Ten Things of Thankful

This evening I want to get my Ten Things of Thankful post written and linked to the the blog hop hosted by Kristi Brierley. She  has a blog called Thankful Me which is now in the process of some revisions, but still there for all to view. The next couple of days I anticipate being preoccupied with things other than writing blog posts, so with that in mind, it is time to reflect and remember and share some things for which I am  thankful.

1. Marriage. When I was growing up I wasn't aware of very many couples who had divorced. I remember how shocked the family was when an aunt and uncle got divorced after their children were grown. (A few years later they remarried.) I suppose by today's standards some people from those years would have divorced, and perhaps for good reasons, but they didn't then. They stuck it out for better or for worse. They either eventually realized the error of their ways and made up or they remained in a miserable state for years. I am thankful for the lessons that come to each individual as well as the lessons unique within the matrimonial bond.

2. Anniversaries. Soon my husband and I will be celebrating our 55th wedding anniversary. We both laugh about how very nervous I was on our wedding day and how my legs were shaking as I stood at the altar. Since that day we have had plenty to laugh about and some times of trepidation as well. An anniversary is a great time to look back and to look forward.

3. Changes in laws. I know this might get a rise, but hear me out. I'm sure that each of you reading this can think of some laws which have been enacted that have made a big difference, for good, in the the lives of individuals, families and communities. On the other hand, there are many who would argue against the changes proposed to existent laws, or laws which were changed in the past that they felt were unjust. Because we are an imperfect nation of people there are times when we must fess up to the error of our ways.

Now here is something some of the younger folk may not know. Before 1980 in the United States of America many states still required a premarital blood test before a couple could get married. When my husband and I were married a blood test was required to check for venereal disease and for rubella.

4. Flu shots. To be able to get these yearly vaccinations, in the hopes of avoiding a nasty case of the flu is a blessing. Of course sometimes the vaccine ends up not being the one we needed because a different strain beset the nation, but still, I am glad to have protection against any strain that might come our way. The older one gets, the more important that protection. We were able to get our shots this week. Yeah for the nurse who was superb in administering it. There wasn't any soreness in the arm!

5. One of us is hearing much better. I am especially thankful for this. One doesn't know what they have been missing until they hear sounds the other has been hearing on a regular basis.

6. Being able to listen to a naturopath one evening this week. A doctor spoke to our women's group at church one evening this week. He minored in nutrition and came to speak about this subject at our invitation. It was so interesting and I learned a lot. This is a subject that has always been of interest to me, and like everything else there have been changes in nutritional research and studies. I remember years ago poring over a set of books I had that were written by Adelle Davis. As I said, there have been many changes.

7. Preparing food in a different way. I tried making zucchini chips and sweet potato chips in the oven this week. The first recipe for the zucchini chips was easy to do. The second recipe perhaps had a typo regarding the oven temperature. After burning two batches, I was able to finally achieve success. I turned the temperature to a lower setting and watching the batches like a hawk.

8. A new kitchen tool. After trying to slice a lot of zucchini with a knife, I went to the store and bought a mandoline. I'm glad that I waited to buy one of these until after they improved their product with some safety features. I saw someone I knew browsing the same aisle in the store. When I asked her if she'd ever had one, she told me the story of having had one years ago until she got rid of it, after cutting the end of one of her fingers off using it. (The good news is the doctor was able to reattach her finger.) 

9. Free brake checks. Looking good. Enough said.

10. Cooler mornings and evenings to take walks. I love this time of year.