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? 

So I don’t much go to church anymore but I did grow up celebrating and I am usually aware that it’s a time to sacrifice and reflect. Yes, churches are open here. Florida rocks.

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? 

Saturday! We made one in the fireplace and watched old videos of the kids with my parents. It’s a wood fireplace and I love it, though we do more outdoor fires in the pit. I don’t care for over-fire cooking and I am – sorry to say – not a fan of s’mores!

3. Something that’s currently got you fired up? 

Media? News outlets? People being stupid? Trying not to be fired up about any of it but a quick perusal of headlines reminds me how dumb everything is.

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 could give or take on it, really. Sometimes if there’s some kind of cabbage slaw I won’t mind it but it is not really something I incorporate into my cooking.

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? 

I will hang onto a penny for a while but I tend to chuck them. Last thing I bought for a dollar? Wow, not even sure. Maybe a candy bar? No, those are more than a buck now. I thought about the Little Debbie snack cakes by the register but those are less than a dollar! Last thing I bought for 5 dollars exactly? When we went for burgers about two weeks ago, the place was doing 5 dollar pint specials. So, beer.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The theme du jour is the snow across the country, well, except for here. My family lives in Pensacola and they got really cold but the snow was still off the coast. My sister sent me a pic of her radar and it showed a blob of it in the bay but that was still a good 7 or so miles from her house. Here, I was just happy to have some Tuesday sun. We hadn’t seen it since maybe Thursday and even then, it was brief. I went out to the deck with the kids that afternoon and tried to soak in as much as I could. It even felt – gasp! – hot for a minute. But that was in direct sun, right on my black jeans. Otherwise, it hasn’t been warm or sunny at all. I’m writing this on Tuesday, just before a quick meeting and my plan is to go right out to the deck after this and soak it in; recharge myself like Superman!

I am getting to that point in the semester, about 6 weeks in, when things feel harried and insane; I even gave my students Monday off and one of my other courses had Tuesday off so it has been a nice reprieve. Now I feel like a car stuck in muddied grass, spinning and sputtering, trying to get a hold of something. Not sure what will help other than just buckling down and getting sh!t done, you know?