Ten Things of Thankful

One never knows from one week to the next what life may throw your way and depending on the toss of those things, the appreciation list may vary drastically each week while at the same time always including certain ones. As you will see from reading the posts of those who participate in this blog hop, the only thing that is a given is seeing how people are trying to remember to think as positively as possible, sometimes even in the midst hard things. 

This is a blog hop called Ten Things of Thankful, and Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not is the host. If you have wondered how to get started participating in something like this, just make a comment below that you are interested. To read what others are thankful for this week, just click on their link below.

Beautiful red-leafed tree
I saw when I went on a walk

1. Those who are able to donate blood and do

2. The seasons of one’s life

3. Prayers

4. Faith

5. Those who devote their lives to trying to help people to heal

6. The orchestration of people’s lives that often lead to circumstances that are ideal for dealing with future unanticipated events

7. Being able to cry because sometimes tears are needed

8. Cozy blankets

9. Great Horned Owl sounds early one morning when it was still dark outside

10. Vic and our family and friends

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Six Sentence Stories - Treatment

By clicking the link at the bottom of the page for Six Sentence Stories - Treatment, you will be able to read some of the other entries this week. Some of the stories are a one-time entry, while others are part of a serial Six Sentence Stories. Some of the serials even have shared participants occasionally. It is always interesting to see what writers are going to do with the prompt word that changes weekly. Thanks Denise for hosting this weekly blog hop.

As they ambled between the tables and into the rooms looking at all the items that had once apparently been used by the now deceased woman, some who knew her were not surprised at all by what they were seeing.

They were the ones who knew of some of the suffering that she had endured and the challenges she had getting answers to what ailed her, but others just shook their heads in disbelief at what they believed couldn’t have possibly been a treatment prescribed or suggested by a medical doctor, but rather a quack.

Those who had come to understand how desperate people can become when they just want some relief remembered back to earlier days of their own lives when some of their experiences seemed similar to Job’s. That enabled them to give a little grace to those shoppers who laughed or made unkind remarks about someone who considered trying some of the ideas discussed in the old books and musty magazines scattered on the tables.

Perhaps had the woman felt better and realized how she and her life would be viewed by eyeing her household remains, she would have made a point to dispose of some objects, but she never quite knew when one or another might need to be put into action once again.

A woman who seemed to be in charge of the estate sale, rang a bell and loudly announced that everything was now half off, and with that even those scoffers who had been shopping all day and who now had backaches grabbed a few of those books and products guaranteed to relieve pain and made their way to the cashier.

Denise of Girlie On The Edge's Blog
is the host of the blog hop
Six Sentence Stories - Treatment

Ten Things of Thankful

To take part in this blog hop, be sure to click the link at the bottom of the page. We look forward to reading your Ten Things of Thankful post.

Cotoneaster bush with red berries

1. Weather forecasts

To know what the winter weather may have in store for us makes it easier to know how much preparation we might need to do before it actually hits.

2. Winter preparations

Since we live at a slightly higher elevation than some people in the area and have a well supplying the water we need, that requires some preparation that is not required of those living in the city. During some of that preparation I was doing one day this week, I discovered a very small opening in the pump house that explained why we had seen and trapped a couple of mice in there this summer. With a little caulking I was able block the entrance. I also discovered the light bulb we sometimes need to turn on in the pump house during freezing weather needed replacing,  so I was able to check my supply of light bulbs of that wattage while I was at it. Before the first anticipated freeze I’ll store the garden hoses and turn off the water supply to the outside faucets and drain those lines.

3. Concern and honesty shown by others

A young man who has a company that does lawn care and exterior care comes frequently to take care of things we are unable to do. He was scheduled to come this week, but notified us the evening before to let us know that a family member/employee had become very sick with the flu that night. Since he had been working with him all day the previous day and was not sure but what the individual had COVID rather than the flu and wouldn’t know until  he got tested he wanted to ask us if we would prefer if didn’t come this week.  We appreciated his honesty and concern for our well being, and decided to not have him come this week.

4. Cotoneaster berries

This time of year the cotoneaster berries turn bright red. Since we enjoy seeing the birds that come to our property, I am glad there is something for them to eat. I am also thankful that this is one plant the deer do not eat.

5. Homemade stews and soups

With the change of the weather, I am enjoying making and eating more stews and soups which I know are healthier for us than some of store-bought brands which have more salt in them. The homemade versions have almost no salt because I use no-salt seasonings instead.

6. Vacuums

A few years ago we received a gift of a robot vacuum which was a great gift, because pushing an upright vacuum around increased the pain I was experiencing at the time. When I am not in the midst of a flare up, by using the upright vacuum I am able to get the job done faster. I am thankful that I was able to use the upright vacuum this week, and not cause any aggravation to my body in the process of cleaning the house. (IMHO If one has a lot of wide open spaces in the home, it is easier for the robot to complete the job quicker, since it doesn't get confused by chair legs, etc., otherwise the robot kind of needs a sitter to make sure it is doing what it is supposed to be doing.)

7. Advancements in required dental hygienist supplies

A younger dental hygienist cleaned my teeth this week. I was impressed that she was wearing what I learned are called dental loupes with a light. (Physicians often wear something similar when doing surgical procedures. With the light shining on the targeted area, the loupes provide the magnification needed to see to perform the surgery.) She explained that all the students studying to become dental hygienists now are required to get this kind of equipment. I will say that I don’t think my teeth have ever been so thoroughly cleaned and polished, nor as gently cleaned.

8. Rays of sunshine

With the changing seasons, the streams of light coming into our home strike certain areas that kind of remain in the shadows other times of the year. However, with those areas being revealed by the light, I can no longer ignore the fact that the cobwebs probably have existed even when they were not as easily seen, but now my target is visible and they can't escape.

9. Bananas

This is the one kind of fruit that is always in our fruit basket and I am not sure I have ever given thanks for this great source of potassium. 😀

10. Vic,  family and friends

Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not
is the host of the blog hop
Ten Things of Thankful

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Six Sentence Stories - Video

Another post being linked to the Six Sentence Stories blog hop hosted by Denise of Girlie On The Edge's Blog

Pixabay

After she retired she sometimes found herself thinking about certain students, and this day she was wondering what had become of the intelligent, quiet and kind of a loner kid in her classroom who occasionally raised his hand to answer a question, but mostly seemed to be gazing out the window,  seemingly unaware of what was being discussed.

Surprisingly, at least to her, he invariably did outstanding on all the tests and assignments, so during his junior year when he began receiving invitations from universities from all over the country to come see what they could offer him, she wondered what the future would hold for him, and encouraged him to schedule an appointment with the career counselor at the school to talk about his strengths and interests, etc.

Although he originally planned to be in her class all year, she had heard through the grapevine he had dropped her class the second semester and registered for what he thought would be a more interesting class.

Between classes toward the end of the year, she saw him surrounded by a group of students, but they quickly dispersed, except for him, when the bell rang signaling classes would be beginning shortly.

As she quickened her steps to return to her classroom, she saw him with his head down walking slowly, almost shuffling as he headed toward the exit to the parking lot, and she made a mental note to herself to have a chat soon with the school counselor.

With the myriad of tasks she needed to take care of before retiring that year, plus attending all the obligatory meetings for the teachers regarding the district’s plans to increase their video instruction in certain courses, she neglected to talk to the counselor about her hunch.

Each week there is a different
prompt word to be included
in a story written with only
six sentences. This week
the prompt is video.

Ten Things of Thankful

Are you ready to express a bit of gratitude? I hear tell that Dyanne over at the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop is waiting for us to share what we have for this week. She is the host of this blog hop and puts the link up each and every week. If some of you have been thinking, I should do that, why don't you surprise her. By the way, you might enjoy some of her other posts on her own blog with the creative title of Backsies Is What There Is Not.

1. Being able to watch General Conference on TV this past weekend and the many reassuring messages I had just finished hearing that enabled me to remain pretty calm in spite of the sudden turn of events right afterwards (See #2.)

2. Being able to call 911 and have them arrive quickly and confirm that my husband DID need to go the ER to find out what was causing his severe pain 

3. Being able to get some answers and both of us being able to return home without him having to spend the night in the hospital trying to pass kidney stones

4. Relief from his pain a couple of days later. . .sooner than what sometimes happens in cases like these

5. The herd of deer who come by every day and are doing a great job of keeping our grass mowed now that all the brown grass has conceded to the green grass rising to the top

6. Seeing a comment on FB about cooking spaghetti squash a different way than how I usually cook them, because I had just bought one earlier that same day. . .love those serendipitous things that happen

Pixabay

7. Learning that it is so much faster to cook a spaghetti squash in some type of an electric pressure cooker

Just wondering. What is YOUR favorite knife to use when cutting an uncooked hard-shelled squash?

8. Finally overcoming the hesitation I have had in even using the electric pressure cooker, even though in the past I have done a lot of canning using a stove-top pressure cooker 

9. Receiving a good report on my yearly appointment with the ophthalmologist and that for the first time ever my finger didn't trigger when I was trying press the button each time I saw a light flash when I was taking the field of vision test (Before whenever I took this test, my finger would sometimes press the button when I hadn't seen a light.)

10. That I realized before I walked from the car into the eye clinic that I was wearing my light rain slicker inside out and was able to save myself from an embarrassing moment

(I only became aware of that because I couldn’t seem to find my pocket which I knew had to be there somewhere. The lining and the outside of the slicker are identical in color and fabric, so I hadn’t even noticed in my haste to get to my appointment on time.)

10+ Vic, our family, friends, and future friends

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Six Sentence Stories - Fountain

What does one "do" with the prompt word for the Six Sentence Stories - Fountain provided by the host, Denise, of Girlie On The Edge's Blog? It all depends on the writer as you will soon see when you begin reading the posts each week. Be sure to click the link in order to read the other posts, and let the search begin.

She hadn’t thought it to be unusual because after all how would she have known it wasn’t the norm when, for her family, visits to the homes of other children were quite rare, and even when they happened, she stayed near her parents and didn’t venture off into bedrooms.

It was common knowledge that the big old home lacked the amenities of some homes, but as she looked out the windows of the school bus as it dropped off children to other farm houses, some with sagging porches, or when she saw the outward condition of some of the houses in town on the other side of the railroad tracks she became aware that while her own home wasn’t the nicest, it wasn’t the worst.

Although it wasn’t until much later that she learned a little about what the sleeping arrangements had been like for her mother being one of many children in the family, or of the hardships her parents had faced during the Great Depression, it was no wonder that her parents penny pinched for years afterwards just to pay bills which came due, no matter what, even in the midst of crop failures due to the seven year drought.

At recess on the playground, not once did she ask about playmates' beds, or for that matter, any questions about their home life, for after all, it was time to play and what a family did was family business and something that wasn’t meant to be discussed with others, and no one asked that of her either.

After learning her family was going to move to another state when her dad came unannounced to pick her up early from school the day they were leaving, she learned the moving van had already left with all but a few of their belongings which her family would take with them. 

From the expression and excitement on the faces of her parents upon seeing the twin beds that had already been delivered to their new home, and them saying you kids don't need to sleep in cribs any longer, she began to understand some of the significance of what had just been said, but the real fountain of happiness came when she learned that there was an indoor toilet just down the hall!

Ten Things of Thankful

This first day of a new month is reminiscent of falls of the past as the weather so far has brought rain and then sunshine which is common when one month doesn't want to acquiesce to the other. I am also enjoying seeing the slight changing of the colors of the foliage that happens when the temperatures begin to drop. Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not is the host of this Ten Things of Thankful blop hop. In another month Thanksgiving will be upon us, so now is good a time as ever to hop aboard this blog hop and share a few things for which you are thankful. . .a little practice in doing so is good for the soul.

1. First homemade soup this fall

Homemade butternut squash soup

2. The ease with which one can access articles from past publications

It used to be if one wanted to read articles from old magazines, it involved looking through a box where you might have stored them, if you had even kept them, or asking to borrow copies from friends, or going to the library to check out copies of the magazines, but now with many people having home computers, being able to access old publications is as quick as a touch of the keyboard.

This week I wanted to reread the talks given during the past five years  by the leader of the church I attend. All of them had been published in church publications. For 20 years it has been possible to access the church magazines that have been published since 1970 on the church web site and then on June 18, 2013 the The Gospel Library App was introduced which includes not only the magazines, but many other publications.

There used to be a store in the town where I live whose only purpose was to sell used magazines. It was a treasure trove of literary resources for a junior high school student hoping to buy old National Geographic magazines with photographs to clip and information to add to their written reports, all in an attempt to attain that A+ at the top of the report. Those were the days.

3. One of those “why didn’t I ever think to try this before” moments when you realize that you bought more bananas than what you were going to be able to consume before their skins showed all the familiar markings of being quickly on their way to being overly ripe

I peeled all six bananas, broke them in half and placed them snuggly into a bowl and placed plastic wrap closely over the top of the bananas. The bowl was placed in the refrigerator so I could mash them and make banana bread the following day. As it turned out the next day wasn’t the best day for me to be baking, so I waited an extra day, and discovered even then there had not been any discoloration of the bananas, nor any signs of continuing ripening.

4. Relearning the value of reviewing past research, in this case pertaining to family history 

Even those whose skills in doing this kind of research are much more advanced than my own, sometimes inadvertently make mistakes that only becomes apparent when newer information comes to light that disproves the results of earlier theories and research. One researcher whose findings had often been added as a source by many, admitted publicly  why he no longer believed some of the theories of his earlier research to have validity. Because many have relied on his expertise over the years, I for one appreciate his forthrightness in setting the record straight, or as straight as it can be at this point in time, until new light and knowledge is made available. Now I have been able to go back in some of my own records and unlink certain information until further notice.

5. For a grandson who has shown an interest in knowing more about his ancestors, which prompted me to review the information I had on a particular family line, which in turn led me to learning the new (to me) information shared above

6. A driveway that is more prepared for winter weather

Recently some of the lane got asphalt paving, but this week it was time for the driveway by our house to be restored and get some new gravel added.

7. Being able to listen to books being read while I am doing mundane tasks 

I was able to complete listening to a historical fiction novel this week, and because I enjoyed it so much, I immediately downloaded another book by the same author.

8. Good news from family members

9. The beautiful coloring of this lizard who stayed so still and allowed me to take its photo

Western Fence Lizard
seen in the Willamette Valley Oregon
September 29, 2021

10. Feeling hopeful

Vic, our family, friends, and my faith that helps me to embrace #10

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