Mardi Gras Hodge Podge

It’s Hodge Podge time with Joyce over at “From this Side of the Pond”….

“Happy Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday or just regular old Tuesday!

Here are this week's questions for our weekly Hodgepodge...answer on your own blog and then hop back here tomorrow (Wednesday) to link with the rest of the party go-ers.

It will be like our own little Mardi Gras...see you there!” 

I have to laugh at this a little bit at Joyce’s reference to Mardi Gras.  My memories of Mardi Gras aren’t necessarily “party” memories.  We’ve inadvertently taken a few of our mission trips to New Orleans during Mardi Gras week.  We finally got to the point that we would schedule around going during that time because it was near impossible to do our construction work with stores being closed, etc.  In fact the first year we were there was the February after Katrina hit.  We stayed in a FEMA camp out in Chalmette and on Fat Tuesday/Ash Wednesday, no one came to pump out and clean the shower and toilet trailers because it’s a holiday for the New Orleans folks.  Picture this (or maybe not) 800 volunteers and residents in a camp and the bathroom trailers haven’t been pumped out in two days.  All I can say is it wasn’t pretty.  I’ll spare you the details. 

On to the Podge!

1. The season of Lent begins on March 9th this year...do you participate and if so, in what way?  
Our church fasts at the beginning of the year so I don’t typically give anything up during this time but I do celebrate our Risen Savior at Easter.

2. Traditionally pancakes are eaten on the day known as Shrove Tuesday which is the last day before Lent (March 8th this year). So....butter and syrup? Blueberry? Chocolate chip? ewww, no thanks!! What's your pleasure when it comes to eating pancakes?
Butter, syrup, whipped cream and any kind of berries work for me!

3. Spring is coming. (It is coming, right?) What's your favorite springtime flower and do you suffer from seasonal allergies? Two questions I know, but they're lightweights.
My favorite isn’t technically a flower but more of a branch.  Pussywillows!  I can remember walking home from elementary school on one of the first warm spring days and seeing them popping open.  Whenever they come out in the spring, it always takes me back to those times.

4. "Our opinion of people depends less upon what we see in them than upon what they make us see in ourselves." Author unknown. Agree or Disagree? Why?
I try (notice I said try) really hard to not judge people because everyone has a story to tell of some sort and are the way they are because of life circumstances be those good or bad.  However, I frequently fail miserably on the “not formulating an opinion/judging” scale most of the time.  In fact, tonight I called someone a weasel!  It was a man DH has had dealings with over the years.  I’ve never trusted him and I doubt I ever will.  See there I go again! Still trying…..

5. Since it's "March" and also the season of Mardi Gras....have you ever been in a parade? 
A recent parade I was in was supporting a good friend on her mission to stomp out breast cancer and spread the word about early detection.  You can read about it here.

What's the best parade you've seen?
A few years back we took the train into Chicago for the Thanksgiving Day parade. 

What a great way to spend Thanksgiving Day!

6. You would jump up and down and shout for joy right now if someone told you___________?
That I could retire tomorrow with full benefits!  You couldn’t hold me down or begin to wipe the smile off my face. 

7. How clean is your car on the outside? Inside? Is there junk in your trunk?
oohhh, ouch!  Right now the outside of my car is full of salt and road grime from the lovely winter we’ve had.  It’s supposed to be warmer this week so I might actually be able to wash it without the fear of the doors freezing shut.  The inside is relatively clean though and the only things in the trunk are cooler bags and reusable grocery sacks.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
It’s really hard to come back to work after being gone for a week’s vacation. Tonight when I left the piles on my desk were starting to go down so I’m making some headway finally.