Ten Things of Thankful

Why the number 10, one may question. To be honest I have no idea, other than the first host of this blog hop may have proposed that number. Whatever the case may be, the tradition has continued, even though the hosts have changed over the years. Currently Dyanne, of Backsies Is What There Is Not, is our host along with several co-hosts. Although the number ten is in the title, it really isn't set in stone, so don't let that keep you from participating. The main idea is to share those things for which you are grateful. I am linking my post to Ten Things of Thankful and invite you to write a post on your blog and link up if you like, or at the very least just jot down on paper why you are thankful. 

Narcissus Delnashaugh a Double Daffodil

1. We have some weeds that the little goldfinches love.  They like to eat the buds on the plants. (We have been told that it is not a weed to have around if you have cows or horses, and thankfully there  aren’t any in the neighborhood.)

Common Groundsel (Senecio Vulgaris)

2. The deer seem to naturally avoid these plants, so I suspect they instinctively know not to eat them. I don't know if there are any studies done on whether the plants are poisonous to deer, but I do know that animals sometimes do avoid eating certain plants. 

3. I do enjoy watching the goldfinches landing on the somewhat flimsy plants causing  the birds to bob as they feed on the buds. Picture a miniature bird carnival playground, as these birds arrive in flocks and feed and bob. Sorry, I don't have a photo of this activity. 

3. After switching from using a big chest freezer to only using the freezer above the refrigerator, I knew that I truly  needed some kind of an organization plan, so things didn’t try to escape whenever I opened the freezer door. I ordered some clear freezer bins with lids and handles. Immediately after they arrived, I sorted my frozen packages into them creating order  in the coldest of places. Does anyone else get excited about getting something, even small things like freezer bins, that makes life a little easier?

4. This week I was able to send an old photo as an attachment in an email to a distant relative. The people in the photo are not identified, and I am in hopes she or another relative she knows may be of help in identifying the people. If not, I may have to try Dead Fred.

5. Being able to get out and take some walks in the area this week was wonderful! Some reprieve from the pain that has been my companion has allowed me to again enjoy this kind of activity. What a blessing this is.

6. Movies that make a person think, consider, remember, or evoke feelings of happiness, as well as the great people that share their talents to make these productions

7. The flowering red current bush my husband planted years ago that has grown into a massive display of color. The hummingbirds love it!

8. Seeing the aftermath of an accident, although not a welcome sight, is always better than being in one or seeing it happen. I am thankful that the former was my lot this week, and at least as I drove by, I could say a little prayer for the victims and their families and for those on the scene helping.

9. Sharing in the happiness of others who reach milestones, and achieve goals

10. Vic and our family 

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Six Sentence Stories - Home

Here is another short story inspired by a cue provided by Denise of Girlie On The Edge's Blog. I am linking this post to the blog hop, Six Sentence Stories - Home.

 

Pixabay

The builders each retrieved some of the plans from the inboxes of their minds and shared a few of their ideas with the other.

There were some who were incredulous to think that these two would be able to mutually agree as to what and where the foundation would be, based on the history of each, but they were about to prove them wrong.

The young cofounders had learned a few things from their predecessors, like the importance of branching out on their own  and showing that they could make their own decisions and implement their own plans. If they had setbacks, it would be of their own doing they thought, well except when the storms of life were also impacted by the depth and intensity of the dark days of winter of which one builder had lived many a winter and the other had experienced mostly sunny days during that time of year.

When the backers, who were much more experienced, realized the determination and perhaps stubbornness of each of the builders, they wished them well in their new adventures. 

A date was set to begin, and all went as planned, except for the torrential thunder and lightning storm that happened as they departed and made their way to their temporary honeymoon home for the next few days.

Ten Things of Thankful

The past little bit, I have been kind of missing in action. Sitting at the computer where I do my blogging just hasn't been an option, but tonight I am able to contribute to the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop hosted by Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not. 

Oregon Grape beginning to bloom

1. Being fully COVID vaccinated and looking forward to times when we will be able to get together inside our home with others who are fully vaccinated

2. Spring weather, flowers and the return of many birds to our yard

3. Thanks to the prayers on my behalf and to an injection and a couple of medications I now am beginning to feel some relief from the intense pain that has been part of my life of late, and I am very grateful for all the help my husband has been to me during these past weeks.

4. Lab tests that didn’t reveal anything alarming

5. Being able to do some research via my iPad while reclining on the sofa waiting for meds to do their magic over the course of the past couple of weeks

6. Finding a link to an obituary in an Illinois newspaper for my great grandmother’s half-sister which proved some information I had received many years ago, and also provided some additional information I had not known

7. Having it imprinted on my mind the importance of searching more than one digital newspapers’ site since not all sites have the exact same collections (Yes, I knew that, but sometimes it is just easier to use the site with which I am most familiar.)

8. Humorous moments: 1) Discovering I already HAD a subscription to  Genealogy Bank, 2) A very old and long time favorite spatula broke, so I ordered another spatula only to discover a day later that my husband ordered not only one spatula, but two spatulas the same day I placed my order. They are different sizes and brands, and well, we are well supplied with spatulas now. HaHa

9. Having more than one option to watch General Conference this weekend when the BYUTV channel I was watching froze (I just watched the rest of the session online using my iPad. Later I learned that it is possible to watch it live on YouTube too.)

10. The time of remembering the day the Savior rose from the dead making it possible for all mankind to be resurrected and become immortal.

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Ten Things of Thankful

Here's hoping that all of you have had a good week. This morning I was sure I would be linking up to this blog hop much earlier in the day than now, but I finally made it.  This is my weekly post to Ten Things of Thankful, hosted by Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not.

I am thankful some of these daffodils decided to
bloom even though some of their bulb mates didn't
have a chance when fir branches dropped on their
 portion of the plot during the recent ice storm making
it impossible for them to push upward through the soil
against the weight of the branches.

"Bad news" - Finding out our tractor wouldn’t start on Monday

#1Good news - The guy who repairs our tractor could come today and take a look at it.  He was able to start it fairly quickly, and told us what to do if we had the problem again. So thankful he was able to take care of this with just a simple “house call” plus not charging us an arm and a leg.

#2Good news - Finding an old cassette tape one of our daughters made early in her freshman year of college to tell us about what she experiencing (Long distance phone calls were very expensive then, so in an attempt to still hear her voice and she ours, we used tape recorders and cassette tapes to lower the telephone bills some of the time.)

#3Good news - Finding and ordering a cassette to MP3 converter player recorder so I can make copies of the above tape to give to our daughter and her siblings

"Bad news" - The computer didn’t recognize the new device even after I watched and read multiple instructions online and did what they said.

#4Good news - In desperation (not sure why I didn’t consider this sooner), I shut down the computer and unplugged it and waited a minute before plugging it back in. Restarted the computer and woo-hoo! It recognized my device.

#5Good news - The questions I have about using Garage Band, which I had never used, are being answered as I learn to phrase my questions just right in my Google searches and will help me complete the project.

#6Good news - Having a friend who recently tackled a similar learning experience with transferring a cassette tape to MP3 to CD, and sharing what she learned as she worked on her project

"Bad news" - learning that a muscle relaxant that seems to have fewer side effects than those I have tried using in the past is only available by prescription (I was afraid that would be the case, but I called the pharmacy just on the chance it might be an over-the-counter item.)

#7Good news - My doctor has an available time this coming Monday to see me and decide what she thinks is best for me to try next.

#8Good news - A grandson is one step closer to reaching his goal to becoming a doctor and just got word of his residency on Friday.

#9Good news - A granddaughter just got another acceptance letter from a college to which she has applied. 

#10Good news - Not all good news comes in the way of giant leaps forward, but in recognizing the progress one is making, even if it requires taking a step back and starting over again and giving oneself grace.

I am thankful for Vic and each person in our family and for those who feel like family, and I am thankful for my Ten Things of Thankful community.

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Six Sentence Stories - Filter

The inspiration for today’s Six Sentence Stories post came as I propelled myself back and forth in a rocking chair while gazing out the window, lost in my thoughts. While the cue word wasn’t what promoted the story, fortunately after I completed the story I was able to find a place to use it. After sharing the story with my husband, he said it reminded him of a Seton Watch and for all intents and purposes, it was. I am linking my post to the blog hop, Six Sentence Stories - Filter, hosted by Denise of Girlie On The Edge's Blog

Pixabay

The kettle was circling high above the logged area of what had once been a forsaken Christmas tree farm gone wild. Sometimes they painted celestial whorls, but maybe to break the monotony, interjected slow motion, constantly changing geometric patterns, a daylight version of asterisms with the individual vultures being the stars in the constellations.

Although they began with eight in number, one began to soar beneath the rest and venture further away in an easterly direction as though he’d dropped through an unseen filter in the sky as the others maintained the same altitude while slowly moving toward the west as the sun was beginning to sink lower in the orange-tinted sky. Perhaps the loner would be able to find the committee before darkness settled in and his night vision made it difficult for him to find where they had perched for the night.

One has to wonder why he purposely left the kettle, choosing to descend. Did he see or smell carrion the others didn’t, and maybe had been left out to lunch at the first feeding, or did he just lose sight of their real purpose, to find a place to rest for the night, before continuing their migration in the morning?

Ten Things of Thankful

Spring is on its way in some places, and this week there has been more evidence of that. Beginning tomorrow with the onset of daylight savings time the evenings will be lighter longer, which I personally enjoy at the stage of life. Well on with the purpose of this post which is to link a post to the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop hosted by Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not.

Lavender Starflower dotted with raindrops

1. Squeaky wheels (Sometimes one needs to be one and other times one needs to be reminded to do something because someone else is the squeaky wheel.)

2. Sharp hoes and sharp knives that make some tasks easier (thanks to my husband)

3. Being able to get a new car radio (Much has changed in the industry over the past 17 years, so there is a little bit of a learning curve here.)

4. Humorous moments in the midst of normal married life (We had some of those moments this week. Both of them had to do with not being able to find objects. We each had a turn. Ha Ha)

5. YouTube classes (I missed a Zoom watercolor painting class during the recent ice storm and accompanying power outage and finally picked up my supplies this week and watched a YouTube video so I will be able to do the watercolor painting this coming week.)

6. The Six Sentence Stories post that grew (I not only posted about a few things that my great great grandfather experienced during his life, but added his experiences as an audio story on the Family Tree app, something I had been wanting to try.)

7. Grown children who humor their mother (After seeing photos of our children in a group text today, I commented, “How fun is this! Now we just need to hear the laughter all around and it will be a reunion.” They made that happen with a bit of their recorded laughter. Ha Ha)

8. Neighbors and friends who watch out for one another

9. Salt-free blends of seasonings

10. Vic and being able to grow older together

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Six Sentence Stories - Journey

This week I reread a short biography about one of my great great grandfathers. One thing that was apparent throughout his little book was the gratitude he felt for having survived difficult things and for having received the strength he needed to overcome harmful habits, even after years of indulging. For my post to the Six Sentence Stories - Journey, a blog hop hosted by Denise at Girlie On The Edge's Blog, I am sharing in my own words a glimpse into the life of Valentine Kimes Junior (1811-1892).

Like many children wanting to test the waters and throw caution to the wind, he resisted the warning to stay on the bank when the older boys were allowed to swim in Virginia's Holston River; when they finished swimming and headed home, he ignored another young boy’s caution not to go in the water. Miraculously after jumping from a rocky ledge into the river below and immediately sinking to the bottom, he managed to somehow crawl through the deep water to shore and to safety, never the worse for wear.

Not all water related accidents were so kind to him, and may or may not have been his fault, when at about age 16 he incurred a life threatening injury, cutting his left knee and completely severing the main artery while  working on a mill wheel. During the month that followed after the accident, there was little hope for him as he got lockjaw, scarlet fever, pneumonia, and his skin turned black, but he lived to tell about it.

In his mid fifties, during the time of the Civil War, and before water treatment plants, etc. he became ill with cholera for nine days before beginning to mend, and he described it as his worst sickness while living in Arkansas.

Through some of these experiences and others in his journey through life, he came to know that there was a God who loved him and heard his prayers.