Sunday, January 3, 2016

Ten Things of Thankful

Well it is the beginning of a new year of posting Ten Things of Thankful.  I'm sure there will be some new "thankfuls" as well as some returning ones.  Those things which are near and dear to our hearts should never be overlooked.  This is a blog hop that has a growing group of followers, so be sure to click the link, Ten Things of Thankful, to see things for which others are thankful.

Let's get started on my list.

1.  For many years I've written in my journal, but kind of slipped away from doing that when I started blogging.  I've discovered that although blogging is fun and to a degree is kind of like writing in a journal (especially with participation in the Ten Things of Thankful postings), it doesn't entirely replace writing in a journal, at least for me.  So this week I wrote in my journal too, and that makes me feel happy and thankful that I realized that was a piece of my life that I needed back in my life.

2.  There is a group I've joined that is called the 1000 Miles in 2016 Running and Walking Club.  It is exactly that.  We can participate by ourselves or with others, but the goal is to run or walk 1000 miles this coming year.  We can also count miles on treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical machines.  As you can see this allows more inclusiveness and yet gets people actively involved and feeling some camaraderie.  I will accomplish most of my miles via the treadmill and stationary bike.  At the end of the year those who can will walk together for the concluding run/walk.  I'm thankful for this group and the person who is spearheading it.  She has been such an inspiration to so many.

3.  This week I used a Christmas gift for the first time, and was absolutely delighted with the results...  being able to cook a whole chicken in 20 minutes! 

4.  I bought a keyboard for my iPad.  I'm not sure how often I will be using it, but I think there are going to be some times in the future, where this will be handy to have.  The good thing was I was able to take advantage of a sale to get it.   

5.  It was good for me to be taught, or reminded, this week that not everyone interprets things in the same way.  It is easy to offend sometimes when that was the last thing you had in mind to do, and would never had known had the person not said something to you.  Thankfully with a little more communication, things were peacefully resolved.

6. With some encouragement from my husband, I was able to get in to see the doctor the same day I called this week.  (The doctor had a cancellation, just at the moment I called.)  After being seen, she sent me over for a CT scan.  I hadn't even made it home, before she had the results.  She said  that she wanted to do some further testing.  The day before New Years Day, I had an ultra sound, but my doctor was out of the office, so I have to wait to call her tomorrow.  Hopefully the results reported on the CT scan turn out to be benign.  The ultra sound I think will show what needs to be seen to confirm that.  I'm thankful that I have complete trust in my doctor.

7.  My husband and I took a little road trip on Saturday.  It was a gorgeous day.  It was one of those sunny clear-blue sky days.  The air was crisp, yes very crisp indeed.  The temperatures were in the 30's, but felt 10 degrees cooler.  We took photos.  We saw all kinds of birds in and above the green fields where sheep were often grazing and where they weren't.  We saw trumpeter swans, bald eagles, lots of killdeer, red tailed hawks, robins, shore birds, and others I'm failing to remember.  In addition to the driving, we stopped at a historic little town and walked around taking more photographs.  I'm thankful we could enjoy such a beautiful day together.  There are some interesting mounds in the area were we were driving.  It was hard to believe that the weather changed so drastically the next day.  (See #10 below.)


8.  This item is related to #6, but deserves a number all to itself.  Many farmers around here have guard llamas with their sheep.  We got to see a guard llama in action.  The sheep and the llama were a ways out in the field, so my husband got the better shots with his camera.  First of all, a couple of bald eagles flew down by the sheep so they could eat the afterbirth from one of the newborn lambs.  Immediately the llama started toward the eagles causing them to fly away.  The llama noticed the newborn who was standing and very wobbly.  The ewe seemed oblivious to her newborn and was walking away from it.  The llama went nose to nose with the little lamb and then got behind it and nudged it toward the ewe.  The ewe didn't accept the lamb, so the llama just continued following the lamb and nudging it gently toward the ewe.  Finally the lamb and the ewe stayed together, at which point the llama dropped back and didn't stay right with the little lamb.  It was so endearing to see this association between the llama and the lamb.  Not only did this llama protect the lambs from the eagles, who have been known to not only eat the afterbirth, but also newborn lambs, but the llama was an encourager, making sure the family unit got off to a good start.


9. I had another instance this week of learning something I had not purposely sought out, but was very informative and timely.  I'm so thankful for instances like that.  It always is a reminder that someone is watching over me.

10. I'm thankful church services were cancelled today because of the treacherous road conditions. I love going to church, but I do not like risking driving on icy roads.  I'd already made up my mind that I didn't want to drive on hilly roads covered in ice, but it was nice to receive word that the local leaders had decided to cancel church.  We live on a hill, so the weather up higher isn't always an indication of what is happening at lower elevations, but as it turned out almost the entire valley is encased in ice.  Combine that with a little snow that fell during the night on top of frozen ground, some hail, and a continuing fall of sleet the rest of the day, I was more than glad to stay home.








12 comments:

  1. Ohh, all that ice! Ice is way worse than snow. We tend to get ice more than we do snow. The last big one we had, we were without power for over a week. Be safe!
    I WANT A GUARD LLAMA!
    Good luck on your 1000 miles!

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    1. I agree that freezing rain on the roads is much worse than the snow. We've been without power in the past when we had a combination of ice and snow and freezing rain. We were out for five days. Not very fun. It appears that it is getting above freezing now, but unfortunately, what has melted will just freeze again tonight. Tomorrow is looking to be a little better. Thanks for the encouragement with the miles. If you get a guard llama, you'll have to post some pictures. :-)

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  2. Well, it sounds like I need to call you later today! Hope everything is OK health-wise. 1000 miles this year is quite a goal! Is Wendy heading that up?

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    1. Yep, Wendy is heading 1000 miles run. I figure that with all she has been able to accomplish, maybe I can just soak up some of her energy, a little tiny bit.

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  3. That's some ice!

    And WOW! I have never, EVER heard of a guard llama before! That's completely SO VERY COOL! Llamas must be smarter than I thought they were!

    Hope that your test results show the all-clear for you, and HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

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    1. The ice appears to be melting a little this afternoon, so hopefully I'll be able to drive down the hill and back up tomorrow.
      I had noticed llamas in the fields with sheep before, but didn't know until recently that they were called guard llamas. They also guard goats and calves. I saw one youtube video of alpacas being used to guard chickens.
      Thanks for your well wishes.

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  4. very cool, that story of the guard llama! (once again, showing us a side of the life/reality that we all live in. makes me remember how little we understand everything around us.)

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    1. I agree. There is so much more to learn and to discover. It is a wonderful world.

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  5. What a crazy and varied array of things on your list for this week's TToT.
    :-)
    I learned a lot from it. Love the animal one, even all the details.
    Hope you're health is stable, but you are so right that it makes everything easier to deal with, not matter how serious, when you trust your care and caregivers.

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    1. I'm trying to catch up responding to comments. Sorry to be so late. I'm glad you enjoyed reading about the guard llama.

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  6. I know I'm late, Pat. The week got away from me. So glad Clark left a link in his post to yours. Llamas are interesting. My friend raises them on a farm of hers and they are wonderful creatures. First and foremost, I hope by this time you have received positive results, or a good prognosis from the ultrasound. Weather on the East Coast has been quite warm (until this week) with no frozen precipitation at all. Just looking at your photos makes my shiver. Have (or hope you had) a good week and I'll be better this week.

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    1. I'm trying to catch up on some comments at a rather late date, but I do appreciate your visit to my blog. In six months I'll have a follow up CT to see if there are any changes. I'm just thinking positively. It has warmed up here now into the 40's with quite a lot rain again. At least it isn't freezing rain.

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