A post called HodgePodge

I'm late to the party this week!    Thanks again to Joyce at From This Side of the Pond - it's amazing how you come up with all these unique questions each week!!

1. Do you like your name? Are you named after someone (grandparent, etc)? If you have children, how did you choose their names?

I'm pretty neutral about my name.  It's interesting that even given how short my name is - there are several guys at work who call me "Leese".  

There's a lot of family connection in all of my siblings (and younger) names.  I don't usually use their actual names in posts, but it applies for this one.  

Us girls are Laura Lee, Linda Bea and Lisa Marie.  The L-a's are supposedly a coincidence as well as the middle names rhyming.  Laura & Linda's middle names are the same as Dad's parents' and mine is a variation of Mary, which is Mom's name.  

Dad was James Curtis.  I had a half brother named Curtis James.  My brothers are John James and Terry Curtis.  Then there are nephews named James Richard & Alexander Curtis.  Even my grandson is Adam James.  Oh, and the niece named Lisa Beth (after me & her mom)

For the Spawn... as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I had picked out Brandon James.  Then the doc said there was a 70% chance I was having a girl, but she had her legs crossed so they couldn't tell for sure.  So since the Ex was a wanna-be bullrider from Texas (he wasn't very good) I suggested Angela then he could have his Copenhagen Angel (is a song by Chris LeDoux).  So there's that. 

2. A piece of red velvet cake, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a slice of blueberry pie? You can only have one...which will you choose? If you could pick any red, white, or blue dessert other than those listed here, what would you choose?

The red velvet cake!   But I also make a simple, fairly healthy but tasty red, white & blue trifle made with layers of angel food cake, whipped topping, strawberries & blueberries.  

3. What's a job you'd like to try for just one day?

The first thing that popped into my head was a fighter pilot - GO FAST!!!! And shoot guns / missiles!   I'm trying to hold down my practical side, since I don't think my chubby, out of shape body could handle the amount of Gs I'd want to do and my lousy vision is against me.  But one can daydream!   

4. Any patriotic decor in your home currently or coming up this summer?

Ugh - I didn't get any pictures yet, but I have 2 of these blowmolds out on each side of my front door.  And that's pretty much it!    I'll probably put them away for a while, then bring them back out of the 4th of July.    I didn't decorate my office at work for Memorial Day, but will for the 4th. 

5. It's the end of May, so let's exercise our brains. Sum up your month with an acrostic using the word MAY. We can do it!!

I had to look this up!  I never knew the name for this activity. 

M - making plans with the Spouse for our upcoming 20th anniversary!

A - all the plants at the greenhouse - I want them! 

Y  - yay for the random neighbor who stopped by last Friday morning and offered to mow the lawn before the long weekend at a very reasonable price!  And also, for the Spouse having that exact amount of $ in his pocket to pay him!  

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Last night we swore in (or "installed") the all the new 2026-2027 officers at the VFW - and since I'm the social media / website / newsletter peep - of course I took pictures.  

Honestly - I 'm ashamed that it took me so long to embrace ChatGPT - you'd never know that I used it to remove several people out of this picture!