Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. When did you last 'swim against the tide'? Explain.
   I was talking to a dear friend about this yesterday but didn't word it as swimming against the tide.  I swim against the tide on A LOT.  For starters, we home school.  That goes against the grain in my family. I think that some of the family feels that I think we are better or something because we home school- I don't. We just chose a different education path for our children.  I am also into organic and natural products.  Again, goes against the traditional thoughts of "they wouldn't sell it if it wasn't safe".  I respectfully disagree. 

2. What's the last self-help or self-improvement book you read?
   Does the Bible count? I think so but it helps with so much more.  I don't read a lot of self-help books because they annoy me.  I will occasionally read something but it isn't frequent and I have never made it through a single book.

3. "Tolerance is a tremendous virtue, but the immediate neighbors of tolerance are apathy and weakness." (Sir James Goldsmith) 

Agree or disagree? Discuss. With civility please, because I think we have a good thing going in our very diverse (in geography, age, religion, political persuasion, ethnicity, marital status, upbringing, and cooking abilities) neighborhood here on This Side of the Pond.
   This is a deep question.... I think that it depends on what we are tolerating.  I believe if I have to tolerate an annoying person or loud, obnoxious kids or telemarketers calling any time, etc. then it would be a virtue as some things can be overlooked. However, if you are asking me to accept things/actions that I feel are wrong then I won't tolerate it.  I do not wish to cause arguments but I also don't think I should stick my head in the sand and accept it due to political correctness!  I think we should stand on our own two feet.

 4. What is one of your most vivid memories of the kitchen from your childhood?
   My mom was always making something in our kitchen.  It was a hub in our home. We didn't have a "formal" dining room just a kitchen. We had so many visitors as a child that our table was always full of people. Back when I was a kid, folks just stopped in to visit.  It was rare that someone called first or made plans to come at a certain date or time.  My mom always wanted to have something to serve guests if they arrived so there was always some kind of goodie on the counter to eat! Yum!

5. How did/do your own children's summers compare with your summers as a child? If you're not a parent, answer as it relates to what you've observed about the current generation of children vs. your own childhood.
   We had a farm as a child.  We spent summers bailing hay, tending to fields and fences and I always had an animal that I needed to take care of as a 4-H project.  We didn't travel much as a child but my kids get too.  They have been to more places at their ages that I didn't experience until I was an adult or we experienced them together.

6. Tell us what body of water you would most like to be on or near today, and why?
   I am going to say the Pacific Ocean.  Location- Hawaii.

7.  Share a favorite song about water, or a favorite song with the word water in it's title, or a favorite song to listen to as you sit beside the water.
   Raindrops on Roses!  It seems that all it is doing lately is rain. When I was a little girl I would sing that song all the time to my grandparents.  They enjoyed it so much- even if I was being silly and sang it off tune.  It is such a fun song.
  
8. Insert your own random thought here.
   My dad has been busy cutting the grass in our fields.  He hasn't cut them in several years because we have been letting the cows eat them down.  However, we have been getting a lot of weeds growing and they are starting to take over. He has been cutting grass in between rain storms. Ryder walked into the house and said, "Mom, it looks like a farm again!"  I have to agree.