Ten Things of Thankful

Maybe there will be ten items I'll mention and maybe not. That is the good thing about this blog hop at Josie Two Shoes. Although it does have that title, we are given some liberty as to whether we actually mention ten and whether we mention them in a list.  Recognizing the differences and sameness among our blogging friends is what I like about this group of bloggers. Click this Ten Things of Thankful link and see how others are writing their posts this time. Is it a list? Are there photos accompanying the posts? Maybe music videos or art work? It varies each week.

1. Rainy day meals - It has been a while since I have prepared a big pot of soup. Because I have so much fun making it, I tend to make more than two people can eat. We enjoyed this made-from-scratch vegetable beef soup tonight. I even simmered beef bones for hours to make the stock. The fun part comes when I begin adding the vegetables until the pot is full. No beef meat was added to this soup. Since I'd cooked up a pot of brown jasmine rice yesterday and we had some left over, we served some of the soup over a little mound of rice. Thanks for the wind and rain and dark skies that spurred me in this direction.

A bowl of vegetable soup made using home-made beef stock. The bowl is light blue and is setting on a woven placement the color of wheat ready to harvest.

2. January growing seasons - When I went to get a couple of potatoes from the food storage room tonight, I found this poking up from a bag. There had been one small potato that had been forgotten in one of the bags, so it had to do something about that. It started growing and just kept growing until I noticed it. We have had an unusually warm and dry January this year in our area, so maybe this potato is trying to tell us something.  

3-1/2" long russet potato with one tall (5") sprout on top and one short sprout growing from the side, looking a little like a tan automobile, tapered in front, with an oversized antenna on top at the back and a little arm sticking out the window on the side

3. Life and reminders of what is really important - This past week a man that my husband has known for many years passed away. They had shared the same profession and had a number of common interests. Although we knew his passing would be soon and there was nothing to stop it from happening, it has been a reminder once again that life seems all too short sometimes. I can't help but feel that his kindness and caring in reaching out to people and his love for his family and other people were his greatest assets. He will be missed. I'm glad my husband was able to spend some time with him a couple of days at the beginning of last week.

4. Archaic words that seem like they should be revived - Words come and go and change in meaning, but this word that a friend brought to my attention today seems to fit many in the world today. The word is "grumbletonian." A person who is angry or unhappy with the government might have been referred to as one of these.

5. Stretching exercises - In a past post I mentioned seeing some trumpeter swans recently in our area. I grabbed my camera one day this past week and had it in the car as we drove to the post office. This time the swans were a little nearer to the road, so I was able to capture several images after my husband pulled over to the side of the road. Perhaps exercises and the hope that I can soon get back to doing them has been on my mind a little too much. When I looked at the photo below, I couldn't help but see how each trumpeter swan appeared to be showing one example of using it's neck.

Three trumpeter swans in a muddy plowed field that has a little green growth appearing within the mud. The swan on the left has its neck stretched out low to the ground and is trying to get something from out of the mud or vegetation. The swan in the middle has its neck curved upward like the letter "n" close to its body, but then the rest of the neck is reaching vertically downward toward the ground with only its head seeming to flatten when level with the ground. The third swan is standing with its neck straight upward at a vertical angle from its body. Just imagine an imaginary string attached to its head at one end and to the sky at the other to help the swan maintain perfect posture.

6. The temple - I'm grateful that I was able to go to the temple with a friend last Friday. With so much on my mind, I especially liked being there that day where there is such a quiet presence, and peaceful feeling.

7. My husband's photography skills - Soon I think I will be able to post a different photo of me on my blog. Thanks to my husband's desire to use some lighting equipment and try his hand at a little portrait work, this change will be coming to my blog.

8. Music challenge - Recently in a blog post I'd mentioned using the Thompson piano books when I was taking lessons years ago. When I stopped taking piano lessons, I'd finished the third grade book. (The grades pertain to skill level, not grade in school.) While browsing the books at a thrift store last week, I came across a never used Thompson's piano book which will give me a challenge, as it is the fourth grade book. The price was right, and I could not resist the brand new book.

9. Quotations - I'm not sure exactly when it was that I realized how much I enjoy quotations, but I suspect it was when I was in grade school. They continue to inspire me, such as this one. "Desires dictate our priorities, Priorities shape our choices, and Choices determine our actions." Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Click to see source.

10. Restful sleep under down filled duvet - After a number of years sleeping under a down filled duvet I have gotten spoiled. It is so light and yet keeps me cozy warm. As a child I slept under heavy quilted woolen blankets which kept me quite warm in the winter, but at this stage in my life, lighter but still warm suits me better.

What are you thankful for this week?