Ten Things of Thankful

Hopefully, everyone is experiencing some thankful vibes in their lives. They can be felt sometimes when one least expects them and can happen in unexpected ways. This post to the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop hosted by Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not may or may not make it in time to link up, but I still wanted to share my 10.

Is that weed trying to find better companions
among the flowers or just waiting for its time
and season to bloom?

1. Becoming reacquainted with my sewing machine and learning how to use features I hadn’t tried

2. Our National Parks films

3. Being able to get spiral binding on a much used book whose pages loosened from its spine after years of use

4. Opinions and suggestions regarding health  things to consider

5. Discovering how to fix those little annoying things, whether it be computer related, or a used paper cutter that appeared to be good as new, but was missing a needed part 

6. Thankful for the deer in the other lane who stood absolutely still as I drove past in my lane (HUGE Thankful!)

7. Pre-made pie dough for those times when  you are cutting corners

8. The feeling of wonder upon seeing a full moon and the stars  and remembering a conversation with an uncle many years ago as we gazed up at the celestial bodies and asking whether he believed there was life on on other planets

9. Easter and its significance

10. Vic and family to love and be loved by

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Ten Things of Thankful

There is much for which to be grateful one week before Easter Sunday, and really every day. Today the weather is more frightful than delightful, but with Spring there are ups and down and in life also. I appreciate the opportunities to see the bright side amidst the storms. I am posting this Ten Things of Thankful post to the blog hop by the same name hosted by Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not.

Variegated pink and white
camelia blossoms

1. Adages

For those who have parents who lived during the depression and WWII, this adage may sound familiar. “Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do, or do without.”

2. Knowing that not everything can be fixed

An old microwave eventually can’t be counted on to do what is supposed to do.  I am thankful that I was able to find one the exact same size as our old one, although it isn’t the same brand.

3. Facing fears and the what ifs
Knowing that it was just a matter of time before my old iPad was going to need to be replaced was becoming more and more self evident, but the thought of tackling setting up a new one was mind boggling. When I had gotten my old one years back, there was a store here that did all that for me. That store is no longer here, so I bought it online and did all the research to try to figure it out on my own.  I’ll admit that  the completion of this task required a lot of patience on my part.

4. Scriptures
Ecclesiastes 3:6 “A time to get and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;”
This scripture has come to mind more than once the past couple of months.

5. General Conference
One wonders what it will take for conditions in the world to change. There is so much conflict in so many aspects of life and tackling all of them is overwhelming. I am thankful for this challenge President Russell M. Nelson shared in the recent General Conference. “I invite you to seek an end to a personal conflict that has weighed you down.”  What a difference this could make in the world if everyone was willing to do this, not once, but any and every time conflicts arise.

6. Calendars
Having a calendar that shows upcoming events, meetings, trips, etc. became a real necessity when I became a young college student. With the merging of responsibilities after I got married, I guess the ‘’household” calendar eventually became something I managed (meaning mostly adding appointments, meetings, birthdays and visits/trips to see family. While I have a calendar app which I use, we still have a paper calendar, just so we both know what is going to happen and when. (I have to laugh at that last sentence, because there are times when I wonder how well I am doing with that.)

7. A visit from one of our college-age granddaughters during her Spring Break

8. Receiving my second COVID booster shot 

9. In person church attendance
Although I am still inclined to wear a mask when in the presence of a lot of people, I am feeling a little more comfortable now that the number of cases of COVID are fewer in this state.

10. Camelias in bloom
They remind me of my mother and her beautiful camelia bushes. I am thankful for the reminders of her.

Vic and all the work he has been doing to colorize old photos of family and the extended family who enjoy seeing them. Photos have a way of uniting family.

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Six Sentence Stories - Canvas

Image by Alexander Lesnitsky from Pixabay 

Sue recognized the number of the incoming call as being one of the senior centers where she often helped out, so she answered suspecting that there was some kind of a need. The voice on the other end wasn’t one she recognized, but she was somewhat intrigued by what she heard when after a few introductory remarks, the man who identified himself as Steve Silver said, “It was brought to my attention that you have done some canvas work and I am kind of in a pinch. Would you be willing to meet with me at 10 a.m. in the Lake View Room at the south center on Thursday so I can go over the details to see if this is something you might want to take part in for a few weeks?"

 

Recently she had received a flyer from the center about some upcoming art classes and had been debating if she wanted to sign up for an oil painting class and maybe make use of one more of her unused canvases taking up space in her closet.

Thursday morning she grabbed a small miniature canvas done in pen and ink that she had finished last year of the fountain in the city square and stuck it in her tote, just in case. She felt a little silly, and disappointed when she learned that Steve was being encouraged to run for a local water district position, and he needed one more person to do some convassing to help him get some idea of how many voters would consider backing him.

Six Sentence Stories - Canvas
A blog hop hosted by 
Denise of
Girlie On The Edge's Blog 

Ten Things of Thankful

This is another Ten Things of Thankful blog hop post. I wanted to get this posted much sooner, but part of me wasn't cooperating. Hope you have felt thankful even on the days when you aren't able to write about them and that you will join in when you are able.

1. Toys and their many uses

A man who recently passed away had a great knowledge of different kinds of tractors and how to fix them. It was decided that tractors should be the centerpieces for the tables at the dinner for the family after the funeral.  I was glad I still had a  toy tractor share.

2. Sunshine instead of rain during the day when the funeral service and burial occurred

Sunshine in spite of a few darker clouds

3. Reprieve from pain one day so I could do something I really wanted to do for someone

4. Help extended to me

5. Because I had registered for RootsTech this year, I watched few classes this weekend and will be able to watch the other sessions whenever I want during the remainder of the year.

6. The many shapes of blossoms

Crocus

Daffodil

English Daisy

Budding abelia

Spring Star Flower

7. The significance of paths

It is interesting to me how the paths one takes in life often becomes a similar path of the descendants and the lessons one learns when that isn’t the case. Perhaps the herd of deer who made this trail determined this was the safest way to avoid close Interactions with humans, but it isn’t without some dangers (crossing a lane without encountering a vehicle). Depending on what the future holds, possibly there will be no more deer inhabiting this area and no more deer paths on the property because the herds have moved into others areas. 

Deer path

8. Enigmas that cause me to search for answers and the people who might be able to answer my question

I either overwatered a jade plant or didn’t give it enough water. One of the lower leaves was looking a bit squishy, so I removed the leaf which has a tiny little plant growing from the top side of the leaf. The leaves of the plant are so small, I am unable positively say that it is a little jade plant, but then what else could it be? The jade pot sits very near a small begonia plant, but that seems to be a highly unlikely propagator. 

9. New way to tackle opening a can

The easy-to-open cans are sometimes not that easy to open for those who have a bit of arthritis in their hands, so this what came to mind the other day and it works perfectly.

Using leverage provided by
 the spoon handle to lift up
the pull tab on a can

10. Vic, family and friends

Ten Things of Thankful
Blog hop hosted by
Dyanne of
Backsies Is What There Is Not

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Ten Things of Thankful

Here are a few of the things that came to mind as I experienced this past week. What about you? I am sharing mine in a post that I am linking to the blog hop Ten Things of Thankful hosted by Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not.

1. Church meetings

For most of the Pandemic I have watched church meetings via Zoom, but last Sunday I am thankful that I was able to attend in person.

2. Perfectly peeled hard- boiled eggs

For some reason the chance of me being able to peel a hard-boiled egg perfectly is often a catch-as-catch can result, but one day this week the shells slipped right off just as I hoped. The end result was a perfectly smooth oval egg instead of an egg looking like it had been scarred by chicken pox.

3. Christmas cactus taking time to bloom even though a couple of months late

White blossoms of Christmas Cactus

4. Another helpful customer service representative

Earlier in the month I shared an experience of talking with a helpful customer service representative after we had been victims of fraud. This week I received an email about some rewards earned at a pharmacy we use. There was just one thing wrong, I didn’t make the purchases, and the store where the purchases were made was almost 2,000 miles away and the purchases had been made that very morning I read the email. There was no scam or fraud involved, but instead there was an error made by an employee who merged two rewards accounts apparently assuming there had been an error on their part when a customer who had the same name as me made a purchase. The customer service representative unlinked the accounts while we talked and he contacted the manager at the store where the error had been made to let him know what had happened so the employee could receive further instruction.

5. Spring flowers beginning to bloom outside

Purple blossoms on a
Lithodora  plant clinging
to the stone wall

(The following five items are a continuation of the ABC thankfuls I have been doing this month.)

6. Oboe music 

Click here to listen to the beautiful piece, Gabriel's Oboe played by a renown oboist.

7. Peacemakers

8. Quilts

9. Roses

Even our dog used to enjoy our 
rose patch

10. Safety

This has been in my mind and heart this week as I have prayed daily for the safety and well being of those caught in the midst of conflict and war in other countries and for those trying to escape to a safer place.

Vic and family and friends 

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Ten Things of Thankful

There are so many things for which we can be grateful. Have you ever felt a little silly about expressing gratitude for such a little thing? Why is that? It isn't everyday that one is saved from a vehicle in a bad accident, or a doctor says there is no more sign of the cancer, or the boss tells you she wants to give you a raise. What then? Do we just think there isn't anything worth mentioning in a Ten Things of Thankful post? Well, some of the things in this post may make you feel better about sharing some of the little things. Dyanne, of Backsies Is What There Is Not, and the host of the blog hop, Ten Things of Thankful and the rest of the TTOT participants would love to read your list of 10 plus or minus a little.

1. Jobs that can be faster by just a push of a button or the turn of a knob, such as washing a load of dirty clothes

2. Two tools, such as two types of vacuums, that perform the same task, but each out performs the other when it comes to certain aspects of the job

It kind of reminds me of how in a family everyone is able to contribute in some way to doing household chores, but one may be better at doing a certain job than his sibling, but each one is a crucial member of the family and is wanted and needed.

3. Unexpected scenes

When I went to the post office the other day, I saw 10 wild turkeys strolling at the edge of the parking lot! By the time I got my mail, they were heading on to other places, and I missed being able to get the photo I wanted, but I still remember the scene.

4. Time management and being able to recognize when I am mismanaging the hours in my days

With the advent of some of the popular online games that have grabbed the attention of many, myself included, I too find them a fun exercise of the mind. I rationalized the time playing them helped improve my deductive reasoning skills, hone my observation skills, and some even were bringing me up to date with the names and locations of countries in the world. It quickly became apparent that in order to continue doing some other things I felt were more important, I would need to use some of the tried and true time management suggestions so these games don't eat up the hours of my day. Just so you know, I will still leave some room for relaxation and fun, but not let the games take over my life.

5. Lighter tapping

This time of the year the bluebirds show up on our property. The past few years one of more have decided that tapping on our windows was the thing to do. We have never been sure if it is just one bird that taps or if several do, since there only seems to be one bird tapping at a time. The first year that we heard tapping, it was very loud tapping, like LET ME IN OR I AM GOING TO TAP YOUR HOUSE DOWN tapping and it was really annoying. Last year the tapping wasn’t quite as loud as the year before, and this year it is lighter still. Western bluebirds live about six years, so maybe, if it is just one particular bluebird, she is chilling a bit and quieting down with age. We can only hope.

6. Asparagus season

The time is here when asparagus is in abundance in the produce section at the store, and it is available at a price that makes it more affordable. It seems this is one of those vegetables that either people really like it, or they just snub their noses at. I don’t remember having it often when I was growing up, except at Thanksgiving or Christmas, when Mom would buy a can of it to serve with our meal. My favorite way to eat it now is roasted with some parmesan cheese sprinkled over it.

The last four “thankfuls”  are a continuation of my ABC list on Ten Things of Thankful at the beginning of this month.

K. Knotty woodwork

When we got married a long time ago, we stayed in a lodge on our honeymoon that had an abundance of knotty pine in the woodwork in our cabin. The home we built where we now live, also has knotty woodwork. We like having the homey atmosphere.

L. Lotion

The label of a certain product that I use refers to it as a cream, but it looks and feel more like lotion. I think I am its biggest fan, because I have used it for many years and most likely will continue to use the remainder of my days because it help relieve pain I frequently have.

M. Marriage

It has been through the experience of being married and having children, that I have learned certain lessons that have proved invaluable for me to understand myself and my relationships with others. I know that there are people who have never married or who have had a marriage that ended in divorce and they have also learned some important lessons about themselves and their relationships with others. No doubt the slate of lessons to learn in life varies from one individual to another as well as the way life tests are administered. I am just very thankful for what has been my experience.

N. Naps

I remember not liking it when the first grade teacher asked us to put our head down on our desk and close our eyes for a while right after lunch. Perhaps there were some children who actually took a short nap, but I couldn’t relax that much to take a nap. Now, daytime naps on occasion are something to which I look forward, and actually falling asleep is no problem at all.

Vic, family and friends

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Six Sentence Stories - Rambunctious

Has anyone else been chomping at the bit waiting to get this show on the road this week at the Six Sentence Stories - Rambunctious blog hop? I know our host Denise, of Girlie On The Edge's Blog, may be wondering who has a story waiting in the wings to be published or perhaps still floating around in the mind, a thought here or a phrase there, etc. I am  hoping the writing juices begin to flow so you can link up.

The large-for-his-age young bull, which had known only an existence of roaming  whenever and wherever he wished on the chaparral-covered ranch land, was not the least bit happy about being rounded up by his owner and the ever obedient shepherds, and then being put into the back of a late model 40’s pickup edged with high sideboards.

To say he was a bit rambunctious was putting it mildly; furthermore, one would have thought he was in training for becoming a rodeo bull for what it felt like to the farmer and his kids riding up front in the cab. The thrashing and lurching was making such a ruckus that it was impossible to distract their minds from it as they tried to listen to the staticky radio with the sound turned as high as it could go. There was no time to casually hold onto the steering wheel, even momentarily, because one never knew when the next steer tantrum would  happen.

Apparently the ride back to their farm wasn’t enough to get rid of all his bullish anger, because as soon as he was unloaded, he broke free and ran toward the first resemblance of what he knew best, some trees and thickets he saw near the edge of the property where he just dared them to come after him.

He put up a brave front by snorting and digging his hooves into the ground whenever anyone tried to approach him deep within nature’s camouflage, but he finally succumbed when he realized there was just no way out for him.

*This is a rewrite from Six Sentence Stories -  Circle