Hodgepodge: Of Packing, Pontius Pilate, and Peach Pie

Thanks, Joyce, for siphoning some time out of your tank of busyness to come up with some fresh Hodgepodge questions.



1. July is National Ice Cream month...your favorite flavor?

Black Raspberry Avalanche.

Soft served, hand dipped, or frozen yogurt...which do you prefer? And technically yogurt is not ice cream but its hot outside so I'll let that slide...

Hand dipped is the best! We are blessed to have a dairy here that makes and sells ice cream. It's the county's favorite hang-out on hot, summer evenings. Most customers sit outside on picnic benches and listen to live music which, in my opinion, is not as good as the ice cream, but any author would scoop up "local color" on any given Sunday night there. Sometimes the ice cream is so farm fresh you can smell the manure. Mmmm. We take our out-of-town guests there every chance we get. If we like our guests, we try to sit up-wind of the barn.



2. When you travel do you tend to pack too much or too little?

Too much. It hearkens back to my mother's adage: "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it." I make the mistake of thinking that "it" has to come in threes. For example, for our upcoming beach vacation, I'm packing three different pairs of sunglasses :

1--my unattractive prescription pair that I use for driving and reading on a bright day

2-- my attractive pair (at least in my opinion) for when I'd rather look good than see well

3- the QuitcherBellyAchin' pair. You've seen them at the dollar store. They're neon and made in Ch---.....oh don't get me started on that subject ! One Size Fits None, but I'll throw them in the car for anyone who says, "I don't need sunglasses" but then complains of a headache from the glare while we're traveling. That's the QuitcherBellyAchin' pair.

3. What's your favorite cleaning product?

Lemon-scented Pine-Sol. I know it's very chemically, but I like the smell of chemicals when I clean. Don't be a hater, and don't tell me vinegar works for everything and it's "green." I know, I know! Green is good, but if your family walks in after you've scrubbed the kitchen floor and counters , and then say "Ew, what stinks?!" then yellow is better than green.

4. Which is the greater tragedy-an innocent person imprisoned or a guilty person set free? Explain.

As a Christian, my first thought was how Jesus, the innocent one, was crucified while Barrabas, a convicted killer, walked away free. This was at the same trial. Pontius Pilate declared of Jesus, "I find no fault in Him." But he had to abide by the law which meant he had to release one prisoner on Passover. The people demanded that Pilate release Barrabas.

Imagine if our modern-day media were to air the biblical account of Jesus' trial day in and day out for months. What effect might it have on society? Think about the chatter at the watering hole or on Facebook!

Barrabas had to live with his guilt. I don't know if he ever repented or how God dealt with him. I hope he got the same mercy I have received because I would only wish hell on my worst Enemy (Satan) and no one else!!! It's not like Barrabas got away with murder; God might have postponed the consequences, but He does avenge wrongdoers.

5. What's the longest trip you've taken by car?

Physically, it was 36 hours from Baltimore to Topeka, KS, for my grandpa's funeral in 1989.
When we heard the news that Grandpa had died (just one month after I saw him alive and well), my parents and youngest sister (then age 10) took a jet and my sisters and I took a Jetta. We started driving in the afternoon. With my nursing five-month-old baby girl in the backseat beside me, it made for a long, cramped ride, especially since we mistakenly took 76 north through Pennsylvania (adding 3 hours we didn't have) instead of west on I-70. I believe I was the one to blame because Rachel, who was driving, needed a quick decision in the dark as to "which way? 70 or 76?" and I blurted out "76! It's scenic!" We still laugh about our "scenic ride in the dark."

We drove for about 22 hours, then got a hotel in St. Louis because, if you have ever driven toward Kansas from the east, you feel like you SHOULD be in Kansas by the time you get to Saint Louis. I think it's the only city in the world without borders. You're in it for.ev.er, and never get out, which is why it's aptly located in the state of Misery.

Emotionally, the longest two car trips were those to the hospital for my miscarriages. Twenty minutes each time felt like my own Via Dolorosa.


6. tennis-golf-canoeing-biking...pick one.

Tennis. I was on the tennis team in high school and 'loved' it. Love-Love. I still enjoy the game and wish I could whoop my hubby at it, but I can't.


7. What sound drives you crazy?

Any repetitive noise, but I'm going with a dripping faucet.

8. Random thought.

Lately I've been absolutely CRAVING homemade peach pie. I'm talking flaky crust, fresh-picked peaches, lots of sugar, and a scoop of French vanilla on top. Growing up on a little farm, we had peach trees that hung heavy with fruit every July. Mama made the best peach pie. And she passed the tradition down to my sister, Jill. I can't believe I haven't even had one slice this summer! I guess I'll have to make it myself because we're running out of July.