Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Wednesday Hodge Podge

I always find myself apologizing for my less than wonderful critter shots. I don't have the fancy dancy camera and lens I would like, but that doesn't detract from the thrill I get when I see a bird or duck I haven't seen before. So, I take the pictures and cherish them as if they were National Geographic quality. So, here is another one. 

Wood Ducks
The Rez is basically a large pond and park area. I drive by there most mornings on my way to work. Sometimes I get lucky and find ducks or geese. Sadly, they are always on the far side and I don't have time to walk around to get closer. Of course, on the rare occasion when I do have time, they always swim over to the side from whence I came. Non-cooperative creatures!

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday

On to some Hodge Podge

1. Since these questions are posting on the first day of April it seems only right to ask-when was the last time you did something foolish? If you can't answer that one, try this one-when was the last time someone fooled you?

I don't have to look to far for the someone fooled me answer. It was this morning. The weather girl on our local station said it was going to snow later in the week. Bad weather girl! It wasn't until the end of the forecast that she spit out, "April Fools." With the weather as it has been this winter, it wasn't hard to believe.

2. What's the last biography or non-fiction book you've read? Was it any good?


Mrs Kennedy and Me by Clint Hall and I did find it interesting. Since I lived through the Kennedy years and remember Mrs. Kennedy fondly, anything to do with that time period interests me. 

3. Garlic-friend or foe? What's your favorite dish made with garlic?


Friend. Love garlic! Favorite dish? Not sure, but I absolutely must have garlic bread with pasta.

4. Several Spring flower festivals happen in the US during the month of April. Of those listed, which would you most like to see in person...The Skagit Tulip Festival in Skagit Washington, The Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville Tennessee, The North Carolina Azalea Festival in Wilmington North Carolina or the Daffodil Festival Weekend on Nantucket Island, Massachussets?


I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina in the mid 90s and actually attended the North Carolina Azalea Festival in Wilmington, so will pick The Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. I always intended to stop there on my way from Raleigh to visit family in Illinois, but was never able to time my trip with the festival. 

5. How do you choose which blogs to read?  What is something that will make you stop and read every time? Something that makes you say, 'eh, think I'll skip this one and move on to the next'?


I have several 'never miss' blogs that I read every day. I'm not sure how I chose them. I think I found them through participating in memes. A fantastic critter shot will make me stop every time, such as in Brian King Images. I don't know of anything in particular that would make me move on unless it's a topic I'm not interested in.

6. April is National Mathematics Education Month so tell us, when did you last use math? 

Math? What is math? 

7. In honor of the A-Z challenge kicking off on April 1...choose one word beginning with the letter A to describe your yesterday.

Ambiguous.

8. Insert your own random thought here.


I'm writing a short story about my maternal grandmother. This is the beginning...Her Indian heritage manifested itself in the form of dark skin, brown eyes, and coal black hair. She was a tall woman in spite of her short stature. A no-nonsense woman whose gruff demeanor concealed a soft heart. She didn’t show love and affection with words. Her actions spoke volumes.  

Linking to Wednesday Hodge Podge 

14 comments:

April said...

Best of luck with your short story...sounds like you're off to a great start!

Brian King said...

Wood Ducks are one of my favorites! Unfortunately, I don't see them around our area. The colors are awesome!

TexWisGirl said...

i love the wood ducks! you got a nice flock of them with great reflections, too!

i'm with you - brian's photography is a 'must'. i have a few others like that, too.

Brian King said...

Apparently, my reading and comprehension skills are lacking! Thank you so much for the mention, Betty! I'm flattered! That's very kind of you!

A Joyful Chaos said...

Great start to the story about your grandmother! Will you be publishing it?

Gillian Olson said...

Wood duck are great to see, thanks.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Great flock of Wood ducks with wonderful reflections.

retired not tired said...

Love the wood ducks. I too have an Indian great-great grandmother. My mother explains her dark skin that way. Good luck with your story.

Gail Dixon said...

This is a wonderful shot! I've never seen that many wood ducks together at once. They are so beautiful!

Dave said...

I like your sentiment about just enjoying the shot, its a great way to enjoy what you saw later..... Camera, Lens, fancy gadgets are good, but never as good as just being there. Lovely post.

Maggie said...

Thanks for popping by my blog today! Loved your great shot of the wood ducks!

Neil said...

Nice photo of the Ducks.

Unknown said...

Hi Roan,

Non-fiction books: I really enjoy WWII Holocaust survivor stories. The people who lived through the Holocaust amaze me with their strength.

Garlic: Friend to me, foe to my Hubby. lol!

I would love to take a hot air balloon over the tulips. It's fun to dream!

Good luck with your writing and have a fabulous weekend.

Jenn Jilks said...

Love the birds!