Ten Things of Thankful

Why should we be grateful and is it really important to write about such things? To my way of thinking, it is because as sure as anything, there will be times in one's life when things are just not going to be sailing along smoothly and trying to keep from being dragged down into the deep water may be the test to avoid at all costs. At those points, having a journal or a blog post that one can refer to where expressions of gratitude have been recorded has the capacity to help lift one's spirits and keep one from falling into despair.

So here I am once more, writing my Ten Things of Thankful post which I will be linking to Josie Two Shoes' Ten Things of Thankful blog hop. The link is open each Thursday evening and stays open until the following Tuesday evening which gives bloggers several days to work on their posts. By clicking the link one can see the posts of other bloggers and see the wide variety of things people share.

1. Apple trees - We have a few apples trees. Not only do we enjoy eating fresh apples, but so do the deer. The apples aren't ready to eat now, but the deer seem to think some of the apples are nearly ripe.

Twin fawns searching for fallen apples under the tree

2. Salt - One day this past week when I threw a couple of shower curtains in the washing machine to launder, I added only a little laundry detergent because it was a light load. I should have added something a little heavier to the load and not as much detergent as I did. I didn't factor in the fact that there was some soap and shampoo clinging to the curtains. The machine was unable to rinse all those extra suds from the machine with the light weight curtains plastered against the inside of the tub, and it got stuck on four minutes to go before the end of the cycle. After manually stopping the machine, removing the very sudsy curtains and placing them in the laundry tub in order to hand rinse them, I was left with a machine full of suds to be scooped out by hand. I took the bucket full of suds from the machine outside. After rinsing off the curtains in the laundry tub, I sprinkled salt over the suds to minimize them and wash them down the drain. I came across this little trick many years ago.

Too many suds in the washing machine

3. Trying a new (to me) kind of fruit - While observing someone selecting some fruit from the other side of a fruit display in the grocery store, I inquired as to what kind of fruit it was. I was told it was dragon fruit. I decided to purchase one to see if I liked it. The taste is mild but I combined some with some pineapple and liked the combined taste.

Unpeeled dragon fruit

Partly peeled dragon fruit

Peeled dragon fruit laying upon bright rose colored peelings which have yellow tips

Peeled dragon fruit cut in half revealing the myriad of tiny black seeds within the white flesh of the fruit. The entire peeled fruit is edible.

4. Poppies - Some seed growers in Oregon grow poppies. I often pass this beautiful field of golden poppies on my way to visit my Mom.

Field of golden colored poppies appearing as a carpet for some sprinklers on metal wheels. There are fir trees in the near field with a visible range of mountains in the distance. The sky is blanketed with cumulous clouds.

5. Monarch butterflies - Today my husband and I got to watch someone tag some monarch butterflies and release them. These are such beautiful creatures which are mostly orange, but are outlined in black with orange and yellow spots on the black.

Monarch butterfly waiting on a screen before being tagged

6. Time - My Mother has lived another six months since her last birthday. Each day, week, and month are special these days since she has lived past 100 years now.

My husband and I with my Mom

 7. Being related - This last one counts for all the rest of my thankfuls this time. I discovered this week that there is someone in the church where I attend who has a grandmother who was the sister missionary who taught me many years ago before I was baptized. I was amazed to discover what a small world it really is. Not only that, but I am related distantly to the husband of the missionary who taught me. (He was deceased at the time she served her mission.)