Ten Things of Thankful - Singing Turkeys on a Treadmill

Usually I don't give an additional title on my weekly post linking up to the Ten Things of Thankful post, but thinking about some of the key words of things for which I am thankful this week, I couldn't resist.  Even though these key thankful words don't link to one another, they are for this title, Ten Things of Thankful - Singing Turkeys on a Treadmill.  See if you can find the entries with these key thankful words.

Yesterday my husband and I decided to stop by the Keizer Rapids Park north of Salem.  We had never been there, and loved what we found.  We were there in middle of the afternoon, but we will definitely go back in the early morning or late afternoon sometime to take photos of  birds.  There are nature trails, a boat dock, a huge brand new big toy area for kids, a dog park, disc golf course, a beach volleyball area, picnic areas, and a amphitheater. The web site is down, or I would have a link to this park.  I'm thankful for the newspaper article that sparked my interest in this park, but especially glad my husband wanted to go on this outing, when there were some football games to be watched.

I'm thankful to be able to see wild TURKEYS on a  road near us.  I took this photo a while back at a wildlife refuge in our area. I haven't been able to get a photo of the turkey I've seen twice this week. There isn't a convenient place to pull over.

A neighbor recently gave us some spaghetti squash and  some butternut squash.  If you ever tried to cut into a butternut squash, you may be like me in thinking that what you really needed was an axe to accomplish the task. Not wanting to got through that ordeal, I googled baking a whole butternut squash.  Yep, can be done!  I washed the outside of it, made a couple of stabs on the top toward the ends, and put it on a foil-lined the pan and baked it in the oven for 1 hour 15 min. at 350 degrees.  I let it cool for a while, before scooping out the seeds and removing the pulp to make a delicious soup.  There are lots of recipes online.  Mine had the squash pulp, chicken broth, low-fat coconut milk, saluted onion and garlic, thyme, nutmeg, and salt, and white pepper.  Grated cheese and bacon bits can be
added when served. I'm thankful for this easier way of preparing and cooking this kind of
squash, and for garden gifts from neighbors.

There are so many different kinds of maple trees seen here in the valley, and some of them have turned brilliant red.  I'm thankful for all the gorgeous colors seen at this time of year in the foliage.

Back in the spring I  bought a product that I can hang on my exercise bike, so I am able to read a book, or read using my iPad.  It works really well there, but is slightly too small for use on the treadmill, or so I thought.  Yesterday I decided to give it a try again.  Although it doesn't snap on to the top, it does balance safely there.  I was able to walk and read for a half hour!  Since walking is kind of mindless, unless I am doing it outdoors, I can actually read, ponder, and learn as I read while walking on the TREADMILL.  I've had the iPad nearby with the sound turned up so I can listen to the scriptures, or something else uplifting while walking on the treadmill, but I really like reading instead of listening while I am walking.  My mind isn't as likely to wander if I am reading while walking.  I am thankful for discovering that what I didn't think would work, actually does.
A question for readers:  Do any of you have the challenge of your mind wandering when you are reading, and if so, does reading while moving your body help your concentration?



For some of you who have been blog hopping much longer than me, you probably know the thrill of being recognized in some way for one of your posts, or possible your entire blog.  This week I received an email that my blog hop post on Cee's Photography was recognized as a featured blogger for my post to Cee's Compose Yourself Challenge:  Always take more than one photo.  I'm thankful for those fun surprises, that make me want to try harder.



When I was visiting with my Mom on Friday, the Silvertones, a local choir in the Willamette Valley,  came to the nursing home.  When I learned they were  going to be there, I asked Mom if she would like to go with me to the dining hall to listen to them sing.  Normally she doesn't like to go into the dining hall, I think because of the size of the room and so much visual stimulation, but she said she would go if I wanted to go.  The choir sang a lot of songs that Mom would have been familiar with once in her life, but it wasn't until about 30 minutes into the performance that Mom started to smile once in a while as certain songs were being sung.  I was sitting beside her and singing along with the choir, so she could perhaps hear the words better and maybe try singing along.  Finally toward the end of the singing she actually mouthed some of the words to a few of the songs, AND JOINED IN SINGING on a couple of pieces.  She especially enjoyed the final song, The Battle Hymn of the Republic.  I am so thankful for those in this choir and other groups who share their talents and light up the faces of those who have  difficulty remembering, or have great physical limitations or both.



This week I made a Brave Bot Buddy to be donated to the Doernbecher's Children's Hospital in Portland, OR.  Many of the women at  our church were involved in making Brave Bot Buddies to be donated for this worthy cause.  Click this link to learn more about the Brave Bots.  The Brave Bot Buddy has a slot for holding the Brave Bot.  I'm thankful I have a sewing machine and was able to take part in this activity.

Once again I learned something new this week.  I learned about Puzzilla and how it can be helpful in one's family history research.  I wasn't familiar with this.  It is particularly helpful on those lines where one has hit a brick wall.  I'm thankful for these helpful tools.

The last thing that has really been of interest to me this week are some essays on lds.org.  The topics are ones that have puzzled some members for a number of years and a lot of the general public not of my faith.  I haven't read all of them yet, but have read a couple of them and found the explanations very enlightening.  If you have wondered about some things having to do with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you might be interested in reading some of these essays.  I'm thankful to be able to be able to share this link with those who may have an interest in reading these.


Thanks to all who have stopped by to read my Ten Things of Thankful this week.

Six Word Fridays - Leaf

In case you haven't noticed from reading my blog, I love blog hops.      There are a lot of different blog hops in the blogging world, with new ones constantly being added.  Just Google blog hop and take a peek.

The blog hop at Adrienne's Six Word Fridays - Leaf is pretty broad as to writing style, except for the one sure thing, that each line must not have more than six words in it.  This is my composition for this post being linked to Six Word Fridays - Leaf.

 In the autumn of its days

the leaf hangs on for all

it is worth as it moves

gently with the cool fall breeze.

When the light is just right,

it displays its beautiful crimson veins

even more brilliantly, but it senses

that something is not quite right,

and at times it is hard

to cling to the branch, like

when the squirrel scampers straight toward

it.  Such sudden movements frighten the

leaf.  Many other leaves have already

fallen because of the unexpected bustle

which caused the branch to dip

or shake.  A few crows fly

to the tree to pay a 

visit to the leaf, but their 

cawing is very loud and too

frequent, making the leaf feel confused,

because communications that once were plain

and easy to understand, just aren't

anymore, but it guessed it was

better than not having any visitors.

Now the leaf is alone on 

the branch except for a few

 whose colors have faded even more,

and who talk of just going

 home, not realizing they are home.

  Some just hang and wait, not

not even speaking, but waiting for

a sweet release, perhaps in winter.

Follow Friday Four Fill-in Fun Week 235

This is a fill-in the blanks kind of post that I am linking up to at Hilary's Friday Four Fill-in Fun Week 235.  This week the co-hostess for this blog hop is Pam from Trooppetries Mcguffey's Reader.  As you read my responses you might consider how you might want to fill in the blanks.  By clicking on the link you can read how others responded.

My answers are underscored.

1.  Have you ever gone out of state by train? Yes.  Due to the flooding of some areas along the railroad tracks in southern California, the passengers had to get off the train and be bussed to their destinations or to the next train station where they would be able to complete their journeys.

2.  Growing up summer meant the summer between high school graduation and entering college, because that was the first job I had working in an office.  (Before that I'd just picked berries and beans in the fields and worked in the cannery.)  I was able to get a job as dental office receptionist, but I also learned how to develop the x-rays, and learned how to do some dental assisting.  The regular receptionist was on vacation that summer.

3.  The weather outside is getting cooler.  The heater in the car kicked on this morning because the thermometer showed that it was 45 degrees outside.  The highs for this week are in the upper 60's and the lows are in the mid 40's.  We haven't had many days with hard rains yet.

4.  My favorite teacher taught me what a caring teacher might do.  I actually wrote a post a while back about some of my teachers.  Click here to read more.

100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups - Week #171 ...I can't decide when to change...

This makes twice in one week that I'm making an attempt at writing fiction.  This post will be linked to Julia's blog hop 100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups - Week #171 ... I can't decide when to change... The challenge here is to write exactly 100 words to tell your story.

With her work and packing, she'd been going in circles for weeks before she boarded the plane. The flight was long, but she was able to get some rest even though there was a crying child several seats back.  It was a last minute decision to rent a car upon arriving.  She didn't want to burden her hostess.  She took a couple of deep breaths and settled in behind the wheel.  She felt some frustration when she soon found herself going in yet another circle and mumbled, "I can't decide when or how to change lanes in this round about!"

If you want to see what others have written in response to this challenge, be sure to check out Julia's blog.  If you enjoy this kind of challenge join in on the fun.

Six Sentence Stories - Entrance

This is an attempt at some fictional writing, not my usual writing style, for the blog hop at Ivy's Six Sentence Stories - Entrance.


She was quite diminutive compared to the last participant, but that's of no matter, just an observation. She and the director had been speaking in unusually quiet voices in the hall before opening the door where the panel awaited. The whole room seemed to come alive as the two of them entered with their let's-get-it-over-with attitudes.

After a short introduction by the director, she began speaking to the ten panelists by telling them to feel free to ask questions or make comments whenever they wished, and then she began speaking without even so much as a pause, telling them of her experiences. She was an animated speaker because her involvement in the event had planted a fervor in her shown by the excitement in her eyes, the expression on her face, and the rapidity of her words bouncing off her tongue in staccato fashion.  The panel seemed entranced by her words, but didn't have much of a chance to make an entrance into this debriefing session with their questions having to do with the first-of-its-kind event.   

Cee's Black and White Photo Challenge: Wood

Visiting historical places is something that rekindles a sense of connecting to the past and what it would have been like to live then.  A couple of photos I took at one of these places will work for the blog hop at Cee's Black and White Photo Challenge:  Wood.

 Some buildings at the Sod House Ranch

Cee's Compose Yourself Challenge: Simplicity

Each week Cee gives me another opportunity to learn more about photography.  Today's subject  is simplicity.  I am linking my before (uncropped  and unedited) photos and my after photos, including one of each in black and white to Cee's Compose Yourself Challenge:  Simplicity.

Before, no need to edit

Before, no need to edit

Before, no need to edit

Before editing

After editing

Before, no need to edit

Before editing

After editing