Ten Things of Thankful - The Week of Thanksgiving 2020

 With a thankful heart I am linking up to the blog hop Ten Things of Thankful hosted by Dyanne of Backsies is What There Is Not. (Some day, I need to ask her the story behind the naming of her blog.)

1. Finishing a goal that seemed almost insurmountable when I started it earlier this fall

2. Finishing an audible book, but already missing hearing about all the humorous things that happened when the author was living on a ranch

3. Participating with our children in creating a collaborated Spotify playlist that we could each listen to on Thanksgiving Day when we were not going to be able to be together because of COVID-19 restrictions (A big thank you to one of our daughters for coming up with the idea)

4. Being able to read so many #givethanks posts by others on Facebook this week

5. Receiving a surprise delivery of a bouquet of flowers the day before Thanksgiving to brighten and cheer us

Mixed bouquet of flowers in a vase that belonged to my grandmother

6. Being able to visit with our children via Zoom on Thanksgiving Day

7. Having a spare pair of glasses to use when the lens fell out of my glasses on Thanksgiving Day 

8. Having Thanksgiving Day dinner leftovers to enjoy, including eating  pie for breakfast the next morning

Do you ever eat pie for breakfast?

9. Receiving a text that “maybe” someone left something on our doorstep (Thankfully a note with the items did identify the giver.)

This was the end product of one of the items. The pomegranate was the largest one I had ever seen and produced almost three cups of arils. I like to use them as topping on green salads.

Freezer bag full of pomegranate arils

Do you like pomegranates? What is your favorite way to use them?

10. Vic and our family who make me feel loved, who make me laugh and who make this life so much better than it would be without them

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Six Sentence Stories - Oasis

Sometimes on holidays a home is filled with lots of family and friends gathering to share a meal, talk, and play games and it may be hard to find a quiet spot to land, or an oasis of calm, at least while everyone is still there. Celebrating together is a much looked forward event, but this year, with COVID-19 concerns, for many people the celebrating with others is highly limited in some areas in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. In other words, unless one's home consists of a house full of kids, the oasis of calm will just continue as is while COVID-19 rages on outside the safety of ones home.

I am linking this blog hop post to Six Sentence Stories - Oasis hosted by Denise of Girlie on the Edge's Blog.

Resting her mind from the cares of the world which were weighing her down seemed so impossible, yet she knew it was necessary and so she trudged further up the trail trying to ignore the pain in her calves and thighs and the weight of the pack on her back.

She had taken the necessary precautions and let Dave know where she was headed that morning, saying only that she needed some R & R or she wouldn’t be any good for anyone.

He looked long and hard at her, trying to read between the lines the emotions he felt emanating from her body, but decided not to say anything and just nodded before she turned and headed out the door, leaving only the scent of her sunscreen.

To reach their personal oasis required more energy than she had remembered when they both had hiked the trail that first time before diverting off the path to a secluded small pool at the base of a cascading waterfall.

She remembered how they had sat on a log beside the pool, and he had listened to her and didn’t say a word; he just listened until she laid bare her troubled heart.

As she stopped to drink from her thermos, she heard quick steps around the bend of the trail behind her and Dave’s voice saying, “Wait, you can’t go there without me.”

Ten Things of Thankful

 It is time again to hop on board the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop. Are you ready?  I'm linking up over at Dyanne's of Backsies is What There Is Not. She recently took over the reins of the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop. 

1. The windstorm didn’t disturb the wet leaves I had raked into piles a day earlier.

Wet maple leaves raked into piles along the driveway

2. Our phone that is connected to a fiber optic line was not working for at least three days this week. Since I have a cell phone too, we were not completely without phone service.

3. The same day our phone began working again (I am giving Vic the credit here.), Vic also got a good report regarding some recent lab work (A HUGE thankful!)

4. Getting a new Audible book that is totally enjoyable and makes me laugh

Do you have a favorite book that makes you laugh and lifts your spirits?

5. A Christmas cactus in bloom and other cacti setting buds

Hot pink Christmas cactus starting to bloom

6. Knowledge about all things wax (Six Sentence Stories, another blog hop, had wax as the prompt word this week.)

7. Preparation for Big Sur, new operating system for the Mac 

I take things slowly to make sure having the new system isn’t going to throw a kink in existing apps, especially my Reunion app. This week I downloaded the latest version of Reunion to avoid any problems when I do download Big Sur.

8. A warm loaf of bread received from a neighbor

9. Being able to share old photos of family reunions on a private Facebook virtual family reunion  and watching the page grow as more descendants of the originators of the first reunion early on in the last century join the page and are able to identify some of the people in the photos

10. A rather dusty visitor came to see me while I was sweeping a particularly dusty area in the barn

A rather dusty woolly bear caterpillar

#givethanks

It is a great message leading into the season of Thanksgiving.

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Six Sentence Stories - Wax

Writing and blogging is such and adventure! I love the things I sometimes learn as I prepare for this weekly blog hop post. This post is being linked to Six Sentence Stories - Wax hosted by Denise of Girlie on the Edge's Blog.

She tried to hold on as tightly as possible, but her memories seemed to wax and wane as the more recent ones slipped away more quickly.

“That’s  my Mama,” she said excitedly as she  looked at an old sepia toned photo of a bride wearing a beautiful bridal wreath of Geraldton wax flowers atop long flowing hair. No one pointed out that the woman in the photo was her great grandmother taken before she immigrated from Australia, nor that the pretty flowers are now a highly invasive weed in that area. 

“They used to do that, you know,” she said, when she saw a photo of another woman, who really was her Mama. “I saw her do it; she put beeswax right there,” she said as she pointed to a smallpox scar on the face of the woman.

Some of her memories sealed tightly in her mind, while others shrank around the edges with time, like the paraffin wax on an old jar of jelly.

Ten Things of Thankful

Discouragement, doubt, despair, etc. abound in the hearts of many, but on the other hand even though others may be facing similar challenges that could cause them have comparable feelings, they seem to be more resilient. That doesn't mean they have always been strong in every circumstance, but that they perhaps have learned ways to stay positive, and rise above the murkiness of everyday life. For some, trying to see things, even very simple things, for which to express gratitude is one way that helps. I am posting my Ten Things of Thankful to the blog hop by the same name, now hosted by Dyanne of Backsies Is What There is Not.

1.The sunshine that follows the storms

We had quite a bit of rain this  week, but often within what seemed like minutes the sun came out and the clouds dispersed leaving blue skies, even if it was only for an hour or less. The link is to one of my favorite songs by John Denver.

2. Order out of chaos

There are so many ways to look at this. I will let you ponder how you would interpret this.

3. Repurposing

In trying to figure out what to do with some old bags of wood pellets in our barn, I learned that some people use them as bedding for horses. They can also be used as a substitute for cat litter. Since we no longer have a pellet stove and the pellets are quite old and may or may not be suitable for use in a pellet stove at this time, I found someone who had a use for them.

4. Old movies

It used to be that I would much rather watch a recently released movie than watch a movie I had already seen. I viewed reading books in the same light. However as I have aged I have learned the value, for me, of watching and reading some of what is old.

5. Registering for Roots Tech 2021 

I am excited to look forward to watching some of these virtual motivational speakers, and classes coming up in February 2021. With all the limitations in being able to attend in-person events because of the risks of exposure to COVID-19, this will bring a resemblance of normalcy in my life. 

6. Help

We all need help at times and learning to accept help when offered, or even to ask for help isn't easy for everyone, myself included. I am thankful for the offers we have received to help, and for opportunities to help in ways that I am able.

7. A six sentence poem called Tender by Ford that says so much about the experiences so many have faced this year

8. A drive to the nearby Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge

After another doctor appointment this week, Vic and I drove out the refuge again and I snapped a photo from inside the car. We even watch a couple of eagles off in the distance causing quite a ruckus among the geese flying above a distant water area.

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge

9. Fallen leaves

If you ever feel a little guilty for not being able to rake up every leaf that falls on your property, click here to read about some of the value of letting them remain on the ground.

Fallen maple and oak leaves

10. Vic and this journey through life we are taking

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Six Sentence Stories - Clip

How would you use "clip" in a sentence? Would you be able to  include that sentence in a story. . .a six sentence story? Here is my post to the Six Sentence Stories - Clip blog hop hosted by Denise of Girlie on the Edges Blog. 

In order to cause the least amount of disturbance they had placed a small flashlight and a pair of nail clippers on the bedside table before they retired for the night.

They left their bedroom door slightly ajar so a click of the doorknob turning wouldn’t awaken her when the  time was right; the hinges on the doors had been oiled earlier that day.

About ten they tiptoed into the hall and approached her bedroom door, not wanting to make a sound that would require them starting from square one again.

Thankfully the nightlight in the room revealed that her face was turned toward the opposite wall as she embraced Pup-Pup while surrounded by her menagerie of stuffed dogs; she didn’t budge an inch as they approached her bed.

In order to pull off this hoist of sorts, near the the bottom rail he lifted the edge of the blanket  and used it as a shield for the bright light from the flashlight focused on the task to be done.

His wife held the now relaxed little foot and except for a deep sigh from their daughter, there was no indication the little girl even knew that with a snip and a clip her big toenail had just been trimmed.

Ten Things of Thankful

If deer can meditate, surely this one with eyes closed was.

As some of you have already discovered, our previous host of Ten Things of Thankful, Kristi of Thankful Me, has turned over the reins to Dyanne of Backsies of What There Is Not. Be sure to check our both of their posts this week for a few of the details. Kristi has done a super job, as will Dyanne. The photo above seemed apropos for my contemplative ten today.

1. Our commonality

Even among those we find it difficult to see how we are in any way similar, if we strip back the veneer, we cannot doubt that each came into this world as a baby.

2. Being able to imagine, to put ourselves figuratively in the shoes of another, trying to imagine what we would be like if we had lived in the same circumstances as another

That said, it would be extremely difficult for all the children in a family to view an experience in their family exactly the same way, partly because of their innate qualities.

3. Forgiveness

Being able to forgive others of actions that have caused pain, whether it be physical or emotional; being able to accept  the sincere requests of forgiveness from others; and being able to forgive oneself

4. Being cognizant of one’s health (mental, physical, or spiritual) and taking the necessary steps to improve

5. The impact of truly listening; to the thoughts and impressions that come into our minds and recognizing the source of those thoughts; to the thoughts expressed by others and having a willingness to try to understand

6. Agency and the power to make choices and be responsible for our own actions in response to the choices we make

7. Rejuvenation and recognizing those things and ways that allow that to happen for us

8. Inspiring words and music shared by others throughout the ages

9. Experiences that help us learn the important lessons in life, or in other words, prepare us to someday meet our maker

10. Vic and our family, whether looking back through time or going forward, they all matter and have or are in one way or another contributed in some way to who we are or are becoming

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