Tag Archives: Wednesday Hodgepodge

Use It or Lose It Hodgepodge

I’m combining Wednesday Hodgepodge with the A to Z Challenge for the letter S today. Strength, Survivor and Sinner are enough S’s to qualify. Sigh and snicker…

1. What’s something you resolved to do this year? Have you done it?

My motto for the the next few years is “Use It” or “Use It Up”. Ribbons, paper, stationary, stickers, paper napkins, paper plates, etc. etc. Instead of stashing these things away and forgetting about them I want to use them. If I have no intentions on using aforesaid items then I want to give them away.

2. Where do you go to find quietude?

The place that I go for my quiet time activities is our office at our big oak desk that sits in front of our bookshelves. I like being surrounded by the books we love. Bible reading in the Old Testament, a chapter in Proverbs, and finishing up in the New Testament. Then I move on to books written by authors I trust like Spurgeon or MacArthur or Sproul or some of the Puritans to dive deeper into understanding Bible truths. One thing I want to improve on is being more faithful in prayer.

3. A friend asked this question on her Facebook page and said I could borrow it for the Hodgepodge…you’re only allowed to buy 5 things at the grocery store, and all must start with the first letter of your first name. Whatcha’ buying?

I was surprised to find a lot of things that start with the letter E.

  1. Eggs
  2. Enchiladas
  3. Elderflower Cordial
  4. English muffins
  5. Eclair

4. The television show Survivor, the Gloria Gaynor song ‘I Will Survive’, survival mode, survival of the fittest…pick one and discuss.

Survivor, the television show. It has been a show I’ve watched since the beginning. That’s a lot of seasons. I am fascinated by how the human race interacts in this setting. I’d love to reference this show to that professor of mine that wanted us to write a paper on how all humans are inherently good. Haha…no, Mr. So and So, all humans are not good but they are sinners in need of a Savior and I’m one of the chief sinners. So thankful that God provided a way out! I also know I’d never survive on that show. If I ever made it to the island I’d probably be voted off first thing if I didn’t collapse and have to be medivaced out of there!! To other Survivor fans…wasn’t last week’s show one that was so emotional and amazing to see all those children that they flew in!? I was in tears and a little concerned on the welfare of those kids having to leave their parents behind…

5. Share a favorite quote or saying about strength.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This little guy turned 1 last week and we had fun with a lumber jack photo shoot. I will be posting 1,000 photos as soon as I can upload them all. We had his social distancing party last Thursday and then when the weather warmed up on Sunday we managed a social distancing photo shoot. You have been forewarned.

Thank you to Joyce for coming up with the questions and to all who read my answers! Click here to read more Hodgepodge answers.

Wednesday Hodgepodge~ Music (A to Z)


I’m combining the A to Z with Wednesday Hodgepodge on this tax day that isn’t really a tax day. Our taxes were filed but we won’t be sending that big fat check until July 15th. How nice to have that delay! Hopefully we won’t have to delay the Hodgepodge and Joyce will have her internet up and running in time. For A to Z we are on the letter M and Music is my M in this Meme.

1. In Monday’s post I mentioned I would incorporate the word I was given for letter K into this week’s questions. That word was karaoke. On a scale of 1-10 how excited would you be to find out there was karaoke happening at your next gathering/outing with friends? 10=gimme that microphone!, and 1=I suddenly remembered there’s somewhere else I need to be. Have you ever actually done karaoke? If you had to perform karaoke what would be your ‘go-to’song?

I’ve only done Karaoke once. I have been on stages singing with a mic right up to my face several times, long ago and far away. If I was on stage doing karaoke with my friends it would be a 10. If it was a solo it would be a 1. The photo above is of the Christian “Rock” group Dear and I were part of in the 70’s.  I’m the one on the right and Dear is next to me. I am not a soloist except for in the shower and in the privacy of my own home. I love the idea of Karaoke. My go to song would be…

2. How do you listen to music these days? Favorite app or do you listen the old fashioned way? Do you have music playing often in your home? Is there still a CD player in your car?

This is my old fashioned playlist and my CD changer. I’m so thankful to still have a CD changer that works and is connected to nice speakers so I can hear my music from anywhere in our country bungalow. We have a relatively new 2019 Highlander and I’m also thankful to be able to say it does have a CD player. I know most new vehicles do not have a CD player as standard equipment. On road trips we enjoy listening to books on CD.

3. The HP lands on US tax day this year. Or what used to be tax day before everything including filing your taxes was cancelled, delayed, postponed or extended. FYI- filing your taxes has not been cancelled, only delayed for a bit.

Besides staying away from anyone and everyone, what have you found taxing lately?

I have found it is hard to know what day of the week it is.  Concentration has been taxing.

4. You’re without power so no oven, and you can’t open your frig or freezer in order to keep what’s in there from spoiling. And you don’t have access to take out. What will you make us for dinner?

I will go to the outdoor barbecue that is powered with propane and use the side burner to heat up a can of pinto beans, a can of black beans, a can of green chilies, a can of chopped tomatoes all together, add some chili powder and cumin. I’d serve that in a bowl with tortilla chips unless I had a fresh package of flour tortillas that haven’t been opened. I’d toast those tortillas on the grill. If I had an avocado and tomato in my fresh basket I’d cut them up to add on top. It you don’t have a propane powered barbecue you could do this over an open fire.

5.  I’ve seen this exercise going around Facebook and thought it would be a good one to include in the HP…what are five things everybody seems to love and go crazy for that you personally don’t care for?

Don’t Judge!

  1. Sushi
  2. Cruises
  3. Protein Drinks
  4. “Facebook Chain Letters” example “If you love your sister copy and paste”
  5. Women in Power (I could explain this better in person)

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of old school/old fashioned this is an album that some of our family and friends were part of.

The Russian Sacred Singers of Los Angeles are a group of California young people of Russian background. They sing in English and Russian under the inspiring leadership of director Leonard Wozniuk. The unique bi-lingual choir responded to our challenge to record their selections for radio use. Today, their joyful singing is heard world-wide over several short-wave radio stations and over local broadcasts in North and South America.

Hymns of Praise was recorded in stereo in the Lorin Whitney Studios with the creative accompaniment of organist Bill Fasig and pianist John Innes of the Billy Graham Association. Tom Keene on guitar and Paul Stilwell on bass add their distinctive sound to several selections. ~ Andrew Semenchuk, Producer.

The songs sung in Russian include: The Lord is my Light, Like a River Glorious, Jesus Name I Love, Hallelujah What a Saviour, The Good Shepherd, What A Friend, Glory in the Highest, Blessed Assurance, Submission, Let the Beauty of Jesus, Praise Ye the Triune God, Why Not Now, and Peace Perfect Peace.

Five of my cousins and two of my sisters sang on the album along with a future cousin-in-law and the director became my brother-in-law. 

We now have the album on CD so we can listen to it more easily. We don’t have a phonograph anymore.

Music has been a big part of my life and it has enriched my life in so many ways. Being part of music groups I met some of the most important people in my life namely my dear husband. Music took me across the pond to Great Britain. I would have never traveled as extensively as I did were it not for music. Music that honors God and is true in lyrics moves  me to worship my God and Saviour. I hope to be singing when my time comes to leave this earth. I know I’ll be singing when I get to heaven.

Thank you to Joyce for coming up with the questions! Click here to see more answers.

Wednesday Hodgepodge ~A Homey Easter

For A to Z challenge and the letter G scroll down below Wednesday Hodgepodge!

1. How will you celebrate Easter this year?

This will probably be the first Easter in my whole life that I will not be inside a church building celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ with other Believers in a jammed packed auditorium.

This year Dear and I will enjoy our church service online. We plan on delivering Easter goodies around town beginning with our kids and grandchildren staying at a safe distance. We won’t have our traditional meal of lamb or our wonderful Easter Bread (Paska/Kulich) or the delicious cheese spread, Seernaya Paska. Sigh…

My dining room table will not be set for a crowd.

2. Is it easier for you to receive grace offered or extend grace to another? Explain.

Definitely easier to give than to receive. It is a humbling experience to receive grace, to be forgiven. Pride likes to rear it’s ugly head. It’s easier for me to help than to be helped. Sometimes we are laid low and we can learn the lesson of humility in having to receive instead of being able to give.

Acts 20:35

35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

3. Do you say grace before meals? If so do you have a standard dinnertime grace or is it more ‘off the cuff’ ? Do you say grace when dining out? Do you have a favorite grace? Any special memory associated with ‘saying grace’?

We say grace when we have family around the table. When it’s just Dear and me we usually will say “Thank you Lord for this food!” Our grace changes as the season warrants. If we are having a meal around someone’s birthday we’ll include thanksgiving for them and what they mean to us. We always end our prayers with, In Jesus Name we pray, amen. Sometimes we say grace when dining out but not always. Lately Addy has been interested in saying grace and those are memorable. Our dear Pop’s prayers at special gatherings are very memorable as well.

Our father shared in this video that our mother thought this might be the last year they’d be having Christmas together and that did come to pass as she was ushered into heaven in September of 2013, on their 70th Wedding Anniversary. Our Pop followed our Mom to heaven in June of 2018.

4. What are some challenges you think the next generation will face? (Generation Alpha-born between 2011 and 2025)

Generation Alpha will have a very hard time honoring the purpose for which God created Man, Woman, Sex, Marriage and Family because of the twisted deconstructing of family and marriage that this world is legislating and forcing on us now. Like generations before they will be duped into believing it’s okay to kill a baby in the womb.  May God have mercy on us all.

5. Share a favorite quote or lyric featuring the word faith.

Current favorite quote about faith:

Faith is not a power which you possess to create your own future. Faith is a God-given ability to trust the future that God has promised you. ~ John MacArthur

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

My sister Lana recorded our Dear Pop answering some questions about prayer and fasting. Note: Our pop has a familiarity with the disciples. He calls John, Jack and Jacob and it might be in this video where he calls Peter, Pete.  Our Pop wasn’t perfect by any means but he knew what was important and that his righteousness came from Jesus.

Thank you to Joyce for posing the questions and thank you to all of you who visited my post. The link to the Hodgepodge is HERE.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

If you are visiting from the A to Z Challenge please scroll down below Wednesday Hodgepodge. Cheers!
From this Side of the Pond. 

1. Has spring sprung in your part of the world? How can you tell? Did March come in like a lion where you live? Going out like a lamb or something more ferocious?

March is definitely going out like a lion. I was in Southern California for the beginning of March and it was calm enough except for the escalating worries over COVID-19. Panic shopping and hoarding had begun. In our part of Northeastern Washington Spring comes slowly. We see some green poking up and there are buds forming on some bushes. Our best sign of Spring is our granddaughter who was born on the first day of Spring in 2017.

She’s busy with Spring clean-up!

2. The last thing that caused you to spring to your feet?

Springing to my feet might be a thing of the past but something that made me get up as fast as I could to my feet was our grandson. We have a room at our country bungalow that has been designated as the playroom. It is one of our guest rooms so it has a queen size bed and two nightstands and a dresser and bookshelf besides some toys. I was reading to our granddaughter (sitting properly on the floor as per her instruction) when I saw grandson had walked around the bed to the flimsy lightweight nightstand and the lamp was tottering. I shifted Addy off my lap and got up as fast as I could which is hard from a sitting on the floor position. I got to him in time and moved him away. I then put a sturdy chair in front of the nightstand to block his access to it. Tragedy averted. Next time we are playing in there I will be prepared by moving the chair to block that nightstand forthwith.

For those of you Hodgepodgers who don’t regularly follow my blog, this is our grandson who was born in April of 2019 which is one of the best things that happened during the Hodgepodge hiatus since September of 2018. His older sister just turned 3 and he will turn 1 on April 16th with no huge 1st birthday party because of the virus. He won’t care but it’s tough on the adults in his life.

3. Do you have a spring clean to-do list? What’s one chore on the list you’ve already managed to accomplish? What spring clean chore do you most dread?

I do not have a Spring clean to-do list. We go with the flow.

We managed a good head start on cleaning up our fall brush pile and getting the yard ready for Spring growth. Using my hedge trimmer to clean up leftover dead growth around the former pond and throwing everything on the burn pile was very satisfying.

This winter we had a huge amount of branches and pine cones fall from all of our trees in the front yard. We finished picking up those branches along with some of the cones and they went on the burn pile, too.

I’m not dreading any Spring cleaning chore because I don’t have a big list of things I only do in the Spring. Should I make a list? Maybe I should clean out my closets and drawers??

4. Tell us something you’ve learned about yourself or the wider world as a result of social distancing/the virus crisis.

I’ve learned that concentrating is harder these days. Even though I don’t feel like I’m anxious the uncertainty of where this is all going is unsettling. I’m a person who can get a lot accomplished if I have an incentive like a dinner party, or a trip coming up, or company coming to stay. There’s none of that kind of planning right now so one day just flows into another and my concentration has gone out the window. Hodgpodge helps and blogging helps and having my music on helps, and listening to sermons online helps, too. By the way y’all today is Wednesday just in case you were wondering. Anyone else having to ask, “what day is today?”

5. Something you love that’s the color pink?

My Lenten Rose (Hellebore) that I had to leave behind at our former home in Kenmore. It brought me such joy year after year when it would bloom during the season of Lent. Speaking of leaving things behind, here are my pink rhoddys that I hope are still thriving in Kenmore.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Some good quotes from trusted authors/pastors/Bible that I’ve read this week:

“Faith is not a power which you possess to create your own future. Faith is a God-given ability to trust the future that God has promised you.”~ John MacArthur

“Because of Christ, death is not final. It is a passage from one world to the next.” ~ R.C. Sproul

“Judas heard all Christ’s sermons.” ~ Thomas Goodwin

“Bene orasse est bene studuisse” To have prayed well is to have studied well. ~ Luther

Proverbs 3:25, 26(ESV) ~ Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

Linking up with Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge. I’ll add the direct link on Wednesday.

She’s Baaack~ Wednesday Hodgepodge

Thank you Joyce for bringing Hodgepodge back!

1. Howdy Hodgepodgers. It’s kind of fun to be back, isn’t it?  Last time we met was September, 2018. Tell me something big-important-happy-or sad that’s happened in your life since that date. Just one thing. We don’t know how long this current isolation situation is going to last and we might need to dole out our news bit by bit.

Has it really been that long!? Well I will start with September of 2018. The major thing that happened on September 11, 2018 was becoming owners of our country bungalow and moving from the big city to the wide open country. We used a container company to move most of our stuff (3 containers full) and we hauled other things across the mountains in our vehicles and a trailer. 

So thankful for our helpers! We couldn’t have done it without them!

2. Might as well get this out of the way early on…COVID-19. On a scale of 1-5 how serious are you about keeping your distance? Explain. fyi-I didn’t create the scale but have seen it several places online. Also fyi-we won’t only have virus related questions each week, but for this first one it feels right.

1-Not at all, living normally
2-Cautious but still going out
3-Going out as needed, mostly home or working from home, still seeing friends/family
4-Extremely limited, only going out when unavoidable, minimal contact with people
5-Full lockdown, no one in or out
This has changed just in the last week. Two weeks ago we were at #3. Today we are at #4. 
Granddaughter’s 3rd birthday party was cancelled this past weekend and our Coast kids were supposed to be on this side of the mountains for the party, etc. but they stayed home so the guest rooms are still clean and ready for them for whenever we are all free to be around each other again. Dear and I are in the “at risk” age group so our kids are feeling the responsibility of keeping us as safe as possible. Missing my hugs with our three year old granddaughter and almost one year old grandson! That’s the hardest thing.

3. Raise your hand if you think you might run out of steam in the cooking department before it’s all said and done? What’s something delcious you’ve cooked or eaten in your own kitchen in the past week?

We are really missing our regular visits to our favorite Mexican restaurant. Mexican food is my comfort food.

The most delicious thing was the corned beef and cabbage we had a week ago on St. Patrick’s day. Dear made the whole meal on the Traeger. The next night we used the leftover corned beef to make a grilled Reuben. Corned beef with sauerkraut, thousand Island dressing, Swiss cheese on rye bread grilled on the stove top…perfection! I should have taken a photo. 

4. What’s a television show or movie you’ve seen recently (it could be an oldie) that you really liked?

We so enjoy British Murder Mysteries. We have access to Brit Box, Amazon Prime, and Acorn besides Netflix. The only problem is that we live in the country and all of our services come via satellite so streaming is sketchy a lot of the time. There are some days that we cannot stream any of these shows because of broadband issues. But here’s what we like.

Vera, Endeavour, Father Brown, Midsomer Murders, Shetland, Morse, Detective Lewis, Call the Midwife, Silent Witness, The Crown, Great British Baking Show, to name a few. We are waiting for our Broadband to get better so we can watch The English Game on Netflix.

5. Share something funny you’ve seen or heard this week.

There are so many creative memes/Gifs showing up on Facebook that have been hilarious and have made me laugh.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This is one of my prayers for this time we are in:

 Lord, make us strong and courageous like Joshua and obedient and faithful like Daniel. Help us not to fear and keep us from being paralyzed by anxiety. Help us to always look to the rock of our faith, Jesus, who suffered the cross on our behalf and lives to intercede for us. Continue to draw and save people for your kingdom. May they know they are lost and need you today. Help them not to wait but to respond to your call to be saved. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Thank you again Joyce for reviving the Hodgepodge. Click on Hodgepodge to see more posts! I’ll add the direct link on Wednesday.

The End is in Sight Hodgepodge

What has been the highlight of your summer so far? (It’s still summer people!)

Wow! Summer 2018 is one for the books for sure. Besides being in the process of selling/buying/moving across the state which took part of Spring and the whole summer and continues, our dear Pop died at the beginning of summer. He was 95 and ready to see his Savior, Jesus. It was good to be all together in Southern California with family and friends to bury him and remember him and comfort each other in July. Our dear Pop was known for saying, I love you, I love you, I love you, 3 times when it was time to depart after a visit. Our family has embraced that and you’ll hear us repeating his saying to each other now.

Several quick visits with this little one who is showing you her “I’m so strong” pose. We’ve traveled many successive weekends to Colville with a packed trailer and truck on Saturday morning and back across the mountains on Sunday morning with an empty trailer and truck. We managed to get all our household items in 3 shipping containers for our move from Western Washington to Eastern Washington by July 31st which was when possession transferred to the new owners. We had the month of August to empty out Dear’s shop and we purchased a utility trailer to haul behind our truck to get all those awkward shop items to our son’s property. We didn’t find a house to purchase until August 18th! We made an offer on August 19th and our offer was accepted on August 20th. Hallelujah!

2. What do you wish you’d done more of this summer? Less of?

Because it took longer then we expected to sell our home and longer then expected to find a new home there was very little relaxing in our own space this summer. Well…no relaxing in our own space. We have been homeless since July 31st but don’t feel too sorry for us because we have a beautiful space to live in during the interim at our oldest son’s house.

3. Something you’re looking forward to on your September calendar?

We close on our new home on September 11th! Our stuff gets delivered sometime between September 17th and 21st. We should have the containers emptied by September 24th. Hopefully we will have some kind of internet before the 24th. The house we chose does not have cable options only satellite options and we are still checking on line of sight options for the internet, too. Oye. Looking forward to being unpacked and mostly settled by the end of September!

In September we’ll be living only 8 miles from our little grandgirlie and her parents.

4. Best/favorite book you’ve read this summer?

The book of Ephesians in the New Testament. Thinking a lot about the Armor of God.

Favorites we listened to on CD while traveling back and forth across the Cascade Mountain range moving stuff was The Seagull by Anne Cleaves and a repeat of Louise Penny’s Still Life.

5. Share something positive, encouraging, or uplifting here.

Dear and I have been a bit awestruck that we’ve been able to push through our crazy travel schedule, our loading the trailer and truck week in and week out, our 6 hour drives each Saturday and Sunday, sleep and repeat. Only by so many answered prayers with God’s presence and help in our lives could we do it and still choose joy. Thank you to all of you who have prayed for us. “…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…”

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Hoping it’s all a gentle slide into the next phase from here…

Linking up with Joyce from This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge . Not only is the end in sight for our move but this is the end of Hodgepodge Wednesday. Joyce has faithfully managed this weekly event for 9 years and times are changing and she’s moving on.

Hello Summer Hodgepodge

1. Summer is upon us this week in the Northern hemisphere. Tell us three things on your summer bucket list.

No real bucket list type items but things that we need to have happen this summer…

1. Sell our house. 2. Buy a new house. 3. Complete our move to the new house. In the midst of all of that, spend time with our growing granddaughter, family and friends.

2. Something fun you used to do as a kid in the summertime?

In the 50’s we would go camping in the mountains close to Los Angeles. Big Bear was one of our favorites. As a child this was a fun experience. I’m the one with the buster brown haircut. The other thing we would do was spend time at the beach with our cousins and usually we’d choose Newport Beach in Southern California. Besides dodging waves and digging for sand crabs, the kids would walk around and collect empty soda bottles to take into the little convenience store to redeem the deposits. With the money we’d get by doing this we’d buy a popsicle or candy bar. So thrilling for us young ones! What wasn’t fun about the beach was coming home with horrible sunburns and having to have cold rags dipped in vinegar put on our backs to ease the pain and heat. Ouch. My dear mom was the one who would minister to us.

3. Rooftop or backyard? Why?

I’ve never really lived in an environment where I have to rely on a rooftop to be outside. A yard is still important to me. More importantly a covered deck is my preference with a view of greenery all around and some privacy. If you have a rooftop space you could invite me over to experience something different!

4. Do you read food labels? Place importance on them? Make an effort to find out/care about where your food comes from?

My label reading life has evolved over the years. Growing up we were part of a religion/cult where pork products were taboo so we made sure the salami and hot dogs we bought were an “all beef” product. My family left this group in my later teens and I am free to enjoy bacon and other pork products. MSG was the next item in an ingredients list that we avoided and still do. We avoid anything with aspartame and saccharin or any fake sugar. No diet soft drinks at my house. I can only hope the food I buy at the local grocer is okay…another good reason to pray over the meal you are about to consume.

5. A song you’ll have on repeat this summer?Philip Philip

Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring the songs I mostly have on repeat are Christian worship songs and hymns but here’s one that is somewhat appropriate for our move…

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Our son is threatening to get our little grand girlie a huge hamster ball so they don’t have to deal with this scenario. Yikes, she climbed up on that bar stool and hoisted herself up on the counter. She’s a strong daredevil.

Here she is with her Uncle. This looks a lot safer!

Linking up with Jo From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge. She asks the questions and we answer…

A Fatherly Hodgepodge

Me and my dear old pop in 1973.

I’m adding a lot of random (not in chronological order) photos of my dear old pop throughout this post.

1. What happens to the mail at your house?

90% of it goes in the recycle bin. Bills go in my pay bills folder. Our kids’ mail goes next to the microwave for them to pick up the next time they come over. Magazines that we want to read end up in the family room or next to the toilet.

My older sisters and our pop in January of 2017.

2. Something you always splurge on? Any guilt associated with the splurge?

I’ll always splurge on my kids and on a good meal when we have friends and family over. The best meat with no guilt…just an empty pocketbook.

Josh and Laura with their Dzeda in January of 2017.

3. There are many, but what are two important questions you think every bride and groom should ask/answer before they plan their walk down the aisle?

If the bride and groom are believers these two questions are important. Do you love Jesus? Are you willing to obey him?

Our pop in the 1990’s

Dear and our pop in January of 2017 at Joe and Hannah’s wedding.

Me and my siblings in the 50’s with our pop before our next 4 siblings were born. I’m the youngest in this photo.

4. What’s the best advice your father ever gave you?

I can’t remember him giving me verbal advice. My parents were Russian immigrants and it took them a while to communicate in English. My Russian was dismal so verbal communication was an issue. Modeling was the best communication they gave. I learned a lot from watching them. One thing my parents always were ready to do was to drop everything and head over to someone’s home when they heard that a family member had died or to the hospital when they heard a friend or family member was suffering. They showed up. My mom would take food. They sat and listened and then they prayed with the hurting. My parents also modeled their faith in Bible reading and praying.

January 2015 with half of my siblings.

5. Your favorite movie where a father features heavily in the storyline?

I needed help with this one because my memory failed me. I’m going with Fiddler on the Roof. Teyve and his daughters.

“If I were a rich man…”

Our pop in the early 1950’s at 4635 Oak street in Pico Rivera, California.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Pop in 1967 or 1968 in Montebello while hosting our cheer leading squad for dinner during crazy hat night.

When I was in high school a door to door salesman tried to con my parents to buy a set of encyclopedias that they claimed would help us kids in school. The cost was prohibitive and I confronted the salesman and told him my parents would not be buying the set of books. The salesman was a little hostile and I didn’t back down and showed him the front door. After that incident whenever my father had to go out of town for a job, he’d leave the “purse strings” with me to pay the bills and dole out the money for my mom and the rest of my brothers and sisters. I was a scrooge.

Pop and mom (dzeda and baba) with our kids on Norway Hill in the early 1990’s.

My mom and pop at our niece Debbee’s wedding in April of 2013 five months before my mom passed away.

Me and my siblings with our dear old pop at our mom’s funeral in September of 2013. One brother is missing in this photo.

My pop and oldest sister at the Molokan Cemetery where our paternal grandparents and some uncles and aunts are buried.

Our dear old pop, who is now 95, is struggling more and more and continues to wait on God’s timing for his homecoming.

I’m linking up for Wednesday Hodgepodge with Jo From This Side of the Pond. She asks the questions and we answer them.

Totally Rad 80’s Hodgepodge

1.Describe your 30’s in one sentence. If you’re not yet 30 tell us one thing you hope to accomplish once you hit that particular decade.

A decade of change with a 2 year old toddler, 2nd baby (1981), 3rd baby (1985) moving on to elementary years with two moves, one north to Ventura where 3rd baby was born and then further north to the Pacific Northwest for hubby to pursue a career change at the University of Washington.

How’s that for a long sentence. In one word or three I’d describe my 30’s as “Changes” or “gnarly but rad”.

2. Is it harder for you to exercise or eat healthy?

Depends on the definition of exercise and healthy. I’m not a gym kind of person but I enjoy walks or easy hikes and mowing the lawn.  I like good food and a variety of food. You won’t find me drinking green shakes.

3. June 7th is National VCR Day. Huh? Anyway this reminded me of something I saw on Facebook listing household items we no longer have and the VCR was on it. I couldn’t put my hands on that list, but found another list here of 21 items we all had ten years ago, but which are now obsolete-

bookshelves (WHAT!!???), drip coffee makers, alarm clocks, file cabinets, desktop computers, printers, printed phone books, answering machines, fax machines, paper shredders, a Rolodex, CD racks, CD burners, china cabinets, home phones, entertainment consoles, DVD players, calculators, takeout menus, incandescent light bulbs, and cable TV

Your thoughts? How many on the list do you still have? Still use?

Haha! We still have everything on the list but CD burners, answering machines, a Rolodex. Instead of CD racks we have baskets that hold our CD’s. We do still have a VCR but it’s not hooked up at present.

4. What’s something you see disappearing in the next ten years?

Hopefully not the postal system.

5. How did you celebrate your birthday this past year? Is that typical?

This year Josh and Laura had us over for brunch to celebrate my birthday and it was wonderful. It is typical for us to enjoy a meal together but we usually go out.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This past weekend was packed with all these people who are near and dear to us. Our family connected with the Dickinson family the decade of my 30’s and our friendships have grown since.

Linking up to Wednesday Hodgepodge hosted by Jo From This Side of the Pond. She asks, we answer.

The Merry Month of May Hodgepodge

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Is there a flower you associate with a particular memory? Explain.

We live in the Rhododendron state. Every May these beauties in the photo above bloom all over our state. They come in different sizes and colors. We have five different plants in our yard. They grow with extra care and they grow wild with no care. The yellow one below is our newest one. I’ll always associate Rhodies with our move to Washington state way back in 1988.

2. Last time you helped someone? Tell us how.

These two just attended the Aeronautical Engineering “Space Ball” last weekend. Andrew will be graduating soon and he has been offered an intern to hire job after graduation. And yes, Katie’s hair is a rich shade of purple. They needed to search for a new apartment and I helped them by driving them to five complexes to check them out. These two brilliant young adults hate to drive. I like to drive so I was happy to help them in this small way. I also needed to be out of the house since there was an open house going on at our home so it filled the time nicely.

3. It’s National Salsa Month (the food, not the dance) so tell us, do you like salsa? Hot, medium, or mild? Homemade, store bought, or from your favorite restaurant only?

We like the salsa at our local Mexican restaurant. It’s medium. Other than good restaurant salsa we enjoy homemade.

4. When I was twelve years old…

This is the junior high school I was attending when I was 12. When I was 12 I attended Hume Lake Christian camp. What I learned at Bible Camp was that the only connection I could have to God was through Jesus Christ and what He did for me on the cross. Being Russian and being a part of my father’s religion did not give me a direct link to God that I believed I had. In 1963 at Hume Lake while listening to a speaker talk about Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross to save sinners I was moved to step out and become a follower of Jesus. God’s plan of salvation was exclusively through his perfect son Jesus, who is fully God and came to earth to live a perfect life among us and be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. I knew I was one of those sinners and I needed a Savior. This decision began a journey of ups and downs, highs and lows, but a journey forward with my God and Savior.

Nestled close to Kings Canyon National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada is the Youth Camp that I was able to attend in 1963, 1965 and 1967. I was 12, 14, and 16 during these wilderness adventures.

5. It’s the first of May so let’s run with it-first things first, don’t know the first thing about it, first dibs on something, first impression, first rate, first cousin, first string, first come first served, at first light-which phrase can best be applied to something in your life currently or even recently?

Currently I’d have to choose at first light. Seems Dear and I are up before first light each day. We should have been farmers or milk deliverers.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
It’s the Merry Month of May and I’m happy that it’s here.
Joining Jo From Across the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge.