Well, here we are on the last Wednesday of March.
I'm happy to report that spring is finally becoming obvious after those frigid temps of a week ago...
...and after the 80+ degree record breaking February that gave us quite a tease.
The past couple of days we have had showers and everything is turning green...yippee!
It's also time to hop across the pond for the last Hodgepodge of March...
...where Joyce asks the tough questions and after racking our brains, we answers them on ours.
Come on over and see what everyone is sharing......here we go.
1. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' What's something you've seen recently that you thought
1. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' What's something you've seen recently that you thought
was beautiful?
I actually look forward to them every year...they are an edible weed that grows profusely around here in the early spring called Purple Deadnettle. Some of you already know that weeds are some of my favorite flowers—in fact, my very first blog post ever was titled Beautiful Weeds.
Just this past Saturday you could have found me taking these belly shots. A weed you say?
They look like flowers to me!
Or what about this?
These lovelies.
I actually look forward to them every year...they are an edible weed that grows profusely around here in the early spring called Purple Deadnettle. Some of you already know that weeds are some of my favorite flowers—in fact, my very first blog post ever was titled Beautiful Weeds.
Just this past Saturday you could have found me taking these belly shots. A weed you say?
They look like flowers to me!
Or what about this?
I see so much beauty in this gnarly, twisted up old tree. These are two examples on opposite ends of the 'beautiful' spectrum. I guess it's all how you look at them.
2. Our culture and beauty...your thoughts?
Before I answered this question, I typed the word "beauty" into Google Images just for fun. The screen was bombarded with images of women—very Kardashianesque—wearing tons of makeup and wearing very little clothing. This must be beauty by the world's standards, unfortunately. Of course, we all love beauty in many forms and I don't know many women who don't want to look as beautiful as they can. The very old adage "beauty is only skin deep" couldn't be more true. Here is my take on what true beauty is and how we attain it:
Before I answered this question, I typed the word "beauty" into Google Images just for fun. The screen was bombarded with images of women—very Kardashianesque—wearing tons of makeup and wearing very little clothing. This must be beauty by the world's standards, unfortunately. Of course, we all love beauty in many forms and I don't know many women who don't want to look as beautiful as they can. The very old adage "beauty is only skin deep" couldn't be more true. Here is my take on what true beauty is and how we attain it:
Or how about...
3. Age before beauty, beauty queen, beauty mark, beauty sleep...which beauty-ful phrase resonates with you today? Why?
I am not quite ready to use the phrase "age before beauty" (referring to me as being the 'aged one') just yet...I am still in denial :) So I will say that beauty sleep would be my answer. I don't get enough of it according to all of the information out there. It's not a choice for me... I have a hard time sleeping past 5:00 on any given day of the week... even after going to bed at my regular time of 11:00. Maybe if I could figure out how to get more sleep, I would finally be that ravishing beauty that I always wanted to be. :D
4. I read here a list of the top ten beasts animals that scare us the most-
alligators, coyotes, black bears, birds (but pigeons in particular), sharks, bats, bed bugs, rats, rattlesnakes, and the black widow spider.
Which 'beast' on the list scares you the most? What is the likelihood of you having an actual encounter with that particular beast? Did a movie contribute to your fear of this creature? Have you ever had a real life encounter with any of the animals listed?
I really don't scare easily but would have to say that just the thought of being infested with bed bugs really creeps me out...and I am not fond of spiders AT ALL, black widow or not. I would like to think that the likelihood of getting bed bugs is 0% chance...unless I wind up in a seedy hotel for some odd reason. I live in a wooded area though and the chances of encountering a black widow spider increase dramatically. (:O) At the moment, I can't think of anything from a movie that has affected me...BUT I do have a close encounter of the "kinda creepy, kinda cool" kind to share.
6. What's your favorite carb? How's that for random?
A warm, squishy, sticky, gooey, cinnamony (and kinda greasy) apple fritter. This is not a treat that I indulge in often....only when patients bring us sweet treats in the morning. I have no trouble passing up your regular run-of-the-mill donuts but if the box contains one of these puppies...OOOWEEEE... temptation just gets the best of me! Thank goodness this doesn't happen every day...or every week!
7. Let's wrap up another month of Hodgepodging and life with an acrostic. Recap your month using the word MARCH.
alligators, coyotes, black bears, birds (but pigeons in particular), sharks, bats, bed bugs, rats, rattlesnakes, and the black widow spider.
Which 'beast' on the list scares you the most? What is the likelihood of you having an actual encounter with that particular beast? Did a movie contribute to your fear of this creature? Have you ever had a real life encounter with any of the animals listed?
I really don't scare easily but would have to say that just the thought of being infested with bed bugs really creeps me out...and I am not fond of spiders AT ALL, black widow or not. I would like to think that the likelihood of getting bed bugs is 0% chance...unless I wind up in a seedy hotel for some odd reason. I live in a wooded area though and the chances of encountering a black widow spider increase dramatically. (:O) At the moment, I can't think of anything from a movie that has affected me...BUT I do have a close encounter of the "kinda creepy, kinda cool" kind to share.
This little guy/gal decided to take a lengthy nap on the side of the house the summer before last. Like I said, kinda creepy but kinda cool.
5. Where were you when you last heard a bell ring? Was it alarming or musical?
5. Where were you when you last heard a bell ring? Was it alarming or musical?
I was at work...yesterday. I rang the bell and then I took this photo especially for the hodgepodge...
and it was neither alarming nor was it musical. :D
6. What's your favorite carb? How's that for random?
A warm, squishy, sticky, gooey, cinnamony (and kinda greasy) apple fritter. This is not a treat that I indulge in often....only when patients bring us sweet treats in the morning. I have no trouble passing up your regular run-of-the-mill donuts but if the box contains one of these puppies...OOOWEEEE... temptation just gets the best of me! Thank goodness this doesn't happen every day...or every week!
7. Let's wrap up another month of Hodgepodging and life with an acrostic. Recap your month using the word MARCH.
Many things to do!
Arranging and rearranging...
Rarely getting it all accomplished.
Closets are all good though!
Home...sweet home. ♥
8. Insert your own random thought here.
Oscar had his 8th birthday on Sunday. He's getting to be an old man!
See you next month if not before!
That's a great photo of Oscar! He even wore a party hat...that's great!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that bats would sleep out in the open like that. It would seem like they would be so vulnerable. The bats we have here are much smaller than the one you pictured, though. Both the purple deadnettle and gnarled tree are, indeed, both beautiful - in very different ways.
I love the beauty of nature! We've been having a really wet spring which means I'm not getting to trek through the woods and some other favorite outdoorsy spots.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are gorgeous. That fritter has me drooling from your description. Happy Birthday to darling Oscar! Have a great week, Debby!
ReplyDeleteThat wee batty bat must have been very tired. So cute. As far as weeds go, my yard will be full of them soon. Dandelions. And I can't wait to photograph them. We have them in such numbers on our prairie that when they bloom, it is a sunny sea of yellow. I love them. And then, when they all turn to fluff, it looks like a mysterious low lying fog. They're beautiful. People with manicured yards absolutely hate them though, and they've told me many times how to get rid of them. If they only knew...
ReplyDeleteHave a great rest of your week Debby!
Andrea
Oh that bat would have freaked me out!!!
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of purple deadnettle around here too! I love learning about things I considered weeds, and then find that they are plants God created for food!
What lovely photos of those deadnettles. And a most interesting little bat hanging on the side of your house -- they like heat so he probably enjoyed the warmth radiating from the brick.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a beautiful day, Debby...
Brenda
PS... Love your blog header ... very pretty!
DeleteI love your answers, Debby Ray. It is always fun to see what everyone's take is on the question and the different blogger's answers. Hope you have a great day and don't encounter any spiders....oh...and make sure your boyfriend rents a NICE motel room for your weekly encounter so you don't get bedbugs....bwhahahahaha.....xo Diana
ReplyDeleteHi Debby! Your photo of Oscar is hilarious! He looks like he's saying, "when can I eat this?"
ReplyDeleteI love sleep, so I'd go with beauty sleep too. My dad fought the invasion of bats on his outside porch, they are protected so you can't harm them. I think nets and plugging up the holes helped.
My favorite carb..hmmm. There are so many! I do like a good cinnamon roll, like the kind at Cinnabon. I also like cake :)
Have a great day my friend (and go get a nice gooey apple fritter!),
Ceil
What a delightful post, Debby. Be still my heart with the red rose and verse. Your pictures of the Purple Deadnettle are lovely. That tree is so mysterious, and Yes, beautiful. Yikes, that bat freaked me out a little, and like you, I find them creepy. Happy Birthday to Oscar, what a funny picture.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post very much, Debby. Do you know why I love your pictures so much?..........because they are not only pretty, but many of them are unusual, interesting, unique, and wonderful!
~Sheri
That stuff is edible? What do you do with it? The closets are all organized? Wow. I have not been able to say that my entire life! 🙂
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Purple Deadnettle but they are sure a pretty weed. I cannot stand bats and thankfully we do not have any around here so hopefully I'm safe. Yes, your pictures are always lovely. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love the Bible verses that you used to answer #2. So true!
ReplyDeleteAck! The bat hanging on your house gives me the heebie-jeebies. We once had a bat get IN our house. ~shudder~ If the little guys are doing their job of eating mosquitoes and such, that's okay. But they ought not be within touching distance.
Awwww . . . Oscar! Happy birthday!
So thankful to visit with you today, sweet friend. Those purple flowers are just so beautiful! Spring is springing to life! Hooray! God bless you. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, you know, I almost picked apple fritters as my favorite carb. I love them! Then I decided I couldn't narrow it down that much and just went with baked goods in general.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine having all of my closets organized. It has never happened yet, but maybe with enough decluttering and rearranging ... miracles do happen.
I chose the phrase "beauty sleep" too ... seems like quite a few of us did!
Enjoyed your hodgepodge, as always! You share the most interesting things - a bat! oh my! Well, my most feared animal around these parts would be a moose, even though I love to see them, I sure don't want to upset them, they are very dangerous creatures, even more dangerous than bears here. I don't care much for creepy crawlies either, but I put up with them, I guess. If I had to pick a favorite carb, it would have to be a jelly filled donut or danish, lol, but really, anything sweet would be a winner! Gorgeous weeds too! Belly shots are fun aren't they, great perspective! Love your pictures :) Hugs to you today!
ReplyDeleteThat was a fun hodgepodge. Those were pretty weeds/flowers & I liked your idea of "True Beauty". How cool that you had a bat land on your house. They do look creepy but also quite fascinating. Mmmm on the sticky carb although I'd go more for a custard filled donut.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your hodgepodge answers...and love Oscar!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your answers, Debby, and seeing your pictures (eek...except for the bat!). The picture of Oscar was just sooooo adorable. The look on his face, and with the hat, is priceless. Happy 8th Birthday to him!!
ReplyDeleteHi Debby,
ReplyDeleteIs it just you and me in this great, big blogosphere who adore the whimsy of weeds and gnarly, twisty trees? Your pics of the pretty Purple Deadnettle and the braided branches are beautiful. I could stare at that woven wonder for a while!
Won't get into the creepy crawlers; just the thought of them makes me antsy!
Happy Birthday to Oscar! He looks quite refined, by the way.
Happy weekend,
Poppy:)
I haven't ever seen a bat, for which I'm grateful. lol! They are kinda creepy. I sure didn't know they slept like that, clinging to the house! I love flowering weeds, too, and the dead nettle is a new one to me. Happy Birthday to Oscar, he looks very pampered on his big day! Have a lovely weekend! xo Cheryl
ReplyDeleteOh, how lovely your weeds are, and a pretty purple at that. LOVE that gnarly tree. I don't like bats at all. I have seen them in colonies and they are freaky. Spiders don't really bother me, most probably because there are so many in my neck of the woods. Though their cobwebs of gossamer-like thread are beautiful, it's being wrapped up in their sticky lace that can bother me....justa little. =) I am still chuckling at the "ring the bell if no-one is at the window"????? My imagination has conjured all kinds of scenarios for this sign. How terribly funny. Your Oscar is so, so sweet. Happy Birthday Oscar. As always it is a fun and interesting and enlightening read when I visit you for your Hodge Podge answers, Debby. I always look forward to reading them.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I still don't know who or what the Kardashians (or whatever the name is) are, I remember seeing some photos once, but "beauty" was not the word that came to mind. However, I sometimes see really old women with wrinkled faces and think how beautiful they are. Maybe it's in their eyes or in their smile. A certain warmth and wisdom.
ReplyDeleteOf this list I certainly fear bedbugs the most and unfortunately encountered them on our trip across the the States several years ago. It wasn't exactly fun. I was surprised finding coyotes on the list. I did encounter them and always was very delighted.
This was a fun post!
Happy Birthday, Oscar! I hope you enjoyed your cake.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Hi Debby, I wanted to stop by to tell you how much I appreciate your prayers for my surgery last Monday. Diana posted a prayer request on her blog and I am full of gratitude! I am slowly recovering but wanted you to know how very much I appreciate you thinking of me. :-) Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Jill
I love creamy carbs... mashed potatoes, puddings, pies, etc.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo's here, and a great hodgepodge.
ReplyDeleteOscar looks great ... happy birthday!
All the best Jan
Oscars's Birthday picture is cutest thing I have seen all week
ReplyDelete