Ten Things of Thankful

It is a sunny day and a perfect day to write my Ten Things of Thankful post to link to Josie Two Shoes blog hop. Click the link and lift your spirit by reading some of the things that remind others that there is much of life that is good, things that make them feel a significant degree of gratitude.

 

1. A week ago Wednesday my husband went to a bird festival at the southern part of the state. He had to chain up going over the pass. Things like that do not get any easier as one gets older, but he did it. Coming home last Sunday, there was already sufficient snow in the town from where he was departing that he just pulled in some place and let those who have a business doing such things put on the chains. I'm thankful he had a safe trip. His happiness is my happiness.

2. We watched the weather forecast a lot this past week because the forecast kept changing. The predictions had some people a little worried because of the big storm that hit the state last winter and kind of paralyzed our biggest city for a few days. Fortunately the storm this week did bring snow, but by the time the storm actually hit, there had been more preparation time. As for our household, we only stayed home one day because of the snow. Some other days I didn't travel much either because of not knowing if it was going to start snowing at our place before I would be able to return home safely. We live at a higher elevation than city center and the weather in town may not reflect what is happening at home. I'm thankful for the beauty of the snow, but just as thankful this past week I didn't have to travel in it.

The view from our front door as I overlooked the railing of the ramp which had about three inches of snow on it. The lawn and fir trees and butterfly bush and other shrubs are covered with the snow that fell overnight. Although there is a bank of stormy clouds just above the trees, there is bright blue sky above them.

3. When the temperatures drop, that is not a time for the pellet stove to act up, but it didn't get the message. One morning we discovered that the auger wasn't working. That is what causes the pellets to feed into the stove. Getting a repairman to come out isn't always easy and the stove is older, so we weren't sure what this might mean in the long scheme of things. My husband decided to remove all the pellets and with his handy dandy screwdriver try to gently nudge the auger a few times just on the chance that a pellet had somehow gotten stuck and blocked the auger from moving. Yeah! He got the auger working again. No repairman needed and no repair bill. 

4. There was one day this past week that I felt like I'd earned a "star" for how well I did with my Duolingo Spanish lesson. I had correct responses to everything and didn't lose any health. That usually is not my pattern, but practice makes perfect and I am progressing. I also bought three Quick Study guides this week to help me in my goal to speak Spanish.

5. Do you ever find some dressing or mix that you would love to discover how to make at home? A few months ago I ate at a Café Yumm (a northwest restaurant), and fell in love with one of the sauces they use. While you can buy the sauces at the cafe, and I have, I decided to see if anyone had tried to come up with a tastes like version. I haven't tried it yet, but will be trying it out. I'm thankful for the internet and for almost duplicate versions of bottled or canned products.

6. A while back I read a comment by a woman who wished she had a photo of one of her good friends when they were in their teens. I had taught both of them in a church class years ago. Imagine my surprise when I was looking through some old photos this week to discover I had a photo of the two of them together. I was actually looking for another photo, and came upon the one of them. I immediately messaged her on FB, then scanned the photo and attached it to an email for her. She was so happy to have it. I am thankful for even small ways to brighten someone's day.

7. Once I had scanned the one photo, I decided it was a good time to scan a few others and attached them to people on my Ancestry tree. Of course there are more for me to scan and attach, but I felt good about sharing them so descendants of my great uncle's family can see them. Everyone in large families do not get photos passed on for them to see, so perhaps my effort will be appreciated by some of them. I need to attach these photos to trees I have at other sites as well. I started with the Ancestry tree because I'd had contact with one of my great uncle's descendants through that site. I am thankful for ways to share family photos that do not require using snail mail. 

George Alfred Pierce and wife Regina Smith Pierce standing on Daytona Beach in Florida where they were vacationing on December 26, 1947.

8. For years I have used Reunion. It is a family tree app specifically for the Mac. They have a new upgrade and I was able to download it this week. I am looking forward to discovering all 80 of the new features of the upgraded Reunion app.

9. Gradually I seem to be improving my strength and flexibility, which I noticed a few days ago when I went upstairs and was able to use both legs, each one taking a different step than the other. Hey, these are things some of us begin taking note of in our upper years.

10. Seeing and hearing of the testimonies and strength of so many young people this week has reminded me once again of this amazing generation of youth who are not afraid to make their voices heard. Many of them will become a leaders of tomorrow. I am thankful for the youth and their example of resilience and desire to make a difference.

I am thankful for all the things I learn through the words of other bloggers. I found this song that sums up some of my own thoughts about memories, because a lot of writing draws upon our own experiences and memories whether directly or indirectly. Enjoy this YouTube NPR recording of Cantus singing Memories to Teach Me.