Ten Things of Thankful

"A day late and a dollar short" possibly could apply here with this day late of getting my Ten Things of Thankful blog hop post linked. Kristi of Thankful Me, and also the host of Ten Things of Thankful, was right on the ball getting the link open so all of you who were biting at the bit to share all those things for which you are thankful had a place to go. It isn't too late for you to share some of your gratitudes. The link stays open until Tuesday, but in reality it is never too late consider the thankful moments in one's life.

1. These twin fawns are just stepping out from under the solar panels. It seems their mom left them there while she went elsewhere. There were a couple of young bucks (maybe babysitters?) with them for a while. Hopefully nothing has happened to the mom, but they look in pretty good shape, so maybe they will be able to venture out on their own if something has happened to her. I am thankful we live where we can never tire of seeing wildlife.

Twin fawns stepping out from
under the solar panels

2. Our very old butterfly bush decided to "pop" this week. It has also been the habitat of many hummingbirds over the years. I'm not sure if they love it because it is within a short distance of the hummingbird feeders or if the branches are just right for building their nests, or both. Whatever is the case, the butterfly bush is all theirs, and I am thankful for the scent of the flowers too.

3. We had a date afternoon rather than a date night. A date to see a movie in the afternoon fits our senior schedule and also has the benefit of the senior discount! This was such an interesting movie on so many levels. Loved it!

4. The fluorescent fixture in one of our rooms just needed a new ballast rather than a new fixture, and while the electricians were here, they were able do an easy fix on another fixture. Yeah!

5. I am thankful for recognizing the serendipitous moments in a marriage when you realize how you both are on the same wave length. Google has been our friend this week as we have searched for information about the benefits of a possibly getting a heat pump. One day I found a site that had a lot of helpful information. I sent the link to my husband, only to discover within seconds that he had sent me the same link!

6. It was fun to walk around a nearby lake with a couple of friends one morning this week. Good exercise and conversation!

7. One late afternoon this week I went grocery shopping. When I got home, I opened the refrigerator to put the first item on a top shelf. Although I knew there was a two-quart pitcher full of sugar water on the same shelf, I somehow managed to tip it over. (We use the sugar water to refill the hummingbird feeders.) There are some thankfuls here in spite of a very sticky mess. Just two weeks ago I had  cleaned the refrigerator, so this time around there was less to clean. The  rag drawer is right next to the refrigerator. . . no reason, just was an empty drawer when I needed a place to put such items. Our children are grown. . . no little children to be inquiring "What happened?" and no little feet walking through the sticky liquid that that splashed on the surrounding floor. It was easier to clean up the mess than it was to clean up the gallon jar of honey that fell and broke on the kitchen floor when the kids were little!

8. Finding relatives is fun, and as you know I enjoy trying to locate old documents of my ancestors. This week I received a message on Ancestry.com from someone who is related to the brother of my dad's cousin's husband. She invited me to email her, so I did. In my email I didn't tell her where I lived, but did mention a move our family had made to another state when I was young. In her reply she shared where she was now living, and guess what! She lives here! Here! We possibly have passed each other on the street or in a grocery store. I am looking forward to meeting her soon. 

9. The tractor has all its wheels again and now the weeds are much shorter, thanks to my husband. We needed to special order a new tire for the tractor, because our tractor is old and those wheels are not as easy to get now. We have been waiting for weeks for the replacement. Weeds can grow a lot during that time since we have had the perfect kind of weather to promote such a happening.

10. The car part for the dashboard is on its way, so within another week or so, we should be able to get that installed. Meanwhile there has not been anymore times when the dashboard has acted up. 

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Ten Things of Thankful

This past week has included a little bit of traveling, so I'm linking up later than usual, but here I am with a little of this and that and some photos to boot for the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop hosted by Kristi of Thankful Me. Besides myself, the other co-hosts are Clark and Dyanne. What has caused you to feel thankful this week?

1. This week my husband and I went to see a couple of plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (one of our bucket list items). It was great to be able to take some time to experience new things and places.

2. I'm thankful that my husband shared this Youtube video with me after we returned home. This made me wonder if videos like this one have taken the place of CliffsNotes. LOL

3. It is interesting to learn some of the history of places we visit and I'm thankful for the resources to learn more. The Ashland Springs Hotel, first called the Lithia Hotel, was built in 1925 and was expected to be the tallest hotel between Portland Oregon and San Francisco. I was intrigued by this building which we could see from the cute little cottage where we stayed on the hill behind the hotel. We took a few minutes to explore the beautiful lobby of the hotel when we were walking around town.

The back of the Ashland Springs
Hotel

4. We were not the only ones who liked the cottage where we stayed. Some people have guard dogs, but apparently this doe and her little spotted fawn felt impressed to monitor things while we were staying there. She walked right across the doormat outside the front door before venturing into the shrubs below the cottage. (I know we didn't take any of our four-legged friends from home with us on our trip.🙂) This doe made us feel like we were at home.

A doe hiding in the bushes

5. During some previous outings, I have taken a few photos of dragonflies. It made me happy to see this one by a pond in Lithia Park. I had not taken a photo of this type of specimen in the past.

Western Pondhawk resting on a  rock
in a pond in Lithia Park

6. I was very thankful when I saw my husband walking toward me on the path at Lithia Park. We had become being temporarily separated in the park and only one of us had a phone. I won't go into the details, but it is just sufficient to say, it was really nice to see him.

7. Traveling always brings new opportunities to try out different restaurants. We decided to stop at a restaurant on the way home from our trip. It was just a typical eggs and bacon breakfast I thought. . .I'll let you decide. It was delicious by the way.

At least two, maybe three eggs,
five strips of bacon, potatoes with
gravy, a small slice of cantaloupe,
and a huge biscuit with blackberry
jam!

8. Being able to pass on some canning jars I am no longer using to people who can make use of them makes me feel good. I know that some of the jars that I have used over the years have been ones that I bought new, but probably just as many of them were passed on to me by others.

Some boxes of canning jars
waiting for their new owners

9. Summer may be a time for traveling, but it is also a good time to get the chimney cleaned. I am thankful for being able to have a chimney sweep come take care of that task earlier in the week.

10. The owners of the cottage where we stayed had placed a wind spinner in the yard for the guests to enjoy, and enjoy I did while watching and listening to it one morning when I was sitting on the deck. I had not ever "experienced" a wind spinner. It is so relaxing!
The screeching sound in the background is a bird, not the wind spinner.

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Six Sentence Stories - Burst

It seems like just yesterday that I last responded to a writing challenge from Denise at Girlie on the Edge's Blog. She is the host of Six Sentence Stories and as such provides a new prompt word each week to help stir up our creative writing juices. This week I am linking up to Six Sentence Stories - Burst. Click here to read some of the other stories written in only six sentences by other bloggers. Write one of your own, if you feel so inclined.

He had been asked to come on this day because of all the use and abuse that had been rendered toward the patient throughout years of living. 

Although he had not been part of all that, he had come highly recommended and was considered one who might be able to help in such a situation as this.

It was still somewhat questionable as to whether or not he would be up to the task and whether he would be strong enough to remove all the evidence which might lay inside.

Armed with his so-called surgical instruments, an electric saw and industrial strength clippers, he ascended the steps ready to tackle the victim upstairs.

The windows were opened to let in some fresh air and remove the smell of any airborne debris that possibly might circulate from the innards of the old sofa.

Like a sudden fireworks display the sofa back burst open seemingly taking on new life to disseminate the aged stuffing as the surprised practitioner took a quick step backwards and abandoned the clippers that had caused the abrupt exhibition.

Ten Things of Thankful

While some bloggers may be away enjoying an extended holiday, and may be a little late linking up this week, that is quite okay, for like always, the link doesn't close until Tuesday night. Because we enjoy reading what the others have to share, if we don't see that you have linked up early, we will check back to read your posts later.

Kristi of Thankful Me, and host of the blog hop, Ten Things of Thankful, invited me to be one of the co-hosts. With that in mind, you will now be able to quickly see which bloggers have shared their TToT each week without needing to go to the Ten Things of Thankful page. You can go there if you wish, but it isn't necessary. You are welcome to read the various posts and make comments on their posts if you like. If you are feeling grateful, write a post on your own  blog and link up. 

1. I am very appreciative that there are people who do work others are unable to do. . .for whatever reason.

2. The technician knew right away what the problem was, based on my description. He personally had experienced the same thing with his own car. The dashboard on our car will be back in working order as soon as the new part arrives and is installed. I'm thankful for a quick answer to this car problem.

3. The arborist was able to come take a look at our big maple tree that suffered from a microburst during a recent thunder and lightning storm. I am thankful that he knows what needs to be done and will be able to return in a few weeks to do the job. (The company has been very busy since the storm.) The sad news is that part of the tree is dying.

4. I am thankful for hair salons that welcome walk-ins. This week I called ahead. The place I go, allows same day appointments as well as walk-ins. I have done it both ways, but if I don’t want to chance the possibility of having to wait a bit, I call in the morning and schedule an appointment.

5. Every July 4 for as long as I can remember, our church has held a July 4th breakfast. Tables are set up outside the church. Those who attended were asked to bring breakfast casseroles this year, while some of the leaders prepared sausage, provided the beverages and platters of fruit. There was plenty of food for all who attended. Before the breakfast there was a short program consisting of the Scouts presenting the colors, those in attendance saying of the pledge of allegiance, a patriotic musical number, and a speaker who talked a little bit about the history of the founding of our nation. At the conclusion of the breakfast, the children participated in a short parade with them riding their decorated trikes, bikes, and wagons, etc. I am thankful for traditions.

6. As we have gotten older we are content to watch the fireworks from the comfort of our home via the television. I am thankful for all who share their talents to put on such outstanding performances and music to accompany the fireworks.

7. Years back when we lived in an unfinished home we used boards and large concrete blocks to make some shelves. Other than the drawers in few dressers we had, we had very few drawers. When we were finally able to have the hidden spaces provided by more drawers, it was easy to put things in them and kind of forget how much was stored within them and at the bottom of some of the deeper drawers. I am thankful for the time to go through some of them and free up some space. I see no reason to hang on to directories that are 10 years old. LOL

8. I am thankful for larvae that feeds on noxious weeds. The larvae that devours tansy ragwort will become small red and black cinnabar moths, and from all counts we will be seeing a lot of them this year.

Orange and black striped larvae
of the cinnabar moths feeding on
tansy ragwort plants

9. The characters from Sesame Street impacted the lives of our children, and I guess my own. I didn’t realize until I listened to them singing at The Capitol Fourth Concert how touched I would be by these characters and the memories that flooded into my mind from 50 years ago. Happy Anniversary Sesame Street.

10. Never ending stories from historical records continue to amaze me. It seems that finding some answers only poses a new question and something else to be discovered. I am thankful for these new discoveries that lead me closer to my roots.

A young oak tree still attached to
the acorn and showing the very
long root (I pulled it up from a
pile of bark chips.)

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Six Sentence Stories - Process

What is your course of action when trying to write a short story that includes a particular word? You may be wondering, "Who does that?" Well among those who participate in some writing blog hops, this is a thing. Every week Denise of Girlie on the Edge's Blog hosts a Six Sentence Stories blog hop in which she gives us a prompt word to include in our stories. There is a plethora of different kinds of stories and each and every one includes the given word. Sometimes the word is so discretely and cleverly used, you have to go back and reread the story to even find it. Anyway, enough of that. I hope you will click the link and read all the other stories too. I am linking my story to Six Sentence Stories - Process.

The root of the problem began innocently enough with just a single yellow top on the green, but their numbers grew with each advancing year.

A battle plan began to stir in the mind of one least expected.

The yellow tops were young and had no idea what awaited them, nor of the technique proven over time used by their opponent, so they just looked up and calmly stood their ground.

The adversary, sporting her knee-high black garden boots and wearing her broad-brimmed sun hat to cover her angelic-like hair, knelt on the ground and bowed her frail body directly over her victim.

She calmly started the process of elimination and determinedly thrust the end of the large handled screwdriver at the root of the problem. 

Those destroyed were overcome by the darkness around them and unable to give a cry of alarm to try to save even one of their own for her grandchildren to blow into the wind.

Ten Things of Thankful

It is thankful time! In case you haven't heard, there is a blog hop hosted by Kristi of Thankful Me who opens the link to the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop each Friday. It stays open until Tuesday. Click here to read more about how simple she makes it for people to join the other bloggers in this thankful sphere. Even if you have had a week that was filled with some unpleasant events, with a little bit of meditating, pondering or whatever you call it, you may be able to see the bright side. It is worth giving it a try. It beats the alternative. 

1. As you may remember from reading some of my TToT posts this year, we made some changes to our home. We had a new roof put on first and later new siding and finally had the house painted. This week the house survived a sudden wind storm that hit amidst lightning and thunder and heavy rain. A wind burst struck our big maple tree which is kitty-corner across the driveway from our house. Two very large branches high up in the tree broke off and and took a nosedive to the ground on the side of the tree away from our house.

Wind damaged maple tree that has two
broken branches, one of which is
appears to be upside down and the
 other one is on the ground with
 only part of it visible at the bottom
 left corner of the photo

2. The vehicles survived the storm. Had the branches from the tree fallen on the opposite side of the tree, there would have been a good chance they would  have hit at least one of our vehicles.

3. If the branches had spiraled as they fell, they possibly would have landed on the driveway causing us to do a a bit of cross-country driving around the other side of our house. In other words, we would be driving over an uneven surface of vegetation and sod which received a lot of heavy rain during and after the storm. Think muddy and slippery.

4. Facebook groups where one can pose a question or a concern can often be quite helpful. In giving consideration to the amount of “stuff” we have that now qualifies as junk, I wanted to know if there was anyone who could recommended a junk dealer in our area. Thanks to the quick responses, I was able to very quickly contact someone and arrange for a pickup time this coming week.

5. When the fluorescent bulb in a high ceiling fixture burned out, a friend and her husband came to put the bulb in for us. High ladders are something that neither one of us feel safe in using anymore. Unfortunately the new bulb didn’t light up, but we now know that what we need is a new fixture.

6. My husband and I went to see the new movie, Yesterday, this week and then went out to eat afterward. Fun date.

7. It was nice to be able to return home after the date. Seriously, it really was. When we started the car and began driving home, we realized that although the car was running, there were no lights on the dashboard. We did have headlights and turn signals working, but no way to see how fast we were driving.  We pulled into a parking lot and tried to turn off the car. The only way we were able to turn off the car was to do a hard press (or press and hold) on the on/off button. We tried several times to turn on the car, but got the same results of no lights on the dashboard. Since it wasn’t dark yet, we decided to drive home. (Any place that we could have taken the car to be serviced was closed by then.) We made it home  and got the car turned off. This morning when I went out turn on the car, it was functioning perfectly normally. I was able to schedule an appointment for this coming Monday to have it checked out.

8. I am thankful for strength beyond my own. Sometimes when it becomes apparent that I lack the ability to handle a task, I will call upon my husband to come to my aid and he will know the right tool, or the right way to do something that needs to be done. There are other times when a certain job is a little easier for me to do for one reason or another, but then it proves problematic. When I am already in the middle of doing a task and it requires that it be finished, but I am unable to go forward with it because of my lack of physical strength, then praying is what I do, and very specific praying in which I explain what it is I am trying to do and why I think it needs to be done and giving a thankful prayer after my prayer has been answered. There are other instances when I pray for inspiration or ideas as to how to solve a problem and an idea will come enabling me to complete a task by using some kind of substance that normally would not be used that way. 

9. It was fun discovering some photos this week that were taken years ago. . .and they were here all along, and most likely it was me who stored them along with some old slides. I wished I had remembered they were there when I was organizing all the photos recently, but then again, I would have missed the excitement and the joy of rediscovering these memories.

This photo of our little puppy
makes me laugh. My dark pants
blend in with the gravel and makes
me look only half there, suspended
midair above the puppy.

10. I am thankful that our bodies were created in a way that enables us to be able to smile and to see the smiles of others. What a dismal world this would be without smiles.

Six Sentence Stories - Simple

How easy or hard is it to write a story using only six sentences? Now add in the factor that in your story, you need to incorporate a prompt word. Does this make it easier or does that complicate the matter so much that you decide to skip the challenge and just read the stories others write? Every week there are many who accept the challenge, so think about it. I will be linking my Six Sentence Stories - Simple to the blog hop hosted by Denise of Girlie on the Edge's Blog. You are invited to click here to read these other stories.

He was a man of few words and she a woman of many when it came to coming up with solutions to problems. A simple yes or no, or that sounds great, let’s do it were words that rarely came rushing out of her mouth at the get-go.

The quiet man had already mulled things over while doing mundane tasks and knew what he wanted to do, but she hadn’t been privy to the flux of ideas and aspirations that had been stirring through his mind. What now seemed to be a flawless solution to the challenge at hand for him, now required some simmering time for her to consider all the pros and cons.

While she simmered, he stewed, knowing time’s a wastin’. Meanwhile, he guessed he would give some consideration to the next project on the slate in his mind.