A Mid-Year's (and Mid-Summer) Hodgepodge

Good morning and welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge!  It's hard to believe we are more than halfway through July.  This summer is going much too fast!

1. Growing up, were you close to your grandparents? Tell us one or two specific things you remember about them. I wasn't close to my paternal grandmother. We didn't live near her, so I only saw her when we would visit. My paternal grandfather died the year before I was born. I was very close to my maternal grandparents, my Pappy and Nana. They raised me for the first 3 years of my life so I guess that's to be expected. Because of that I was closer to my grandmother than I was my mom.  I wrote about them several years go on another blog. You can read it here.

2. What's an item you were attached to as a child? What happened to it? I can't remember anything except my security blanket (think Linus of Peanuts). I drug that thing everywhere and it was patched many times over. My parents finally got it away from me before I began school. Mom saved a small piece of it (that may have been all that was left) and used it to make a "blanky" for my kids.

3. When you look out your window, do you see the forest or the trees (literally and figuratively)? Explain. Literally, I see the trees. We live in the suburbs so we have to drive a couple of miles to see forest.  Figuratively, I see the forest. So much has been going on in our lives that is stressful right now that I've had a bit of trouble believing we will ever find our way out of the forest.

4. Do you like sour candies? I used to love Sweet Tarts and I've eaten a Warhead or two, but I don't like sour candies as much as I used to. Which of the 'sour' foods listed below would you say is your favorite?

grapefruit, Greek yogurt, tart cherries, lemons, limes, sauerkraut, buttermilk, or kumquats 

Um....of those choices I guess I'd have to say I like sauerkraut best, though I like it made with brown sugar, so not really so sour.

Have you ever eaten a kumquat? Not that I remember. What's your favorite dish containing one of the sour foods on the list? I like a good pork roast with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut.

5. July 1st marked the mid point of 2017. In fifteen words or less, tell us how it's going so far.  It's been rough, but our youngest grandson keeps us smiling.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  I am feeling hopeful that I may have found the reason for all of my husband's health problems these last few years. After a health incident on Sunday, his sisters told me to get his thyroid checked because three of them and their mother all had problems.  He's had his thyroid checked, but they stirred my memory.  

Two years ago when some blood work showed my husband to be deficient in a lot of vitamins (D, B-12, iron, magnesium), it was also mentioned that his parathyroid was a little off.  It wasn't a main concern but it was mentioned that maybe down the road he should see an endocrinologist.  

Long story short, I went digging online and I found a lot of information, including a long list of symptoms...that my husband has all but 2 or 3 of.  He has scheduled an appointment with our doctor for next Tuesday and I will print out the information I found to take with us. We're both feeling very excited that maybe this is the source of all his problems and that if it is taken care of he'll get his life back.

Thanks for visiting today! If you enjoyed the

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