Saturday, February 24, 2018

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 CafĂ© 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.


13 comments:

  1. All wonderful things for which to be thankful! It is especially a blessing that you shared the picture with the person who wanted it, that story made me smile.

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    1. Thanks. It made me smile to be able to share it with her.

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  2. I'm glad Dad was able to get the stove working. Stay warm!

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  3. #6! how much fun that must that have been, to be able to say, "oh, I happen to have exactly what you're searching for!"
    Winter is losing it's grip out here and so any more snow is, somehow, not as depressing as it would be in, say December or even January.

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    1. #6 definitely made me smile.
      Spring is coming for sure, and that is something that tends to brighten everything, even if there are the spring showers. A little sun usually shines through along with the rainbows.

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  4. Wonderful list of thankfuls. That is good that you didn't need to pay to have the stove fixed. Have a wonderful week!

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    1. Thanks. I'm glad he was able to fix it with such an easy correction.

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  5. Pat, your list, as always is honest and true. I applaud you for trying to learn a new language. Snow, while I'm not a fan, is beautiful, especially when there is a sky blue backdrop.

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    1. Thanks, Val. Considering the number of Spanish speaking people in this country, I think is good for me to try to speak and understand the language more than just a few greetings. In the mean time it is good exercise for my brain.

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  6. Great TToT! The view of your front yard is gorgeous. The snow makes it extra beautiful. I remember when I was a kid hearing about putting chains on your tires in heavy snowstorms. I'm glad you husband found someone to put the chains on for him. I'm sure he felt more confident driving after that.
    I had no idea you could attach photos to a family tree at Ancestry. My sister is the "genealogist" of the family. She's been getting pictures from relatives she's met through Ancestry. I'll have to ask her if she has attached any to our tree.
    Good for you for learning Spanish. I started to learn it over a year ago but unfortunately I let it fall to the wayside.
    Congratulations on #9. It is never too late to begin strength training. As we age it is important to build and retain our strength and try and increase our flexibility. Go Pat! :)

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    1. I'd forgotten that I hadn't responded to your comment. I was busy getting ready for my trip and just now saw this.
      Being able to see photos others have attached to their relatives on Ancestry is exciting, especially when the person is your ancestor too.
      After being away from my Spanish for over a week, I think I am going to have to do some review before forging ahead.
      Thanks for the encouragement on the strength training. Every little bit helps.

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  7. Reading your post was a gift of many reasons to smile this morning, Pat! Navigating winter weather is hard for older folks, for any folks really, and I'm glad your husband made it safely over the pass and back with his chains. Your view is amazing! I miss snow, but only to look at. :-) I had never heard of a pellet stove so had to look it up, and it seems pretty awesome, I bet it's efficient too. I am glad that your husband was able to get that auger going again and save you the expense of a repairman. Papa Bear is really good at trouble-shooting and fixing things too and it is such a blessing!

    Congratulations on the improving Spanish skills. Really, it is something that should be taught in all schools as a second language, because it aids in communication with a large percentage of our population. It's also good brain exercise. Speaking of exercise, I know exactly what you mean about climbing stairs and that's real progress!

    We can find so many useful things on the Internet, I'm not sure how we lived without it! I Google things at least once a day, and I learn a lot that way too!

    How wonderful that you were able to find the photograph for a friend. I can imagine how delighted she was. It sounds like you were led right to it, and in the process found more things to share with your extended family. Yes, brightening someone else's day is a sure way to brighten up ours!

    It is most refreshing to see youth standing up and using their lives, faith and talents for good. Not all kids are self-indulgent by any means, and I love it when this stereotype is broken by kids who will hopefully be the leaders of the future!

    The song you shared with us is indeed lovely, thank you! Have a wonderful week, Pat!

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    1. From some the FB posts this past week, you know that I've been away from blogging due to visiting my daughter. I prefer to blog on the big computer, not my little iPad.
      I like the pellet stove because it is so much cleaner to heat with than a stove that burns logs of wood. Heating with oak logs produces a much hotter heat. The other con of pellet stoves is having an electric fan in them, so when the power goes out, so does your source of heat, unless you have a generator.
      I had a little bit of concern about my trip and all the walking, etc. I knew that I would be doing, but I managed just fine, especially knowing how things had been in the weeks prior.
      Glad you enjoyed the song. I listened to it again last night.

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