A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

blogging challenge

Photo Blogging Challenge (January 2020): New

So, remember when it was 2019?

Not any more!

And just like that, we are at the end of January 2020. What in the hell is all I can say. But the month started with me being sick and ends with me pushing myself with walking and everything else, so I can’t complain!

What’s even cooler is that we are in 2020. It’s a cool year and hopefully it will be awesome — for you personally, professionally, and blogging! I think we should all come together and see if we can’t actually grow the challenge this year. I’d love to see many more taking part by the end of the year than what we start with!

When this challenge first started in 2013, we had a bunch of people. Unfortunately, many of them no longer blog. That being said, there are still plenty of bloggers out there and this challenge is so open that people can do it however they want! Interpret the theme in whatever way they see fit, and also use any type of camera. This month, I used my new iPhone 11 for all of my images. The camera is awesome!

So let’s see where 2020 can go. If we can all find a way to get a few new people participating, think about what kind of challenge this can be every month!

So let’s get to the challenge! Five photos for new!

Here are my five!

1. New focus

Over the years, I’ve tried many planners. I always fail. But I wanted to do something different. I didn’t exactly need a planner fully, more of something where I can journal more. I want to keep track of a lot of different things and I’ve been working on this bullet journal. I start it officially in February, so here’s hoping it works out for me!

Bullet journal planner

2. New game

So many of you may know I am into board games, especially ones I can play solo. This is a newer one I got and while I was sick, I learned and played the game a few times. Lots of fun!

Criss Cross game

3. New snow

It seems we’ve been in a cycle this winter. Snow comes, then it disappears. And then more snow comes. Here’s some new snow one afternoon.

Snow covered picnic table

4. New medicine

This seems to have been a good addition to me and is really helping. It’s made me feel good moving forward with the diabetes battle.

Ozempic pen

5. New … drink

This Irish cream was a Christmas gift from my brother. The new Hydro Flash “drink cup” was one I picked up. This Irish cream is outstanding and I dare say better than Bailey’s!

Irish cream

And there are my five for the month!

If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

Make sure, too, to come back tomorrow to see February’s theme!

Photo Blogging Challenge: January 2020 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

20 Days of Chill: Snow(Day 6)

First, remember I live in the Northeast. 

That means I deal with snow most winters. Sure, there’s that rare winter where we’ll only get a few inches of snow. But those are few and far between. Most of the time, we average about 62 inches of snow per year, which is just over five feet. 

Remember, that’s per year. 

For our area, the snow can fly anytime from late October into April or early May. So that’s a long stretch. You also can get those crazy winters where we get snowstorms that dump 2-3 feet of snow on us in a weekend, so it differs. 

Part of living in the Northeast, though, is dealing with all four seasons. We can have hot or mild summers; beautiful or rainy springs; beautiful or dull autumn; and harsh or mild winters. The winter is the crazy part in that … it could be decent temperatures with a lot of snow; arctic temperatures with nearly no snow; or arctic temperatures with a ton of snow. 

There are many other variations as well. 

And, for the most part, I love all the seasons. It’s nice that things change. I don’t like it uber hot out, though as I’ve gotten older, the frigid cold isn’t as fun, either. I like that middle ground. 

That being said, snow during the holidays is still magical to me. 

Let the snow fly around Christmas. Bring the cheer into the season with the white stuff falling from the sky. It’s a beautiful thing. 

My perfect world? 

We get the winter temps (preferably 20s-40s) for most of the winter, with snow from like … December 10-January 20. Then just let it be mild. No more dealing with snow removal or extreme weather. Unfortunately, we usually get a bad storm in March, so this is one of those things that I can dream about. 

Snow is nice to have in a small window. Not for months on end. 

What say you on snow?

This post is part of the 2020 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the link if you’d like to see others or join in. You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants! 

20 Days of Chill: 2020 Day 6

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

20 Days of Chill: Naps (Day 5)

I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four.

Yogi Berra

Nothing like a good Yogiism to start off a post. And while humorous because of what it says, there’s something to be said about a nice nap. 

But how nice of a nap is the big question. 

I’ve found, personally, that if you nap too long, it’s counterproductive. But, if you find that happy nap time, it works out well for you. In other words, find that time that recharges your body and mind. I also believe, however, that you need to do this as a recharge – not because you are exhausted. Once you get there, you are in a situation where you are just way too tired and probably need sleep. 

Let me tell you a quick, but somewhat terrifying story. 

I used to go home from work, sit on the recliner and snooze for 45 minutes or so. It was almost like clockwork. And that would allow me to kind of recharge for the night. The issue, though, wasn’t that I was taking a nap, rather it was that I needed sleep as I wasn’t getting enough at night. 

As the spring arrived (this was two years ago), I was meeting a friend for a baseball game that night. We were going to hit up a minor league game, and then a couple of major league games for a weekend of baseball. 

That all almost didn’t happen. 

Because I was not getting enough sleep at night (fully my fault), my body had somewhat got used to that after-work snooze. On that Friday, I took off right from work and headed toward Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

I almost didn’t make it. 

From the town where I work to Allentown isn’t a bad drive – a couple of hours or so. But to make the highways, there’s some weaving and winding back roads. Before reaching the highway, I started to get tired and drowsy. My best is we’ve all been in that situation where your eyes feel heavy from driving. Maybe it’s the scenery, or the day you had, or just because you are tired. 

What followed was something I think many in these situations do – roll down the windows for fresh air; crank up the music, rub your eyes – and whatever else you can do. I was a couple of miles from a convenience store and I set it in my mind that I need to stop there and try and refresh. 

My body didn’t want to cooperate. 

What followed seemed to be in slow motion, but at the same time in warp speed. I often wonder if something found a way to jar me and bring me back to my senses. Maybe somebody was looking over me; maybe it wasn’t my time, I don’t know. All I do know is I got super lucky. 

I must have dozed off. I came to as I had already crossed this back road and was through the lane and heading toward the shoulder. My senses jumped me back as I went toward a ditch, hit a bit of a pothole and started to head back into the lane where I should be. My car seemed to jump a bit hitting that “crater” and I weaved a bit, getting the car back under control. I drove probably another 500 yards with eyes wide open until I turned around to see where I had been and to make sure nothing came off my car. 

Thankfully, nothing happened to me. 

Thankfully, nothing happened to my car. 

Most of all, thankfully nobody was in another vehicle coming at me when this happened. 

I’ve driven this road hundreds of times. The spot where this happened is close to an intersection and not from from what I believe is a town-type shed, where there are plenty of work trucks. 

This could have been a really bad situation. 

Since that day, when I go past this spot I thank my lucky stars. I also notice all the vehicles I’ve passed in this spot since then – dump trucks, tractors, pickup trucks, regular cars etc. It’s really surreal to look back on. 

I’m a lot smarter now when it comes to “car napping.” If I feel myself getting tired at all, I pull over. I’ll get out of the car and stretch. Smell the air. Walk around a little. I’ve even before found a safe place to park and grab a 10 minute nap to let my body recharge. If I have to stop every 10 minutes to recharge, I will. 

My sleep schedule is a lot better than it used to me. Naps now are just that – naps. While they usually occur after work, they are not something my body relies on. I’ve gone without just as much as I do. But I am also cognizant to being tired or feeling drowsy and knowing my body needs a recharge and to be refreshed. 

Naps can be a great thing and they have many benefits. Just make sure you are doing them where you are safe, and not in spots where it can be potentially dangerous. 

This post is part of the 2020 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the link if you’d like to see others or join in. You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants! 

20 Days of Chill: 2020 Day 5

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

20 Days of Chill: Show me the way (Day 4)

OK, is anyone else who is reading this or participating in this challenge thinking of the old Styx song with the same name?

It can’t just be me, can it?

Oh, goodness … come on. You can admit it. 

One of the chorus segments is as follows (feel free to sing along, as I’m sure you might …):

“Show me the way, show me the way

Bring me tonight to the mountain

And take my confusion away

And show me the way”

The song is a pretty good one. It was released in 1990 and has a religious feel to it. But it’s something how words can kind of resonate with you in a different way. Though I know this has a religious tone and background (originally, it was written about the struggles to keep faith in a world filled with hate), it can work in so many different ways. 

I’ve always thought of this song when trying to figure things out in life. Not necessarily the path of faith and whatnot, but for anything. Be it personal struggles, or things I need to do to make things better in one aspect or another. 

Maybe deep down the song does deliver on a lot of things. 

The kicker to this song is it has that old 1980s power ballad feel. There’s a lot to it. The lyrics are excellent and the meaning is there – and it’s one of those songs where there’s no doubt somebody can decipher and interpret those lyrics in different ways, though it’s hard not to do so in a positive way. 

OK, this post went from me having some other ideas and just using the song as a starting point to more of a discussion. Go figure. 

Well, in that case, some quick facts: 

  • Peaked at No. 3 in the Billboard Hot 100
  • Peaked at No. 3 in the Billboard Adult Contemporary
  • Stayed 23 weeks in the Billboard Top 40
  • 8th and final Top 10 hit for Styx

And now, you can also give a listen. You know you want to … 

This post is part of the 2020 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the link if you’d like to see others or join in. You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants! 

20 Days of Chill: 2020 Day 3

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

20 Days of Chill: Is that chicken? (Day 3)

Why does everything supposedly taste like chicken?

Insert type of food that most people don’t eat: Tastes like chicken.

I mean, there are many ways to cook and prepare chicken. I know that and you can make chicken really work with a lot of things.

But, I’ve yet to have anything that tastes like chicken – that isn’t chicken!

I will try new things along the way. I can’t say I am the most daring when it comes to trying food, but I will in the right spots.

Several years ago, I was on a cruise. They had frog’s legs.

Tastes like chicken, I was told.

Nope.

Not even close.

I assure you, Kermit and Foghorn Leghorn are not the same delicacy.

I’ve also had alligator, which I was told – again – tastes like chicken.

Um, nope.

Do you see a pattern here? You should!

If it doesn’t look like a chicken; act like a chicken; walk like a chicken; or cluck like one … it likely isn’t!

How about all of you? Anybody have any tasty things that weren’t chicken, but tasted like it?

This post is part of the 2020 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the link if you’d like to see others or join in. You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants! 

20 Days of Chill: 2020 Day 3

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!