Thankful Thursday | And we have a driver
New here? Thankful Thursday is our weekly opportunity to hunt or the good and to practice being grateful for what we have. Join in the comments; it's free! And it will probably make you feel more cheerful.
This week, I'm thankful:
that Sonia passed her driver's test
There are multiple reasons to be thankful for this!
For starters, I was really hoping she'd have her license by the time Mr. FG and I go to my brother's out-of-town wedding because that way she could take of getting herself to work and back.
Also, because of COVID backlogs, it's super hard to get new driving test appointments; they're booking out into July unless you happen to refresh the page right when someone cancels an appointment.
So that makes it doubly frustrating if you don't pass.
I had a backup test appointment scheduled, but it was an hour away at an unfamiliar course, so I was very happy to hit "cancel" on that one yesterday. Yay! No more appointment hunting for me.
And now Zoe is the only unlicensed kid left (she'll get her learner's permit in November).
that my homeschool review is going to be done today
Sonia and Zoe both still have a little bit of work to finish up, but at least my paperwork part of reporting to the government will be done.
that I should have some free time coming up this summer
First of all, no biology for me and no homeschool for the girls.
And second, since Sonia got her license, she can drive herself back and forth to work!
(Ferrying someone to and from work takes a surprising amount of time.)
Hopefully this means I will actually paint my bedroom before September. Ha.
for mulberries
This time of year, there are lots of mulberries on the trees in our neighborhood, and I like picking and eating a few as we walk by wooded areas on our morning walks.
Mulberries are so perishable, you can't find them fresh in stores. Straight from the tree is pretty much the only way to eat 'em!
for shelter kittens
I do not, in fact, want to own a kitten.
But I do really enjoy it when some of the cats at our shift are kittens!
for cicada noise
I like the whirring sound that they make! If it went on all the time, maybe I would eventually be annoyed by it.
But once every 17 years is not enough to make me sick of the sound.
for my super comfy bed and pillow
It's pretty normal for me to hop into bed at night and say something about how marvelously comfy it is.
But every time I go out of town, I am especially reminded of how much I like my own bed.
Mattress: soft, but not too soft
Pillow: super flat
Perfection!
for library books
I have so many interesting medical memoirs here to read, all for free from the library.
for cheap eBay books
Some of the medical memoirs you all suggested for me are not available at my library. But I was able to find several of them for just a few dollars on eBay.
And you know I will put them right back out there for sale as soon as I'm done reading them.
What are you thankful for this week?
Increasing numbers of vaccinated people in my country, finally! One of them being me, my first shot. Not even a stiff arm I am counting myself lucky!
Great weather for the entire week so we get to wear shorts.
Our cats are immensely fond of the catnip in our garden. It is a joy to watch them roll in it, super relaxed. As they are outdoor cats, they get to clamber about a lot and do not use their nails on our furniture. And as long as we've had them (plus 10 years) , they've never ever used their nails on us. They to keep me company at my home office too, asleep on a pillow.
Shot!
How I hate autocorrect that misscorrect. How can I change that word now 🙁
This made me laugh! I'll fix it for you.
Ah thanks Kristen! 🙂
You have to be the first person I have ever met who enjoys the sound of cicadas!!! They can be sooo loud and disruptive sometimes and about 5 years ago (when we had our 17 year cicada cycle in the Midwest), it felt like we were under attack in our own backyard. They were EVERYWHERE!!! Including making their way into our garage, cars, and laundry room.
Luckily, they are not quite that dense here, especially in my neighborhood. We see some on our fence and such, but nothing like what you're describing.
Our cicadas are near deafening sometimes. In the morning and afternoon, you can't look outside without seeing at least 2 or more flying around. You can't walk outside without having one (at least) hit you/land on you. We were doing a bee hive inspection earlier this week and had to try to pick them off the comb when they landed on it. No surface is free of cicadas. With every step on the driveway/church parking lot, a cicada flies up.
I still think they're awfully cook creatures, but the novelty has worn off.
Make that awfully cool creatures. 🙂 Because I'm definitely not cooking them.
I had to laugh - I like the way the cicadas sound and need a flat pillow too. I thought I was alone in both of those opinions!
Yes! I have a feather pillow from Ikea that is delightfully flat and mold-able. So I can mush it into the best shape for supporting my neck. It's so good!
I miss mulberries. We had a wonderful tree at the family home in central New York. I used to make juice out of the berries and can it. That juice must have been off the charts in phenols, it was such a dark red. Also, so delicious.
Anyway. Thankful for . . .
Rain! 2.5 inches! And more to come! My garden is very happy. As are the ranchers who now have pasture for their animals.
The sun, which is drying up the mud. Love the rain, not so fond of the mud.
Garden salads. Always a happy time of year for me.
Children who more or less entertain themselves. Not without the occasional whining and fighting, but generally they manage without me.
We had a mulberry tree when we lived in New Mexico. You should totally plant one.
Mulberries are really delicious! I like that their seeds are not as problematic as blackberry seeds; those always get stuck in my molars.
1)The big one - I'm ever so thankful that I was able to get both of my teenagers their second vaccine yesterday. It took a lot of work (due to cancellations due to supply), and resulted in a cancellation on the day of the appointments. But, I was able to get a last minute evening appointment last night at the Rite Aid just down the street. Hurrah!
2) That Hawaii has cancelled the upon arrival COVID test (you still need a test 72 hours in advance of the trip). We are taking my parents there on vacation in 10 days, & the boys would have been just short of being able to skip due to vaccines, but not out of the 14 day post vaccine window. This added quite a bit of time at the airport, which we can now avoid. Hurrah.
3) That our garden is producing, and we are enjoying everything.
4) That our son finishes his first year of high school today. It was a pretty big struggle across a number of fronts, but... it's done, and all classes were passed.
5) That my lovely husband & I are such different people, but have reached a place in our marriage where we work to understand each other a bit more. I find that, most of the time, we are aligned on the core end goal, but our methods of getting there are so very different. I'm learning a lot about both of us.
Kristen, this isn't a thankful response, but I do have a question that you may be able to answer due to your cat shelter experience. Almost, a year and a half ago we started feeding a feral cat, and we eventually trapped her and had her neutered a year ago. She comes in and out of the house all day as she is absolutely crazy about our house cat, but even after a year of taking care of her she is still extremely skittish and won't let us touch her. According to the vet she is now close to 5 years old and clearly was feral all her life. Do you volunteers work with adult feral cats? Do you think there is any hope our little Missy will ever let us pet her, let alone sit on our laps? Inquiring minds want to know. 😀
Oh wow, I'm not too sure! The cats we get always spend time at the hospital first, and then they get delivered to us, so they are usually at least somewhat socialized by the time we get them. We are an adoption center, so if a cat seems utterly unadoptable, they probably don't get send our way.
We do get some that are scared and shy, but eventually they do always warm up. It takes a lot of time and patience and gentle petting for them to come around. We have it a little easier than you because ours are in a pretty small cage, so it's easier to access them for very gradually increasing petting. If the cat is just wandering around your house, it would be hard to initiate petting!
All cats are different of course and some cats never really get comfortable around people. My sister and I had a feral cat that used to visit our patio and we started feeding her years ago. At first we had to slide a paper plate under the gate and go back inside before she would come out to eat. Over the years she got more comfortable. It took years but she would let us pet her and eventually would come and sit on my lap outside but still never wanted to come in. We moved and didn't want to leave her behind but were worried she wouldn't handle being forced to come inside since she panicked every time we even moved to shut the door if she had stepped inside. Funny enough, we brought her inside, moved her across country (by car) and she totally embraced being an indoor cat and is still living her best life, ruling the bed and the couch. There is always a chance!
We used to have a feral mama cat roam our neighborhood. It got to the point that when she was ready to deliver a batch of kittens,
She'd drop the last kitten from previous litter at our house. After awhile, she'd allow me to pet her. Within awhile, I could pick her up for a few minutes. I was the only one who could though.
I sure miss mama Fuzz.
Thankful that:
My estranged college -student daughter and I have a (slowly) improving relationship.
My blood sugar remains pretty darn good wi no meds or huge diet restriction.
My son gets to go to law school in the fall - a school that has much better than average employment outcomes.
That my excruciating, bone-on-bone hand arthritis has actually become less painful without surgery; the hand surgeon says this can happen as the deterioration progresses LOL.
My 13-year-old beloved dog has more time with us.
I am so very happy for you about your relationship with your daughter. Wonderful!!
1. I am super thankful that my doctor sent orders for an iron infusion for me and my appointment is this coming Friday. Iron levels of 5 and below are no joke friends and I am tired of being tired all.the.time. Plus there are a number of other symptoms I am SO ready to say goodbye to.
2. What a joy to have hosted the graduation party for my niece. It was lots of work but what a labor of love it all was. Lovely weather, yummy food and memories that she will take with her the rest of her days. Perfection.
3. For the love of my little boy. He is 5 years old and even though he tries my patience gosh he just is the most wonderful kid full of snuggles and hugs and kisses. He is the greatest joy.
4. For our garden that is lush and full and growing. I can't to see the harvest this year as we have invested so much in the soil for the last 3 seasons.
5. For all of the flowers in our yard. Unseasonably cooler temperatures. Enough jars on hand to put away the surplus from our garden. Summer day camp for our son. Friends. Music. Sunshine.
I hope the infusion improves things for you!
I was anemic a few years ago. It was miserable. Hope your health improves soon.
I love a super flat pillow as well
Those ones that are almost like an inflated rectangular balloon? Those make my neck go in such a painful direction!
1. I'm thankful for our hammock! In our new home we're been able to hang a hammock between two trees. Yesterday, I cuddled my 3 year old in there, underneath the tree canopy, while she fed me animal cookies. The whole day wasn't great, but those 45 minutes were really delightful.
2. My older kids teachers. My kids have felt connected and cared for, and displayed a remarkable amount of growth given most of the year was online. The kids are both sad the school year is ending, and that is 100% because their teachers worked magic this year, mostly through Zoom.
3. Berry Season is here! In Oregon, berry season is worth celebrating, which we do by eating and picking as many berries as possible. It's shocking how quickly a flat of strawberries disappears in my household.
4. I am so grateful for my anti-depressant/anxiety meds. I've mentioned before that we just moved, and even though it's situationally awesome, the chaos of moving and reestablishing all things is stressful and so stinking exhausting. I don't know that I'm handling it all well, but I know it would be SO much harder if not for my medication.
5. I'm grateful for really authentic friendships. Yesterday was a day, and I connected with friends in the evening unexpectedly for nearly two hours. It was so nourishing!
I am thankful:
* that we had the means to pay for a plane ticket for my daughter to visit friends before her summer job starts.
* that we were able to find a 1 BR apartment for my son’s last minute grad school gig this fall and that his stipend will pay for most of his expenses. Last minute meant no time to find a compatible roommate, and he’s already been through less than ideal matches i the past so the extra expense of going solo is worth it to him.
* for progress in my work. Things are stressful, but I’m hopeful that they will improve this year.
* for summer breaks for all my kids. They need them!
* for easing of Covid restrictions now that we’re fully vaxxed and for the science, public health officials and health care workers that got us here!
Aww. Kittens. I don't want one, either, but a short visit with them would be fun.
I'm in the midst of preparing for my son's combination Eagle Scout Court of Honor/graduation open house. I'm grateful that we made it through the past year and that we have a reason to celebrate. It will be nice to see family and friends again for a happy occasion. My son was a rock star this past year and I'm proud of him.
Congrats to your son! And yes, a kitten visit is really the optimal way to see kittens.
Try The History of Surgery. Good book, very interesting.
Thankful that my husband liked the changes and additions I made to his resume. He is starting to apply to positions he is finding. Hopefully he won't be out of work too much in July so we don't have to dip too much into savings.
Thankful that my sister is coming next week for a visit. She is super excited to be somewhere else now that she is vaccinated. She really didn't think it would be possible to travel this year. She needs a stress relief from her job and her house. I am happy to provide it!
Thankful that my husband made dinner last night as I was super tired. He made chicken parm and it was so yummy! And we did not go out to dinner!
Thankful that my neighbor LOVES our dog and takes him for a walk every week day while I work. She loves taking the short walk and he is really beginning to look forward to it every day.
Thankful that airplane tickets to visit my daughter for a weekend are less than $200. With my husband leaving his job at the end of the month, I was concerned about the money, but he said go anyway. Its tough to just talk to a little girl on facetime; I need hugs!
And I am thankful for fluffy pillows because with a flat pillow, I feel like my whole chest and shoulder area are smooshed to keep my spine straight. As long as we are all happy sleeping!!! As my husband always says when we get home from being away "Dorothy was right -- There is no place like home!"
1 thankful to be setting new tomato cages on my elderly neighbors plants . 2. Grateful young man next door removed ugly couch from my porch for me. 3 thankful neighbor gave me a nice chair 4. Thrilled with salad I invented...cut up avacado...cut up tangerine...feta...salad herbs and small amt sliced onion. 5. Glad I had enough to pay taxes
I just wanted to tell you about our might exciting foraging experience with mulberries last summer. Or neighbor has a red mulberry tree and let us pick all the mulberries. A park nearby had many black and white mulberry trees. Every day we'd pick mulberries with our little girls. They loved it. Id measure them into half cup portions and freeze them right away in little bags with a twist tie. We have many extra little plastic bags as our milk comes in bags that we wash and reuse. They aren't always sweet berries but they are very healthy and very pink. So I'd full a half cup portion into our fruit smoothies. We had about 60 little bags and I literally just used the last bag from last summer. I see the tree getting new fruit so well stay picking again in a few weeks. It was the best forage find ever... Especially the huge treess at the park.
I am sorely tempted to drive my ladder down to the tree by the ball field here; it has so many mulberries but they are super high up!
So funny story....we use the ladder at home, and I took to the park with me too one time!! Hehe. Frugality at its finest.
* That every week things get a little closer to a return to normal. People are fast dropping masks (outside of a few vocal people) more people are returning to the office etc. It's nice to know that this summer will be a lot better than the last one.
* I'm thankful that my daughter's doctor is closer to figure out her allergies and that we're going to take action before she ends up like me (with allergy caused asthma and having a lot of breathing issues six months out of the year.)
* I'm thankful I get to take an actual vacation. Hopefully it's not just spent at my in-laws house and that I can actually get out and do something fun.
* That I have some like minded people in my life. Living where I live is very difficult when you look at the world I do. I feel that every year things get worse so it's nice to have some people around me who prove the whole world isn't totally crazy.
* That I don't need to buy anything right now. It's a nice feeling to have.
P.S. The comment I left on your Prompted site hasn't posted.
Ugh! I am getting so frustrated with this company that I switched to, and I am thisclose to calling it quits with them. Sigh.
I'll send in another support email.
Our daughter graduated Wednesday. We had to drive to the motor speed way an hour and half away to attend. We are very proud she finished 1 whole year early. We were allow to bring as many guest as we wanted.( outside speed way lots of room) but it was on a Wednesday and not close to us. I am thankful that her boyfriend and his Mom came , her best friend and her aunt.
We all had dinner at Olive Garden. Signed proud Momma
Hooray to your family!
Kittens are soooo cute and can be so much havoc in the home! And I remember that day of !!freedom!! when our last kid got her driver's license. You'll be there soon, Kristen!
1. I'm thankful for the young lady who willingly sits with my husband all day, and for the fact that they get along well. She's around the age of our daughters, so he warmed up to her quickly the first time she did this, a couple of years ago.
2. I'm thankful that we have a chance of rain in the forecast. We need it!
3. I'm thankful for the high school graduation of one of my great-nephews. He stayed caught up on his schooling last spring and was able to go back to the physical school this past fall.
4. I'm grateful that my husband was happy with his grilled cheese n' tomato n' pickle sandwich and a cup of tomato soup for his supper. I didn't have time or energy for a more elaborate meal. My meal was cheese quesadilla using cassava tortillas, with raw vegetable sticks on the side.
5. I'm grateful that I can get pork, chicken, goat, turkey, lamb and beef from local farmers who don't require large processing plants; they butcher their own or use small local butchers. With the computer threats, this is becoming more important.
I am thankful for our gym’s pool. The weather will be 90 degrees and sunny the next three days, so we will be sitting out enjoying the pool all of those days.
Thankful for my family all living close. It is nice to be able to meet up and hang out with them easily and not require a plane ticket to do so.
Thankful for our state parks. We went on a hike the other day and it was so lovely.
For my garden. Some of the plants I put on years ago are really coming up nicely now and they are so pretty, after looking really rough for many years it’s nice for it to come together a little bit.
For the time to be home with both my boys this summer. I was a little terrified of them both being home all day but so far it’s been a fun week. I am looking forward to lots of fun summer activities with them.
I ALWAYS look forward to enjoying Thankful Thursday, thank you Kristen!
1. The cancer of a friend is in remission, hooray!
2. That my kids are still really kids and have a few great friends. 🙂 My 16-year-old is upstairs now with one of his brothers and a couple of friends, celebrating his birthday by making a sweet, silly video (I'm listening to them try out Australian accents above my head). There are many days when I want to turn in my mommy badge, but most of the time they're cheerful, fairly obedient, interesting kids that are fun to be around.
3. The ability to CREATE! Although there never seems like there's enough time, I love creating in all its forms and am grateful God gives that gift to us.
4. School options. After revisiting our local school academic record to see if maybe things have gotten better (it hasn't, unfortunately), I was reminded how blessed I am to have educational alternatives and resources (in our case, we've chosen homeschooling, for now).
5. Food variety- summer is such a delightful time for food! Love all the colors and flavors.
6. Extra but so important...AIR CONDITIONING!!!! Was reminded when our power was off for a few hours how much better it is to sleep with a bit of moving air. So very grateful!!!
I could not agree more with your #6! I think a/c is the best invention EVER. ( I live in Houston, TX)
Thankful for a fun weekend trip to visit our daughter and despite the rain, we just had fun, fun, fun! Her housemates are awesome, and it was wonderful to chat with the important people in her life.
Thankful for the chance to listen to my student teacher talk about signing on to a full time teaching position; her joy, relief and nervous excitement was a reminder to me that the profession will be all the better for having her in it.
Thankful for the rain that is watering my garden.
Thankful for coffee, coffee, coffee.
Another flat pillow lover here. When staying at a hotel, I have been known to take out the pillow and put a folded towel in the pillow case.
Thankful:
1. that the friend who came to visit for a week loves to garden and took on the task of transplanting hundreds of leeks.
2. that she also loves to bake so took over the task of baking 15 dozen cookies for the local cafe that gives out sack lunches and dinners to the hungry. They put out the call last week asking for donations and I found a recipe for snickerdoodle bar cookies--much faster than making individual cookies, especially when someone else makes them!
3. that the buzzer we put on the freezer to tell us if the temperature falls worked perfectly, alerting us to the fact that the plug had been accidently pulled out. We would have lost hundreds of dollars of frozen halibut, salmon, and moose meat if things had thawed.
4. that my neighbor bought a mushy watermelon and rather than throwing it away, she brought it over for our chickens to enjoy. Such a wonderful treat for them!
5. that feta cheese exists. I love it, almost a bit too deeply!
I found so many things to agree with from everyone in this week's posts. But imagining your chickens eating watermelon made me laugh.
I'm feeling uninspired today; what can I come up with?
1. The baby is doing better about sleeping mostly through the night.
2. We just confirmed that we are right on track financially for my husband to retire at age 65
3. I'm thankful my kids are easy to please most of the time. They get excited about simple things.
4. I'm thankful that our state has temporarily waived the requirement to submit paperwork/portfolio if you homeschooled for 2020/21 school year. If it was required, all would be well, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with it.
5. Thankful we are a little closer to finding a new church that is a good fit for our family
I’m thankful for:
1. Family- I visited my grandmother over the holiday weekend and I’m visiting with some of my cousins and aunts and uncles this weekend.
2. Midwest summers- even though they can be muggy they are cooler than southern summers
3. New opportunities
1. That my kids are both done with the school year as of today and having a whole summer to look forward to with them.
2. That my daughter is getting her 2nd Covid vaccine dose this weekend.
3. For my garden…it is one of the most simple pleasures to me to watch things grow and I just started planting a few years ago but I have all kinds of good things happening in my garden beds right now.
4. For feeling a little of the anxiety I have been feeling recently ease up. Mine comes and goes and sometimes with no rhyme or reason but I have been having more good days lately.
5. For being able to make plans: trips, play dates, dinners. This makes me immensely happy.
* I’m thankful that we finished our first year of homeschooling, and that all parties want to continue next year! We loved the flexibility and time together.
* I’m thankful for the ability to video chat with family. It has been such a blessing after my sister and brother and their families moved away this spring.
* I’m thankful the splash pads are open this summer, and for beautiful weather to enjoy them.
*I’m thankful for my house. It is far from perfect, but it is in a great location and meets all of my family’s needs.
Kittens are indeed a blessing! They are cuddly, playful and great company.
On Thankful Thursday...
I am thankful that we had beautiful weather over the long weekend and that much needed rain is passing through this week. My hydrangeas need it.
I am thankful for my local Buy Nothing Group. I was able to find a home for several items. I now have more room in the garage and hopefully someone is happy to have these things.
I am thankful that my daughter will be visiting over 4th of July. I haven’t seen her in 16 months. She would not travel during Covid.
I feel blessed that I have a trip planned to visit my cousin. She is one of my best friends.
I feel blessed to have had such wonderful parents. I was going through some memorabilia from my childhood this past week, and I was flooded with sweet memories of my mother and father. I wish I had one more chance to tell them how much I loved them and thank you.
Wishing everyone peace and good health.
Bee: That is such a sweet thing to say about your parents. Gave me a lump in my throat and brought tears to my eyes.
I love hydrangeas! They are so pretty. When I have my own house I’m going to plant a blue one on my yard!
Ali, you don't have to wait until you have your own home, put them in large pots now, you can keep them in one pot for years. I own my home but it's hotter than Hades here in the summer and I have to keep them shaded, which means up against the house walls, so all mine are in pots. They are my favorite flower also.
One of my most fervent hopes and prayers is that our children will say the same thing about us. How sweet of you to acknowledge them. <3
I'm thankful for:
*our first homeschool field trip since fall (Antietam National Battlefield). (By the way, congrats on having your homeschool review finished.)
*what (I just realized) was actually our first (partial because it was only the younger kids and no dad) field trip last week-- a walk on the Western Maryland Rail Trail. I forgot about it because we walk there nearly every week in the summer.
*my father receiving insurance money for new roof, siding, plus a few other things for damage to his house from when a hail storm passed through his town.
*summer reading club-- my kids get so excited over it, and it's free.
*a fun birthday for my father this past week.
*smiles.
Your babies are growing so fast! Not babies at all, I know.
This week I'm thankful for a completed school year. In August I never would have dreamed that this year would go as smoothly as it did. My daughter never once got quarantined, they only did 4 days total of remote learning, she made a new best friend, and the reading improvement from the beginning of first grade to the end is insane! So so thankful for all of it!! Oh, I'm also thankful that her teacher didn't have her baby early so they could all end the year together. She's due in 3 weeks! Kudos to her for being 9 months pregnant and still being an amazing teacher.
My wonderful husband!!
1). That my husband's mother died quietly in a very lovely El Paso hospice.
2) that his 2 living sisters could be with her in her last moments. One lives in El Paso and the other fairly near by in Southern Colorado.
3)for much needed heavy rain last night which will turn back to the previous sunny days we had before.
4) that our newly bought porch planta are all doing well-- no casualties caused by their move.
5)parcels sent to my daughter in Texas and my sister in Englnd have both arrived swiftly and safely ( not always the case with both countries mail services seemingly tottering on their last legs)
I'm sorry for your loss.
P.S. Bad typo previously. Should read "heavy rain"
Sorry!
Fixed it for ya!
I'm thankful for my mother-in-law come to visit us from a week, she is very helpful
I must say the cicadas in my yard are not “whirring” —they are ear-splitting loud!!! My son said in his yard they were 85 decibels two days ago! While I appreciate the hard work they have done to get here, I will not be sorry when they are gone—this is my fourth cicada rodeo!