Are you here for the music, Wednesday Hodgepodge, Wordless or Wild Wednesdays hook up? What ever brings you by today, I’m delighted you stopped in for a visit. 😉
This week’s prompts are a spice, a type of tree or tree in general, and a unit of measurement. I couldn’t think of any songs myself because frankly this is a tricky set but I love a good challenge. This gave me an opportunity to look for some new songs to stimulate brain growth in the music department.
I use a lot of sage in my holiday cooking. When I spotted the song by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer titled The Sage (song lyrics) I was curious. The original audio wasn’t fabulous. Lucky for me, Greg Lake remastered the song in 2017. I enjoyed it even more than the original. Trying to find a song about a type of tree in a song title was harder. When I first spotted Mighty Oak Tree by Hank Williams, Jr. I shied away from it because I wasn’t in a country mood. However, no other song title grabbed me, so I reluctantly listened. I am really happy that I did. The first chorus of the song did it for me.
Like mighty oak trees
They line a shaded, well-worn path
They’re the souls that have walked beside me
And I can see that, lookin’ back
Friends that stood by me
Right up to the last
Like mighty oak trees
They’ve helped me walk this well worn path
I’m winding up my song set with American Idol 11th season winner, Phillip Phillips singing Miles (song lyrics). From the first note in this song to the end I loved it. Phillip was my favorite AI contestant in 2012 making me an instant fan. Not to mention, he’s a southern boy. His talents as a singer/songwriter are undeniable. I found it interesting to read on Wikipedia that he appeared in an episode of Hawaii Five-O in 2018 as a diamond smuggler. He made an appearance on Pure Genius as himself in 2016.
In my second part of today’s post I’m doing a mashup of Wednesday Hodgepodge Q&A and Wild Wednesdays.
1. This week’s Hodgepodge lands on Ash Wednesday which signals the beginning of Lent. Do you mark this season in some way? If so tell us more. Did you grow up ‘celebrating’ Lent? Is attending church part of your weekly routine? Are churches open for in-person worship where you live? I might be wrong about this but isn’t Lent associated with Catholics? If so then this would explain why I did not grow up observing this tradition leading up to Easter. It sounds like a beautiful gesture to put aside things of the flesh in honor of the tremendous sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. We haven’t been to church in a long time but as a child of God I know my body makes up the church of Christ. I serve Jesus where ever I am. I’m not sure if churches in our area are open.
2. When is the last time you sat beside a ‘real’ fire? Do you have a fireplace in your home? Wood or gas logs? Favorite thing cooked over a fire? The last time I sat by an open fire was prior to 2014. When we visited DH’s late parents in southern WV in the warmer months, it wasn’t uncommon for us to build a campfire to roast wieners and marshmallows over. This was great family fun and to this day when I smell a wood fire burning, I think about those sweet times.
Our kiddos enjoying the warmth from a blazing fire.
3. Something that’s currently got you fired up? I’d rather not say what has me fired up as this is out of my hands. I am trusting God to have mercy on this old world. There’s is so much evil around us.
4. February also happens to be National Cabbage Day. Who knew? Do you like cabbage? Is cabbage on your menu Wednesday? Of the following cabbage dishes which is your favorite-coleslaw (mayo or vinegar?), sauerkraut, cabbage rolls, cabbage soup, kielbasa and cabbage, grilled cabbage, bubble and squeak, kimchi, or haluski? I certainly didn’t know it was National Cabbage Day but I do like cabbage. I haven’t any plans to add cabbage to my menu today. I prefer mayo in my coleslaw but I do add a small amount of vinegar to my coleslaw dressing. I like cabbage soup, kielbasa and cabbage, and sauerkraut recipes. My late MIL made a delicious corn beef and cabbage soup. I haven’t made it in years. I really need to make a big ole pot of this soup. It’ll be the perfect meal to these cold days.
5. Do you hang on to pennies? What do you do with them? Last thing you purchased for $1.00? Last thing you purchased for $5.00? Honestly, we don’t use cash too much so I don’t get too many coins of any kind to hang onto but when I did, I kept the pennies in a jar until I had enough to cash in for paper bills. The last thing I bought for a $1.00 would be Palmer Cuddly Cuties chocolate for our granddaughter. Right now, I’m not sure the thing I spent $5 on.
6. Insert your own random thought here. Last Thursday I made Ree Drummond’s Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies recipe that I slightly modified. Ever since I saw the episode of Christmas Cookie Challenge of one of the bakers using red velvet emulsion I wanted to make some. Using Ree’s idea as a base, I used in addition to the vanilla extra one tablespoon of red velvet emulsion and because the emulsion is red, I left out the food coloring. I also omitted the white chocolate pieces and I only used the confectioners’ sugar to roll cookie dough in before baking.
We, mostly me, were surprised that the cookies were actually too sweet. Usually, DH is like it needs more sugar but not this time. The cookies dough spread more than I expected and it’s probably due to the butter or buttermilk, perhaps both. I re-wrote the recipe noting future changes to try. The cookie recipe didn’t make me go WOW so I’m in no hurry to make another batch but I’m glad that I got a chance to try my hand at it.
I asked Cookie Monster to guard the plate of cookies from DH but it looks like he was trying to sneak one off. What was I think of putting a Cookie Monster in charge? *smack forehead*
Join my #WildWednesdays linky party where just about anything goes! The concept for this mid-week blog hop was conceived as I found myself moving farther away from photography and more toward art. Of course, that’s not what this party is about. You’re invited to share anything – artwork, DIY projects, photos, music, musings, randomness, recipes, and more!
I’m linking with these Wordless Wednesday Communities… Sandee, Natasha, Marie, & Wordless Wednesday!
Thanks for including me in your day. Perhaps the wind will carry me back tomorrow with a new sketch to share for Rain’s weekly art date. Have a wonderful day! X💋X💋, Cathy