Thankful Thursday | freedom is nigh!
This week I am thankful:
that my OB/women's health class is allllll done
I got a really high A on the final, and I ended that class with a 97% overall. Woohoo!
I feel like I had a definite advantage in that class because of being a woman and being a mom. If I were a childless dude, I'd definitely have had to work harder.
that after today, my med surg class will be done
I have my final at 9:00 am today, so I might even be done by the time you read this.
I am very very happy that my final is in the morning, because then I do not even have the option of spending the day studying. I will just wake up, go test, and be done, done, DONE.
that I met a new friend named Kristen
At our orientation yesterday, someone new in the front was asking a lot of questions, and my friend Rachel leaned over to me and said, "Hey look, it's another Kristen."
(Because I raise my hand a lot and ask a lot of questions.)
Well, I happened to see that this new classmate's coffee cup actually did say, "Kristen", spelled exactly like my name! Ha.
I introduced myself after orientation and found out that she had to take two semesters off because of pregnancy, and that's why she's just joining us now.
So from here on out, there will be two question-asking Kristens in class. 😉
that my interview went well
Yesterday I had a job interview for a student nurse/patient care technician job on the floor when I did my med-surg rotation.
I haven't interviewed for a job since 1997 (!!!), and even then, I think I only did three interviews.
So I am woefully under-practiced at interviewing, but I think it went pretty well. And if nothing else, I got some interview experience under my belt.
for a lot of rain recently
I remember that last spring, we had a pretty long dry period; I started to wonder if all the wild blackberries and wineberries were going to be ok!
But we have had a lot of soaking rain recently, so even though I don't love rain clouds, I am grateful to not be in a drought.
that Sonia's cat is doing better
He's been in the hospital with some health issues, poor guy.
But he started eating again yesterday, so hopefully he can come home soon!
for a lovely painting from Sonia
For Mother's Day, she made me a painting of Miss Chiquita! Isn't it so good?
for the usefulness of my Buy Nothing blazer
I am not a person who wears blazers on the regular, so I am very happy that I was able to get this one for free.
I used it for my presentation last week, and then for my interview this week!
I don't mind paying for clothes that I am going to use all the time, but a blazer definitely does not fall into that category for me. 😉
for all the friendships I have made in nursing school
I always made friends in my prereq classes, but my nursing school class is SO BIG, I have really, really socialized this school year.
I can barely turn around in my building without seeing someone I know, and I love it!
I am obviously happy for a break from school, but I know I'm gonna seriously miss all my pals over the summer.
Ah, poor little ginger, glad he is on the mend!
All good news Kristen, and looking forward to hearing more about your job opportunity and the hours for your clinicals. Also, no one here will be remotely surprised that you make good friends in class.
This week's thankfuls:
for long walks followed by cold beverages
for rosebuds and seedlings in our garden
for a short holiday coming up
for perfect water temperatures for outdoor swimming
and last but not least: for an ordinary and quiet phone call with my sibling with whom I have a struggling relationship. The normality of that brief talk has been with me all week.
@JNL,
I'm so glad your phone call with your sibling went well. I can understand.....my relationship with my mom is strained for a number of reasons, but we managed to have a nice visit on Mother's Day. It's so nice (and a huge relief) when it goes well.
Good luck with the exam! You've worked hard all term; go dazzle them with all you know!
I'm thankful for plush cats, fluffy cats, and cats who sleep by me in the long, restless nights. They remind me 2 am is a great time for a snack.
So thankful the term is over- lots of frustration, lots of unexpected drama, and students who act as homework is optional. (Nice kids,; they need to grow up though).
Thankful for teachers who have helpful recommendations for dealing with recent issues with kid with special needs. They make IEP meetings pleasant to attend as well.
Thankful my 8th grader will graduate soon. He's an awesome guy, everyone loves him. However,he's the only boy in his class, and that can be tiresome for him. Going on to high school will really allow him to spread his wings.
I am thankful I was able to renew my driver's license online and now I am good to go for eight more years.
I am thankful for lunch with friends on Monday. One was visiting from FL, one is busy and I don't see her often, and one is one of my besties.
I am thankful my out of town friend was able to come over to visit on Tuesday while I was home waiting for the technician to arrive to perform annual HVAC maintenance work.
I am thankful it is not forecast to rain the next two days. All that rain made it easy to pull weeds/wines but I am ready for a break.
I am thankful for this weekly exercise and all the good happening in Kristen's life. I am also thankful for all you commenters.
That painting is awesome!
What a great painting. What does Chaquita think?.Does she recognize the cat? Glad to hear the interview went well. Hoping for news quickly for you.
Thankful for teen not in pain anymore (after surgery) & that NP addressed my concerns about some still happening things with teen stating that give few more weeks & will revisit if needed.
Thankful for doctor & hospital being so understanding about billing process I have to go through in order to get payment for them. Hoping that same understanding goes forward in future months as I knew the majority of payment needed to be paid will most likely not agree to payment, so will unfortunately have to go to court (as usual) to force payments made (hopefully not but has been continued process in past).
Thankful teen is almost back to normal & so is appetite.
Thankful that rescue dogs are so loving & happy to see us.
Thankful for the beautiful northern lights pictures seen online over this last few days from huge solar flares from sun. It's been a bucket list item of mine to see northern lights & have not seen yet, even while camping in UP all these years. Unfortunately I still have not seen in person as I didn't stay awake (past midnight) to see or just not visable during those few days. So glad that other people around the world got to see northern lights in person that generally is not even an option.
Thankful dad called me after his biopsy yesterday to tell me it happened & that will hopefully find out information quickly. His numbers have been changing lately & not for better. Between the agent orange & now his prostate concerns I pray for a good plan moving forward. The VA he goes to is really great! I'm a little selfish because I don't get to see him as much since he moved to Florida from Michigan 7 years ago & have only 1 month we see each other a year now. Teen has great relationship with him & continues to learn new things from grandpa. I'm just not ready for him to be so sick can't travel & see him. Or to be in pain more than already is. Luckily still has sense of humor (what I call it). 🙂
Thankful my (food) plants are doing well & growing a lot. Hoping squirrels don't eat the strawberries. Might need to build removable screen to put over strawberries to keep squirrels away. Recuse dogs chase squirrels when outside, but apparently not outside enough to keep them away from area.
Thankful for the warm weather & sunshine (always)!
Enjoy the upcoming weekend. 🙂
@Regina, Glad to hear your kiddo is recovering well. 🙂
Haha, Chiquita was unimpressed with her custom portrait. 😉
@Regina, A lady at a plant nursery told me to paint some small (strawberry-sized)rocks red and place them on and around the plants. Critters will be attracted to them but upon discovering they're too hard to peck or bite into, will leave the real strawberries alone. Haven't tried it myself, but that's what she said.
@Fru-gal Lisa,
I'll have to try that! Thanks!
I am thankful--
*for being met with sunshine when I woke. The fog is in the valleys below, and the world is so pretty and green.
*that it looks like good weather for a driving test.
*for our friend who knows how to fix cards. He's teaching my son how to replace the breaks in our aged Suburban today.
*for my husband who makes sure our vehicles get repaired.
*that there are leftover muffins for breakfast.
*for a fun soccer game to watch last evening.
*for the coffee I'm about to grind and make.
*for funny people.
@Jody S., Big addendum: My 2nd son passed his driving test today, so he can drive himself back and forth to college in the fall!
Yay, you're done! There is nothing like the feeling of school being out for the summer. So exhilarating.
My thankfuls:
--That today is our last day of school, too. It's been a really rough last few months for one of my kids, which makes it rough for me as well.
--That I had the opportunity to cook for our priest's meeting with other priests this week. I love to feed people, so it was fun for me.
--Rain! We got almost an inch over the weekend, and several brief showers since then. We need a lot more, but this will at least get the grass growing.
--For the regular running I do that allowed me to keep up with the preschoolers yesterday during the school color run. 🙂 I ran with one 4-year-old who went 3/4 of a mile at a remarkably fast pace. Last year I probably could not have done that with her.
--For an interesting meeting yesterday regarding one of my son's and his testing for giftedness. I mean, I obviously knew the kid is gifted, but the results of the tests were a fascinating look into how his prodigious intellect functions. And for the school staff who agree that a gifted designation does NOT just mean more work, but rather different opportunities as he gets older.
@kristin @ going country,
That's great that gifted means they don't just pile extra work on him. My state is going backwards in that regards. Anyone who tests well gets placed into honors classes whether they want to or not. A student can opt out, but I think this puts pressure on kids just to make the school district look better. ( I will probably opt my son out - smart guy, but school is a struggle, and I don't want the progress he's made lost in the stress to stay in honors classes. )
I hope your son can find an
interesting path forward!
@mbmom11, I had to fight for my kids to be in gifted/AP classes. Um--did you notice my daughter's SAT scores when she was 12? She doesn't pay attention in class because it's way too easy for her.
I so regret not homeschooling them. But I didn't know then what I know now. I urged my sister to homeschool her daughter and she refused. IDK.
@mbmom11, That was my concern about even doing the testing, but my son said he wanted to and I figure we can opt out of anything in the future that doesn't seem a good fit for him. He's not super academically motivated, so I don't worry about him feeling pressured to take on more work. 🙂 It helps a lot that our school is so small the gifted "program" is really just going to be one teacher working with about three kids that qualified. It's very individual, which is necessary for it to have any benefit for the students, in my opinion.
@kristin @ going country, Our boys were both tested in First Grade, identified by the teachers. Being designated gifted did NOT mean more school work. If anything, it meant less, as they were taken out of class regularly to do mock trials, go on field trips to interesting places with students from other surrounding schools. That also meant meeting more kids.
It served them super well for being accepted into colleges and broadening their horizons, travel, and the careers they each have.
@kristin @ going country,
It makes me so happy to see that your son having a gifted designation does not mean more work. I was tested as "gifted" when I was in the 5th grade - NOT humble-bragging, it was a looong time ago, and DID mean more work. Those of us who were gifted had to read (what we thought then were) super-boring books, and then have a group discussion about those books, led by a specific teacher. One kid who was brilliant (but always acted like he was on drugs) would come up with the most bizarre comments that had nothing to do with the book we were discussing. John Chaddock, if you're out there, THANK YOU. 🙂
And yet - when I was in high school - granted, in a different state and obviously different school system, AP classes were not offered to me. I was still "gifted", at least, I assume I was, and I did take Honors level classes, but when it came time to take the AP classes my school offered, uhhh, nope. Sigh.
So - anyway - I'm glad your son will have additional opportunities to learn and grow!
Thankful for our wonderful weather.
For my endless fence building skills keep the deer, dogs, rabbits, and coons from eating all my garden plants. If an area needs a fence I am your go to gal.
All my seed starts are growing well. I hope to get them planted today.
For a great Mother's day.
For seeing the leucistic raccoon by our house. I am glad no one has killed him.
Glad you can see the light at the end of the tunnel with your last exam. I know you will do great.
I am thankful that it is Thursday and my last day of work for over a week. Off on my next travel adventure tomorrow and I can't wait. Looking forward to not having to answer to a lead and/or boss (except for me, myself and I) for a few days.
Go, Kristen! And Sonia's poor kitty looks so unhappy there.
This week I am thankful for a good counseling session, for tackling a bunch of big chores around the house, and always for my sweet family and our tribe of rescued cats and dogs.
I'm thankful this week for:
Weekend plans. It's nice to have actual plans. Sure I'm the dad tagging along but still, nice to look forward to something.
For my wind chimes. I got some Japanese style windchimes recently and I love them. I also bought a metal tube style chime at Goodwill for $3. They make me happy for some reason and I can't explain why.
@Battra92, I've felt the same way about windchimes. I've wondered if I associate the sound with my grandmother's house, but I've noticed my husband loves them too.
@Battra92, I know what you mean - I feel the same about the random foghorns I sometimes hear from many miles away.
I have two sets in my carport and I love them!!
Have you ever seen the HUGE chimes that fancy garden stores sometimes carry? They make a low, sonorous sound and one day, maybe I will own a set.
@Suz, I too love the sound of a foghorn, probably because it means I'm at the ocean.
@Battra92, thanks for the reminder to notice my windchimes. My ears get dulled to the sound.
@Battra92,
That's funny, I mentioned wind chimes without knowing you were also writing about them. I see the other comments about them, too. We might have a wind chime appreciation society!
@Kristen, I bought an expensive giant set for my mom who loved windchimes. They were actually tuned. Wish I could send them to you but they went in the tag sale years ago.
@Suz, And oh, how I used to love lying in my cozy bed at my great grandmother's on stormy nights and listen to the lighthouse's boom, boom, boom.
@Kristen, yeah those are nice.
@Jody S., for me it reminds me of summer and I love summer. No wind chimes in winter. I hate winter.
@Battra92, My neighbor loves chimes. I don't care for them, all that random noise. I do like the sound of train whistles, especially in the middle of the night when the dogs start howling along. One time my husband and I started howling along, and the dogs immediately stopped.
@Rose,
That sounds like an incredible memory. Being in a cozy bed in ANY storm is pretty great, but the lighthouse booms take it to the next level.
@Lindsey,
That's hilarious! The dogs were probably wondering who was answering. 🙂
Thankful for the freshness that spring brings. For my daughter getting notified of another scholarship which she received this past week. For great coworkers. For tea. For my sweet husband.
- for medical tests with unremarkable results
- for swimming with my neighbor
- for the community created by the YMCA
- for moments of connection with my so ns
- for work colleagues who encourage and challenge me
@K, years ago my teenage daughter had a brain scan (scary!). The results were "unremarkable". The doctor, after he read that to us said "If someone told me that my brain was unremarkable, I would be offended." Somehow that makes me chuckle whenever I get unremarkable test results. Congratulations!
@Elaine N, My mom discovered during my teen years that my brother, sister and I had a weird lump where our skull ended and our spine began. We all went through tests and eventually it was decided that they were a "normal abnormality."
@Rose, though sometimes I wonder if it's a Chiari malformation.
Kristen, you sound so energized and so happy. I am enjoying watching you grow and expand your life week by week. I'm sure I'm not alone in observing this. 🙂
That's it . . . that's my Thankfuls for the moment!
(Plus, I have to hurry up and prep for contractors that will be arriving soon here.)
@ Kristen, Ditto to what Tamara R. says. And I bet you get another super high score (97? 98? 100?) on this exam, too. And a day shift for your PRN work.
The end of the semester is HERE! I so remember that feeling when I went back to college.
I hope Sonia's cat recovers well. That face! I love the picture of Chiquita.
My Thanksgivings this week:
1. First, I'm thankful that tomorrow is the high school graduation of our granddaughter. It doesn't seem possible that the first grandbaby I held at the hospital as a newborn is now 18 and graduating. Her hope is to become a nurse, and I hope she stays with that goal.
2. I am thankful that my only damage from last week's three tornadoes here was losing a large limb out of one of my two olive trees. It was loaded with tiny olives, but that's so very minor compared to people who lost their homes, all their trees, vehicles, or in one case, a life, that it doesn't even count. I'm so thankful that my daughter, who lives much nearer where the tornadoes hit, escaped damage at her home as well.
3. Although I'm confused at both how and why dragonflies get inside the bird netting on my berry plants, I'm thankful that I've been able to rescue them each time. I'm always glad to see them dart off after I've worked them out of the netting.
4. We had such a windy winter, because my trees that used to form a windbreak are gone, but now that the weather is warm, I'm glad to catch the breezes! I'm thankful every time they blow these days. It also means I get to hear more often the deep, musical tones of the very nice windchime DH gifted me with some years ago. I'm not a fan of high-pitched tinkly chimes, but this kind is soft and deep, very relaxing.
5. And finally, I'm thankful for 45 years with my husband, although these years have not been easy, especially the last five. Our anniversary was Mother's Day, and it was bittersweet.
@JD, I'm with you on the soft, deep windchimes (higher, lighter ones sound frantic to my brain). Thinking of your bittersweet anniversary, and wishing you joy this week.
@JD, I absolutely get your #5, and I extend bittersweet best wishes. (DH and I fell 4 months short of making it to 44.)
@A. Marie and @Suz,
Thank you both!
The poor kitty, having to wear the Cone of Shame! Glad he's feeling better.
I feel like I covered thankful stuff yesterday, but today I am thankful:
For beautiful weather. DS was determined yesterday to walk the nearly 1 mile loop in our neighborhood (he felt strong enough to not need a wheelchair from the clinic to the parking garage after his appointment!), and he did it!
For the younger boys who come along with DS and me on his exercise walks to cheer him on.
For Commodore Clark K. Fluffington (his newest nickname is Fluffin McMuffin), who makes us laugh every day, and who was polite enough to not nibble my hair to get me out of bed this morning, instead relying on pathetic mewing and a little paw-nudging.
@Karen A., glad your son is making progress. 😉 To quick recoveries.
@Karen A., continuing best wishes to DS and all the rest of you, particularly the Commodore.
I'm thankful that our grandson was alert and happy when I went for a visit yesterday. Seeing him smiling and playing made my day.
I'm thankful that I will be able to take off to keep our grandson when our daughter's maternity leave ends, and he won't have started daycare yet.
I'm thankful that I can work from home today.
I'm thankful we are making progress on packing for the move. Slow progress, but progress none the less.
I'm thankful that we have saving for home maintenance and improvements. That will help lessen the sting of the cost of getting our house ready to sell.
I know I am going to sound like a broken record, but I am extremely thankful for Katy at The Non-Consumer Advocate blog for alerting me to the missingmoney.com website where one can find unclaimed property. I found several family members and friends on there and one of them is getting $3,500. Check it out!
So amazing! I checked and sadly, no one owes me any money. Heh.
@Kristen, I checked and it said somebody owed me less than $25...at the time it didn't seem worth the while, I was so busy, but maybe later.
Sonia's painting is wonderful!
Thankful for:
Grandson's Grade 8 graduation this evening, he will be giving the speech he wrote.
Safe travel back to our NEMO home from NWA home.
Medication seems to be helping Parkinson symptoms for husband.
My 2 brothers.
Daughters who are there for me.
Yay on your class! And for having a little free time in your future:) From studying at least.
I am grateful for my thyroidectomy procedure going well last week. I'm back to work this week and while I have been exhausted every night I count it as a win. I came back to a few days of training with one of my coworkers (she is a good training partner) and once back in the office I had a gift certificate for a massage, a huge bouquet of flowers and a starbucks gift card. I'm reminded of how it does make one feel good to be appreciated, and how I always need to make sure I am mindful of that with others.
1. A certain iris and a calla lily bloomed for the first time in 24 years. Weird weird weird.
2. I have new drawing students, enough to begin another class (Usually I want 4 per class, but decided that 3 was close enough.)
3. One of the new students is someone I have known for many years. She has been quite horrid to me in the past, and I was a little nervous about having her as a student. When she arrived, the very first thing she did was to apologize for her past behavior!
4. My exceedingly expensive annual dentist appointment this week revealed no cavities. ($138 for cleaning, $98 for X-rays, $78 for 5 minutes with the dentist—NO WONDER people don't go!)
5. The dentist office is across the street from the gallery where I teach, and the library is nearby; I had some time to fill and got a stack of books from the library, which feels enormous compared to the one in our town. Such a thrill to have so many books at once!
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, you are the most patient gardener I've ever heard of! I can't imagine waiting 24 years to see a bloom.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, your #3 is great! First that you had the grace to accept her as a student, and the gift of the apology was reward. It's nice to be at peace whenever possible. I hope she continues to be kind.
P.S. My neighbor and I have started walking together again! Not as far, not as fast, but together and moving in the mornings. I am so thankful to have such a close friend (in both senses of the word "close"), and to be able to still walk on numb feet.
See you flourish academically & socially in your nursing program makes me so happy! You are out there, living your best life!
1) Ever so grateful that AP exams are done, including the mandatory 6:30 wake up times on AP test days (they start earlier than the regular school day).
2) Grateful that I can help my special needs aunt. This is a longer, ongoing project where my sister & I picked up helping her manage her finances from my parents. We are not personally helping her financially (minus an amount of been giving my parents for years & years), but it's about helping her qualify for services, negotiating cheaper bills, and setting all of her bills up to be paid. We've saved her a lot in a few months. Anyway, sometimes there are problems with various bills, and I can cover the bill on my credit card & later get reimbursed from her account. I'm grateful we have the financial flexibility to help out, because it's smoothed the way for a lot of bills. (We have a complicated set up intended to prevent fraud, given her challenges.)
3) The volunteer project I've been helping with for a couple of months will wrap up tonight! Hurrah! So excited. 🙂
4) I'm almost done with the training for my new volunteer role, and I'm incredibly excited about it.
5) We've had a streak of good weather, after an unseasonably cold spring.
@Kristen, here are responses to your post:
1. Your blazer looks so elegant, like it is made out of silk.
2. Sonia's painting is delightful, and her kitty with the cone tears at my heart.
3. Looking forward to hearing the results of the med/surg final.
4. I am shocked to hear the toughness of the program when it comes to failing classes (from yesterday's post)! But it is good to know that standards are high and being enforced.
5. It is fun to find a friend with the same name. I have someone we call The Other Jana in my life, and we are nothing alike but appreciate the differences in one another so much.
6. It is wonderful to see how happy you are these days, to read your posts full of joy, and to enjoy your beautiful photos.
I guess a few good things? Mostly I'm cranky, in pain, and tired of this constant dreary weather.
1. My mom's friend Fran called me about some jewelry and papers Mom gave her to keep for me. Although this will probably end in a fight with my sister.
2. Apparently BFF left me as the beneficiary of a bank account. Yep, her brother is still wading through her estate.
3. My daughter painted a picture for me for Mother's Day too.
4. My mother's ashes can be interred in Daddy's grave.
@Rose, I forgot! A good friend of mine took delivery of his Cybertruck yesterday!
on FB yesterday.
[Another friend] Of course, we are assuming that it doesn't spontaneuous combust after he drives through a puddle.
[Cybertruck owner] it's better than whatever jalopy you drive.
[Another friend] I'll take my 1952 Ford F3 over that abomination any day of the week. That thing wouldn't last 20 years, let alone 70+. And mine can go through a car wash without exploding.
@Rose, I think your #4 was the best outcome for all. I'm glad that will be settled for you all.
@Rose, kudos to "Another friend" in the Cybertruck dialogue. He's the clear winner.
Thankful for the Commentarians who help me with the info I need. Shout out to Rose and William B and Selena -- muchas gracias! Ditto, the nice lady at the Social Security office.
Thankful I will soon be back in the middle class instead of the working poor.
Thankful for the daylilies blooming, and for tiny blooms and little green tomatoes on my volunteer tomato plant.
Thankful for my "free" visit to the "art museum." Actually, I subbed for the art class while the teacher was elsewhere in the middle school setting up the student art exhibition. He invited me to drop by after school. So glad I did-- the creativity of those sixth, seventh and eighth graders is beyond outstanding and it was a thrill to get to look at their work! A creativity break a la Julia Cameron's book, "The Artist's Way."
Thankful for my fur baby still being with me despite her tumor.
Thankful to hear the bird singing in my backyard tree.
Thankful that I decided to take a day off from subbing. I needed the rest.
Congratulations on the grade and interviews!
I hope Sonia's cat is better soon. I love her painting!
This week I am mainly thankful for my trip to Hamburg. I had never been there before and it was so much fun! It was really rewarding to be in a new city and explore somewhere different. I'm also thankful that it was easy to travel there on the train, and that the trains are well-maintained and mostly run on time!
I am not thankful that I seem to have forgotten all the German I learnt at school, but thankful that people were patient with me and that I remembered a couple of words!
Thankful for good weather and a swim in the sea this morning!
Thankful that I understood something in Danish when a woman spoke to me. Normally I don't understand if someone says something to me randomly - I understand in class and if I initiate a conversation, because I guess my brain is ready, but I have less success if someone talks to me out of the blue. Today I got it!
poor kitty! I hope he feels better very soon. He's adorable.
And her painting is great!
I'm thankful today for prayer, hospitals, doctors, great nurses, and that we live in the age of advanced medications. My mom has had some rare complications since getting a pacemaker that has caused a LOT of fluid around her heart. She's been in the hospital for days now and finally seems to be turning a corner after them removing the fluid once and then having to pump the drain they left in because the fluid is too thick to drain by itself. Today she seems to finally have stopped having so much fluid buildup, inflammation is down. They'll start adjusting her medications today to control her heart rate and blood pressure and if all goes well she should go home Saturday.
She had never even had a surgery at the age of 76 (or spent a day in the hospital) until she got the pacemaker so this has been quite an adjustment for her.
Also very thankful that my brother, sister, and I all have jobs that are very flexible to allow us to help (mom lives in another state than me or my sister).
Yay for semester break!! I hope you get the job, but I also hope you get enough down time to refresh your mind and body!
This week I am thankful:
--for lunch with the gals from my Bible study group. I almost never go out to eat, and this little place was absolutely charming--and affordable!
--for opportunities to help in the church nursery. I volunteer with the newborn to 18 month group (though most are at least 4 months old) and I just love snuggling these little ones and getting toothless smiles!
--for all the rain we've had, and all the green-ness. Soon enough it will be hot and those luscious colors will fade a bit.
--also for today's sunshine, so I can do some much-needed yard cleanup
--for the spring breezes that tickle my wind chimes. I just rehung my smallest one yesterday afternoon after it being down all winter. That makes 3 on my front porch. Now to find hangers for my wind socks!
--for the cortisone shots in both knees last week. It has made walking a little more comfortable again.
As I noted yesterday, I'm late to the TT party today because of my main thankful: I went on an early morning birdwalk offered by my local Audubon Society, in a nature preserve in a section of the county that's unfamiliar to me. This got me out of my daily rut and into a beautiful part of the outdoors, in congenial and knowledgeable company. I need to do a lot more of this sort of thing. (My only regret is that I just missed seeing a hooded warbler, which would have been my only "lifer" bird of the morning. But about half of the others--all more experienced birders than I--didn't see it either. Those warblers can move mighty fast.)
@A. Marie, I am impressed with your bird knowledge. I can identify ravens and bald eagles because our state is positively lousy with them. A few years ago, I saw this gorgeous blue bird and exclaimed how unusual it was, only to have someone say how could I not know it was a blue jay. I had never seen one and was quite enthralled.
@Lindsey, I have been putting peanuts out in a platform feeder primarily for the blue jays this winter, and am increasingly impressed by their beauty, intelligence, and wide variety of calls (especially when they think the human isn't replenishing the peanuts fast enough). Of course, I never refill it toward the end of the day; having peanuts out overnight would just add to my deer problems.
And a book that a lot of you may appreciate is Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay, by Julie Zickefoose--a bird blogger, artist, guide, and rehabilitator whose life and work I greatly admire. Believe me, it goes WAY beyond saving one blue jay.
I love jays too. Basically my favorite birds are the ones other people hate: blue jays, corvids, and sea gulls. Now, if we only had albatrosses round here....
@A. Marie, I read Saving Jemima due to your recommendation a couple of months ago - it was fascinating to get her insights (like: not being so fixated on completely erasing the human presence during rehab, to the detriment of social interaction). Thanks for the suggestion!
Congratulations on being done!! And that's so fun that you'll have a Kristen buddy. 🙂
This week I'm thankful:
* for all of the memberships we have this year. We have memberships to 3 really cool places and haven't had to pay for a single one. Two were gifts and one is free through my husband's work. But they allow us to do such fun things and I love how having a membership alleviates any pressure on a trip - you don't have to see EVERYTHING that day because you can just go back!
* for the time I've had home with my kids. My baby is getting ready to start kindergarten in the fall and I am feeling it!
* that my youngest kid and I got to have the best day together yesterday. It was such a gift.
* for the chance to work quite a few hours over the next 3 days. This will certainly be easier once all of the kids are in school, but I'm thankful that we can make it work for right now.
* for some encouraging words from a friend.
* for salads and leftovers.
* for the great growing weather we've been having - a great mix of rain and sun!
* for safety while driving. I've had two 'swerve to avoid getting hit' situations this week - one at 25mph when someone on our street backed straight out of their driveway without stopping and almost hit the middle row of my van and one at 70mph when someone tried to merge into my space in the lane rather than the empty space in front or behind. It felt like kind of a crazy few days. I don't normally honk that much. 😉
I envy your ability to make friends. I am terrible at it, which may be why I still have friends from boarding school---living with people for years I managed to make some friends. As an adult, not so much, possibly because my personality is an acquired taste. I think having the husband as my best friend made me even lazier at making friends (and he didn't like me very much when we met!).
Today I am thankful for:
1. My scallions. I start some of them in a long shallow pot inside under lights when I am starting my tomato seedlings. By the time it is warm enough to put them out, they are large enough to start eating. So fresh and tasty.
2. That we had a few warm nights so the mosquitoes appeared. Then it got below freezing again so they were killed off, making the days much more pleasant than they usually are this time of year. Our mosquitoes are so bad that there are places in town that give out bug spray to the homeless because they are unbearable if you have to sleep outside.
3. We figured out how to trim the nails of Clobber paw. The first time we hired someone to do the job, it was $50. Husband used the dremel and I let him lick peanut butter out of my hands (the dog, not the husband) until the job was done. Next time we have to work faster as we went through a jar of peanut butter.
4. Homemade lemonade. This time of year the husband makes fresh lemonade by the gallon, so we always have some ready to drink in the fridge. He doesn't even drink it, he makes it because I love it.
5. Which leads me to my fifth gratitude, for the husband, always the husband. Sometimes it frightens me to think how different my life would have been if we had never met.
@Lindsey, "my personality is an acquired taste"
Slap me five!
@Lindsey, your #3 gave me an irresistible mental image of the husband licking peanut butter out of your hands...oh, never mind. And I wholeheartedly share in your #5. I'm a bigger and better person for having been married to my DH.
@Rose, @Lindsey, that's probably a good way to describe me as well hahaha
I am thankful for this resting spot and to be able to share in the blessings of everyone.
I am thankful our Master Gardener Plant Sale will be over after Saturday. I usually enjoy prep for it, but this year some other personal things have occurred that have pulled the joy from it.
I am thankful for the local tabby cat that provided cleanup of the cicadas on my front porch.
Thankful to be able to look out upon my yard and see the native perennials tall and straight. The rains we've had have made them grow by leaps and bounds. The plantings look a little more cohesive than in the past year. Was all set to move some things and since that hasn't happened, it looks better than I thought.
Thankful for my iris blooms. I transplanted them into a bed on the easement between the street and sidewalk and they did not do anything for a couple of years. Was all set to lift them and did not. I have three different colors I'd forgotten. Also thankful for the peonies.
Thankful for the Ladies Tea that our church had last Saturday. It was a blessing to be with other like-minded ladies and enjoy tea wares, delicious tea accoutrements and conversation.
@Chrissy, does the tabby cat actually EAT the cicadas, or just pounce on them and kill them off? Inquiring minds want to know. (I'm not in the part of the US that's going to get the cicada "double dip" this year; I'd just like to think that our local feral cats could be somehow that useful.)
Just came to say Sonias painting is so good! She’s really talented
There is something so delicious about the last day of school for the year! Treat yourself to something--ice cream always hits the spot.
This time next year, that delicious feeling will be replaced by a new feeling of awe because you "did it"! And I have no doubt that you will.
I'm certain you will get the job, any hospital would snap you up. You come with good grades, maturity, enthusiasm for the job, and practicality. You are exactly what they are looking for. The experience will be invaluable to you.
Be sure to take some time for yourself this summer, too. Recharge those batteries, it takes some endurance to work through the "senioritis".
Love the painting! Such a wonderful Mother's Day present 🙂
Thankful for:
1) My son getting 4th place in long jump at his last meet (1.40 m)
One of the other teens said: "Wow! That's higher than him. You bouncy bro!" HAHA
He is only 5'2" - much shorter than the other high jumpers in the top 8 or so
2) Being around teenagers and listening to them interact with each other. Always makes me smile 🙂
3) For the abundance of sunshine in recent days
4) Being able to run by the river on a sunny spring day. Pure joy!
5) My daughter is coming home for midterm break tomorrow. Can't wait to pick her up at the ferry terminal!
1. A very encouraging message from someone.
2. Old cards I looked through today.
3. Fun talks
4. For all three of the above things that helped me after a discouraging day.
So glad to hear that your semester is ending for a bit and you're taking a well deserved break this summer.
I'm thankful for ...
1) My church and local library for giving me a chance to serve them. I'm so grateful to have served besides them and to see their love in action for each other and the community.
2) My kids' teachers and all the staff members who gave them a wonderful school year.
3) The beautiful flowering trees we have in our front yard. They bloom every spring and remind me so much of cherry blossoms, which are one of my favorite trees.
4) The amazing northern lights I saw for the first time last weekend with my husband and oldest girl.
5) For feeling so loved on Mother's Day. My husband cooked biscuit and gravy and gave me flowers and chocolates on behalf of our girls. Also received some thoughtful handmade gifts and small trinkets from them.