This short fictional post will be linked to Zoe's Six Sentence Stories blog hop. The cue word this time is "well." It is quite entertaining to read all the various stories written in just six sentences using the same cue. Click the link and read a few, but once you start, you'll want to read them all.
For a very scientific guy, Joan thought it a bit strange that her Dad would hire a witch, but this diviner had come highly recommended. She and her siblings gathered around to watch, but stood out of the way of the witch who was wearing attire, not at all like that worn by Halloween witches. It was quite peculiar, to her way of thinking, that the witch was a man and had an unassuming name of Sam.
After Sam removed a copper rod from the back of his pickup, he began walking slowly back and forth over the portion of land indicated by her Dad. As he held the rod horizontally, straight out from his waistline which was completely hidden by his bibbed overalls, suddenly the rod turned toward the ground. "There is water for your well down below," said Sam somewhat smugly, not sounding in the least like a witch.
Is it really possible to feel thankful each week for things that are happening when headlines, phone calls, texts, or emails with bad news, and sights flashed across the screen cause our minds and hearts to feel angst? Yes, it is possible, but we must take time to ponder what has happened in our lives, big or little things, make note of them and really feel grateful for them. There is a blog hop administered by Josie Two Shoes where some bloggers, myself included, like to link a post to the blog hop Ten Things of Thankful. Many faithfully link up each week, while others may link only occasionally, but we know they are feeling thankful even if time or health doesn't allow them to actually write their post. There is no limit to the number of bloggers who can link up to this blog hop, so if you want to chime in, read some of the posts which are linked to get an idea of the wide assortment of ways to share ten things of thankful. I hope to see your post next week.
1. Inventions. I went to a baby shower this week. As the gifts were unwrapped, I was not alone in thinking, "I wish that had been available when I was nursing my babies." However, the material from which it was made hadn't even been invented.
2. Being able to overcome fear. Unlike many teens, I wasn't desirous of learning to drive a car because I feared I'd have a wreck. So fast forward to six years after I was married. We had an almost three-year-old ready to attend a nursery school. We had one car. I wanted our daughter to be able to attend a nursery school, but didn't want to impose on anyone to be able to get her there. My very patient husband taught me to drive. I got my license, although it took two attempts. A whole new world of activities were opened up to both our daughter and myself because I overcame my fear.
3. Being able to experience something good more than just once. My husband and I recently went to see the movie Hidden Figures and really enjoyed it. This week some of the women in my church got together at the home of one of the members to watch this same movie. I almost chose not to attend this "free night at the movies" because I'd already seen the film, but decided to go at the last minute. It was so worth it to see it again.
4. Bigger flower pots. The orchid my husband bought me last year, or maybe two years ago, had gotten way too cramped in the small container. After checking some youtube videos about transplanting orchids, I decided to give it a try. The new bigger pot has holes on the side to allow for the needed flow of air to the roots. It is hard to believe that the plant was stuffed into that little pot.
Repotted orchid next to its former pot
5. Hiatus. For three months I have been having neuromuscular therapy on my shoulder, arm and back. This past week I made the decision to take a hiatus from the treatments. I probably will need to return at some point, but for now I feel my body just needs a rest. I may try something different, but I haven't decided what that will be.
6. Smiling faces. As I was decluttering this week, I came across some rocks and shells in the bottom of a box. They are no longer inside my house and have a temporary location outside. I can't even remember how it came to be that I have the smiling face rock, but I'm glad I rediscovered it. Smiles whether on people, or rocks, make me smile too.
Smiling rock
7. Wildflowers. At some point my husband scattered some wildflower seeds. This past week as he was meandering through the vegetation he discovered several plants beginning to bloom. Not knowing if these were a type of wildflower or a weed, he gave me an assignment to see if I could identify it. After looking through several books, I was able to declare its identity.
Western wallflower in beginning to bloom
8. Free furniture. For some time we have been keeping an eye out for some stools to use at our kitchen counter. Years ago I had purchased some old stools that had been used on a boat. They needed a paint job and eventually some taping around the legs to cover some scars. After years of use, we really wanted a different look in our kitchen. Imagine my surprise when a family we know offered some chair stools free for the taking. My husband saw the offer on FB first and told me about it right away. I was the first to respond, so I was able to pick them up the same day!
One of old taped stools by replacement chair stools
9. Entertaining talented musicians. My husband introduced me to a musician, Tommy Emmanuel via youtube. He is incredibly talented. Enjoy.
10. My husband who has brought me love, and with him children we love. He brings me laughter, and experiences that make my life more than it would ever be without him. Together we are more than either one could be by ourselves.
At last, some writing juices are beginning to flow, so I am able to write six sentences for a story to link to Zoe's blog hop Six Sentence Stories - Link. Yes, the cue word this week really is link and my story is a link to my past. Be sure to click the link to see what other bloggers have written for the SSS.
Generally parents have known their children were gaining weight because they outgrew their clothes. Not all homes used to have bathroom scales to the extent they are common items in many homes now, so parents didn't know exactly how much their children weighed. If there wasn't a scale in the home, the parents had the option of waiting for a visit to the doctor's office where the nurse had the patients stand on a scale before they were seen by the doctor. The lollipop scales, so named because of their shape, seen in most drug stores in earlier years was an inexpensive way to get weighed as were the fortune telling penny operated scales placed in various places such as movie theaters, grocery stores, and amusement parks. At a farm store a youngster might have been given a chance to stand on a platform scale used for weighing bags of grain or boxes of other items, and no penny was needed. Some farm kids may remember this exercise of strength and the grimace on their father's face as he lifted the 1940's Hanson hanging scale up with the child clinging tightly to the rope tied onto the link at the bottom of the scale.
Very simple outline of the scale my Dad used to weigh me.
White penny weight scale in front of Keystone Inn.
There are times when the things we do during a week don't automatically speak gratitude to our minds. The experiences of our day-to-day lives just seem a little mundane, or perhaps those things happening in our world cast a shadow that blocks out the kind of light that lifts up our spirits. Whatever the case may be, I had to think a little harder to come up with a list for my Ten Things of Thankful post this time, but I did it! Josie Two Shoes is the administrator for this blog hop and would be happy to have you visit her site to read the other Ten Things of Thankful posts. Just click the link to get to her site.
1. Variety. When I was young, there were very few varieties of fruits and vegetables sold in stores other than what was grown in the area one was living. With the advent of better transportation systems, refrigerated vehicles, and the ability to deliver items quicker, more fresh fruits and vegetables could be enjoyed by many people. Still, on the mainland of the United States of America people eat mostly Cavendish bananas, a dessert variety, although there are more than 1,000 varieties of bananas worldwide. There are 7,500 varieties of apples in the world, but in my area we might see a dozen different varieties in the grocery stores. Doesn't this just make you want to travel more and experience these different tasting fruits? Did you know that some bananas have the taste of apples, and some have the taste of strawberries?
2. Decluttering. I mentioned this last week, but this week I'm grateful that I have been sticking with doing this, and have even felt excitement in doing this. Some items that I've discarded this week have included old Christmas cards, with the exception of special letters and photographs included with them, old artificial flowers, cardboard boxes we didn't need to save for other purposes, old pens without refill options, dried up play dough, junk mail, old phone books, and more. It is kind of like a treasure hunt trying to spot the next item(s) to discard, recycle, or donate.
3. Ophthalmologists. Once a year I see my ophthalmologist, but I called to see if I could be seen a few months early to verify what my dermatologist diagnosed as some rosacea in one of my eyes. I didn't want to continue a medication if that isn't what it really is. The ophthalmologist confirmed the diagnosis. This is a new condition for me as of this year. Fortunately I just have the subtype 1 rosacea at times on my face which just makes me look like I am blushing. The ocular rosacea makes my eye feel dry or as if it has been scratched, but the antibiotic is helping the eye. The prescription medication for my face is helping also. The main thing to do for this condition is to just use sunscreen, wear sunglasses, and protect myself from the sun by wearing long sleeves, broad brimmed hats, etc. 4. Feeding the hungry. Although the missionaries for my church do not beg for meals, they really do not need to. The members take turns inviting them to their homes once a day to eat a meal with them. The missionaries and their families pay for their own mission expenses, but members, who are able, help defray some of their food expenses by sharing their own meals with them, usually the main meal for the day. We had that opportunity this past week. The two missionaries are going to return this coming week and do a bit of service for us, in the way of helping us with some needed weeding. The forecast for the day they are scheduled to come is for sunshine, unlike today which was filled with heavy downpours. 5. Gift shopping. There was a time when shopping trips were kind of exciting, but at this stage in my life I really just want to find the items and return home fairly quickly. This was a week for shopping for a baby gifts for a couple of new babies, and a birthday gift for a granddaughter. Although finding one of the gifts took a little longer than expected, I did enjoy seeing some newer items on the shelves. I also needed to do a special order for some clothing items for my Mom at the beginning of the week and talked to an especially helpful person on the other end of the line. To my amazement I received the completed order today in the mail! She had mentioned that it might take up to four weeks for the order to arrive. 6. Sometimes changes in plans are not always a bad thing. The zoo trip we had hoped to reschedule for this past week had to be cancelled due to rain, but we ended up watching the direct broadcast of the senate hearing on that day which is actually something we had wanted to see. We were able to watch and hear for ourselves and not have to rely on hearing newscasts or reading news articles about what was said or not said. As for Nora, the polar bear, it looks like we will still have a few months to see her before she moves to the zoo in Salt Lake City. 7. Words written in the past which still have great meaning.
Sir Walter Scott quotation from Marmion
8. Gazes of creatures
Blacktail doe just gazing at me standing by the door.
9. Sturdy oaks
Oak trees lining our lane
10. Energy. I'm thankful that my energy level seemed to be on a high this past week.
Lastly I am thankful for my husband, family and other readers of this blog.
Another week has passed. The weeks just seem to keep going faster and faster the older I get. Is that true for everyone I wonder? There is probably a scientific explanation for this, but I think I'll just let you ponder that one while I write my post for the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop. Our administrator, Josie Two Shoes, is probably wishing I'd get on the stick and get my post written sooner than later. Be sure to click the link to read the other bloggers' posts. There are lots of things and situations for which we are grateful, and it really does help to write them down and share them with others.
1. Yearly physicals. There was a time when that didn't seem so important, but again, as I've gotten older, I've come to realize that it isn't something to skip.
2. My primary care doctor, who has been the best doctor ever for me, is moving out of state. I've been dreading the day when she would retire or move her practice. She has used both a conventional medical approach and an integrative medicine approach with me. It isn't good for me that she is moving, BUT I will still have access to her integrative medicine services via phone, Skype, or email if I choose to do so. She will have an office where she will be moving and just do consulting in the field of integrative medicine. The good thing is that another MD in the clinic I go to will take over my doctor's patients for conventional medical needs, so I don't have to try to find another doctor who takes new patients on medicare. When I had to do that for my mother-in-law quite a few years ago when she moved from one city to another, it proved to be quite a task.
3. Places and people to see and dates with my husband that bring a break in the routine. One day this week we drove to the Portland Zoo. A nice thing happened when we were searching for a place to park. A couple had a two day passes to the zoo and gave them to us because they no longer had a need for them. We drove through the various parking lots, and were not able to find a single parking spot! We resigned ourselves to the fact that we were not going to be able to take any photos at the zoo that day, so we found a couple that gladly accepted our "free passes." Now we just need to find another day when it isn't going to be raining that is a day that is free from appointments, AND we will be there when gates open! A nice visit and conversation with some friends in another city made up for the disappointment we felt at not being able to see the animals at the zoo.
4. Discovery. Sometimes seeing something unexpected is exciting, like seeing vetch with white blossoms instead of the usual purple blossoms. I was walking among some of the weeds on our property and spotted this unusual vetch. Neither one of us had ever seen this kind of vetch, yet the very next day when my husband was at a national wildlife refuge in the area, he spotted some there! What are the changes of that? There is probably a word that describes that kind of a conundrum, but I don't know what it is.
Vetch with while blossoms
5. Anticipation. I love anticipation for good things, but not so much for dreaded things. We have some wild blackberries that are flowering. I can almost taste those berries that will ripen a little later this summer. Yum!
Wild Himalayan Blackberry blossom
6. Knowledge. I'm wishing the little Baird's shrew that made an appearance in one of the bathrooms this week could tell me how he (we will pretend he was a male) got in there. He apparently didn't find any insects to eat (that is their diet and the little bit of knowledge I learned about shrews), because he appeared to be barely alive. I picked him up with a tissue and took him outside and placed him among some leaves on a shaded hillside. A few hours later he was gone, so hopefully he found a more suitable residence.
Baird's shrew
7. A Pollyanna nature. Several times recently, my husband has commented that I always am trying to see the good side of situations. (Just so that you know this has been a work in progress for me, because as people closest to me know, there have been many times, when worry was all mixed together with the Pollyanna side of me, and sometimes worry took over.) As I was considering his comments to me, I remembered a book that I received when I was about 10. Perhaps I wasn't a Pollyanna then and it was given to me to help guide my thinking. I really enjoyed this book written by Eleanor H. Porter that was first published in 1913. Later as a teenager I read The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, first published in 1952. That book also had a great impact on me. A very short scripture in The Book of Mormon hit home with me too."And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness." (The Second Book of Nephi, chapter 5, verse 27) Are you a Pollyanna, a worrier, or a mixture of both?
8. Audio books. I just discovered LibriVox, a free public domain audio books site. It has Pollyanna! Do you listen to audio books?
9. Decluttering. A friend has been decluttering her house using a really easy plan. I decided that I can do that! Each day of the month indicates how many things to toss, recycle, give away, or I suppose sell. It is easiest to begin with the first day of the month and work your way through the month. If you find yourself liking this plan, start over again at the beginning of the next month.
10. Family, faith, and freedom. So many people are separated from their family members, and long to be with them. There are people who hold on to that faith that they someday will be reunited with their family members, because they believe the All Mighty will hear and answer their prayers. Many people are escaping the lands which have been dear to them in the hopes of living in a land where there is freedom from war and terror, from abuse, and where they can work and care for their families, and where there is freedom of religion. I am thankful for my family, my faith, and my freedom.
There was a lot on my mind this past week. Some things were heart wrenching and some things made me smile and feel joy. Life is like that for all of us I think. It is up to us to come to terms with the different events that happen and perhaps learn from them. So I am sharing a few of my thoughts, things for which I am grateful and linking my post to Josie Two Shoes' Ten Things of Thankful blog hop where she provides us a place to share our views on this subject. Please pause and click her link to read some of the thoughts of other bloggers who have paused to reflect.
There are very few things in life that are predictable. People will be born and people will die. Not everyone who begins their journey in the womb will live out their mortal life in this world. One out of every 160 pregnant women who are past 20 weeks of gestation end up with stillborn babies in the United States of America. In 2013 legally induced abortions that were performed at less than 13 weeks gestation (91.6% of the abortions) was 200 for every 1000 births. These were numbers reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. See link. If that isn't staggering enough take a look at what the World Health Organization has to say about child mortality in the world. With Red Nose Day this past week, we were able to see some ways others are trying to raise money to support programs that help children in the world who have not had the vaccinations we take for granted. These are sobering thoughts, but there are many people reaching out to help make a difference in the lives children and families, and I am grateful for their efforts. Speaking of babies, I am now a great grandmother for the fourth time. I am thankful for a sweet little boy that was born healthy, and for his mother who was able to come through this pregnancy just fine. He was born on the same birthday as my mother-in-law. I know his parents will do all they can to protect and guide this little boy and his siblings. As it turned out, the same day my great grandson was born was the same day I learned that our niece had returned home after spending six weeks in the hospital many miles from her home and family. Unfortunately all the efforts to get her to a point where she could have some hope of curbing the leukemia has been unsuccessful. She is now receiving hospice care. Hospice workers are angels to my way of thinking and are such a support to the entire family. I'm thankful that our niece could spend this past weekend with her immediate family, and her mom, and her siblings who had traveled some distance to be with her to share memories and express their love to her and just be there.
With all the rain we have had this year in our area, including rain again last night and this morning, things have been growing like crazy including the weeds. It has been quite a long time, over a year, that I have been able to actually pull weeds, so you can imagine how excited I was last week to finally be able to pull some weeds in the shrub beds. I only did it for a half hour on the days I went out, because I didn't want to overdo. Because I have increased flexibility now from the neuromuscular therapy, I am taking it slowly, so I don't have a setback. I felt like the little kid shouting to anyone who would listen that he was able to ride his bike! I am thankful for having greater strength and flexibility. We have seen evidence of young life on our property the past couple of weeks, such as baby swallows in one birdhouse, baby bluebirds in another, and baby hummingbirds emerging from the depths of a large butterfly bush where nests no doubt are there. It probably won't be long before we will be seeing some fawns on the property. We've seen a doe resting in kind of a cove among some of our shrubs. We think she may be looking for a place to give birth to her fawn. I love the springtime, which to me is a season of rebirth and growth.
Begonia
Inside our home some of the houseplants have decided to bloom again. Some of our Christmas cacti bloomed at Thanksgiving, sometime after Christmas, and now are getting ready to bloom again! The begonia has decided to bloom for the second time in these past few months. I'm always grateful for flowers, their colors, the many types of blossoms and leaves. The creator of all things is so imaginative!
Windfall sticks and branches
Some of you may remember playing Pick Up Sticks. That was one of the few games we had as kids. Well I got to play an adult version this past week. Because of the wind storms this winter, we have quite a lot of sticks and branches of all sizes on the ground that need picking up. Our version of the game is to pile them up and then shred them for mulch. The pile isn't even complete yet. I am thankful for a body that will let me bend down, and legs that will support me as I climb up and down the hilly area to pick them up and stack them on the pile.
Scotch Broom
We are a little late on getting rid of more Scotch Broom. It is best to get rid of them before they bloom! Better late than never is our motto. They are quite beautiful, but very invasive plants, both my husband and I worked to remove at least some of these one afternoon. I'm thankful for times to work together with him. I even found some sweet peas that were blooming out near some Scotch Broom plants. I took time to smell each sweet pea. I love the smell of sweet peas! A week ago Sunday, I went out to the car to go to church and discovered a chip in my windshield with a foot long crack extending across the window. We frequently will hear rocks hit our windshield when driving behind some truck, but often don't see where any damage was done. This time the damage had been done right in front of the rearview mirror, but kind of hidden from view, and apparently the foot long crack from it happened overnight. I'm sure we would have noticed it immediately otherwise. I'm thankful for those who are skilled in replacing windshields. Another car situation happened this Sunday, when a very strange thing happened. On the way to church I discovered that the dashboard screen went completely dark. I got to the church, and I couldn't turn off my car. Since I have a keyless entry and can start the car without having to insert a key, as long as the key is nearby, there was no key in the car. I decided that maybe if I put the key in I could turn the car off that way. That was a bad idea. Not only was I still not able to turn the car off, I couldn't take the key out. I didn't want to leave the car running with the key in the car, so I drove home and told my husband my predicament. He was as puzzled as I was. After a few minutes, he said that he would drive it and see if he was able to get it to turn off. He backed up to the end of the driveway then pulled forward at which point the dashboard screen came on. He parked and turned the car off! This is another one of the situations when hubby, the miracle worker, does exactly what I tried, but with different results. He felt pretty good for "fixing" the car. I got back in the car and went to church, having missed just a little bit of the service. I'm so thankful for these little mysterious fixes that occur in our lives. Wishing you all a wonderful week to come and that you can each recognize those blessing in your lives and give thanks for them.
