#AtoZChallenge Reflections & Catching Up

I totally missed the sign up for the A to Z Challenge reflections but oh well!  I'll just kind of gloss over it.  

Woohoo!  I made it through!

As usual, I dropped the ball with visiting other blogs. 

I already joined the Road Trip, at least I can remedy that somewhat. 

Some thoughts from the Reflections post linked above....

I like the Theme Reveal posts.  It's neat to see ahead of time what people are writing about and to poke around their blogs to see what they're about. 

Yes, at least one of the hosts did visit.  That's got to be a tough job - kudos to them for visiting everyone!   Some of the blogs have topics that I'm not interested in so I think it would be hard to make any meaningful comments on it!

I'm pretty sure my blog's comments are open to everyone - I do have a time frame set where any comments after a certain time need to be moderated, but that's to weed out the weirdos.  

I don't like the blogs that are hard to navigate, and I've even seen some where there wasn't a way to comment - at least that I could find.  I always wonder if they actually look at their blog?  

oooo and I really like they already listed the sign up dates for 2027!  That theme is really pretty, too. 

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Catching up.....

Who needs Mother's Day flowers when you can stop the ice cream truck!

So my search & rescue team is now an "associate" member of the SE Michigan Dive Group, along with a whole lotta law enforcement / fire agencies.  We had our first training with the county dive team last week.  Since we're all "professionally trained volunteers" we will never actually dive, but we can assist & support the actual divers. 

We met at the sheriff's department & got our made up scenario, then made a convoy to the lake. 

There were 4 of us from my team, plus one K9 who is certified in water searching. 

We were told 2 guys collided out on the lake, their boats sank (there really are 2 boats at the bottom of the lake we went to), they swam to shore and fought, shots were fired, etc.  So, we had to go into the woods and look for the firearm. 

I may have said "gimme gimme" when the guy in charge of the training offered up one of the police dept's 800 MHz radios for us to use.

I was warned several times NOT to touch the orange button (is the emergency button) but when it came time to actually USE the radio?  I hesitated since I was listening to real police traffic the whole time we were in the woods!  

Found this pretty little guy out there, too

Fun fact - there is only one poisonous snake in Michigan, the Mississauga Rattlesnake, but it tends to be much further north than I am and is very timid, so bites are rare.  This is a harmless garter snake. 

Afterward, we got to go out in the boats and see how they use sonar.  I've watched videos on YouTube with guys looking for cars in lakes, but it's different in real life! 

It was a super cool training.  Luckily, it's only once a month since it was during the day on a Tuesday, so I could easily just adjust my work hours.  

Everyone in my house is finally getting over the plague.  Over the course of 2 weeks, 4/5 of us were sick.  First, it was the Spouse.  He was down for the count for 2 days, shortness of breath, coughing, etc.  His cough is still hanging on!  Pretty sure he had bronchitis but he, being such a guy, didn't go get checked out.  Then I started getting a sore throat, congestion & coughing.  Then the next week, the granddaughter came down with hand, foot & mouth.  Then the grandson got it.   The kids finally went back to school yesterday.  The togetherness was getting to be too much.  They were constantly fighting & tormenting each other.     

I went out to breakfast with my sisters Sunday and when I came home, the Spawn was by herself in the back yard.  The neighbor behind us invited the kids over to help him pull weeds in his garden - she said he was probably tired of hearing them screaming and her yelling at them!    

The tulips & hyacinths are done blooming, but the irises are out! 

These used to be purple years ago, not sure why they turned white.

We also just had the VFW's Day of Service - somehow we got involved with the caretakers of a local cemetery, so a whole bunch of us gathered there and cleaned up the cemetery and put out flags for Memorial Day.  Since I'm the VFW's post historian and website admin, I'd like to find out more about HOW we got involved with them and write a little piece for the website.  Everyone I asked pointed fingers at Mike, but Mike doesn't remember how he met them!  I'm hoping the caretaker's wife knows something since her family took care of the cemetery before they did. 

Signing off for now!

The Uncomplicated HodgePodge

I'm back off my blogging break!  I didn't even do my A to Z Reflections post - oops!   Maybe I'll still do it even tho I missed the sign ups.  

Thanks as always to Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for today's HodgePodge. 

1. What do you make more complicated than it needs to be?

Most likely some processes at work.  Next month is my (gasp!) 26th anniversary there and of course over the years some tasks have somehow oozed onto my desk, and I don't always get proper (or any) training.  

2. What impresses you?

Talent.  Some of the kids the Spawn used to dance with were incredible.  Artists, too.  (edited to add) Public Speaking!  I'm impressed every year when I have to help judge the entries for the VFWs Voice of Democracy program.  It's high school kids writing & presenting a speech on a given topic.  They're always amazing.  

 And what made me say "WOW!" just recently was seeing a picture of Admiral Brad Cooper, the Commander of the US Central Command. 

(pic snagged from navy.mil)

A civilian might not understand, but all those ribbons on the left chest/shoulder stand for awards, recognitions, commendations, honors, etc.  That's an insane amount. 

In comparison, I did 8 years in the Navy and came out with 6 ribbons. However, looking at all the gold stripes on his sleeves (each one means 4 years of service) he's done at least 20....

I bet he's got some stories. 

3. On a scale of 1-10 how picky of an eater are you? (1=extremely and 10=not at all) If you had to eat a meal made entirely of one color what color would you choose?

A solid 9.  I won't eat red onions - but white/yellow is ok. Tofu. Green peppers. Otherwise, I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to food.  I've eaten - and enjoyed -rattlesnake (takes like chicken/turkey) and escargot and buffalo.  I currently have a pound of ground elk and some venison steaks in my freezer, thanks to the Spawn's male friend.  When the Spouse & I went on Carnival Cruises back in 2005 / 2007 we made a point of eating something we'd never had before every night at dinner. 

I'm going to steal 99% of Joyce's answer for the color - red.  No red onions, of course.  I'd burp them up for days. But I wouldn't have thought of red meat!  And I will eat red peppers (and orange & yellow if I have to) but those green ones ...

😖

4. What does balance in life mean to you? Does your life currently feel 'balanced'?

Being able to separate home / work / volunteering / continuing education.  It's tough to do sometimes since I need to get in the correct frame of mind for whatever hat I am wearing at the moment.  So no, life is not balanced, but not for lack of trying! 

5. If you could travel the world for a year what would be your first destination?

Australia, since I didn't get to go there back in 1995 when I was on my WestPac cruise in the Navy.   I still want to try Vegemite handed to me by a real Aussie.  

I also want to visit all 50 states. Like real visit, not just drive thru. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I made the mistake of leaving my phone unattended last Sunday and I ended up with 50 or so photos of these 2 little faces.  And 3 videos.  This is a screenshot from one of the videos (they didn't know it was a video!!)

Some dialogue...

Grandson - "OMG my head is so giant, take a picture of me now"

Also Grandson - "oh please please please let my head be giant!"

Granddaughter - "random beeping noises"

Grandson - aghast - "what is happening???"

May HodgePodge

 I did the same thing Joyce did (From the Other Side of the Pond) - the A to Z Challenge ended and I just needed a blogging break!  Actually I took a break here, but I have several posts written & scheduled over at my Halloween-y blog for Cemetery Appreciation Month.  

That sort of ties in with the HodgePodge question we had recently about going down into a rabbit hole.  I like to explore old cemeteries, take headstone pics and then post about them.  The website Find A Grave is a font of information for genealogists and just looking at a random person's memorial can take you down said rabbit holes! 

1. What's something you may do this month?

I may go insane!  Of course that's a good possibility every month.  The Spouse is currently in bed for the second day due to a Man Cold - it actually sounds like bronchitis but being a typical man - he won't go to the doctor.  I just hope he doesn't give it to me!  Surprisingly - he did NOT get it from the grandkids, since they haven't been sick lately!

2. Hola! Hodgepodge Day lands just after Cinco de Mayo... how do you feel about Mexican food? What's your favorite dish? Do you make it at home or is it a strictly dine out option?

I enjoy it very much!  I can make a good enchilada (learned from the Texan former sister-in-law) and tacos of course, but they're never as good at home.   The Spouse & I like to go to this little podunk Mexican restaurant by our house - it's SOO GOOD.  I get a combo plate so I can have more things!  My favorite includes a chicken burrito, beef tostada and a cheese-onion enchilada.   And a margarita, of course. 

3. When the children of today grow up what do you think they'll say about this time period? What do you most hope they remember?

Thinking of my 4 1/2-year-old & 6 1/2-year-old grandkids - probably Minecraft and 6 7 and Paw Patrol.  But really, I hope they remember how much Gramma & Papa love them!  

Baseball season has begun! 

I never had a relationship with any of my grandparents.  I can't even remember having a conversation with any of them!  I'm not even sure they knew my name or whose kid I was.  When Mom's Mom passed away, Bro1 called me and his exact words were "Goldie kicked".   Dad's Dad passed away within a week of Sis1's first horse (who I'd basically grown up with) and guess who I cried for?  Yup. Nibbs. 

4. What advice would you give a new mother?

Document memories!  Keep a notebook or create a document on the computer, whatever!  Just write down what your kid does or says.  It'll be sweet / hilarious to read back when they're older.   

5. What's a phrase your mother often said to you? If you're a mom, do you say it to your own children?

Hmm.  I think I say more of Dad's phrases than Mom's!   Oh wait - Mom (she's coming up on 92 years old) likes to use her age to get away with things.  It started when the Spawn & the niece had dance recitals and she'd always sneak water into the auditoriums because she just gets DRY.  The funny part is how she says it, so now we imitate her.  

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Last weekend, a few of us from the search & rescue team went to give a presentation to an area fire department (they want to learn what to do when someone goes missing and we're not available) and we showed the FD what the different K9s can do, among other things. 

 

I was the "lost child" and for Daisy - the border collie - she's a "scent specific" trailing dog.  The handler went into my car and wiped a gauze on my steering wheel to get my scent.   Her thing when she found me was to sit next to me.  Then she got to play with a frisbee for a reward. 

Glory - the golden - is an area search dog.  She runs loose and has a cowbell and a GPS on her collar.  She just looks for a person, so she might or might not find the correct person.  Her thing was to stand next to me and bark at her handler.  At first, he wasn't in sight, so she ran to him and barked.  He told her to "show me" and she ran back & forth between him & me, barking.  Then she got to play with a ball on a rope.  

We have our monthly meeting tomorrow and also our annual "pack test" where we hike 1 1/2 miles carrying a pack (that identifies as) weighing 25 lbs. 😉 I'm not in the best of shape, but I can handle this! 

#AtoZChallenge - Zen

Welcome to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for 2026!

My theme this year is simply things that I’m grateful for.

It’s a broad and varied theme but was surprisingly easy to fill in each letter!

Zen

Calming sounds are sometimes just what's needed!

Waves on Lake Michigan

Wednesday HodgePodge

Happy Wednesday!  Let's jump into the Wednesday HodgePodge!

Linking up over at From This Side of the Pond...   

1. Are you feeling more reset, restart, or full speed ahead as we move into May? Tell us why.

Ugh - I just looked at my calendar and apparently, it's Full Speed Ahead!  

There are several events or "demonstrations" with the search & rescue team - I'll have to ask - I might not have to go to those.  I'm sure they want to show off the K9s. We are considered "associate members" of the SE Michigan Dive team so we start having training with the divers as support.  I WILL go to that.  We also have our annual pack test where we hike 1 1/2 miles while carrying a 25lb pack. 

There's a district event at my VFW post this month.  The Day of Service where we go clean up a cemetery and put the flags out before Memorial Day.  Then 2 different Memorial Day events.  

OK, maybe my calendar isn't too bad.  I have an appointment noted, several birthdays and the Spouse will be gone for a couple days so there's a lot of little dots for the month. 

2. Painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, cinema, theatre, music...what's your favorite form of art? Elaborate.

Sculpture - mainly what I see when exploring cemeteries. 

Architecture - I love cool old buildings

Music - altho it's odd to think of 80s hair metal / rock as "art".  But so be it!

3. What time is dinner at your house? How do you feel about leftovers?

The dinner situation is a major bone of contention in my house.  The Spouse is perfectly happy to eat whatever I put in front of him.  But then there's the other 3 inhabitants, aka the Spawn & the grandkids, aka the RiffRaff.  She, in particular, is VERY picky.  The grandkids are slightly less so.  And since I'm not a short-order cook, it makes trying to eat healthy very difficult.  

Dinner is usually 7-ish and the Spouse & I will have leftovers for lunch the next day.     

4.What's the last thing you fell down a rabbit hole investigating?  

Medal of Honor Recipients. 

3552 have been awards and 110 are from Michigan!  I was reading their citations.

5. And now for a question from the book Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me...At what are you 'self-taught?'

Gosh.  Blogging?  I've kind of figured that on my own.  Cooking? Meh.  I definitely can't call myself a 5-star chef by any means.  There are a few things that I can make, and everyone is happy with. But sometimes for other things I'll follow a recipe exactly how it says and my food won't turn out.  

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I mowed the lawn for the first time this year yesterday.  This is a chore that I DESPISE but has to be done.  We have a double lot and it takes about 2 hours to mow, if I were to go non-stop.  It's slightly not as bad now that we got the new mower last year, one that actually starts on the first pull instead of having to practically dislocate my arm.  And why doesn't the Spouse mow the lawn, you might ask?  It's because he's in worse shape that I am and I really don't want him having a heart attack.   So I suck it up. 

Looking at the positive side - I saw an empty robin's eggshell in the grass - which means babies!  And for the first time...

a morel mushroom!  

I sure wish I knew how to cook those! 

Our crabapple tree is in full bloom and smells so good!  

The granddaughter wanted me to go with her to look at it so I pulled a branch a branch down so she could smell it and that reminded me of something....

granddaughter, aged 4 1/2, left

Spawn in 2003, aged 5 1/2, right

same tree!

#AtoZChallenge - Years

Welcome to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for 2026!

My theme this year is simply things that I’m grateful for.

It’s a broad and varied theme but was surprisingly easy to fill in each letter!

Years

I'm grateful for these years that I've had on earth so far. 

May we have many more!

#AtoZChallenge - Xanadu

Welcome to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for 2026!

My theme this year is simply things that I’m grateful for.

It’s a broad and varied theme but was surprisingly easy to fill in each letter!

Xanadu

We're not talking about the movie with Oliva Newton John from 1980 or the palace in Inner Mongolia that was used as Kublai Khan's capital and was written about by Marco Polo in 1298.  The ruins are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

(oh, the things you learn when doing research on ~other~ things!)

According to Merrian-Webster, Xanadu is an idyllic, exotic or luxurious place.

This definition could be many different things, based on who you're talking to! 

Funny story - I had just written this post and scheduled it, and I saw a video on Facebook from a horse sanctuary someplace and one of the horses they had just rescued was named Xanadu and they used almost the exact same definition I did! 

#AtoZChallenge - Work

Welcome to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for 2026!

My theme this year is simply things that I’m grateful for.

It’s a broad and varied theme but was surprisingly easy to fill in each letter!

Work.

Ugh.  I've been with the same company for almost 26 years now!  

I've been in the billing department of said trucking company the whole time. 

Me & my manager during the eclipse in 2024

I guess I need to be grateful for the family that originally started the company 100 years ago - when I started there in 2000, the owner was the 3rd generation.  However his kids weren't interested in taking over, so he sold out to a corporation.  

There actually used to be 3 companies in one - one was for local routes, one for regional routes and one of over-the road.  There has been a LOT of changes over the years, mainly all 3 of the companies slowly oozing into one.  It's actually easier for me, since before - all 3 companies required billing the customers a different way!  And the owner was very old-school and didn't take to change well.  Once he retired, I feel we came into the modern times. 

#AtoZChallenge - the VFW

Welcome to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for 2026!

My theme this year is simply things that I’m grateful for.

It’s a broad and varied theme but was surprisingly easy to fill in each letter!

The VFW

aka the Veterans of Foreign Wars

I joined my local post back in February 2018 and still am only a handful of women who attend twice-monthly meetings and events with any regularity.  I'm not 100% sure if I can say exactly WHY I joined. 

I checked into all the other veteran's organizations and at the time, the VFW seemed to be the only one who treated female veterans as equals.  Other groups placed the female vet in the auxiliary with the wives & family members!  This was a huge red flag in my book.  Hopefully they've caught up with the times.   

I carried the post flag in the 2019 Labor Day parade 

I think they were short on honor guard members that year, because ever since, I've ridden in the wagon. 

I am also the newsletter editor, social media peep, website admin and the chairman for the VFWs Voice of Democracy / Patriots Pen programs and also for our post's annual scholarship. 

I am kept busy! 

#AtoZChallenge - USA

Welcome to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for 2026!

My theme this year is simply things that I’m grateful for.

It’s a broad and varied theme but was surprisingly easy to fill in each letter!

The USA, of course. 

I wouldn't have given 8 years of my life otherwise. 

Metallica playing the National Anthem.

Apache helicopters at a NASCAR race - can't think of anything more American that that!

Except for maybe the pace car being delivered by a chinook!

Sweetheart HodgePodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge! Linking up with Joyce and everyone over at From This Side of the Pond as usual!

1. April 22nd is Earth Day...what's the most 'out of this world' place on earth you've ever visited? Tell us something about it.

 I live in Michigan - and Hell is only about a 90-minute drive from me!  I've been there many times.  It's actually a cute little place - and they have an ice cream shop with the toppings in a real coffin!

I have a couple posts from my other blog.  Goin' To Hell    Hell's Hearsefest

I've also been to Hell that's in Grand Cayman, too.  I would have to dig thru a box to find those pics, tho - I had a film camera then! 

2. A favorite quote, verse, or song lyric with the word earth in it?

It's not really my "favorite" per se - but it's a good song and in my favorite genre of 80s hair metal. 

Little Fighter by White Lion

"You were a fighter for peace on this earth"

3. What's the most trivial thing about which you have a strong opinion?

When to use an apostrophe.   Definitely grammar & spelling.  

People who think the speed limit signs in the US are in kilometers (aka driving excessively slow for no reason!!)!  

4. What's your most commonly used kitchen utensil or tool? What's the last thing you made using that tool?

This is the main non-spatula tool that gets used the most. 

For spaghetti, of course!

5. Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me a great book of 3000 questions, and I'm going to try to use one in our Hodgepodge every week. Here is today's - What is your greatest extravagance?

I feel like almost anytime I buy something for myself is an extravagance, even tho it's not really.  The Spouse & I both have "play money" accounts that a portion of our paychecks go into so we don't dip into the joint accounts.  I use mine for Halloween stuff and don't feel guilty about it.  Storage is getting to be the problem, tho.

This is funny - the one thing I can buy without worrying about it being on sale or anything is toilet paper!  The Spouse grew up in rural Arkansas and didn't know about good TP!  So when he moved to Michigan for work, he found he liked Quilted Northern (in the purple package) and now that's all we get.  Somewhere I have a picture of him dancing with his QN in the Walmart parking lot during Covid because we were able to score some!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

~crickets~

Too many things floating around in there!

Back in 1994, a post member from my VFW passed away and left a lot of $$ to the post, so they created an annual $1000 scholarship in his name.  So, we had the drawing for this year's winner and since I'm the scholarship chairman for the post, I get to contact said winner and possibly ending up presenting it at the student's awards ceremony at their school.  BLARGH!  I don't do well with public speaking.    

Another lesson learned - when someone asks if you "want to do stuff with kids"- find out what it is before agreeing!  I'll probably be this chairman for as long as I am a member of this post. 

I started this post yesterday - and oh boy - guess what I saw today?  An ad for Hell in Grand Cayman!

#AtoZChallenge - Tapophilia

Welcome to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for 2026!

My theme this year is simply things that I’m grateful for.

It’s a broad and varied theme but was surprisingly easy to fill in each letter!

A taphophile is someone with a passion for exploring cemeteries, studying gravestones, reading epitaphs, and appreciating the art, history, and cultural significance of burial sites. The term comes from the Greek words taphos (meaning "tomb" or "grave") and philos (meaning "lover of"), literally translating to "lover of graves". Taphophilia can range from casual interest, such as visiting famous graves or photographing memorials, to a more scholarly or historical pursuit, including genealogy and the study of funerary art.
from taphophile.com.au

Seems pretty straightforward!  

I love to explore cemeteries - the older, the better!

I adore the peace, art & history and wonder about the lives represented in that dash between years. 

Rosalie Raymond

 Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston SC

I regret not getting out of the car and exploring the entire Raymond plot.  

They have some very neat stones. 

Oak Grove Cemetery, St Mary's GA

The first time I saw this was in 1992 and for some reason it always stuck in my mind. So when the Spawn's dance team when to nationals in Orlando in 2018, I planned our trip so we could go here first.  Plus St Mary's is also where the Naval Submarine Base is, which is where my first ship in the Navy had been stationed. 

Sacred to the memory 

Col. John Patterson

aged 52 years

Mary Young, his daughter

aged 19years & 6 months

Charles Young, the son of

Mary Young, aged 18 months

James Batcholer, aged 17 years

John Morris, aged 8 years

9 months, relatives of the above. 

All born at Philadelphia, State of 

Pennsylvania and fell victims within

a few days of each other, to the

yellow fever of 1801 at St. Mary's

State of Georgia

This marble is erected by

Francis Young and 

Lewis Levy, sons in law of 

Col John Patterson

The grief of their affectionate relatives

speaks louder than this cold marble. 

Goodrich Cemetery, Bruce Twp MI

George Walden

1826-1847

This cemetery is supposedly haunted by George.  I believe it!

North Dryden Cemetery, Dryden, MI

Deuteronomy Cooley

1852-1861

This whole cemetery has a lot of unusual names, but his tops the list!

Coming up in June - one of the guys from my search & rescue team is going to be playing taps at the Michigan War Dog Memorial for 3 fallen police K9s.  One of our SAR K9s is going to be interred then, too.  This is going to be one of the toughest things I've ever witnessed!  I've been wanting to go explore there, but not in this manner.