.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Tonight is Awana Awards night. These photos are from the last couple years. JJ graduates from Cubbies tonight and next year he’ll be a Sparky. Addy will get some awards tonight because she finished all her books and all her verses and then did some extra books and verses! She will still be a Sparky next year.
This is Addy two years ago when she was still a Cubby.
Happy May everyone!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
I love purple flowers too. At the moment the purple flowers of the honesty are glorious. Hope you get your photo problem sorted very soon. So annoying for you. B x
…I wish you a magnificent May!
Happy May to you Ellen!
Cute photos of your grands!
I love the purple flowers, especially lavender.
Take care, have a great day!
Wow they still have Awana? I did that when I was in elementary school. I went with a friend and I remember not much caring about the religious stuff (since I went every Sunday anyway as we are Catholic) but I loved that we did physical races and stuff first, then memorized bible verses, which I was really good at.
I’m realizing reading the HP today that I love all the purple flowers : ) Hubs is cleaning the porch furniture (and porches ) today. Gotta wash away all the accumulated pollen and it’s a big job. I’m thankful he takes it on. Have a great day!
I think Lavender is beautiful, too! We (Mark) did a big porch and outdoor furniture cleaning last week which is what is prompting me to make some new cushions for part of our furniture. I grew up in a Baptist church until I was in my early 20’s and I was a part of GA’s and always loved it. I wonder if it is similar to Awanas?
Fun post! I couldn’t fit the Hodgepodge in today, but I always love reading it. Yes, purple flowers are all lovely. Lilacs, like we have here, with their lovely scent, may be my favorite ones. Lavender too but we don’t see it here like you do in your state. Loved your photos too! The grandkids are the cutest.
I’m enjoying seeing everyone’s choice for purple flowers. They are all beautiful. I chose lilacs because they smell so good. That’s so awesome that your grands are learning all those verses. What a great foundation. Hoping you are having a wonderful day.
Yeah, I’d say you must be a napkin ring collector! I don’t own any!
Your eggplant caviar I know I would like. It sounds delish. Aww, my boys used to be in Awanas. I’m glad they still have it.
I’ve not thought about napkin rings in years! They were always a staple in my parent’s home and used, no matter what the occasion. Now I wonder whatever happened to them. Because I love cloth napkins, I’ve an urge to buy myself a set, “just because.”
Enjoy the wonderful month of May!
How wonderful to have that help from your son. That party looks like it was fun. You certainly do have a lot of napkin rings. I forgot about a few of the baskets I use for napkins and paper plates. Lavender is a great answer. We went a field years ago and it was so pretty. The pictures are all so cute and nothing is better than having your grands.
And a happy May to you!