Saturday, October 10, 2015

Ten Things of Thankful

My blogging has been mostly in my thoughts this week, but I can't let the week go by without posting   those things for which I am grateful at Ten Things of Thankful.

Raindrops!  Raindrops on this nasturtium!
1. My husband often lets me pick the movies we go see, but on Monday, he picked the movie and didn't tell me what movie we were going to go see.  I learned what the movie was when he was purchasing the tickets at the theater.  It was The Martian, and I'd not seen or read anything about it, so it was truly a surprise.  I found myself wondering what I would have done in such a situation, had I the background and knowledge of the main character.  I'm thankful for this surprise element of our date, with my husband deciding where and what we were going to do and see.

2. Tuesday I went to see my Mom at the nursing home.  The head nurse pulled me aside and quickly assured me that my Mom was okay, but she wanted to tell me something.  She let me know that her last day of nursing there will be the end of this coming week, and that she has accepted a job closer to her home town.  I told her that I was happy for her, but sad for me and that I would really miss her.  I've never met a nurse as caring as she is.  I'm thankful for those very competent and attentive people who tend to the needs of my Mom and others whose thinking and health are impaired.

3. Late afternoon Tuesday, my husband and I went to the home of another retired teacher where several retired teachers and their spouses were gathering for a potluck dinner.  We had an enjoyable evening learning how people are spending their retirement years.  I knew one of the couples there from my church attendance when I was living in that town, and it was fun to catch up on each other's lives since we'd last seen each other.  I love potlucks, because invariably I taste something I want to try to duplicate at a later date.  I'm thankful to be able to not only meet some people I didn't know, but to reunite with some I did know.

4. Tuesday as we drove on the freeway to a town south of here, my husband was barely starting to change lanes when he saw a car quickly approaching from behind in the other lane.  I'm thankful that he was so observant at that very moment.

5. Wednesday I went to my Mom's to meet with the lawn care people regarding some long lasting brown spots in her lawn.  They had reseeded the area, but the seeds didn't grow.  They had tried doing this when it was way to hot, so they did it again now, at no extra charge.  I'm thankful that they are true to their word.

6. On Thursday, my husband had a yearly dermatology appointment.  I'm thankful for those skilled doctors and PA's who can detect when there are areas that need treatment.

7. On Friday, my husband and I took another couple with us to see a concert in a nearby town.  The performer was John McCutcheon.  He is a folk singer and story teller, and plays numerous instruments.  He has albums of music which children enjoy as well as albums directed to adults.  The whole evening was wonderfully entertaining.  This concert was held in a very old Presbyterian church which has semi-circle shaped pews.  It was an intimate setting.  The music and stories were funny at times, and brought tears to my eyes at other times.  A song that was especially touching to me is called Between Good and Gone.  It was about a road trip the performer took with his father who had Alzheimer's and lived in a nursing home before his passing.  McCutcheon's talent in playing the different instruments is incredible.  I especially enjoyed his performances on the hammer dulcimer.  He continues to write songs.  He sang one about the recent shooting tragedy at the Umpqua Community College in Oregon, and one about the baby that was found dead on the beach at Kos, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea.  I'm thankful for folk music and those who continue to sing and teach through this style of music.

8. This evening I attended a wedding reception for a young couple I know from church who were married earlier in the day at the Portland Temple.  It was wonderful to see how happy they are and to see so many people come to join in the celebration of their marriage.

9. One day this week when I was visiting my Mom, she asked me what time it was.  (It is amazing that she is still able to tell time.)  When I looked to check my FitBit it was missing!  I'd never had it come off like that and I'd been a lot of places, so I was thinking I'd never find it.  When I looked down between her wheelchair and the chair in which I was sitting, I was very glad to see it.  There was no need to search further!  I'm thankful this gift was not lost.

10.Lastly, I'm thankful that we really did get hard enough rain today and often enough that the ground is beginning to look wet!  Although we have had some rain earlier this week, it hardly made a difference because the ground is so parched.  I'm thankful to see and feel the rain!


Ten Things of Thankful

20 comments:

  1. simple stuff like rain and time with people you care about make the best weeks, yes? How was the Martian? Was it good... sound thought provoking... I suspect it may feel pretty tense... Im not a movie fan but am considering this one.

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    1. We really liked seeing the Martian. We thought it was thought provoking. There were a couple of time when I jumped during the movie, but it is not a scary movie.

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  2. It must have been so much fun getting together with the teachers to catch up and share retirement stories. Your week was filled with activity, connection and love. The concert sounds (no pun intended) poignant and wonderful. (And that car story - the relief of non-collision).

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    1. The concert was wonderful! And yes, the thought of not having to endure a collision was a huge relief.

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  3. I feel like I'm always saying this about a lot of different flowers, but Nasturtiums are one of my favorites. Have you ever tried adding the flowers to a salad? They have a really neat peppery flavor and the bright colors look so pretty in a bowl with mixed greens.

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    1. These particular nasturtiums are growing next to my Mom's property and are some of the healthiest nasturtiums I have ever seen. I've tried to grow them a few times in the past, and had planted them by some vegetables we were growing. They didn't do very well at all. They were an attraction to aphids, if I remember right. The aphids did leave the vegetables alone, but the poor nasturtiums took a real beating. I have tried them in salads, and like the taste and the look.

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  4. what a good week*
    Item #4 is that type of thing that is always so impressive, at least when we have the presence of mind to see that we have the opportunity to recognize the sometimes fleeting nature of life
    #6 good that things went well at his appointment (I think of events like that as 'stepping through gates'…. as a way to remind myself to appreciate what is, before hand and what is afterwards)
    good thought-provoking Post
    hey! we missed you at the Six Sentence this week!

    * some challenges, some surprises, some acceptance and some gratefulness… pretty much makes it that

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    1. I think I am realizing more and more the fleeting nature of life, or at least feel I'm so much closer to the ending point than the beginning point of life. To now know that the outcome my husband's biopsy is good is a relief. Thanks for visiting.

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  5. We saw The Martian this week, too. I wish I had been a bit less sleepy, because the parts I saw, I really enjoyed!
    I've had my FitBit fall off before, too, when I was buckling car seats into the car. I didn't notice right away, but figured out what happened when I found it in the car. I think FitBit could do a better job with the band.

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    1. Sometimes, I come back to these posts, and find that I didn't respond to the comments people made. This has happened a couple of different times. I really do appreciate the visits and comments. I'm glad you got to see The Martian. You'll probably like it the second time around too. :-) So, do you think writing a letter to FitBit would be a way to receive a new and better one free?

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  6. I want to see The Martian, too! Glad to hear it's worth going to see. Glad your mom is getting along in the nursing home. They are not always wonderful places, so it's good to know she has such good care there.

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    1. By this time, you may have had a chance to see The Martian. I hope you enjoyed it. Mom's nursing home is excellent. I have no complaints. She receives great care there.

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  7. How wonderful that your mother is still living! So many living generations in your family!
    I had my yearly dermatology appt too. One mole down, but the dermatologist was not all that concerned about it.
    I think I would have enjoyed that concert too, and I am DYING to see The Martian.

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    1. It is good to be able to get rid of the moles and spots that are in question. I hope you get a chance to see The Martian. It seems like there are quite a few good movies coming out. With all the tickets being sold in advance for the new Star Wars movie coming out in December, I have a feeling we won't be seeing that one until January. Our son was just a little guy when the first one came out, and we "lived" Star Wars it seemed for years. :-)

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  8. I love rain...so calming.
    I must have missed something because this Martian movie doesn't look appealing to me at all. I'm so confused!
    Sad about your Mom's nurse, but glad she's been getting such wonderful care.

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    1. To be honest I'd not heard anything about The Martian until we showed up at the theater on our date. I was thinking it was going to be some kind of sci-fi movie, so I was pleasantly surprised. It isn't based on anything real, but no scary aliens, etc.

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  9. What a thankful week! I've never heard of The Martian but it sounds really cool! And I, too, am thankful for dermatologists who can help us know what to treat in time for treating it. My husband had a big scare in that department a few years ago and the doctors were incredible. Hope all's well there too. And so nice that your mom found a really nice place to be where she can get the support she needs. Hope you're having a fabulous week!

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    1. Oh, I'm glad everything ended up okay with your husband's scare a few years ago. Everything turned out fine here too. It had only gone down one layer, and they are pretty sure they got it all. Thanks for visiting.

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  10. What's life without a bit of rain?
    :-)
    Glad your husband is okay. Car accidents happen much too often, resulting in some horrible injuries and worse, so it's nice to hear of a time where things turned out just fine.
    Who doesn't love a nice potluck?
    :-)

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    1. Yes, potlucks are great. I do tend to eat more than I should at them, but it is only polite (right?) to taste a little of each. I don't really do that anymore, because it seems like there is just an incredible amount of food to taste.

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