A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

Secret Subject Swap: Favorite holiday

This post is for the Secret Subject Swap, a monthly blog challenge. Information about the swap can be viewed at the end of this post, as well as links to all others taking part. Have a peek at some of the other bloggers and see what they had to come up with. If you are a blogger, consider joining up for future months!

My theme is “What is your favorite holiday and how do you celebrate it?” and it was submitted by Wandering Web Designer.

It seems odd to be talking about certain holidays in April. 

Alas, such is the world when you are in a secret subject swap. 

I’m sure I share this with a lot of people, but my favorite holiday is Christmas. And it’s not just Christmas day, it’s everything surrounding it. The festive look and feel. The music. The smiles. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I dislike the idea that stores start doing Christmas sales in like October or earlier now, but the overall feel is what I like. 

I love seeing the look on the faces of kids during that time, especially the innocence of what it is. 

To me, it’s the perfect time of year. 

Family time during that holiday season is usually pretty good. As I’ve grown older, I’ve tended to appreciate the whole season a lot more. It was always my father’s favorite holiday as well. And I think most of my family is usually in the spirit. 

Christmas candy and foods are always amazing as well. From my mother’s homemade caramels (family recipe) to cookies from friends and other things galore, you can’t go wrong with the season! 

I even enjoy a cup or two of store-bought eggnog each year. 

And though I know there are plenty of people who do not enjoy the Christmas holiday, it’s a season I find to be enjoyable and carefree. Innocence only goes so far these days, and I feel as though you can still capture it quite well during Christmas. 

And yes, I like snow during those holidays as well!

Five others have taken part in this challenge, so go check out the other posts and have some fun reading their secret subjects!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen at A ‘lil HooHaa, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! We also have the Food Photo Challenge (current theme listed at end of post) and the Can of Corn Challenge. We’d love to see you!

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!

It’s time to be good to one another

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a fan of restrictions when it comes to doing what I want to do. And though the beginning of this seemed to be full of mixed feelings between full lock downs and overreactions, we know now that this is a serious situation we are in.

And while it might seem like the whole world doesn’t need to be on full lock down, the issue with not doing it everywhere is that those who are in areas that need it, might look to run to areas that don’t need it and … well, you get the idea of what could happen.

So the steps being taken now are very necessary and we all need to be smart and go along with this. 

I also think we weren’t ready for this and the fact that high-ranking officials didn’t necessarily take this seriously from the start also hurt. Alas, that’s not my point here. I don’t like to get too political on my blog, so I want to talk about a few more things on a broader spectrum. 

Local reach

As many of you know, I’m in New York. I’m not in the city or downstate, though. My county, as of me writing this, has supposedly 16-20 confirmed cases. Now, my county is also a large area with about 45,000 total people. So a lot of ground to cover. Though the population might not be as big as many other places, the size of the county is large.

The problem is, we have no idea where these cases in our county are as health services will not release the town names. 

Yes, you read that right. 

The county in which I reside will not release the towns the cases are in. As I noted, we are a vast county. So some people might get spooked a little more based on where people are. I’m not saying people shouldn’t be alarmed either way – they should – but it would be nice to know. They claim privacy etc. And they claim where people are located doesn’t matter. 

Yet, every other county seems to be releasing the towns. 

Our county leadership (outside of a few departments) is not the greatest. So this doesn’t surprise me. But the fact that they won’t even release the names of the towns is downright crazy. 

Every bit of news you hear is this town and that town. Not in this county. Allow people to know the truth so they can be a little more wary. 

The overall view of what is happening

I don’t think people, as a whole, are meant to be confined to their homes. They like to get out and see and do things. And with the spring months seemingly starting to really come along, people are going to get antsy. 

Still, we must be smart. 

This disease is moving rapidly. Though there appears to be good work being done on medicines and vaccines, it will still take time. 

I know I’m bummed because it’s baseball season. I love this time of the year. I should be getting amped up for seeing my first minor league game of the year next week. 

Not happening. 

At this rate, I will be happy if I get to see a dozen live games this summer. I’m hopeful. I truly am. But I also know the thought of thousands of people being put into close proximity isn’t going to be something officials are going to be rushing to do. I get that. 

What we should be thinking about is humanity as a whole. Yes, it’s inconvenient. Yes, it’s bothersome. Yes, it can be boring. Yes, the fact that businesses are shut down and people are out of work for now is awful. 

But all of this is far better than the likely alternative if we all just went around like nothing was going on. 

A few months from now when we are hopefully back to somewhat normal lives, we’ll look back on this with different thoughts. We need to do this for us, and for humanity as a whole. 

How to cope?

Things aren’t easy. 

I miss doing certain things and seeing certain people. I work in two schools and this is the time of year when things get amped up. Kids are usually looking forward to the end and all the exciting and outdoor activities would soon be underway. That’s changed.

Though I always washed hands and used hand sanitizer, I find myself doing it way more now. And I also find my hands are taking a beating from it. When I have gone to the store, I keep my space. When I go out for a walk, I keep my space. I tend to make sure I’m six feet the days I have to go into the office. 

Still, sanity isn’t a joke. I bet there will be a spike in depression medicines from this time. There are probably other things that will come out of this. It’s something we all are dealing with. 

But we have to try and keep some sanity. So what can you do? I’ve read many articles about this because, honestly, I wanted to make sure I took care of my health – physically and mentally – throughout this whole ordeal. Here are some of the best items I have found. If you have other ideas, drop them in the comments below!

  • Walk. If you aren’t mandated to stay inside because you are sick or fully quarantined, get outside. The air and sun can do wonders. Walking for 30-60 minutes can be a great way to clear your mind. Throw on some headphones and music or your favorite podcast and walk. Now, you should practice social distancing and be smart when outside, but it’s very good to get out. Make it solitary or with people in your immediate household. 
  • Visit a park. Many parks – statewide and national – are still open. Go visit. Hike. See some nature. Move through parking lots quickly, though, and if you see crowded areas, find another direction. 
  • Connect. Use FaceTime. Use Skype. Use some other sort of platform (Zoom seems to be popular)! Keep in touch with loved ones, especially those “vulnerable” who might be staying in a whole heap more. We have a lot of technology at our hands now – use it to keep sane. 
  • Play some games. If you have board games and have people in your immediate household, play some. There are a lot of great apps where you can connect with people to play with another person. Do some things where you can interact with people, even if online, so you can somewhat connect. (I’m on Word With Friends 2, and Boggle with Friends … I’m not always fast depending where I am, but I’m up for games. And suggestions for others!) 
  • For bloggers: Write and take photos. Use this time to get ahead. Write some things, take some photos, and try and make the most of this time to be creative. 
  • Take time to set personal goals. Look forward 3, 6, 9 months down the line when we hopefully will be back to normal. What kind of things do you want to get done? Start planning them out. 
  • Read a book. Listen to a podcast. There are SO many great books (and if you have E-readers, even more) and podcasts – there’s something for everybody. 
  • Binge some Netflix or something else. Hey. a day of binging a favorite show can let your mind rest and make you smile.

Here’s one thing from my end, and I’ve seen this written in several places. It’s OK to feel down or sad. It’s human emotion. But if you feel it’s bad, reach out for professional help. There are many tele-med ways of doing this, so seek the help if you feel yourself spiraling downward. We need to watch out for ourselves and loved ones. 

Reality is, we are in a situation many of us have never seen and, hopefully, will never see again.

But take care of yourself.

Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer!

Be smart and safe.

And most of all, keep smiling and be good to one another.

I know the climate with the world is tense and unnerving. I’ve done my best to distance myself from too many political talks or watching daily updates on TV, especially because we aren’t going to get along with opinions right now.

The one thing we can control is how we treat one another. Be good to others and we’ll find a way to get through this.

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!

Photo Blogging Challenge: April 2020’s theme is …

Well, 2020 has been wonderful so far, hasn’t it?

And we are already into April. Heck, with everything going on in the world, I see people on social media saying “April Fool’s Day is canceled.” I mean, I guess if people think they have some sort of power, but who are they to tell anybody anything during this time? We all cope differently.

PBC logo

Our world is in uncharted waters. We are battling so much right now, and mix all that with the amount of hate in this world and it’s even worse. Somehow, our current situation is hitting every person in this world, be it direct or indirect. The numbers climb and we stay glued — watching and wondering.

Alas, I will probably touch upon this in another post I am working on. No need to clog it all up here. But, photography — along with laughter and whatever else you need to do to get through these times — is here to help. And this challenge will continue, though I did change up the theme for April from my original plan.

So take this theme that is posted below and think about it; interpret it; and make it yours. If you know other bloggers who could use something to join, have them check out this post and take part with us. Let’s use this to help us.

So with that in mind, let’s look at the monthly “group” challenges:

Challenge 1: Tell others about this photo blogging challenge and get some friends to come join us.  Let’s see if we can get people interested in the challenge again.

Challenge 2: Make friends with your camera and see what you can come up with. Have fun!

Challenge 3 is at the end of this post (the theme!).

Before this, here’s some housekeeping items. For those who might be new to the challenge, here’s how it works.

  • See the theme (first day of the month);
  • Take photos throughout the month (don’t use old ones!);
  • Select five photos and create a blog post;
  • Come back here and link up on the final day of the month;
  • Use the official hashtag — #Photoblogchal — on social media posts;
  • Hopefully go visit and comment on other blogs.

That’s it. There’s no rules on equipment or anything else. Blog posts can be short and to the point, or in-depth. Interpret the themes as you see fit.

The one big rule?

Have fun!

This month’s theme? Your World. Whether you are inside or outside, or being isolated somewhere else, show us your world. Maybe it’s a walk on empty streets. Maybe it’s something inside. But show us your world as we all go through this together. Please make sure your blog post publishes Thursday, April 30. Then come back here and link up.

If you think you are going to take part in this, drop a comment below so we can see who all might be trying to tackle this challenge!

There is also a Facebook group for those who are interested.

If you would like to visit the history of the challenge, which started in 2013, please go to the Photo Blogging Challenge page for more!

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!



Photo Blogging Challenge (March 2020): Seven

To say that this theme changed a bit for me this month would be an understatement. Though I didn’t have a full plan of attack when we first started, I really didn’t have a plan once everything went full-on crazy throughout the world.

So this was a bit tough for me in regard to what should I come up with for this theme. Numbers aren’t always easy for me to figure photos for.

I did my best to capture seven … we’ll see how it comes out though!

Let me first take a moment to talk about this challenge. When we first started, the idea was to have a place of creativity — and it still is. But it was a sense of community and a way to grow people’s reach. Blogging over those seven years has changed, and maybe not all for the better. Blogging is still out there and great, but over those seven years, things have changed in how people do it. I still try and keep things the way they were when I started this blog — personal blog telling stories that I feel like sharing. I don’t have ads or anything like that and it’s rare I do sponsored posts (though I will sometimes … I mean, money is money), so I try to keep to the roots.

This challenge has always been a lot of fun and I hope it continues that way. I’ve started getting back into blogging more (as people I hope have seen) and I’m doing my best to visit more (though, sometimes I’m slower with the challenges… I have been catching up!) and see what everybody else is up to.

Seven years.

This challenge has gone through a lot over the years. It doesn’t always draw a lot of people, but I keep hoping maybe people will join and we will grow. If not, we have a great group of people who make it a lot of fun!

Thank you all for being part of this challenge and here’s to many more years of fun!

With all of that in mind, here are my five for March!

1. Thank you!

I’m not much of an artist, so this will have to work! Thank you for seven years of this challenge, no matter if you’ve done one month or been around since the beginning!

2. Seven letters

This used to be a car wash in my town. Though it’s changed, I love that this sign has remained.

3. Seven treats

Being diabetic, I’ve had to find ways to have a sweet treat when I crave it. Turns out Hershey Kisses are good because you can have just one or two and it fills the need. Even better is how many different types of Kisses are out there!

4. Pathtags

If you are a geocacher, you likely know about Pathtags. These collectible “coins” are small and really nice things to find or trade for. Some have holes, so you can attach to a keychain or something like that. Others are more like shaped coins. These are seven of my personal ones. The top one can only be won via contests on my blog or social media. Keep watching as I’ll have a contest coming soon. You don’t have to be a geocacher to win!

5. Dice

I had to bring out some dice. There’s seven of them, of course. And then there’s the seven showing on them!

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 April’s theme!

Photo Blogging Challenge: March 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!

Food Photo Challenge (March 2020): Lunch

So this month has been a whirlwind of everything. And I’m sure most of you are feeling it as well. That being said, despite being later in the day, the challenges go on and I hope that it somehow helps you with the current situation throughout the world. 

Mmmm food. 

The first month was breakfast. And this much is lunch. I’m sure you can see the direction we are heading. If you are new to the Food Photo Challenge, check out this post, which explains everything. Also, the linkup for this month’s theme will stay live for about a week. 

Food Photo Challenge logo

Simply put, though, each month there will be a theme (announced at the end of this post) and on the 28th of each month, come back and link up.

Onward we go!

I’m sticking with my quest for using my iPhone more and learning different things about it. This photo was done with my iPhone 11 pro. I also again used a light box, which I think really helped. 

Let’s check out this month. 

Theme: Lunch

I do love lunch. The thing is, though, I am pretty zoned in with lunch. By that I mean I truly love sandwiches and subs. I would eat them most of the time if I could, but .. bread. That being said, most lunches I do have them. 

So a sandwich is a part of this photo, and I knew I needed a little more to it. 

What accompanies a sandwich? Well, often chips of some sort. And a pickle!

This was a fantastic lunch. A mixed-meat sandwich on rye. Some regular potato chips (I had thought about Doritos for color, or even veggie straws, but I went the traditional route), and a small pickle. I took a few different angles and distances, but this I thought captured it well. 

And it was tasty!

That’s my submission for the month and I am looking forward to seeing who else is taking part in this challenge and what they have to offer!

If you took part in the challenge, please make sure to link up below. Also, make sure you visit everybody else’s posts (and do come back to see who may have linked up after you!)! 

Let’s, too, try and grow this challenge. Tell others and invite them. And, as always, one can check out the Facebook group for this challenge and others as well. You can access the group here. 

The linkup is below, but how about March?

The theme for April is: Dinner. Come back on April 28 to link up!

Food Photo Challenge: March 2020

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!