Category Archives: Blog Carnival

Not For Granted Hodgepodge

Speaking of gratitude, thank you Jo From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. Are you too hard on yourself or not hard enough? Elaborate. 

It really depends on where I failed. If I hurt someone else I’ll be harder on myself. I can really give myself a lot of slack in other areas.

2. What’s the role of gratitude in your life? 

Gratitude plays a central role in my life. Everything I have comes from the goodness of God and the more I’m conscious of that, the more grateful and content I am. God is holy, I am not. Peace with God comes from belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for sin. Turning from that sin and believing in Jesus leads to the forgiveness I need and a lot of peace and generosity in my life. I am grateful for Jesus Christ who is my greatest treasure.

3. Where do you get your news these days? How much attention are you giving it currently? 

We’ve gravitated away from watching daily news. We’ll get some news on the internet. We don’t listen to the major networks. We might tune into Newsmax or Fox News when something major happens but not day to day. Generally it seems we get a little news with lots and lots of opinions. We get family news via texts unless it is something major and deserves a phone call. I have a What’s App group that I get daily friendship news from, too. Keeping up with bloggers and what is going on in their lives through their posts is another kind of news gathering I appreciate.

4. Do you like potatoes? Last time you prepared potatoes in some way? Which of the following is your favorite…baked potato, mashed potato, french fried potato, sweet potato, hash brown potatoes, roasted potatoes, or potato salad? 

I like potatoes in all these ways. The last potatoes we had were diced new potatoes in homemade chicken pot pie.

5. Are you a veteran? Are there any veterans in your family? Will you do anything special to honor them on Veteran’s Day/Remembrance Day this year? 

Our son-in-law Andrew is a Veteran and the only one in our little family. Greg’s father served in WWII but he was called up to heaven in 1985. We will give Andrew a shout out and thank him on Veteran’s day but we won’t be seeing him in person until Thanksgiving. Thank you for your service in the Marines, Andrew. We love and appreciate you and are grateful for all you have done for our country. We are sorry for all the aches and pains you continue to endure because of that service.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I’m always impressed with how the United Kingdom honors their veterans and all they do for Remembrance Day. We’ve seen tributes in many if not all of the towns and villages we’ve visited in the United Kingdom.

Speaking of remembering, November 5th marked the one year anniversary of Greg’s stroke. We are so grateful to God that Greg is alive and well and that we could celebrate the anniversary with him on this earth. Grateful for all the days God gives us.

Grateful Hodgepodge

Time for Wednesday Hodgepodge with a new set of questions that Joyce From This Side of the Pond is asking.

1. Besides Thanksgiving (in the USA) what’s one thing you’re looking forward to in November? 

Cozy clothes and sitting by a fire.

2. Do you like candles? Your favorite scent? How often do you burn a candle in your home? 

I do like candles and I enjoy soft scents not overly sweet scents. We do not burn scented candles often but we do burn lots of birthday candles.

3. What gadgets did you use today? 

A Sonicare toothbrush, a wooden spoon, and a measuring cup. A low gadget day. 🙂

4. This question is a repeat from one asked in November of 2014, but I liked it so it’s coming round again. Many of you weren’t here in 2014. Okay, you can have fifty pounds of something (anything but money)…what will you choose?

If gasoline came in pounds, I’d choose fifty pounds of gasoline for my car and lawnmower. Since it doesn’t, I’ll pick fifty pounds of flour.

Also, since I mentioned it…what were you up to in November of 2014? 

In November of 2014 we were still living in Western Washington. We were getting to know our future daughter-in-law. Our son asked her to marry him soon after Thanksgiving.

5. ‘Tis the season…what’s something you’re feeling especially grateful for today? 

I posted this quote from Martin Luther on Facebook Tuesday which was when I was working on the Hodgepodge. Yesterday was Reformation Day.

“Lord Jesus, You are my righteousness; I am Your sin. You took on You what was mine, yet set on me what was Yours. You became what You were not, that I might become what I was not.” – Martin Luther
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Thank you, Jesus!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Some Halloween shenanigans from yesterday, Beetlejuice, Barbie, Bowling crew…the pin, the bowling ball and the bowler, a cat and random wig guy.
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Welcome November!

Artsy Hodgepodge

We have visited some art museums in our travels and a local one in Seattle when we lived on that side of the state. The piece above stood out to me on one of our visits. The description of this piece reads “One of the most penetrating portraitists of the seventeenth century, Phillipe de Champaigne assimilated his observations of real people into religious paintings giving them a down-to-earth quality. Here, the central focus is the aged face of Elizabeth, as she affectionately greets her younger cousin, the Virgin Mary. According to the Gospel of Luke, both women were pregnant–Elizabeth with John the Baptist and Mary with Jesus. For Christians, their meeting symbolized the transition from the Old Law to the New Law of Christianity.”

Thank you to Joyce for Hodgepodge Wednesday. Here are this weeks questions to ponder.

1. October 25th is International Artists Day…do you have a favorite artist? If so tell us who and why.

I enjoy Impressionists like Renoir or Monet.

2. Would you describe yourself as artistic? Elaborate.

No, and here is an example of my flop of a craft project…

Mine is the angry matryoshka on the far right. Everyone else had a cute result.

3. What’s a skill, task, hobby, or job you’ve done so often you now have it ‘down to a fine art’?

Setting a table…

4. How often do you dine out? Fast food, fine dining, or somewhere in between? Tell us about a less than stellar restaurant experience you’ve had recently (or not so recently if that’s easier).

We probably eat out once a week even though our choices are very limited here in Colville.

My less than stellar experiences are mostly my fault because I order the wrong item.

The latest less than stellar experience was not noticing that the waitress gave us the wrong bill and a week later when looking at the receipt I realized that error. We were suffering from jetlag and our brains were not up to par.

5. Do you celebrate Halloween? To what extent? Are there trick or treaters where you live?

We love trick or treaters but decor and celebrations are on the down low.  Now that we live farther from the city and on a country road we do not get trick or treaters except for our grandchildren who dress up with their parents and come over for treats!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Our larches have turned golden…

Enjoy the end of October y’all!

We’re Still Lagging Hodgepodge

Jet Lag ~ Jet lag is caused by a mismatch between a person’s normal daily rhythms and a new time zone. It is a temporary sleep problem that usually occurs when you travel across more than three time zones but can affect anyone who travels across multiple time zones. Jet lag can affect your mood, your ability to concentrate, and your physical and mental performance.

It’s time again for Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce From This Side of the Pond for the questions!

1. What’s something that scares you? 

Snakes, wild animals and stupid drivers.

2. Do you care where the food you eat comes from? To what degree? 

I prefer local food especially when it comes to produce and fresh fruit. I want meat from U.S. ranchers. I prefer food canned and bottled and packaged that comes from the USA or Canada. Mexico is fine for certain products that we enjoy, too. I am not obsessive about it. I pray over the food I eat and ask God to protect me from evil. 🙂

3. What’s something you wish you’d spent more time doing when you were younger? 

Memorizing more Bible Verses while my brain was sharp!

4. Let’s play autumn this or that….

Pumpkin spice or apple cider? Fresh pressed Apple Cider, please.

Corn maze or haunted house? Hands down…Corn Maze. We have an amazing Corn Maze in our town that we try to conquer every year.

Horror film or Hallmark movie? Hallmark Movie that is part of the Murder Mystery side of things.

Blanket or sweatshirt? Out and about, a sweatshirt. Inside on the couch, a blanket.

Watch football or watch the World Series? College Football but really and truly Futbol (Soccer) and especially English Premier League games and the Seattle Sounders MLS are my favorite games to watch.

Foliage-red, yellow or orange? This is hard but since I have to pick I’ll go with orange.

5. This time last year where were you and what were you doing? 

We were at the Marcus Cider Fest last year at this time and this Saturday we will be at the Marcus Cider Fest again. Our kids entered their  vintage Ford Thunderbird in the car show part of the Fest. There is a parade and booths and fresh apple goodies galore including fresh pressed apple cider.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are still recovering from Jet Lag from our trip to Dublin and England. We arrived home on September 27th. Jet Lag is real and especially for us older folk. We will live with the lag since we love traveling to that part of the world. We finally were able to hug our grands after three whole weeks apart. Our Colville kids came for lunch on Tuesday (yesterday). It was so good to have a meal with them and spend a couple hours with them. The Grands are growing so fast!

It will be nice to come around and see what all ye Hodgepodgers have been up to.

We Love our Books Hodgepodge

Jo From This Side of the Pond has a new batch of questions for us to mull over and answer for Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thanks, Jo!

1. It’s National Read A Book Day…whatcha’ reading? What’s a book you want to read?

We have books in many rooms in our home.  Our study books and cookbooks and resource books are in our office. Greg and I both have desks that face each other in our office and we each have bookshelves behind our desks. In the playroom we have a bookshelf full of good children’s and young adult books.  In the ‘blue’ room we have some of our favorite literature and other books by C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, MacDonald, and a lot of classics. We have full sets of Beatrix Potter’s The World of Peter Rabbit series. We have the full set of Anne books by L.M. Montgomery. Other authors we enjoy are Elizabeth Goudge, Dorothy Sayers, Walter Brooks~(Freddy the Pig series), Brian Jacques delightful Redwall series, the Dune series in the world of Science Fiction and more from that genre. For more serious reading we enjoy John Piper, R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, Alistair Begg, Charles Spurgeon, and Martin Lloyd Jones.

Currently I’ve been concentrating on reading Ephesians in the New Testament of the Bible this summer alongside a commentary of Ephesians by John MacArthur. Daily I like to springboard into my morning reading by a short devotional by Alistair Begg, a living preacher and writer, and Charles Spurgeon, a dead ‘Prince of Preachers’.

I have a couple of books on my desk right now that I’d like to read. All That Jesus Commanded, The Christian Life According to the Gospels, by John Piper and a short book, The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith in Modern English.

2. Which is better…having high expectations or low expectations? Explain why. 

I’m going to say it’s better to have high expectations with a clause thrown in. Reach higher but don’t beat yourself up when you don’t quite reach the height. Keep pressing on. Encourage and don’t discourage someone who is trying to reach something higher than themselves.

You have to be careful about YOUR expectations for other people.

3. Serenity is________________________. 

Being at peace with God and the people around you. Another clause thrown in…as much as it is up to you, be at peace with those around you. Sometimes those you would like to be at peace with don’t want to cooperate.

4. What’s  the most interesting thing in your purse or pocket right now? 

Things are pretty standard and boring right now. I do have an overabundance of 1 dollar bills at the moment.

5. What helps you calm down? 

Knowing that ultimately I AM NOT IN CHARGE!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I will be missing from Wednesday Hodgepodge the next 3 Wednesdays because I’ll be enjoying some new scenery across the pond. Dublin, Belfast, York, Yorkshire Dales and Liverpool are all on the schedule for us. Liverpool for a soccer game, Liverpool v. West Ham at Anfield stadium. Cheers and Sláinte to you all. 

See you in October when Fall/Autumn are just beginning.

Feed the Birds Hodgepodge

Jo From This Side of the Pond is tweeting out some new questions for us to answer for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  April 26th is National Audubon Day, honoring John James Audubon, the French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter known for his detailed study and illustration of birds in their natural habitats.

Do you have a bird feeder? 

Yes, several.

Any birds in your home decor?

A few.

Have you ever owned a pet bird?

Yes, and it’s a sad story I’ve told before. In the 50’s our Pop decided he would get pigeons and he built a pigeon cage for them in our back yard. I had 3 siblings at that time and we all chose one to be our pet. Mine was Green Neck. Things got so dire financially that our pet pigeons ended up in a pot of soup. All of my siblings and myself refused to eat that soup. Our Pop couldn’t understand why. OYE!

The photo above is of our Pop, my older sisters Kathy and Vera and that’s me with a pigeon on my head. I’m guessing it’s Green Neck.

What’s your favorite bird? 

This is tough. I love many birds. The majestic eagle and the hawk are special. I love the look of owls. Hummingbirds are adorable. I’m not a fan of pigeons and won’t let them find a place to roost.

2. What’s something you took to ‘like a duck to water’? 

Blogging.

3. Empty nest, nest egg, proud as a peacock, free as a bird, birds of a feather flock together, or the early bird catches the worm…choose one and tell us how it currently applies to your life. 

I’ll go with the early bird catches the worm because lately I’m finding myself awake at 5am and by 9am it seems like I’ve gotten all I need to get done, done.

4. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds…your favorite seed and a favorite food or dish made with that seed or topped with that seed?

Sunflower seeds first and pumpkin seeds come in second, roasted and lightly salted in the shells.

Have you tried all the seeds on the list?

I don’t think I’ve tried flax or chia.

Any you don’t care for? 

All are fine in limited quantities, except for sunflower seeds. I can crack and eat a whole bag of sunflower seeds!

5. Something in the past week that made you ‘happy as a lark’?

We took the plunge and are trying out a new satellite internet service. Waiting for one last mount before we are good to go. If you don’t see me next week you’ll know something went wrong. Where we live in the country our only good option is a satellite service.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are warming up the rest of this week and finally have mornings above freezing. We had our first walk on the Rotary Trail on Saturday morning and are looking forward to this trek a few times a week.

Today is a busy day with a 7am appointment for new tires on the car, an 8:30 appointment with the doctor, 9am Prayer meeting and then the window washers are coming in the late afternoon. Hooray for clean windows!

Our shadows on the trail last Saturday.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to be around to visit soon.

Pass the Torch Hodgepodge

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It’s Hodgepodge time again and Joyce is celebrating Hodgepodge #500!! Congratulations to Joyce and Hodgepodgers everywhere. Click over to join in the fun.

1. Last time you drove/flew 500 miles (ish)? What’s a place you’d like to visit that lies approximately 500 miles from your current location? 

In December of 2022 we drove to Abbotsford, B.C. Via Bothell Washington and once we arrived in Abbotsford we drove on to Chilliwack with friends for our Mennonite Girls Can Cook Christmas party. That was just under 500 miles worth of driving.

It would be a nice vacation with Family to stay at Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast for a few days and enjoy the sand and sea just beyond our doorstep. Cannon Beach is 500 miles from us.

2. Tell us about a time recently it felt like you were ‘racing against the clock’. 

Being retired and older I don’t race much. I have felt the need to clear out things and let things go before our kids have to sort through it all.

3. Have you ever attended any really large sporting events?

Yes!

What was your impression of the experience?  

We have enjoyed memorable experiences at some large sporting events. I attended my first Rose Bowl Game on January 2nd in 1967 (USC v. Purdue). The Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game are always on New Year’s Day unless that day lands on a Sunday. When January 1st lands on a Sunday the parade and game are moved to Monday. My second Rose Bowl Game was in 1992 when Greg was a student at the University of Washington and the Huskies played at the Rose Bowl against Michigan. The Huskies won this game which made the experience very exciting.

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In 1984 the Summer Olympics were hosted by Los Angeles and we were able to get tickets to some rowing events at Lake Casitas. The most exciting part of these Olympic Games was the fact that my husband Greg was able to represent his company as an Olympic Torch Bearer!

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In 1994 our sons got tickets for World Cup games in Los Angeles and Stanford. The USA was hosting that year. The photo above was at the Rose Bowl for one of the games we attended.

Dan and I attended Brazil v Camaroon at Stanford Stadium. Attire was colorful and the party atmosphere was very lively. Both those countries know how to celebrate.

We were able to track down where the US team was staying and training and our sons met every player on the team and got all their autographs. That’s Alexi Lalas with our sons. That’s not a cigarette in his mouth.

When Dear and I were traveling with Josh and Laura in England in 2013, Josh got us tickets to a Manchester United game v. Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. That was a great time! Josh also made it into an Arsenal game on that trip.

The Superbowl, The Kentucky Derby, The World Series, FIFA World Cup, The Indianapolis 500, The Daytona 500, The Olympics, The Masters, Wimbledon, The Boston Marathon, March Madness, Tour de France, Monaco’s Grand Prix, The Open (golf), The Ryder Cup, The Stanley Cup Finals..of the events listed which would you most like to attend in person? Or maybe one that’s not listed? 

Fifa World Cup, it will be hosted by the USA/Canada/and Mexico in 2026.

4. Are you an iced tea drinker? If so, do you drink it year round, or only in the spring and summer months? Do you make your own or buy it bottled? Sweet or unsweet? Flavored? Lemon or no lemon? How about a Long Island Iced Tea? 

Not a usual for me. If I do have an iced tea it would be lightly sweetened with some fresh lemon squeeze or the last variety.

5. April 20th is Volunteer Recognition Day…do you volunteer in some way? Tell us about it. If not, tell us about a volunteer you appreciate. 

I volunteer at church under Women’s Ministry. I’m the branch leader of Hospitality serving the church family in planning, supplying, and carrying out fellowship opportunities involving the entire church body. Responsibilities include: Maintaining the kitchen and supplies. Helping with food serving and cleanup for church events like potlucks, Easter brunch, pie and praise, and funerals.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We celebrated our grandson’s 4th birthday this past Saturday. We had a T-Rex crash the party and we had a cute dinosaur and delicious dinosaur cake. If you want to see more of the surprise T-Rex entry click here.

I’ll be sharing more from JJ’s Dino-wonderful party on Friday.

Thanks for stopping by for #500!

Time is Passing Hodgepodge

The two guys in this photo above celebrate birthdays this week.

Thank you Joyce From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge! Click over to join in the fun.

1. April 13th is National Scrabble Day…are you a fan? 

Yes, I enjoy Scrabble. Haven’t played in ages!

Do you enjoy word games in general? 

Yes, mostly.

What’s an eight letter word that tells us something about your life currently?

Peculiar; unusual, or particular or special. We are heading into a period of hospitality at our Country Bungalow that does not involve biological family. We are confident that it will be a blessing as we adjust in the month of May and into part of June.

2.  Do you have a junk drawer? Is it full? Do you know what’s in it? What’s in it? 

Yes, yes, and yes. It’s full of things like keys, tape measures, charging wires, and junk! Thank you so much for this question as it caused me to clean out that junk drawer and make it more useable!

3. When does time pass quickly for you? When does it pass slowly? 

When our family is all together, time passes quickly.

Time passes slowly when I’m awake in the night at 2am and not able to get back to sleep.

4. These eight vegetables are in season during spring-asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, collard greens, garlic, herbs. What’s your favorite? Any on the list you refuse to eat? Last one on the list you ate? 

Favorite would probably be carrots. I wouldn’t refuse any of these but I’m not a fan of collard greens. On Monday we had some asparagus, carrots and new potatoes roasted.

5. What’s the oldest thing you own? Tell us about it. 

Dear has a French Violin from the 1700’s. That is old and probably the oldest thing in our home. Dear’s dad got it from someone when Dear was 10 or 11 and decided he wanted to take violin lessons. Dear’s dad Rex has always acquired interesting things. Our baby grand piano which we got from Dear’s folks is over a hundred years old.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This little guy turns 4 this weekend and we will celebrate him with Dinosaurs. Time flies when you have Grands!!

All of our kids will be together this weekend and on Friday evening we’ll start things off celebrating our Son-in-law’s birthday which happens to be today. Happy Birthday Andrew. Can’t wait to celebrate you on Friday!

Thankful that you stopped by to read this post and leave a comment.

And the Blog Goes On Hodgepodge

Joyce From This Side of the Pond asks the questions for us to answer and get our brains engaged with Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce.

Camarillo is where I started blogging. We were close to the Pacific Ocean and enjoyed many hikes along the coast. The photo above is from Sycamore Canyon just south of Point Mugu and north of Malibu in California. This was in the Santa Monica mountain range.

1.Why do you blog? Have your reasons changed over time? 

I started blogging in March of 2007 when we lived in a very small condo in California for a couple of years and I had lots of time on my hands. I enjoyed the weekly challenges like Blue Monday, Ruby Tuesday, ABC Wednesday, Tablescape Thursday, Friday Fave Five and many others. It was also good to journal the events going on in our lives and our family life. Through blogging I’ve met so many good friends over the years. Some I’ve been privileged to meet in person and others I cherish without ever meeting them face to face. Through blogging I became one of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook. What a joy that has been. It’s a creative outlet for me and lately has turned out to be a great tool for recall in my lapses of memory.

2. What’s a typical Friday night look like at your house?

Typically it is pretty boring unless we have our local kids over for dinner or if it’s a weekend that our Westside kids drive over.

3. Do you like donuts? Yes.

Your favorite kind? Cinnamon twist or maple bar or Jelly or Glazed or….

How often do you treat yourself to a donut? Not often but every time I step into Super 1 (one of our local grocery stores) and the donut aroma hits me I’m tempted.

Have you ever made homemade donuts? No

4. How do you feel about shopping? I like to shop when I have something in particular that I’m looking for.

Are you an online shopper? Only because I have to, not because I enjoy it.

Catalog shopper? Rarely

Brick and mortar shopper? Yes, because I like to see something and hold it in my hands before I buy it.

Do you order groceries online or prefer to select items with your own two hands? No online grocery shopping. I like to check dates on the products and make sure I’m getting the freshest loaf of bread, etc.

5. Next week’s Hodgepodge finds us somehow in the month of April, which just so happens to be National Poetry Month. Sum up (or tell us something about) your month of March in the form of a limerick. You can do it!! 

We celebrate March with cake
Not too early or late we bake
One young, one old
With joy behold
We celebrate March with Cake

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our two family birthdays in March are 6 days apart, one in Winter and one in Spring. I’m the old one and the oldest one in our family of ten. Addy is the young one but not the youngest in our family. So thankful that we can celebrate each other. So much joy to behold. We’ll celebrate two more in April, the youngest of the males in our family. Birthdays celebrated four days apart and birthyears 30 years apart.

“I’m An American” Hodgepodge

It’s Wednesday so it’s time for the Hodgepodge with thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond who delivers the questions.

1. Pantone’s color of the year for 2023 is Viva Magenta. Etsy’s color(s) of the year are indigo and honeycomb. Your thoughts? Would we find any of these three shades in your home or wardrobe? Is there a room in your house that needs painting this year? Will you do it yourself or hire out? 

Yes to these colors in clothing. Maybe on one wall as an accent. I really love indigo on dishes, as in the photo at the top of this post.

There are no rooms in our home that need a total paint job because in the four years we’ve lived here all the walls have been repainted by Dear. He also painted the exterior of our home in 2022. Dear was a house painter in his younger years so we do not hire out. We own all the ladders, etc. needed for any paint job. We just have to buy the paint. He has some trim to still complete in some rooms.

2. Something you had to do recently that could be described ‘as exciting as watching paint dry’? 

My phrase while Dear was in the hospital after his stroke was, “hurry up and wait”. Hours of waiting for a room to open up in the surgical ward, a surgeon to come in and discuss the surgery procedure, someone to bring the discharge paper work, etc. etc. All the waiting was done with no comfortable chairs for a loved one who was advocating to sit in.

3. Who would you most like to sit beside on a 10-hour flight? Tell us why? Have you ever taken a 10-hour flight? 

Not chatty Kathy but someone I could enjoy a meaningful conversation with like my sister-in-law, Mandy, who knows how to purposefully lead a conversation to what matters. That said, on a 10 hour flight it is helpful to be able to sleep for some of the hours.

We have taken 10 hour flights.

4. What’s something you did growing up that would get you into trouble? 

Hiding from my parents when it was time to leave for Russian school on Saturday mornings. When they found me I’d stomp my foot exclaiming, “I’m an American”! In hindsight I wish I would have been more diligent in learning Russian. Below is one of my school books that I still have. My name is written lightly with pencil in Russian.

Родная Речь ~ Native Speech

Book for teaching second level class beginners school

If you know Russian feel free to correct my translation.

5. According to Google the top searches in 2022 were- Wordle, election results, Betty White, Queen Elizabeth, Bob Saget, Ukraine, Mega Millions, Powerball numbers, Anne Heche, and Jeffrey Dahmer. Hmmm…what does this say about us? How many of these words did you search last year? What would you guess was your most ‘googled’ word/phrase/question.

Queen Elizabeth is the only one off that list that I googled and my most googled phrase was probably Colville Weather or WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation) conditions on Snoqualmie Pass.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I posted this on Facebook this week and decided to share it here, too.

“Let’s be cheerful! We have no more right to steal the brightness out of the day for our own family than we have to steal the purse of a stranger. Let us be as careful that our homes are furnished with pleasant and happy thoughts as we are that the rugs are the right color and texture and the furniture comfortable and beautiful.”

~~Laura Ingalls Wilder